Construction at Narcoossee’s at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is complete and the restaurant is open again, but work on guest rooms continues. Crew members have been working on the Sago Cay building next to the Magic Kingdom walkway for the past few weeks.
Sago Cay construction
A few days ago we saw crew members working in two aerial work platforms in the almost completely demolished stairwell. We saw stairwells on other buildings being demolished and rebuilt.
A few new stair sections had just been installed.
Now, on our next monorail ride, stairs zigzagged all the way up the exposed stairwell.
Walls and railings have yet to be installed around the staircase and the building behind is being re-clad.
Around the corner scaffolding covers the side of the building. Crew members removed the red clapboards from the roof, another project we’ve seen on other buildings.
Although the clapboards are removed, they are later replaced.
A few days later, more clapboards were gone, revealing the weatherproof sheathing underneath.
On the roof we saw most of the construction activity.
Several construction vehicles are parked nearby, with planks on the ground to drive over.
There are also stacks of steel.
Clapboards were also removed at the other end of the building.
We saw a range of materials on the other end of the roof.
Scaffolding also covers the balconies at this end.
Renovation of Disney’s Grand Florida Resort
Reportedly, when former CEO Bob Chapek took over the Parks & Resorts division in 2015, he felt the Grand Floridian didn’t live up to standards. The comparisons to a Four Seasons didn’t fit the current state of Walt Disney World, and it was no longer fit as a flagship resort. But rather than shifting focus to another resort hotel, the company decided to make changes.
The overhaul of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort began with the Enchanted Rose Lounge replacing Mizner’s Lounge. A Beauty and the Beast theme was given. Cítricos followed with a new “Mary Poppins” inspired design. When the Grand Floridian Spa reopened in January 2022, it turned out that it had also been remodeled. All of the resort’s rooms are still undergoing modernization and some “Mary Poppins” themes have been added in all guest buildings.
Narcoossee’s was closed from June 2022 to April 2023 and has reopened with a revamped interior and a “land and sea” menu. Read our review of Narcoossee.
1900 Park Fare, the characterful buffet location at Disney Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, is still closed for renovations. The restaurant has not reopened with the rest of the Walt Disney World Resort since it closed in March 2020 due to COVID-19. When physical distancing measures were still in place, 1900 Park Fare was briefly used as overflow seating for the Grand Floridian Café.
The lobby of the Grand Florida Resort will also be updated in the near future.
Disney’s Grand Florida Resort & Spa will celebrate its 35th anniversary on July 1, 2023.
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https://wdwnt.com/2023/04/new-stairs-installed-roofing-removed-during-sago-cay-refurbishment-at-disneys-grand-floridian-resort/
