Walt Disney World Has Filed a TON of New Construction Permits — Here’s What We Know
With the holidays in the rearview mirror and Spring Break still a couple of months away, Walt Disney World is officially in its “slow season.” As we have seen over the past couple of weeks, Disney is using this time to get several refurbishments done.
So far, we have seen work begin on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Astro Orbiter, Kali River Rapids, The Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros, The Seas With Nemo & Friends, and more!
While many of these refurbishments may impact guests’ vacations, other renovation projects will fly under the radar.
With that in mind, I am here to report that Disney has filed 15 new Notice of Commencement permits for numerous projects around the resort. Here is what we know.
EPCOT Permits
We will start our tour of Disney’s latest permits in EPCOT, which has numerous projects in the works.
Perhaps the most interesting permit filed by Disney calls for work at 2060 Avenue of the Stars. That address correlates to the old Seimens Spaceship Earth corporate lounge.


A new Spaceship Earth lounge is coming to EPCOT!
As Disney has promised that a new lounge is coming to World Celebration, it is likely that the work is related to that project.
Turning our attention to World Discovery, we noticed that two more permits have been filed. The first calls for work near Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
Disney has not announced any kind of refurbishment of the attraction, so the nature of the work remains a mystery.
More explainable is the new permit filed for construction at Test Track. With the attraction currently in the midst of an overhaul, the Notice of Commencement is not overly surprising.
Other EPCOT permits include documentation for work at Disney Traders and a Notice of Commencement for work in World Celebration.
Magic Kingdom
Moving over to Magic Kingdom, a permit has been filed for work at the Haunted Mansion. This permit is especially notable as Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion recently debuted a new bride scene.
Could Walt Disney World soon be following suit?
The other major Magic Kingdom permit applies to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Unlike Splash Mountain, Disney has decided not to close the attraction for an extended period this winter.
Instead, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will close early on select days to facilitate its yearly refurb.


Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Animal Kingdom
Moving over to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, two new permits have been filed.
The first is for a backstage animal care facility. The second permit relates to the observation deck located above Kilimanjaro Safaris.


Photo: Disney
This platform is used during the Wild Africa Trek tour.
Other Permits
Finally, Disney has also filed permits for work on the Grand Floridian lobby, a monorail parking station, and a backstage road behind Disney’s Hollywood Studios.


Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
With lighter crowds expected for the next couple of months, it looks like Disney will be getting a ton of work done. Hopefully, we learn more about the individual projects soon!
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