If you have a Walt Disney World trip on the books, two closures are worth knowing about. The FriendShip Boat dock at Disney’s Yacht Club and Beach Club Resorts closed for maintenance from August 17 through August 21, 2026. Meanwhile, a bigger refurbishment at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge’s Kidani Village is still underway, with the lobby, entrance, and other amenities closing in phases through early November, according to Disney.
FriendShip Boat Dock Closure at Yacht and Beach Club
The FriendShip Boat Dock at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resort closed for maintenance from August 17 through August 21, 2026, according to Disney. The boats normally shuttle guests between the EPCOT-area resort and both EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, making them a popular shortcut for park hopping. During the closure, guests needed alternate routes to get to the parks for those five days.
Buses and Walking Routes Replaced the Boat
During the closure, Disney ran direct bus transportation from Yacht and Beach Club to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Guests headed to EPCOT could walk instead, using the resort’s pathway to the International Gateway entrance. WDWMAGIC advised travelers to build a few extra minutes into their commute while the FriendShip boats were out of service, since both alternatives took longer than the water route guests were used to.
Kidani Village Lobby And Entrance Shut Down for Nearly Two Months
The bigger closure is at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge’s Kidani Village, where the main lobby and primary entrance closed August 17 and will stay shut through October 9, 2026. That is the longest single phase of the entire project, according to BlogMickey. For nearly two months, arriving guests will check in at the Palace Library rather than the resort’s normal entrance.
Merchandise Shop Also Going Dark
BlogMickey reports that Johari Treasures, the merchandise shop tucked near the lobby, closed from August 17 through August 28, 2026. Its short timeline lined up with the start of the larger project, which could mean crews handled work close to the shop before anything else. Disney never detailed exactly what changed inside Johari Treasures, so guests visiting Kidani Village that week found the shop unavailable.
North Corridor, Elevators And Terrace Deck Next
The north side lobby corridor at Kidani Village closes from September 28 through October 9, according to Disney. That takes the second-floor north side lobby elevators and the outdoor terrace observation deck down with it. Because this window runs right into the last days of the main lobby and entrance closure, guests staying at Kidani Village in early October will be dealing with several closures at once.
Final Phase Takes Out Even More Amenities
Disney says the south side lobby corridor shuts down October 26 through November 6, the project’s final phase. Community Hall, the Safari So Good Arcade, the laundry room, the Palace Library, lobby restrooms, and the outdoor terrace observation deck all go offline during this stretch. Notably, the Palace Library served as temporary check-in earlier in the project, so check-in should already be back at the main entrance by this point.
Why This Might Be More Than Cosmetic
Tom Bricker of Disney Tourist Blog thinks there’s more going on here than a routine kiosk swap. Closing the main lobby, the entrance, and the corridors around them, he argued, points to a hidden infrastructure problem Disney hasn’t explained. He noted that the common areas already looked great on a recent visit, with no obvious need for a cosmetic refresh, and that the November 6 finish lands right before the Veterans Day travel surge.
A Different Project Than the Room Overhaul Already Underway
This lobby work is separate from the hard goods refurbishment underway on Kidani Village’s guest rooms, which Disney says ran from October 2025 through May 2026 before moving to Jambo House through January 2027. Disney Tourist Blog reports the redone rooms bring new Inova pull-down beds, more outlets and USB ports, laminate flooring instead of carpet, and Lion King-themed art. The villas hadn’t seen an overhaul like this since they opened between 2007 and 2009.
What Travelers Should Know Before Booking
Kidani Village is juggling lobby construction through early November, and Yacht and Beach Club guests are navigating boat detours for a few more days. Tom Bricker suggested Jambo House as the steadier option at Animal Kingdom Lodge, since its lobby is unaffected and its hotel rooms were already refurbished in 2018 and 2019. Guests with trips planned during these windows should factor the closures into their itineraries ahead of time.
