Construction Path Between Disney’s Polynesian and Grand Floridian
Unfortunately, the ever-so-pleasant walkway between Disney’s Polynesian and Grand Floridian Resort has closed. That stunning piece of real estate is now part of a major construction project to bring a new DVC tower to Disney’s Polynesian Resort.
Since you can no longer walk along the shoreline, Disney has opened an alternative walkway between the resorts. Unfortunately, while efficient, the new walkway requires you to cross a fairly busy road not once but twice.
One can only assume this project will take some time to near completion. But at this point in late 2022, it’s only just begun. So I felt it would be a good idea to walk the new pathway and give you an idea of what to expect.
Our walk begins in front of the main Grand Floridian Villas building, which sits at the edge of the resort. Then, we will continue to the Great Ceremonial House, the center of Disney’s Polynesian.
My trip along the new walkway was a distance of 0.42 miles. Of course, you’ll walk a bit further if you’re headed to the main lobby of Disney’s Grand Floridian. But overall, that’s a fairly accurate distance for the construction alternative.
It was nearing sunset when I decided to head home for the evening. I was at Disney’s Grand Floridian, taking photos of the Halloween floral arrangement in the lobby.
However, my car was at Epcot’s front entrance. So I needed to take the monorail to get back to Epcot.
Since I enjoy walking, I almost always walk back along the shoreline from the Grand Floridian to the Polynesian and then to the Transportation and Ticket Center. So my intention for this visit was the same. Only I would have to take the newly opened construction walkway.
I wasn’t sure exactly where the walking path started. So I went in the direction of the wedding chapel, like I usually would when taking the old pathway.
At the wedding chapel, I ran into the first sign directing me to turn back toward the front of the resort at the Disney Vacation Club Wing.
So if you’re leaving the Grand Floridian, you can walk this same way. Or you can exit the resort’s front entrance, take a left, and continue onward until you reach the Disney Vacation Club building. (Follow the monorail tracks.)
As long as you head in the general direction toward the Polynesian, you’ll end up in the right place. There are plenty of signs to direct you.
Once you get in front of the villa’s building, you’ll walk across the Disney Vacation Club parking lot to Grand Floridian Way.
You’ll run into a separate entrance for the wedding chapel at the back of the parking lot. Here, you’ll take the crosswalk across the Wedding Chapel entrance and then across Grand Floridian Way (Reams Road).
This road is a cut-through of sorts to reach the Windermere area. So it can be busy from time to time. Also, the road curves as it passes the Grand Floridian, so make sure to use caution.
Traffic is supposed to stop at the crosswalk. But several people passed through while I was waiting to cross.
Signage continues across the road. But at this point, it’s pretty self-explanatory.
You’ll walk past a portion of Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course. The photo below shows where the path turns ahead to cross back over to the Polynesian.
Unfortunately, both sides of the road offer a view of construction.
An ample construction light was running where you cross back over to the Polynesian.
One wonders what this area will look like in the coming years. It will be a significant change.
Anyway, once you cross back over the road, you’ll continue until you reach the Polynesian.
A little decorative scrim has been added.
Once you enter the grounds of the Polynesian, you’ll stay along the path to get to the Great Ceremonial House.
When traveling to the Grand Floridian from the Polynesian, you’ll return the same way.
On the one hand, I’m glad a walkway is still available between the resorts during this time. But, on the other hand, I would take an alternate route to avoid the hassle of crossing the road, especially when traveling with smaller children.
You can also take the resort boat service when traveling from Grand Floridian to the Polynesian. It travels from Grand Floridian to the Polynesian and then to Magic Kingdom.
Related: Polynesian Transportation Options
For travel from the Polynesian to the Grand Floridian, you can use the monorail. It’s the next stop.
Related: Disney World Monorail Guide
For more tips on traveling to and from Disney’s Grand Floridian, you might also enjoy our transportation guide.
Related: Transportation Options at Disney’s Grand Floridian
Hopefully, this article got you going in the right direction. We’ll continue to provide updates as construction improves(?) the area moving forward.
In the Comments
What are your thoughts about the construction pathway between Grand Floridian and Polynesian? Do you ever take the former scenic route? Will you be glad to see it return?
