Construction Path Between Disney’s Polynesian and Grand Floridian (New Path in 2023)
Do you remember the ever-so-pleasant walkway between Disney’s Polynesian and Grand Floridian Resort? Unfortunately, it closed last year to make way for a major construction project that will bring a new DVC tower to Disney’s Polynesian Resort.
Since guests can no longer walk the peaceful shoreline, Disney opened an alternative walkway between the resorts. Initially, the walkway required crossing a fairly busy road twice to walk back and forth between the resorts.
This construction path led to many complaints and concerns from visitors. Thankfully, a new construction path has recently opened that keeps guests on the same side of the road.
As you may know, this project has progressed quickly. But there is still plenty of work to be done. So I felt it would be a good idea to walk the new pathway to give you an idea of what to expect.
Here is a photo of where the former path passed by the Grand Floridian wedding chapel. A partial framework for the new hotel now exists along the former white sand beach.
Our walk begins in front of the main Grand Floridian Villas building, which sits at the edge of the resort. Then, we’ll continue to the Great Ceremonial House, the center of Disney’s Polynesian.
For those leaving the Grand Floridian’s main building, you’ll exit the resort’s front entrance and take a left. Then you’ll continue under a covered walkway until you reach the Disney Vacation Club building. There, a separate walkway extends to the right of the building. (Follow the monorail tracks.)
My trip along the new walkway was approximately 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 reasonably accurate distance between the two resorts.
As I was leaving the Grand Floridian Villas, I noticed new signs had been added. These signs no longer direct guests to walk through the DVC parking lot.
The new path is clearly defined and wraps around the outer parameter of the Disney Vacation Club parking lot at the Grand Floridian. As I approached the road, I noticed the sign ahead said to take a left.
When I turned the corner, I saw a new path had been poured that keeps guests on the same side of the road.
Now you can continue without having to deal with traffic.
Unfortunately, the walkway isn’t scenic. But this is a much better solution for traveling back and forth between the resorts.
One wonders what this area will look like in the coming years. It will be a significant change.
Signs along the way instill confidence that you’re going in the right direction. But with the new changes, it’s pretty straightforward.
We’ve nearly made it to the Polynesian.
I noticed a few mirrors had been added where guests can see if anyone is coming around the corner. Many cast members and construction workers drive various service vehicles/carts around the resort. So even though you don’t have to cross the road, you’ll still want to be mindful of potential traffic.
Once you enter the grounds of the Polynesian, you’ll stay along the path. It winds its way to the Great Ceremonial House.
You’ll run directly into it.
You’ll return the same way when traveling to the Grand Floridian from the Polynesian.
Since this new, safer path has opened, I’ll likely resume walking between the resorts. However, if you don’t want to deal with the construction path, there are a few other options.
- You can take a bus from the Polynesian to the Grand Floridian. Most buses will stop at both resorts (Poly first, then Grand), but you can ask the driver to confirm.
- You can take the monorail from the Polynesian to Grand Floridian.
- You can take the resort boat launch from Grand Floridian to return to the Polynesian.
Technically, you can take the monorail from the Grand Floridian back to the Polynesian. But you’ll have to make several stops along the way. The same thing goes for the resort boat service.
Related: Disney World Monorail Guide
For more tips on traveling to and from either resort, we have transportation guides for each one:
Additionally, we list all of our articles for the Grand Floridian in a separate guide:
Or you might enjoy browsing our list of articles for Disney’s Polynesian Resort:
Hopefully, this article got you going in the right direction. We’ll continue to provide updates as construction improves(?) the area moving forward. You can find those for each resort below:
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?
