Planters no longer block the view of the lobby directly in front of the Monorail station. A PhotoPass photographer was available in this space when we stopped by.
Instead, the planters are around a section of the second-floor railings at the other end of the lobby.
We saw some paneling behind the planters, potentially to be used to cover the floor.
Seating is now just available on the outskirts of the lobby and construction walls block most of the space.
Plywood covers the floor, keeping it protected from the two lifts and other construction materials.
Crews have been using the lifts to reach railings and columns of the guest floors above — replacing, refurbishing, and repainting various sections.
The top three floors have white scrim up against their railings.
We found the crew members painting white columns near the front of the lobby.
Although seating has been moved back into this area below the Monorail station, it was not yet open this morning as crews finished preparing the area.
Red velvet ropes blocked the couches and chairs from guest access.
Grand Floridian Exterior Construction
Meanwhile, scaffolding still covers the building around and above Gasparilla Island Grill.
The quick-service restaurant remains open despite construction on the guest room balconies above it.
Guests just need to walk through a tunnel of construction walls.
Another entrance in the construction walls is just for crew members.
Significantly more scaffolding has been installed, reaching all the way up to the roof and extending to a closed ramp near the Grand Floridian Café entrance.
Above, we could see construction materials on balconies and through balcony doors.
One door was lined with blue painter’s tape and had a sign taped to it. The balcony chairs were stacked and covered in plastic.
A temporary ramp has been set up at a different entrance to replace the closed one during construction.
Combined with bad service, it makes for a memorable visit for all the wrong reasons. Hopefully it's the only bad experience of your trip!
