A refurbishment of Wilderness Lodge may be on the horizon, with a lengthy permit recently filed that would see work contracted through the end of 2026. The permit, filed by Disney’s Facility Asset Management team and contracted to Adena Corporation, lists “general construction” as the scope of the work. The interesting part of this permit is the December 25, 2026 end date. Typically, these Notice of Commencement permits have a standard expiration date of a year after they’re filed. Whenever an end date more than a year into the future is listed, we assume that the scope of the work is larger than a quick bit of work.

Adena Corporation is a large contractor that has done work with Disney in the past. The scope of work is wide, encompassing everything from roller coaster work to venues like the NBA Experience. Unfortunately, they are not the type of specialized contractor that would allow us to narrow our scope of speculation. That said, they have typically worked on theme park projects in the past with Disney, and normally they have worked with Walt Disney Imagineering.

The Wilderness Lodge project is different than we’ve come to expect with Adena. The work is owned by Disney’s Facility Asset Management, suggesting that the work is less creative and more maintenance/preventative.

Disney World has not announced any long-term projects for Wilderness Lodge yet, but there is an ongoing refurbishment of exterior spaces at the Boulder Ridge Villas section of the resort. That work is currently scheduled to wrap up around the end of this year. Clearly, the work in this new permit is of a larger scope and longer timeframe horizon given the December 2026 expiration date for the permit. Something to keep an eye on.

As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!