While visiting Magic Kingdom this morning to take a look at the now-closed Hall of Presidents attraction, we also noticed that there is a new refurbishment underway in Adventureland. The still-closed Tortuga Tavern quick-service dining location is now under refurbishment. More specifically, the seating area is now behind Disney’s roll-away shrubs – often used in lieu of more substantial construction walls. Either way, the area is now closed to guests, and we stopped by to take a look!
Tortuga Tavern Under Refurbishment
Tortuga Tavern has been closed since last Summer, and while Walt Disney World did post operating hours for the location suggesting it would open in the new year, that proved to be an error on their part and the dining location did not reopen.
Now, it looks like there is some work underway on the location, suggesting Disney might be preparing it for an eventual reopening. The location has always operated seasonally, but perhaps Disney has plans for something more? As a reminder, while some fans thought that the Pirates of the Caribbean-themed bar would take over Tortuga Tavern, the bar is actually going in across the street, taking over the former Pirates League space and a portion of the gift shop. For a look at that construction, check out our earlier article.
Turning our attention back to Tortuga Tavern, here’s a look around the area with the construction shrubs in place.


A peek over the low shrubs doesn’t reveal any obvious work. That said, the columns being wrapped for the lower few feet do suggest some work will be done on the flooring in the area and Disney is trying to protect the paint of the supports.

On the Pecos Bill side of the construction, we can see that some seating still remains in place, as does access to a wonderful little courtyard. It never hurts to have a photo of an underutilized, highly-themed corner of a Disney theme park just in case the ROI per square foot is ever shown to be under-performing.


Another peek into the construction site doesn’t reveal any obvious work, but perhaps we’ll see more progress in the coming days and weeks. Disney hasn’t made any announcements about the work, but we’ll let you know if we learn more.

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!