Disney World has confirmed a new set of changes hitting its almost 55-year-old resort in Florida.Credit: Paul Beattie, FlickrClose to 55 years ago, the world changed forever with the opening of the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. What started off as just one theme park, with a handful of hotels–the Polynesian and Contemporary resorts included–has become a sprawling destination, with six parks, recreation areas like Disney Springs, and multiple hotels for all budgets.Disney World is one of those rare entities that never stops reinventing itself. The constantly evolving nature of its theme park business is one of the core principles of the Mouse House, for better or worse. That said, Disney World is undergoing an immense transition at present, with nearly all of its parks undergoing extensive redevelopment within their gates.Piston Peak National Park and the Tropical Americas aside, Disney World also continues to change and enhance locations outside of the parks themselves. This new permit confirms that Disney is once again turning its attention to the Polynesian Village Resort–more specifically, one of the latest additions to this Magic Kingdom resort area hotel: Island Tower.Credit: DisneyDisney has filed a Notice of Commencement for construction work at the Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows, with Faden Builders listed as the contractor and general construction as the scope of work. The filing comes from Walt Disney Imagineering, and while Disney hasn’t announced any specific changes at the tower, permits filed by Imagineering typically signal guest-facing additions and updates — meaning something more than a simple touch-up could be on the way for one of the resort’s newest buildings.The Island Tower opened in December 2024 at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, marking the first high-rise addition to a property that had otherwise consisted entirely of low-rise longhouses since it opened in 1971. Built on the former site of the Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show at Luau Cove, the 10-story tower sits along Seven Seas Lagoon and gives many of its rooms sightlines toward Magic Kingdom, including views of the nightly fireworks.Rather than replacing the resort’s classic longhouse rooms, the tower supplemented them, expanding the Disney Vacation Club footprint at one of Walt Disney World’s original monorail resorts alongside additions like Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary.Credit: DisneyThe tower introduced several new room categories to the DVC lineup, including Duo Studios for up to two guests, Deluxe Studios for up to four, One-Bedroom Villas sleeping up to five, Two-Bedroom Villas sleeping up to nine, and Two-Bedroom Penthouse Villas.Throughout the building, the design draws on Polynesian wayfinding, the traditional practice of navigating by reading the stars, wind, and sea, a theme Walt Disney Imagineering brought to life by partnering with more than a dozen artists on original artwork found throughout the property, from a manta ray on the building’s exterior to a ceiling art installation in the lobby.The tower’s amenities have also stood out among the resort’s offerings. Wailulu Bar & Grill is a poolside dining spot with views stretching across the lagoon to the castle, offering guests a vantage point that didn’t previously exist at this corner of the resort. The Cove Pool area includes a sandy beach courtyard and a whirlpool spa, while younger guests have Moana’s Voyage Splash Area, an interactive water play space, to cool off in.Credit: DisneyWith construction now confirmed to be underway again, less than two years after the tower’s debut, it remains to be seen what Imagineering has planned next for this still-new addition to the Polynesian.What are your thoughts on how Disney will make changes to the Island Tower? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!The post After 55 Magical Years, Disney Confirms Changes to Magic Kingdom Polynesian Resort appeared first on Inside the Magic.