Thomas Mazloum toured two of the biggest construction sites at Walt Disney World this week. The Disney Experiences chairman shared photos from Tropical Americas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and from Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge, and Drew Smith posted the set on Tuesday, October 27.
Walt Disney World’s transformation continues to take shape!
— Drew Smith (@DrewDisneyDude) October 27, 2026
Disney Experiences Chairman Thomas Mazloum shared photos from Tropical Americas and Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge as construction progresses on both projects.
He joined Walt Disney World President Joe Schott and lead Imagineers Chris Beatty and Michael Hundgen to review progress across the resort.
Mazloum, who succeeded Josh D’Amaro as chairman of Disney Experiences, made the rounds with Walt Disney World President Joe Schott and Imagineers Chris Beatty and Michael Hundgen. The four photos are mostly a look at the leadership tour, but a couple of them show real progress on the ground.
A Painted Temple Rises In Tropical Americas
The standout image is an ornate carved facade in Tropical Americas, still boxed in by scaffolding. This piece already has its color. Teal and green carvings cover the stonework, set against weathered red blocks, with faces and scrollwork stacked toward a tall crest at the top. Below it, a dark doorway frames the base.
That puts it at a different stage from the land’s entrance. Just a few days ago, the Tropical Americas archway got its final theming but was still a pale gray, waiting on paint.
Another photo is a nice touch for Encanto fans. A small easel stands in the dirt of the work site holding a painting of the Madrigal family’s Casita, its terracotta roofs surrounded by flowers and trees, with guests walking toward it. Tropical Americas is replacing DinoLand USA and will be home to an Encanto attraction and a new Indiana Jones adventure. Disney has said the land opens in 2027 but has not given a date.
A third shot shows three of the group in hard hats and safety vests, looking over a tablet beside stacks of building materials, with tall trees behind them.
Signing The Floor At Lakeshore Lodge
The indoor photo appears to come from the Lakeshore Lodge side of the tour, under a high ceiling of warm wood planks with tall windows along one wall. One of the group crouches with a marker over a concrete floor already covered in handwritten signatures, while two others look on. Signing a floor or beam before it is finished is a familiar tradition on big builds.
Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge sits on Bay Lake near Magic Kingdom and opens July 1, 2027. It will have 967 rooms, from studios to multi-bedroom villas and new A-frame Lake Houses, with rooms themed to Disney films set in nature like Bambi, Pocahontas and Brother Bear. Reservations opened to all guests on October 8. From the air, the A-frame Lake Houses are already rising along the shoreline.
Both projects are due in 2027, so the next few months should bring plenty more progress to see.
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