Back in August, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) approved plans for construction on a new project between Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground and Disney’s Wilderness Lodge at Walt Disney World.
The approval allows construction to take place, which as you can see here, and is already underway on the shores of Bay Lake. This is especially interesting because the location of the project is pretty much on top of an area that was slated for what was then-called “Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge,” A Disney Vacation Club property that would be built where all this construction is taking place now.
Right now, Walt Disney World has made no announcement as to what this project is, even if it’s the resumption of Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge, which was originally announced back in 2017. Land had been cleared and readied for the project, with the surrounding area at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort (including an all-new Tri-Circle D Ranch) modified to blend in with the new project before construction was halted in 2020 as a result of the global pandemic.
Afterward, the site, which had been on top of the former River Country water park, was left mostly untouched and covered up naturally, with landscaping planted to look more natural in lieu of giant mounds of moved earth. In March of 2022, it was announced that Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort would be getting a DVC expansion with what we now know as the Island Tower, simultaneously announcing the nature-focused Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge would be officially canceled.
In the pictures throughout the page, you can see cranes on scene from various locations around Bay Lake and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground. Some areas have even gone vertical, marking significant milestones in construction, though we still don’t officially know what is going on.
Walt Disney World has made no comment on the construction, but we do know that recent approvals with the CFTOD allow Disney to build over 53,000 new hotel rooms if they wanted (read: multiple new hotels) on the Florida property as part of a proposed $17 billion investment. These approved proposals also allow Disney to build a fifth theme park if they wanted (nothing has been announced) or up to five minor theme parks, including water parks. Given that the Walt Disney World Resort only allows one of their two water parks to be open at a time (Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon or Disney’s Blizzard Beach) right now, I’d bet solid money that this is a new hotel or DVC Tower (Reflections or otherwise) on this land, and not the River Country revival a number of fans are crossing their fingers for.
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