It’s been 5 years since Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge was shelved throughout the closure of Walt Disney World. However like a phoenix rising from Arizona, the mission is now again as Disney Lakeshore Lodge, with vertical development of the resort seen from across the Magic Kingdom space. This shares new images and addresses whether or not you need to keep at Fort Wilderness Campground & Cabins throughout the mission.
In the event you really feel such as you’re having déjà vu over again, that’s as a result of we addressed this exact same query again in November 2019. That was shortly after land clearing had begun, a sea of development partitions had popped up round Fort Wilderness, and there have been main considerations about how the serenity and seclusion of Fort Wilderness could be negatively impacted by the brand new 900 room resort.
Rather a lot has modified since then. At the beginning is the entire COVID closure of Walt Disney World, which occurred 5 years in the past. Calling {that a} disruptive occasion for the parks and resorts (and the world, extra broadly) could be a large understatement. The identical sentiment is true for Fort Wilderness, although. We’ve performed a number of stays between then and now, and there are main variations which might be main us to revisit this matter.
Clearly, there’s the 4+ 12 months pausing of the brand new proposed resort. We’ve coated that at size elsewhere, so we’re not going to rehash it right here. Suffice to say, right here’s the whole lot it’s essential find out about Disney Lakeshore Lodge, together with the latest rumors in regards to the resort that includes a lazy river. (These aren’t actually “rumors” since they’re within the permits filed with the South Florida Water Administration District. Disney simply hasn’t formally introduced the characteristic or every other facilities.)
Reflections — A Disney Lakeside Lodge was beforehand set to debut in 2022, however Disney Lakeshore Lodge will not be set to open till 2027. This is sensible given the delay, and suggests the development timeframe from begin to end is kind of unchanged–it was simply delayed by ~5 years.
Demolition of the deserted River Nation water park already occurred 5 years in the past, as had web site clearing and prepwork for the brand new lodge. Pre-closure, the mission was getting very near starting precise development, so it ought to come as little shock that it’s now vertical and the primary a number of tales of Disney Lakeshore Lodge have been constructed.
These aren’t the one noteworthy modifications since we final checked out development of this lodge.
Beforehand, the unique incarnation of Tri-Circle-D Ranch closed to make method for a brand new Draft Horse Barn and Pony Farm. That debuted some 5 years in the past throughout the phased reopening, and it’s fairly good! It doesn’t have the identical attraction and nostalgia because the outdated Tri-Circle-D Ranch, however we find it irresistible.
The modernization is sweet from a useful perspective, even when the shape isn’t fairly what longtime Fort Wilderness followers may’ve had in thoughts. We’ve paid many visits to Tri-Circle-D Ranch over the a long time, together with a number of within the final 5 years. Our daughter is a big fan of horses (if Tri-Circle-D have been thought-about an attraction, it’d be amongst her high 5 at Walt Disney World), so that is going a frequent hangout for us sooner or later.
Talking of locations we’ll regularly be discovered at Walt Disney World, there are additionally the brand new Cabins at Fort Wilderness.
That is certainly one of a trio of stop-gap tasks aimed toward including DVC stock in lieu of Disney Lakeshore Lodge, together with the Island Tower on the Poly and Resort Studios on the Grand Florida. Whereas the monorail loop tasks have been low-risk, slam dunk additions that might promote themselves, the cabin conversion is one other story solely.
These have opened in phases, and are actually largely accomplished as of March 2025. They’ve confirmed controversial amongst Disney followers, however we love the brand new DVC Cabins at Fort Wilderness.
As a part of the brand new DVC Cabins at Fort Wilderness conversion, Disney introduced a “assortment of enchancment tasks” at Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground designed to reinforce the visitor expertise. Examples embody pool and strolling path enhancements, in addition to expanded eating experiences at Path’s Finish Restaurant and Crockett’s Tavern.
Probably the most controversial part of this mission was changing the beloved buffet at Path’s Finish Restaurant right into a market meals courtroom. We beloved the outdated Path’s Finish Restaurant largely as a result of it was quirky and charming. It had a cult following and resonates with so many longtime Walt Disney World followers for a cause, and a significant supply of the attraction was its quaint and distinctive fashion.
That is one other operate vs. kind change. Whereas I’ll all the time miss the beloved buffet that beforehand occupied your complete house, there’s one thing to be stated for a better number of choices. Having a meals courtroom/counter service restaurant and a sit-down lounge/informal restaurant underneath one roof is sweet for visitors staying at Fort Wilderness and will increase the “usability” of the campground’s eating. Nonetheless, nothing on this house rises to the standard of the outdated Path’s Finish buffet. There’s a cause it had a cult following.
With the right background established, let’s check out work on Reflections — A Disney Lakeside Lodge Disney Lakeside Lodge to this point as of mid-March 2025:
What was initially most surprising to me about this development ~5 years in the past is the way it opened up the Settlement, and never in a great way.
The razing of River Nation was one factor; this was overdue and it’s good to now not seeing it rotting in plain sight. Nevertheless, an enormous parcel of land was additionally cleared a lot nearer to Pioneer Corridor. This meant the removing of a ton of timber; what was a thick cover is now open air.
In the event you’re unfamiliar with Fort Wilderness, these photos might not be that putting. Nevertheless, in case you are aware of it, you already know what’s lacking. It’s virtually surreal to stroll round and see this in particular person.
Quick-forward 5 years, and the brand new most surprising component of the enlargement is simply how shut Disney Lakeshore Lodge is to Pioneer Corridor.
This shouldn’t be stunning. I noticed how a lot land was cleared 5 years in the past and have even seen the location plans and permits for this mission. All of that makes it abundantly clear that the tower will, fairly actually, tower over Pioneer Corridor. For reference, Disney Lakeshore Lodge is way nearer to Pioneer Corridor than Gran Destino is to the (outdated) foremost foyer of Coronado Springs and even Island Tower is to the present longhouses on the Polynesian.
You possibly can have a look at all of those images, see movies, and so forth., however you’re nonetheless going to be stunned when seeing this development in particular person. It’s proper there, and the one technique to absolutely convey that’s by standing within the Settlement and seeing the tower taking form.
One factor to notice is that Disney Lakeshore Lodge will ultimately be a 10-story resort with 900 rooms.
To place this into context, Disney’s Riviera Resort is a 9-story with 300 rooms. This will likely be one story taller and with a considerably bigger footprint. It’s not essentially triple the dimensions of the Riviera, nevertheless it’s the most important new resort at Walt Disney World in a very long time–with extra room stock than Riviera and Island Tower mixed.
At present, the very best level of Disney Lakeshore Lodge is 3 tales. That’s already sufficient to make it taller than Pioneer Corridor, and the one cause this isn’t instantly evident when strolling across the Settlement is as a result of Pioneer Corridor is nearer. A little bit of perspective distortion at play. That’ll change within the coming months, most likely as soon as Lakeshore Lodge hits 5 tales.
Assuming the footprint is unchanged from the earlier permits and web site plans, Disney Lakeshore Lodge can have a “W” format of its wings. Which means there will likely be two foremost courtyards–one with the lazy river, characteristic pool, and waterfront restaurant, and one other with the quiet pool and boat dock. What you may see within the photograph under is the 2 wings with the central courtyard in between. The third wing with the smaller courtyard and quiet pool isn’t as far alongside.
The above photograph was taken from the Bay Lake dock, which reveals what was the Clementine Seaside at Fort Wilderness.
Once more, if the earlier permits and web site plans are correct, that is the place the treehouse villas for Disney Lakeshore Lodge will likely be situated. A few of these treehouses will primarily be in-line with Pioneer Corridor, and far nearer to the Fort Wilderness boat launch than the brand new dock at Lakeshore Lodge. (Just like how a number of the Poly Bungalows are near the TTC.)
For what it’s value, there’s completely no cause to consider the format or web site plans have modified. That may virtually actually set off allowing updates with the South Florida Water Administration District previous to development, and nothing was filed. What’s being constructed is materially the identical as what was permitted–the variations, if any, will likely be thematically or aesthetically, not structurally.
Throughout our Caribbean Seaside and Coronado Springs development updates a number of years in the past, we did common stays at these lodges with a view to reply the query of whether or not we suggest avoiding them throughout development and continued making reassessments as issues modified. It was additionally a very widespread query amongst readers. That is much like each of these tasks, but in addition very completely different.
In some methods, the development of Disney Lakeshore Lodge has a a lot worse affect on Fort Wilderness Campground. As famous above, the brand new tower (or extra precisely, towers, plural) is a stone’s throw from Pioneer Corridor. A lot nearer than Gran Destino, Riviera, or Island Tower to these respective resorts.
There’s additionally the fact that Fort Wilderness is all about seclusion and serenity. An escape from the hustle and bustle of the parks–a country place nestled within the woods that point has handed by. In relation to Pioneer Corridor and the encircling space, that’s all perpetually gone. There’s no unringing this bell–no quantity of timber or landscaping will ever undo the harm. Development blight and noise remove the primary attraction of Fort Wilderness, not less than alongside the waterfront in the primary Settlement space.
This additionally extends to the campground loops which might be within the speedy neighborhood of the Settlement.
I didn’t go loop by loop, however I’d hazard a guess that parts of 100, 400, 700, and possibly 800 can hear or see the development of Disney Lakeshore Lodge. Not the entire websites in these areas, however a few of them.
The remainder of the resort, although, must be tremendous. Once we stayed within the new cabins, our loop was quiet as ever. We noticed an armadillo foraging round proper under our deck, and noticed deer on a number of events. Wandering round different loops, we couldn’t see or hear something.
It was similar to the Fort Wilderness the outdated, besides with new-look cabins. However in any other case, the campground nonetheless had that bygone period attraction, serenity and seclusion. It felt worlds away from Walt Disney World and Magic Kingdom, regardless of being proper there. This made it all of the extra jarring to go to the Settlement, however we have been happy that the place visitors would keep within the campground itself was not impacted to any significant diploma. And that might be mitigated even additional with a easy web site request.
Finally, whether or not you need to keep away from Fort Wilderness for the subsequent couple of years is one other “it relies upon” state of affairs. First, Fort Wilderness is a big campground, and this mission is going on close to the Settlement. Second, visitors ebook Fort Wilderness for a wide range of completely different causes and with various priorities.
In the event you’re staying nearer to the Outpost and can primarily be at your campsite/cabin and utilizing the Meadow’s services greater than the Settlement, you’d most likely be much less inclined to note. Even then, you may really get pleasure from watching development of Disney Lakeshore Lodge. This can be a very lively mission, and we witnessed some flying dumpsters, and the cranes reducing a wide range of items into place. It was considerably enjoyable to see the work occurring. It additionally wasn’t all that loud, though that would change.
Then again, if you happen to’re planning to closely make the most of the Settlement and the attraction of Fort Wilderness is its rustic attraction and seclusion, chances are you’ll wish to keep away from the campground proper now. The identical additionally applies to longtime Fort Fiends/Followers, because it undoubtedly has a “look how they massacred my boy” vibe to it proper now. Though I’m undecided “proper now” is apt–that is most likely going to worsen, not higher, as Disney Lakeshore Lodge rises from 3 tales to 10 tales. No quantity of landscaping or new vegetation goes to hide this monster new resort.
A completely completely different cause chances are you’ll wish to wait is for the facilities that Disney Lakeshore Lodge will carry to the desk. Whereas Fort Wilderness visitors will virtually assuredly not have entry to the lazy river or swimming pools, they may be capable to use the eating choices at Disney Lakeshore Lodge. We’re anticipating a restaurant roster on par with Disney’s Riviera Resort or Gran Destino Tower, which must be a win. One other small victory is the return of the strolling path that connects Wilderness Lodge to Fort Wilderness.
To every their very own, but when I have been a Walt Disney World common, I’d maintain off on staying at Fort Wilderness till Disney Lakeshore Lodge opens in 2027. Though the development affect is minimal at over 95% of the campsites and cabins, the mix of labor being noticeable from the Settlement and the worthwhile facilities that can debut as soon as the brand new resort opens could be sufficient for me to carry off for now.
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Your Ideas
What do you consider the development at Fort Wilderness to make method for Disney Lakeshore Lodge? Are you apprehensive of staying on the Fort for the subsequent few years? Ideas on visitor affect if you happen to’ve stayed right here just lately? Do you agree or disagree with our recommendation? Any questions we might help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even while you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
