Recent Disney Permit Hints at Possible Revival of Reflections A Disney Lakeside Lodge Project

Aug 02, 2024 in "Reflections - A Lakeside Disney Lodge"

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Posted: Friday August 2, 2024 10:45am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Walt Disney Imagineering recently filed a construction permit for what appears to be a new project between Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness Resort.

The permit lists multiple locations close to the Copper Creek Cabins at Wilderness Lodge, suggesting that Disney may have plans to add more cabins.

However, it has since come to light that the same Disney contractor, Balfour Beatty, filed a very similar permit in 2019, which was assumed to be for the announced Reflections—A Lakeside Disney Lodge project.

Nature-Inspired Resort concept art

Unveiled by Disney in 2018, Reflections—A Disney Lakeside Lodge was canceled in 2020 amid the pandemic downturn, and the land was mostly returned to its pre-construction state.

It now seems that Disney is returning to this prime piece of land for its next project and that Reflections may be about to make a return in some form. Note that at this time, Disney has yet to make any announcement of a new project in this area.

Aerial view of construction at Reflections - A Disney Lakeside Lodge - March 2020

Back in 2018, Disney said the deluxe resort would be themed to complement its natural surroundings. It would include more than 900 hotel rooms and proposed Disney Vacation Club villas spread across a variety of unique accommodation types. Notably, Reflections also included cabins, which may explain the multiple addresses in the permit.

Here are the two permits in question, from 2019 and 2024, showing similar location addresses.

2019 Permit
LOCATION "1" - 570 W. Wilderness Way, Bay Lake, FL; Tax Parcel ID #12-24-27-0000-00-005
LOCATION "2" - 572 W. Wilderness Way, Bay Lake, FL; Tax Parcel ID #12-24-27-0000-00-005
LOCATION "3" - 574 W. Wilderness Way, Bay Lake, FL; Tax Parcel ID #12-24-27-0000-00-005
LOCATION "4" - $76 W. Wilderness Way, Bay Lake, FL; Tax Parcel ID #12-24-27-0000-00-005
LOCATION "S" - 578 W. Wilderness Way, Bay Lake, FL; Tax Parcel ID #12-24-27-0000-00-005
LOCATION "6" - 580 W. Wilderness Way, Bay Lake, FL; Tax Parcel ID #12-24-27-0000-00-005
LOCATION "*" - 582, W. Wilderness Way, Bay Lake, FL; Tax Parcel ID #12-24-27-0000-00-005
LOCATION "g" - 584 W. Wilderness Way, Bay Lake, FL; Tax Parcel ID #12-24-27-0000-00-005
LOCATION "9" - 720 W. Wilderness Way, Bay Lake, FL; Tax Parcel ID #12-24-27-0000-00-005
LOCATION "10" - 722 W. Wilderness Way, Bay Lake, FL; Tax Parcel ID #12-24-27-0000-00-005
LOCATION "1|" - 724 W. Wilderness Way, Bay Lake, FL: Tax Parcel ID #12-24-27-0000-00-005
LOCATION "12" - 726 W. Wilderness Way, Bay Lake, FL; Tax Parcel ID #12-24-27-0000-00-005
LOCATION "13" - 728 W. Wilderness Way, Bay Lake, FL; Tax Parcel ID #12-24-27-0000-00-005

2024 Permit
Location "1" - 570 W. Wilderness Way, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830, Tax Parcel ID #11-24-27-0000-00-004
Location "2" - 572 W. Wilderness Way, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830, Tax Parcel ID #11-24-27-0000-00-004
Location "3" - 574 W. Wilderness Way, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830, Tax Parcel ID #11-24-27-0000-00-004
Location "4" - 576 W. Wilderness Way. Lake Buena Vista. FL 32830, Tax Parcel ID #11-24-27-0000-00-004
Location "5" - 578 W. Wilderness Way, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830, Tax Parcel ID #11-24-27-0000-00-004
Location "6" - 580 W. Wilderness Way, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830, Tax Parcel ID #11-24-27-0000-00-004
Location "7" - 582 W. Wilderness Way, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830, Tax Parcel ID #11-24-27-0000-00-004
Location "8' - 584 W. Wilderness Way, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830, Tax Parcel ID #11-24-27-0000-00-004
Location "9" - 612 W. Wilderness Way, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830, Tax Parcel ID #11-24-27-0000-00-004
Location "10" - 632 W. Wilderness Way, Lake Buena Vista, FL. 32830, Tax Parcel ID #11-24-27-0000-00-004
Location "11" - 636 W. Wilderness Way. Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830, Tax Parcel ID #11-24-27-0000-00-004
Location "12" - 640 W. Wilderness Way, Lake Buena Vista. FL 32830. Tax Parcel ID #11-24-27-0000-00-004
Location "13" - 684 #C W. Wilderness Way, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830, Tax Parcel ID #11-24-27-0000-00-004
Location "14" - 720 W. Wilderness Way. Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830, Tax Parcel ID #11-24-27-0000-00-004
Location "15" - 722 W. Wilderness Way, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830, Tax Parcel ID #11-24-27-0000-00-004
Location "16" - 724 W. Wilderness Way, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830, Tax Parcel ID #11-24-27-0000-00-004
Location "17" - 726 W. Wilderness Way, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830, Tax Parcel ID #11-24-27-0000-00-004
Location "18" - 728 W. Wilderness Way, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830, Tax Parcel ID #11-24-27-0000-00-004
Location "19" - 910 Timberline Dr., Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830, Tax Parcel ID #12-24-27-0000-00-002

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GimpYancIent5 days ago

Agree. A scrapping and reinvention no. However, in keeping with current Disney management mentality a cheapening or watering down of the original, sadly yes.

Bocabear6 days ago

Yeah but they paid for them already.....So for sure we will get that...Maybe some changes in thew interior design since the products that were spec'd are no longer the same... but I would not expect them to start over again.... not after the investment in the plans....

Sirwalterraleigh6 days ago

I seriously doubt there is ANY intention of “mixed use” room inventory It’s gonna be more fast and quick with minimal amenity So magical 🧙‍♂️

rogerrabbitfan96 days ago

Even if they bring something back on the site of reflections I hope they revisit the exact design of the hotel including the name. The renderings we’ve gotten for Reflections just weren’t great.

Doberge6 days ago

I've before pushed the idea of absorbing into Fort Wilderness for multiple reasons, including fact that we've been so close to Fort Wilderness brand expansion more or less on the same site... 30ish years ago Disney had plans for a resort named either Fort Wilderness Junction or Buffalo Junction. It was a western themed moderate hotel of 2-3 story buildings, a potential revival of the shuttered FW train that would link resorts, a duplicate of the DLP Buffalo Bill show, horse carriage rides, and other things. It was described somewhere as being like Crescent Lake with the ability to easily get to multiple resorts. It was discussed in a past Disney Dish episode and also the middle of Bright Sun Films piece on the FW railroad. The latter has some plans if wanting to see a few images. Alas, this wonderful idea was repackaged and used when Disney created the Wilderness Lodge Villas, now Boulder Ridge. Considering it's unlikely Disney goes back to that same well then they need something new. I didn't think the lakeside lodge was a bad idea, it just suffered from a bad name and underwhelming render in, both of which can be improved. Even the Poly tower we're getting isn't the first Poly tower rendering ad those go back a ways (here's one: https://www.genesisstudios.com/portfolio-item/313069-hhcp-disney_polynesian-porte_cochere/). My point is that Disney plays with different designs, as one would expect. I'd still anticipate a silimilar lake resort theme because it fits well between Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness. Wilderness Lodge drawing inspiration from multiple national parks makes it particularly difficult. I'd love to see them lean into Americana more as areas like Liberty Square feel threatened. Something like the Williamsburg Inn with a colonial era / early American theme and bringing in ideas from Disney's America park. Move Liberty Tree Tavern and incorporate ideas like carriages from Fort Wilderness Junction. Alas it'll never happen because Disney probably considers the era "problematic."

Doberge6 days ago

Yes, the incentives matter the most. We can bemoan resale restrictions but the data's you're refencing supports that buyers will go where ownership cost is cheaper. The expectation before GF expanded was thst Riviera would be burried until GF quickly sold out, and that just did not happen. But also on prices, people are not buying the Cabins when they quote FW and Riviera and AKL (or whatever legacy resort is promotes at the time) and see that the first payment / total cost is with dues. I'm expecting Polynesian to be priced similarly to Villas at Disneyland Hotel in a higher tier, especially when sales reopen. If they want to push Poly sales then they'll offer a nicer incentive than Riviera.

Sirwalterraleigh6 days ago

Oh all that happened. I know a guy that was at that groundbreaking ceremony… They were out over their skis with pop. Didn’t need that at that time and the world events really crushed the market. That was also the start of the rather quick 2-3 year downward spiral and exit of Eisner… Who now that people see another example…ultimately did right and left. And he took a dinky studio with 3 gates and made it huge… Mr clinger…has been looking for a “successor” longer than OJ looked for “the real killers” 🙄

Sirwalterraleigh6 days ago

We probably can go ahead and stop believing anything they say at this point? This does resemble old style Disney at all. Trust only the shovels 🤐

nickys6 days ago

Not sure if they’ve ever announced that a project is cancelled. The nearest I can get is how they tore down Innoventions, only to rebuild it almost the same but not quite. 😠

sndral6 days ago

As of July 31, 2024, Riviera was 68% sold, assuming they managed another month of 100,000+ sales there in August as they did in July, they’re likely currently at 70% sold - still 2 years +/- from selling out. Which is why starting construction on another new WDW DVC resort in the near future makes sense. I don’t think they have. In the past it seems to me they’ve been a bit more circumspect with their announcements. The nearest example I can think of is POP’s ‘Legendary years’ section which morphed into AOA almost a decade later & thus wasn’t ’as initially proposed.’ I don’t know if it was announced, but POP was originally planned to include a second half called ‘Legendary years,’ they opened Pop’s Classic years section in 2003, but abandoned the ‘Legendary years’ half, leaving empty buildings visible https://themouselets.com/disneys-abandoned-hotel-the-history-of-art-of-animation-resort. In 2010 they finally circled back to those empty buildings & announced AOA which opened in 2012.