New FAA Filing Suggests Construction on Reflections Resort Project at Disney World May Be Imminent

Sep 26, 2024 in "Disney Lakeshore Lodge"

Gallery / 1 Photo
Nature-Inspired Resort concept art

Posted: Thursday September 26, 2024 9:25am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

A recent filing with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) appears to confirm that the Reflections—A Disney Lakeside Lodge project, once thought to be canceled, may soon resume construction at Walt Disney World.

The FAA case details the use of large mobile cranes for the construction of a 10-story hotel, with the cranes reaching a maximum height of 240 feet above ground level (AGL) when fully extended. During non-working hours, the crane height will be reduced to 150 feet AGL. This description closely aligns with previous plans for the Reflections resort, adding further weight to the speculation that the project is back on track.

The proposed cranes are significant because they will be used for the construction of what is expected to be a towering structure—indicative of the scale of a large resort hotel. The height and location specified in the filing suggest that Disney may indeed be moving forward with the delayed Reflections resort.

The FAA filing indicates that the crane would be onsite from October 14, 2024, through August 14, 2025.

Background on Reflections—A Disney Lakeside Lodge

Originally unveiled by Disney in 2018, Reflections—A Disney Lakeside Lodge was planned as a deluxe nature-themed resort situated on the shores of Bay Lake, between Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort. The resort was to include over 900 hotel rooms and Disney Vacation Club (DVC) villas spread across a variety of unique accommodation types.

However, in 2020, amid the financial strain brought on by the pandemic, Disney quietly shelved the project, and much of the pre-construction work was undone. Since then, the land had been returned to its original state, leading many to believe the project was abandoned indefinitely.

Nature-Inspired Resort concept art

Recent Developments Indicate a Resurgence

This new FAA filing is not the only sign of life for the Reflections project. A recent filing by the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) hinted at potential construction on a new resort, further fueling speculation. The CFTOD filing discussed plans for a Master Services Agreement with Chen Moore and Associates, a firm tasked with installing new electrical transformers to service what is referred to as “Project S”—a project widely believed to be Reflections.

Disney has yet to make any formal announcements regarding the revival of Reflections—A Disney Lakeside Lodge. However, with both the FAA and CFTOD filings pointing to imminent construction, it’s becoming increasingly likely that Disney plans to revive the resort in some form.

Discuss on the Forums

Get Walt Disney World News Delivered to Your Inbox

plutofan151 hour ago

More than likely access will be by Western Wilderness Road which already exists. Some upgrades will probably be needed.

lentesta20 hours ago

Feel free. The colors are per the plans, if I've read them correctly. So's the ceiling. And the kitchen, etc layouts.

BrianLo22 hours ago

It’s a nice space! I assume the finishings are guess work. Without getting too inside DVC baseball, their premium stand alones are better thought through with this resort. In addition to being fewer of them as a function of total DVC rooms (from Poly1 and Copper Creek), separating them into quite distinct units makes them somewhat more scarce individually and less prone to sitting underbooked. Mind if I share it? With credit.

Trueblood1 day ago

It looks like Serge has pivoted his online presence to his travel photography, there's not much that I can find of his work shooting hotel rooms. Lucky for us, he's not the only person who can take a nice photo: https://500px.com/search?q=hotel%20room%20interiors&type=photos&sort=relevance https://www.archdaily.com/

lentesta1 day ago

If you can post a link to an example of that I can ask the team to try it. Thanks!

Trueblood1 day ago

I would be interested to see this re-rendered with a more photographic aesthetic in the lighting (e.g. Serge Ramelli's hotel marketing photos) that convey a specific time of day. The existing lighting is pretty flat. It's probably not worth the money for a revision, but you asked.

Bocabear1 day ago

That is very nice... very modern. I think it is sad that they can no longer do anything toa theme except Modern Mariott. But I love lots of glass, water views and modern architecture... This could have been the replacement for the other Garden Wings at the Contemporary...as opposed to an addition to Fort Wilderness... but it looks nice... Like the Island Tower, just don't appreciate them adding it to an established theme resort...

lentesta1 day ago

With some help from @HauntedPirate I commissioned a fly-through look at what the Treehouses might look like. Feedback definitely welcomed here. If these are useful I can do the small and large A-frames.

peter114351 day ago

Yeah their definitely going to need to do something. The question is what and where.

HauntedPirate1 day ago

Only in the large A-frames. There isn’t enough room in the small A-frames to get full extension. 😉 You… are talking about playground swings, right? 🤔

HauntedPirate1 day ago

Roads will have to be enhanced and access improved all around to accommodate vehicles. I just wonder what they have planned.

HauntedPirate1 day ago

Agreed. I’ve seen almost no info about road access (not that what I have seen really extends out that far).

aladdin20071 day ago

question is does Disney even know, sometimes they make some really bad project decisions like this without going over the repercussions until its too late. Lately more often than not. And how about busses, WL enjoys direct to and from MK, but I bet that wont last. This lakeside mess is massive, its going to need to its own transportation. Anyway that entire beautiful area is destroyed now, might as well just make cars parallel park along bay lakes edge.