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

Sep 26, 2024 in "Disney Lakeshore Lodge"

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.

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.

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    John park hopper3 days ago

    If I rent one of these sheds an I drive my riding lawnmower there?

    eddie1043 days ago

    I actually really loved what I saw of the interior of this project when it was originally announced. If they stick with that design I will be happy.

    castlecake2.05 days ago

    It’s an additional pool and redesigned sports courts

    2600loop5 days ago

    The cabins are tanking ? I wonder why though because barely themed poorly designed sheds are what the people want surely

    nickys5 days ago

    Kind of. They always want a ‘new’ resort in active sales. Plus ideally an alternative. In practice it means a new one every 3-4 years. Likely this got nudged earlier because the Cabins at FW are tanking. So now it’s the Poly in active sales plus Riviera. And when this goes on sale Riviera should be declared sold out (95-97% to allow for the minimum 2-3% that Disney must retain). But it’s the percentage of points sold that counts, not the # of contracts - since the size of contracts can vary.

    DisneyHead1235 days ago

    The memberships are somewhat resort specific with buyers having a “base resort” (they can use points for other resorts or cruises though). They won’t start selling Lakeside DVCs until the resort is open.

    tpoly885 days ago

    That’s a great point I didn’t think about. So does Disney build these DVC resorts because they just sold for example , another 2000 memberships and they know they will have the capacity to fill it similar to a condo building that won’t start until over 3/4 of units sold? I find it amazing how many people are still buying DVC.

    dseepersad5 days ago

    The construction in the Meadows area will begin very soon. Whatever that will be, I just hope it's an amenity that the campers can use too. From Disney's site: "Beginning early May, construction will take place near the Meadow Swimmin’ Pool area. The Meadow Swimmin’ Pool and Wilderness Swimmin’ Pool will remain open. However, the nearby tennis courts, volleyball court and the Meadow Playground will be closed temporarily. Please note that Guests may see and hear construction in the area until the work is complete." The construction noise can impact campers in 1300 and 1500 loops the most.

    nickys6 days ago

    Hey, that might be the new idea for “the part of the park where Cars will be”. 🤪 It’s an extension of the “You are the Magic” concept. Grab a shovel and start creating the dirt pile.

    WDWhopper6 days ago

    Here’s Lakeshore Lodge currently: And here’s Car’s Land currently: Pretty obvious where Disney’s priorities are. Another resort is not going to help them compete with Epic Universe this summer, or even next year….or the next.

    Jambo Dad6 days ago

    I still harbor at least a little hope for this resort. It has more room around it as a buffer than Island Tower and they are doing some good things, like a lazy river. Theme could be interesting in competent hands. However I will also say that we had a chance to walk Island Tower a couple months ago and it was very disappointing. It has ambitions to be calm, relaxing and sophisticated, but you really start feeling how how faux it all is. The site is too tight. The finishes are so bland it hurts your eyes. Every opportunity to inject color was avoided. The pretense of reflecting aspects of the Polynesian culture is a pale, cheap trinket imitation of Animal Kingdom and Wilderness. It is not a worthy companion to the original Poly.

    nickys6 days ago

    I don’t know how much of a resort’s points they need to sell to recoup their costs. What do you think is the magic percentage? As a guide, Riviera had sold around 22% of points after 2 years, 76% after 4 years and is now around 86% sold. My guess is they need to sell more than 50% at a minimum. And the operating costs are determined per point, so Disney is still on the hook for a significant proportion of the operating costs until the resort sells out. They cannot legally manipulate the maintenance fees to lessen their costs.

    HauntedPirate6 days ago

    It’s still a 2 year build for a resort. 🤷‍♂️

    John park hopper6 days ago

    Disney builds DVC because they recoup the building costs almost immediately when they are finished. CASH cows. New attractions cost a lot and they don't recoup the cost as quickly plus DVC maintenance is payed by the DVC owner. Attractions Disney has to pay maintenance costs----all about the money