Disney World Filing Reveals Possible Overhaul of Long-Abandoned Park

Recent actions by The Walt Disney Company seemingly confirm a once-abandoned project is actually far from canceled.

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Due to the sheer size of the Walt Disney World Resort, guests can choose from over a dozen different hotels to stay at during their stay at “The Most Magical Place on Earth.” From value-priced rooms at Pop Century to luxurious suites at the Grand Floridian and Polynesian Resorts, there’s a place for everyone at Disney World.

Despite already offering a wide range of hotels on the property, Walt Disney World continues to innovate, developing exciting new places to stay.

Disney’s Riviera is one of the more recent expansions at the Walt Disney World Resort. The hotel is “inspired by Europe and imagined by Disney” and offers a variety of accommodations, from Tower Studios to spacious villas.

However, few projects have been as controversial or as interesting as Reflections – A Lakeside Lodge.

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Originally unveiled in 2018, Reflections—A Disney Lakeside Lodge was Disney’s answer to its abandoned water park, River Country. The water park closed nearly two decades ago and sat empty for years on end. Disney sought to fix two problems in one fell swoop, announcing that Reflections, a new resort hotel, would be built on the land that formerly housed River Country.

The project was quite controversial within the Disney theme park community. Many fans were disappointed to watch River Country be demolished, while others were left unimpressed by the concept art for the new hotel.

Reflections—A Lakeside Lodge was intended to be a Disney Vacation Club (DVC) resort, and in 2020, the project was moving along steadily. However, the global pandemic hit and threw a wrench into the development of the new hotel, among many other planned projects at Walt Disney World.

Reflections were eventually removed from Disney’s list of websites and other forms of media, indicating that the project had been canceled entirely. Plans for the hotel have been abandoned and untouched since, though a new permit could revive this project once again.

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Walt Disney Imagineering recently filed a new permit for construction near the Copper Creek Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. The specific addresses are located along Wodlerness Way, which used to be the entrance to Reflections.

While the permit could mean Disney simply plans to add more cabins or other facilities to this location, it just might prove Reflections—A Lakeside Lodge is not entirely dead.

The permit lists “site and facility improvements” and contracts with Balfour Beatty, a company that was listed on a previous permit for Reflections back in 2019.

The new permit is valid through March 31, 2027, indicating that Disney either does not intend to get started soon or expects the project to take several years to complete.

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While this is all still speculation, it seems likely Disney is not totally ready to cancel its Reflections project. Disney filed a permit extension for Reflections in 2023 and 2024, with this new permit indicating work may soon officially begin.

It’s possible Disney may release more information about the project at this year’s D23: The Ultimat Disney Fan Event, which begins August 9.

Are you excited about D23? What’s your favorite hotel at Walt Disney World?