Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge opening in July 1, 2027 on former River Country site
Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge, a Disney Vacation Club resort, is under construction on the site of River Country, Walt Disney World’s former abandoned water park. Disney just announced its opening date of July 1, 2027. See the latest renderings released by Disney and construction progress with photos by @bioreconstruct.
Disney Vacation Club has announced that Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge will open July 1, 2027, and revealed the Disney stories represented throughout its 967 accommodations.
The resort will offer duo and deluxe studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom villas, resort studios, waterfront Lake Houses and the Hidden Willow Presidential Suite. Room designs will combine references to Disney animated films with natural materials and earthy colors reflecting the resort’s broader connection to the outdoors.
Disney World’s new hotel: Lakeshore Lodge
A new Disney Vacation Club resort called Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge — themed to “the majesty of nature and its enduring influence on Disney artists,” the company says — will open on July 1, 2027 at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Fla.
Lakeshore Lodge will be located along the waters of Bay Lake near Magic Kingdom and adjacent to Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. This is infamously the same real estate where the River Country water park sat abandoned for years.
River Country photo courtesy of Disney
Aerial photo by @bioreconstruct
The photo below, captured in October 2025, provides a sense of place. At bottom is the future site of Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge. Across the water of Bay Lake is Disney’s Wilderness Lodge (left) and Disney’s Contemporary Resort. At top left, sitting upon the shores of Seven Seas Lagoon, is Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.
Disney previously announced (and began construction on) a nature-themed project called Reflections – A Lakeside Lodge for this same property, but paused construction in 2020.
Aug. 27, 2026: Disney-themed rooms revealed
In a rare approach for a Walt Disney World resort, each accommodation category will draw inspiration from a different Disney animated film. The room themes range from “Encanto” in the duo studios and “Bambi” in the deluxe studios and villas to “Fantasia,” “Pocahontas” and “Brother Bear” in other room types.
“Encanto” duo studios
Designed for couples and solo travelers, duo studios will draw inspiration from “Encanto.” Each studio will accommodate up to two guests and include a kitchenette, split bathroom and queen-size pull-down bed that can be stored in the wall during the day.
Rendering courtesy of Disney
“Bambi” studios and villas
Deluxe studios inspired by “Bambi” will accommodate up to four guests. Features will include natural materials, concept artwork from the Walt Disney Animation Studios archives, a kitchenette, seating area and private balcony.
One- and two-bedroom villas will continue the “Bambi” theme with earth tones, forest motifs and artwork inspired by the film’s landscapes. One-bedroom villas will sleep up to five guests, while two-bedroom villas will accommodate as many as nine. Both configurations will include full kitchens, washers and dryers, living and dining areas, and private patios.
Rendering courtesy of Disney
“Fantasia” grand villas
Three-bedroom grand villas will draw inspiration from “Fantasia” and accommodate up to 12 guests. Each will include multiple bathrooms, a full kitchen, gathering spaces and a private patio with premium water views.
“Pocahontas” resort studios
The resort’s standard accommodations will feature designs inspired by “Pocahontas.” Resort studios will accommodate up to four guests, while resort studio king rooms will sleep up to two.
These rooms will feature earthy colors, carved wood paneling with references to Grandmother Willow and murals depicting landscapes from the film.
Rendering courtesy of Disney
Studio accommodations
- Duo studio: Sleeps up to two adults with one queen-size pull-down bed. It includes a kitchenette and private balcony.
“Encanto” theme. - Deluxe studio: Sleeps up to four adults with one queen bed and one queen-size pull-down bed. It includes a kitchenette and private balcony.
“Bambi” theme. - Resort studio: Sleeps up to four adults with two queen beds. It includes a mini fridge and microwave instead of a kitchenette, and only select rooms will have balconies.
“Pocahontas” theme. - Resort studio king room: Sleeps up to two adults with one king bed. It includes a mini fridge and microwave instead of a kitchenette, and only select rooms will have balconies.
“Pocahontas” theme.
The kitchenette and private balcony are the primary distinctions between the duo and deluxe studios and the resort studio categories.
Select resort studios will also include access to The Artist’s Nest club-level lounge.
One- and two-bedroom accommodations
- One-bedroom villa: Sleeps up to five guests and includes a full kitchen, washer and dryer, private patio, and living and dining areas.
“Bambi” theme. - Two-bedroom villa: Sleeps up to nine guests and includes a full kitchen, washer and dryer, private patio, and living and dining areas.
“Bambi” theme. - One-bedroom Lake House: Sleeps up to five guests and includes a full kitchen, washer and dryer, and private porch overlooking Bay Lake.
“Brother Bear” theme. - Two-bedroom Lake House: Sleeps up to eight guests and includes a full kitchen, washer and dryer, and private porch overlooking Bay Lake.
“Brother Bear” theme.
Three-bedroom grand villas
- Three-bedroom grand villa: Sleeps up to 12 guests and includes multiple bathrooms, a full kitchen, gathering spaces and a private patio with premium water views.
“Fantasia” theme.
Rendering courtesy of Disney
Waterfront Lake Houses inspired by “Brother Bear”
Unique to Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge, freestanding Lake Houses will sit along the edge of Bay Lake. The one- and two-bedroom retreats will feature A-frame architecture, floor-to-ceiling windows and private waterfront porches.
One-bedroom Lake Houses will accommodate up to five guests, while two-bedroom versions will sleep up to eight. Each will include a full kitchen and washer and dryer.
Artwork throughout the Lake Houses will celebrate “Brother Bear,” its Alaskan setting and its themes of nature and discovery. The primary bedroom will also include a Northern Lights-inspired lighting feature.
Concept rendering provided by Disney
August 4, 2026: Lakeshore Lodge lobby, restaurants and fireworks lounge
Disney has revealed new details about the arrival and dining experiences planned for Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge, which is scheduled to open in summer 2027. The resort’s lobby will feature floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking The Wetlands, a fiber-optic river inspired by “Pocahontas” and a suspended glass “Colors of the Wind” sculpture.
Courtesy of Walt Disney World
Newly announced spaces include:
- Moonglade, a waterfront table-service restaurant
- Bay Lake Provisions, an all-day quick-service marketplace
- Paint Out Point Bar & Grill near Lakeshore Lagoon
- Dandelion Terrace, a lounge with views of Magic Kingdom fireworks across Bay Lake
April 30, 2026: Disney shares a second rendering from the lakeside and conducts a media tour
We toured the construction site of Disney Lakeshore Lodge and got a closer look at how the long-awaited resort is taking shape along Bay Lake.
The new rendering shows a variety of lakefront villas, the pool with a waterslide and possible lazy river, and the new boat dock. This resort sits along Bay Lake between Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. It is angled toward Disney’s Contemporary Resort and will have views of Magic Kingdom’s larger structures like Cinderella Castle and Space Mountain.
Courtesy of Disney
Many fans are drawing comparisons to the Copper Creek project at Wilderness Lodge as well as the modern design of Island Tower. During our construction tour, the Disney representatives emphasizeded that the design inspirations of this project are rooted in a celebration of Walt Disney’s lifelong love of nature.
As more is revealed, the project is shaping up to blend storytelling and setting in a way that feels both familiar and entirely new for this corner of Walt Disney World.
Photo by Dani Meyering
April 21, 2026: Disney shares first rendering
Disney Vacation Club has now shared additional details for the upcoming Disney Lakeshore Lodge, including a new concept rendering and expanded information about the resort’s theme, accommodations, and setting. The waterfront resort is projected to open in summer 2027 at Walt Disney World Resort.
Courtesy of Disney
Located along the shores of Bay Lake, Disney says the new property will celebrate the connection between nature and imagination through classic animated films inspired by the outdoors, including “Bambi,” “Pocahontas” and “Brother Bear.” Story elements from those films will be woven into the resort’s architecture, artwork, and atmosphere.
The company also revealed the resort will include 967 accommodations, ranging from studios to multi-bedroom villas. In addition, Disney Lakeshore Lodge will feature exclusive one- and two-bedroom waterfront Lake Houses, offering added privacy and direct Bay Lake views.
Disney says guests can expect floor-to-ceiling windows, natural materials, earthy tones, and nighttime views of Magic Kingdom fireworks across the water. Additional dining, recreation, and amenities are expected to be announced in the coming months.
The history of the River Country property
The land on which Disney Lakeshore Lodge will sit is notable in the history of Walt Disney World. It was originally home to Disney’s first water park, River Country, which opened in 1976 and closed in 2001. The abandoned water park sat dormant for years.
Photo courtesy of Disney
In October 2018, Disney announced a nature-themed resort would be built somewhere along Bay Lake as a Disney Vacation Club addition. Progress from there moved quickly. The following month, the company announced the resort’s name: “Reflections – A Lakeside Lodge.” The month after that, Fort Wilderness Pavilion (home of Mickey’s Backyard BBQ, a character dinner) closed permanently in preparation for the upcoming resort’s construction.
Image courtesy of Disney
Reflections was still actively in development in March 2019 when our editor, Matt Roseboom, visited Walt Disney Imagineering headquarters. He called the plans Imagineers showed to his tour group “unlike anything you’ve ever seen — if the best parts don’t get cut.”
By August 2020, upon Walt Disney World’s re-opening following the onset of the pandemic, Disney had halted construction on Reflections and the site once again sat neglected for several years.
Now, Disney Lakeshore Lodge is under construction for a planned 2027 opening.
Construction progress
Compare the @bioreconstruct’s photos over time to track the construction progress of Disney Lakeshore Lodge.
February 2026
The photo below shows just how close the Disney Lakeshore Lodge property is to the facilities and amenities of Fort Wilderness, with Pioneer Hall (home to the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue dinner show) at bottom right and the Tri-Circle-D Ranch barn at bottom left.
As details like roofing come into place, we can start to see how similar or different Lakeshore Lodge might be compared to the concept art from the canceled Reflections hotel.
In addition to the accommodations in the main towers, Lakeshore Lodge will include deluxe villas as an option for guests.
The pool area seems to include a small lazy river, harkening back to the days of River Country.
Construction is underway on a dock for Lakeshore Lodge, seemingly confirming the hotel will provide boat transportation to Magic Kingdom as the other nearby resorts do.
October 2025
Note the surrounding woods and cabins of Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort.
In the photo below, note Pioneer Hall at Fort Wilderness at bottom.
Seen from a different angle, Pioneer Hall is in top right of the photo below. The infrastructure for Lakeshore Lodge deluxe accommodations are visible, pretty much right next to the Fort Wilderness dock.
October 2024
2019 – 2023
For several years the future site of Disney Lakeshore Lodge was an on-again/off-again construction site for a project known as Reflections – A Lakeside Lodge. By 2020, construction was paused and the site was left unattended for years (again) until construction ramped back up for Disney Lakeshore Lodge.
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