It’s been a couple of months since we last took a look at the Lakeshore Lodge construction at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, so we decided to head out to the once-tranquil shores of Bay Lake recently for an updated look at the progress. The biggest news is that the hotel has reached its highest point and that theming of the roof line is underway. Also notable is that the lobby area is now under construction, revealing that Lakeshore Lodge is simply a rebranded Reflections. It looks like the final product will be very close to the original concept art. As a matter of fact, we have an update to share on the concept art side of things as well. I took 185 photos for this mega update (thankfully, I won’t post them all here), so let’s jump right in.
Highlights
- The Lakeshore Lodge at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort has reached its highest point, with theming of the roof line underway.
- The hotel construction reflects a rebranding of the original Reflections project and will closely resemble concept art.
- The main lobby area is now under construction.
- Tent-like bungalows continue to be added along the shoreline, with 14 total structures planned.
- Disney Lakeshore Lodge is set to open in 2027, offering stunning views of Bay Lake
- Construction photos below highlight the latest progress
Lakeshore Lodge Update: Fort Wilderness Hotel Reaches Full Height & Theming Elements Take Shape
Yesterday was a wonderful day for photography of the new hotel. Overcast skies, a “cooler” temperature, and even the slightest sprinkle of rain made for a lovely trip across the Seven Seas Lagoon and into Bay Lake for a look at the hotel. Before we get to the view from the water, we’ll start at Disney’s Contemporary Resort for an elevated view of the sprawling hotel.
I’ll offer some commentary here and echo statements that I’ve published before. I’m not a fan of the location of the Disney Lakeshore Lodge hotel – at least, as it relates to the Pioneer Hall area. I think the hotel will be wonderful, with a great pool area and stunning views of Bay Lake. It will very likely be beloved by those who stay there. The concept could be the best that Walt Disney World has created in a very long time – if it existed in a bubble. Unfortunately, it doesn’t. I wish that Disney had been able to figure out a way to either push the resort further west, closer to Wilderness Lodge, or take it to the east side of Bay Lake, out of the way of Fort Wilderness’ waterfront. The tranquility of the waterfront near Pioneer Hall is very likely gone for good.
With that out of the way, let’s jump on a boat from Magic Kingdom to Fort Wilderness and check out the views of Lakeshore Lodge from…the lake.
In order to get our bearings a bit, we need to understand the layout of the hotel. Essentially, we have two U-shaped sections. One U-shaped section looks northwest toward Magic Kingdom, while the other U-shaped section looks northeast with views of Bay Lake. As we go through our photo update, we’ll make reference to the northwest section and the northeast section. In general, our watercraft travels from Magic Kingdom to Fort Wilderness from west to east, meaning that we’ll first take a look at the northwest-facing section, followed by the northeast-facing section.
Here’s a late-June aerial photo of the hotel, showing those two U-shaped sections. This aerial photo was taken from northeast of the construction site, providing a sort of reverse view of the permit above.
Ok, back to our trip from Magic Kingdom to Fort Wilderness. As we float past a lush island near Wilderness Lodge, the Lakeshore Lodge hotel comes into view. This section of the resort isn’t quite at full height, but it is very close. Other sections of the resort have reached their full height. A good indication of whether or not a particular section of the hotel has reached full height is if you can see a roof installed or not.
We can see that the roof line is starting to take shape with some themed elements created out of steel. Some of the steel structures appear to hide elevator shafts, while others are decorative in nature and hang over room balconies. It also looks like Disney could be creating a new dock which would provide excellent views of the nightly fireworks show across Bay Lake at Magic Kingdom.
As we continue to float past the hotel, the northeast-facing section is starting to come into view. This will be the “main” area of the hotel, cradling what is expected to be a rather dynamic pool area.
We start with a view of a structure starting to rise right along the shore of Bay Lake. I’m not sure what this structure will be, but it is considerably in the foreground, with the pool area in between it and the hotel in the distance.
Because of vegetation along the shoreline, the northwest part of the hotel comes into view before the central section of the hotel. I’m happy to see that Disney has kept quite a number of trees along the shoreline. This section of the hotel has reached its full height, as we can see the roof line theming pretty much all the way around this northeast-facing U-shaped section.
Another big milestone on this project since we last checked in is the construction of the main lobby area. The steel framing below will create the entrance experience. The porte cochere is on the opposite side of the angle seen below, and we’ll have a look at that a little later in this article.
As seen in the panorama photo above, the tent-like structures continue to be installed along the shoreline. These will be part of the Lakeshore Lodge hotel, but they are upcharge “bungalows” like we’ve seen at Wilderness Lodge and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. Here’s a closer look at the progress on these tent bungalows.
There are still more structures to be installed, as evidenced by the plumbing in an overgrown area nearest the boat dock. Once the buildout is complete, permits indicate that there will be 14 of these tent-like structures.
There are a number of similar structures on the west side of the construction site. They’re a little bit more difficult to see during the watercraft journey between Magic Kingdom and Fort Wilderness. We’ll get a better look at this cluster of bungalows from the bus ride past the front of the resort.
Ok, with our feet back on dry land, it’s time to check out the Lakeshore Lodge construction from a few vantage points around The Settlement/Pioneer Hall. I’ve said it in previous updates, but it’s worth repeating – it’s difficult to represent just how much Lakeshore Lodge imposes on this area of Fort Wilderness. The photos below were taken with different focal length lenses, which can distort the depth of a photo. In general, I would take the “objects are closer than they appear” approach when viewing these photos. Here’s a look around!
Taking a bus from Fort Wilderness back to Magic Kingdom, we pass by the front of the Lakeshore Lodge hotel, showing that Disney is closely following the previously announced plans and design of the old Reflections hotel. A little bit of history.
Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge was the original name for the project when it was announced back in 2018. The project was paused during the COVID-19 shutdowns before we exclusively reported that construction had restarted back in September 2024. We followed construction for a couple of months before Disney confirmed that construction had restarted, and that the hotel was receiving a new name.
What was notable at the time was that Disney did not share any updated concept art for the hotel. In fact, they didn’t share any concept art at all. It wasn’t until the recently released “Decades of Growth” infographic that Disney finally attached the old Reflections concept art to the new “Lakeshore Lodge” name
Of course, our eyes would’ve just as easily confirmed that the design will remain the same. Here’s a look at the construction of the main entrance seen in the “old” Reflections concept art above.
Finally, here’s a look at the west side tent structures that we couldn’t see very well from the water. As you can see, these structures appear to be a little bit further along than the structures near Pioneer Hall.
Disney Lakeshore Lodge is currently scheduled to open sometime in 2027.
Projected to open in 2027, this proposed new Disney Vacation Club property will be located alongside the shores of Bay Lake at Walt Disney World Resort. The resort will be inspired by the majesty of nature and its enduring influence on Disney artists.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!