Disney Shares New Details About Its Upcoming Resort Near Magic Kingdom

Disney has announced that its newest hotel, Disney Lakeshore Lodge, will open next summer on the shores of Walt Disney World’s Bay Lake near Magic Kingdom (in the same spot as the now-defunct River Country water park). The resort will be part of Disney’s flexible timeshare program, called Disney Vacation Club.

Disney Lakeshore Lodge is a nature-inspired resort that will feature nods to Walt Disney Animation Studios’ films like “Bambi,” “Pocahontas” and “Brother Bear,” all of which share stories inspired by the natural wonders of the earth and the great outdoors.

“We’re excited to share our vision for Disney Lakeshore Lodge, a place where the magic of Disney storytelling comes alive through the beauty of the natural world,” said Bill Diercksen, senior vice president and general manager, Disney Vacation Club, in a press release. “Inspired by Walt Disney’s lifelong admiration for the great outdoors, this resort will offer our members and guests an opportunity to reconnect with nature while creating cherished family memories at Walt Disney World Resort.”

The new resort, nestled between Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, will feature fantastic views of Bay Lake in the morning and afternoon. Then, as night falls, it will be a good spot for families to see the nightly fireworks from Magic Kingdom. And with 967 accommodations, ranging from cozy studios to lavish multi-bedroom villas, there will be room for the entire family here.

Disney Lakeshore Lodge will also feature a new Disney Vacation Club accommodation style: one- and two-bedroom Lake Houses, which will be located along Bay Lake’s waterfront. These are sure to be popular with guests, especially since the cabins and bungalows at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, respectively, offer similar lodging for families and are quite difficult to book due to high demand and low inventory.

Disney has yet to announce additional details about the resort’s amenities, activities or dining opportunities as of publication.

Disney Lakeshore Lodge’s Unique History

When Disney Lakeshore Lodge opens, it will be the 18th Disney Vacation Club property, joining an ecosystem of resorts in four destinations in the United States (Florida, California, South Carolina and Hawaii). But the resort has a unique history already, and it hasn’t even opened. Back in 2019, Disney announced a hotel in the same spot with a similar theme, but with the name Reflections: A Disney Lakeside Lodge. It was originally set to open in 2022, but the pandemic halted construction before it could really ever begin. There was even confirmation of a restaurant themed after “The Princess and the Frog” coming to the original resort concept.

Now Disney has picked the project back up, and construction is moving quickly. Guests who take the boats to Magic Kingdom from Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort or who stay on the Bay Lake side of Disney’s Contemporary Resort will notice that the vertical construction of the resort looks nearly complete, though with an opening date of summer 2027, there’s still a long way to go before things are completely wrapped up and families are allowed to check in for their Walt Disney World vacations.