Why We Want Disney’s River Country Resort

Walt Disney World is going to build a resort between Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness along the shore of Bay Lake on the former River Country water park. It’s not a matter of if, but when. This shares the latest updates on the future project, why we’re expecting an announcement at the D23 Expo, and why we’re actually on board with the idea.

Originally announced back in October 2018 as Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge, the proposed resort on this site was to be “a celebration of Walt Disney’s lifelong love and respect for nature.” The complex would be a mixed use property like Disney’s Riviera Resort, with more than 900 hotel rooms and Disney Vacation Club villas.

Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge was further elaborated upon at the 2019 D23 Expo, and it was billed as one of the “most unique resorts ever built” at Walt Disney World. Concept art was shared of the novel accommodations, including treehouse suites and waterfront A-frame cabins that would be available at the resort. Reflections — A Disney Lakeside Lodge would also feature a restaurant inspired by Princess and the Frog located along the “bayou of Bay Lake.” (Bob Chapek’s words, not mine.)

Walt Disney World wasted no time in getting to work on Reflections Lakeside Lodge, and the project site was very active as of early 2020. But when the parks closed and all construction stopped only a few months later, Walt Disney World mothballed the construction site for Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge.

The project was shelved and crews on site removed concrete and rebar. The project had yet to begin foundation work, let alone vertical construction. Fast-forward four years, and it’s essentially an empty parcel. The future home of Reflections is still visible from California Grill or even the boat en route to Wilderness Lodge–it’s the big empty area amidst the trees.

Given that Reflections Lakeside Lodge has been delayed indefinitely, at best, you might be wondering why we’re reporting on this as if it’s an active project. After all, the site has been inactive for several years and Walt Disney World has scrubbed all mentions of it, suggesting that it has been effectively cancelled. Well, about that…

Earlier this year, Walt Disney Imagineering filed a request with the South Florida Water Management District to extend one of the permits related to ‘Project 89’ by an additional 5 years. This is one of the big picture ‘permit packages’ for the proposed Fort Wilderness resort, pertaining to construction of the resort and (as the name suggests) water management resulting from the project.

Disney’s request stated the project is not complete because it was shut down due to the COVID closure, which “delayed the completion of this project.” Delayed is technically correct, but not the word I’d use to describe the status of Reflections. Disney deleted past references to it and hasn’t publicly mentioned it in over 4 years. It’s as if Reflections never existed, which is more consistent with the Play Pavilion than CommuniCore Hall.

Prior to that, Imagineering received a 5-year extension on another permit related to the construction of Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge. That permit was for the STOLport staging site–near the former Walt Disney World Airport, with the extension lasting until May 2028. That extension was less conclusive that Reflections would be revived, as it also could have served as a staging site for another project.

Even in tandem, those prior permit packages established–at best–a desire by Walt Disney World to leave the door open for the proposed resort. They weren’t conclusive of construction, but rather, Disney hedging its bets so they didn’t have to redo all the permit work should such a resort be “needed” in the next few years.

Fast-forward to August 2024 and we finally have a construction permit that, in my view, is conclusive of construction. Imagineering has filed a construction permit for a “mystery” (air quotes) project between Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness, with an extended expiration date through March 31, 2027 and Balfour Beatty listed as the contractor.

The permit is puzzling because it lists addresses along Wilderness Way that do not exist. Which is to say that there’s nothing there–they are not existing property addresses at Walt Disney World. However, that’s a lot less puzzling when you compare the permit to one filed in 2019 for Project 89, which also has Balfour Beatty as the contractor. Spoiler: they’re for identical addresses–and that 2019 permit was for the A-frame cabins at Reflections Lakeside Lodge.

While it’s possible that Imagineering is going to use the permit-work for Reflections as the basis for expanding the Copper Creek Cabins, which would also make some degree of sense in tandem with the recently-filed permit for work at Wilderness Lodge, we view the timing of these two permits as coincidence. These addresses are likely too far from Wilderness Lodge to be part of Copper Creek. It makes much more sense for this to be a proper revival of Project 89/Reflections than an expansion of Copper Creek.

Not only that, but we’ve received credible rumors (plural) that this lakeside lodge concept was being revived. I was skeptical when first hearing this last year, given all of the Disney Vacation Club projects that are currently underway and will be actively selling in the next few years.

However, I’ve heard enough to be convinced that Disney’s plan is to proceed with plans on this parcel. (It could also explain why Tiana’s Palace hasn’t been announced for Pecos Bill–because it’s still coming to this lakeside lodge!)

Timing-wise, it seems like the lakeside lodge concept is teed up for an announcement at the upcoming D23 Expo. After all, this permit is  coming one week before that blockbuster event. Because of that, we added Reflections Redux to Our List of 2024 D23 Expo Parks Panel Predictions–it’s more likely to happen than not (at least 51%).

However, I still think this is far from a sure thing. When it comes to Disney Vacation Club, the company announces when it’s strategically advantageous. It doesn’t matter if there’s a D23 event or it’s an open secret that construction is occurring. If they’re concerned about cannibalizing sales from other properties, they won’t announce.

I don’t think that’s the case here. A strong argument could be made that the sluggish sales of the Cabins at Fort Wilderness could be reversed by a lakeside lodge being part of the Palmetto Trust. The Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is going to sell like hotcakes no matter what, so that doesn’t have any bearing on this.

Also, I’m fairly convinced that DVC’s new approach to marketing is offering a variety of options and letting them sell simultaneously. Greater variety and actual choices is good for guests, and certainly doesn’t appear to be hurting Disney.

There’s also the fact that this lakeside lodge was always intended to be a mixed use resort, with both DVC villas and hotel rooms. Even though occupancy is down from the sky high numbers of the pent-up demand era, Walt Disney World could use more hotel inventory. They’re probably perfectly fine with the Disney Vacation Club side selling slowly and gradually being declared in the next decade-plus, as that’s plenty of high-dollar hotel inventory to sell in the meantime.

The bigger question is probably whether Disney wants to “announce” something at the 2024 D23 Expo that they already revealed at the 2019 D23 Expo. That might be a somewhat bad look in that it reminds guests of just how much was cancelled or delayed indefinitely from that event, and makes fans more inclined to take any 2024 D23 Expo news with a grain of salt.

All of that does cast doubt on the announcement, but I still think it’ll happen. Purely speculative, but I’d also expect a new name, concept art that looks different, and other subtle changes to the project. It’s been 6 years since this was first announced, and it was in development even before that. With so much passage of time, different leadership both at Imagineering and Parks & Resorts, and shifting trends in hotel design, it seems inevitable that what we first saw in 2018 will change to some degree by the time it opens almost a decade later.

All of this is fine by me. “Reflections” sounds like the name of the place where Don Draper went to rehab and Disney’s resort designs from that era leave a lot to be desired. I actually think there’s a ton of potential in this concept, and am bullish on Imagineering’s ability to do justice to a resort on the former River Country site.

Well well well, how the turn tables. 

That’s probably the most apt way to start the commentary, considering that I was an outspoken critic of the original announcement that Walt Disney World would build a new tower resort between Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness. So, what has changed?

For one thing, it’s pretty safe to say that the Reflections site will be developed at some point down the road. Walt Disney World only has so much prime parcels for resorts, and this is one of them. Not only that, but a lot of the site prepwork was already done and it’s still in pretty good condition. So I guess my perspective is that this is going to happen sooner or later regardless, in which case, I’ll take sooner.

I want to be clear: I don’t love the idea of building another hotel in between Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness. My original pushback to this concept was that this would irrevocably destroy the primitive nature and forested feel of Fort Wilderness. A big part of what makes the campground so special is that it’s been relatively undisturbed by time, and is one of the last bastions of “Vacation Kingdom of the World” era of WDW.

It’s almost remarkable how different Fort Wilderness feels from the rest of Walt Disney World—even its neighbor, Wilderness Lodge. It’s almost as if Walt Disney World leadership has forgotten about Fort Wilderness, and it hasn’t seen the same changes in character as every other resort over the last couple decades.

Any expansion at or around Fort Wilderness will destroy the primitive, secluded characteristics and charm of the campground that give it so much appeal. It’s a campground with wilderness right in the name–the environment is the heart and soul of Fort Wilderness.

I still believe all of that. The problem is that this process has already started, and there’s no unringing that bell. River Country was razed, the site prep-work began, and areas of Fort Wilderness were modified to accommodate the lakeside lodge. The irreparable damage is already done.

Of course, it could always get worse. Right now, it’s a big empty parcel. Nothing but dirt and emptiness where there was once a mature and thick forest. It’s noticeably different and uglier, but a tower that’s visible from from Pioneer Hall and the Settlement area would arguably be worse.

With that said, when some fans visualize this, it seems like they’re envisioning the Island Tower at the Polynesian or nearby Four Seasons Orlando (pictured above). The former Reflections Lakeside Lodge wasn’t going to be nearly that tall. It definitely would encroach on Pioneer Hall and be visible from that area, but it wouldn’t be dwarf the existing buildings.

On the plus side, Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo (WATG) was the lead designer for Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge, and they have a great track record with Disney. They designed the original Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, along with Disney’s Victorian hotels in Tokyo, Paris, and Hong Kong. All fantastic resorts.

In looking at WATG’s project page, it’s clear they’re capable of envelope-pushing designs. The group appears to especially excel at sleek modern designs that incorporate woods, stonework, and natural materials to have great indoor-outdoor designs. They’ve done several high-end hotels of this nature for Hyatt, Hilton, Four Seasons, and Ritz-Carlton. Any one of those looks more ambitious than the Island Tower, Riviera Resort, or Fantasy Springs Hotel.

Personally, I would love to see a new twist on the ‘lodge’ concept given that I’ve loved everything Disney has done on that front. While it’s unfortunate that the late, great Peter Dominick cannot design this property, I’m confident WATG can do a good job. As mentioned above, I’m also heartened by changes at the top of Imagineering; from what I’ve heard, that’s been accompanied by a mindset shift about design sensibilities. (We’ll see whether that’s actually true.)

On top of that, lodges are my jam. I love Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge at Walt Disney World, but also the Grand Californian at Disneyland, Sequoia Lodge at Disneyland Paris, and Explorers Lodge at Hong Kong Disneyland (above). All of these differ in subtle but important ways, making them distinct and unique from one another.

I’m not naive enough to think the Walt Disney World of today would build a resort on par with any of those, but even if this lakeside lodge is half as good as one of those, it’s still worthwhile. And while the art previously showcased for the original incarnation of this lakeside lodge wasn’t fantastic, it was better than Riviera, Gran Destino, or Fantasy Springs Hotel. (I was particularly partial to the A-frame cabins and treehouses.)

In reviewing WATG’s portfolio and looking at past plans, I think this lakeside lodge has the potential to be like a contemporary twist on Sequoia Lodge. That resort borrows from Frank Lloyd Wright’s modern Prairie Style and is really underrated as compared to the other lodges.

Even acknowledging that the former River Country site will become a resort sooner or later, some Walt Disney World fans may take a different viewpoint, preferring it happen later as opposed to sooner. That they’d like to savor Fort Wilderness as-is for as long as possible and also potentially “wait out” the current Disney regime in the hopes of getting a better design. Fair enough–I can’t argue with any of that.

Just remember: things can always get worse. I don’t know if this is an optimistic or pessimistic take. I would personally rather have this resort now, at a time when (I think) Imagineering’s design ethos is heading in the right direction and the company is willing to invest $17 billion into Walt Disney World.

For that matter, I’d prefer the project while it’s going to be a lodge, in the first place. If Disney shelves this for another decade and decides to build it in-between development cycles as a way to juice revenue (looking at you, Island Tower!), there’s absolutely nothing to say they won’t go for a higher-capacity (think taller) luxury hotel that is more crowd-pleasing and profitable. Better the devil you know. 

To be clear, my perspective isn’t one of outright pessimism or cynicism about this concept being even worse in the future. I’m actually cautiously optimistic about this lakeside lodge. Again, a lot of this comes down to timing.

In addition to the above, I think Disney currently “gets” nostalgia and, for the first time ever, is leveraging that in meaningful ways at Walt Disney World–something they’ve been doing for ages at Disneyland. (It took long enough!) We’re seeing this in the Test Track reimagining, overhauled EPCOT entrance, and more.

While I don’t want to get too far afield in armchair Imagineering, I really think this lakeside lodge concept could pull liberally from the past and truly become Disney’s River Country Resort. Likely in spirit rather than literally. As awesome as that name would be, it’s probably a tad too folksy for a high-end hotel that has to appeal to both fans and the general public.

But I could absolutely see Imagineers drawing inspiration from River Country in a more meaningful way, when it comes to the pool area. Could you imagine something that evokes River Country and rivals Stormalong Bay with a sand beach, lazy river, and awesome water slide. (Sadly, I think the legal department wouldn’t allow something like Slippery Slide Falls, but we can dream!)

Honestly, I don’t think this is simply idle wishful thinking. Every new resort that isn’t on the monorail loop or otherwise adjacent to a theme park needs a compelling selling point for its DVC side. Sort of like how Riviera Resort got the Skyliner. Based on what we’ve already seen from the permit package, it looks like the hook for this lakeside lodge could be a large pool complex with a lazy river. It would certainly make sense!

Finally, I’ll admit that I’d rather see Disney’s River Country Resort (or whatever it might be called) sooner rather than later because we have a daughter who is going to ‘grow’ up at Walt Disney World, and I can think of nowhere better for that than in the “Wilderness Resort Region” of Walt Disney World.

If this is going to happen at some point anyway, I’d selfishly rather have it happen while she’s a kid so we can make lifelong memories at these resorts, doing trips with the grandparents in one of the A-frames or treehouses, quick weekend getaways in a Boulder Ridge studio, etc. I’d love to take advantage of the nature trails connecting the properties, staying at Wilderness Lodge but walking over to Fort Wilderness for dinner, spending entire days outside the parks exploring the area–you get the idea. That’s only possible if this actually becomes a connected resort district (like Crescent Lake) and not if it remains a mothballed construction site.

Suffice to say, I’m cautiously optimistic about Walt Disney World developing this lakeside lodge, and hope it ends up fulfilling the spirit of Disney’s River Country Resort while also living up to the rich creative legacy of the lodges that have come before it. Should be interesting to watch this project take shape at Walt Disney World…assuming it happens in the first place!

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YOUR THOUGHTS

Are you optimistic or pessimistic about a revival of Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge (or whatever it ends up being called now)? Think it could be Disney’s River Country Resort in spirit or name? Agree or disagree with our assessment about its potential or the upside of having a Wilderness Resort Region at Walt Disney World? Any other questions or comments? Hearing your feedback is part of the fun, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!