Reflections: A Disney Lakeside Lodge

[sleepydog25]

I have to say that I'm not surprised nor, more importantly, bothered by this turn of events.

 

[twinklebug]

I'd love to see the spot turned into something amazing, a worthy replacement for River Country.

 

[aoconnor]

With the lack of unique details in the renderings to begin with I'd have been worried about the inevitable budget cuts due to the current environment making it even more generic. Better to wait until they can build something worthy with a bigger budget IMO.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Kind of like Eagle Pines.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

They'll open up a new attraction: Paved Path to Nowhere--"You might wind up in a Doom Buggy!"

Well I would love a restored walking path from VWL to Ft. Wilderness.

 

[bookwormde]

Well I would love a restored walking path from VWL to Ft. Wilderness.

The path reopening has been one of the metrics for "how dead" Reflections actually is. if it does reopen, my perception is that the earliest there might be a restart would be at least 2 years.

If Disney's costs align with industry averages they likely had about 40 million into the project when it stopped. Probably to small to pick of in the financials to confirm a full cancellation.

I always love the trail, especially coming literally face to face with deer and other wildlife

 

[CastAStone]

The path reopening has been one of the metrics for "how dead" Reflections actually is. if it does reopen, my perception is that the earliest there might be a restart would be at least 2 years.

If Disney's costs align with industry averages they likely had about 40 million into the project when it stopped. Probably to small to pick of in the financials to confirm a full cancellation.

I always love the trail, especially coming literally face to face with deer and other wildlife

They are currently doing utilities work that - as I was made to understand it - is required regardless of Reflections, and will need to complete that prior to restoring the path.

 

[bookwormde]

They are currently doing utilities work that - as I was made to understand it - is required regardless of Reflections, and will need to complete that prior to restoring the path.

I thought that was on the road side of the path, so not need to cross the path, is part of it on the lake side?

 

[sleepydog25]

I always love the trail, especially coming literally face to face with deer and other wildlife

I agree. Even better was the old nature trail that paralleled the lake. I ran that numerous times over the years before they closed it off. Once, I ran by a small herd of deer no more than 20 feet off the trail, and they didn't budge. Another time, I came face-to-face with a hawk sitting on the ground with a field mouse clutched in its talons. I miss the wilderness part of the Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness.

 

[Lorana]

It's Dead Dead; Disney is removing mentions of it from DPB to pretend it never existed. RIP Reflections.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1292887327749156864

Oh, this makes me sad. My dream of a Wilderness Lodge like resort with a Beach Club like lazy river pool and unique accommodations like cabins and treehouses *almost* saw reality.

 

[4luv2cdisney]

Oh, this makes me sad. My dream of a Wilderness Lodge like resort with a Beach Club like lazy river pool and unique accommodations like cabins and treehouses *almost* saw reality.

 

[twinklebug]

Oh, this makes me sad. My dream of a Wilderness Lodge like resort with a Beach Club like lazy river pool and unique accommodations like cabins and treehouses *almost* saw reality.

Yeah but that's not what they were building.

No treehouses.
Those cabins looked like the offices at KOA campgrounds, and don't get me started on the houseboats.
The main building itself looked like a cross between a FLW knockoff meets Ikea peppered with bit of the Disney+ network.

My hope was that Disney would have designed a water-based theme resort to echo the old River Country location. It deserves the recognition being the first water park.

 

[Lorana]

Yeah but that's not what they were building.

No treehouses.
Those cabins looked like the offices at KOA campgrounds, and don't get me started on the houseboats.
The main building itself looked like a cross between a FLW knockoff meets Ikea peppered with bit of the Disney+ network.

My hope was that Disney would have designed a water-based theme resort to echo the old River Country location. It deserves the recognition being the first water park.

Maybe it will come back as even more Wilderness-themed with nods to River Country? Personally, though, while I felt it was a little more "modern" than I personally wanted, I really liked some of the design elements, like the swing chairs, and I personally loved the A-frame cabin designs.

I feel like the recent trends against theming mean that whatever comes back there, though, isn't going to be at all close to what we are all hoping for. Admittedly, when the Pop Century expansion became Art of Animation instead, I was MUCH happier with AoA than I was with the old plans for the "Generation Gap" 20th Century Pop Century expansion. But that's partly because one was Disney theming -- and Lion King area has a nice bit of wilderness feel to it -- and the other was modern popular culture, which appealed less to me.

 

[Lorana]

Okay, I realize this permit might just be to remove all of the construction they already did, but some of us can hold out hope that it means Reflections is going to quietly continue, right??

https://insidethemagic.net/2020/09/construction-on-reflections-a-lakeside-lodge-rwb1/

 

[Wedgeout]

Guess we just wait and see. Seems interesting to have a permit for Colwill Engineering to make it disappear. They have a motto of “Get it done right the first time.”

 

[heapmaster]

Guess we just wait and see. Seems interesting to have a permit for Colwill Engineering to make it disappear. They have a motto of “Get it done right the first time.”

Disney should use them the first time for everything then...

 

[Dean Marino]

Disney should use them the first time for everything then...

 

[Chuck S]

It would not surprise me to see basic ground work continue. But maybe a delay in actual building. At least they weren't in the middle of the project, like they were with Classic years of Pop Century resorts (now Art of Animation).

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Seriously doubt any construction continues at this time. It will be years before this project is resurrected, if at all.

 

[CastAStone]

Martin on WDWMagic, who is pretty well connected, said earlier this week that it’s completely canceled. FWIW.