Walt Disney World‘s 43 square miles are home to over two dozen hotel properties. As Disney looks to expand its theme parks in the coming years, another hotel will be added to the ranks.
A new, official Disney World resort hotel will open in 2027 near Magic Kingdom on the site of an abandoned water park. This project has been a long time coming, but it is finally making rapid progress. Keep reading to learn all the details on this hotel's amenities and its legendary location. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including the new Disney CEO's comments on Lightning Lane changes and what's in store for the future of Magic Kingdom.
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Introducing Disney Lakeshore Lodge
Disney Lakeshore Lodge is a new Walt Disney World resort hotel scheduled to open in 2027. The new hotel is inspired by “the majesty of nature and its enduring influence on Disney artists,” Disney said when the resort was announced.
It's located on the shores of Bay Lake near Magic Kingdom. Specifically, it's between Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground and Disney's Wilderness Lodge. We expect Disney to provide boat transportation from Disney Lakeshore Lodge to Magic Kingdom, as well as bus transportation to all four Disney World theme parks.
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Disney Lakeshore Lodge will consist of a 9-story tower of hotel rooms, along with several individual cabin/bungalow-style accommodations, seen at far left and top right in the photo above, captured in March 2026. By the looks of construction progress, Disney Lakeshore Lodge will also have a pool and lazy river.
Like most new Disney World hotels, Disney Lakeshore Lodge will be a Disney Vacation Club resort. We'll have more to say about this trend later in this article.
Disney originally announced this project as Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge. Construction has had a few false starts since 2018, but the project is currently moving forward under the name of Disney Lakeshore Lodge and is slated to open sometime in 2027. Disney has not announced a specific opening date.
Also in 2027, a new land called Tropical Americas will open at Disney's Animal Kingdom with new rides based on Encanto and Indiana Jones.
What Disney Closed to Build Lakeshore Lodge
Different parts of the property on which Disney Lakeshore Lodge will be located have served many eclectic purposes through the decades.
Much of the land is famously known as the former location of River Country, Disney World's first water park, which operated from 1976 to 2001. In the successive decades, rather than demolishing River Country, Disney left a lot of it standing in place and abandoned. The construction of Disney Lakeshore Lodge destroyed the last remnants of River Country once and for all.
The arrival of Disney Lakeshore Lodge also required the demolition of Fort Wilderness Pavilion, an event shelter home to the Mickey's Backyard BBQ dinner show. Disney didn't relocate the show.
More fortunate was Tri-Circle-D Ranch, the horse care facility at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. Disney moved the Tri-Circle-D Ranch to a new space very close to its old home to accommodate Disney Lakeshore Lodge. Guests can still visit for horseback riding or to simply stroll through the barn.
Trend of New DVC Resorts Near Magic Kingdom
Disney Lakeshore Lodge follows the 2024 opening of another Disney Vacation Club property, Island Tower at Disney's Polynesian Villas & Bungalows. This new building stands on the shores of Seven Seas Lagoon near Magic Kingdom on a plot of land formerly occupied by Disney's luau dinner show, which had been in place since Disney World opened in 1971.
The fact that Disney World's two newest resorts are Disney Lakeshore Lodge and Island Tower at Disney's Polynesian Villas & Bungalows provides some insight into the company's current mindset about property development.
Firstly, it shows us Disney Vacation Club continues to be a successful business venture, as more often than not these days, a new Disney hotel is part of the DVC program.
Secondly, it implies Disney viewed any developable lakefront real estate near Magic Kingdom as underutilized. Opening more hotel rooms seems to be a priority for Disney, even if it means bulldozing longstanding offerings.
In addition to building new resorts from the ground up, Disney World is refurbishing many of its existing hotels in 2026 and 2027. See our separate coverage for the full list and how those projects may affect your visit.
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