Ever since it was first announced, we’ve been waiting to get a first look inside Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge Resort, but now we don’t have to wait any longer!
Lakeshore Lodge is located in the former home of Disney’s River Country water park near Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. We have been keeping a close eye on the construction progress, but Disney invited us to come check out the brand-new hotel, and now we’re bringing you an up-close look! Let’s goooooo!
This brand-new hotel is opening sometime in the summer of next year, but we were invited to check out all the progress Disney has made so far, and let us tell you — we think you’re going to LOVE it! First, we’ve got a look at some brand new concept art that Disney shared with us. Here’s a good look at the full resort.
We already knew that this hotel was going to be “inspired by the majesty of nature and its enduring influence on Disney artists.” Disney told us, “When we look at the building, when we look at the architecture, we’re looking at opportunities to showcase some of the Disney magic within the resort experience through the artwork and other experiences, both on a macro level, and then within the resort in more of a micro level.”
That includes arriving at the resort, where you’ll see a one-mile tree-lined vista before you see the resort. This kind of “grand expression” will be carried out through the porte-cochere, as well as the lobby, with a clear focus on nature, complete with skylights and lots of glass. We also learned that Brother Bear will somehow play a part in the hotel.
Lakeshore Lodge will also be “packed with amazing recreational opportunities,” as well as other activities. Disney stressed the importance of guests having a variety of experiences available while staying there.
NEW concept art for Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge was revealed at a media event today! pic.twitter.com/teS7GKWCAf
— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) April 30, 2026
We even learned that Lakeshore Lodge will have a dedicated boat dock for transportation between Lakeshore Lodge and Magic Kingdom.
We also learned that “guests will see fireworks from the resort in a unique way.” Ooh….! Now, that’s quite the tease. Disney also mentioned some surprises, like how the newly refurbished Meadow Swimmin’ Pool at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground has nods to River Country.
Originally, Disney had announced a hotel called Reflections: A Lakeside Lodge for the same space, but then stopped discussing the hotel. Now, Disney’s Lakeside Lodge will be opening instead. When Reflections: A Lakeside Lodge was announced, it was expected to have more than 900 rooms, which is on par with what we now know about Lakeshore Lodge. Disney is thrilled about the location and called it “exceptional.”
Lakeshore Lodge will offer 967 rooms, which Disney shares will range “from cozy studios to spacious suites.” Many rooms will feature views of Bay Lake by day as well as the Magic Kingdom fireworks!
New one- and two-bedroom Lake Houses will be located along the waterfront.
We can’t WAIT for this hotel to officially open and will be bringing you a full look at it when it does. In the meantime, make sure you stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog for the latest Disney news and more!
Check out more Disney World hotel news at the links below!
- Disney World Is Cracking Down on Resort Hopping Harder Than Ever Before
- Disney World Announces NEW Holiday Hotel Discount
- Disney Dropped 3 MAJOR Announcements Including A NEW Quick Service Restaurant
- Disney World Just Dropped 3 MASSIVE Announcements
- The SECRET Place To Get Our Favorite $15 Disney Souvenir
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Will you be booking a room at Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge when it opens? Let us know in the comments below!
Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were invited by Disney World to attend their media preview of Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge Resort. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ









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What happens to the Fort?