The pieces are coming together for the NEW pool opening in Disney World next year!

Lakeshore Lodge

Walt Disney World’s Lakeshore Lodge is a brand-new Disney Vacation Club hotel that’s scheduled to open in 2027! According to Disney, the new hotel’s theme will “celebrate the beauty and magic of nature as seen through the eyes of Disney artists and storytellers.” And while we’ve spotted tons of cool details in the hotel concept art, one of the features we’re the most excited to experience for ourselves is the POOL!

Lakeshore Lodge is currently being built where Disney’s River Country water park once was, which means that the long-abandoned space near Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground will finally be put to good use!

Lakeshore Lodge Concept Art ©Disney

We’ve been keeping a close eye on progress at the new resort, both through construction updates and details provided by Disney. And, as much as we’re excited about the hotel as a whole, we have to admit we’re EXTRA pumped about the pool area!

Lakeshore Lodge construction

Lakeshore Lodge will be home to “The Wetlands,” an outdoor recreation area located just beyond the lobby. Disney recently dropped more details about what guests can expect in The Wetlands, which will offer areas for both fun and relaxation.

©Disney

One area of The Wetlands is designed specifically for the kiddos, where they can “become part of nature’s story through whimsical wet and dry play areas inspired by the music and storytelling of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Pocahontas.”  The play area will be inspired by the lyrics “the heron and the otter are my friends” from Colors of the Wind.

Zoomed in Section of Lakeshore Lodge Concept Art ©Disney

Heron Shores will allow kids to explore and play hands-on with climbing features, and Otter Springs will come to life with interactive water fun. Recently released concept art shows a sneak peek of an otter water feature that we bet will be a HUGE hit!

Otter Springs ©Disney

The Daydream River is a lazy river for guests to relax and float along leisurely in an inner tube while the river carries them through The Wetlands. Based on the concept art, it seems that there will be theming and features around the “shores” of the lazy river, so there might be some fun things to check out as you float downstream!

Daydream River ©Disney

At the heart of The Wetlands is Lakeside Lagoon, a zero-entry pool for guests of all ages with a spiral waterslide.

Lakeside Lagoon ©Disney

There will also be a separate leisure pool on the opposite side of Lakeshore Lodge, complete with a whirlpool spa and a view of Magic Kingdom’s fireworks at night. The hotel leisure pools are typically quieter and less crowded than the hotel feature pools, so this could be a great spot for guests who want to relax by the water without as much commotion as The Wetlands.

Zoomed-in Concept Art Showing Second Pool ©Disney

On top of the concept art released by Disney and the construction visible from Bay Lake, we’ve also been keeping an eye on aerial construction updates shared by @bioreconstruct on X/Twitter. A recent shot shows the frame of the lazy river, with the hotel lobby at the top left of the photo.

via @bioreconstruct on X/Twitter

Here’s a more zoomed-out photo that shows where The Wetlands will be in relation to the hotel as a whole. We can see progress is being made on both Daydream River and Lakeside Lagoon!

via @bioreconstruct on X/Twitter

With all of the unique, interactive features coming to The Wetlands, it seems like this new pool might challenge Stormalong Bay for the title of top Disney World hotel pool! We’ll be on the lookout for more updates about The Wetlands as the opening for Lakeshore Lodge gets closer, so stay tuned to DFB for the latest info!

I’ve Used 17 Disney World Hotel Pools, and I’m Sharing My Top 3

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