Pending approval from government officials, Disney Resort hotels are scheduled to begin reopening starting on July 11.
Disney Vacation Club resorts at Walt Disney World will reopen to members and guests on June 22, in addition to Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground.
Disney Vacation Club resorts in Vero Beach, Florida and Hilton Head, South Carolina will also reopen to members and guests starting on June 15.
Upon reopening, theme parks, Disney Resort Hotels, restaurants and other offerings may be modified, limited in capacity and subject to availability or closure.
Plans to support required physical distancing as well as enhanced cleaning measures, along with a number of other safety and cleanliness protocols, will be implemented as part of this planned phased reopening.
With the start of Walt Disney World’s phased reopening on July 11, Disney Vacation Club has shared details on the reopening of its timeshare properties to members and guests. In addition, Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground will also be reopening.
Disney Vacation Club resorts at Walt Disney World will reopen to members and guests on June 22, in addition to Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground.
Disney Vacation Club resorts in Vero Beach, Florida, and Hilton Head, South Carolina, will also open to members and guests starting on June 15.
Plans to support required physical distancing as well as enhanced cleaning measures, along with a number of other safety and cleanliness protocols, will be implemented as part of this planned phased reopening.
Disney is temporarily pausing new ticket sales and Disney Resort hotel reservations in order to focus on guests with existing tickets and reservations. Disney Vacation Club members can still make new reservations.
With all the recent changes to Walt Disney World, we’re eagerly awaiting our next WDW trip, when we can try out all the new restaurants and attractions that have opened since our last visit. While many changes continue to be made inside the parks, WDW resorts are not immune to the constant improvements on property, and that’s a good thing! If you haven’t heard the news, there will be a brand-new Disney resort making its appearance in a few years – and we have all the latest info right here!
1. What is It?
It’s called Reflections: A Disney Lakeside Lodge, and when it’s completed, it’ll be the 16th DVC property. A deluxe resort, it will boast over 900 resort rooms and Disney Vacation Club villas, and a pretty cool location!
2. When Will it Open?
2022 is the expected year for the opening of Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge, so we still have a few years to wait! There are several other Disney resort projects currently in the works in WDW, and this means we’ll have more than 1700 new resort rooms and villas to enjoy when all is said and done.
3. Where Will it Be?
You may remember visiting Disney’s River Country, WDW’s first water park, before it closed in 2001. Or you may have been intrigued by the idea of an abandoned Disney park (and who could blame you?), and followed the rumors that have been swirling for years about the future development of the site. Well, they’re rumors no longer! Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge will be built on the site of River Country, between Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness, on Bay Lake. We love the idea of taking a former Disney park that has been rotting away, tantalizingly close to current WDW magic, and turning it into a resort for new generations to enjoy.
4. Theme
We know that A Disney Lakeside Lodge will be themed to complement its natural surroundings. It’ll be inspired by nature and by the artistry of Walt Disney. Wimberly, Allison, Tong & Goo, the design team that brought us Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, as well as several Disney hotels in other countries, helms the project. It seems like Disney is aiming to please as many guests as possible, not just the biggest WDW fans out there, who want to be surrounded by all things Disney at their resort; Lakeside Lodge looks like it will be a more subtle, understated hotel, with natural and rustic touches.
5. Dining
We don’t know too much about the food at Reflections: A Lakeside Lodge, but what we do know is pretty exciting. Plans show a proposed table service restaurant that will be part of a building that juts out from the shore of Bay Lake. If you love waterfront dining (and who doesn’t?), you’ll love this stand-alone restaurant. We can only imagine that the view will be spectacular!
We also recently discovered that the restaurant will be themed around The Princess and the Frog! If it’s anything like the beautiful restaurant Tiana’s Place on board the Disney Wonder, it’ll be quite a stunner. There will be a counter service restaurant in the resort’s main building, and guests will be able to head over to nearby Fort Wilderness or Wilderness Lodge to access even more dining options.
6. Lobby
Concept art depicting the lobby has been released, and what we’re seeing is a wonderfully light and modern space featuring lots of glass, whimsical flowing ceiling decorations (that might be meant to represent wind?), and carved wood to break up the more contemporary materials. It won’t look like Disney brought the forest inside the resort, like Wilderness Lodge; it’s a more liberal interpretation of “inspired by nature” that reads more like a peaceful nature retreat.
There’s a Pocahontas statue in the lobby, complete with windswept hair, and huge windows that promise to let in a ton of light. The intimate spherical structures surrounding different seating areas are wonderfully creative, and seating includes sofas in nature-inspired hues.
7. Construction
While Reflections: A Disney Lakeside Lodge won’t be completed until 2022, that’s not to say you can’t get a glimpse of the construction phase of the project! If you head towards Trail’s End at Fort Wilderness, you’ll see some of the fencing near the bus stop. Anything that remained of River Country has already been demolished, and the land flattened. The whole site is fenced off, and you’ll be able to see some of the fencing at the edge of Trail Blaze Corral.
8. More Details
We love the fun extras in the concept art, like hanging nest chairs and landscape scenes from Disney animated films. Fans of mid-century modern furniture will appreciate the design choices used here, and Disney characters will be subtly worked into backdrops (of unfolded Murphy beds, for example) and furniture. There are retractable side tables in beds and sofas, and plenty of storage built into each piece of furniture. So even though the design is minimalist, you’ll definitely have enough room for everything you need while you’re on vacation. Oh, we can’t forget one of the most exciting elements of Reflections: A Disney Lakeside Lodge – there’s a fireworks viewing lounge!
As the COVID-19 situation continues to change, a re-opening date for most parks is still unknown with the exception of Shanghai Disneyland, which reopened on May 11, and Disney Springs, which began its phased reopening yesterday. As a result, many lingering resort reservations and vacation packages are slowly being cancelled on a week by week basis. Latest reports indicated cancellations up to June 8, but now Disney has issued an official email notification indicating that reservations through June 13 are also being cancelled.
Walt Disney World Resort guests with resort hotel bookings during the week of June 7 to June 13, 2020 are receiving notifications that their stays will be impacted by temporary closures, and they may modify or cancel their Disney Resort hotel reservations or Walt Disney Travel Company packages. Guests who didn’t book directly with Disney should contact their Travel Professional.
To provide guests additional flexibility, all Disney-imposed change and cancellation fees up to the date of check-in for reservations with arrivals through June 30 have been waived. For further assistance with cancelled reservations or to modify an existing reservation, Disney is directing guests to call in or use the chat feature on the Disney World website.
Walt Disney World recently announced that it would only begin accepting reservations for dining and resorts for travel dates starting July 1 and later. However, that is not necessarily indicative of a reopening date for the resort, as has been reiterated by parks officials. Cancellations may continue to occur on a week-by-week basis as the extended closure continues.
We recently shared the news that Disneyland Resort Hotels are no longer taking new reservations until July. We have learned that Walt Disney World Resort Hotels are following suit. Walt Disney World has announced an official update on their website. Travel agents also received notification from Walt Disney World that they are no longer accepting new reservations until July 1. We too have checked the My Disney Experience App and yes, find that no rooms are available until July.
The main entrance to the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. (Photo courtesy, Walt Disney World)
Need to Adjust Your Travel Plans? Walt Disney World theme parks and Disney Resort hotels are currently closed and a reopening date has not been identified. For Guests who are interested in modifying their existing travel dates or making a new reservation for a future vacation, reservations are currently available for travel dates July 1 and later. As always, Guests are able to modify these bookings if Walt Disney World Resort opens before or after that time.
To read more from the Walt Disney World website click here.
Here is the update from Disney as received by travel agents as shared by WDWNT.com:
Reservation Availability: We’ve announced a phased reopening of Disney Springs area at Walt Disney World Resort, starting May 20. As a reminder, the rest of Walt Disney World and Disneyland theme parks and resort hotels, as well as the Downtown Disney District at Disneyland Resort, are currently closed, and a reopening date has not been identified. For guests who are interested in modifying their existing travel dates or making a new reservation for a future vacation, reservations are currently available for arrival dates July 1, 2020, and later. As always, Guests are able to modify these bookings subject to availability if Walt Disney World or Disneyland theme parks and resort hotels open before or after that time.
Cancellations Due to Closures: Disney has been regularly notifying Guests whose Walt Disney World or Disneyland Resort hotel bookings are being impacted by our temporary closures, letting them know they may modify or cancel their Disney Resort hotel reservations or Walt Disney Travel Company packages. Disney is asking Guests who didn’t book directly with Disney to call their Travel Professional. We expect that this notification process will continue one week at a time, including any potential reservations cancelled in June 2020.
Offers and Tickets: For guests who are interested in modifying their existing travel dates or making a new reservation for a future vacation, reservations are currently available for arrival dates July 1, 2020 and later. At Walt Disney World Resort, guests wishing to make new reservations can save up to 25% on rooms at select Disney Resort hotels for stays most nights through August 31, 2020, when they book through August 31, 2020.
Please know that no new bookings are being taken on the Walt Disney World summer recovery offer. The Florida Resident Discover Disney ticket is no longer available for purchase. For Guests who have this ticket, the usage window has been extended through September 30, 2020.
We will continue to keep you posted as the news comes forward. Keep in mind, the July 1 date does not mean the parks will open by that date. No official reopening date has been set except for Disney Springs which begins phased reopening on May 20.
