Many Disney Vacation Club fans have been eagerly awaiting news about the future of Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge. Almost five years removed from its original announcement, the proposed resort has quietly been erased in all aspects of Disney communication, yet some continue to have hope. Recent permitting activity has given way to a flurry of clickbait articles proclaiming that Reflections has risen from dead, but a closer look reveals a much different story.
Walt Disney Imagineering recently filed a permit extension on an area of land that was originally dedicated to the construction staging for Reflections. I emphasize this and have included a map below just to see how removed this area actually is from Reflections.
Naturally, this sparked a flurry of speculation, and many news outlets began to blow the story out of proportion. Headlines suggested that the permit extension meant that the project was moving forward when in reality, it only meant that Walt Disney Imagineering was asking for more time to utilize this area for construction support. My understanding is that what Imagineering chooses to do with the area, and what construction they support, is entirely up to them.
The most accurate and thorough reporting on this topic thus far has been provided by Blog Mickey. The article states that “the permit is likely related to having a staging area for the Fort Wilderness Cabins Disney Vacation Club project,” which recently started construction. This makes perfect sense given the proximity of the staging area to the entire Fort Wilderness property, and the rumored early activity that has begun as they look to replace the cabins and convert the property to Disney Vacation Club.
I continue to believe that Disney will eventually revisit this area for future DVC development, but not as the concept we now know as Reflections. This permitting seems too soon for this resort, with future DVC projects already in development, including Fort Wilderness and the Polynesian Villas DVC expansion. I would tend to agree that this permit extension is likely just related to having a staging area for the Fort Wilderness Cabins Disney Vacation Club project and sheds little light on the fate of Reflections.
In a recent poll we ran in the DVC Fan Facebook group, 54% of respondents indicated that they have no interest in purchasing at Reflections if the concept were to return, with an additional 25% still undecided.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Are you hopeful Reflections will return or do you think it’s still gone for good?
Stay tuned to DVC Fan and the DVC Fan Facebook Group for more updates!
Source: Blog Mickey
Thank you for writing this! I have been a victim of this click bait. Now I’m thinking the look of the new cabins makes more sense, they definitely have that reflections vibe.