Theme Park Scope

We finally have a date for one of the biggest additions coming to Walt Disney World in 2027!

Disney has officially announced that Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge will open July 1, 2027, bringing an entirely new Disney resort to the shores of Bay Lake near Magic Kingdom.

And after years of watching this project disappear, reemerge, change names, and finally rise from the ground, having an actual opening date feels particularly significant.

The new resort will feature 967 rooms and sit along Bay Lake between Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, on land previously occupied by Disney’s River Country water park.

But July 1 isn’t the only important date Disney revealed. Reservations begin opening in October 2026, with Disney Vacation Club Members getting the first opportunity to book.

Disney Vacation Club Members can make early rental reservations beginning October 6, 2026, followed by Walt Disney World Annual Passholders on October 7. Reservations open to all guests on October 8.

That means anyone hoping to be among the first guests through the doors next summer will want to mark their calendars now.

And Disney has finally given us a much better idea of what those guests will find inside.

Disney Just Revealed the Rooms, Too

Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge is being designed around the relationship between Disney storytelling and the natural world, with different accommodations drawing inspiration from films including Bambi, Pocahontas, Encanto, Brother Bear, and Fantasia.

Rather than giving every room the same overarching theme, Disney is using different animated films to establish distinct identities throughout the resort.

The smallest accommodations will be Duo Studios, designed for two guests and inspired by the colorful world of Encanto.

Deluxe Studios will sleep up to four and take their inspiration from Bambi, incorporating warm natural materials and original concept artwork pulled from Disney’s archives. That Bambi influence continues into the resort’s larger one- and two-bedroom Villas, which sleep up to five and nine guests respectively. Those accommodations will include full kitchens, washers and dryers, living and dining areas, and private patios.

Larger groups will have an entirely different option.

The three-bedroom Grand Villas will sleep up to 12 guests and are inspired by Fantasia, blending the film’s artwork with the resort’s overall nature theme. They’ll include three separate bedrooms, multiple bathrooms, a full kitchen, dining room, spacious living area, and private patio or balcony.

Disney is also offering traditional Resort Studios, including king-room configurations. These rooms take their design cues from Pocahontas, with earthy colors and artwork inspired by the film’s landscapes.

Then there are arguably the most interesting accommodations coming to the entire resort.

The New Lake Houses Put Guests Right Along Bay Lake

Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge will introduce one- and two-bedroom Lake Houses, freestanding accommodations positioned along the waterfront.

These aren’t simply rooms with a lake view.

The Lake Houses will feature dramatic A-frame architecture, floor-to-ceiling windows and private porches overlooking Bay Lake. One-bedroom Lake Houses will accommodate up to five guests, while two-bedroom versions will sleep up to eight. They’ll also include full kitchens and washers and dryers.

Inside, Disney is turning to Brother Bear for inspiration.

Artwork throughout the Lake Houses will reference the movie’s Alaskan setting and themes of nature and discovery, while the primary bedrooms will feature a Northern Lights-inspired lighting effect designed to illuminate the space after dark.

Lake House guests will also receive access to The Artist’s Nest, the resort’s Club Level concierge lounge, along with personalized vacation-planning assistance through Disney Signature Services.

Disney has even revealed a top-tier Hidden Willow Presidential Suite, sleeping up to six guests with two bedrooms, two full bathrooms, a kitchen, washer and dryer, Bay Lake views, Magic Kingdom fireworks views, and access to The Artist’s Nest.

And those fireworks views are going to be a recurring theme here.

Disney says select Club Level rooms will also have access to The Artist’s Nest, which is positioned above the treetops with views toward the Magic Kingdom fireworks.

This Resort Is About Much More Than the Rooms

We’ve already learned quite a bit about the amenities Disney is building around Lakeshore Lodge.

The centerpiece of the resort’s outdoor recreation will be The Wetlands, a large recreation complex featuring Lakeshore Lagoon, a zero-entry feature pool with a spiral waterslide.

There’s also something that should immediately get the attention of Disney resort fans: a lazy river.

The Daydream River will allow guests to float through the recreation area, while younger visitors will have access to the Pocahontas-inspired Heron Shores climbing area and Otter Springs water play area. A quieter leisure pool and whirlpool spa called Cypress Point will be positioned elsewhere on the property with views toward Magic Kingdom’s nighttime fireworks.

Disney has also announced three dining locations.

Moonglade will be the resort’s table-service restaurant, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Bay Lake and a menu focused on seasonal and locally sourced ingredients.

Bay Lake Provisions will serve as the all-day quick-service marketplace, including specialty coffees and fresh food, while Paint Out Point Bar & Grill will offer shareable food and drinks near Lakeshore Lagoon.

Guests will also be able to visit Dandelion Terrace, a lounge overlooking Bay Lake where Magic Kingdom fireworks will be visible across the water. The space will feature a two-story gallery of archival Disney artwork, including pieces connected to Fantasia.

Even the lobby is getting some substantial Disney storytelling.

Inspired partly by Pocahontas, the Lakeshore Lodge lobby will feature floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking The Wetlands, a fiber-optic “river” running through the floor, and an overhead blown-glass Colors of the Wind-inspired installation made from hundreds of suspended glass leaves.

And when it comes to getting to the parks, Lakeshore Lodge will have one particularly valuable transportation perk.

Disney has confirmed that the resort will offer boat transportation to Magic Kingdom.

That’s worth watching alongside Disney’s other recent investments around Bay Lake, including the addition of a fourth Magic Kingdom ferryboat and plans to expand its backstage watercraft marina. Those projects aren’t confirmed to be directly related to Lakeshore Lodge, but collectively they show just how much development is happening around Disney World’s water transportation network as the resort prepares for 2027.

There’s also a pretty interesting history behind the resort finally receiving an opening date.

Disney originally announced plans for a nature-inspired resort on this property in 2018, when the project was known as Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge. Development stalled during the COVID-19 pandemic, and for several years, the project appeared to have been abandoned.

Activity eventually returned to the site, and Disney officially announced a new Disney Vacation Club resort for the property in 2024. What eventually emerged was Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge…a concept that retains the nature-focused foundation while leaning heavily into Disney Animation storytelling.

Now, after nearly a decade of starts, stops, and changes, there’s finally a date attached to it. Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge officially opens July 1, 2027.

And there’s another reason that date is notable: Lakeshore Lodge will be the first completely new Walt Disney World hotel to open since Disney’s Riviera Resort debuted in December 2019.

With 967 rooms, waterfront Lake Houses, a lazy river, multiple restaurants, Magic Kingdom boat transportation, fireworks views, and accommodations ranging from two-person studios to 12-person Grand Villas, this is shaping up to be much more than another DVC property.

The next major date to watch is October 6, when Disney Vacation Club Members get the first opportunity to book. Annual Passholders follow October 7, before reservations become available to everyone on October 8.

Keep checking back with Theme Park Scope as we follow Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge through construction and toward its July 2027 grand opening.