Most Disney fans already know that Walt Disney World has a lot of new attractions in the works, but guests might forget that the resort also has a lot of new hotel projects in the works too. Just yesterday Disney gave us an update on the new Star Wars boutique hotel that will be built right next to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and construction is progressing on expansions at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort as well as Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort. And now it looks like Disney is planning on building yet another hotel, this time in a place that has long since vacant.
River Country will finally be demolished to make way for a new Magic Kingdom hotel
One of the most infamous locations in all of Walt Disney World is River Country, which was a well-liked water park at Walt Disney World near the Magic Kingdom, which was unceremoniously abandoned and left to rot for nearly two decades, with slides, pools, and other structures slowly being overtaken by nature.
However, though this decaying park seemed like it was going to be a permanent part of Walt Disney World, it looks like Disney is finally ready to do something with this wasted space, as the Orlando Sentinel is now reporting that they have confirmed that Disney is indeed building a hotel on top of the former River Country site.
Interestingly, not only does the report from the Orlando Sentinel confirm that this new project is indeed moving forward, but it also says that construction is set to begin next year as well, which is definitely an interesting detail, especially as Disney has gone on record more than once denying the existence of this project. However, there are also some additional details that certainly make this report seem like more than speculation.
For instance, last month, Disney quietly filed permit applications with state of Florida for a mysterious project 89, which included a 30-acre site just south of Magic Kingdom. At the time many speculated that this permit was for a staging area of some sort, and with this new information, that seems like a fair assessment, as there is going to be a lot of support space needed to construct this new hotel, especially if some of the rumors about it are true…
A massive hotel with space for DVC
Image: Disney
The last hotel project around the Magic Kingdom was the addition of the Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, which added a small amount of timeshare capacity to the Magic Kingdom area resorts. However, this was was not enough, as demand for DVC property around the Magic Kingdom is fierce. Which is where this project comes in. According to the same report from the Orlando Sentinel, this new hotel will be large-scale hotel that will have space for regular guests as well as DVC.
So how big are we talking? Well, according to the Orlando Business Journal, this new property will have at least 1,000 rooms and could cost close to $700 Million. And while nothing is set in stone, the Orlando Business Journal report notes that this project is still in the very early pre-construction phase (which includes nailing down details like scope, scheduling, and early engineering) and with demolition work needing to be done at the River Country site, a groundbreaking might not happen until 2020, with an opening potentially happening another year or two after that.
And while that all seems very far away, it is worth remembering that Walt Disney World is coming up on its 50th anniversary in 2021, and if they can get the ball rolling on this new hotel property now, they could potentially celebrate this milestone anniversary with the opening of this new hotel (as well as the new TRON roller coaster at the Magic Kingdom).
Right now, Disney is keeping very quiet about this project. However, with so many sources indicating that this project is indeed moving forward, we can’t imagine Disney will stay silent for long. While they usually wait for the bi-annual D23 Expo to announce big projects like this, Disney probably won’t be waiting until 2019 to confirm this project, especially as construction may be visible (and potentially within earshot as well) of some areas of the Fort Wilderness Campground, which was very close to the former River Country site.
Image: Disney
Though we’re still waiting on official word from Disney, it certainly seems like, barring an abrupt cancellation, this project is indeed moving forward. Are you excited for the addition of another Magic Kingdom-area hotel at Walt Disney World?
