Disney World’s 14-Month Mystery Project Finally Unveiled—Here’s What We Know

Last April, Disney World filed a permit for a mystery project adjacent to the Fort Wilderness Resort. The initial permit called for a 5,500-square-foot building; however, the remainder of the project was a mystery until now.

The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District revealed that the new “mystery” project is a new pool area for Fort Wilderness, including a large building that will house restrooms and the pool equipment. While we know what this project is, there are still plenty of unanswered questions about why Disney World is building another pool at Fort Wilderness.

The first obvious question is why Fort Wilderness needs a second pool so close to the existing pool at the Resort. The answer could be, why not put another pool in the resort? No one ever complains that a Disney World Resort has too many swimming options.

However, this could point to a larger potential issue when Disney opens Lakeshore Lodge in 2027. The 10-story Disney Vacation Club Deluxe Resort has advertised a pool area that will rival Stormalong Bay at Disney’s Beach and Yacht Club Resorts.

With the addition of another pool at Fort Wilderness, Disney could restrict access to the pool at the Lakeshore Lodge to hotel guests only, not all of Fort Wilderness’ guests. The set-up could be similar to Stormalong Bay, where guests must scan into the pool area and receive a wristband for the day.

Disney has not been overly forthcoming with details about Lakeshore Lodge. The project was initially announced in 2018, and construction began in 2020 on the old site of Disney World’s River Country.

Then came the pandemic, and everything was put on hold. The project was recently revived and is slated to open in two years, but Disney has not released any further details.

Does adding a new pool area at Fort Wilderness potentially mean that the older pool could be closing? It’s possible, but again, Disney has not released any details about this latest “mystery” project.

So, what does this all mean for Fort Wilderness guests? Again, that’s a mystery, too.

At least for now, guests know they are getting a new pool at Fort Wilderness, but that’s about it. Disney will, hopefully, release more details on the projects in the near future.

Are you excited about Disney’s Lakeshore Lodge, or would you rather see it as something else? Let us know in the comments.