50. NEW RESORT: Disney's Lakeshore Lodge (More Magic)

[00:00:00] Coming up, it's a monumental day. Bookings for a brand new Disney World Resort have opened and that doesn't happen very often. Lakeshore Lodge is new, it's vibrant, and it is so exciting. Should you be booking now or should you be waiting? We're answering that question and more on today's episode. Hey everyone, welcome into More Magic, brought to you by the Moms Behind the Magic. I am your host, Allie. I am with Stacey and we are here on a Thursday to bring you some exciting news relevant today.

[00:00:27] We are, we are. I love our little Thursday drop-ins that we can just talk about something fresh and new and get it out there fast and it's, I love it. I love that we've been doing this. The reason it's so great today is because bookings for Disney's Lakeshore Lodge, the brand new resort, they opened today, October 8th. As you're hearing this M&Ms, bookings are now open to the general public. They've been open for two days to annual pass holders and DVC members.

[00:00:54] So we're already seeing a really big shift in availability. Obviously, it's been a very long time since there was a new resort. Fresh new resort, yes. What was was the last fresh new resort? Riviera? Riviera? Yeah, Riviera is what I'm thinking. And that was quite a bit ago. So it's very uncommon that we get a brand new fresh resort. They used to be popping up like weeds, right? But now that we have so many and so many different themes, getting something new is really, really special.

[00:01:21] I don't expect another anything new for a really long time. And I am going to cry when I sit here. I cannot wait to try something. This location over kind of behind Wilderness Lodge, right? Across the water. Across the lake. Across the water near the Magic Kingdom Resort area. And I'm just, I'm thrilled. I'm thrilled that this is happening. Today, we are not really going to drop a lot of facts. This is not a deep dive on Lakeshore Lodge. That is not what this is. We'll do that later.

[00:01:49] Yeah. Oh, we're going to stay there. We're going to do it for sure. But all this is right now is who should be booking this? Who should be booking this now and who should be waiting? You know, what do we know so far before anybody has ever stayed there? Before anybody has ever set foot on property? And in the travel agency that we're all part of, some of our travel agent friends just did a sneak peek of some of the theming and amenities that Lakeshore Lodge is going to offer.

[00:02:14] They did like a pop-up experience in New York City. We have some New York-based agent friends who got to go look at it. They're going to share their photos with us. We're going to share them with you. But oh my gosh, y'all, this is going to be so good. So everything we know right now, if you're planning Disney World a vacation for the summer or the fall of 2027, would you book Lakeshore Lodge without having ever stayed there? Would you book it, you're interested, or wait?

[00:02:40] So I'm ready to go. Like, let's book it now. Let's go. I can't wait. It looks amazing. I have seen it from Wilderness Lodge just getting ready for the boats. We were standing on the pier waiting to go and you could look across the water and see the construction and it's just so exciting. It's going to be amazing. And now that they've got all the pictures out, like I'm ready to go. So put me on the list of making it work. I'm ready. Yeah. I'm in the book it now camp as well. I do not need to wait till other people have stayed there.

[00:03:09] I do not need anybody telling me why something new has bumps in the road, right? Nothing is perfect upon first opening. I don't need to know what's not functioning perfectly yet. This experience looks like it's going to be so worth it. I also saw it mid-construction a year ago. So it's come a long way since I saw it almost two years ago now. And that's how long they've been working on this. But I thought when we were on our fireworks cruise, when we did the fireworks cruise for Happily Ever After, they took us back there. So we got very

[00:03:35] close out on that water. And I mean, I was ready to book it then. You could have had me book it two years out. I know. Totally. Totally. So here are the basics that we know so far and chime in if I miss anything or if you know something different. It opens July 1st of 2027. So we are starting to book this in October for an opening date of July. So we're pretty far out. You're going to be booking this brand new experience pretty far from

[00:04:00] when it actually opens. It is located on Bay Lake between sort of Wilderness Lodge and Port Orleans, like we just said. It is a DVC resort, which means that as a DVC member, I am going to be able to book this on points. But it's also open to the general public starting today. So you can book it, you know, like a rack rate, like you do any of the other DVC resorts. Actually, some of you M&Ms probably don't even realize when you're staying in a DVC property versus when you're not because you can book them

[00:04:26] in a package just like any other resort or room. And of course, your travel agent is going to be the easiest route for grabbing one of these rooms. So contact your travel agent and she'll be able to walk you through your best options here. Yeah, it's nature inspired. So you might think, well, Wilderness Lodge, isn't that just nature inspired? But this is different. It's a much more, I don't know, airy, light, whimsical type nature feel. It's they say it's inspired by the storytelling

[00:04:53] of like Bambi, Pocahontas and Brotherhood. Right, right. This is going to be maybe slightly more in your face, Disney. I think it's going to be a lot more character because it's really a combination of nature and animation. So the water areas are going to just be really cool with different characters. But yeah, it's going to have Brother Bear. I mean, how cute. Why not? I mean, Brother Bear should have been over at Wilderness Lodge. But you know, that's okay. They're fixing it now. And some

[00:05:18] Fantasia. So lots of the animals from there too. We have some early art renderings of what these rooms will look like. And like any DVC resort, they have the or the newer ones have the duo studios. This is supposed to have those deluxe studios, one and two bedroom villas, all of the concept art that we have seen so far, very light green tones, light wood, wood leaf carvings, just lighter, lighter, lighter, lighter is kind of what I would say I've noticed in these. There are those three

[00:05:47] bedroom grand villas. The concept art has lit up like mountainous headboards. I mean, this looks very beautiful, but they have a frame waterfront lake houses, which are Florida ceiling window wall. Those are going to be pricey. Those are going to be hard to book. Those are going to be in short supply and those are going to be bucket lists. Totally. These are, these really are going to extend my bucket

[00:06:10] list because stunning, absolutely gorgeous. I don't know. What do you think the situation of them? I haven't heard anything about fireworks views. I don't think you would probably see fireworks from here. I don't know, but it's close. I just wonder, like, can you imagine if it's angled at the point where you could see fireworks? I can't wait to find out because that's, oh my gosh, it's a great point. I have no idea. Too good. Too good. So I think this is potentially, and this is like really fun to

[00:06:37] record this now, just when bookings are open and it's all sort of what we know so far, speculation and excitement and hype versus once we've actually stayed here. Because is this potentially like a resort destination and not just another resort? Yes. It's in the Magic Kingdom area, which is wild. This looks so, like such a drawl. Like I know how much you love water slides. Have you seen some of the water slide pictures? They look humongous and amazing. And a lot of water features,

[00:07:05] a lazy river. To have a lazy river at the resort? Yep. That's a vacation in itself. So absolutely calling me like, you don't even have to go to the park, Stacey. Just come on in. I mean, I got that vibe. This will only be the second Disney resort to have a lazy river. And the pool looks next level. Next level. Is this about to be the resort that gives people a true reason

[00:07:30] to try a new resort over their tried and true? I think for sure it will. I mean, what kind of, it would have to be just some horrible news to come out about it to like change anybody's mind. It looks so amazing. I don't know the person who could look at this and go, nah, that's not for me. Right. Who is that person? Only the person is the person where the price tag is scary. Cause that I, it's open now. It's open today. It's true. So take a look, see what your budget is, but don't just look at one time of year and then decide, oh, it's not for me. You know,

[00:08:00] look at different times of year. Look at split days. And don't even look at that. Those early days are probably going to be pretty high. You know, I know we're all going to look, we're all going to go. Yeah. But, uh, we still, let's, let's look at it to see what we can make work. So is this going to be the most beautiful Disney resort? I guess your definition of beauty is what will be that answer. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right? I mean, but it just, everything is so appealing. The nature, the Disney, it's such a blend of everything wonderful.

[00:08:28] I look forward to staying there. I also look forward to booking this for families now that it's open. I can't wait to see like who I haven't booked it yet today. The day is still young. They'll be so excited. The day is still young. But when I book that first Lakeshore Lodge family, I'm going to be so excited. I'm going to have a party with them because I just know we're going to be doing something really exciting. I mean, there hasn't been a new resort opening since I became a travel agent. So this will be a first time when I get that. So if you're my first family, I'm so excited to work with you. It's going to be great. We're going to be learning about it. We're going to be

[00:08:58] learning about it together. One thing that I'm really excited about that is a new change when it comes to DVC only resorts, like Riviera is only DVC, Old Key West is only DVC in terms of the rooms they offer. This resort has a club lounge. The Artist's Nest is club level at Disney. That is something that they're bringing into the DVC world that hasn't previously been available. So you're kind of mixing these worlds that are long overdue to be mixed. And I'm very, I very much think that that

[00:09:24] is chef's kiss. That is pretty great. That's pretty great. Okay. I kind of broke this into categories for us to talk about. Booking grand opening today, October 8th, Thursday, 2026, ahead of a July 1st, 2027 open. Who should book now? Who should wait? Let's talk about it, right? If you're listening and you're thinking, oh, that's a someday, let's talk about if it should be a now thing. I think if you're already a deluxe guest, if you're already looking at July, 2027,

[00:09:52] you're already budgeted for a deluxe stay. You should seriously consider this because, you know, depending on how frequently you go, it may be, it's something you can say, we'll come back and do it the next time. But if you're already going to be there, like how fun is it going to be to be able to say you were one of the first guests there? Yeah. Also, if you just are a summer guest, I think that because of these pools and the way the water features are, all of those really great swim months, those great summer months,

[00:10:20] I think you should jump on in. So I would say anybody from that July to October, if you know you're traveling, yeah, think about it. And it's a very, very low, fully refundable deposit. So if you're even considering it, it's a book now. It's an absolutely book now. If you are a first edition resort person. So I have tried to become a first edition cruise person over the years, I sell the wish it's inaugural year, I sell the treasure it's inaugural year, I sell the destiny

[00:10:47] it's inaugural year. And I plan to sail the believe it's inaugural year. It's very fun to me. It's become part of the chase. The ships are coming out way more frequently than resorts. So if you want to check that bucket list off as a Disney world guest, this is going to be like a once in a decade type opportunity for you. Yeah. So you should be booking now. If you have your heart set on Lakeshore Lodge, I would not assume you can just casually book it later. I imagine availability at this resort is going

[00:11:17] to be in high demand. I imagine it's not going to be a casual pickup later. And I imagine a lot of disappointment if you think it will be. You're also looking at months that are coming into that Halloween party period. Boat access to Magic Kingdom during the party. Boat access right there to the party. I mean, it's and that's a very popular time of year anyway. So yeah, the availability is going to going to be fast. It's going to get snapped up. Yeah, I think that those are the people that should be

[00:11:47] booking now. If it's in your considerations at all, the deposit is low enough that you should be just doing it and then modifying later if you have to. But there is a real risk of missing out. And if this excites you, you should be jumping in. Totally. The people that should wait. And this is just, this is hard for me because I'm not in this category. I don't resonate with a lot of these thoughts, but I know that a lot of people do. And so I'm going to share some of the ones that I thought, but I want you to kind of give me your thoughts on them. So first off, if you're someone

[00:12:16] who needs to know where you're staying and what it actually looks like, I'm still not sure that this person should wait because you can always modify if you book it now and then you're like, the concept art was pretty, but in action, the transportation at 8am actually looks terrible. I don't want any part of that. You can modify. So I'm not sure that there's a good argument here in waiting, but I wanted your thoughts. Yeah. I think the only real waiting would maybe be somebody

[00:12:40] who is bucket listing, you know, like they're working towards it as a budget situation. And maybe you know that you need a good year to do it. And we're, you know, we're, we're maybe we're pushing that limit right now. And if you want to just kind of wait, but I don't think there's any real argument that just waiting to see if it's great or not, that is not an argument. I think it's clearly going to be amazing. Yeah. And you know, the point of view, I kind of mentioned at the beginning where I was like, I don't need anybody to tell me that things weren't perfect when they

[00:13:09] opened, you know, Epic universe down the road. That wasn't perfect when it opened. That was Jollywood nights when it opened at Hollywood studios, that first party was not perfect, but it's amazing. Things are going to have their speed bumps, but I think there are families that are thinking I want the best Disney vacation I can get for my money. And I don't want to be the Guinea pig, right? Let somebody else figure out the transportation, the dining, the room locations. What is the noise? Like, is there still construction when it first opens? What is the resort to park

[00:13:37] logistics? And is it as easy as we think? I mean, the reality is the first time stairs are the people figuring all that out. I mean, and there's even the possibility, the opening date gets delayed. I kind of doubt that's going to happen. I kind of expect it's actually able to take guests probably pretty soon. You know, like they have that date way, way out on purpose, but you know, what if, what if they say, Oh, we're going to have to push back the opening date. There's July guests are going

[00:14:02] to be the ones to deal with that. So, you know, I'm just super optimistic. If you want to make decisions based on actual guest feedback, I guess you should wait. But there's also a world where if you're traveling and right now, as we're doing this, you know, we can't book into 2028 and maybe that's when your trip is. And so let's say they open, this is going to be stay with me here. Cause it's going to be kind of math. Let's say they open bookings for 2028 in the spring of next year. That's still ahead of Lakeshore Lodge opening. If you want to wait on guest experiences,

[00:14:32] you may again, then miss out. So knowing that you can always modify, I'm just not in the camp of, you should be waiting on, on guest experiences here. That's right. That's right. I think anybody preparing to travel, like if anyone knows they're going to Disney world and they know that their budget might work for this deluxe experience, you need to be ready to jump on it and err on the side of caution. And you can always pull back if you decide not to, right? You can get that either the

[00:15:01] refund or the modification to a different place if you decide, but you, you may not be able to go in the reverse where you start at the contemporary and say, yeah, maybe I'll switch it up. I don't know that that's going to be the smart way to go. I think the dining here is going to be delicious and plentiful. I think there will be lounges and cocktails that are too right. How fun to have new restaurants. It's going to be amazing. New restaurants, new drinks, new cocktails, new lounges,

[00:15:27] new pool, new activities, new places to explore, new rooms to sleep in. The rooms look beautiful. The configurations might be a little questionable for families like mine with five, but what is going to happen to Wilderness Lodge? Is it going to take a hit? Is it going to feel like the lesser now, or do you think they're going to be fine? I mean, they're going to be compared always. We love to compare. I just feel like it's going to be two different feelings. Wilderness Lodge is still going

[00:15:52] to be that awesome dark wood cabin feel that's still going to be the way to go. This is the glass and the open air and the characters. The animation side of it is going to give it a totally different vibe. I don't know. I mean, of course there's going to be a comparison. Of course, there are going to be some people who say, normally I would have stayed Wilderness Lodge and now I'm going to stay Lake Shore. I know that's going to happen. I'm not worried about Wilderness Lodge though. It still has so much going for it. Wilderness Lodge is like you hit it on the head, that dark wood,

[00:16:21] mountainous, thick, deep vibe. Lake Shore to me looks light, airy, and serene in a different type of nature way. It's more air and leaf. It's more green. More, yes, yes. I feel like it's greener. It's windows. I always think it's interesting when Disney gives a spotlight to characters or cinema that I don't think were a huge hit. So the brother bear element just looks to me

[00:16:47] like it's really leaning in on the fact that that's what the theming is. Not so much that there are brother bear fans out there, but as a 90s girl, I mean Pocahontas. Are you kidding me? I know. Are you kidding me? I love her. It's so interesting to see how this is going to all really mesh. Bambi owns such a world, such a part of Disney. You know, Bambi is. I am so

[00:17:12] excited that she's getting this. Oh my gosh, this is amazing. It's beautiful. So I think for the most part, you know, if Lakeshore Lodge and Wilderness Lodge, and I hate like comparing them, they're right there in the same area. And I think a lot of people, like when I first heard they were opening Lakeshore Lodge, it was like, oh, we're getting a new resort. And it's so similar to one we already have. I don't necessarily know that that's going to be the case. I really think they're going to have a different feel. And if they were both pricing out the, you know, really similarly,

[00:17:39] I'm going Lakeshore for at least the foreseeable future. Surely this is not an intention of like beach club and yacht club. Like it almost, you know, it almost feels like that, but these are separate completely, but you're right. It almost feels like Wilderness Lodge, Lakeshore Lodge, like the wilderness and the lake. Yeah. And I agree with you that that's kind of how I envision these, but they are two totally separate, not the same properties. Yeah. It's going to be

[00:18:04] interesting to see. Disney, let's go. Send us there. Send us there. Let us, let us be able to speak from experience. We're happy to be the, we're happy to be the Guinea pigs. Absolutely. Can't wait for it. Yeah. So there's four. Did you see that the slide is like a tree house? Yes. Have you seen that? Yes. You and your slide love. Okay. The slide looks amazing. The restaurants, by the way, the different things that they're opting. It's going to be Moonglade, which is the elegant signature dining table service restaurant. Say it again. What's it

[00:18:33] called? Moonglade. It's Florida ceiling windows on the edge, edge of Bay Lake. Yeah. Views of the water and the trees and it's going to be great. Okay. Bay Lake Provisions, which is going to be like an open kitchen, quick service style marketplace. That's every resort has one of those. I'm sure it's going to be great. That's going to be the quick service that I will not be able to remember the name for when we play trivia and the deep dive. Got it. Okay. Exactly. Yeah. There's a place you'll never know, but you always go. Yes. Paint out point bar and grill. That's going to be, you know,

[00:19:03] wilderness lodge also has a bar and grill. So Disney didn't want these two things being compared. They didn't do a great job because geyser point bar and grill over at wilderness lodge is a very unique space that most resorts don't have where it's maybe not a mobile order spot or a step down spot, but it is a go up and order in delicious food spot. And that's at the pool. The zero entry, by the way, Lakeshore Lagoon is what it's called. That's the pool side, bar and grill, shareable things, drinks, earthy tones and environments. And then the Dandelion Terrace,

[00:19:33] which is a two story lounge that overlooks Bay Lake and has prime, a prime viewing platform for the Magic Kingdom fireworks. So we don't know if the rooms are going to be able to view fireworks, but we do have confirmation that you're going to have gorgeous viewing platforms on the Dandelion Terrace. So lounge with fireworks viewing Terrace. Are you kidding me? Find me there all the time,

[00:20:00] literally all the time. All right. Now I can't wait. I'm going to go probably book this later today for my family and we're going to have an experience on that Terrace. I just know it. But if you have any part of you and wants to stay at Lakeshore Lodge, you should not be waiting. You can capitalize while it's new. Have a story to tell your grandchildren one day. You know, I rode Tron opening day, very opening day with my oldest daughter. And I told her when we got off that ride,

[00:20:27] someday this ride will be old. And yeah, you know, so many people will be on it and will be, have been here for decades. And you can tell your kids you rode it the day it opened. And that's the kind of experience I am telling you to create for your family. Maybe you're not staying there on July 1st. But if you stay there within that first year, that inaugural year of Lakeshore Lodge, you're going to imprint your family on a piece of Disney history that just doesn't open very often. And don't forget that if you book now, you can make payments, lots of payments, weekly payments,

[00:20:55] low payments, large payments. There's not just one way. Let us help you make it a split stay. Get one night there. Just put yourself in the experience. Just leaving your imprint on history. You can make it happen for your family. It's so, so worth it. Even though I haven't done it yet, I can tell you it's worth it. And for you Eminem's listening today, our magic word will be imprint. That is going to do it for us here on another episode, bringing you more magic on a Thursday. We are sending you so

[00:21:22] much fun, love and joy, and we'll see you real soon. Do we want to say that? What? Okay. So let me just say that over. That could be frozen. That's all I got. Oh no. I would just sound like you were closing it up. Shoot. Don't we do magic words on this episode coming up? Bookings are open. We are hitting a monumentous day today with bookings. What? That is not a word. I didn't think so as I said it.

[00:21:54] Momentous or monumental? Pick one of those. Okay. I got you. I got you. I got you. I got you. Coming up. It's a monumental day. Disney's Lakeshore Lodge is bringing you so much to offer. It is. What am I freaking doing right now? What am I doing? I'm making this longer than the episode. All right, hold on. Half of the episode was gone. 40 minutes of the episode gone. Like gone, gone? And I'm just like. Couldn't recover and gone? Gone, gone. I'm sick to my stomach.

[00:22:22] I was sick. I'm sick listening. I thought that it was just a lag. Turns out my internet was down for a couple of minutes. This was literally last night. I mean, I wasn't talking to any of y'all during it. I was stressing out. It was actually right around five o'clock because Donnie was walking in from work. Like, hey, how's it going? And I'm like, not in the mood to talk. Yeah, leave me alone. It was awful. And yet fixed it perfectly. Hold on, I'm going to show you. No, ma'am. No, ma'am. I mean my home.

[00:22:48] Your home itself. You know, I cannot tell what that is. What do you mean? I see a lot because there's like a glare and it's like, oh, there's a skeleton. Yeah, it's my dining room. Good luck to you. Have fun at the game. Good luck to me. I'll have fun at mine. I know. I'm so, and I'm ahead. Like I have all these podcasts. I'm churning out. You do. When you said, when you said Riverside and French Quarter were ready. Yeah, I had to, I needed that done by tomorrow and it's already done today. I'm so proud of me.

[00:23:16] Yeah, it's amazing. Okay. I gotta go. All right. Bye friend.