Imagineering Filmed Itself Behind the Lakeshore Lodge Construction Walls, and the Next Pardon Our Pixie Dust Hits YouTube on August 25

Somebody at Walt Disney Imagineering got caught snooping, and they wanted you to know about it.

A short video posted Tuesday to Imagineering's official Instagram account shows a large wooden-like structure standing next to a water slide inside the Disney Lakeshore Lodge construction site. Then an Imagineer notices the camera. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. How'd you get behind these construction walls? Get otter here."

The pun runs through the whole post. The caption reads: "One way or an otter, you're gonna want to tune in to the next episode of Pardon Our Pixie Dust on YouTube August 25!"

Concept art for The Wetlands at Disney Lakeshore Lodge: guests float an inner tube river in the foreground while a stylized heron, slatted climbing towers, a netted bridge, and water slides fill the background. Image: Disney

What the teaser is pointing at

The Wetlands is the sprawling outdoor recreation area at Lakeshore Lodge, and Disney has so far named three play zones inside it. Daydream River is the lazy river. Heron Shores is hands-on play with climbing features. Otter Springs is a set of interactive water features for young kids to splash and slide.

That last one is where the otter jokes are coming from. Aerial photography of the site appears to have already caught what looks like that wooden structure and a water slide staged and waiting, so the Pardon Our Pixie Dust episode should show more of how they are coming together on the ground.

Another Wetlands rendering, with oversized cattail sprayers, a carved otter spouting water, and a splash area built for younger guests. Image: Disney

The two pools, one of which changed names

Beyond the play zones, the resort gets two pools. Lakeshore Lagoon sits at the heart of The Wetlands as the zero-entry feature pool with a spiral waterslide. Cypress Point, tucked away on the opposite side of the resort, is a leisure pool and whirlpool spa, positioned for views of Magic Kingdom fireworks.

Both of those names are newer than they look. Disney Vacation Club quietly swapped them in July: Lakeside Lagoon became Lakeshore Lagoon, and Perspective Pond became Cypress Point. Disney has not commented on the reasoning behind either change, so if you saw the June concept art under the old labels, you were not imagining it.

Concept art for the resort's zero-entry feature pool, released in June under the name Lakeside Lagoon and since renamed Lakeshore Lagoon. The spiral waterslide drops from a wooden tower at right. Image: Disney

A resort that came back from the dead

Disney announced this project in 2018 as Reflections - A Disney Lakeside Lodge. Construction stalled during the COVID-19 pandemic, and for a stretch the resort was thought to be canceled, until Disney resurrected it as Disney Lakeshore Lodge in 2024.

It is a fully Disney Vacation Club resort, described as "inspired by the majesty of nature and its enduring influence on Disney artists." Disney has it at 967 rooms, plus new one- and two-bedroom Lake Houses along the waterfront, on the south shores of Bay Lake. The Wetlands theming leans on Pocahontas and its song "Colors of the Wind," which is where the herons and otters come from.

Disney's own framing of the area, from its June update: "Whether you choose to start your morning with a peaceful float along the Daydream River or end your day watching the sun set over Bay Lake, each area of The Wetlands will offer a distinct connection to nature, balancing breathtaking beauty and tranquility with moments of discovery and play."

Lakeshore Lodge is set to open in the summer of 2027. The episode drops August 25 on Walt Disney Imagineering's YouTube channel, which is also where the earlier Lakeshore Lodge installment lives if you want a look at the project before this one arrives.

Sources

• Walt Disney Imagineering on Instagram, where the teaser was posted
• Walt Disney Imagineering on YouTube, "Pardon Our Pixie Dust: Lakeshore Lodge, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster & Big Thunder Construction Updates"
• WDW News Today, "Walt Disney Imagineering Teases Lakeshore Lodge Update in Upcoming Video"
• Disney Parks Blog, "Letters from Lakeshore"
• Blog Mickey, "Disney Vacation Club Quietly Renames Two Pools at Lakeshore Lodge"
• Chip and Company, "Disney's Lakeshore Lodge Featured on Next Episode of Imagineering's Pardon Our Pixie Dust Series"

Image credits: All concept art images by Disney, via the Disney Parks Blog.