Evidence mounts that a forthcoming Disney Vacation Club project has either been significantly delayed or cancelled as Disney removes concept art and other details from one of its websites.
During the 2019 D23 Expo, Disney released a variety of new details and concept art regarding Reflections - a Disney Lakeside Lodge. But as Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) points out on Twitter, all Reflections-related information has now been purged from the D23 website.
NEW: Disney has updated its 2019 D23 Expo announcements blog post and removed Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge. BEFORE and AFTER screenshots attached.
It's worth noting the original EPCOT plans that have since been modified are still in the post.https://t.co/uy25DWjo9M pic.twitter.com/juP9F7nw5g
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) August 10, 2020
In June, overhead images of the Reflections worksite suggested that construction progress had been halted. From a distance, it appeared that the site may have been covered with grass seed to prevent erosion, a common practice if no ground moving is planned in the near future.
As Gustin points out, the D23 website still contains information related to EPCOT enhancements which have been altered or cancelled entirely. The Reflections data removal appears to be quite deliberate.
Reflections was set to be the sixteenth Disney Vacation Club resort with an anticipated opening in 2022. However, it may fall victim to a COVID-19 slowdown in DVC sales and corporate budget cuts. Sales have slowed to a crawl in the April - July timeframe, extending the period over which DVC will be selling points at Disney's Riviera Resort. The Walt Disney Company reported $2 billion in losses for the most recent quarter, and is looking to reduce capital expenditures on the theme park side.
Disney Vacation Club appears to be moving forward with a new resort on the grounds of the Disneyland Hotel. This project, along with Riviera and Aulani, Disney Vacation Club Villas in Hawaii should provide them with sufficient points to meet sales demands in the short term.
