I have to assume that the Island Tower, the cabins, and Reflections were all planned out years ago. Companies don't last 100 years (and WDW would have been converted into an
Amazon fulfillment center years ago) if Disney were doing things with less planning. The pandemic obviously shook the etch-a-sketch a bit, but it's all coming back out on the other end. It's interesting the order of operations they chose in the fallout however. Why was the Island Tower the first move, followed by the cabins, and finally Reflections? That seems the exact inverse of the plan prior to COVID, considering Reflections was announced but to my recollection nothing was known of the other projects until after WDW reopened, and Reflections appeared to be mothballed.
The cabin reception has been lukewarm, to put it charitably - had it been announced as a package deal with Reflections at the outset, maybe the reception would have been a bit better. I'm still not sure how they can marry Reflections with the cabins and make it feel like a cohesive resort, if that is even their plan at all.