Boulder Ridge or Riviera

[oceanwave]

Currently we (2 adults and a 6 year old) are booked to stay at Boulder Ridge in a 1 bedroom in August. We've stayed here before and loved it and really enjoyed the boat to Magic Kingdom. But since booking I have been concerned with the fact that the villas are in need of a refurb and don't want to be disappointed with the room. Therefore I am considering switching us to Riviera. We've never been to Riviera, but it does looks lovely and has the skyliner. Riviera is about $1,000 more than Boulder Ridge, so not sure if we should just stick to Boulder Ridge or switch to Riviera. Would love to hear opinions on which you would stay at.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

That's a lot. The rooms aren't that awful, and the pools are great.

For $1000 you can eat lots of burgers at Geyser Point and not be in the room.

 

[DeeBee3]

Depends on your situation. $1,000 sounds like a lot to me, but those rooms are in need of a big refurb. It is supposed to be happening by end of year. Riviera is so new that there is no comparison as far as the "niceness" of the rooms.

 

[Mle8308]

We are also in a 1BR at BR in August. We were there in a 1BR last year as well and did notice the wear and the slight outdatedness of the room. However, we love the WL and are willing to put up with it. We tried for a Copper Creek 1BR, but it wasn't available (we are not DVC, we do cash through Disney). The only other thing to consider is where the 6 year old will sleep. In the BR villa, it's a sleep sofa in the living room (not very comfortable), at Riviera it is a real queen murphy bed, much more comfortable. And the rooms at Riviera are definitely nicer at this point. Hopefully BR does get refurbished this fall!

 

[wnielsen1]

The sofa bed wouldn't concern me for a 6 year old. Save the grand and stay at BRV.

 

[Sandisw]

I am biased but RIV is my favorite. But I am DVC and own there.

That is a lot of money but the rooms are beautiful. They have a pull down queen Murphy bed and not a sleeper bed. Plus the extra small bed under the TV.

You can stream to the TV from your devices and the Skyliner can be a fun time in itself.

 

[oceanwave]

Depends on your situation. $1,000 sounds like a lot to me, but those rooms are in need of a big refurb. It is supposed to be happening by end of year. Riviera is so new that there is no comparison as far as the "niceness" of the rooms.

We stayed at Boulder Ridge 4 years ago and loved it but they are definitely outdated now and well past their refurb date. Riviera seems so inviting.

We are also in a 1BR at BR in August. We were there in a 1BR last year as well and did notice the wear and the slight outdatedness of the room. However, we love the WL and are willing to put up with it. We tried for a Copper Creek 1BR, but it wasn't available (we are not DVC, we do cash through Disney). The only other thing to consider is where the 6 year old will sleep. In the BR villa, it's a sleep sofa in the living room (not very comfortable), at Riviera it is a real queen murphy bed, much more comfortable. And the rooms at Riviera are definitely nicer at this point. Hopefully BR does get refurbished this fall!

I was going with the same thought as you and we would just deal with the room to be at Wilderness Lodge, but something keeps nagging at me that i'll be disappointed in the room. It's probably because this is our first real vacation since covid and I just want to get away and relax.

I am biased but RIV is my favorite. But I am DVC and own there.

That is a lot of money but the rooms are beautiful. They have a pull down queen Murphy bed and not a sleeper bed. Plus the extra small bed under the TV.

You can stream to the TV from your devices and the Skyliner can be a fun time in itself.

They do seem rally beautiful and the shower seems amazing!

You can stream from devices like ipads? That would be a bonus. And we really want to try the skyliner, looks like a lot of fun!

 

[RoseGold]

I stayed in a 1BR in BR and thought it was fine. Even the sleeper sofa was fine. It’s not the newest, but the pool is better and IMO location is better and theming is way better at BR.

And I say this as someone who is not a fan of WL or the theming.

If your goal is relax, I’m not sure WDW is the right choice LOL. But of BR or RIV, it’s BR hands down. If pricing were equal, I might still pick BR for your goals. For $1000, easy.

 

[Sandisw]

We stayed at Boulder Ridge 4 years ago and loved it but they are definitely outdated now and well past their refurb date. Riviera seems so inviting.


I was going with the same thought as you and we would just deal with the room to be at Wilderness Lodge, but something keeps nagging at me that i'll be disappointed in the room. It's probably because this is our first real vacation since covid and I just want to get away and relax.



They do seem rally beautiful and the shower seems amazing!

You can stream from devices like ipads? That would be a bonus. And we really want to try the skyliner, looks like a lot of fun!

Yes. I was able to screen share my Ipad to the TV and watch things from Disney +. We have also done a Skyliner crawl. We hopped on went to Boardwalk area, got something (adults got drinks...but snacks work too), then took it to CBR, got something there, and then did the stops at AOA and Pop. So, it can be a cool thing for little ones and feel like an adventure!!!

 

[Helvetica]

I love Riviera. It's my home resort, but I guess it really depends on what you're looking for. The rooms at Riviera will definitely be nicer, but I guess it depends on if that's worth $1000 to you. Wilderness Lodge is closer to Magic Kingdom, so if that's where you're planning on going the most then Boulder Ridge is probably better. If Epcot or DHS is your park, then Riviera would be better.

Riviera is more compact and all of its amenities are right next to each other, but Wilderness Lodge is more spread out and laid back.

Riviera's rooms does have a computer on their TVs and a Chromecast, so you can stream stuff from your iPhone.

...I guess it depends on what you're looking for in a room. Maybe check some recent room tours of the resorts on YouTube?

 

[JenniLuvsDisneyWorld]

Currently we (2 adults and a 6 year old) are booked to stay at Boulder Ridge in a 1 bedroom in August. We've stayed here before and loved it and really enjoyed the boat to Magic Kingdom. But since booking I have been concerned with the fact that the villas are in need of a refurb and don't want to be disappointed with the room. Therefore I am considering switching us to Riviera. We've never been to Riviera, but it does looks lovely and has the skyliner. Riviera is about $1,000 more than Boulder Ridge, so not sure if we should just stick to Boulder Ridge or switch to Riviera. Would love to hear opinions on which you would stay at.

What did you decide to do? Lol I read this old thread and now I’m curious on what you decided and if you liked it?

 

[oceanwave]

What did you decide to do? Lol I read this old thread and now I’m curious on what you decided and if you liked it?

We ended up switching to Riviera and were really happy we did. We loved the resort, the only down side was the Skyliner closing frequently due to lightning. Due to the lightning, I don't think we would stay there again in August/September.