Am I the only one underwhelmed by Riviera?

[sleepydog25]

In the end, it's all a matter of what style you like and desire. Both RIV and Gran Destino (I know it's not a DVC property) are high rises, pure and simple. They both have contemporary styling and both lack much Disney theming. If that's your preference, then as a DVC resort, RIV should work well for you, especially given the ease of access to two parks via the Skyliner. It's not unlike CR/BLT with towering accommodations and easy access to MK and the monorail.

Where I diverge with RIV, however, is that it lacks the history and lore of CR, and actually has even less theming. RIV is very pretty and shiny and new, and there's a lot to be said about that. . .for now. All things age. Will it age gracefully--who knows? Disney has purposefully moved away from distinct thematic elements in their new resorts and refurbishments of older resorts. We've toured RIV and found it lacking, for us. We just finished a 5-night stay at SSR in one of the newer refurbed rooms, and it looked an awful lot like RIV--lots of cream, beige, gray, or variations on those colors. Literally, there was not one item in the room with a primary color unless you turned on the TV. The shower tile was very similar, as was the murphy bed. The wall mirror and overhead fan were minimalistic. Now, we enjoyed the stay immensely given our proximity to the quiet pool and DS; however, the only Disney nod in the room was one of the small prints had a riding helmet with Mickey ears. Otherwise, we could very well have awakened in any nice, moderate hotel anywhere in the U.S.

So, for me, RIV is a hard no. I happen to enjoy theming; I want to wake up and know I'm in a Disney resort when I first open my eyes (such as the case of waking up yesterday in a studio at Kidani--still gorgeous after all these years). I'm sure we'll stay at RIV going forward, just because we like things about all the resorts which is still what makes DVC unique. Buying, though? Too expensive and too generic for my tastes.

One last word about Primo Piatti: I had a similar issue with others about the wait. Ordered simple eggs, bacon, and pastry in the half-deserted spot and waited. . .and waited. . .and waited. Never got busy but it took nearly 25 minutes for the food to come out. Five people behind the counter cooking, too. Simply doesn't appear well-organized or well-run at this point. As for the Le Petit, they serve mediocre Joffrey's products there, and the pastries are pretty much the same you can find anywhere. It's nice they have a coffee bar, but it's simply not a very good one. I do love the library, though. Great idea and nicely executed.

 

[RivShore]

RivShore you have some good points, but to suggest the lobby at Beach Club is no good, I would not agree, it’s a lovely lobby and full of atmosphere at Christmas for example. There is no comparison between Beach Club and RIV in my opinion.
I agree if BLT was stuck on its own like RIV it’s lobby would be a lackluster set up, but having stayed at BLT, the facilities and lobby are really all over the bridge in Contemporary which we went into every day at Xmas, and the quick serve there is very good.
OKW and SSR are a different type of resort , more like small towns, where going to the lobby is much less frequent. Some people like that style, some not, but they are not self contained hotels. The quick serve at OKW is lackluster, it was a new concept as DVC and clearly they did better quick serves following on.
The shop I could not comment on as I never buy anything from shops generally so never went in.
I am glad you like it, as it is a risk buying sight unseen.

Good points Wakey, I have never seen BC at Christmas so that could certainly change my opinion. But it is nothing like a Ploy or GF lobby which I think many were expecting with Riv, and maybe that's DVC's own fault for saying it would be the GF of Epcot resorts.

 

[RivShore]

I wonder if you’ll feel the RIV point premium over all those other resorts you listed was worth it after you stay there.

Time will tell! We do plan on using the points elsewhere when it makes sense for our annual trips.

But you do get some quantifiable things for those extra points - some of the largest DVC rooms, more "real" sleeping surfaces in studios, and they sleep 5, and they have 2 showers. And we may end up preferring the fully enclosed aspect, not having a long walk outside (or bus ride) to grab a bite or coffee in the morning will be great.

 

[AdamsMum]

In February I decided to visit Riviera for a look see. I also wanted to try out the Skyliner. The resort was pretty, with really lovely grounds and lots of seating areas. I like that as I'm a reader. The Skyliner while not breaking down, was not that easy to get on when I was leaving. Only a few people in front of me, but every gondola was full. The cast member said they send every 10th one empty. Since there weren't many people waiting, the wait wasn't that long, but this is a new and very large resort. I can imagine much longer waits when the resort is fully open and at busy times of year. I was a bit surprised that the service wasn't more geared to Riviera, when that's one of the major selling points.

 

[Akck]

In February I decided to visit Riviera for a look see. I also wanted to try out the Skyliner. The resort was pretty, with really lovely grounds and lots of seating areas. I like that as I'm a reader. The Skyliner while not breaking down, was not that easy to get on when I was leaving. Only a few people in front of me, but every gondola was full. The cast member said they send every 10th one empty. Since there weren't many people waiting, the wait wasn't that long, but this is a new and very large resort. I can imagine much longer waits when the resort is fully open and at busy times of year. I was a bit surprised that the service wasn't more geared to Riviera, when that's one of the major selling points.

I read elsewhere that the CMs would request more empty gondolas should the lines get longer. So I’m not too concerned about long waits.

 

[Sandisw]

I read elsewhere that the CMs would request more empty gondolas should the lines get longer. So I’m not too concerned about long waits.

Yes, I was told during busy times every other one will come empty, i was there in December and when the line behind me began to grow, the CM radioed to start sending the that way.

 

[cedricandsophie]

Well, I just visited the resort. I expected great things and was planning to stay in summer. Sorry if this sounds a little negative, but I wondered what others thought, maybe I am in the minority.

I’d say it’s OK but my least favourite DVC resort.

The location is not great. Yes it’s on the Skyliner, which seems to stop working a lot (I was at Beach Club and rode it a lot and got stuck a few times- once for 15+ minutes) but it’s stuck on this piece of land next to a road with very few positive benefits to the land at all. It also seems odd stood in the pool area with the French music etc, looking at Caribbean Beach. The good thing about the location is the access to the path around the lake- good for runners like me.

The standard view rooms would be a big no no for us- just a large car park and road to look at. Yes many standard views look onto car parks or access roads, but not just a great big car park devoid of much landscaping, trees etc.

Coupled with the grey building, of which I am not a fan, the resort did very little for us and from the car park side looks like some airport hotel. How come Grand Destino Tower looks great and this building looks so drab? When the sun is not shining it looks worse- it would probably have looked great in white?

The lobby is small, and not much going on.

On a positive note the pool area was quite nice, and those murals are beautiful.

This resort is not worth the points to us, despite the great rooms. But I’m sure some will love it, the good thing about DVC is the differing resorts to suit different tastes.

I am disappointed as I was looking forward to staying here, but my wife said she will not stay and I would rather be elsewhere as well, although I do wonder if we would be so negative after a stay? What’s the views of those who have stayed, non owners, in particular? Mabye the excellent rooms win you over?

we went there for dinner last night. We are DVC owners at a few resorts. Have no intention of buying here. But we wanted to eat at Topolinos and see the resort.
We were very disappointed in decor. Hate the outside and the lobby is very boring. Nice view of the lake though.
We did ride the skyliner all around before dinner and that was fun. It is an obvious plus.
Disappointed in Topilino decor too although we did watch epcot fireworks from our table. Food was good. And our server Steve was excellent.
I think some of our reaction was because we had gone to Coronado for dinner a couple of nights before. Now that is a stunning resort. The artwork, the setting, the lighting...everything was gorgeous.
And we loved Toledo. Excellent food and service and beautiful decor. Hard to believe that it is only a moderate. If they sold dvc there we might consider it.
Also a note about visiting Riveria. The guard Checked our name to make sure we had a dinner reservation. We visited other resorts this week including contemporary and grand Floridian. This is the only place to actually confirm your reservation before letting you through.

 

[Minniemoo15]

We visited in early March. We are post 1/19 resale owners, so if we ever want to stay there we will need to stay cash. I was worried I would have FOMO, but I really didn’t.

Pros:
I loved the quick service - the food was absolutely delicious and the decor was beautiful.

The resort entertainment was really great. The CMs had a lot of games out and my kids played for almost an hour with them.

The outdoor seating areas (balconies) are really lovely. The views of the Skyliner are gorgeous.

Just OK
I had a love-hate with the skyliner. I LOVED the ride and how efficient it was. We really enjoyed that. I didn’t love that I had the fold up my double stroller - it was particularly annoying coming/going to HS when you had to change lines and fold it twice.

The pools looked just OK.

Dislike
I didn’t like the exterior, or the lack of grounds to walk around on. It all seemed very small.

CBR is my favourite moderate resort, but I didn’t fully appreciate how close Riv would be. It is RIGHT on top of CBR. Kind of ruins the vibe for both resorts IMO.

My mom, on the other hand, absolutely LOVED Riv and would have bought points on the spot had they not had the resale restriction. She is talking about staying cash with my dad for a few nights after our big family Poly trip. I would be curious to hear her thoughts after actually staying there.

 

[PsycProfPlum]

Pros:
I loved the quick service - the food was absolutely delicious and the decor was beautiful.

We were there the week before closing and ate both Topolino breakfast and quick serve dinner. Both were fantastic! The Topolino breakfast was particularly good (fantastic steak and eggs) and dare I say a good value for the price (which I almost never do). The dining is by far my favorite thing about the resort.

 

[Henwen88]

We were there the week before closing and ate both Topolino breakfast and quick serve dinner. Both were fantastic! The Topolino breakfast was particularly good (fantastic steak and eggs) and dare I say a good value for the price (which I almost never do). The dining is by far my favorite thing about the resort.

We didn't stay at Riv last weekend, but did make a point to come visit and have dinner at Topolino's. It was absolutely lovely - very attentive team service, great Mediterranean inspired menu/wine selection, and fantastic outdoor rooftop patio. We will be back. Wish the patio was larger as I can see it getting really crowded when we are not under a Pandemic situation (we had no problem social distancing last weekend lol). Hope these service industry workers are taken care of in these next few months!

 

[ABE4DISNEY]

Well, I am getting ready to be UNDERWHELMED!! Woot! Woot!

I just pulled the plug on our May SSR trip and booked an October trip for RIV. It hurt deeply to move my countdown from 60 days to over 200 BUT we are looking forward to normalcy and vacation in the future! Funny thing--I'm not even sure we will ride the skyliner--that is definitely not my cup of tea, but we do love the look of the rooms and the food sounds delicious at the resort.

Counting down here!! Let's hope the days go quickly!!