Boardwalk Deluxe Studio or Riviera Tower Studio?

[zacharyt25]

Hi all! So, after deciding to reschedule our august trip for May 2021, my bf and I are leaning towards a tower studio at Riviera, but the small size scares me a bit, so now I'm looking into the Deluxe studio at boardwalk- has anyone stayed at both or either, and which one would you recommend? I love that both are close to Epcot and DHS. I love how new and luxurious the Riviera is, but I love how big the rooms are and the fun 90's charm of the boardwalk. Needless to say, I'm pretty torn haha.

 

[RaySharpton]

Hi all! So, after deciding to reschedule our august trip for May 2021, my bf and I are leaning towards a tower studio at Riviera, but the small size scares me a bit, so now I'm looking into the Deluxe studio at boardwalk- has anyone stayed at both or either, and which one would you recommend? I love that both are close to Epcot and DHS. I love how new and luxurious the Riviera is, but I love how big the rooms are and the fun 90's charm of the boardwalk. Needless to say, I'm pretty torn haha.

 

[ORD2KOA]

I vote for Boardwalk. The rooms look small to me at Riviera, AND I don't want to be stuck taking the Skyliner. I like having the ability to walk (or boat) to the Studios and EPCOT. Since I haven't boarded at the Riviera, I don't know what the line is like, but I have had to wait (this was early this year) in a long line at the Caribbean Beach Station after disembarking from the Studios Skyliner to get to Epcot.

Editing to add: I forgot to mention the line to get back to the Riviera on the Skyliner at the Epcot station when Epcot closes. It's ridiculously long.

 

[TCRAIG]

Are you thinking May 2021 using cash or DVC points? If points - you might be out of luck getting either the Tower Studio at RIV or STD BWV studio unless it’s just for a night or 2 - there’s currently not much availability at either resort.

 

[zacharyt25]

Are you thinking May 2021 using cash or DVC points? If points - you might be out of luck getting either the Tower Studio at RIV or STD BWV studio unless it’s just for a night or 2 - there’s currently not much availability at either resort.

Using cash!

 

[zacharyt25]

I vote for Boardwalk. The rooms look small to me at Riviera, AND I don't want to be stuck taking the Skyliner. I like having the ability to walk (or boat) to the Studios and EPCOT. Since I haven't boarded at the Riviera, I don't know what the line is like, but I have had to wait (this was early this year) in a long line at the Caribbean Beach Station after disembarking from the Studios Skyliner to get to Epcot.

Editing to add: I forgot to mention the line to get back to the Riviera on the Skyliner at the Epcot station when Epcot closes. It's ridiculously long.

Hmm these are great points.... I love the idea of using the skyliner but I didn't even think of lines. I could see myself being annoyed after a long day at epcot waiting for the skyliner when if I stayed at the boardwalk I could just be walking back!

 

[ChipNdale8887]

Hmm these are great points.... I love the idea of using the skyliner but I didn't even think of lines. I could see myself being annoyed after a long day at epcot waiting for the skyliner when if I stayed at the boardwalk I could just be walking back!

I will say for those that haven't taken the walk from BW or BC to Studios its a pretty long walk. Especially in June or July can be extremely hot lol. We walk 10-15 miles a day at the parks and I wouldn't do the walk from BW or BC unless it was under 75 degrees lol. We did it when it was in the 90s and we were roasted.

The skyliner might actually be one of the faster forms of transportation now since its continuously running and its 1 family to a cabin vs the socially distanced boats and busses now with limited capacity.

 

[zacharyt25]

I will say for those that haven't taken the walk from BW or BC to Studios its a pretty long walk. Especially in June or July can be extremely hot lol. We walk 10-15 miles a day at the parks and I wouldn't do the walk from BW or BC unless it was under 75 degrees lol. We did it when it was in the 90s and we were roasted.

The skyliner might actually be one of the faster forms of transportation now since its continuously running and its 1 family to a cabin vs the socially distanced boats and busses now with limited capacity.

This is also true.... I am so torn LOL. First world problems. I'm starting to think how nice the Riviera is besides the room will outweigh the small room for me, and on top of that I guess we are rarely in the room. We are going for 7 days and two of those will be "leisure" days, so using the rest of the Riviera amenities might be nice on those off days

 

[doleddanielle]

I will say for those that haven't taken the walk from BW or BC to Studios its a pretty long walk. Especially in June or July can be extremely hot lol. We walk 10-15 miles a day at the parks and I wouldn't do the walk from BW or BC unless it was under 75 degrees lol. We did it when it was in the 90s and we were roasted.

The skyliner might actually be one of the faster forms of transportation now since its continuously running and its 1 family to a cabin vs the socially distanced boats and busses now with limited capacity.

I definitely agree that the walk is only pleasant in cooler weather!! I walked from the Dolphin to Epcot in mid-November and it was nice and cool out that morning (well, weather in the 70s is cool for me!). The weather was great and very low humidity at the time, and humidity is what makes our weather excruciating at times. I honestly don't know if I would do that kind of walk again during other times of the year, definitely not during May-September. The Friendship Boat is nice, but riding it back at night made me get mosquito bites for the first time at WDW

Thinking about the skyliner also: Since there's no park hopping for the foreseeable future (not sure if it'll be started back up for May 2021 or not), at least for now there will be fewer people on the Epcot skyliner since they can't catch the connection to HS and vice-versa.

 

[ChipNdale8887]

This is also true.... I am so torn LOL. First world problems. I'm starting to think how nice the Riviera is besides the room will outweigh the small room for me, and on top of that I guess we are rarely in the room. We are going for 7 days and two of those will be "leisure" days, so using the rest of the Riviera amenities might be nice on those off days

What kind of prices are you looking at for your dates? is there a big difference between the 2? Thats a big part too. I don't think I'd pay a lot more for either one. They are pretty evenly matched. 1 thing I didn't care for at the Boardwalk was the food and drink station if you get refillable mugs at the BW. Its very small. We stopped at Riviera in January to check it out and we liked Primo Piatto and the drink stations there better.

 

[zacharyt25]

I definitely agree that the walk is only pleasant in cooler weather!! I walked from the Dolphin to Epcot in mid-November and it was nice and cool out that morning (well, weather in the 70s is cool for me!). The weather was great and very low humidity at the time, and humidity is what makes our weather excruciating at times. I honestly don't know if I would do that kind of walk again during other times of the year, definitely not during May-September. The Friendship Boat is nice, but riding it back at night made me get mosquito bites for the first time at WDW

Thinking about the skyliner also: Since there's no park hopping for the foreseeable future (not sure if it'll be started back up for May 2021 or not), at least for now there will be fewer people on the Epcot skyliner since they can't catch the connection to HS and vice-versa.

I can imagine how hot it would be! I stayed at the Swan in June before with my parents so walking was a big no go for us, we took the boats to both parks.

What kind of prices are you looking at for your dates? is there a big difference between the 2? Thats a big part too. I don't think I'd pay a lot more for either one. They are pretty evenly matched. 1 thing I didn't care for at the Boardwalk was the food and drink station if you get refillable mugs at the BW. Its very small. We stopped at Riviera in January to check it out and we liked Primo Piatto and the drink stations there better.

Boardwalk is $700 more (total) than Riviera, but we decided that's not a huge deal to us. I'm interested in your experience at Primo Piatto- I've seen a lot of mixed reviews thus far! Also, this might be a silly question, but does Riviera have that ~~Disney~~ magic? The new hotels always seem like a toss up for me because it looks like a lot of them throw away a lot of classic Disney elements for more modern luxuries- not a bad a thing, but when I'm going to Disney, I really look forward to really basking in the Disney-ness, if that makes sense haha. Like Gran Destino seems like a typical Vegas resort to me, not in a bad way, but lacks a lot of the magic of the other Disney resorts it seems.

 

[ChipNdale8887]

I can imagine how hot it would be! I stayed at the Swan in June before with my parents so walking was a big no go for us, we took the boats to both parks.



Boardwalk is $700 more (total) than Riviera, but we decided that's not a huge deal to us. I'm interested in your experience at Primo Piatto- I've seen a lot of mixed reviews thus far! Also, this might be a silly question, but does Riviera have that ~~Disney~~ magic? The new hotels always seem like a toss up for me because it looks like a lot of them throw away a lot of classic Disney elements for more modern luxuries- not a bad a thing, but when I'm going to Disney, I really look forward to really basking in the Disney-ness, if that makes sense haha. Like Gran Destino seems like a typical Vegas resort to me, not in a bad way, but lacks a lot of the magic of the other Disney resorts it seems.

Thats good to know price doesnt matter. Primo piatto was very nice. It is smaller but its about the same size as most quick service locations that aren't moderate or Value resorts. They also have a Vivo Gelato cart by the Pool. Hard to say about the Magic. Its not Wilderness Lodge or AKV magic, I'd say similar to Bay Lake Tower. Maybe more disney themed than BLT too. They play nice italian and french background music throughout the hotel and grounds. Seeing the skyliner also running is a nice Disney Touch too. I've heard the Cast Members here are very very good also. I also liked the Disney Paintings through out the resort and in the hallways.

Boardwalk is also super nice. Very Disney Themed. We actually plan on buying at Riviera due to the skyliner access to the Boardwalk area and Beach Club. The Ride from the skyliner to Epcot station is only 7 minutes. So its extremely quick. The Pools are on par with each other, I'd probably say Riviera might be a little better as I don't care a ton for the Clown pool lol. So even if you stay at Riviera your a short 7 min trip away from what the boardwalk provides also.

 

[goofy kc]

Tower loses on storage for me. Not enough drawers and no real place to put luggage because the closet is full of other stuff like a vacuum. Bathroom looks nice though!

 

[ChipNdale8887]

Tower loses on storage for me. Not enough drawers and no real place to put luggage because the closet is full of other stuff like a vacuum. Bathroom looks nice though!

I was actually pretty surprised to see how huge the bathroom is! Disney really designed the shower to be used for...2 people lol. Plus the area in front of the sink is large also. For 2 people I think its a very nice room, i could see luggage storage being an issue maybe, looks like room under the TV could house some.

 

[zacharyt25]

I was actually pretty surprised to see how huge the bathroom is! Disney really designed the shower to be used for...2 people lol. Plus the area in front of the sink is large also. For 2 people I think its a very nice room, i could see luggage storage being an issue maybe, looks like room under the TV could house some.

Bathroom is HUGE- I almost wish they made it a little smaller so there was more room in the living area lol. Luggage storage seems like it could be an issue for sure, I'm sure they would fit comfortably in the bathroom though

 

[ChipNdale8887]

Bathroom is HUGE- I almost wish they made it a little smaller so there was more room in the living area lol. Luggage storage seems like it could be an issue for sure, I'm sure they would fit comfortably in the bathroom though

I was thinking the same lol

 

[zacharyt25]

Update: just called and officially booked a tower studio for May 2021! I was watching a Riviera walkthrough from allears.net and I could not pass up how nice the place is- even with the smaller room, I think the luxury of the rest of the resort and the room aesthetic makes it worth it! Plus knowing I can hop on the skyliner and walk to the boardwalk is an even bigger plus

 

[ChipNdale8887]

Update: just called and officially booked a tower studio for May 2021! I was watching a Riviera walkthrough from allears.net and I could not pass up how nice the place is- even with the smaller room, I think the luxury of the rest of the resort and the room aesthetic makes it worth it! Plus knowing I can hop on the skyliner and walk to the boardwalk is an even bigger plus

Love All Ears. Molly's videos are great!!

 

[Deb & Bill]

255 sf (RIV) versus 359 sf (BWV). I'd go for the extra 100 sf.

 

[Ksquared]

Update: just called and officially booked a tower studio for May 2021! I was watching a Riviera walkthrough from allears.net and I could not pass up how nice the place is- even with the smaller room, I think the luxury of the rest of the resort and the room aesthetic makes it worth it! Plus knowing I can hop on the skyliner and walk to the boardwalk is an even bigger plus

AND you are saving money - so you can splurge on something fun while there...enjoy!