Just got back from a great trip staying at both Riviera and Grand Floridian. A few thoughts on each.
I absolutely loved Riviera. We stayed in a studio with a standard view on the east wing and it had an unimpeded view of Spaceship Earth which was fantastic. Yes, there was also a view of the parking lot, but no more so than a theme park view at Bay Lake Tower. The scent they pump into that resort is absolutely fantastic, it really leaves a good impression. The lobby is small, but very nice. The only thing I truly cannot understand about this lobby is the tiny stairs that go down to the ground level, this is the one point where I just scratch my head and wonder what they were thinking. Everything else works great in my opinion. Contrary to popular belief, I actually like the look of the exterior of the hotel and think the grounds and pools are beautiful. I have no problem with being next to Caribbean Beach, as I am relatively new to Disney and do not have a lot of preconceived opinions regarding a deluxe being next to a moderate. I really just thought it looked like we were next to a nice, large resort. Optics wise, and I understand the theming doesn't really go hand in hand, but it looks really nice in the background. I will touch on this more when I talk about Grand Floridian, but our view from the Grand was of the Polynesian, and it looked just as close as Caribbean Beach. I loved seeing the Polynesian and realize you are looking at a Deluxe vs. Moderate, but the theming is equally incongruous, so I am not sure what the issue is with the Riviera's proximity to Caribbean Beach? The rooms at the Riviera are obviously nice, but they are also new, so time will tell on how well the furnishings hold up. However, the layout of the studio is truly awesome, and the space worked out great for us. Murphy Bed, two showers, and little Murphy Bed under the TV all seemed to make very good use of the space. We had our daughter (3) and nephew (6) with us and what they really loved was being able to crawl under the bed and pretend it was a fort, very cool for them. The closet was also very big and the placement of the closet was off to the side where you could fit a large stroller in front of it while not being in the way of the main walkway and still be able to access the closet without having to move the stroller. That was hugely helpful. I loved the location and the skyliner, had no issues getting to HS or Epcot. Granted, weather could be a factor. Food at Toppolino's was phenomenal. Primo Piatto was excellent. Bar Riva was awesome, but I do wish it was inside the gates to the pool. Also, what is up with Disney not allowing you to have a drink with you at the hot tub or pool, that is a real bummer in my opinion?! Lastly, I absolutely love the small footprint of the resort, where it is easy to get to quick service, table service, coffee, etc. Being self contained is a huge plus in my opinion.
Grand Floridian is beautiful. Location with walkway to Magic Kingdom simply cannot be beat when visiting that park. It is a longer walk than from the Contemporary, but it is also a much prettier walk. I really like the location of the DVC building a Grand Floridian, super easy access to monorail, pool, spa and main lobby. However, it is a little bit of a hike to the quick service, nothing bad, but it isn't just taking the elevator down and being there. I think the rooms at GF are smaller than Riviera, only really noticed it in two ways. 1. The bed at Grand Floridian only has one nightstand and a drawer that runs into it, effectively blocking off access to it. Not sure why they wouldn't have put the nightstand on the other side so you would have access to all three drawers that are built into the bed? 2. The closet is noticeably smaller with no room to leave a stroller out of the way. One huge plus the Grand Floridian has over Riviera is the water pressure in the shower, it was amazing, and the Riviera's was lacking. I am sure it has to do with new building codes and conservation, but it makes a big difference. A neat novelty item that hasn't aged well is the TV in the bathroom mirror, could have used that money elsewhere as it was hard to turn on, nearly impossible to find anything you wanted to watch and basically a very dim picture. Grand Floridian rooms are older and it shows, can't knock it for this, but the wooden tables and furniture was looking pretty rough. The lobby was nice, but there had been a huge water leak the night before so there were buckets everywhere and the Mary Poppin fountain was being refurbished so nothing to see there.
Overall, I thought each resort was great and would be happy to stay in either of them again. If you could manage split stays between the two for Magic Kingdom portion and Epcot/Hollywood studios portion, would highly recommend them both
I absolutely loved Riviera. We stayed in a studio with a standard view on the east wing and it had an unimpeded view of Spaceship Earth which was fantastic. Yes, there was also a view of the parking lot, but no more so than a theme park view at Bay Lake Tower. The scent they pump into that resort is absolutely fantastic, it really leaves a good impression. The lobby is small, but very nice. The only thing I truly cannot understand about this lobby is the tiny stairs that go down to the ground level, this is the one point where I just scratch my head and wonder what they were thinking. Everything else works great in my opinion. Contrary to popular belief, I actually like the look of the exterior of the hotel and think the grounds and pools are beautiful. I have no problem with being next to Caribbean Beach, as I am relatively new to Disney and do not have a lot of preconceived opinions regarding a deluxe being next to a moderate. I really just thought it looked like we were next to a nice, large resort. Optics wise, and I understand the theming doesn't really go hand in hand, but it looks really nice in the background. I will touch on this more when I talk about Grand Floridian, but our view from the Grand was of the Polynesian, and it looked just as close as Caribbean Beach. I loved seeing the Polynesian and realize you are looking at a Deluxe vs. Moderate, but the theming is equally incongruous, so I am not sure what the issue is with the Riviera's proximity to Caribbean Beach? The rooms at the Riviera are obviously nice, but they are also new, so time will tell on how well the furnishings hold up. However, the layout of the studio is truly awesome, and the space worked out great for us. Murphy Bed, two showers, and little Murphy Bed under the TV all seemed to make very good use of the space. We had our daughter (3) and nephew (6) with us and what they really loved was being able to crawl under the bed and pretend it was a fort, very cool for them. The closet was also very big and the placement of the closet was off to the side where you could fit a large stroller in front of it while not being in the way of the main walkway and still be able to access the closet without having to move the stroller. That was hugely helpful. I loved the location and the skyliner, had no issues getting to HS or Epcot. Granted, weather could be a factor. Food at Toppolino's was phenomenal. Primo Piatto was excellent. Bar Riva was awesome, but I do wish it was inside the gates to the pool. Also, what is up with Disney not allowing you to have a drink with you at the hot tub or pool, that is a real bummer in my opinion?! Lastly, I absolutely love the small footprint of the resort, where it is easy to get to quick service, table service, coffee, etc. Being self contained is a huge plus in my opinion.
Grand Floridian is beautiful. Location with walkway to Magic Kingdom simply cannot be beat when visiting that park. It is a longer walk than from the Contemporary, but it is also a much prettier walk. I really like the location of the DVC building a Grand Floridian, super easy access to monorail, pool, spa and main lobby. However, it is a little bit of a hike to the quick service, nothing bad, but it isn't just taking the elevator down and being there. I think the rooms at GF are smaller than Riviera, only really noticed it in two ways. 1. The bed at Grand Floridian only has one nightstand and a drawer that runs into it, effectively blocking off access to it. Not sure why they wouldn't have put the nightstand on the other side so you would have access to all three drawers that are built into the bed? 2. The closet is noticeably smaller with no room to leave a stroller out of the way. One huge plus the Grand Floridian has over Riviera is the water pressure in the shower, it was amazing, and the Riviera's was lacking. I am sure it has to do with new building codes and conservation, but it makes a big difference. A neat novelty item that hasn't aged well is the TV in the bathroom mirror, could have used that money elsewhere as it was hard to turn on, nearly impossible to find anything you wanted to watch and basically a very dim picture. Grand Floridian rooms are older and it shows, can't knock it for this, but the wooden tables and furniture was looking pretty rough. The lobby was nice, but there had been a huge water leak the night before so there were buckets everywhere and the Mary Poppin fountain was being refurbished so nothing to see there.
Overall, I thought each resort was great and would be happy to stay in either of them again. If you could manage split stays between the two for Magic Kingdom portion and Epcot/Hollywood studios portion, would highly recommend them both