Our 2 day stay at Riviera.

[Jimmy Mouse]

So we decided to book 2 more days to give our girls some much needed resort time after a park filled 9 days. We booked Riviera for Dec. 28-30th. We actually just got home about 5 hours ago. First impression, Beautiful property and massive! When we checked out of YC we decided to take our own bags so we wouldn't have to wait on bag transfer and also to leave our dirty close packed away in the car. We pull up and are greeted as if we were staying CL. Bell services unloads our luggage and then we are taken inside, offered a drink, checked in all with a CM with an iPad. We didn't have to go to a counter. We headed off the DS so our girls could spend the rest of their Christmas money and to eat shrimp at The Boathouse. It's our favorite place to relax. We arrived back around 2:45 with our room ready to go. A CM took us u to our room. The hallways are just as impressive as the lobby. Everything is just so perfect and upscale. We arrive at our room (a Deluxe Suite) and it's very nice. The bathroom has a separate tub and a walk in shower which is huge! It has a rain head as well as a detachable shower head. Sink area is next to the tub. Pooper is with shower with 2 doors. One from the sink area, one from the hallway across from the kitchenette. The TV is large and it has Disney+ although we didn't use it so I'm no sure if you have to log in with your own account. The balcony is a descent size and the sliding door is heavy. No outside noise whatsoever when closed. Just a faint sound of the fireworks from Epcot and HS which we could see. The queen bed was comfy but the murphy bed was not so much. Also we a CM look at it because it wouldn't lay flat. It hit the coffee table and kept it elevated about 6" more at the foot than the head so I moved the table and slid it under the queen bed. It did go down more but still about an inch higher at the foot. The CM couldn't get it to do any better. The twin under the TV was perfect for our 6 year old but with both beds down, the room is just too small. We transferred from YC and with 2 queen beds and a sofa sleeper, it had way more room. We stayed 2 extra days for the pool so we headed down to find out the Riviera pool was the furthest but it's nice. It's nowhere what Storm along Bay is but what else is? Our girls did enjoy the water play area and we enjoyed the pool restaurant. They have good poolside food and ice cold beer so we were all happy. Funny thing is one of the life guards recognized us. Back on Labor Day we had gone to Disney's Hilton Head resort and my wife pushed her in the pool during a pool party lol. Anyway, bottom line is it's a super nice resort with beautiful grounds and décor. Staff goes above and beyond and the way we were treated is exactly what I expect from Disney. Not one complaint about the resort besides the murphy bed which I'm sure was an adjustment issue. Will we stay there again? Probably not. There is just something about Yacht / Beach club that keeps drawing us back. Could be the pool, the size of the rooms, the proximity to EP and HS or a combo of all but I have no regrets. It was a good change of pace.

 

[Babsy]

So we decided to book 2 more days to give our girls some much needed resort time after a park filled 9 days. We booked Riviera for Dec. 28-30th. We actually just got home about 5 hours ago. First impression, Beautiful property and massive! When we checked out of YC we decided to take our own bags so we wouldn't have to wait on bag transfer and also to leave our dirty close packed away in the car. We pull up and are greeted as if we were staying CL. Bell services unloads our luggage and then we are taken inside, offered a drink, checked in all with a CM with an iPad. We didn't have to go to a counter. We headed off the DS so our girls could spend the rest of their Christmas money and to eat shrimp at The Boathouse. It's our favorite place to relax. We arrived back around 2:45 with our room ready to go. A CM took us u to our room. The hallways are just as impressive as the lobby. Everything is just so perfect and upscale. We arrive at our room (a Deluxe Suite) and it's very nice. The bathroom has a separate tub and a walk in shower which is huge! It has a rain head as well as a detachable shower head. Sink area is next to the tub. Pooper is with shower with 2 doors. One from the sink area, one from the hallway across from the kitchenette. The TV is large and it has Disney+ although we didn't use it so I'm no sure if you have to log in with your own account. The balcony is a descent size and the sliding door is heavy. No outside noise whatsoever when closed. Just a faint sound of the fireworks from Epcot and HS which we could see. The queen bed was comfy but the murphy bed was not so much. Also we a CM look at it because it wouldn't lay flat. It hit the coffee table and kept it elevated about 6" more at the foot than the head so I moved the table and slid it under the queen bed. It did go down more but still about an inch higher at the foot. The CM couldn't get it to do any better. The twin under the TV was perfect for our 6 year old but with both beds down, the room is just too small. We transferred from YC and with 2 queen beds and a sofa sleeper, it had way more room. We stayed 2 extra days for the pool so we headed down to find out the Riviera pool was the furthest but it's nice. It's nowhere what Storm along Bay is but what else is? Our girls did enjoy the water play area and we enjoyed the pool restaurant. They have good poolside food and ice cold beer so we were all happy. Funny thing is one of the life guards recognized us. Back on Labor Day we had gone to Disney's Hilton Head resort and my wife pushed her in the pool during a pool party lol. Anyway, bottom line is it's a super nice resort with beautiful grounds and décor. Staff goes above and beyond and the way we were treated is exactly what I expect from Disney. Not one complaint about the resort besides the murphy bed which I'm sure was an adjustment issue. Will we stay there again? Probably not. There is just something about Yacht / Beach club that keeps drawing us back. Could be the pool, the size of the rooms, the proximity to EP and HS or a combo of all but I have no regrets. It was a good change of pace.


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Great review! Thanks for sharing your experiences. So happy to hear that you had a great time!

 

[Best Aunt]

OP, have you not been following along with all the news about the Murphy beds? There have been several threads about all the problems.

Here's one:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/riviera-murphy-bed-fell-off-of-the-wall.3782667/
Here's another one:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/g...ey’s-riviera-resort-december-25-2019.3783368/
Then the issue expanded to other Disney resorts with Murphy beds:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/new-ssr-murphy-beds-being-scrutinized.3783325/

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

OP, have you not been following along with all the news about the Murphy beds? There have been several threads about all the problems.

Here's one:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/riviera-murphy-bed-fell-off-of-the-wall.3782667/
Here's another one:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/g...ey’s-riviera-resort-december-25-2019.3783368/
Then the issue expanded to other Disney resorts with Murphy beds:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/new-ssr-murphy-beds-being-scrutinized.3783325/

yes I have but it was the small single bed under the TV that fell off the wall. Not the sofa Murphy bed. Either way we were assured that the problem had been addressed.

 

[Quellman]

OP, have you not been following along with all the news about the Murphy beds? There have been several threads about all the problems.

Here's one:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/riviera-murphy-bed-fell-off-of-the-wall.3782667/
Here's another one:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/g...ey’s-riviera-resort-december-25-2019.3783368/
Then the issue expanded to other Disney resorts with Murphy beds:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/new-ssr-murphy-beds-being-scrutinized.3783325/

I would suspect that Disney has been correcting and addressing the issue. At some point some rooms will be fixed, while others are still out of order. A crew can only fix so many a day.

 

[disny_luvr]

Thank you for your review! We are hoping to stay here for a night or two on our next trip, just to check it out.

 

[Brett Wyman]

We decided to drop three of our 7 night GF Villas stay in September and do a split stay with those nights a Riviera in a 1 bedroom. We were able to get a cash 1-bedroom for $602 a night after taxes, so figured we would give it a shot. A little concerned about the pool. Our kids are big swimmers. It looks "underwhelming" from videos and images we've seen.

 

[mickeynut1]

Thanks for your review and pics. Glad you had a nice time .

 

[sethschroeder]

We pull up and are greeted as if we were staying CL. Bell services unloads our luggage and then we are taken inside, offered a drink, checked in all with a CM with an iPad. We didn't have to go to a counter.

So I don't drive to Disney but isn't Bell Service grabbing your bags normally if you drive up?

I know you said you were greeted like club level but I find the comment weird. Especially since at least for us I do online check in and bypass the whole front desk area completely and the time suck it can lead to.

Just keep seeing this comment but maybe there is something you are leaving out?

True club level service would be them scanning my magic bands, walking my bags directly to my room, asking if I needed something to drink/eat before being shown the room personally by a CM and then making sure I had dinner lined up and if not getting me a reservation at the onsite restaurant for the evening if I wanted it.

 

[Babsy]

So I don't drive to Disney but isn't Bell Service grabbing your bags normally if you drive up?

I know you said you were greeted like club level but I find the comment weird. Especially since at least for us I do online check in and bypass the whole front desk area completely and the time suck it can lead to.

Just keep seeing this comment but maybe there is something you are leaving out?

True club level service would be them scanning my magic bands, walking my bags directly to my room, asking if I needed something to drink/eat before being shown the room personally by a CM and then making sure I had dinner lined up and if not getting me a reservation at the onsite restaurant for the evening if I wanted it.

Wow! We do not get Club Level service like that anymore. Last visit to YC CL check in was nothing special. No one met us upon arrival. We found Bell services ourselves to get them to take our bags. There were no other CM's to approach. We waited in line to check in at the regular check in counter. We told them that we were CL. Nothing, except after checking in at the front desk the CM took us to the elevator to see if our MB's were working. They weren't. So then he took us up to CL to do the check in again upstairs. Our room wasn't ready. We went about our day. Certainly no questions ab out our dinner plans. And definitely no offers to make reservations. We were told that we could access the lounge if we wished to do so.

We went about our day. No room ready text. Came back later. Room was ready, happily.

We had to call Bell Services to bring up our bags ourselves and waited in the room until they came.

Pretty standard check in procedure.

In the past CL guests were met when they arrived by a welcoming CM who often checked them in with an iPad or accompanied them to the lounge CM's for check in. I assume that this is what happened at Riviera, so it felt like arriving CL (in the old days).

 

[Micca]

Jimmy you buried the lead...Towel animals are back???

 

[Disneypro1]

Sounds very nice!

 

[TJA]

Thank you for taking the time to do a review!!

 

[sethschroeder]

Wow! We do not get Club Level service like that anymore.

Oh I didn't mean that is how Disney works. I was more saying for me to specifically call it out it would need to be at least to that level.

I see all these call outs about the check-in process at RIV and I just wanted to call out my thoughts on it. Its like a weird quasi online-in person check-in process it seems.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

There have been issues with the sofa-wall murphy beds as well. It's not just the twin pull down. The sofa-wall has been the more serious issue, as it has also impacted Saratoga.

 

[PrincessDuck]

I understand the comment about club level checkin. When we pulled up out front the person out there was aware of our name from us coming thru the security shack. When I went to go walk inside to see if we could get first available room because our son wasn't feeling well, I was approached by a CM outside the doors to see what I needed. I was then escorted inside to another CM with a tablet to take care of me. Later, when we had our bags delivered to the room we were asked if we wanted ice or anything else for the room. I felt well taken care of at Riviera!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We just left Riviera this morning after a 3-night stay in a 1-bedroom. We had zero issues with the murphy beds in our unit. I will reiterate what the OP said regarding the check-in process. I did online check-in, but the CMs still checked us in personally and treated us like gold. We arrived around noon and they expedited our room so it was ready around 2 pm. My request for a high floor was honored as well. They also delivered our luggage to our room while we were in EP without us having to be in the room or call down for it. The living room in the 1-bedroom is huge and my DS12 felt the large, pull-down murphy was definitely more comfortable than the pull-outs in many of the other 1-bedrooms (such as BWV and BCV). The pool was not great, but we did enjoy gelato by the pool and the fact that the QS and pool bar area are so close to the pool area. The Skyliner was also super quick and convenient. Food was very good at all of the restaurants. We were really pleased with our stay and are already booked again for March.

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

So I don't drive to Disney but isn't Bell Service grabbing your bags normally if you drive up?

I know you said you were greeted like club level but I find the comment weird. Especially since at least for us I do online check in and bypass the whole front desk area completely and the time suck it can lead to.

Just keep seeing this comment but maybe there is something you are leaving out?

True club level service would be them scanning my magic bands, walking my bags directly to my room, asking if I needed something to drink/eat before being shown the room personally by a CM and then making sure I had dinner lined up and if not getting me a reservation at the onsite restaurant for the evening if I wanted it.

Yes you are missing something. Maybe I should have worded it like this: After bell services unloaded our bags we were treated like CL. Read it again. I clearly did say "we are taken inside, offered a drink, checked in all with a CM with an iPad. We didn't have to go to a counter."

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

Wow! We do not get Club Level service like that anymore. Last visit to YC CL check in was nothing special. No one met us upon arrival. We found Bell services ourselves to get them to take our bags. There were no other CM's to approach. We waited in line to check in at the regular check in counter. We told them that we were CL. Nothing, except after checking in at the front desk the CM took us to the elevator to see if our MB's were working. They weren't. So then he took us up to CL to do the check in again upstairs. Our room wasn't ready. We went about our day. Certainly no questions ab out our dinner plans. And definitely no offers to make reservations. We were told that we could access the lounge if we wished to do so.

We went about our day. No room ready text. Came back later. Room was ready, happily.

We had to call Bell Services to bring up our bags ourselves and waited in the room until they came.

Pretty standard check in procedure.

In the past CL guests were met when they arrived by a welcoming CM who often checked them in with an iPad or accompanied them to the lounge CM's for check in. I assume that this is what happened at Riviera, so it felt like arriving CL (in the old days).

We get the full experience every time we stay at YC/BC. The only time was our first stay at BC. After staying at Contemporary CL we were really disappointed when we didn't get greeted at our arrival or acknowledged in any way. It ended up being they were short staffed, super busy and the only CL CM on duty had just took someone up. Every trip since that has been outstanding. We are always greeted as we exit our car, taken directly to the lounge and offered a drink and shown our room if its ready. 2 trips ago our room was not ready and we had just missed the lounge offerings so they took us down to Crew's Cup lounge and comped our meal. But …….. We are considering not staying CL anymore. Not because the service. It is always outstanding. It's the lounge that is driving us away. The resorts are now selling Club Level rooms and "Club Level Access" rooms to sell more CL. The exclusivity is slowly going away. The lounge is always overcrowded since more people can now access it. I have a CL room booked for April but I have been looking at other options.

 

[Babsy]

We get the full experience every time we stay at YC/BC. The only time was our first stay at BC. After staying at Contemporary CL we were really disappointed when we didn't get greeted at our arrival or acknowledged in any way. It ended up being they were short staffed, super busy and the only CL CM on duty had just took someone up. Every trip since that has been outstanding. We are always greeted as we exit our car, taken directly to the lounge and offered a drink and shown our room if its ready. 2 trips ago our room was not ready and we had just missed the lounge offerings so they took us down to Crew's Cup lounge and comped our meal. But …….. We are considering not staying CL anymore. Not because the service. It is always outstanding. It's the lounge that is driving us away. The resorts are now selling Club Level rooms and "Club Level Access" rooms to sell more CL. The exclusivity is slowly going away. The lounge is always overcrowded since more people can now access it. I have a CL room booked for April but I have been looking at other options.

We have stayed CL often but our experience has been different. We rarely get greeted upon arrival. The one and only time that we were greeted and brought directly to our room was during an RPC stay at the GF. That time the CM actually checked us in while we were in our room in private. It was nice, but I wouldn't need or even want that much attention all the time.

Usually we simply check in at the front desk and then someone will usually bring us to the CL and introduce us to the CM"S there. We have had great service once checked in - just not a lot of attention upon arrival.

I knew that they allowed people to purchase access to the CL at WL, but I didn't know that was available at any other resorts. Thank you for sharing your point of view. Interesting.