Riviera One Bedroom or Saratoga Two Bedroom?

[DisneyFirstTimer10]

Traveling to Disney for 5 nights in March for spring break with our 17 yr old daughter and 20 yr old son. Currently we have a 1 bedroom at Riviera booked but can switch to a 2 bedroom at Saratoga (or OKW). Our kids have been fortunate to go to Disney many times and have stayed in a variety of rooms/resorts but we’ve never stayed at either Riviera or Saratoga nor have we experienced the Spring Break crowds. Would love your thoughts on keeping the one bedroom at Riviera or a two bedroom at Saratoga. Space is important but we also enjoy nicer amenities.

 

[Jonnnyap]

We just stayed in Saratoga for the first time. It was surprisingly lovely. Great refurbished room and excellent walkways and grounds. I’d take the larger space at Saratoga unless you plan on using the skyliner and visiting EPCOT often on your visit.

Hope you have a great trip!

 

[ShaneDJ]

Could you do the RIV 2-bedroom?

 

[Cfabar1]

I suspect the RIV 2 bedroom is not an option either due to availability and/or cost.

If that's the case, I would suggest do the SSR 2 Bedroom. Your kids will thank you for the space.

I'm not sure how teenagers would feel about RIV theming - probably would depend on the kid, but I'd be especially worried about the 20 y.o. boy. Skyliner is definitely a win, because they are old enough you might be comfortable letting them go to a park on their own and sky lining back to RIV.

 

[DisneyFirstTimer10]

Could you do the RIV 2-bedroom?

I wish. Not available and we don’t have enough points.

 

[DisneyFirstTimer10]

I suspect the RIV 2 bedroom is not an option either due to availability and/or cost.

If that's the case, I would suggest do the SSR 2 Bedroom. Your kids will thank you for the space.

I'm not sure how teenagers would feel about RIV theming - probably would depend on the kid, but I'd be especially worried about the 20 y.o. boy. Skyliner is definitely a win, because they are old enough you might be comfortable letting them go to a park on their own and sky lining back to RIV.

Thank you!

 

[MillauFr]

We just got back and enjoyed the extra space that a 2 bedroom at Marriott's Cypress Harbour provided. $700 for one week.

 

[JMOR80]

SSR or OKW 2 bedroom. Like others have said the SSR updated rooms are very nice and you can't beat walking to Disney Springs. But the atmosphere at OKW is amazing.

 

[gottalovepluto]

SSR amenities don’t compare to RIV. The properties are just so different. For instance in Nov just going from our preferred room to the pool was a pill, walking through a couple swarms of white flies along the path (yes, it’s FL but at RIV there isn’t enough space between the building and the pool for a couple bug swarms on a consistent basis) then crossing the street by the bus stop to get up to the main area- it was annoying. Thankfully we only did a few nights just to try it and then we bounced to swan reserve.

For you- do the kids need their own bathroom? Do they want their own rooms? That can change the equation for you since RIV 1 bd will be 1 bathroom and a shared room for them.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

We went for many years on spring break. It’s very, very busy and resorts are parks are full. So I guess it depends on what kind of trip you’re looking for. If it’s park heavy, then you might enjoy the Skyliner around RIV. If you’re looking for R&R ie resort heavy, then SSR or OKW might fit the bill. My twenty-something DS surprised me recently when he rated our stay in a 1BR at OKW among his all time favorites. We all loved the atmosphere and chill vibe. Your kids might enjoy golfing or taking the boat to DS if they’re anything like mine. I really loved the all the space, too.

 

[muppets3d]

I feel like if it were me I would want the space of the SSR two bedroom more than the amenities of Riviera.

 

[LoveToDisney]

I don’t like sharing a bathroom. I’d go with SSR. Above all, I would ask the kids which bed/bath/space they prefer.

 

[Brian Noble]

I loved RIV enough to buy there, but I'd do a 2BR at SSR with that party. I'd rather not have anyone have to sleep in the living room if I can avoid it.

 

[RivGirl]

I’m a Riviera lover, but with two basically grown children I would go for the 2br at Saratoga. You won’t regret having the space, and the proximity to Disney Springs makes for a different kind of stay. The refurbished rooms at Saratoga are very nice.

The main sore point for me at Saratoga is the bussing system. I would choose (and indeed have chosen in real life) to rideshare to the parks instead.

We went for spring break last year in March, and it was the week when APs were blacked out. Crowds were not terribly bad. Check the blackout calendar; it definitely makes a difference in crowd feel.

 

[kilik64]

To me it would depend. Are you going to be in the parks all day every day? Will you do a resort day with no parks? If you'll basically be in the room to sleep, I don't think RIV would be bad, main perk being skyliner to get to epcot and dhs.

SSR will give you more room, 2 good pools, and the close proximity to DS if you will go there enough to make that a factor.

People will poo poo the buses only for SSR (see post above in fact) but we had zero issues with them when there for Spring Break at the same timeframe in March. Could be everyone drives or uses rideshare to avoid them making them not crowded. We had worse experience with buses at say Poly vs SSR. Main thing to learn at SSR is to use the buses as an internal loop too.

 

[LadybugsMum]

We are a family of 3 and I would do the SSR 2 bedroom so we could spread out.

 

[RivGirl]

People will poo poo the buses only for SSR (see post above in fact) but we had zero issues with them when there for Spring Break at the same timeframe in March. Could be everyone drives or uses rideshare to avoid them making them not crowded. We had worse experience with buses at say Poly vs SSR. Main thing to learn at SSR is to use the buses as an internal loop too.

That’s fair. I am extremely allergic to Disney buses in general. Others may not be. I have also rideshared from Poly when the crowd at the bus stop there gave me hives.

The only bussing I don’t completely mind are the dedicated busses at RIV.

But in this case I would still choose the 2BR at Saratoga.

 

[byurick]

As much as I love RIV, a 17 and 20 year old in a 1BR would be rough. If they were little maybe it would be fine but I'd go SSR in this case.

 

[Sandisw]

RIV is always my go to, but I’d still choose SSR for space…with your family and 5 nights.

 

[hockeydad21]

Traveling to Disney for 5 nights in March for spring break with our 17 yr old daughter and 20 yr old son. Currently we have a 1 bedroom at Riviera booked but can switch to a 2 bedroom at Saratoga (or OKW). Our kids have been fortunate to go to Disney many times and have stayed in a variety of rooms/resorts but we’ve never stayed at either Riviera or Saratoga nor have we experienced the Spring Break crowds. Would love your thoughts on keeping the one bedroom at Riviera or a two bedroom at Saratoga. Space is important but we also enjoy nicer amenities.

Both of fantastic resorts. Riv definitely has the better transportation and onsite food though. I’d personally stay away from the 1bedroom at RIV simply because of it only having 1 true bathroom despite it kind of being split with the tub/shower. 4 adults and 1 toilet is just a no go for me. If you insist on staying at RIV then I’d consider getting 2 studios instead.

At the end of the day SSR is also beautiful, a little more relaxed, and your family will really appreciate the space. Can’t go wrong with either really.