The new DVC Riviera Resort??

[aoconnor]

We literally have one vague rendering- hard to judge a resort based on that. If the units are a good size and nicely appointed, sleep 5 in a studio and the resort has good common amenities (hoping for an awesome feature pool), I think it will sell very well. I think people are underestimating the gondola system.

 

[mustinjourney]

The detachable cabin, might make loading for ECV and disabled people a lot safer and quicker. Wonder if they will have a separate line for them and their family or just stretch the line out so that loading isn't a problem.

I read/heard somewhere that the accessible loading area will be in a different spot. Similar in concept to how TSMM has a different platform. The gondolas are supposed to be able to switch to the other loading zone and then get back on. Can't find where I saw that, but I do remember hearing something about it a few months ago.

 

[intertile]

I think for me the gondola is a gimmick. Interesting and exciting at the beginning, but that's it. My home resort in the Epcot/DHS area is BW, and its much more convenient. If there wasn't a need to transfer gondolas I might be intrigued, but not interested in getting out of one gondola to wait in line for another.

 

[southerngirl528]

The detachable cabin, might make loading for ECV and disabled people a lot safer and quicker. Wonder if they will have a separate line for them and their family or just stretch the line out so that loading isn't a problem.

Been wondering about this aspect myself through all the Skyliner/gondola discussions on the boards.....

 

[Mumof4mice]

I think the skyliner should be an effective way of moving people. It's not an untested concept - chair lifts and gondolas have been moving guests from the entire ski village for years. I will say though, you don't see too many ECVs or Pooh sized skiers in those queues. But detachable cabins should handle that.

A continuously moving queue would be mentally far less onerous than waiting for buses for me (haunted mansion vs Cars). I have ridden gondolas in peak summer conditions in Asia. Second previous posters that if one has trouble sitting down with refreshing breezes, being at WDW in general isn't going to work for them.

So yes, keen to try Riviera. Won't be buying any presale points though unless they're super discounted.

 

[ScubaCat]

Oh ScubaCat! I laughed right out loud when I read that!!! You and I must be related. I'm one of those people that actually likes some turbulence on a plane (too boring otherwise, right?), and enjoys a cruise where we have a bit of rough seas. I don't want to go through a monsoon or anything, but just like a little "E ticket" experience sometimes.

Right. After 7DMT ("where the pre-show is the actual ride"), I need something to restore my faith in the concept of fun.

Oh I'm a big AC fan too, especially in Florida. I just can kind of understand the reasoning for not having it in the gondolas.

That makes 2 of us on both counts, then!

As long as there's enough ventilation and air moving, I just don't really see the problem. We walk outside a certain number of feet, stand in a line outside, then have to be transported in full A/C for 5 minutes before being dropped back outside to walk 5+ miles outdoors around a theme park? I think we'll survive. It's gotta be better than the monorails without A/C they run half the time now; at least there will be air flow of some sort. Heck, I've ridden spaceship earth, ToT, and others with broken A/C and I survived. (I'm sure they charged me extra for that "experience", too.)

 

[southerngirl528]

It's gotta be better than the monorails without A/C they run half the time now

Yeah, what is UP with that?? Anyone else remember when you got on a monorail and it was COLD inside (I'm talking in hot weather)?? Seems like they are mostly lukewarm to warm of late....

 

[Frederic Civish]

I think for me the gondola is a gimmick. Interesting and exciting at the beginning, but that's it.

Far from being a gimmick, I think you are looking at the transportation of the future, at Disney World. I think it will go well, be popular, move a lot of people fast, and will soon be expanded to other resorts and parks.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Far from being a gimmick, I think you are looking at the transportation of the future, at Disney World. I think it will go well, be popular, move a lot of people fast, and will soon be expanded to other resorts and parks.

It's also easier to maintain than the monorail. The fact that Disney are buying off-the-shelf (as it were) equipment is a good thing, as it makes maintenance and support easier. Wraps for the carriages are easy.

 

[Mumof4mice]

On the subject of gimmicks, Riviera might offer special room types as a cheap way to sell extra points and add to the appeal of the resort.

I'm betting there will be concierge rooms. And "loft studios" with a King bed + a pull down Murphy that sleeps couples with/without 1 child.

 

[ScubaCat]

I'm betting there will be concierge rooms. And "loft studios" with a King bed + a pull down Murphy that sleeps couples with/without 1 child.

Concierge rooms possibly, but not likely IMHO. They'd be a lot more points per night, but I can fathom the idea. I doubt there'd be a room type other than the usual DVC options, though.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I think the choice not to do concierge for points has been very deliberate after AKV. It would have been easy peasy to do concierge at BLT (floor access), VGF or Poly. They did not. I think Reunion Station was an experiment in providing the service but not making it points-paid, and thus not linking the points to 50 years of declaration.

But RS was a terrible effort and lame. If they offered it as a legit CL as a cash add-on, in the same building, it would do well.

The barrier I see to a cash-upgrade concierge is making it bookable before check in. Might have to work like a dining plan on the back end.

 

[intertile]

Far from being a gimmick, I think you are looking at the transportation of the future, at Disney World. I think it will go well, be popular, move a lot of people fast, and will soon be expanded to other resorts and parks.

At the moment I will disagree with you. Based on what we know about it(granted its rumors from insiders), there will be 3 separate lines servicing the stations. Someone going from Epcot(or Riviera) to DHS, will need to disembark at CBR and board a new Gondola going to DHS. If they really wanted to make this a mass transit system that could be used resort wide they would have used 3 separate lines, but allowed the cabins to transfer lines at the "hubs" and bypass stations to continue on to there final destination. If they had done that, then they would have in essence created a parallel system that could have been expanded to more resorts and parks. Instead, all indications are that they are creating a serial system that requires the cabs to go through each station, like Riviera, and disembark at the end of its respective line, like at CBR. I really think this was a great solution to connect CBR, Riviera, Pop, and Art to 2 parks that were very close in proximity. I don't believe we will see any expansion of the system elsewhere.

What they could have done was create a system that used computerized queuing to track and place Cabs on the lines and move the cabs between lines on a mechanized roller system in the stations. When traveling in Italy for business I witnessed similar systems in factories for storing and assembling orders. It actually would have made loading and unloading easier for persons with disabilities. When a "cab" would be loaded it would be marked with a final destination, so for example you load at epcot. When you arrive at Riviera, cabs would either proceed through the center to bypass the station or divert to the right to come off the cable and allow for loading/unloading. Then when it got to CBR all cabs would come off the cable and be moved around by mechanized wheels above. Cabs that were to be unloaded would go to the right to the station load/unload, Cabs going to DHS would head straight and attach to the DHS cable, and Cabs going to Pop would head off to the left to the Pop cable. The systems are actually able to keep track of cabs going in each direction on all the lines and enter or remove cabs based on demand and weight. If they had done this, they then could have added lines to Disney Springs and those resorts, Animal Kingdom and AKL, and TTC to serve the MK resorts. A guest could board at there respective resort and disembark at there final destination, without having to transfer between lines.

It's also easier to maintain than the monorail. The fact that Disney are buying off-the-shelf (as it were) equipment is a good thing, as it makes maintenance and support easier. Wraps for the carriages are easy.

Completely agree.

 

[sky2823]

I say this as someone who has high interest in buying at Riviera and hopes the gondola will be awesome

The problem as a consumer is that it will take some time (a year or maybe a few years) for the gondola to be up and running to really have a clear picture of it. (storms, AC, traffic etc...). It could be, “how could we ever have doubted Disney?” or it could be “remember the gondola experiment”.

I have faith in the Mouse, but there is obviously more risk involved purchasing “direct” a resort reliant on a new form of transportation (new to DVC anyway). No matter how incredible the imagineers are or how well it works in other places in the world, they cant know how well it will work yet at WDW. Just my opinion...

Disney would need to create a strong value proposition for me to go all in day 1 of sales with this variable... I have to assume a lot of existing DVC members will feel the same

Without an effective gondola based on the rumors this would be Bay Lake Tower on the outside, with VGF amenities inside but with AKL location and transportation (but with no animals). That doesn’t appeal to me. It sounds like a Hilton or Marriott honestly

With an effective gondola it becomes the bay lake tower location (almost) for Epcot/HS with VGF amenities. That is very appealing to me

 

[AdamsMum]

I'm not a fan of the look of the resort. I think the gondola system will make it easier to sell as opposed to bus transportation only. I'm set in my ways with BW and BC as my home resorts though. I have stayed in other locations which I enjoyed, but nothing compares to the location of my home resorts.

I will say that I felt excitement at other new resort announcements, but this one I'm not feeling it. I'm a little stressed about the international gateway traffic increase, maybe that's why. Hopefully, there will be some crowd control measures put in place.

 

[AdamsMum]

I'd pay extra to ride that!

There's always one in the crowd.

 

[mom2rb]

BLT is DH’s favorite resort. I think that he will love the Riviera. It will depend on the cost per point and the price. We also have been upset that they quit putting 2 bathrooms in the one bedroom. We own at SSR, AKL, and BLT. We would have bought at GFV except for the bathroom.

 

[Shellyred8]

I don't know that I would ever buy into Riviera, but I will definitely want to stay there a time or two. I love watching the MK fireworks from the TOWL lounge and I look forward to doing this from the top of Riviera too.

In regards to the gondolas, I think they have potential, but I have two concerns: Lightening and capacity. People keep saying how they are good in other places, but do those other places have the same volume of people that WDW sees? In particular, I'm thinking of park close. I'm just envisioning how full the queues are for the buses to one resort. Now you get people from 3-4 resorts in one queue...will it be able to keep up? Time will tell. I, for one, hope it works.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

In particular, I'm thinking of park close. I'm just envisioning how full the queues are for the buses to one resort. Now you get people from 3-4 resorts in one queue...will it be able to keep up?

No. It won't "keep up." There will be a line, as there is for every other form of transport at those times. Much as with the monorail, boats and ferries, there is no way to add capacity at those junctures.

 

[Frederic Civish]

Shellyred8 said:
"In particular, I'm thinking of park close. I'm just envisioning how full the queues are for the buses to one resort. Now you get people from 3-4 resorts in one queue...will it be able to keep up?"

No. It won't "keep up." There will be a line, as there is for every other form of transport at those times. Much as with the monorail, boats and ferries, there is no way to add capacity at those junctures.

It has been said that the Gondola will handle more than 4000 people per hour. Now, that might not sound like a lot, but lets assume that every bus holds 50 people at a time. (I know the bus can hold a bit more, but not all buses are full). Anyway, 4000 divided by 50 equals 80 buses. Just assume that Hollywood Studios (for instance) has 30 bus stops and a bus arrives at each one every 20 minutes on an average. That is 90 buses per hour, counting ALL the bus stops, and ALL the destinations (ALL the resorts plus Disney Springs). Whereas the Gondola will be equivalent to 80 buses per hour, to only 5 destinations, Epcot, Riviera, Caribbean Beach, Art of Animation and Pop Century. If regular buses run every 20 minutes to those 5 destinations, that would be 15 whole buses. The end result is that the Gondola should be WAY FASTER and way more efficient than taking the buses to any of those destinations. Waiting times should be minimal. Most of the time it will simply be walk on-walk off, and even in busy times, the line will move right along.