VGF vs RIV with young kids

[PBandJFamwich]

Just thought I’d add our thoughts after staying 1 night a VGF on Saturday night and now our first night of 3 at RIV last night. We are so so happy we decided to buy RIV instead of the more economical VGF contract.

VGF:
Our LEAST favorite thing at VGF are the cast member costumes! May seem weird but really gave us icky feelings. Everyone says they feel like they aren’t dressed up enough there; for us we felt like the cast member attire made us feel out of place because we weren’t in the right era not that we were dressed too casually. Also seeing several cast member of color working for valet/bell services was very disconcerting. I don’t want to go back to a time period where minorities, women, and LGBTQIA people were treated so poorly. It might be one thing for cast members in the park in a performative role to have time period appropriate attire, but in a service role at a resort where mostly wealthy white people vacation gives us the ick.

We also didn’t love the spread out layout of the resort. Too much walking and it could be confusing. It was also so busy and overwhelming. Don’t love the outdated main lobby; the DVC building lobby is better. The transportation options weren’t ideal really either. The VGF1 studio is smaller than the studio at RIV.

RIV:
So far has been amazing! Great relaxing vibe; we feel like we aren’t transported to a different era. It feels more intimate while being both adult and kid friendly. The cast members have been so lovely. The pools are a great size and layout, and the lounge beds are very nice. Bar Riva and the gelato have been great. The transportation on the skyliner has been great and the compact layout has been awesome so far. Excited for the next 2 nights and to bring our daughter back in the future.

 

[sethschroeder]

Grand Floridian wins on location as magic kingdom is the most important park at Disney.

Disagree

Its the most important for rope drop a few times a week.

Epcot blows it away afternoon/nightly as Epcot is the center of the dining WDW universe.

Also if we want to worry about convivence to MK then hit up BLT with much easier walk and a quicker monorail stop over to switch at TTC to get to Epcot. VGF you essentially are forced to walk to TTC otherwise you are in for a long ride stopping at MK, BLT, then finally TTC.

 

[stevehudd]

Disagree

Its the most important for rope drop a few times a week.

Epcot blows it away afternoon/nightly as Epcot is the center of the dining WDW universe.

Also if we want to worry about convivence to MK then hit up BLT with much easier walk and a quicker monorail stop over to switch at TTC to get to Epcot. VGF you essentially are forced to walk to TTC otherwise you are in for a long ride stopping at MK, BLT, then finally TTC.

Disagree

Its the most important for rope drop a few times a week.

Epcot blows it away afternoon/nightly as Epcot is the center of the dining WDW universe.

Also if we want to worry about convivence to MK then hit up BLT with much easier walk and a quicker monorail stop over to switch at TTC to get to Epcot. VGF you essentially are forced to walk to TTC otherwise you are in for a long ride stopping at MK, BLT, then finally TTC.

Blt is certainly conveniently located. The two bath one bedrooms is a huge deal as well. However, Monorail from gf to ttc is not that bad. Im sure someone has timed it, but id guess it doesnt take ten minutes. IMO the rise of cheap rideshares has reduced location advantage to some extent. I still say gf has the best location. Monorail to MK then boat back is wonderful. Also, Disney certainly prioritizes it as the flagship. That has real value to DVC owners.

 

[Nursemanit]

Blt is certainly conveniently located. The two bath one bedrooms is a huge deal as well. However, Monorail from gf to ttc is not that bad. Im sure someone has timed it, but id guess it doesnt take ten minutes. IMO the rise of cheap rideshares has reduced location advantage to some extent. I still say gf has the best location. Monorail to MK then boat back is wonderful. Also, Disney certainly prioritizes it as the flagship. That has real value to DVC owners.

If disney prioritizes VGF they would have fired the management years ago. I would not be surprised if year another VGF outbuilding was converted to DVC looking at cash sales.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

Personal opinion of course but I’d pick just about any resort over Riviera. Have you seen it? Extremely underwhelming. And MK will most likely be your kid’s favorite park for many years. So GF for the win imo.

 

[stevehudd]

If disney prioritizes VGF they would have fired the management years ago. I would not be surprised if year another VGF outbuilding was converted to DVC looking at cash sales.

I agree with this. They arent filling up or coming close to it on the hotel side. A two queen room for 1k is hard to justify when you are planning a trip thats already super expensive. Another cheap building soft good refurb and dvc conversion certainly seems possible. I would probably sell my GF points at that point. I bought for 1/2 bedrooms only.

 

[J-Dog]

Personal opinion of course but I’d pick just about any resort over Riviera. Have you seen it? Extremely underwhelming. And MK will most likely be your kid’s favorite park for many years. So GF for the win imo.

I assume that you were being rhetorical. But this comment seems kind of condescending, considering the forum that you are posting on.

 

[stevehudd]

Personal opinion of course but I’d pick just about any resort over Riviera. Have you seen it? Extremely underwhelming. And MK will most likely be your kid’s favorite park for many years. So GF for the win imo.

Riviera has a lot going for it, but it is not my families preference. My wife refuses to stay there, and I would like to. Our order of preferred locations would be:

1) GF
2) BCV


3) AKV

We will most likely alternate between the first two and never stay anywhere else again.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

I assume that you were being rhetorical. But this comment seems kind of condescending, considering the forum that you are posting on.

No, was genuinely asking if she’s seen it. I know several people who in theory want to stay there then they see it and find it very “meh”. Not condescending, pretty sure I’m allowed to present my (and lots of others) opinion. And I stated it was my opinion. It has the most underwhelming lobby of any Disney resort anywhere

 

[intamin]

No, was genuinely asking if she’s seen it. I know several people who in theory want to stay there then they see it and find it very “meh”. Not condescending, pretty sure I’m allowed to present my (and lots of others) opinion. And I stated it was my opinion. It has the most underwhelming lobby of any Disney resort anywhere

True, the lobby isn’t grand by any nature. What it has going for it is access to the skyliner, everything being in a single tower so you don’t have to walk outside like at OKW, SSR or even VGF and it also has some of the best rooms DVC has built to date. Obviously it’s lobby curb appeal isn’t going to compare to CCV, AKV, VGF, VGC. It’s lobby is more similar to Kidani’s as it’s a dedicated DVC resort as well. People prioritize different things. After staying in VGF, I can tell it’s not for me.

 

[Sandisw]

Blt is certainly conveniently located. The two bath one bedrooms is a huge deal as well. However, Monorail from gf to ttc is not that bad. Im sure someone has timed it, but id guess it doesnt take ten minutes. IMO the rise of cheap rideshares has reduced location advantage to some extent. I still say gf has the best location. Monorail to MK then boat back is wonderful. Also, Disney certainly prioritizes it as the flagship. That has real value to DVC owners.

There is no boat that goes from MK to BLT. I certainly do think best resort is subjective.

I think BLT and VGF are great for trips to MK but RIV is certainly better for Epcot and DHs.

I have done the BLT to TTC and transferred to Epcot and it’s not a quick trip. At the end of the night, it’s not great and took us over an hour a few years back

Why we split stay.

 

[colten.c]

Personal opinion of course but I’d pick just about any resort over Riviera. Have you seen it? Extremely underwhelming. And MK will most likely be your kid’s favorite park for many years. So GF for the win imo.

Seen it.....love it.....

 

[stevehudd]

True, the lobby isn’t grand by any nature. What it has going for it is access to the skyliner, everything being in a single tower so you don’t have to walk outside like at OKW, SSR or even VGF and it also has some of the best rooms DVC has built to date. Obviously it’s lobby curb appeal isn’t going to compare to CCV, AKV, VGF, VGC. It’s lobby is more similar to Kidani’s as it’s a dedicated DVC resort as well. People prioritize different things. After staying in VGF, I can tell it’s not for me.

Riviera is interesting as it appeals so strongly to some while others react so negatively. I get the criticisms and the appeals. I would be comfortable owning there as the long contract is wonderful and the setup is going to enable mild annual dues increases for the contract life.

 

[intamin]

Riviera is interesting as it appeals so strongly to some while others react so negatively. I get the criticisms and the appeals. I would be comfortable owning there as the long contract is wonderful and the setup is going to enable mild annual dues increases for the contract life.

It’s definitely a very polarizing resort.. I think partially because it was the resort that first had resale restrictions, and then add on it being adjacent to a moderate resort and then the lobby itself. That being said, the rooms themselves are definitely deluxe and having its own Skyliner station that is directly on the pathway to Epcot are definitely nice pluses. I don’t know, there’s something about it when I’m walking back and I go through the Tangled mural and then see the lake with the skyliner running in the background that I love. It’s not for everyone which is understandable but for me the pros far outweigh the cons.

 

[sethschroeder]

Monorail from gf to ttc is not that bad

Its pretty bad, its a 5 min walk, to a 5-15 minute wait (better hope its not packed full since its the last stop before MK), for a 10 min ride to TTC, for a 5-15 min wait, for a 10 min ride to Epcot.

Lots of extra chances for something to be wrong or delayed. Additionally not a fan with no coverage from rain between the Epcot line to the Resort line.

Also not a fan of security just to get on the monorail as well because of the inconvenience if you just want to go to BLT, WL, FW.

IMO the rise of cheap rideshares has reduced location advantage to some extent. I still say gf has the best location.

Rideshare isn't something I care to mess with often at WDW as it can be all over the map with waits and it adds on costs that I don't want to pay. It also isn't really something you can use with young kids.

I suspect you mean GF is better than RIV in your mind simply because of MK access? The best resorts for location is BLT, BCV, BWV with the next grouping being GF, POLY, WL, RIV all depending on what you value as far as quick access.

 

[sethschroeder]

My wife refuses to stay there

Why?

Scared of heights? Otherwise I am not sure what would drive you away from ever staying there.

 

[J-Dog]

No, was genuinely asking if she’s seen it. I know several people who in theory want to stay there then they see it and find it very “meh”. Not condescending, pretty sure I’m allowed to present my (and lots of others) opinion. And I stated it was my opinion. It has the most underwhelming lobby of any Disney resort anywhere

And there's plenty of trip reports of people buying RIV sight-unseen who end up loving it.

I guess I don't understand the lobby thing being a consideration for buying DVC. Some of the WDW resort lobbies definitely have a "wow" factor. But that "wow" factor quickly diminishes, IMO, the more times that you see it. And by definition, DVC owners will almost certainly see their lobby MANY times. And there is no other advantage to a fancy lobby other than looking cool. Therefore, the lobby "wow" factor should be a non-factor for considering buying into DVC.

 

[stevehudd]

Why?

Scared of heights? Otherwise I am not sure what would drive you away from ever staying there.

She grew up doing GF trips with her family and is biased towards that location. I thought she would love Riviera based on the understated theming and skyliner. I was wrong and she wont stay there. We have been over there to eat at Topolinos and she still feels the same way. That being said if I just booked it she would go.

 

[stevehudd]

And there's plenty of trip reports of people buying RIV sight-unseen who end up loving it.

I guess I don't understand the lobby thing being a consideration for buying DVC. Some of the WDW resort lobbies definitely have a "wow" factor. But that "wow" factor quickly diminishes, IMO, the more times that you see it. And by definition, DVC owners will almost certainly see their lobby MANY times. And there is no other advantage to a fancy lobby other than looking cool. Therefore, the lobby "wow" factor should be a non-factor for considering buying into DVC.

Lobbies are hang out spots. That matters for a lot of people. Resort grounds also are important for a lot of guests. I still love being in the gf main lobby and the resort grounds despite a half dozen or so stays.

 

[stevehudd]

Its pretty bad, its a 5 min walk, to a 5-15 minute wait (better hope its not packed full since its the last stop before MK), for a 10 min ride to TTC, for a 5-15 min wait, for a 10 min ride to Epcot.

Lots of extra chances for something to be wrong or delayed. Additionally not a fan with no coverage from rain between the Epcot line to the Resort line.

Also not a fan of security just to get on the monorail as well because of the inconvenience if you just want to go to BLT, WL, FW.



Rideshare isn't something I care to mess with often at WDW as it can be all over the map with waits and it adds on costs that I don't want to pay. It also isn't really something you can use with young kids.

I suspect you mean GF is better than RIV in your mind simply because of MK access? The best resorts for location is BLT, BCV, BWV with the next grouping being GF, POLY, WL, RIV all depending on what you value as far as quick access.

The epcot monorail ramps then the ttc ramps are brutal when tired coming back to gf after a long day at epcot. 40 minutes eachway is a fair total trip time from gfv to epcot. However, even beach club is probably a 30 min walk to the guardians ride.