Why do people either LOVE or Hate Riviera?

[Lumpy1106]

I feel like Riviera is one of the most polarizing DVC resorts

Riviera had the most kills on the recent Epcot resort thread!


I’d love to hear from both the lovers and the haters especially compared to Boardwalk


I’m deep in one of my DVC spirals again trying to decide between Boardwalk or Riviera so I’d love to get some honest opinions up in here!

We've stayed at both. I liked Boardwalk but I don't think I could get my family to stay there again. Love the walk to two of the parks, and even if you chose to ride the Skyliner instead, you are "opposite" traffic - no long line when EPCOT closes at the end of the night. BUT - the Boardwalk area itself was a bit of a letdown. The ice cream place is a nice treat - end list. How do you build not one, but two Disney resorts without a decent QS restaurant? The BWV rooms are fine - nothing special. The gym is great, the pool is above average. Still, if given the option to stay at RIV, we are not staying at BWV.

 

[melissa70]

As an owner we should be able to get resort view most of the time and leave the preferred view to anyone trading in.

I see this being said a lot but aren’t the resort views just views of the parking lot? If I owned there, I don’t think I would want a view of the parking lot

 

[Tatebeck]

I see this being said a lot but aren’t the resort views just views of the parking lot? If I owned there, I don’t think I would want a view of the parking lot

During the day it is usually facing the entrance or parking area yes. But at night you can watch the Epcot fireworks (which you can't see from the preferred views). So the fireworks view plus the lower point chart savings makes the resort view more worth it for most members if you are out and about or in the parks most of the day. Then you still get a nice view at night AND the point savings. At RIV the jump from resort to preferred view is particularly steep.

But if I was booking just to hang out in the room and on the balcony during the days then I would want preferred view, yes.
In general the lowest point charted rooms with the worst views typically book up first across the DVC resorts

 

[bdrex28]

I feel like Riviera is one of the most polarizing DVC resorts

Riviera had the most kills on the recent Epcot resort thread!


I’d love to hear from both the lovers and the haters especially compared to Boardwalk


I’m deep in one of my DVC spirals again trying to decide between Boardwalk or Riviera so I’d love to get some honest opinions up in here!

Boardwalk is by far my favorite resort and we typically stay there. We've stayed at Riviera and in 2020 almost bought it as our home resort, but COVID made us pause.

I don't hate Riviera at all, I just find others better. To me it's a bit sterile and not a lot of character. I enjoy the skyliner, but feel boardwalk has much better options overall for transportation. We find ourselves in Epcot and HS a lot so Boardwalk just has a great location. The Boardwalk at night really is a lot of fun. I wish they'd fill some of the empty areas at Boardwalk with more food options that are no longer there. Big River Grill I would love to see a sports themed restaurant there as both Big River and ESPN (replaced by cake bake) are no longer there.

so, in summary for our family Boardwalk just fits better.

 

[brightmango]

I own Riviera so I'll chime in. It comes down to vacation preference. We've all read about the cons so I won't belabor the point, but I'll admit I would have loved no restrictions, stronger theming and walking distance to a park, but every DVC resort has their compromises.

For me, I want a practical and frictionless trip, which I get at Riviera. Here's why it fits into my criteria and gives me peace of mind:

1. Geography - Yes, if you want to spend a disproportionate amount of time at MK, then being on the monorail loop is more desirable, but Riviera is "close" to everything (on average).

2. Transportation - Hate the Skyliner? Don't stay at RIV. Otherwise you have effortless travel to two parks and direct buses to the others. When you stay somewhere else after being at RIV, this is such an undervalued benefit.

3. Layout - Tower design. Some hate it and some love it, but I can get to my room from anywhere on the grounds in less than 5 minutes. After a long day, (and a direct bus home!) it’s great to know I won't have a long walk to my room.

4. Resort size - Some people might love a chaotic resort, but it's the smallest hotel in all of Disney so nothing feels crowded (by Disney standards). While there are smaller DVC properties, Riviera doesn't have to share its amenities or transportation with any other resort.

5. The biggest downside - I want to be honest about my home resort's biggest flaw, which I have experienced multiple times. From my practical use standpoint, post fireworks/Fantasmic at Epcot and HS is a nightmare. You are trapped. No way home except for the Skyliner. I was at the end of the Epcot line and it took an hour. The worst I've experienced at HS was maybe 20-30 minutes, but if you want to remedy that situation for $50 or so, call for a Minnie Van or its cheaper counterpart, Uber/Lyft.

In the end, it’s all about personal preference. If you could put Wilderness Lodge where the Boardwalk is, that would be my perfect resort!

 

[Genie+]

Riviera had a strange start out the gate.

There was motivation NOT to like it, because that made avoiding resale restrictions easiest. It was the first to introduce restrictions. Startling for some people. A common reaction was to focus on negatives. You’re gonna melt in the skyliner when summer comes! The lobby is a closet Point chart insane, etc… Restrictions are less irksome if you ‘didn’t want it anyway’.

Riviera was only open for 3 months before the resort closed for covid. Even after things reopened I think the covid era reduced how many people experienced RIV than if the first 18-24 months were normal times. So it took a while for the positivity of actual experiences to combat the lingering negative perceptions.

There was a resistance to RIV just like LLs. Things not to be liked because they held a painful detail. Buying LLs burned because FP+ used to be included for free. Buying RIV burned because reselling DVC used to include 7 month tradability for free.

 

[Pens Fan]

I neither love nor hate it. We enjoy the resort and have stayed there twice and have come over for dinner or lunch a few times from other resorts. I don't love it enough to own there and the restrictions are a part of that for us. We are in our 60's so will probably sell some of our contracts at some point so that matters to us.

Pro's:
The rooms are lovely and spacious.

Enjoy the dining options there.

We enjoy the walk over to Caribbean Beach and hitting up Banana Cabana for drinks and apps if the weather is nice.


Con's:
Feet and boat >>> skyliner. I enjoy the skyliner. I just love a relaxing Disney boat ride and you cannot beat being able to walk to a park. Plus it's FL and it seems the skyliner tends to go down in a storm before the boats do. And my feet work in the rain.

Point chart - as you can see in my signature our home resorts are either 2042 resorts or have a 2042 - like point chart. The newer charts are a bit hard to stomach for us and we usually only stay at those for a few nights here and there.

I miss having a real inside lounge - and I don't count the coffee bar in the evenings as that. We travel a lot in the winter and sometime it's too cold to be hanging out at Bar Riva, or it's storming, etc. We enjoy a nice indoor lounge where we can grab a drink and some apps in lieu of making dinner reservations somewhere - as in Territory Lounge at WL or the multiple options at the Crescent Lake area hotels.

The lobby is too small. I understand what they were going for, but it feels so underwhelming compared to most other resorts.

Bottom line for me - I have zero desire to own there, but I'm glad it exists. We stayed there again last month and had a lovely time as always.

 

[mlayman7]

I think I shall.

- Trivia in the library

- the bartenders at Bar Riva

- Bar Riva is the perfect date spot for us while our kids enjoy Primo Piatto takeout in the room

- the small size of the resort

Trivia in the library? How have I not noticed this b4

 

[RivGirl]

Trivia in the library? How have I not noticed this b4

It’s not offered every day. Mid-afternoon.

 

[Genie+]

It’s not offered every day. Mid-afternoon.

That is seriously on point for theming! Love it. Thanks for sharing your list(s).

 

[zackiedawg]

For me, it's all about theming. I don't hate Riviera at all, I like to go there, restaurants are good, etc - but as a 'Disney' resort it just feels too generic - like any nice higher end hotel chain. When I go to Disney, I prefer the intense immersion that the heavily themed resorts provide - they're almost like a 5th park with all the landscaping, architecture, cast uniforms, etc that put you in a different little world or time period, rather than just staying in a hotel.

Design-wise, my least favorite structures in Disney are Riviera, Bay Lake Tower, Island Tower, and Gran Destino. I'll visit every one of them, enjoy lots of the food and bar options there, but I don't have a great draw to want to stay in any of them.

Boardwalk is my home resort, bought in 1996 for location location location - but I do love the vintage northeastern Boardwalk nostalgia design and theming. The rest of Polynesian, Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom, Fort Wilderness, Port Orleans French Quarter, Coronado Springs are all favorites because of their heavy theming and designs. Even Old Key West, Caribbean Beach, Port Orleans Riverside are well themed and I like them all. I am not terribly fond of All Stars and Pop - though they are 'themed', they're more about theming to kids and toys and bright colors rather than locations/places/time periods.

I regularly visit Riviera when staying at Boardwalk as it's a simple Skyliner ride over to enjoy Topolino's, Primo Piatto, and Bar Riva. The grounds are clean, rich looking, service is excellent, everything about it is high-end hotel - but just not enough of a Disney theme for me to fall in love with it.

 

[VGCgroupie]

I never hated RIV. But I did visit the resort and did a room tour on a trip I took that was solely to decide where I wanted to buy next. I thought I would love RIV, I didnt. I just liked it. My husband liked it even less than me. That trip I stayed at CCV (was deciding if I should sell it since I had never stayed before buying there) and BLT (wanted to see if the short MK walk sold me). I visited every DVC resort. This is where I learned that I would never ever own SSR or OKW nor would I ever stay there either. I decided to buy BW resale. (I was leaning that way pre trip)

Fast forward almost a year later I finally stayed 1 night at RIV. Walked away loving it. My husband who didnt even want to stay there let alone own there also loved it. We are fine with the lobby. The CM at RIV were top notch. I have never felt as valued as a DVC member as I did when staying cash until we checked into RIV. The room was a breath of fresh air vs our room that same trip at Boardwalk. Room to coffee and food in 2 minutes was icing on the cake.

I think RIV started off bad due to it being a whole new way to DVC (restrictions) it was also a tower which most dont love.

 

[RuntheMouse]

I love the RIV for all the reasons listed already! It really feels like home for us!

I’ve tried to love the Boardwalk but it continues to disappoint. We actually decided after this last trip there that we’re done there. We try because of the location but now that’ll be Beach Club if we feel the urge to be on Crescent Lake. The rooms are so beat up especially considering they just had a refresh! I don’t get the warm fuzzies from the CMs there other than a handful of the front desk staff. The dining is atrocious, seriously why can’t they figure this out? The feature pool is chaotic. The DVC pool is better but that hot tub is . The point chart though, amazing so there’s that but truly I’m done trying to love it.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Look at the RIV points needed when do a random reservation availability search. These new builds are up there on those charts.

For me it’s nice. But was built with not much imaginative thought. Level a portion of an existing resort that wasn’t pulling in up to its potential. Attempt a theme and hope it sticks. Toss up as a generic hotel tower, realize it’s selling ok, so keep on towering until we’ve had enough and rebel for the return to an actual Disney style resort again.

Hope I helped

BLT and VDH are the same IMO. I want LSL will be different but I dont know if I trust it to be.

 

[tx911]

I feel like Riviera is one of the most polarizing DVC resorts

Riviera had the most kills on the recent Epcot resort thread!


I’d love to hear from both the lovers and the haters especially compared to Boardwalk


I’m deep in one of my DVC spirals again trying to decide between Boardwalk or Riviera so I’d love to get some honest opinions up in here!

Nothing really to add to all the excellent points already made.

It is polarizing enough that you should probably stay there at least once before buying.

 

[tx911]

BLT and VDH are the same IMO. I want LSL will be different but I dont know if I trust it to be.

Good pun

 

[VGCgroupie]

I see this being said a lot but aren’t the resort views just views of the parking lot? If I owned there, I don’t think I would want a view of the parking lot

1st post has my RIV view photos. I loved our resort view. https://www.disboards.com/threads/t...alk-riv-cruise-and-no-ll-trip-report.3981465/

 

[tx911]

1st post has my RIV view photos. I loved our resort view. https://www.disboards.com/threads/t...alk-riv-cruise-and-no-ll-trip-report.3981465/

I agree, a lot of the resort views are pretty nice.

 

[SheSingsAlong]

I think the outside is really ugly and I *hate* the resort smell - it is cloying and unpleasant. That said, I do like going there for Bar Riva and Primo Piatto and I really enjoy the music they play at this resort. The rooms are way too chic for my personal taste.

 

[VGCgroupie]

I think the outside is really ugly and I *hate* the resort smell - it is cloying and unpleasant. That said, I do like going there for Bar Riva and Primo Piatto and I really enjoy the music they play at this resort. The rooms are way too chic for my personal taste.

I loved the chic. They stamp the toilet paper starter!!