Yacht Club/Grand Floridian or Riviera/Contemporary

[Lomac924]

Hi everyone!

I am going to Disney in Jan. 2021 for 6 nights and currently have a split trip planned.. starting at the YC for 3 nights then 3 nights at GF. I just got a discount e-mail for Visa cardholders and was able to save a bit on the GF portion but now I'm thinking of changing it up to save even more. Our goal is to stay on the monorail for half the trip and near a skyliner/boat for the other half. I have always wanted to stay at the YC but the newness of the rooms at Riviera appeal to me as well as being right by the skyliner. It's also a dream to stay at GF but the rates for Contemporary are crazy good. Help!! Also should add I have 3 kiddos- 8, 6, and 11 months at time of travel. Thank you!

 

[DisneyMommy77]

Hi,
If you have any plans of using the pools your kids will likely prefer Yacht Club, so they can use Stormalong Bay. We also love the Boardwalk area in general, and this last trip we just took the SkyLiner over to Riviera to visit etc... I feel like in a way they are connected now and you can easily get to both when staying at the other.

As far as GF and Contemporary, that’s tough! We are finally staying at GF this Christmas for the first time, but had an amazing time at the Contemporary this summer. I would take the good deal, and just visit GF while there! My kids loved the Contemporary!
Have fun! All good choices, either way!

 

[Marthasor]

First, I would pick YC over RIV. I've stayed at both and RIV is nice, but it just isn't as convenient as YC. Having to rely on buses and the Skyliner (which was down a bit when we stayed at RIV) felt a bit isolating after a while. Especially with three kids, I think you will appreciate being able to walk right into EP from YC (and DHS if you don't mind walking a bit further). I do prefer GF over CR as an overall resort and your children may enjoy the splash pad if the weather is nice during your trip. That being said, the rooms at CR are quite spacious and walking to MK is a big plus. If you want to save even more money, consider staying in the Garden Wing at CR. It is so much more convenient to walk to the lobby and walk to MK as you don't have to rely on the CR tower elevators which can get quite crowded. We find the garden wing to be very quiet and relaxing.

 

[RoseGold]

YC is a better location. RIV's decor is not appealing to me, I believe I described it as suburban business hotel. If I'm coming to Disney, especially with little kids, an experience like Yacht Club is what I'm looking for.

As for GF/CR, tough call. Both are rarely discounted and small by Disney standards. I would say the monorail would be the deciding factor for the CR, with small kids. A monorail going through the middle of your hotel is pretty amazing. Also, no musicians at VGF and no VGF character meal.

 

[nm107]

We did the Contemporary/Riviera split stay in August and were happy with our choices. We were initially booked to do the Yacht Club on the second half of our stay, but after we had dinner at the Riviera, we changed our plans on the fly and switched the second half of our stay from Yacht Club to Riviera. What I liked about the Riviera was the space in the room, the kitchenette with a coffee pot (not a Keurig), the microwave, access to free washers/dryers, the amount of closet space, and the bathroom layout. The bathroom layout is nice for larger families because you can have two people showering/bathing at the same time with the way it is divided. The resort is lovely and the splash pad is amazing. Plus, the skyliner is fun and we took it over to Pop and Caribbean Beach for lunch several times.

A few observations about CR - in August the food venues and menus were limited and by day 3 we were tired of eating the same thing for our meals. We also would frequently wait 10 minutes or so for an elevator at the CR which could be frustrating. Also, for some reason our room at CR was always damp, which led me to believe it likely has some HVAC issues. These were minor issues and offset by the wonderful mousekeeping and resort staff.

We are going again over Christmas and decided to stay at the Riviera because we enjoyed our time there so much.

Whatever you decide I hope you have a wonderful time!