First time poster. My family and I spent the week at Disney, Kidani Village on rented points, with the intent to try the Skyliner, visit RR, and possibly purchase our first DVC contract. After my experience, we are now a firm “no” on Riviera:
1) My first issue is with the Skyliner. Our first trip on it was fine, a couple minor slow downs but no big issues. But when it came to disembarking at RR, it was clear Disney did not properly think this through. The Skyliner slows at RR - some people get off and some stay on. If no one has a stroller, this is easily done. However, in our case my wife and I had to try to maneuver our young one and her stroller around several people who were not getting off at RR, which resulted in some run over feet and me nearly falling upon exit. Disney seems to have over-engineered certain aspects of this gondola system without taking into account this type of situation which will likely occur numerous times every day.
That issue alone was not a deal breaker. Rather, on Thursday, December 19, we were taking the Skyliner from Epcot to HS when it broke down for 40 minutes, leaving the three of us trapped in the dark 30 feet over a roadway. There were several computer recorded “temporary delay” messages, before they gave up and told everyone they were turning it back on but that you had to disembark at RR.
What is troubling is that after this 40 minute delay we spoke with others who were trapped, and they (a) never heard the computer recorded messages we did, which suggests the emergency messaging system does not work on several of the gondolas, and (b) attempted to use the gondolas communication system to call out and the line was simply dead.
For a resort that will rely heavily on this unproven, and seemingly rushed new mode of transportation to differentiate it from something like a Disney Springs area resort, it’s hard to believe that Disney could have bungled the roll out of the Skyliner much more then they have already done. I will not pay $188+ per point to own at a resort where the only means of reliable transportation is a bus. Might as well buy an OKW 2057 contract and rent a car.
2) The resort itself is underwhelming. Admittedly, we did not view a room (we canceled our tour after the Skyliner experience), but in waking the grounds and the lobby area I felt like I was at a very nice Westin or a very average Ritz Carlton. A nice hotel for sure, but not a Disney Deluxe resort. When I think of Disney at its best, it’s the soaring lobbies of Wilderness Lodge, GF, Jambo, etc., that take you somewhere different yet utterly Disney. Even Kidani Village, with its much smaller lobby space, takes you away while feeling at home in the Disney bubble. At Riviera, I felt more like I was on a business trip then a vacation - a rather unremarkable very nice hotel. The outside of the building similarly lacks inspiration. While I commend Disney on the art work, especially the spectacular tile murals, it really just feels like they threw some Disney pixie dust on a Westin and are calling it a Disney Deluxe resort.
I really wanted to like this place and buy it, but between its so-so location, a dependence on a poorly planned transportation system that does not work consistently and which can leave you dangling over a major highway like us, and a design that lacks the level of Disney imagineering seen at numerous other resorts, it’s a hard pass for us. I hope Reflections offers something better, otherwise we may just do a resale contract on Copper Creek.
