Opinion BEFORE vs AFTER your Riviera stay

[Frugal Fairy Tales]

Anyone change their opinion about buying Riviera after staying there?

 

[macman123]

I did. For me, I always thought VGF was the prime resort

However, RIV is simply beautiful. Very well appointed and lovely rooms,

I stay in 1BR. And watching Harmonious from the balcony is amazing

 

[Stargazer65]

I refuse to stay there. I might end up liking it if I did.

 

[pianomanzano]

We bought RIV sight unseen, which probably doesn't say much because we bought all of our contracts (SSR and VGF) without having stayed at either of them (stayed once at AKL on the cash side prior to joining DVC). Fell in love with it during our welcome home this past May, so much so that we either may add more RIV resale or sell our SSR contract for more RIV direct. I'm not usually a relax on the balcony person, but there's something relaxing about sitting out there watching the skyliner (and the fireworks from Epcot/MK at night)!

 

[Her Dotness]

Actually, I changed my mind about wanting to buy enough RIV points for a couple nights there after wandering about when we went for dinner at Topolino's.

We'd watched YouTube tours and thought the villas gorgeous.

Got there, and I didn't care for the public area decor much at all--seemed stark and boringly neutral. Also, just one chintzy shop? Not for me.

I'll take our original home, VGF, with multiple shops and restaurants over RIV any day.

 

[DaveNan]

I was luke warm on RIV before I stayed there. Stayed in a STD Studio in Jan 21. I am still luke warm on it. The rooms are nice and having the skyliner access is nice, but at rope drop and close it does not compare to walking for my family. While the resort may be more upscale (and higher points charts), we prefer BWV and BCV over RIV. It is a solid 3rd option, but availability is no better than BWV and BCV, so I doubt we will stay there very often. I did switch my reservation from BWV to RIV that one time, so we could experience it and learn. If the future, I would just keep a BWV reservation.
So what did we learn/confirm.....
Resort is very nice - confirmed
Takes more points to stay there - confirmed
Dining options are nice, but limited - confirmed
Skyliner access is nice - confirmed
Skyliner is a poor option at high traffic times including rope drop and close, particularly when you can't find space in a gondola at the exchange zone - learned

Not interested in owning there right now - confirmed

 

[RoseGold]

I did a tour of RIV with a family member in a powerchair, a Whill Ci. Coming from the Skyliner, there's a big staircase to the lobby. We found it difficult to find the elevator to the lobby, they're even further away that normal DVC standards. Going between hallways, we had to pull over twice, once for a double stroller and once for a lot of luggage.

Considering this resort was opened in 2019, when Epcot is packed with people in scooters, accessibility wasn't even on my radar as something to be concerned about.

 

[Sandisw]

I changed my mind after seeing it from the Skyliner and the sales pitch. And once I visited was all in!

And it is my top choice and if I had ti be stuck there, I would be content!

 

[Royal Consort]

What I wasn't expecting is how relaxing Riviera is. Tones is all down. We use the quiet pool often and I am generally not a pool person. We will spend mornings with a coffee and evenings at the Topolino's lounge. It is an unexpected sanctuary unlike the hustle and bustle of other resorts.

 

[Sandisw]

What I wasn't expecting is how relaxing Riviera is. Tones is all down. We use the quiet pool often and I am generally not a pool person. We will spend mornings with a coffee and evenings at the Topolino's lounge. It is an unexpected sanctuary unlike the hustle and bustle of other resorts.

It’s what I love about it. It’s like you stepped out of the crazy.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I haven’t stayed yet, but ate at Topolinos and my DH and I liked what we saw. It was nicer than we expected it to be. I’ve no intention to buy any more points, but I am happy that I can use my points to stay there!

 

[LadybugsMum]

Actually, I changed my mind about wanting to buy enough RIV points for a couple nights there after wandering about when we went for dinner at Topolino's.

We'd watched YouTube tours and thought the villas gorgeous.

Got there, and I didn't care for the public area decor much at all--seemed stark and boringly neutral. Also, just one chintzy shop? Not for me.

I'll take our original home, VGF, with multiple shops and restaurants over RIV any day.

Similar here though I was never planning on buying it, but visiting it hasn't changed my opinion. I can't get past the point chart for a resort that is not walkable to any park. I've stayed at VGF and loved it; so I bought there and am very happy with that. I don't like the resale restrictions either.

 

[Micca]

It’s what I love about it. It’s like you stepped out of the crazy.

Not sure about how I feel about the resort, but stepping out of the crazy is an absolute must. This is also possible at the Treehouse Villas.

 

[Paul Stupin]

What I wasn't expecting is how relaxing Riviera is. Tones is all down. We use the quiet pool often and I am generally not a pool person. We will spend mornings with a coffee and evenings at the Topolino's lounge. It is an unexpected sanctuary unlike the hustle and bustle of other resorts.

We LOVE the quiet pool.

 

[Pens Fan]

We just recently booked a stay for Jan. We've visited the resort just to look around and while we think it's beautiful, I do worry about the location and the dependence on the Skyliner. We love the Skyliner as a fun diversion, but I've seen some horrendous lines at the end of the day at HS and EP. I want to experience it first hand, though, and decide for myself.

I am really looking forward to staying there and am glad we have enough direct points to do so when we want. As of right now, we've put the brakes on buying more points until we get more info on the Poly tower. I think it's highly likely we'll be adding on there. But who knows? Maybe Riviera will blow us away in Jan? Time will tell!

 

[Sandisw]

We just recently booked a stay for Jan. We've visited the resort just to look around and while we think it's beautiful, I do worry about the location and the dependence on the Skyliner. We love the Skyliner as a fun diversion, but I've seen some horrendous lines at the end of the day at HS and EP. I want to experience it first hand, though, and decide for myself.

I am really looking forward to staying there and am glad we have enough direct points to do so when we want. As of right now, we've put the brakes on buying more points until we get more info on the Poly tower. I think it's highly likely we'll be adding on there. But who knows? Maybe Riviera will blow us away in Jan? Time will tell!

I can say that those horrendous lines at the end of the night…well, we were in the Epcot one…go pretty fast. I don’t think it can take any longer than it can if you have to wait for the buses.

 

[jarestel]

I really didn't have an opinion one way or another but after staying there I now think Riviera has the best rooms on property. I didn't end up buying points there, but I would definitely look forward to staying again in the future.

 

[Pens Fan]

I can say that those horrendous lines at the end of the night…well, we were in the Epcot one…go pretty fast. I don’t think it can take any longer than it can if you have to wait for the buses.

That's good to know! That's why I want to experience it myself. I see those lines, and think - nope! But you can tell that they are at least moving. I have a feeling that might be better than standing for 20 or more minutes waiting on a bus - which is also fairly common. Honestly the only reason I've even seen those Skyliner lines after EP closes is because we are hoofing it to the Beach Club to order an Uber or Lyft to avoid the long wait for a bus at the front entrance .

 

[beccasmom]

I was not impressed with Riviera when I saw the photos and pretty much decided we probably would not stay there. But we relented and stayed for one night last July. And I was impressed enough to book a 5-night stay this year. The rooms are lovely (we were in a preferred studio) and we enjoyed the restaurants. I don’t think photos do the resort justice. Sadly, we just canceled the July trip for multiple personal reasons. We will be staying there in September, but probably only for one night (we’re booked for the rest of our trip at CCV). I might have to plan another “Riviera centric” trip for early next year. Buying isn’t in the cards for us. We’re nearing retirement and are content with our current resorts.

 

[Dizzydizney]

To answer your specific question about if one changed their mind after staying there. We only toured the mock up rooms they had set up at SSR. We bought but didn’t stay until 8 months later. Was sorry we did not purchase more points while incentives were good. We love it there. We’ve done standard studio, standard one bedroom and tower. The rooms are great and views for the most part awesome. I don’t care about the lobby...I don’t spend any time in there; I don’t care about the shopping...I refuse to buy their overpriced stuff. Topolinos is a great restaurant and Primo has the best counter service.
Their point chart is about in line with the Grand F. Some rooms are less.
When DVC fooled with the points charts it really messed up my plans and will probably add on a small resale.
We already had a monorail resort (BLT) and the contract end date was a plus.
Everyone’s needs are different. DVC has something for everyone.