The new DVC Riviera Resort??

[DougEMG]

Assuming there are an equal number of Studios and 1-bedrooms at a resort, if they raised the Studios by 2 points, and lowered the 1-bedrooms by 2 points, and left the 2-bedrooms alone, then 2 bedroom lockoffs would balance out, and remain the same, because the studio part would cost 2 points more, but the 1-bedroom part would cost 2 points less.

In this way, there would now be a 4 point shift in the cost of 1-bedrooms vs Studios. So the demand for Studios would decrease slightly, making them a bit more available. The demand for 1-bedrooms would increase slightly, and the demand for 2 bedrooms would stay the same.

It makes a lot of sense to me. Why doesn't Disney do it? Let's face it, 1-bedrooms cost so much more than Studios that there just isn't much demand for them. I know you get the benefit of a kitchen and laundry, and a separate bedroom, but clearly Disney values these things more than DVC Members do, as shown by the DVC Member's booking patterns. So Disney should get with the program and make it work better FOR THE MEMBERS. It wouldn't cost Disney anything more or affect their profits.

That kind of point shift might make me more temped to go with a 1 bedroom.

For me the problem is that the one bedroom has the same sleeping arrangements as a studio and we don't really make use of the kitchen or washer/drier. So it definitely isn't worth double the points to us.

 

[Mumof4mice]

Assuming there are an equal number of Studios and 1-bedrooms at a resort, if they raised the Studios by 2 points, and lowered the 1-bedrooms by 2 points, and left the 2-bedrooms alone, then 2 bedroom lockoffs would balance out, and remain the same, because the studio part would cost 2 points more, but the 1-bedroom part would cost 2 points less.

In this way, there would now be a 4 point shift in the cost of 1-bedrooms vs Studios. So the demand for Studios would decrease slightly, making them a bit more available. The demand for 1-bedrooms would increase slightly, and the demand for 2 bedrooms would stay the same.

It makes a lot of sense to me. Why doesn't Disney do it? Let's face it, 1-bedrooms cost so much more than Studios that there just isn't much demand for them. I know you get the benefit of a kitchen and laundry, and a separate bedroom, but clearly Disney values these things more than DVC Members do, as shown by the DVC Member's booking patterns. So Disney should get with the program and make it work better FOR THE MEMBERS. It wouldn't cost Disney anything more or affect their profits.

Agree a point chart adjustment like this would have a measurable impact on studio availability. I doubt it's likely to happen though.

Having studios that compare so favorably to hotel rooms in nightly rate is an integral part of the DVC sales pitch. The guides are trained to show prospective buyers the point charts, casually flipped to the BWV page, and tell them point blank: you can book anywhere at 7 months (subject to availability. Terms and conditions apply). The two bedrooms are also calibrated to be attractive for families that would otherwise need two hotel rooms.

Just a hunch, I think Riviera will have new room types not in the current line up. I'm thinking Loft Studios with a King +/- a Murphy, for couples +/- 1 child.

 

[JETSDAD]

Just a hunch, I think Riviera will have new room types not in the current line up. I'm thinking Loft Studios with a King +/- a Murphy, for couples +/- 1 child.

This would be awesome and cause me to seriously look at buying Riviera (we have one child).

 

[Dean]

Assuming there are an equal number of Studios and 1-bedrooms at a resort, if they raised the Studios by 2 points, and lowered the 1-bedrooms by 2 points, and left the 2-bedrooms alone, then 2 bedroom lockoffs would balance out, and remain the same, because the studio part would cost 2 points more, but the 1-bedroom part would cost 2 points less.

In this way, there would now be a 4 point shift in the cost of 1-bedrooms vs Studios. So the demand for Studios would decrease slightly, making them a bit more available. The demand for 1-bedrooms would increase slightly, and the demand for 2 bedrooms would stay the same.

It makes a lot of sense to me. Why doesn't Disney do it? Let's face it, 1-bedrooms cost so much more than Studios that there just isn't much demand for them. I know you get the benefit of a kitchen and laundry, and a separate bedroom, but clearly Disney values these things more than DVC Members do, as shown by the DVC Member's booking patterns. So Disney should get with the program and make it work better FOR THE MEMBERS. It wouldn't cost Disney anything more or affect their profits.

If it were only that simple. There are factors that make this not completely applicable. Some resorts have dedicated studios and/or 1BR plus they do strive for a certain consistency across the the system. So this wouldn't work at any resort that has dedicated units because it would affect the overall mix/number of points. I don't think Poly would be much of a deterrent to changing other resorts though. Remember it's quite a bit of work and fairly costly to do a reallocation and it needs to be 100% needed so it shouldn't be done lightly.

As for working for the members, it depends. It'd work for those that want 1 BR and not for those that want studios. Personally I'm not overly concerned about the preferences of a given group since the POS states they must reallocate if needed. Certainly it wouldn't work for some if they were priced out and them's the breaks IMO, part of the system one bought into. It's not that I wouldn't be sympathetic to one adversely affected but it wouldn't change my view of the reallocation itself.

 

[zavandor]

This year Disney has lowered the point cost of AKV value rooms.
And they reallocated the cost of Tree houses but never did it for BWV or BLT standard.
Members and DVC have very different views about when a reallocation is required or not. But booking patterns have very little to do with it.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

This year Disney has lowered the point cost of AKV value rooms.
And they reallocated the cost of Tree houses but never did it for BWV or BLT standard.
Members and DVC have very different views about when a reallocation is required or not. But booking patterns have very little to do with it.

I believe that the change to the value points was actually driven by the desire to increase the point cost for concierge. The easiest one to offset against was the Values both because it was the second smallest room category and they might have wanted to restrict the rebalance to Jambo House. And Concierge still was more difficult to book than Value. Now they may have been more equalized with Value becoming even more difficult and little to no change to Concierge bookings.

 

[kboo]

My guesses include that monorail cars are never officially called "full" by Disney, so they can play dumb about how not knowing that more people couldn't fit. Also, the GF has a private boat that goes to MK, so they may want to encourage people to take that in order to maximize the amount of people going that way.

Yeah, we weren't to happy the last time we stayed at VGF and couldn't get on the monorail in the morning and had to take the boat over....... with an my elderly father on an ECV and one single stroller and one double for our 3 young children. I guess they think that the boat is an option, but not for every family.

On our last trip we were riding a small boat from BLT to WL and the captain was telling us that the monorails have a max capacity of about 300-350 pax while the ferries from TTC are over 600. But everyone crowds onto the monorail because that is the MK "signature" form of transportation and they think it is faster, but the ferries actually move more people, and they are almost never that crowded. People see a big crowd at the ferry dock and think it will be too crowded, but once a boat comes in, everyone waiting gets on, while with the monorail, that is not the case.

I haven't ridden the ferryboats in a long time, but I imagine they are easier on/off for ECVs and strollers?

@Matty B13, what times in the AM? Granted we haven't stayed at VGF all that much yet, but we've been ok with a double stroller. But a) we are always heading to MK either before the park opens or within that first hour, and b) having tried the monorail with my MIL in an ECV this last time, ECV + single stroller + double stroller makes my head spin. Wow. You might need to buy at BLT...

This is why I wish they would figure out a way for people to walk from GF to MK, the walk is shorter than the walk from BW to HS. Darn that canal!!!!!

My DH actually investigated that too, last time we were staying there. I think they keep the water pageant floats back there, though, so allowing a walking route would be like letting too many people see behind the magic... :-\

What's a bit frustrating for me is that I always planned on an Epcot resort to round out my DVC 'portfolio' and I'm sitting on a pile of cash to acquire said resort, I want to like it, but the Riviera so far just isn't impressing me.

If BWV or BCV end dates were past 2050, I think we would have bought there already. I also want to like Riviera - I suspect we will stay there sometime when it opens to check it out.

The gondolas will carry approximately 5000 people per hour. This is equal to 100 buses. That is a lot of people but clearly the gondolas will have a lot of space for those people. So I think gondolas at the Riviera will be OK.

Given my newly-acquired knowledge about the ferryboat and monorail capacity, that is a crazy crazy volume of people. I'm also thinking the Riviera will be at least ok. Also, the gondolas make me nostalgic about the skyways at DL and WDW from my childhood. I probably would have ridden those all day if my parents would have let me.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

On our last trip we were riding a small boat from BLT to WL and the captain was telling us that the monorails have a max capacity of about 300-350 pax while the ferries from TTC are over 600. But everyone crowds onto the monorail because that is the MK "signature" form of transportation and they think it is faster, but the ferries actually move more people, and they are almost never that crowded. People see a big crowd at the ferry dock and think it will be too crowded, but once a boat comes in, everyone waiting gets on, while with the monorail, that is not the case.

I haven't ridden the ferryboats in a long time, but I imagine they are easier on/off for ECVs and strollers?

@Matty B13, what times in the AM? Granted we haven't stayed at VGF all that much yet, but we've been ok with a double stroller. But a) we are always heading to MK either before the park opens or within that first hour, and b) having tried the monorail with my MIL in an ECV this last time, ECV + single stroller + double stroller makes my head spin. Wow. You might need to buy at BLT...


My DH actually investigated that too, last time we were staying there. I think they keep the water pageant floats back there, though, so allowing a walking route would be like letting too many people see behind the magic... :-\




If BWV or BCV end dates were past 2050, I think we would have bought there already. I also want to like Riviera - I suspect we will stay there sometime when it opens to check it out.



Given my newly-acquired knowledge about the ferryboat and monorail capacity, that is a crazy crazy volume of people. I'm also thinking the Riviera will be at least ok. Also, the gondolas make me nostalgic about the skyways at DL and WDW from my childhood. I probably would have ridden those all day if my parents would have let me.

When we stay at PVB we almost always take the ferry to/from MK. Last trip we noticed a short line for the resort monorail and decided to return on that. Then there was a hold or issue somewhere. Should have stuck with the Ferry. The only thing is that now with the security change its a bit worse to walkover to TTC. The have a security person by the path to PVB but they just sit there and you have to walk a bit around to the main TTC screening and get in that line. The ferry is very easy with strollers or any wheels.

 

[sky2823]

Stayed at BWV again recently and saw the construction of the gondola and Riviera in the distance.

First off, I am not an owner there, but after our second stay, I now understand why people love it (low points and walkability)

Forgive me if this has already been discussed....

If the gondola is terrible, then it will obviously have an impact on Riviera.

However, if it is awesome and they start linking all of the resorts (or at least more) which will certainly happen, what then will make Riviera special vs every other resort on the gondola route?

Judging by the name and outside, it doesn’t look like it will be heavily themed, you can’t walk anywhere nor will it have animals outside your window.

Whether the gondola is good or bad, “long-term”, I have become a lot less excited about riviera after seeing everything up close. This is Especially true if the they are selling points over $200 and it has a Above average point chart. It also will be huge and should have decent availability at 7 months like BLT.

It seems more of a location for another moderate hotel not a deluxe villa.

I don’t see a competitive “disneycentric” advantage to it other than the gondola which could (will) eventually become a commodity

Hopefully I’m wrong...

 

[aoconnor]

New rendering out. Still nothing of the inside...

 

[jerseygal]

New rendering out. Still nothing of the inside...

Not a lot of additional information.

 

[JETSDAD]

New rendering out. Still nothing of the inside...

I'm looking forward to this...though I wish they had provided more information I think (hope) that this is the start of them coming out with more info soon.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Still just artist pics.

 

[jerseygal]

I'm looking forward to this...though I wish they had provided more information I think (hope) that this is the start of them coming out with more info soon.

Hope so! Always interested to hear about new resorts and possibilities!

 

[aoconnor]

Info now on the Disney site! Sadly the tower studios for two only have a queen bed (not a king like we'd hoped). I think the room and lobby renderings look awfully plain...

Nice, but virtually zero theme. Pool is decent.

Lobby:

Two bedroom living room:

Two bedroom bedroom:

Two bedroom bathroom:

Kitchen:

Regular Studio-- note this does appear to have the murphy bed over the couch:

Studio bathroom:

Tower Studio (w/ one murphy bed) -- what's the point? Must be very low points:

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/riviera-resort/

 

[viper17d]

Info now on the Disney site! Sadly the tower studios for two only have a queen bed (not a king like we'd hoped). I think the room and lobby renderings look awfully plain...

Nice, but virtually zero theme. Pool is decent.

Lobby:

Two bedroom living room:

Two bedroom bedroom:

Two bedroom bathroom:

Kitchen:

Regular Studio-- note this does appear to have the murphy bed over the couch:

Studio bathroom:

Tower Studio (w/ one murphy bed) -- what's the point? Must be very low points:

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/riviera-resort/

Looks like there will be a nice restaurant/bar on the roof (which I’m sure has views of fireworks). Pool area is pretty awesome but the rooms just don’t scream luxury like the outside renderings are trying to convey.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Also, check the rack rates: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/riviera-resort/rates-rooms/

 

[TheMick424]

Also, check the rack rates: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/riviera-resort/rates-rooms/

I can't seem to get any rates to pop up, and I've tried a number of dates in the fall timeframe. What am I doing wrong?

 

[igrsod]

Also, check the rack rates: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/riviera-resort/rates-rooms/

It doesn't give me any prices.... just says its unavailable. The room options look interesting though. Can't wait to see how many points and the availability.

 

[Drewferin]

As a family of 5, I'm glad to see a studio and 1 bedroom can fit 5 people. Too bad I won't be even considering buying 50 points direct any longer due to DVDs new resale rules at Riviera.