Disney’s Riviera Resort Review
Disney’s Riviera Resort is a hotel and DVC property on the Skyliner gondola route adjacent to Caribbean Beach at Walt Disney World. This review features room photos, the pros & cons of staying here, whether it’s worth the money, thoughts on dining & amenities, and a comparison to other WDW accommodations.
This Deluxe Villa Resort offers approximately 300 vacation homes and units, including studios, one and two-bedroom villas, and grand villas that sleep up to 12 guests each. There’s also the new Tower Studios room category that sleep two guests (as these are an outlier from the rest of the resort, we’ve separately reviewed the Tower Studio here).
Disney’s Riviera Resort is marketed as being inspired by Europe and imagined by Disney, as it brings the elegance of a modern European retreat blended with a touch of old-world glamour and Disney charm to Walt Disney World. In reality, it’s a resort of contrasts that in some ways lives up to its billing and in other ways falls woefully short…
Let’s begin by dispensing with the bad. The resort’s location on land that, in large part, used to belong to Caribbean Beach Resort feels lazy. It’s common for Disney Vacation Club resorts to be built adjacent to or as part of existing hotels in order to share infrastructure and save costs. However, those are usually Deluxe Resorts and built in a manner consistent with their design.
Disney is treating this as a flagship DVC property, but it’s essentially on the grounds of a Moderate Resort. Thematically, these two properties clash with one another, and it’s jarring to be sitting in the tropics of Caribbean Beach and see these grey towers looming in the distance. In fairness, Caribbean Beach guests do benefit from upgraded and new amenities at or near their resort.
Next, the architecture is uninspired and boring. The styles of the combined “Riviera” (French and Italian) are rich, varied, and ornate. There’s no shortage of inspiration from which Imagineering could’ve drawn, nor is there a singular style that typifies the regions. Here are examples of buildings in Nice, France–these are consistent with what you’ll find throughout the French Riviera. None of them are like Disney’s Riviera Resort.
Instead, Disney’s Riviera Resort has some mansard roofing, a few colorful awnings and window shutters, and…that’s about it. The architecture has less in common with the Italian or French Riviera and is more like Val d’Europe, a town adjacent to Disneyland Paris built in conjunction with Disney. Except even the modern, suburbia of Val d’Europe has more architectural merit and depth. Disney’s Riviera Resort is more like a knock-off of that than anything noteworthy in the Riviera.
To make matters worse, Disney didn’t even go all-in on this unambitious design. The hallways that connect the wings of the towers lack windows or, in some cases, have one lone window randomly and awkwardly breaking up a stretch of nothing. The aforementioned shutters and awnings aren’t above every window, just a few of them.
One prominent end of the building that should have two windows instead has one glaringly uncentered window. Some archways are distressed and given texture, others are not. We could go on.
Instead of serious efforts at themed design, Disney has used the crutch of adorning the resort with art and photos of Walt and Lillian in Europe. (We’ve visited several places that Lillian and Walt Disney visited in the French Riviera–they’re nothing like this DVC resort.)
Theme and decorations are not the same thing. These prints and photos would be an excellent touch in a lavishly-done resort, but they’re no substitute for actual theme. That’s especially the case given that these European stories aren’t specific to the Riviera, anyway.
For me, this all is a colossal disappointment as there’s so much potential for a Riviera-themed resort, and Disney squandered all of that. If the up-front intent was a resort with a less ambitious design, why not choose something less extravagant as source material?
The major criticism we’ve seen of Disney’s Riviera Resort from others is the lobby. Unlike many other hotels at Walt Disney World, there is no grand, multi-story lobby that makes a strong first impression.
There’s also fairly limited seating, which is insufficient for the number of guests who will mill about or wait here for Disney’s Magical Express.
Honestly, this bugs us far less than the above issues, and would be fairly forgivable if Disney’s Riviera Resort had some other defining design feature.
Grandiose lobbies have become a hallmark of upscale Walt Disney World hotels, but they’re hardly a necessity. Many of Europe’s finest properties forgo this feature in favor of a more intimate entryway.
The lobby seems like a good point to transition into the positives. This is a good example of how Disney has balanced modern luxurious with classicism. The lobby at feels at once contemporary and traditional, and sets the proper tone for the rest of the interior design.
For all of our quibbles with the exterior, the inside of Disney’s Riviera Resort is largely on-point. There are some spots where the finishings feel cheap or rushed, but the good outweighs the bad. There’s a lot of texture and detail in a variety of places: tile, carpet, trim, ceilings, walls, and yes, even that aforementioned artwork.
Disney has made a big deal about the number of original pieces of artwork designed exclusively for Riviera Resort, and many of these are lovely. These provide pops of color throughout the hotel, and also soften up the interiors with touches of Disney in common areas, hallways, and guest rooms.
In general, this approach works really well. At its core, the interior design is probably best described as a low-key mix of French Baroque and neoclassicism. It’s not as over the top or intricate as the best exemplars of either style, but the guest rooms have a subtle formality to them that’s nicely offset via uses of color, artwork, and some contemporary flourishes.
The guest rooms do a good job of balancing competing interests. They’re simultaneously luxurious, modern, and themed. Achieving this trifecta is something with which Disney has struggled in recent years, and the range of various room redesigns reflect this.
My personal preference is for rooms that skew more towards the themed end of the spectrum, as I think that’s what Disney does best (that’s why my favorite resorts are Wilderness and Animal Kingdom Lodges, and why I’m a huge fan of the room reimagining at the latter). I’d hazard a guess that many longtime WDW fans and purists will feel similarly.
However, I can recognize that not everything Disney does needs to cater to my personal tastes. For what Riviera is, the rooms hit the right notes. The studios, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units are on par with the guest rooms at the Villas at Grand Floridian Resort. Personally, I’d give the edge to the Villas at Grand Floridian, but it’s a close call.
As we noted in our review of that DVC property, those DVC units are superior to the regular Grand Floridian hotel rooms. We’d now add that the guest rooms at Disney’s Riviera Resort are also superior to the new rooms at Beach Club, BoardWalk, Bay Lake Tower, Contemporary, and a handful of other resorts.
As with the Tower Studio, we found the bathrooms to be quite nice in the higher tier rooms.
Pictured above is the bathroom in the 1-bedroom unit.
In particular, we really like the Deluxe Studio rooms. (Above is one in the finished resort, but we have more of model 1-bedroom and studios in our Disney’s Riviera Resort Room Tour.)
These have some nice aesthetic touches that give them a Disneyfied European sensibility, along with practical features that offer plenty of utility.
Having learned its lesson from Old Key West and Saratoga Springs, Disney has opted for a single-building and condensed layout with Disney’s Riviera Resort.
While I prefer a sprawling property, it’s hard to argue against this approach (especially given that the size and layout of the aforementioned resorts is one of their most common complaints).
Disney’s Riviera Resort makes the most of its compact layout, with grounds that are both intimate and having plenty of charm.
The landscaping is lovely, there are some quaint touches and other details that help buoy the property. The lawn and its games are a particularly nice touch.
The pools are sufficient, but will hardly be why anyone books a stay at Disney’s Riviera Resort.
In typical European fashion, it seems like both the Riviera Pool and Beau Soleil Leisure Pool are better suited to lounging and sunbathing than swimming. The pools do offer quality lounge chairs, sun umbrellas, and a variety of seating. Adults should appreciate all of this–we did.
Kids will enjoy the 30-foot tall tower turret water slide. Smaller children will likewise enjoy the S’il Vous Play Area, which features characters from Fantasia.
If these areas fall short and your family takes its pool time super seriously, the Fuentes del Morro “Pirate Fortress” Pool over at Caribbean Beach is a short walk away. (To my knowledge, guests at Riviera Resort can pool hop to Caribbean Beach, but not vice-verse.)
Then there’s the dining–Disney’s Riviera Resort is superb on this front. In our Review of Topolino’s Terrace Character Breakfast Á la Art with Mickey & Friends, we called that the best character meal at Walt Disney World. At dinner, Topolino’s Terrace also offers a Signature meal that made a strong first impression.
Our success with three meals down at the resort’s counter service restaurant, Primo Piatto, has been more hit or miss. However, it’s batting around .667, with one entree that’s in the top 5 of all Walt Disney World counter service.
Likewise, Le Petit Café, Bar Riva, Voyageur’s Lounge, and whatever the pool gelato stand is called have all impressed.
When you include the exceptional dining within a 10 minute walk over at Caribbean Beach, you could do an entire trip without ever leaving the Barefoot Bay area for meals. (Seriously, don’t underestimate Sebastian’s Bistro or Spyglass Grill.)
Next, transportation. Having the Skyliner station right next to the Riviera’s towers is a huge asset. The resorts within walking distance of a park will always have the advantage in our minds.
Nevertheless, being able to walk out the door of Riviera Resort, board the Skyliner, and be inside Epcot or Disney’s Hollywood Studios in ~15 minutes is a huge asset that really cannot be overstated. Skyliner transportation will no doubt be one of the biggest selling points Disney’s Riviera Resort offers.
Bus transportation is also available to the parks and Disney Springs. We weren’t able to test the bus service as thoroughly as we would’ve liked (the in-app times were not working yet during our stay), but buses generally seemed prompt and were not overfilled.
We’ve already made comparisons between Riviera and Grand Floridian in terms of the guest rooms, but two other resorts are worth mentioning as counterparts that may be worthy alternatives depending upon your preferences, priorities, and budget. First is the one next door–Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort (read our full review here).
Caribbean Beach is a sprawling Moderate Resort with exterior hallways and multiple bus stops, so in some senses it has very little in common with Riviera Resort. However, it’s also within walking distance of Riviera’s dining, has better pools, and two Skyliner stations. Riviera’s advantages are its compact layout, significantly nicer rooms, and overall upscale vibe. Caribbean Beach’s main advantage is that it’s a fraction of the price.
The next comparison is Gran Destino at Coronado Springs (read our full review). This is also different in a few ways; most significant of which is that Gran Destino is not on the Skyliner.
However, it’s also an upscale tower hotel with modern and luxurious amenities and elevated dining. Gran Destino’s rooms are weaker, but it’s lobby is more impressive, the hotel is more adult (Chronos Club Level is excellent), and it’s also significantly cheaper.
As is common for Deluxe Villas, rack rates at Disney’s Riviera Resort are fairly absurd. It’s really difficult for us (if not impossible) to justify these prices. With a 35-40% off discount, the rates become more palatable. Of course, since this is a Disney Vacation Club resort, the vast majority of guests staying here (eventually) will be using points. (For reasons beyond the scope of this article, we’d caution against buying Riviera as a home resort.)
In terms of points, we think the “cost” is more or less fair (with the Tower Studio being too high). Renting points, the average cost for a 1-night stay in a studio is around $250-350, depending upon season. See our Tips for Renting Disney Vacation Club Points article for more info on that.
Overall, I would expect Disney’s Riviera Resort to be a hit with guests. While I stand by all of my qualms with the property, especially the weak exterior, I’m probably going to be in the minority on these points. It’s likely that Disney has made a calculated bet, expecting most guests won’t notice or care.
Perhaps Disney figures that even guests who do will be sufficiently impressed by the transportation, interior, grounds, dining, and other amenities that they’ll forgive the bland exterior. I’m of the mindset that we shouldn’t accept “good enough” from Disney. What the Imagineers can do, even with a similar hotel concept, can be awe-inspiring when they’re given the creative freedom and budget.
Even we are split on whether the upsides of Disney’s Riviera Resort are enough to overcome its shortcomings. For me, the answer is no. I’d be fine never staying here again. Sarah sees the same problem-points but disagrees, noting that you largely don’t see the Riviera’s exterior when you’re in the rooms.
Sarah finds that the resort’s grounds have enough personality and visual interest that you aren’t focusing on the exterior. In her view, the room quality, Skyliner, and dining provide more than enough to make Riviera Resort a worthwhile choice for Walt Disney World accommodations. Regardless, our ultimate recommendation would be visiting Disney’s Riviera Resort before booking a stay here to see how it works for you, personally.
If you’re thinking about joining DVC, be sure to read our Ultimate Guide to Disney Vacation Club. This covers the pros & cons, resale v. direct, how much money you’ll save, and other important things to know before taking the plunge. If you still can’t decide whether membership is right for you, “try before you buy” with the recommendations in How to Save BIG on Deluxe Disney Accommodations Renting DVC Points.
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of Disney’s Riviera Resort? If you’ve stayed here or even just visited the grounds, how would your review differ from mine? What do you think of Riviera’s theme/decorations? Do you agree or disagree with my assessment? Thoughts on the rooms, dining, transportation, or other amenities? If you’re Disney Vacation Club member, do you plan on trying to stay at Riviera Resort? Share any questions, tips, or additional thoughts you have in the comments!
I just wanted to add a perspective that I don’t see shared here. My family of 5 is staying at Riviera next spring break (I know…) and we chose this resort specifically for 3 things: (1) I’m not a huge Disney fan and want a break from the theming to let my sensory load reset (2) it can sleep the whole family without a sofa bed, including a small kitchen and 2 showers (3) Skyliner access. Enjoying this site tremendously. Our last trip to WDW 5 years ago was over Xmas day (miserable) and staying at FQ. We’re hoping while still combating crowds and wait times, we’ll have a little luxury when we get back to our rooms.
RR 1 BR Villas are my family’s favorite resort:) love the fine details from top to bottom in this room! The finishes are exquisite. The bathroom is the bomb! The bubbling soaking tub is awesome.
Now, the price….only can afford to stay here with a steep 30%+ discount off the rack rate.
We did try the deluxe room this summer. It was nice, still expensive, pros-2 showers made getting ready great. Living area room with the Murphy bed felt a little tight for a Fam of 3, that is using the Murphy bed nightly. Probably would be fine for a stay at five nights or less. But we usually stay for 12 nights. That’s why we like the one bedroom villa.
Just really love the hotel layout. Housekeeping and staff go above and beyond, so helpful. Great food at QS & TS @ Toppolinos is worth the $$$. Great adult drinks and good lattes and deserts. Also, like the skyliner. Bocce, activity crafts/center, & fitness room all Great! Will continue coming back to the Rivi resort.
We just got back from Riveria. We did not think it was anything special. Definitely not worth the price. Bus service was hit or miss as was dining. We actually enjoyed staying at Caribbean beach resort last year much better. We did not expect much but were pleasantly surprised. We took advantage of Riviera grounds and dining but paid a fraction of the price.
Tom I disagree with your room comparrisons with Grand Floridian. I’ve stayed at both and the rooms at Riviera were much more updated, cleaner and better suited for today’s familes.
I agree with you that the architectural theming of the Riviera is not among the highlights of the resort. If you need to explain the storytelling and the theming, then you’re really failing.
Just saying the Imagineers did put in more thought than it might seem. There are reasons for some of the things that at first glance don’t make sense.
Arguably, Riviera Resort might be more praised if they worried less about an “authentic story” and presented more stereotypical and even cliche European design.
I will fully agree that Riviera does not provide the “rich thematic design” of Animal Kingdom Lodge, Poylnesian or Wilderness Lodge. But apart from a handful of properties, I don’t find the theming any more or less ambitious than most. I really don’t find the theming any less ambitious than Beach Club (How is Cape May the only seafood restaurant at Beach Club / Yacht Club?? At a minimum, how about putting a lobster roll on the menu at Beaches and Cream??), Grand Floridian (so the theme is to copy a classic San Diego area resort?), Contemporary/BLT. (for the record, I’m split on Boardwalk — the Boardwalk itself is a richly themed experience, but the actual hotel building is nothing special. )
Tom… came across this article that might interest you:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/csylt/2020/01/24/disneys-magic-formula-for-recreating-european-style-in-orlando/?sh=7092b95a6a78
Some of the things you criticize, like the inconsistent “aging” and use of awnings, are actually done very intentionally as part of the theme and the storytelling.
To some degree, the valid criticism of the Riviera may not be a lack of theming, simply that the theming is too subtle and confusing. If you have to explain the theming, it probably isn’t a huge success.
But reading about the imagineers “story” for the Riviera does make me appreciate its theming a bit more.
What I read there is a lot of ex post facto “storytelling” to explain away a lack of thematic ambition. It’s particularly amusing to me that they point to specific hotels in the Côte d’Azur, but only for cherry-picked elements. Look at the design totality of any one of those properties as compared to the Riviera–Disney’s interpretation lacks the richness that typifies so many iconic hotels in the region.
You love the Riviera–great. Totally understand and respect that, and there are things I like about it, too. I just think it requires some contortions and taking what Disney says at face value to justify the exterior design and some aspects of the thematics.
I know this is an old thread but I’m hoping someone will respond. Tom gave great advice for CBR for the Aruba building for our stay there and I couldn’t have been more pleased with that advice. Next week we’re staying at Riviera, booked a Deluxe Studio Standard view and wondering if there is a floor and section I should request? I would really appreciate if anyone had any advice. Thanks in advance!
Forgive my grammar, I really do need to proofread better.
Can we pool hop, while staying at Riviera, to the Caribbean beach?
Can’t we pool hop, while staying at Riviera, pool hopping to the Caribbean beach?
We’re staying at Riviera in November. Can we pull up to Caribbean Beach resort? Didn’t know if that was available during fall of 2020, given the restrictions
Typo~~POOL HOP
We are DVC owners since 2004, we toured the rooms and resort, we like the resort, the only thing we dont like about the studio and 1 bedroom is missing tv stand/armour. Lacking drawers for clothes and other stuff, only has drawers in the foot board of the bed. Plenty of closet space, not enough hangers. If they did the resort the way you think it should have been the price for a room would have been way more, than the amount you were complaining about. We typically stay OKW or SSR, usually less kids. Next trip BLT
I haven’t stayed at Riviera Resort but I’ll be staying in May of 2021.
I have to vehemently disagree with the complainers posting here. Apparently there are a lot of folks who seem to be angry about the exterior and the lack of theming. While these folks may have legitimate points, they’re arguing for their own subjective opinions. I’d like to offer some OBJECTIVE counterpoints as to why the deluxe studio rooms at RR ARE THE BEST ROOMS ON WDW PROPERTY if someone is comparing apples to apples.
To begin with, I’d ask the question – why do people stay at a deluxe resort vs. a moderate vs. a value? Two reasons; room size and transportation to the parks. That’s why both Animal Kingdom Lodge and Wilderness Lodge are less expensive then other deluxe resorts EVEN THOUGH the theming at AKL and WL is arguably the best of any onsite resort.
So coming back to the Riviera Resort, when it comes room size and transportation, the deluxe studio villas at RR deliver big time. The deluxe studio units are 421 square feet. That’s bigger then any other resort room or DVC studio unit with the exception of the rooms at the Grand Floridian (440 square feet) and the Polynesian Studio Villas (465 square feet). For those who complain about the RR prices, the GF and Poly Studio Villas are far more expensive.
2. The fact that the skyliner is so accessible when staying at the RR is a major advantage. Obviously, when staying at a monorail resort, you have easy access to two theme parks. The Crescent Lake resorts offer the same advantage, just different parks. With access to the skyliner, transportation to Epcot or Hollywood Studios is just as convenient at the Riviera as it is at the Boardwalk or Yacht and Beach Club. However, the skyliner is a continuously loading mode of transportation. That means that you can be at Epcot or DHS within 12 to 15 minutes when staying at the Riviera Resort. Conversely, the friendship boats on Crescent Lake may get you to Epcot or DHS within the same time frame IF you don’t have to wait on the dock for one of the boats to appear. You very well may be waiting 15 minutes BEFORE you board one of those boats.
Finally, consider these three points –
1. With the Deluxe Studio Villas at RR you have 2 nice queen size beds rather then 1 bed and a pull out coach. It’s my understanding that eventually all of the DVC studio resorts will have Murphy beds rather then pullout coaches. For now, only the new rooms at SS and the studio villas at OKW come with two standard queen mattresses. For years, I wouldn’t consider booking a studio villa because of my bad memories of sleeping on Aunt Lou’s hide-a-bed.
2. The studio villas at RR have a split bathroom – Two people can get ready for a day in the parks at the Same Time. That perk is essential when a family wants to get to the parks, avoiding the juggernaut of getting ready in the morning. Only the Poly studio villas and the GF studio villas offer this advantage.
3. The RR studio villas have a small freezer compartment in the mini fridge. Since last year, Disney doesn’t allow loose ice to be brought inside the parks. However, you can have ice packs placed inside a cooler. Now my question – how are you supposed to freeze an ice pack if there isn’t a freezer in your room????
In conclusion, there isn’t a studio villa or resort room on Disney property that offers all of the perks that the RR studio villas have. When I saw videos of these rooms, my mind was made up; I’m staying at the Riviera Resort!!! Some may disagree with these conclusions. If you find yourself in the camp that differs with me, I’m sorry but YOU’RE WRONG and I’M RIGHT!! SO THERE!!
You said you are staying there. Big deal. If you are so sold, why aren’t you buying there? That would be more convincing.
I haven’t seen riviera yet since it’s been finished but from the picture you show at the end of the exterior, it actually looks a LOT like an apartment I lived in San Francisco. Unfortunately, I agree with you that the aesthetic of the exterior would turn me off when thematically there are much better delux/DVC properties to choose from. If riviera was a moderate resort as well I’d be inclined to stay but I’d rather do similar to you and stay at wilderness or AKL since I come to Disney to be immersed. Great review .
Here is my (LONG sorry) review of Riviera from another group after our stay – we did 2 nights at Kidani and 6 at Riviera in the first week of Feb –
Transportation:
Obviously, the skyliner is awesome. We spent a lot of time at World Showcase, so having just one stop on the skyliner over there was awesome.
The skyliner did stop running one day due to wind – buses were there, often, and fairly empty.
Most of the time, the buses were almost empty. Even leaving MK right after fireworks, there was only like 3 people standing on the bus. We had no problems with buses not being reliable at all.
Dining:
The character breakfast at Topolino’s was excellent. Great food, good portions, character interaction was great, the characters spent a lot of time at the tables and got Donald and Mickey twice each.
it’s not a buffet, but they’ll give you extra pastries, and I was waffling (yuck yuck) btwn the waffles and the steak with polenta because I was curious about the apples with the waffles. Waitress offered to get me a side of apples with the steak, I said sure. I ended up with two mini waffles with apples and chantilly cream plus my full entree at no extra charge.
Primo Piatta the quick service is GREAT with options we really liked. Didn’t taste like a quick service restaurant.
This may sound silly, but having the Coke freestyle machine for the refillable mugs was a godsend for me. I could grab a lot of powerade zero and sparkling water after long days at the park to rehydrate, not just your token 6 options. Got 2-3 fills a night. It’s available til midnight, and a 24 normal 6 coke products one is available by the pool bar.
The mochas are made with hershey chocolate syrup. Admittedly, we are coffee snobs, but we expected far better. They generally weren’t even mixed properly. Mochas and lattes were better at Joffrey’s or Sbux.
Didn’t try the pool bar.
Room:
Stayed in a Deluxe studio with a preferred view. View of the skyliner, pool, HS and could see Epcot fireworks at night.
Better bedding than Kidani
Two showers in the room, the walk in shower with the rainfaill head is amazing
Bed was super comfy, under bed storage was great
By the east elevator but still very short walk to skyliner which is on the west side
Ambiance/Cast
I loved all the pics of Walt and the art
Liked the disney music playing in french
Had a kaffufle with Disney cruise line having the wrong room number and calling and waking us up because they were trying to find people going on a cruise – RR CMs apologized profusely and gave us 4 multi park fastpasses for us and our 2 AP friends not staying with us for 3 DAYS!
The CMs were overall fantastic
Liked the RR merch
The ambiance didn’t wow me but I enjoyed it. It wasn’t ewww this is just an overpiced Sheraton, but it wasn’t the absolute love of AKL either.
TL/DR – the bottom line
We liked the Riviera and would stay again but it’s overpriced. If you get the 40% off deal that we did, or some other discount that’s good, it’s worth it.
This was really helpful, thanks!! We’re considering RR for a split stay this fall- three nights at Bay Lake and then three nights possibly here, of course depending on how current COVID19 events play out. I’m not sure how I feel about the overall lack of theme, but it seems like I may fall into the camp of the rest of the positives making up for most of the lack of true theme.
I couldn’t agree more with this review. Maybe I’m being harsh, but the lobby has more in common with a modern Sheraton than anything authentically European. Maybe you felt slightly more positively inclined due to the Christmas decorations – without those it’s even more bland. I’ve seen that ceiling light fixture in the lobby before – in an American Airlines Admirals Club of all places – and certainly NOT in the Riviera of Europe. I feel its closest parallel (not thematically, but in construction) is Gran Destino tower, but that has unique and clever lighting and a pleasant two-tiered lobby design. I would prefer to stay there even if I weren’t paying for that stay, which is saying something.
The outdoor murals are nicely lit, there’s some nice art, and I haven’t seen the rooms, but overall I can’t escape the sense of “I could be anywhere” – which is made all the more perplexing when this is a DVC property and not “just” a luxury hotel appealing to a wider market.
I feel the need to present an opposing viewpoint. The Caribbean Beach is being viewed as the “tacky next door neighbor” whose guests are invited to come spend money at the Riviera Resort, but are kept carefully away from the pool, and other amenities. As a long term Caribbean Beach enthusiast (from our first visit to Walt Disney World in 1992), I feel that RR has ruined the Caribbean Beach. The lush tropical feel of the resort has been transformed by the awful view of the huge DVC tower. The skyliner gondolas continuously whiz overhead. My favorite buildings at the Caribbean Beach were destroyed to build RR. It should have been put somewhere else on property, thereby pleasing guests at both resorts.
I have many happy memories staying at Caribbean Beach with my kids and this is my concern too — I’d love to go back to Caribbean Beach but I’m shocked that the new Riviera Resort — so thematically separate from the tropical Caribbean — was put clearly within viewing distance of the Caribbean Beach Resort. It makes me sad and nervous to try Caribbean Beach again.
Excellent point, well stated. Have to agree with you.
We just got back from a stay at Copper Creek. We are going back in July because I have a small Disney problem and I am really debating Copper Creek again vs Riviera. We absolutely loved taking the Skyliner (my toddler especially) and found the transportation a bit frustrating this time at Wilderness. We think in July due to heat and crowds we will be doing more pool and resort time with quick park visits. Price is currently the same for one bedroom villas ( we are not DVC but are AP). Anyone have thoughts?
Just returned from a WDW trip this weekend and our first visit to Riviera. It will also be our last.
The resort is awful. It is not up to Disney standards in any way. It is effectively themeless and actually feels generic…. like an brand new Hilton, rather than a Disney deluxe resort. I can’t even begin to imagine how this went so wrong. As Tom said, this looks and feels nothing like the actual Riviera. For starters, why is it cut off from the water?
One of the reasons we joined DVC was the amazing feeling of being inside the “Disney Bubble”. There is absolutely no Disney Bubble at Riviera. Instead, there’s people working on laptops at a coffee shop. And drinking in a Miami-style pool bar. It’s actually quite like an airport Sheraton. But much, much more expensive.
Buyer beware.
Hello Tom. Thank you for your Riviera Resort review & readers’ insights. My husband recently stayed at the RR for WDW Race Weekend, in which I ran my first half marathon.
I agree with you on most, if not all, points. The outside of the resort, while bland, did not deter us from enjoying the Tower Studio room we had. Topolino Terrace’s Character breakfast was excellent. The amenities looked nice, but we didn’t have time to enjoy them since we only stayed for two nights. The one quibble I had was not being to upgrade our DDP plastic mug to the new Skyliner metallic travel mug– we had to walk to CBR to do that. The RR definitely has some bugs to iron out, but I did appreciate seeing the appearances of its interior/exterior being maintained by its Disney crew.
My best friend is a DVC member. A year ago, we stayed at Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa and Contemporary’s Bay Lake Towers. BLT was fine for me bc I love all things vintage. However, with SSR, I was non-plussed– for that level resort, the room & interior furnishings were old and tired. I use the newer Las Vegas hotel properties as my standard. Why was SSR like that? The lobby was nice enough, but I am not staying in the lobby! I will gladly take a room’s nice interior over a nice lobby any day. Maybe SSR is renovated as of now? At least, that’s what one reader commented.
As per Disney AKL, my husband stayed there last April. It gives me no pleasure to say that THAT was among the worst experiences I have had at any resort, Disney or non-Disney. Maybe it was because we did not pay directly and used airline points instead, but it felt like a bad version of the Twilight Zone in terms of hospitality and accommodating our needs. Kidani Village was beautiful, to be sure, but hotel hospitality is high on my list; unfortunately, KV failed big time on this regard. But this was another point on which the Riviera Resort shined– everyone working there were either very nice or polite, something every Disney guest should expect at a Disney property.
Lastly, I chose the RR bc of its proximity to the Skyliner. Using this mode of transportation is HUGE. As Native Californians, riding this brought back nostalgic memories of riding Disneyland’s Skyway gondola. Sure, there are other modes of Disney transportation at the other Disney resorts, but I still feel most of them CAN”T bet the adrenaline rush of riding the Skyliner. The only other mode of transportation we love are the boats from the Disney Swan & Dolphin Resort. In what the RR lacks (e.g., no spa), our stay at the Swan makes up for RR’s shortcomings.
So for all the reasons listed, we will likely stay at Disney’s Riviera Resort again.
We love Riveria. Even the exterior…it’s different from what we have seen at Disney, but it may grow on you. Took me going twice to go from “I’m not sure…” to “I love it!”. We are looking forward to going later this year and having a vacation from our vacation at Riveria. It’s beautiful, nicely themed and quiet/smaller than other DVC locations. And, no, Caribbean Beach didn’t bother us at all. We actually enjoyed being able to see so much of the Disney property from the Riveria. It’s a win for us and sadly we have out grown the studios at Poly, so Riveria it is.