News Disney Riviera Resort announced

[carolina_yankee]

I think the Riviera resort will be pretty nice overall, but it's great charm will likely be its interiors.

The exterior does look a bit blah, but I'm willing to wait and see what the finished product looks like with all the landscaping and grounds features.

As for "screaming Disney," I have to say that there was very little in my recent Copper Creek stay that indicated it was a Disney villa - virtually none of the art and I don't think I found a hidden Mickey. It was nicely themed as a contemporary western lodge in the mountains, but it didn't say "Disney." And it was a very nice stay.

OKW also doesn't strike me as any different than any other condo complex I've seen throughout the South, so again, I'm not sure that "theming" of one element of the resort is as critical as the experience of the whole package.

Dirk

 

[Rteetz]

 

[eddie104]

Absolutely a large concrete Marriott, just like we have been expecting. I just don't understand why Disney is "Disneyfying" their signature deluxe theme resorts while also building these nondescript, concrete Hilton/Marriott type hotels on the same property.

Walt Disney World is quickly going from the most well-planned, themed resort to the biggest mish-mash of crap we have ever seen. And all for what might as well be a million dollars a day to most families, to visit. Sad.

I think your being over dramatic for one and two not every resort at WDW is themed to the high heavens so your second statement is odd. Also it was already a mish mash of different styles so these new hotels are not going to change that.

 

[eddie104]

I hate to double post but here is a video i found of what the rooms are suppose to look inside the resort and personally i think they are very nice.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Looks like quite a trek to the gondola station particularly from the rooms across the hotel...

 

[CLEtoWDW]

Looks like quite a trek to the gondola station particular from the rooms across the hotel...

This was one of my biggest gripes about the resort. Sure you have the “convenience” of the Skyliner but you have quite the walk to the station and heaven forbid that thing breaks down... neat concept but I think the execution of the Skyliner will leave me disappointed.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

This was one of my biggest gripes about the resort. Sure you have the “convenience” of the Skyliner but you have quite the walk to the station and heaven forbid that thing breaks down... neat concept but I think the execution of the Skyliner will leave me disappointed.

I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m more concerned with how often Disney will shut it down for “lightning in the area”, pushing people to buses. Particularly in the summer with those daily thunderstorms. Guess we’ll see in practice how often this ends up being — but some have said this is their plan.

Struck me as way too up in the air to buy at riviera — even if I could make the numbers work (which I can’t for our situation).

 

[CLEtoWDW]

I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m more concerned with how often Disney will shut it down for “lightning in the area”, pushing people to buses. Particularly in the summer with those daily thunderstorms. Guess we’ll see in practice how often this ends up being — but some have said this is their plan.

Struck me as way too up in the air to buy at riviera — even if I could make the numbers work (which I can’t for our situation).

Exactly. Here’s the cluster that I picture: I’m leaving EPCOT so I walk back towards the international gateway only to find the Skyliner is down. Now I have to walk all the way back towards the main entrance to catch a bus back to the resort. This will happen.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Exactly. Here’s the cluster that I picture: I’m leaving EPCOT so I walk back towards the international gateway only to find the Skyliner is down. Now I have to walk all the way back towards the main entrance to catch a bus back to the resort. This will happen.

Definitely... it's a matter of frequency, I guess. To me, that's not reliable transportation that I'd shell out that kind of money for. Unless there was a walkway to Epcot. Which I know is not in the cards.

 

[pdude81]

This was one of my biggest gripes about the resort. Sure you have the “convenience” of the Skyliner but you have quite the walk to the station and heaven forbid that thing breaks down... neat concept but I think the execution of the Skyliner will leave me disappointed.

This is not unlike the Polynesian though where you have to walk for everything. In BLT and VGF you have to walk to different buildings for transportation as well as food IIRC even if all walking is covered.

 

[ABQ]

This is not unlike the Polynesian though where you have to walk for everything. In BLT and VGF you have to walk to different buildings for transportation as well as food IIRC even if all walking is covered.

Right, we've often stayed at near or at the very end of the VWL and the walk to the boat dock is quite a trek, it is what it is. With any large structure, something is going to be far away from some rooms.

 

[ABQ]

Exactly. Here’s the cluster that I picture: I’m leaving EPCOT so I walk back towards the international gateway only to find the Skyliner is down. Now I have to walk all the way back towards the main entrance to catch a bus back to the resort. This will happen.

I wonder if they could, well I know they could, but would, run busses from the Beach Club bus stop to Riviera and points beyond in such events? Still a longer walk than the Skyliner terminal, but shorter than the walk to the Epcot bus stops.

 

[pdude81]

I wonder if they could, well I know they could, but would, run busses from the Beach Club bus stop to Riviera and points beyond in such events? Still a longer walk than the Skyliner terminal, but shorter than the walk to the Epcot bus stops.

There is road that goes behind where the Skyliner station is and behind the gift shop. I have no knowledge of their plans but they could potentially have a stop there for a bus that would run a loop between Caribbean Beach, Riviera, and Pop/AoA. The time of day the summer lightning usually happens isn't when a ton of people are looking to get somewhere anyway.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

This is not unlike the Polynesian though where you have to walk for everything. In BLT and VGF you have to walk to different buildings for transportation as well as food IIRC even if all walking is covered.

We're owners at BLT and stay there all the time. The walk to the monorail doesn't look nearly as far, and the BLT rooms are not as spread out as Riviera. But the main thing: WE WALK TO MK!! No such option at Riviera which makes its pricing over the top IMO.

 

[pdude81]

We're owners at BLT and stay there all the time. The walk to the monorail doesn't look nearly as far, and the BLT rooms are not as spread out as Riviera. But the main thing: WE WALK TO MK!! No such option at Riviera which makes its pricing over the top IMO.

I think the walk from most Riviera rooms to the Skyliner is similar to the walk from most BLT rooms to the Monorail. Probably a little longer on average depending on how the elevators are set up and the pathways on the first floor, but that difference may be made up for by the speed at which you get to your destination.

Walking to MK is a special privilege of BLT/CR and unless they create a 5th gate, there will probably be no more new resorts created that allow you to walk directly to a park. And to be fair the opening "member discount" version of the Riviera pricing could get you down to around $160 per point while the direct price of BLT is over $200 per point (demand pricing of course). When Reflections goes on sale, there will likely be a similar long walk to a boat dock for the non-bus transportation and it'll cost more than Riviera did.

It's all personal in terms of what we think these things are worth. I can't see myself paying direct prices moving forward if they keep rising, but a new Riviera contract was barely more than what I paid for a new PVB contract years ago, with similar (IMO) amenities and transportation ease. Waiting to see the execution would cost me more than $20 a point and price me out, so my family decided that we would trust them not to screw up the Skyliner. If the lightning stoppages or walking ability are major issues for you, then staying on cash with ap discounts at the new CSR tower probably stacks up pretty evenly to Riviera without the long term contract.

 

[Lensman]

Walking to MK is a special privilege of BLT/CR and unless they create a 5th gate, there will probably be no more new resorts created that allow you to walk directly to a park.

Just wanted to note that there was that rumored resort at the Epcot entrance. It's currently canceled / on indefinite hold.

 

[pdude81]

Just wanted to note that there was that rumored resort at the Epcot entrance. It's currently canceled / on indefinite hold.

Good point. I forgot about that, but they proabably left enough space to jam something in there after the entrance gets redone.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I think the walk from most Riviera rooms to the Skyliner is similar to the walk from most BLT rooms to the Monorail. Probably a little longer on average depending on how the elevators are set up and the pathways on the first floor, but that difference may be made up for by the speed at which you get to your destination.

Walking to MK is a special privilege of BLT/CR and unless they create a 5th gate, there will probably be no more new resorts created that allow you to walk directly to a park. And to be fair the opening "member discount" version of the Riviera pricing could get you down to around $160 per point while the direct price of BLT is over $200 per point (demand pricing of course). When Reflections goes on sale, there will likely be a similar long walk to a boat dock for the non-bus transportation and it'll cost more than Riviera did.

It's all personal in terms of what we think these things are worth. I can't see myself paying direct prices moving forward if they keep rising, but a new Riviera contract was barely more than what I paid for a new PVB contract years ago, with similar (IMO) amenities and transportation ease. Waiting to see the execution would cost me more than $20 a point and price me out, so my family decided that we would trust them not to screw up the Skyliner. If the lightning stoppages or walking ability are major issues for you, then staying on cash with ap discounts at the new CSR tower probably stacks up pretty evenly to Riviera without the long term contract.

I definitely see your point. I'd rather wait to see how reliable the gondolas ACTUALLY are given how Disney will choose to operate them, and pay more per point -- because if they're unrealiable, we wouldn't bother with Riviera. But when I looked at the numbers, Riviera just didn't make sense for us at this point. We first bought back in 2006 with SSR and later added a bunch of BLT points. But with the kids getting older and the price they started Riviera at, it just doesn't make sense for us. But as with any timeshare, it can for the "right buyer" -- that's just not us anymore given this pricing and our time horizon.

 

[Horizons '83]

I don't like the bed options personally for the studio room. A king bed should be standard in every resort nowadays not a queen. If you want a king at this resort you have to pay handsomely.

 

[ABQ]

I hate to double post but here is a video i found of what the rooms are suppose to look inside the resort and personally i think they are very nice.

Holy smokes, I know he's an enthusiastic guy, but how many times did he describe things as "incredible" in this video?