News Disney Riviera Resort announced

[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?

 

[trainplane3]

Now that the scaffolding is down, I rate it a you tried/10:
http://blogmickey.com/2019/07/disneys-riviera-resort-construction-update-july-2019/
Many more pictures at the link.

 

[eddie104]

Now that the scaffolding is down, I rate it a you tried/10:
http://blogmickey.com/2019/07/disneys-riviera-resort-construction-update-july-2019/
Many more pictures at the link.

Let's not start this again and it looks fine...much better than the Gran Destino Tower but nothing to write home about.

 

[durangojim]

I was surprised when we saw it in person last week how much darker it is than I thought. Too dark for my taste.

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

It looks fine (just...fine), though I do wonder why the exterior was switched from the warmer beige showed in the concept art to a colder and less welcoming gray/purple. The pops of color from the awnings are appreciated as are the railings and other window details. As the ground level promenades and faux stonework get installed, that should further help the appearance of the building.

But the biggest positive of Riviera over Gran Destino is its smaller scale. GD is a massive tower block and it looks it, tall and imposing and completely out of place with the rest of Coronado Springs. Riviera's sprawled layout and lower height make it much more approachable and more in line with neighboring Caribbean Beach.

 

[RobbinsDad]

I agree the grey is a misfire. A cream color would have been better. Overall it's pretty good - a few more architectural flourishes would have been nice but it does absolutely look like a French Riviera hotel.

 

[cosmicgirl]

It looks fine (just...fine), though I do wonder why the exterior was switched from the warmer beige showed in the concept art to a colder and less welcoming gray/purple. The pops of color from the awnings are appreciated as are the railings and other window details. As the ground level promenades and faux stonework get installed, that should further help the appearance of the building.

But the biggest positive of Riviera over Gran Destino is its smaller scale. GD is a massive tower block and it looks it, tall and imposing and completely out of place with the rest of Coronado Springs. Riviera's sprawled layout and lower height make it much more approachable and more in line with neighboring Caribbean Beach.

Tastes differ: to me just the color of Riviera kills the vibe for both Riviera and part of CBR. I'm not a fan of the GD tower but I find it blends in a whole lot better thanks to its color scheme. Riviera's colors bother me more than GD's height.

 

[George]

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.

I visited the rooms at the DVC preview center a couple of weeks ago. They are very well designed rooms. I love the bed pulling down over the loveseat/sofa for example. However, it didn't really didn't have that Disney feel to me. But that's just me. I think they're selling at an OK clip based on the number of "I just spent 40 grand on a timeshare" free backpacks I saw, but that is the most anecdotal evidence I can think of. 188/point is high, but not as high as I thought they'd go. The $8.31/point maintenance fee is the real killer.

 

[alex0c]

It's grown on me somewhat. I still find the lobby incredibly dull and the scale of the lobby is too small for a "grand resort", but the rooms are gorgeous no doubt. The outside is a little better than I expected.

I think an underappreciated advantage is dedicated bus transportation to MK and AK. Most (all?) other deluxe resorts either share with another resort or have multiple internal stops.

 

[sfbntpc]

I think your overstating Virginia Beach and understating this resort. Also, not sure what you mean by generic hotels. If you mean a generic hotel is something Marriott or Hilton would build, well many of the resorts these two companies operate are hardly generic. So I don’t see an issue there.

My main concern is whether this resort can pull off a riviera feel.

I thought those were condos in Virginia Beach. I live in a neighboring city, but know exactly where this is. Definitely can’t compare the 2 in my opinion.

 

[Missing20K]

Now that the scaffolding is down, I rate it a you tried/10:
http://blogmickey.com/2019/07/disneys-riviera-resort-construction-update-july-2019/
Many more pictures at the link.

 

[Lensman]

I visited the rooms at the DVC preview center a couple of weeks ago. They are very well designed rooms. I love the bed pulling down over the loveseat/sofa for example. However, it didn't really didn't have that Disney feel to me. But that's just me.

I'm not criticizing, I've been wondering this myself: What would the Disney feel of a Riviera-inspired resort be? I was trying to think of my first visits to OKW or SSR (the other two 100% DVC properties at WDW) and whether they had a particularly "Disney" feel to them vs a "Key West" vibe or a "Saratoga Springs" vibe?

Is it possible for a resort to have both a Disney-feel and a Riviera-vibe? I'd like to think so, but I'm interested to hear what people think this would be like, other than shallow reproduction (which might be what we're looking for, but I hope not).

I think they're selling at an OK clip based on the number of "I just spent 40 grand on a timeshare" free backpacks I saw, but that is the most anecdotal evidence I can think of. 188/point is high, but not as high as I thought they'd go. The $8.31/point maintenance fee is the real killer.

From the report below, I think they were doing ok in May, with sales being better in May 2019 vs May 2018, though not as good as April 2019, though that might have to do with the ending of sales incentives for Copper Creek.

Disney Shifts Sales Focus to Riviera in May 2019 | DVCNews.com - The essential Disney Vacation Club resource!

Total sales for May 2019 bested the same period in 2018 while Copper Creek Villas & Cabins ended its 16-month run as the top selling Disney Vacation Club property. In May 2019, Disney sold 197,947

dvcnews.com

 

[SorcererMC]

I'll commiserate with you on this one. I think it's a monstrosity.

ETA: After reading back through the thread and seeing some of Disney's descriptions of it, is there anything specific that people like about it at all?

 

[Calmdownnow]

but it does absolutely look like a French Riviera hotel.

When were you last on the French Riviera? This looks nothing like.

 

[eddie104]

It's grown on me somewhat. I still find the lobby incredibly dull and the scale of the lobby is too small for a "grand resort", but the rooms are gorgeous no doubt. The outside is a little better than I expected.

I think an underappreciated advantage is dedicated bus transportation to MK and AK. Most (all?) other deluxe resorts either share with another resort or have multiple internal stops.

Yea I did think the lobby was somewhat small but I did like some of the details that were in it.

 

[peter11435]

Yea I did think the lobby was somewhat small but I did like some of the details that were in it.

Are you both referring to a lobby you haven’t been in yet?