News Disney Riviera Resort announced

[Ravenclaw78]

Oh...I don’t know....

Bland design...small rooms...unimpressive food options...stripped down theming around the recreation elements...on a grounds that was not meant to require a $25,000 buy in and $1500 yearly fee...

All those complaints have been brought up about this “amazing experience”

I’ll be on this hill if you need me.

Agree to disagree

Bland theming, yes, but again, that's not a requirement for a deluxe or DVC resort (seriously, try to argue that the theme of BLT is anything beyond "inoffensive beige"). Pool size and theming, I agree aren't up to snuff. Small rooms, not so much. Aside from the Tower Studios, the room sizes are actually larger than average for DVC resorts. Dining, I haven't tried the restaurants so I can't speak from personal experience, but the reviews I've seen have been anything but unimpressed. And you're still arguing that the former use of the ground the resort sits on determines its resort category, which is utterly ridiculous.

 

[Ravenclaw78]

Do you own DVC?

If so are you considering and add-on at Riviera?

Yes (Copper Creek direct), and not at this time. Can't completely rule it out, but will likely buy a resale AKL contract when we decide to add on.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Bland theming, yes, but again, that's not a requirement for a deluxe or DVC resort (seriously, try to argue that the theme of BLT is anything beyond "inoffensive beige"). Pool size and theming, I agree aren't up to snuff. Small rooms, not so much. Aside from the Tower Studios, the room sizes are actually larger than average for DVC resorts. Dining, I haven't tried the restaurants so I can't speak from personal experience, but the reviews I've seen have been anything but unimpressed. And you're still arguing that the former use of the ground the resort sits on determines its resort category, which is utterly ridiculous.

I’m not a fan of Bay lake...nor the contemporary. It was a cute idea when it was designed by people with a different mentality in 1967.

And I am arguing the grounds. I could walk every corridor and pathway at Caribbean blind if I had too. I know it.

Only now I’d fall into the lake since they slapped a high rise timeshare where Barbados was.

That - to be fair - is a bigger issue than just this timeshare block. Nothing at the hotels adjoining it built 88-2010 will ever warrant a $300 a night bill. They weren’t designed to be “relabeled” now because the amenities were designed into price tiering. In my opinion...you can’t waive a wand and call it a Duck now because they put in the ski-lift. Which I like, by the way, even though it has flaws and limitations.

Yes (Copper Creek direct), and not at this time. Can't completely rule it out, but will likely buy a resale AKL contract when we decide to add on.

You mean the old wilderness lodge with 3 times the price of the DVC next to it?

At least there you have wilderness lodge...designed and built as a “moderate” that they increased in price because they overdid it in the build with impressive theming, the grand lobby, 15 minutes to the magic kingdom on a nature preserve looking environment...etc etc etc

I’ll give you that.

So you’re gonna buy a nice $12,000 50 point add in at the bon bini villas?

Congratulations...make sure the kids are briefed on the intricacies of the pool area so they don’t get lost...squares are tough shapes to figure out...and upsell cabanas obstruct views.

 

[Ravenclaw78]

Then what’s your angle, dangle?

Have you stayed here?

I’ll admit I have not (the point chart combined with the obvious approach to this...and lack of appeal of the Star Wars land that prompted it make it highly unlikely I ever will...) but I did ride said skyliner and spent some time poking around prior to opening when I was in town for work around 10/31...

...I was frankly appalled. I expected a nondescript punt on theming and marriott/Hyatt look from everything they said prior to construction...but I thought it was even worse...it looks like a concrete monster of a Hyatt.

I expect Crockett and tubbs to walk out of this place wearing wicker shoes.

But this looks cheap from all reports. Squeezed rooms...huge price tag.

What’s this one in the no man’s land near the campground gonna be?

Think they’ll go “all out” now? Is that what they’ve been doing? Spending the extra dollar and going the extra mile?

Ehhh...I can’t shut my brain down and laud Disney for bad approaches because I spend a couple weeks there a year. I can have fun without wearing a patch or doing a salute...like hydra.

I don't really have an "angle", at least not moreso than anyone else on these boards. I haven't been to the actual resort yet, but I toured the model rooms (deluxe studio and 1-bedroom) at the Preview Center in August and liked them a lot. My one complaint was the lack of storage in the studio due to the dresser being replaced by a twin Murphy bed. The price per point and points per room are crazy, but the monorail resorts aren't much better. We'll likely stay at Riviera once in a while, but I don't plan to purchase there.

I'm also confident that Disney will eventually work out the kinks in the Skyliner, but it's definitely had a rough start. I'm just saying that I think they made reasonable assumptions about its popularity as a form of transportation (and the popularity of Galaxy's Edge) when designing and pricing the resort, which turned out to be overly optimistic far too late in the process to change anything.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

Yes, but it's intentionally tiny. The Tower studios are intended for 1-2 DVC members who intend to spend very little time in their room and want to conserve their points while still taking advantage of the Riviera's fireworks views and Skyliner access.

They certainly don't seem priced less than any other full sized DVC studios. If you want to sell me on tiny room in Manhattan, heck maybe even Anaheim, I'll bite. But in Orlando, surrounded by acres of unused land? There is no reason for these micro rooms.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

They certainly don't seem priced less than any other full sized DVC studios. If you want to sell me on tiny room in Manhattan, heck maybe even Anaheim, I'll bite. But in Orlando, surrounded by acres of unused land? There is no reason for these micro rooms.

There is absolutely no “conservation” of Points in that chart...

I think some people are reading it upside down.

 

[Ravenclaw78]

There is absolutely no “conservation” of Points in that chart...

I think some people are reading it upside down.

I meant conserving points relative to the rest of the Riviera resort, not to other DVC resorts. The point charts for Riviera are excessive, no question. But given that, if the Tower studio is all the room you need, it's cheaper than staying in a deluxe studio at the same resort. I strongly suspect they'll end up being rebalanced so the Towers are cheaper in future years (at the cost of the deluxe studios and/or 1-bedrooms increasing in points), assuming bookings for those rooms are below projections.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I meant conserving points relative to the rest of the Riviera resort, not to other DVC resorts. The point charts for Riviera are excessive, no question. But given that, if the Tower studio is all the room you need, it's cheaper than staying in a deluxe studio at the same resort. I strongly suspect they'll end up being rebalanced so the Towers are cheaper in future years (at the cost of the deluxe studios and/or 1-bedrooms increasing in points), assuming bookings for those rooms are below projections.

Ok...I gotcha

Let me ask you...do you remember the discussions on what approach they were gonna take with the points when they announced this?

On the “other” Disney online spitball playground...there was a big debate over:
1. Full upfront price but “lower points” per room
2. Discounted price and high point chart.

And of course - negative Nancies like me suggested That they’d go with neither and stick it to people with option 3

Looks like we got a 3.

But hey...ski lift that runs to abrams land and a room at the top where you can have 8 minutes of bliss watching the fireworks each day...amiright?!?

 

[xdan0920]

Yes (Copper Creek direct), and not at this time. Can't completely rule it out, but will likely buy a resale AKL contract when we decide to add on.

Gotcha. That's actually pretty interesting. You are in one breath arguing theme doesn't matter. And in the next telling me how you bought direct at WL, which, if it wasn't for theme would have almost nothing going for it. Same goes for AKL. So which is it?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Gotcha. That's actually pretty interesting. You are in one breath arguing theme doesn't matter. And in the next telling me how you bought direct at WL, which, if it wasn't for theme would have almost nothing going for it. Same goes for AKL. So which is it?

I saw the same thing...

We can enjoy our purchase while calling out what they do wrong. We don’t need to “support the shield” here, Raven...

This development is a bad idea...not a good effort and it floods a diluted member pool that already REALLY sucks compared to my buy in just 14 years ago. Crap affects all of us.

 

[Ravenclaw78]

Gotcha. That's actually pretty interesting. You are in one breath arguing theme doesn't matter. And in the next telling me how you bought direct at WL, which, if it wasn't for theme would have almost nothing going for it. Same goes for AKL. So which is it?

I'm not saying theme doesn't matter, just that it's not the only consideration. Riviera has the Skyliner and fireworks views as its main draw, similar to BLT. WL and AKL have some of the best theming on property (and nothing can top a Savannah view at AKL), and AKL's restaurants are among the best in all of WDW, but transportation from both takes forever to get anywhere. We bought a Copper Creek because that was the resort available direct at the time and we felt there was value to the perks (which has proven true for us, but I know it's not worth it for everyone), we like the theming of the resort, the point charts were reasonable even if the points themselves were pricy, and we loved Artist Point and Whispering Canyon. (note that we are VERY unhappy with the replacement of Artist Point with a watered-down character meal, and might not have been willing to buy into CC if we'd known that was going to happen a year later.)

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I'm not saying theme doesn't matter, just that it's not the only consideration. Riviera has the Skyliner and fireworks views as its main draw, similar to BLT. WL and AKL have some of the best theming on property (and nothing can top a Savannah view at AKL), and AKL's restaurants are among the best in all of WDW, but transportation from both takes forever to get anywhere. We bought a Copper Creek because that was the resort available direct at the time and we felt there was value to the perks (which has proven true for us, but I know it's not worth it for everyone), we like the theming of the resort, the point charts were reasonable even if the points themselves were pricy, and we loved Artist Point and Whispering Canyon. (note that we are VERY unhappy with the replacement of Artist Point with a watered-down character meal, and might not have been willing to buy into CC if we'd known that was going to happen a year later.)

I think slapping the label of “prime location” on this is way more forced than at contemporary...which has 3 modes of transportation and a walking path that very shortly will extend to all 3 hotels on the lagoon.

It’s just a reach...in my opinion.

The skyline has limitations. It hasn’t seen extreme heat yet and it was “quite toasty” when I was on it and it was 79...and it’s down for rain...which is kinda “a thing” in the swamp.

It feels forced/rushed. Like I think an add on at port or Dixie to serve springs might have been the better way to go first to work out the kinks.

And it has the spectre - for me - of being tied to Disney mismanaging Star Wars. But I rail about that enough already

I found the conversion of artists point to be offensive...and it’s that kinda groupthink mentality that is my fundamental complain of the Iger approach and his money chasing, vagabond lieutenants

Especially after they converted the old rooms into a high priced, “new”
Timeshare due to their own mistakes.

...but that’s for another day

 

[SugarMagnolia75]

Yes, but it's intentionally tiny. The Tower studios are intended for 1-2 DVC members who intend to spend very little time in their room and want to conserve their points while still taking advantage of the Riviera's fireworks views and Skyliner access.

There's no reason except transportation, to stay at a deluxe if you're not going to spend time at the hotel. You can have skyliner access at Pop Century for much less.

What's crazy to me is that the Tower Studios are still more points than Standard studios at Boardwalk and Animal Kingdom (plus Value too obviously). I get the idea behind it, but the points seem too high for what you get.

That's what I can't get over. The point cost compared to BCV or BWV. I would rather stay at either of those hotels. If I'm willing to use that many points, I'll stay at the Poly.

There is absolutely nothing (especially not the price, but not dining or amenities either, with the possible exception of the pool) that is in any way "moderate". I can't understand why, even now that the resort is built and we know all the details about it, some people still can't get past the land that the resort sits on having formerly been part of a moderate resort. The theming may not be to everyone's taste and I get that many feel that Disney didn't try hard enough to make it distinct (I think it's a bit bland, but still far more imaginative than Bay Lake Tower), but theming or lack thereof is not indicative of the category of resort. There's a pretty wide range within each of the categories.

For the record, if it were actually a moderate resort, I'd agree with your position.

We visited the Riviera Resort on Sunday. It looks out over CBR and feels like it's right in the middle of a moderate resort. The theme just doesn't appeal to us.

We did buy direct at Copper Creek because we really enjoy staying there and know we'll be coming back. If we buy more points it will probably be through the resale market.

 

[kwoodfan1]

Do you guys think the other 2 standalone DVC resorts feel deluxe? Most DVC resorts pull their theming and deluxe feel from existing standard resorts. Not sure our argument should be its worse than BCV, but more that its 460 thousand times better than Saratoga. Low bar, I know.

 

[xdan0920]

I saw the same thing...

We can enjoy our purchase while calling out what they do wrong. We don’t need to “support the shield” here, Raven...

This development is a bad idea...not a good effort and it floods a diluted member pool that already REALLY sucks compared to my buy in just 14 years ago. Crap affects all of us.

DVC Owners leasers? Are their own worst enemies. WIth their add-ons and their "portfolios" and their attaching self worth to their point totals. They are willing to swallow anything DVD throws their way just to keep up the front. It stinks.

 

[xdan0920]

Do you guys think the other 2 standalone DVC resorts feel deluxe? Most DVC resorts pull their theming and deluxe feel from existing standard resorts. Not sure our argument should be its worse than BCV, but more that its 460 thousand times better than Saratoga. Low bar, I know.

Saratoga is pretty terrible. I agree. OKW is a what? 25 year old property? Should that be the baseline? Even so, it's still better than the Riviera.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Saratoga is pretty terrible. I agree. OKW is a what? 25 year old property? Should that be the baseline? Even so, it's still better than the Riviera.

Old key west was a “concept” that drew from the Eisner/wells construction period that was heavily based in 80’s designs. It was also moderately priced. It actually holds up well.

Saratoga was and is housing bubble nonsense...feeding “cake” to the masses as they borrowed to choke on it. And even still...the enhancement of springs makes it a better deal than when I strolled in...

No excuses for bad now. Caribbean and pop are what they WERE...no matter if you add a direct lift to black diamond courses or not. This “reinvention” during another stock drunk market looks penny wise and pound foolish.

75% discount on $300 Caribbean rooms the next time the seas get rough

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Do you guys think the other 2 standalone DVC resorts feel deluxe? Most DVC resorts pull their theming and deluxe feel from existing standard resorts. Not sure our argument should be its worse than BCV, but more that its 460 thousand times better than Saratoga. Low bar, I know.

Due to the economics of DDC...they will not pay for “immersive theming on standalones. That’s why the “leach” villas are better...using the good elements of the sister location long paid for by PRIOR management.

This is one of the reasons I expected bad when they repurposed Caribbean...which they absolutely did.

So I guess you’re right...and you’re wrong? I guess we all are?

 

[Ravenclaw78]

DVC Owners leasers? Are their own worst enemies. WIth their add-ons and their "portfolios" and their attaching self worth to their point totals. They are willing to swallow anything DVD throws their way just to keep up the front. It stinks.

There definitely are DVC members like that, but the majority I've met understand that it's just a timeshare, not an investment or a "piece of the magic". I call them out about plenty of stuff (though typically directly rather than on message boards), and I definitely don't attach any self-worth to DVC membership.

 

[xdan0920]

There definitely are DVC members like that, but the majority I've met understand that it's just a timeshare, not an investment or a "piece of the magic". I call them out about plenty of stuff (though typically directly rather than on message boards), and I definitely don't attach any self-worth to DVC membership.

I don't know any who call it an investment actually. That seems to be the classic strawman when discussing the value of DVC. As to the points I actually brought up...In perusing these internet streets, most DVC members do attach self worth to point totals, and are constantly adding on and are so dang proud. Many have added on at Riviera, and will defend it to the death in order to justify their lease. I just wish, as a group, we would stand up for ourselves more. Instead, the majority are the type to eat up any slop Disney serves.