So has anyone stayed there yet? There are not a lot of pics of the pool area or anything so I am curious. I gotta say for the amount of points they are asking for 1 and 2 bedrooms, I don't know if I can justify a stay right now.
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Riviera
- Thread starter Club Cooloholic
- Start date
Seanual757
Well-Known Member
CaptainAmerica
Premium Member
Visiting now and this place might be my least favorite thing that Disney has ever built. I hate it with the passion of a thousand fiery suns. It's the most generic European, "okay boomer" awfulness I've ever seen.
Seanual757
Well-Known Member
Odd we loved it we are looking forward to our 1st stay Labor day weekend.
CaptainAmerica
Premium Member
Different strokes, as they say.
MaxsDad
Well-Known Member
Disney Lover Addie
Well-Known Member
What I’ve heard about it is that IT’S VERY EXPENSIVE! My friend who stayed there told me that to really get your money out of it you have to spend your whole day there. She also said that while there is the skyliner near, she says it’s also generally far away from everything, and that the pricing does not imply that. She also said the resort was beautiful but it lacked Disney Magic. She thinks that the resort is good if someone on your trip doesn’t want to go to the parks everyday, and has enough money for it!
Any pool pics yet?
I saw those, hoping to see how it turned out
nickys
Premium Member
Allears have some pictures of the main pool, leisure pool, hot tub and splash area.
Other than that, I’ve seen some trip reports with photos. I’ve just read one where they had a standard studio and could see the fireworks from both Mk and Epcot from their balcony. Really nice photos too, not just one or two over roof tops.
Other than that, I’ve seen some trip reports with photos. I’ve just read one where they had a standard studio and could see the fireworks from both Mk and Epcot from their balcony. Really nice photos too, not just one or two over roof tops.
CaptainAmerica
Premium Member
Significantly, yes. It's "generic random Marriott in generic random European city."
I disagree with the Skyliner comment. That's the one feature of the resort that I really love. The resort is extremely small (in footprint... it's obviously very large vertically). Nothing is far from anything else within the resort.
Regarding the money, I don't think that's going to be the deciding factor for many people. Even if I had a bazillion dollars and got a WDW vacation for free, I'd stay at any deluxe, any moderate, or Art of Animation before I stayed at Riviera.
nickys
Premium Member
Once this sells out, 95% of people staying here will be DVC members or people renting from them. So although it is expensive, both in terms of the cash cost of a room if booking direct with Disney and using points, that won’t be a huge factor. Members wanting to try it will just stay a day or two less than they might elsewhere, likely doing a split stay with one of the lower points chart resorts.
What does your friend mean about staying the whole day? There aren’t that many extra-ordinary features. Two pools, a hot tub. Several dining locations. But nothing along the lines of AKL with all the resort activities going on there.
xdan0920
Think for yourselfer
Their friend meant, if you’re spending $600 a night for a hotel room, you need to be at the “resort” I use the term loosely here, for more then a couple of hours a day to feel like you’re getting your moneys worth.
CaptainAmerica
Premium Member
There are several resorts where, whenever I visit, I say to myself, "people staying here must have no idea that Animal Kingdom Lodge exists."
I'm very much a greedy capitalist, Disney-is-a-business type. They can charge whatever people are willing to pay and I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. I don't question Disney with this place, I question the people. What's the value proposition? It's not just that it's expensive in absolute terms, it's that it's so much MORE expensive in relative terms than other options that are, IMO, superior in every conceivable way.
Like, I personally hate the Grand. It's not my thing. But I GET the Grand and the type of people to whom the Grand is appealing. I do not feel that way about Riviera.
YorkshireT
Well-Known Member
Like Captain America we visited and were unfortunately not impressed, and I am v disappointed as I like to stay at every resort and my wife and kids said they will not stop. After much deliberation, I’ve concluded that it’s because it’s built on a piece of repurposed land, and the standard view rooms view is terrible, onto a wide expansive car park and road with not much landscaping, so it’s like being in a Hampton Inn near a freeway. I hear the views are good from higher standard rooms, so you’d better hope you get one if booking standard.
The rooms themselves are nicest on property.
I do not like the architecture, why they painted it grey I do not know. The pool areas are nice, reminded me of BLT. Murals in the tunnel are wonderful.
Just too many points for what is on offer, and I couldn’t book a standard view. As I sat there on my balcony looking at a large car park or road, I’d be thinking of the other resorts I could stay in. I have stayed in numerous standard views, and none have an outlook anywhere near as bad on the lower floors.
Added to this the points per night are way too high for such a location. I believe it should be no higher than say a Boardwalk, Copper Creek etc. At the moment I can stay in a normal room at Boardwalk for the price of a tiny tower studio- insane. When Tower Studios were announced we all thought this would be a budget option, but it’s the same as a studio elsewhere, I am not surprised I could easily book them at 7 months out for summer.
The view on the photos posted above is fine, but Caribbean Beach in view damages the theming.
But there’s a DVC resort for everyone and others do not always like the ones I do. I do think in time though Riviera will be one of the least popular.
if they’d built this in its own land surrounded by lush Riviera inspired landscaping and trees, bigger pools, not near a road and not directly looking onto a road and car park with some trees, which would also have given room for a bigger lobby, and had more sensible points charts it would have been a winner. And painted it white.
The rooms themselves are nicest on property.
I do not like the architecture, why they painted it grey I do not know. The pool areas are nice, reminded me of BLT. Murals in the tunnel are wonderful.
Just too many points for what is on offer, and I couldn’t book a standard view. As I sat there on my balcony looking at a large car park or road, I’d be thinking of the other resorts I could stay in. I have stayed in numerous standard views, and none have an outlook anywhere near as bad on the lower floors.
Added to this the points per night are way too high for such a location. I believe it should be no higher than say a Boardwalk, Copper Creek etc. At the moment I can stay in a normal room at Boardwalk for the price of a tiny tower studio- insane. When Tower Studios were announced we all thought this would be a budget option, but it’s the same as a studio elsewhere, I am not surprised I could easily book them at 7 months out for summer.
The view on the photos posted above is fine, but Caribbean Beach in view damages the theming.
But there’s a DVC resort for everyone and others do not always like the ones I do. I do think in time though Riviera will be one of the least popular.
if they’d built this in its own land surrounded by lush Riviera inspired landscaping and trees, bigger pools, not near a road and not directly looking onto a road and car park with some trees, which would also have given room for a bigger lobby, and had more sensible points charts it would have been a winner. And painted it white.
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correcaminos
Well-Known Member
Okay boomer? Whatever does that imply?
I'm GenX btw so I don't bother with boomers or millenials lol
CaptainAmerica
Premium Member
It feels like the place where your rich mother in-law who hates Disney but wants to go on vacation with the grandkids would stay. The most obvious features of the central courtyard are the adult pool and a bocce court. The architecture and furnishings feel like a 55+ neighborhood built by Toll Brothers.
eliza61nyc
Well-Known Member
It's used as an insult to dismiss or mock anything related to those over 55. LOL usually it's used when the youngin is mad that the boomer has more money and more benefits then they do but basically it's meant to say the person is old, out of touch and what they like is unimportant. pretty much how we treat the seniors in this country. lol
I have not been to Riviera yet so not going to bash it. Most folks here hate it which is not surprising, but it has been well received on other sites. I have heard the complaint about being able to see the Caribbean beach resort. I only know one person who's been and they like it. did say that it was more "adult" which was a plus for them.
I'll be down in March not staying there but I'll go peek to see what all the boohaw is about.
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