Am I the only one underwhelmed by Riviera?

[disneydreamer1980]

I totally agree with OP. I was expecting to like this resort but in reality I was very disappointed. Lobby is ridiculously small and underwhelming, almost looks like an afterthought when it should be the grand introduction to the resort. The outside looks like your typical airport hotel (as possible have said also) and staring constantly at CB really throws off the euro vibe. The stores and food areas are tiny and imo the views aren’t that amazing. Skyliner is main pro but you can get that at several (cheaper and better themed) resorts as well. I love Disney and we own at several resorts but this was a huge fail imo. Between all of the above, the restrictions and the high pint value I don’t see this as a good option at all. To each his own though.

 

[Wakey]

I love Skyliner, it’s superb, but I like it for riding about on and getting to parks. I’d be slightly worried about relying on it as transportation out of my resort.
First, we are early risers and rope droppers- I’m not sure why they are not opening it until 8? Second the reliability. It broke down whilst I was on it, but I was only stuck for 15 mins. Imagine though you were going for something time critical and it broke down for longer?
So to me whilst it’s near Epcot on the Skyliner, it’s way off the perk of Boardwalk and Beach Club- my feet don’t break down and work at 6am (I hope!)
I do hope though they expand Skyliner to both Animal Kingdom and Disney Springs.

 

[snappy]

We stay at Boardwalk, Swan and Dolphin or Gran Destino. SkyLiner is good for going between the Epcot and the studios for us and that’s about it. Glad it’s a good option for others. Spreads out the traffic so to speak.

 

[McCrae]

Looking at the latest sales numbers demand for points is pretty high. Looks like people are not being put off buying despite resale restrictions. Good thing about DVC all tastes are covered in the resorts themes.

 

[SL6827]

I have no desire to stay at the Rivera, the Grand, or the Contemporary. But others just love them and that is great.

 

[gillep]

There has been quite a few posts about the lobby and people seeing it as a con

Honestly, just really curious, why this matters to others? I’ve never even paid that much attention to them, and don’t spend time in them.

Everyone just enjoys different things. Some of my fondest memories are listening to the piano player with a cocktail in the lobby of the Grand Californian. Or finishing our bottle of wine from Jiko by the fire in the AKL lobby, or watching the animals in the overlook right off the Kidani lobby. I find that I do tend to prefer the resorts with larger lobbies, this is one of the many reasons I don't prefer BLT. I posted earlier that I really liked RIV, but the lobby was completely unmemorable and not a pro for the resort for me.

 

[js]

For those that say the lobby in the RIV is small and underwhelming, how would you compare it to the GFV lobby?

I havent been to RIV yet but will check it out in September or be staying there if my WL comes through.

Thanks.

 

[Frederic Civish]

Personally I think Riv will in 10 years be seen toward the bottom end of the DVC desirability scale,

I completely agree with this. Once the newness wears off, the desirability will really drop.

We talked to many people while we were there, other guests. All of them had SOMETHING good to say about Riviera, but NOT ONE OF THEM was really thrilled with the resort. Just 10 minutes ago, my wife was talking about people she met in the laundry room and how unimpressed they were, too, and then she said, “No more Riviera, okay? Never again. But we would LOVE to stay at Boardwalk. We had a lot of fun there.”

 

[Frederic Civish]

I also think a lot of Riviera's criticism comes from their expectations of the resort. It is a DVC only resort and on the smaller side. Most went into it thinking it was going to be a large resort like typical DVC resorts with a grand lobby. But that doesn't seem to be Disney's plan from the get go. Its smaller. It does not have a non DVC side like all the other hotels. Is it about the same size room wise as the Beach Club Villa Building or Bay lake Towers building? Non of those have massive lobbies. Though they might not because the hotel side does have larger lobbies. I think its fair to criticize any DVC hotel. Especially when in this Post where the title gives way that this post is to talk about the downsides of Riviera. I like Riviera a lot but I'm not going to sit here and act like its perfect either. The lobby should have been bigger and they should have themed the grounds more. These 2 things if Disney corrected them would Make Riviera much more appealing to most. The room View Category is also a problem in my opinion. They need to incorporate Epcot view, Pool view, and Hollywood Studios View into the categories. Other than that though, The rooms are really really nice and big. Especially the Deluxe Studios following Poly and the Grand Floridian with 2 showers. They are in the top 3 I believe in Deluxe Studio size sq feet. The Murphy bed in the wall is a massive improvement over the pull out sofa beds. Being on the Skyliner loop while not as great of a perk now could be huge in the future, especially with the expected expansion of the Skyliner that we all know will come since its very efficient, cost effective and safer and also greener than busses. The Resale restrictions are the biggest criticism though of all, with people not wanting a thing to do with them, which is perfectly fair since they don't benefit buyers at all and only Disney. Just my thoughts as someone split 50-50 on Riviera and Copper Creek at the moment!

I also have to agree with every point you made. I haven’t even mentioned resale restrictions at Riviera in my comments about it on this thread, but now that you bring it up, people SHOULD MAKE NO MISTAKE about it. The Resale Restrictions ONLY, 100% BENFIT DISNEY (and the Disney sales staff) and DO NOT benefit the owners in ANY way. In fact, they only hurt the owners, including every one of them who buys at Riviera.

 

[Sandisw]

Everyone just enjoys different things. Some of my fondest memories are listening to the piano player with a cocktail in the lobby of the Grand Californian. Or finishing our bottle of wine from Jiko by the fire in the AKL lobby, or watching the animals in the overlook right off the Kidani lobby. I find that I do tend to prefer the resorts with larger lobbies, this is one of the many reasons I don't prefer BLT. I posted earlier that I really liked RIV, but the lobby was completely unmemorable and not a pro for the resort for me.

Thank you. I just couldn’t even think of any examples as to why it would matter. All those make perfect sense and I can see how those types of things would definitely make the lobby relevant!

 

[Sandisw]

I completely agree with this. Once the newness wears off, the desirability will really drop.

We talked to many people while we were there, other guests. All of them had SOMETHING good to say about Riviera, but NOT ONE OF THEM was really thrilled with the resort. Just 10 minutes ago, my wife was talking about people she met in the laundry room and how unimpressed they were, too, and then she said, “No more Riviera, okay? Never again. But we would LOVE to stay at Boardwalk. We had a lot of fun there.”

I have read plenty of posts nit only here but in several other groups whose reviews were just the opposite. So, I bet It will remain popular like many of the other near park resorts.

Obviously, it wont fit everyone’s needs for sure. But there isn’t one DVC out there that isn’t at the bottom of someone’s list.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

I also have to agree with every point you made. I haven’t even mentioned resale restrictions at Riviera in my comments about it on this thread, but now that you bring it up, people SHOULD MAKE NO MISTAKE about it. The Resale Restrictions ONLY, 100% BENFIT DISNEY (and the Disney sales staff) and DO NOT benefit the owners in ANY way. In fact, they only hurt the owners, including every one of them who buys at Riviera.

I don’t know that the restrictions will benefit Disney long term. They make it a very different product which could be a disaster.

 

[Sandisw]

I also have to agree with every point you made. I haven’t even mentioned resale restrictions at Riviera in my comments about it on this thread, but now that you bring it up, people SHOULD MAKE NO MISTAKE about it. The Resale Restrictions ONLY, 100% BENFIT DISNEY (and the Disney sales staff) and DO NOT benefit the owners in ANY way. In fact, they only hurt the owners, including every one of them who buys at Riviera.

How does the restriction hurt me as an owner there, other than resale value..which isn’t important to me ?

 

[js]

How does the restriction hurt me as an owner there, other than resale value..which isn’t important to me ?

I am obviously not an expert , but if I had to think of a negative toward resale and how it would hurt you, is that resale owners can only stay at the RIV so they will not be sleeping around and opening rooms for direct owners. Eventually, with lots of resale owners, they will all be clamoring to stay and cannot book anywhere else, thus making 11 month booking there harder for all RIV owners.

 

[Sandisw]

I am obviously not an expert , but if I had to think of a negative toward resale and how it would hurt you, is that resale owners can only stay at the RIV so they will not be sleeping around and opening rooms for direct owners. Eventually, with lots of resale owners, they will all be clamoring to stay and cannot book anywhere else, thus making 11 month booking there harder for all RIV owners.

At 11 months, don’t all resort owners have the ability to book regardless of which resort that is?

Now ,if I wait to book, then yeah, it could be harder but since my direct points can trade out, I’d have options. But isn’t that true for other resorts too? People sometimes lose out if they don’t book right away?

Plus, I’d say there is a chance that the restriction and loss of resale value may force fewer RIV owners to sell and the % of resale to direct could be a lot less than elsewhere.

I’ve bought and sold lots of contracts since 2009 to change up home resort. Had they been restricted and I would have had to sell at a big loss, I would have been forced to keep them.

 

[Frederic Civish]

I am obviously not an expert , but if I had to think of a negative toward resale and how it would hurt you, is that resale owners can only stay at the RIV so they will not be sleeping around and opening rooms for direct owners. Eventually, with lots of resale owners, they will all be clamoring to stay and cannot book anywhere else, thus making 11 month booking there harder for all RIV owners.

I agree. I really think that once there are sufficient Resale Owners (and it will probably take less than 10%), then Riviera will be a special case, and substantially different compared to other resorts in the past.

Resale owners will KNOW that the only way to use their points will be to Reserve something during the 7 to 11 month window. Because if they don't, then they won't be able to use them anywhere.

NO OTHER RESORT (so far) HAS THIS PROBLEM.

This means that most Resale owners will either be booking early, OR ELSE RENTING THEIR POINTS OUT, so that they get some benefit from them. RIVIERA points will become some of the most Rented points of any DVC resort.

Since there will be the extra fear that they might not be able to use them, and the fear that they also might not be able to rent them out UNLESS THEY RESERVE POPULAR DATES, the Resale Owners at Riviera will be very aggressive at both Renting Early and WALKING their points. This will put extra stress on other, DIRECT OWNERS, who will have to follow suit, in order to compete and GET POPULAR ROOMS on Popular Dates. IT WILL BE LIKE AN ARMS RACE. So Direct Riviera Owners will also be booking earlier,on an average, and Walking more, compared to owners at other resorts.

Lastly, you could say, "But the Direct Owners can still use their points at 7 months at other Resorts." This is true, BUT IT IS ALSO TRUE, AS WE HAVE SEEN AND ARE SEEING, THAT IT IS GETTING HARDER AND HARDER TO GET GOOD RESERVATIONS AT OTHER RESORTS AT 7 MONTHS.

So, my conclusion is, the Disney Restrictions on Riviera Resale WILL degrade the experience for ALL Riviera Owners, whether Direct or Resale. And the extra pressure will induce MORE Direct Owners to sell, in order to get out of the Rat Race, and this will lead to even more Resale Owners, and on and on.

 

[ClemTig]

Wife and I visited 3 weeks ago. It’s nice. It doesn’t thrill me. Her viewpoints were identical to mine, and I’ll outline some thoughts-

1. Lobby is underwhelming. This is supposed to be a deluxe resort. Lobby doesn’t feel that way. It looks like Disney tried to save money here.
2. Valet parking is a nice touch.
3. Rooms are exceptional for a DVC resort, as good as any in the system- but the colors are a little boring.
4. Don’t like the confused split French/Italian theme. Pick ONE and go with it. Either alone would be fine.
5. The pool is “OK”. Why does Disney refuse to create signature pools anymore? Poly and BCV both blow it away. It seems like they are afraid that if they make it too nice people will avoid the Theme and water parks.
6. Dining options are too limited. Topolino’s is a once a trip venue. Other options aren’t great. The cafe does not have a classic French sit down cafe feel, it needs an outdoor option, also a classic Patisserie is needed.
7. The poolside bar is a hit & miss. It has a great eating and drink menu, but needed to be freestanding by the pool, not tucked into the building.
8. The views are poor. Did they really think looking at Caribbean Beach Resort should count as a “view”?
9. The Skyliner does not equal walking. BCV and BWV have location all over this. Being able to walk beats the skyline every time. What will this be like when it breaks down in August and you’re suspended in Florida heat for 30 minutes with no air? This thing is a lawsuit waiting to happen. Nobody over 60 should be allowed on it.
10. Did you look at the MF for this resort? I would feel like I was paying for the Skyliner that people at budget Disney resorts are using and that I have to wait in line with them for that “privilege”.
11. Resale restrictions? REALLY?

 

[AKNOTTS66]

Wife and I visited 3 weeks ago. It’s nice. It doesn’t thrill me. Her viewpoints were identical to mine, and I’ll outline some thoughts-


10. Did you look at the MF for this resort? I would feel like I was paying for the Skyliner that people at budget Disney resorts are using and that I have to wait in line with them for that “privilege”.

I do believe someone looked into the MF of Riviera and Pop and Caribbean some how and said that Riviera does seem to pay for a majority of the skyliners maintenance fees compared to the other resorts.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

I do believe someone looked into the MF of Riviera and Pop and Caribbean some how and said that Riviera does seem to pay for a majority of the skyliners maintenance fees compared to the other resorts.

I remember that too
It’s scary.

 

[Sandisw]

I agree. I really think that once there are sufficient Resale Owners (and it will probably take less than 10%), then Riviera will be a special case, and substantially different compared to other resorts in the past.

Resale owners will KNOW that the only way to use their points will be to Reserve something during the 7 to 11 month window. Because if they don't, then they won't be able to use them anywhere.

NO OTHER RESORT (so far) HAS THIS PROBLEM.

This means that most Resale owners will either be booking early, OR ELSE RENTING THEIR POINTS OUT, so that they get some benefit from them. RIVIERA points will become some of the most Rented points of any DVC resort.

Since there will be the extra fear that they might not be able to use them, and the fear that they also might not be able to rent them out UNLESS THEY RESERVE POPULAR DATES, the Resale Owners at Riviera will be very aggressive at both Renting Early and WALKING their points. This will put extra stress on other, DIRECT OWNERS, who will have to follow suit, in order to compete and GET POPULAR ROOMS on Popular Dates. IT WILL BE LIKE AN ARMS RACE. So Direct Riviera Owners will also be booking earlier,on an average, and Walking more, compared to owners at other resorts.

Lastly, you could say, "But the Direct Owners can still use their points at 7 months at other Resorts." This is true, BUT IT IS ALSO TRUE, AS WE HAVE SEEN AND ARE SEEING, THAT IT IS GETTING HARDER AND HARDER TO GET GOOD RESERVATIONS AT OTHER RESORTS AT 7 MONTHS.

So, my conclusion is, the Disney Restrictions on Riviera Resale WILL degrade the experience for ALL Riviera Owners, whether Direct or Resale. And the extra pressure will induce MORE Direct Owners to sell, in order to get out of the Rat Race, and this will lead to even more Resale Owners, and on and on.

No need to scream but your predictions are really nothing more than a guess.

As a RIV owner, one will need to book at 11 months or it could be slim pickings. Not any different than elsewhere. There are CCV owners currently struggling to get a studio now AKV owners struggle with value and concierge No restrictions in place.

Yes, reservations are getting harder at 7 months, but again, that isn’t going to be unique for RIV owners so direct owners will have other options..might not be exactly what they want, but again, that happens all the time.

Im going to bet we see less resales than other resorts because of the restriction and it will remain with substantially more direct owners and the 11 month booking difficulty will be based on its popularity.

But, I will agree I bought a different product and knew that going in. I wouldn’t term that as being hurt I guess