When Corey mentioned potential shopping experiences at Riviera, I immediately thought a small European grocery store would be perfect! They could sell European style/brand meats, cheeses, snacks, and drinks! I’m even thinking they could do small “picnic baskets” with amazing bread and maybe small wines to eat on the grounds of the resort! With other unique shopping experiences.. kind of like Epcot. I’m not a DVC member just yet but my plan is to buy in around 2021 and the preview of the rooms here really sold me... it’s so beautiful and I’ve never been to Europe before but have always wanted to go. I think that’s the appeal of this resort... especially for people like me who love world showcase! 💗
I'm not understanding all the comments regarding the Caribbean Beach resort. That's one of the main reasons I bought at Riviera. It's in my opinion one of the most beautiful and lush resorts on property to look at. With the lake and the white sand beaches and the island in the middle. Who cares if it doesn't match with the aesthetics of the Riviera. I know I'm not in the south of France, I'm at a beautiful hotel with a beautiful view, in the middle of a swamp in Florida. I can't wait to walk down the beautiful paths, by the beaches and across the island to go to Sebastions Bistro for dinner.
What makes her think there won't be a line for the gondola? At Epcot closing that line is going to be nuts with everyone from Riviera, Caribbean Beach, Art of Animation, and Pop Century all going that way. Also to go from Riviera to Studios, you will be waiting in line twice - once at the Riviera station and again at the Caribbean Beach station where you be competing with everyone from those other resorts as well.
The low availability of low cost rooms(tower rooms) sounds like a classic disney marketing move. Big red flag that they don't include a model of them(no coincidence). Pete hit the nail on the head without even realizing it. It will get prospective DVC owners buying on the basis of the point prices of those tower rooms, not realizing the low availability. Then once Disney has them in the door they can retain them and will have to buy more points once they realize they cant get hold of those rooms all the time.
I agree with Jackie's point that many guests spend all their time at the parks and don't want the more expensive accommodations. Time for DVC to go moderate!
I love the Murphy bed instead of a sofa bed. SO much more comfortable!!! I hope this is a trend that they start rolling that out everywhere during the next renovations.
I LOVE the Poly Studios with two showers and sinks and am happy to see them doing that somewhere else. That is why I can only stay in a BLT studio if I don't have my daughter with me - we'd fight each other in that small bathroom. Plus even the fold out twin at the Poly is more comfortable than a sofa bed. Love the plethora of Murphy beds at the Riviera.
I bought 125 points for 188 a point in April. Cannot wait! Also, If i recall correctly, the gondola at Rivera has a dedicated line to To EPCOT and it’s just for DVC.
It's not really expected to have an exclusive line to Epcot for DVC. The gondolas are stored at the Caribbean Beach main station and they'll have to leave some empty ones from there going to the Riviera station. But the Riviera station is very close to the Aruba section of Caribbean Beach, so I would expect those people to use the Riviera station instead of the CBR station, which is farther away.
I think the smaller studios were created out of useable space. In design of the tower, there may have been an option of turning these little spaces into rooms (aka more rooms and more money to book people in). I don’t think they intended to make a lot of them, they just kind of worked with the design. That’s just my theory anyway!
I would have said that if this was a refurb or a difficult site to build. But neither of those are the case here. This has been designed specifically and all space will be meticulously efficient. . Therefore they know what they are doing when they include a low amount of those tower rooms. Its a marketing move and a test.
Went to see the model rooms over the weekend. I was sold on the new folding beds. Found out that Saratoga is going to get a refurb, hopefully they get the new folding bed layouts.
Riviera is an interesting resort. We saw the models and they are gorgeous, but agree with Pete that it needs to be a true luxury resort to overcome some of the minuses -- price, maintenance fees, resale restrictions. We also aren't crazy about the view of one side of the resort being the Caribbean Beach, it just doesn't quite fit. Hoping to snag two or three nights there to check it out.
I absolutely agree Caribbean Beach is a strange place to put up a Mediterranean themed DVC property. It’s not as if they haven’t got the room. I was talking to a cast member last month. She told me that Disney has only used a third of the land that they have available.
I was just researching articles and checking to see if the DIS had posted the restrictions and caveats that would come with owning here and tada! you guys post a discussion. very informative and thank you for giving us more thoughts on this. Pete Werner you are a delight to listen to. i think this will be interesting to see what DVC does to entice owners here i def will not be owning if resale means no chance at staying anywhere else. i just made my ownership at BVC and CCV before the new rules were implemented. they really have nerve for over $200 per point it better be white glove service.
Why would you want to stay in a hotel room that doesn't have a dedicated bed? The reason they didn't make very many tower studio rooms is because they prob didn't think anyone would like them. I wouldn't want to stay in a tower room.
I can’t see how purchasing DVC here makes sense. We’ve been on the cusp of purchasing DVC just haven’t pulled the trigger. With the sharp increasing of price per point, my fear of home resort unavailability (I don’t want to end up at SSR) and now the resale restrictions. I’ll stick to my AP 35-40% off room offers.
This will be a nightmare to get rooms at some point - in the future- say 5 years from now when there is a good number of resale owners and these people can only book at Riviera the competition for rooms is going to be crazy. I would not buy there for this reason alone!
The bathrooms in the studio are almost the same as the Villas at Grand Floridian. The toilet and sink are just reversed - the sink is with the shower and the toilet is with the tub at GF. The nice thing with the murphy bed is that you do not have to find a place to store the cushions for the sofa. Those take up room - I always feel like I am playing Tetris to try and store them.
Great coverage but may I point out an error regarding the 1 bedrooms at the Riviera - you said in this video that they have two showers. I believe that is incorrect. We just got back from doing a tour of the Riviera one week ago. The Deluxe Studio has two showers - the one bedroom has a shower and a separate adjoining bath with a soaking tub. It is one of the reasons I may not buy into the Riviera. I also prefer the one bedrooms. Why would a one bedroom not have two showers but the deluxe studio which is smaller does?
Exactly. I love their videos but they need to get their facts straight before they start recording. Print out the info on the resort you're going to be discussing so you don't give people misinformation. There's too much guessing and trying to recall from memory important details. I hate the bathroom layout for the 1 bedrooms in Riviera. It's definitely a step backwards from the BLT/Kidani layout. There's no excuse for this when you're paying basically double the points over a studio. 1 bedrooms should have double the amenities of a studio, especially since the occupancy is the same. This combined with the resale restrictions is why I definitely will not be adding on here, although it otherwise looks like a lovely resort.
Maintenance fees are too high! I am afraid Boardwalk and Beach Club will see their fees go up for the Skyliner costs. Ridiculous how Disney justifies these operational costs and increases their maintenance fees.
The 1 bedrooms have a soaker tub and a shower, they do NOT have two bathrooms or two showers. Soaker tubs are not a practical replacement for a shower (most adults don't take baths, especially in the morning). I really hope they go back to the 1 BR layout with 2 FULL baths for Reflections.
And you are right skiing pete.....I was told that exactly with vak...low points for value....but impossible to book. I'm always looking at Savannah or standard
I'm with Pete, Tower Studio have no appeal to me. If possible I rather avoid studios as well. I like all the space not to mention laundry and a kitchen. I'm excited to book Riviera but won't be until 2021. We are going Thanksgiving this year and DCL and Aulani next year.
In any real estate ... location, location, location. This is not a great location. If it was a great location, Disney would not have put a moderate resort there originally (Caribbean Beach).
They don't. Only OKW. But some of the studios have added the smaller pull-down single beds. They're not calling them Murphy beds though. I think banquette bed or something. I am using my BLT points next month for Boardwalk because the studio has those. I need to sit on the sofa, and can't do that when my daughter is sleeping on the uncomfortable sofa bed. I will soon see if this works out.
I admit that I was super excited about Riviera when it was announced. I thought it would buy at Riviera and give up my Beach Club contract. Then I saw the renderings... I don't know why but I am just thinking this resort is missing a wow factor or amenity. Anyone else Just thinking this resort will be nice but blah? Just me perhaps, but I will have to see it when it opens. Did the model tour and really liked the rooms, but the resale rules totally ruined it for me.
My family has been dvc members at the boardwalk since 97 and my parents paid $62 a point, unreal. I would be interested in checking out the Rivera. Looks beautiful
Gondolas at ski resorts are one thing, Gondolas in the hot Florida Sun in August with no AC is another. In August even if there is a breeze it's a hot one so venting is not going to help much. They only go 10 to 15MPH so on a day with no additional wind it will be minimal anyway. I may be wrong, but I think most will still opt for the Air Conditioned Bis on those hot days, especially at the farther away Pop Century Disney Animation resorts.
Supposedly they're reflective of the sun on the outside. My concern though isn't when they're running as it's a short trip, but what happens when they break down and you're in the middle of the line? That happened to us in Bush Gardens in July. They were open though so we were okay temp wise for the 30min it took for them to fix the problem and get them going. Don't want to think about being stuck inside in humid FL for that long with no AC though.
I hope you're right, but I live in Central FL about 25 minutes from WDW, and I can tell you in late July into August when temps are 95 degrees+ many days have no wind, and what there is blows hot. Try riding in an car with it's air conditioning off at 10 to 15 to see what it's like. It is very uncomfortable. and that's with the windows opened full, these are just going to have 2 indirect vents in front and 3 in the back (Don't know why it's not opposite as I would think you want more air coming in from the front?). Yes on opening day and maybe about 6 months in crowds will be high, but once the novelty wears off I think more people are going to opt for the comfort of an Air Conditioned Bus on those Hot summer Humid days, especially to the distant Pop Century and Animation Resorts.
Not specifically related to Riviera, but how do you feel about the lack of housekeeping in a DVC stay? It's my understanding they only come and take out the trash every third day or something like that. Has this been a problem for anyone?
Chrystie Schmelter , daily trash and you can get daily service for a fee. I thought it would be weird not having daily cleaning . But now it feels weird if I do😀
So many people staying at CBR are using the quick service at Riviera and also using the busses like crazy!!! Also walking to the skyliner instead of using CBR. Not so luxurious or “exclusive” as it was going to be. 🤷🏼♀️
I feel like the points value is too much for the location. It will take more points to stay there than BW, BC, BR, CC. I would like to stay at Riveria, but I would much prefer the other resorts location over this location...and for less points. I'm sure we'll end up there sometime, but it seems like a poor points value.
I love the idea of the studio Tower But how many other people are going into Riviera with the same plan. It's going to be a mess and people are going to be angry when they try to book
Guys, what are you TALKING about ? Corey - the cheapest night in a tower studio is 11 points per night, not 8. They range from 11 -- 22. (For the record value studios at AKV range from 8 - 18, significantly cheaper than tower studios). Pete, every studio has the same setup except for OKW, you act like this is some fantastic thing at Riviera where there is a full bed and a pullout (murphy in the case of Riviera). Every studio, but OKW, has a Bed and a pullout couch, this isn't something special about Riviera. You guys really need to know your stuff a bit better before doing these videos, love you, really do, but you can't be giving out bad information like this.
What is the seating situation in the Tower Studios? If there are 2 people in the room & one person wants to sleep later than the other, is the person who wants to get up going to have space to sit? Or will they have to leave the room?
When Corey mentioned potential shopping experiences at Riviera, I immediately thought a small European grocery store would be perfect! They could sell European style/brand meats, cheeses, snacks, and drinks! I’m even thinking they could do small “picnic baskets” with amazing bread and maybe small wines to eat on the grounds of the resort! With other unique shopping experiences.. kind of like Epcot.
I’m not a DVC member just yet but my plan is to buy in around 2021 and the preview of the rooms here really sold me... it’s so beautiful and I’ve never been to Europe before but have always wanted to go. I think that’s the appeal of this resort... especially for people like me who love world showcase! 💗
I'm not understanding all the comments regarding the Caribbean Beach resort. That's one of the main reasons I bought at Riviera. It's in my opinion one of the most beautiful and lush resorts on property to look at. With the lake and the white sand beaches and the island in the middle. Who cares if it doesn't match with the aesthetics of the Riviera. I know I'm not in the south of France, I'm at a beautiful hotel with a beautiful view, in the middle of a swamp in Florida. I can't wait to walk down the beautiful paths, by the beaches and across the island to go to Sebastions Bistro for dinner.
I do think that being connected to CBR will be one of the few pluses for Riviera... at least for me.
What makes her think there won't be a line for the gondola? At Epcot closing that line is going to be nuts with everyone from Riviera, Caribbean Beach, Art of Animation, and Pop Century all going that way. Also to go from Riviera to Studios, you will be waiting in line twice - once at the Riviera station and again at the Caribbean Beach station where you be competing with everyone from those other resorts as well.
multidayticket exactly my concern!
The low availability of low cost rooms(tower rooms) sounds like a classic disney marketing move. Big red flag that they don't include a model of them(no coincidence). Pete hit the nail on the head without even realizing it. It will get prospective DVC owners buying on the basis of the point prices of those tower rooms, not realizing the low availability. Then once Disney has them in the door they can retain them and will have to buy more points once they realize they cant get hold of those rooms all the time.
I agree with Jackie's point that many guests spend all their time at the parks and don't want the more expensive accommodations. Time for DVC to go moderate!
Jackie makes me so happy.
I love that the Grand Floridian dig made it in on to todays vlog
Jaime and Jackie are just fabulous - they bring so much to the show, love them!
I love the Murphy bed instead of a sofa bed. SO much more comfortable!!! I hope this is a trend that they start rolling that out everywhere during the next renovations.
So glad we got this breakdown.
I LOVE the Poly Studios with two showers and sinks and am happy to see them doing that somewhere else. That is why I can only stay in a BLT studio if I don't have my daughter with me - we'd fight each other in that small bathroom. Plus even the fold out twin at the Poly is more comfortable than a sofa bed. Love the plethora of Murphy beds at the Riviera.
I bought 125 points for 188 a point in April. Cannot wait! Also, If i recall correctly, the gondola at Rivera has a dedicated line to To EPCOT and it’s just for DVC.
It's not really expected to have an exclusive line to Epcot for DVC. The gondolas are stored at the Caribbean Beach main station and they'll have to leave some empty ones from there going to the Riviera station. But the Riviera station is very close to the Aruba section of Caribbean Beach, so I would expect those people to use the Riviera station instead of the CBR station, which is farther away.
I think the smaller studios were created out of useable space. In design of the tower, there may have been an option of turning these little spaces into rooms (aka more rooms and more money to book people in). I don’t think they intended to make a lot of them, they just kind of worked with the design. That’s just my theory anyway!
I would have said that if this was a refurb or a difficult site to build. But neither of those are the case here. This has been designed specifically and all space will be meticulously efficient. . Therefore they know what they are doing when they include a low amount of those tower rooms. Its a marketing move and a test.
Total ploy to get people to buy. Only the most aggressive owners will be able to book these rooms.
Put in a lazy river at one of these resorts. It doesn't have to be a big one, a small one. (Not beach club/yacht club included). I mean another one.
Based on the site rendering I've seen, there will be something like that at Reflections opening in 2022.
Good idea! I was disappointed by the looks of the pool. Nothing special.
Looks like Reflections will have a lazy river. I was holding out hope that they would have one here. How awesome would the Riviera River be!?
Went to see the model rooms over the weekend. I was sold on the new folding beds. Found out that Saratoga is going to get a refurb, hopefully they get the new folding bed layouts.
Would have been nice if you could have shared some of the renderings or some photos/video of the model suites.
Riviera is an interesting resort. We saw the models and they are gorgeous, but agree with Pete that it needs to be a true luxury resort to overcome some of the minuses -- price, maintenance fees, resale restrictions. We also aren't crazy about the view of one side of the resort being the Caribbean Beach, it just doesn't quite fit. Hoping to snag two or three nights there to check it out.
FatHeadTed agree- the view of Caribbean Beach / I-4/pop century area is not appealing. Yes
Good coverage of the “initial” Rivera offering!
I absolutely agree Caribbean Beach is a strange place to put up a Mediterranean themed DVC property.
It’s not as if they haven’t got the room.
I was talking to a cast member last month. She told me that Disney has only used a third of the land that they have available.
I was just researching articles and checking to see if the DIS had posted the restrictions and caveats that would come with owning here and tada! you guys post a discussion. very informative and thank you for giving us more thoughts on this. Pete Werner you are a delight to listen to. i think this will be interesting to see what DVC does to entice owners here i def will not be owning if resale means no chance at staying anywhere else. i just made my ownership at BVC and CCV before the new rules were implemented. they really have nerve for over $200 per point it better be white glove service.
Why would you want to stay in a hotel room that doesn't have a dedicated bed? The reason they didn't make very many tower studio rooms is because they prob didn't think anyone would like them. I wouldn't want to stay in a tower room.
How often for lightning will the gondolas be down too?!
I can’t see how purchasing DVC here makes sense. We’ve been on the cusp of purchasing DVC just haven’t pulled the trigger. With the sharp increasing of price per point, my fear of home resort unavailability (I don’t want to end up at SSR) and now the resale restrictions. I’ll stick to my AP 35-40% off room offers.
I love the idea of this newly redesigned Murphy bed. Much more comfortable!
I would rather have a Murphy bed than the pull out couch with the bar in your back. It is easier to fold it up than the pull out.
This will be a nightmare to get rooms at some point - in the future- say 5 years from now when there is a good number of resale owners and these people can only book at Riviera the competition for rooms is going to be crazy. I would not buy there for this reason alone!
Sheryl Ledvina Morning morning
The bathrooms in the studio are almost the same as the Villas at Grand Floridian. The toilet and sink are just reversed - the sink is with the shower and the toilet is with the tub at GF.
The nice thing with the murphy bed is that you do not have to find a place to store the cushions for the sofa. Those take up room - I always feel like I am playing Tetris to try and store them.
You all make me want to stay at Riviera!
Great coverage but may I point out an error regarding the 1 bedrooms at the Riviera - you said in this video that they have two showers. I believe that is incorrect. We just got back from doing a tour of the Riviera one week ago. The Deluxe Studio has two showers - the one bedroom has a shower and a separate adjoining bath with a soaking tub. It is one of the reasons I may not buy into the Riviera. I also prefer the one bedrooms. Why would a one bedroom not have two showers but the deluxe studio which is smaller does?
Exactly. I love their videos but they need to get their facts straight before they start recording. Print out the info on the resort you're going to be discussing so you don't give people misinformation. There's too much guessing and trying to recall from memory important details.
I hate the bathroom layout for the 1 bedrooms in Riviera. It's definitely a step backwards from the BLT/Kidani layout. There's no excuse for this when you're paying basically double the points over a studio. 1 bedrooms should have double the amenities of a studio, especially since the occupancy is the same. This combined with the resale restrictions is why I definitely will not be adding on here, although it otherwise looks like a lovely resort.
Maintenance fees are too high! I am afraid Boardwalk and Beach Club will see their fees go up for the Skyliner costs. Ridiculous how Disney justifies these operational costs and increases their maintenance fees.
The 1 bedrooms have a soaker tub and a shower, they do NOT have two bathrooms or two showers. Soaker tubs are not a practical replacement for a shower (most adults don't take baths, especially in the morning). I really hope they go back to the 1 BR layout with 2 FULL baths for Reflections.
And you are right skiing pete.....I was told that exactly with vak...low points for value....but impossible to book. I'm always looking at Savannah or standard
Love Jackie, we need more of them!
What do you consider luxury? Vs deluxe?
"They're calling it 'The Grand Floridian of Epcot'"
Everybody in the comments: 😐😐😐
Have you got your microphone turned off again Mr Fiasco!!! 😂😂😂
I'm with Pete, Tower Studio have no appeal to me. If possible I rather avoid studios as well. I like all the space not to mention laundry and a kitchen. I'm excited to book Riviera but won't be until 2021. We are going Thanksgiving this year and DCL and Aulani next year.
Hi Pete… If the pulldown bed it’s anything like pop century pulldown bed… It is amazingly comfortable… I mean I love it! Just FYI
In any real estate ... location, location, location. This is not a great location. If it was a great location, Disney would not have put a moderate resort there originally (Caribbean Beach).
At about 4:25, what second bed? I thought only OKW studios had 2 beds, everything else was a pull out sleeper. Do other resorts have 2 beds?
They don't. Only OKW. But some of the studios have added the smaller pull-down single beds. They're not calling them Murphy beds though. I think banquette bed or something. I am using my BLT points next month for Boardwalk because the studio has those. I need to sit on the sofa, and can't do that when my daughter is sleeping on the uncomfortable sofa bed. I will soon see if this works out.
I admit that I was super excited about Riviera when it was announced. I thought it would buy at Riviera and give up my Beach Club contract. Then I saw the renderings... I don't know why but I am just thinking this resort is missing a wow factor or amenity. Anyone else Just thinking this resort will be nice but blah? Just me perhaps, but I will have to see it when it opens. Did the model tour and really liked the rooms, but the resale rules totally ruined it for me.
My family has been dvc members at the boardwalk since 97 and my parents paid $62 a point, unreal. I would be interested in checking out the Rivera. Looks beautiful
Gondolas at ski resorts are one thing, Gondolas in the hot Florida Sun in August with no AC is another. In August even if there is a breeze it's a hot one so venting is not going to help much. They only go 10 to 15MPH so on a day with no additional wind it will be minimal anyway. I may be wrong, but I think most will still opt for the Air Conditioned Bis on those hot days, especially at the farther away Pop Century Disney Animation resorts.
Supposedly they're reflective of the sun on the outside. My concern though isn't when they're running as it's a short trip, but what happens when they break down and you're in the middle of the line? That happened to us in Bush Gardens in July. They were open though so we were okay temp wise for the 30min it took for them to fix the problem and get them going. Don't want to think about being stuck inside in humid FL for that long with no AC though.
Nope, you’re wrong. Skyliner will beTHE preferred mode of transportation.
I hope you're right, but I live in Central FL about 25 minutes from WDW, and I can tell you in late July into August when temps are 95 degrees+ many days have no wind, and what there is blows hot. Try riding in an car with it's air conditioning off at 10 to 15 to see what it's like. It is very uncomfortable. and that's with the windows opened full, these are just going to have 2 indirect vents in front and 3 in the back (Don't know why it's not opposite as I would think you want more air coming in from the front?). Yes on opening day and maybe about 6 months in crowds will be high, but once the novelty wears off I think more people are going to opt for the comfort of an Air Conditioned Bus on those Hot summer Humid days, especially to the distant Pop Century and Animation Resorts.
Pete doesn't read these, but Pete, Caribbean Beach must be going away...
Not specifically related to Riviera, but how do you feel about the lack of housekeeping in a DVC stay? It's my understanding they only come and take out the trash every third day or something like that. Has this been a problem for anyone?
Chrystie Schmelter , daily trash and you can get daily service for a fee. I thought it would be weird not having daily cleaning . But now it feels weird if I do😀
So many people staying at CBR are using the quick service at Riviera and also using the busses like crazy!!! Also walking to the skyliner instead of using CBR. Not so luxurious or “exclusive” as it was going to be. 🤷🏼♀️
I feel like the points value is too much for the location. It will take more points to stay there than BW, BC, BR, CC. I would like to stay at Riveria, but I would much prefer the other resorts location over this location...and for less points. I'm sure we'll end up there sometime, but it seems like a poor points value.
Wait! You had a bad time at GF? Why haven’t you told us before? :)
thelostant he did a while vlog on it
I assumed the smiley face would indicate the sarcasm I guess I failed
Oh yes I missed that. Sorry
thelostant I picked up on it 😉
I love the idea of the studio Tower But how many other people are going into Riviera with the same plan. It's going to be a mess and people are going to be angry when they try to book
Really nice.
I own vak...never been able to get value studio. And I have owned since 2008.
the maintenance fees are what have kept me from buying into DVC
I thought that the DVC at Grand Floridian was to be Luxury?
The combination of the ridiculous annual dues (just under $9 / point) and the restriction on those who purchase Riviera resale are both show stoppers.
Interesting.
Guys, what are you TALKING about ? Corey - the cheapest night in a tower studio is 11 points per night, not 8. They range from 11 -- 22. (For the record value studios at AKV range from 8 - 18, significantly cheaper than tower studios). Pete, every studio has the same setup except for OKW, you act like this is some fantastic thing at Riviera where there is a full bed and a pullout (murphy in the case of Riviera). Every studio, but OKW, has a Bed and a pullout couch, this isn't something special about Riviera.
You guys really need to know your stuff a bit better before doing these videos, love you, really do, but you can't be giving out bad information like this.
What is the seating situation in the Tower Studios? If there are 2 people in the room & one person wants to sleep later than the other, is the person who wants to get up going to have space to sit? Or will they have to leave the room?
There is a small desk and chair beside the bed, plus a table and chairs on the balcony.
I believe only one person can be in the room the other stays on the tower balcony 😂
Stop including the guy over the webcam until you have a more clear audio/video connection it brings down the quality of this show