DisneyGal24
Always dreaming of Disney! DVC—SSR & AKL
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2012
My family of four (me, DH, DD17, DS14) just completed a 10 day split stay between RIV studio (4 nights) and a BLT 1 bedroom (6 nights). Here are my thoughts and observations from our trip.
The Not So Good:
-It was extremely hot! We’ve been coming in June or July for 10+ years and we’ve never experienced heat quite like this. We’re southerners so we’re used to the humidity but this was next level.
-At RIV, the split bathroom set up just did not work for us. The vanity area was so small that two people could not easily stand beside one another and get ready. Also, the vanity area lacked storage.
-BLT needs some love! The hallway carpet was stained and fraying in some spots. This was the case on the fifth floor (highly traveled) and the ninth floor where we stayed. Our room had some wear and tear (vanity damage in the bathroom, small scratches on dresser). Couch was worn and armrests were dingy looking. Main bathroom had a messy paint job. Paint was on the tile around the shower. The pool area was a hot mess. The chairs are faded and worn. The pool tile is cracked and I did notice a few tiles missing. The splash area was closed off with planters and was not operational. They desperately need to find a way to add more seating around the pool. On busy days, there was nothing available. The biggest issue was pool towels were left on unused chairs for hours and towel return bins were nearly overflowing.
The Good:
-RIV was gorgeous. It was our first time staying here and overall really enjoyed it. With it being new, everything was in amazing shape. We loved our room location because we could see the Epcot fireworks.
-Yay for the sky liner! We didn’t use it to get the parks because we drove but one day we left our car at HS and returned to RIV/back to HS via skyliner. So cool!
-Can’t beat the location of BLT! It’s one of our favorites and we love being on the monorail loop and being able to walk to MK.
-BLT 1 bedroom was perfect! The layout worked great for us.
The Not So Good:
-It was extremely hot! We’ve been coming in June or July for 10+ years and we’ve never experienced heat quite like this. We’re southerners so we’re used to the humidity but this was next level.
-At RIV, the split bathroom set up just did not work for us. The vanity area was so small that two people could not easily stand beside one another and get ready. Also, the vanity area lacked storage.
-BLT needs some love! The hallway carpet was stained and fraying in some spots. This was the case on the fifth floor (highly traveled) and the ninth floor where we stayed. Our room had some wear and tear (vanity damage in the bathroom, small scratches on dresser). Couch was worn and armrests were dingy looking. Main bathroom had a messy paint job. Paint was on the tile around the shower. The pool area was a hot mess. The chairs are faded and worn. The pool tile is cracked and I did notice a few tiles missing. The splash area was closed off with planters and was not operational. They desperately need to find a way to add more seating around the pool. On busy days, there was nothing available. The biggest issue was pool towels were left on unused chairs for hours and towel return bins were nearly overflowing.
The Good:
-RIV was gorgeous. It was our first time staying here and overall really enjoyed it. With it being new, everything was in amazing shape. We loved our room location because we could see the Epcot fireworks.
-Yay for the sky liner! We didn’t use it to get the parks because we drove but one day we left our car at HS and returned to RIV/back to HS via skyliner. So cool!
-Can’t beat the location of BLT! It’s one of our favorites and we love being on the monorail loop and being able to walk to MK.
-BLT 1 bedroom was perfect! The layout worked great for us.
