Riviera vs. BLT/BCV vs. Just BCV

dis1010

Earning My Ears
Joined
Apr 26, 2003
Hi all,

Last year, my immediate family (2 adults + twin toddlers) went to WDW 8 nights and we did 4 nights at BLT and 4 nights at BCV. It worked amazingly well.

We are going again for 8 nights this year (end of August). But this year we're traveling in a pretty large group:

1) My immediate family of 4 (2 adults; twin 2-year olds)
2) My mother and father in law
3) My sister and her 8-year old son

The price to duplicate last year's trip is pretty expensive. But we loved the ability to walk to MK half the trip (while staying at BLT) and walk to Epcot and HS the other half (while staying at BCV).

It is cheaper for us to stay all 8 nights at BCV this year. Obviously MK is much less convenient that way.

OR, for even cheaper than that, we can stay all 8 nights at Riviera.

My concerns about Riviera:

A) My in laws will have an ECV. So, they will have to go on a separate line for the Skyliner.
B) We will have to fold up our double stroller for the Skyliner - and that's really annoying with twin toddlers. We also use the stroller to store stuff, which means unloading for the Skyliner.
C) It's just generally less convenient than being able to walk places

But we'd save a lot of money.

Curious what people's advice would be in this scenario. Is it worth paying the extra money to be walking distance to HS and Epcot? Or is the Skyliner not that big a deal?

Thanks!
 
I just had this exact debate. In the end I went with split BLT and BCV. I haven’t been to BCV yet (this is our first time) but staying at BLT and being able to walk there was our favorite. So when BCV came up as an option and we could do the pool on our non park Sunday, I jumped on it. I just wasn’t sure RIV would be better than BCV (especially since you have SAB at BCV) and it was more points to stay at RIV. Ultimately being able to walk to a park was the most important to me. Any of those choices are great though.
 
A couple points about the skyliner-sort out any info that applies to you:
-The ECV line is often quicker than the regular line, they will probably beat you to your destination. 6 people can ride in the gondola with an ecv so no need for them to go alone or anything.
-What kind of double stroller do you have? If you have one that is one seat in front of the other instead of a double wide, you likely won't have to fold it. It seemed like they were only making the double wide stroller fold.
-Be aware you have to transfer from Riveria to HS at CBR, just in case you didn't know.
We loved for the Skyliner, but it's probably not as convenient as walking everywhere. Big step up from the bus though.
 
That's a tough one. The BLT/BCV split would be ideal, but if it's cost prohibitive, I would pick BCV for the whole trip. We stayed at RIV in December and really enjoyed it, but with the heat of August, I, personally, would want to keep waiting for any form of transportation to a minimum. As you know, from BCV, you can walk/scooter right in to EP. You will still have Skyliner and boat access to DHS and you will be so close to the BC bus stop from BCV. I, personally, think BCV is so well-situated at that resort, overall to access the buses, QS, etc. At RIV, you are going to have to deal with elevators, walking/scooting down to the bus stop (which isn't terribly close to the lobby, and walking/scooting to the Skyliner. It just isn't as convenient. It is, however, a very comfortable resort (loved the rooms and beds!) and has a really cute kids' splash pad. I think, for me, given your choices, it would come down to convenience or money-savings.
 
That's a tough one. The BLT/BCV split would be ideal, but if it's cost prohibitive, I would pick BCV for the whole trip. We stayed at RIV in December and really enjoyed it, but with the heat of August, I, personally, would want to keep waiting for any form of transportation to a minimum. As you know, from BCV, you can walk/scooter right in to EP. You will still have Skyliner and boat access to DHS and you will be so close to the BC bus stop from BCV. I, personally, think BCV is so well-situated at that resort, overall to access the buses, QS, etc. At RIV, you are going to have to deal with elevators, walking/scooting down to the bus stop (which isn't terribly close to the lobby, and walking/scooting to the Skyliner. It just isn't as convenient. It is, however, a very comfortable resort (loved the rooms and beds!) and has a really cute kids' splash pad. I think, for me, given your choices, it would come down to convenience or money-savings.
Thank you for your reply - I'm not OP but I was having the same debate and we ended up doing the BLT/BCV. Yay!!! I didn't think about how you still have close access to the Skyliner just at Epcot (duh). Thanks.
 
I don't recall a HC line at Riviera for the Skyliner. Is there one?
 
We stayed at Riviera last month with our kids: four and six and loved it. We have a double tandem stroller and didn’t need to fold it up. The kids loved riding in the sky and we liked being close to two of the parks. My kids also liked the kids pool area there, although it’s not as impressive as the CBR. 😊
 



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