The Official Riviera Owners & Info Thread

I've stayed in both. *In general* I'd agree that preferred isn't necessarily better, but a bad standard view could be a low floor looking at the parking lot, whereas a bad preferred view would be (IMO) that awkward corner by the kiddie pool that's dark and noisy with a so-so view. With standard you're taking a chance at getting nothing but parking lot, if you're ok with that (and also some traffic noise when on the balcony).
 
Last edited:
I've stayed in both. *In general* I'd agree that preferred isn't necessarily better, but a bad standard view could be a low floor looking at the parking lot, whereas a bad preferred view would be (IMO) that awkward corner by the kiddie pool that's dark and noisy with a so-so view. With standard you take you're taking a chance at getting nothing but parking lot, if you're ok with that (and also some traffic noise when on the balcony).

I was going to request a high floor if booking standard. I know it's not a guarantee, but I'd like to save on points even though technically I have plenty for preferred. It'll be our first stay at Riviera and we haven't been to WDW since '18, plus the 50th celebration which is why I can't seem to make up my mind. ;)
 
Good afternoon neighbors! My 11-month booking window for Riviera opens up in about 10 days. I've been reading opinions on room views. The consensus seems to be that preferred view isn't really worth it and that a standard on a high floor is just as good or possibly better. Do you all concur? I need to make up my mind!
How exciting! I LOVED the preferred view. Had a beautiful view of the pool area, sky liner and lake (I know . . . and the nice moderate resort too :)). I would only book preferred now unless I was trying to stretch my points or if my points didn't work out for it. You will really enjoy no matter what view.
 
I was going to request a high floor if booking standard. I know it's not a guarantee, but I'd like to save on points even though technically I have plenty for preferred. It'll be our first stay at Riviera and we haven't been to WDW since '18, plus the 50th celebration which is why I can't seem to make up my mind. ;)
If it's your first time in two years AND your Welcome Home to your new home resort AND you have the points... I say live large, girl! Go with preferred and when you check in let them know it's your Welcome Home so they give you all the love :-). On our upcoming WH in February 2021 are are doing a 2 Bedroom Preferred - haha. And then in July we're coming back and doing 2 nights Tower, 2 nights Deluxe Standard, 5 nights 2 Bedroom Preferred Lock-Off so we'll have experienced all the room sizes except the GV (which will be back and do in either 22 or 23). That said... there are a lot of different options for Preferred so depends what you like. I think I might want (high floor duh) overlooking the quiet pool or by the Skyliner (assuming fireworks are happening by then plus then you can easily see if Skyliner is working and are on the side where there's not kid pool noise or parking lot noise). So, for example if you were doing a 1bedroom, like rooms ending in 11 or 17 (Skyliner) or 32 or 12 (Quiet Pool).

533431

Here's 8632:
533450

Or 8646:
533453

And 8811:
533451
 
Last edited:


We stayed in a one bedroom standard view room number 8271.
This is by far, the worst view that we have ever gotten in all the different categories ,in all the other resorts that we stayed before. We could not sleep past 8am because of the delivery truck' s noises, the resort's vehicles , and the workers shouting to each other from afar. We also had to call and complaint about a bad odor when getting out to our balcony in the mornings, besides the noise. We were upgraded to a preferred view, which was very nice. I know that I requested a high floor, after reading that a standard view could be better than preferred sometimes ,but we did not get a high floor.

Here are some pictures :

20200827_084948.jpg0.jpg0-1.jpg
 
Last edited:
We stayed in a one bedroom standard view room number 8271.
This is by far, the worse view that we have ever gotten in all the different categories ,in all the other resorts that we stayed before. We could not sleep past 8am because of the delivery truck' s noises, the resort's vehicles , and the workers shouting to each other from afar. We also had to call and complaint about a bad odor when getting out to our balcony in the mornings, besides the noise. We were upgraded to a preferred view, which was very nice. I know that I requested a high floor, after reading that a standard view could be better than preferred sometimes ,but we did not get a high floor.

Here are some pictures :

View attachment 533540View attachment 533541View attachment 533542
Oh no, that sounds like a horrible experience! Whenever I’ve booked a standard view anywhere, I’ve never had unrealistic expectation. However, I would politely asked to be moved if I were to encounter the issues you did. Glad they were able to move you!
How exciting! I LOVED the preferred view. Had a beautiful view of the pool area, sky liner and lake (I know . . . and the nice moderate resort too :)). I would only book preferred now unless I was trying to stretch my points or if my points didn't work out for it. You will really enjoy no matter what view.
Hmm, you’re not making my decision any easier!😉
If it's your first time in two years AND your Welcome Home to your new home resort AND you have the points... I say live large, girl! Go with preferred and when you check in let them know it's your Welcome Home so they give you all the love :-). On our upcoming WH in February 2021 are are doing a 2 Bedroom Preferred - haha. And then in July we're coming back and doing 2 nights Tower, 2 nights Deluxe Standard, 5 nights 2 Bedroom Preferred Lock-Off so we'll have experienced all the room sizes except the GV (which will be back and do in either 22 or 23). That said... there are a lot of different options for Preferred so depends what you like. I think I might want (high floor duh) overlooking the quiet pool or by the Skyliner (assuming fireworks are happening by then plus then you can easily see if Skyliner is working and are on the side where there's not kid pool noise or parking lot noise). So, for example if you were doing a 1bedroom, like rooms ending in 11 or 17 (Skyliner) or 32 or 12 (Quiet Pool).

View attachment 533431

Here's 8632:
View attachment 533450

Or 8646:
View attachment 533453

And 8811:
View attachment 533451
We stayed in a one bedroom standard view room number 8271.
This is by far, the worse view that we have ever gotten in all the different categories ,in all the other resorts that we stayed before. We could not sleep past 8am because of the delivery truck' s noises, the resort's vehicles , and the workers shouting to each other from afar. We also had to call and complaint about a bad odor when getting out to our balcony in the mornings, besides the noise. We were upgraded to a preferred view, which was very nice. I know that I requested a high floor, after reading that a standard view could be better than preferred sometimes ,but we did not get a high floor.

Here are some pictures :

View attachment 533540View attachment 533541View attachment 533542

Oh wow, thanks so much for posting the room locations! That’s definitely going to help with my decision.

Yeah, this trip will definitely be a special one and I hadn’t thought of mentioning to DVC that it’s our WH trip.

Well, I guess I’ll need to continue researching room views. I‘ll have an easier time reserving our savannah view villa at AKV for the week prior to our Riviera stay. Riviera is proving to be a bit trickier for me.🤔
 
We stayed in a one bedroom standard view room number 8271.
This is by far, the worse view that we have ever gotten in all the different categories ,in all the other resorts that we stayed before. We could not sleep past 8am because of the delivery truck' s noises, the resort's vehicles , and the workers shouting to each other from afar. We also had to call and complaint about a bad odor when getting out to our balcony in the mornings, besides the noise. We were upgraded to a preferred view, which was very nice. I know that I requested a high floor, after reading that a standard view could be better than preferred sometimes ,but we did not get a high floor.

Here are some pictures :

View attachment 533540View attachment 533541View attachment 533542
8 a.m.? I cant sleep past 5 at WDW and i often shut down the bars. I AM a Tigger though.
 


That view of the delivery area is awful!

I don't know why DVC doesn't categorize those types of rooms at the resorts (like the WL dumpster view) as 'value' and lower the points. I'd be ok with reallocating points and raising them a tiny bit on all the others. Seems fair since rooms like that delivery area view are light years away from the beautiful 8th floor standard view I had.
 
Oh no, that sounds like a horrible experience! Whenever I’ve booked a standard view anywhere, I’ve never had unrealistic expectation. However, I would politely asked to be moved if I were to encounter the issues you did. Glad they were able to move you!

Hmm, you’re not making my decision any easier!😉



Oh wow, thanks so much for posting the room locations! That’s definitely going to help with my decision.

Yeah, this trip will definitely be a special one and I hadn’t thought of mentioning to DVC that it’s our WH trip.

Well, I guess I’ll need to continue researching room views. I‘ll have an easier time reserving our savannah view villa at AKV for the week prior to our Riviera stay. Riviera is proving to be a bit trickier for me.🤔

They were very nice about moving us, and almost sounded like they were not surprised to hear from us . I wonder if it's possible, when you book a standard room, to go take a look at it before you accept it.
 
8 a.m.? I cant sleep past 5 at WDW and i often shut down the bars. I AM a Tigger though.
[/QU
That view of the delivery area is awful!

I don't know why DVC doesn't categorize those types of rooms at the resorts (like the WL dumpster view) as 'value' and lower the points. I'd be ok with reallocating points and raising them a tiny bit on all the others. Seems fair since rooms like that delivery area view are light years away from the beautiful 8th floor standard view I had.

I totally agree with you. To not be able to enjoy the balcony because of the noise and bad odors was awful. They also seemed not surprised at all to hear from us.
 
We stayed in a one bedroom standard view room number 8271.
This is by far, the worse view that we have ever gotten in all the different categories ,in all the other resorts that we stayed before. We could not sleep past 8am because of the delivery truck' s noises, the resort's vehicles , and the workers shouting to each other from afar. We also had to call and complaint about a bad odor when getting out to our balcony in the mornings, besides the noise. We were upgraded to a preferred view, which was very nice. I know that I requested a high floor, after reading that a standard view could be better than preferred sometimes ,but we did not get a high floor.

Here are some pictures :

View attachment 533540View attachment 533541View attachment 533542

After seeing this... I switched my home coming trip from standard to preferred, lol. But now I had to dip into borrowing some 2022 points.
 
A few weeks back I was able to book a Tower Studio for the first weekend in May. The wife and I like to take an adults trip in the late spring after tax season (she’s a CPA).

Last night I checked and a Standard Studio was available. I booked it immediately. In deciding between the two, there is only a 2 points difference between the different rooms. 17 for the TS and 19 for the preferred.

While I would love to try a TS, it’s hard to justify not using an extra two points for considerably more room.

Am I only one who thinks the TS are overpriced?
 
A few weeks back I was able to book a Tower Studio for the first weekend in May. The wife and I like to take an adults trip in the late spring after tax season (she’s a CPA).

Last night I checked and a Standard Studio was available. I booked it immediately. In deciding between the two, there is only a 2 points difference between the different rooms. 17 for the TS and 19 for the preferred.

While I would love to try a TS, it’s hard to justify not using an extra two points for considerably more room.

Am I only one who thinks the TS are overpriced?
Agreed - overpriced but still want to try - haha. We're going to do 2 nights there and see how we feel 8-)
 
A few weeks back I was able to book a Tower Studio for the first weekend in May. The wife and I like to take an adults trip in the late spring after tax season (she’s a CPA).

Last night I checked and a Standard Studio was available. I booked it immediately. In deciding between the two, there is only a 2 points difference between the different rooms. 17 for the TS and 19 for the preferred.

While I would love to try a TS, it’s hard to justify not using an extra two points for considerably more room.

Am I only one who thinks the TS are overpriced?

The point chart isn't friendly, but my wife and I really enjoyed the TS last year. We had plenty of room and the Epcot view was excellent.
 
A few weeks back I was able to book a Tower Studio for the first weekend in May. The wife and I like to take an adults trip in the late spring after tax season (she’s a CPA).

Last night I checked and a Standard Studio was available. I booked it immediately. In deciding between the two, there is only a 2 points difference between the different rooms. 17 for the TS and 19 for the preferred.

While I would love to try a TS, it’s hard to justify not using an extra two points for considerably more room.

Am I only one who thinks the TS are overpriced?

Not sure I would call Tower studios overpriced -- The 2 point difference is only in 1 season. For most of the year, it's a 4 point difference between TS and a standard studio.
1 bedrooms are overpriced. Arguably, the "preferred" rooms are overpriced premium. (Actually, I'd argue they should price it into 3 different view categories -- preferred, standard lower floor (which is really a crappy parking lot view) and standard upper floor (which has a nice Epcot view).

1 bedrooms are the most overpriced -- At more than 2x the price of studios, for the same number of beds.

Using a summer weekend as a current example:
TS 19
Studio -std 23
Studio pfd 29
1 bed std 50
1 bed pfd 60
2 br std 64
2 br pfd 77

Total: 322

Assuming we need to keep that same total (yes, this is inexact, as technically, I would need to multiple across the number of existing rooms), I think it should be more like:

TS --- 18
Studio STD - 25
Studio pfd - 30
1 br std - 45
1 br pfr - 53
2 br std - 69
2 br pfd - 82

total: 322

This slightly reduces the premium for preferred. Slightly decreases tower studios. Slightly increases deluxe studios, and slightly increases 2 bedrooms.
 
A few weeks back I was able to book a Tower Studio for the first weekend in May. The wife and I like to take an adults trip in the late spring after tax season (she’s a CPA).

Last night I checked and a Standard Studio was available. I booked it immediately. In deciding between the two, there is only a 2 points difference between the different rooms. 17 for the TS and 19 for the preferred.

While I would love to try a TS, it’s hard to justify not using an extra two points for considerably more room.

Am I only one who thinks the TS are overpriced?

Yes, it’s high for what you get, but when it’s one or two people, it would do the trick, But, if I was going with DH, and it was only 2 more points for SV, I’d snag that too.
 
Not sure I would call Tower studios overpriced -- The 2 point difference is only in 1 season. For most of the year, it's a 4 point difference between TS and a standard studio.
1 bedrooms are overpriced. Arguably, the "preferred" rooms are overpriced premium. (Actually, I'd argue they should price it into 3 different view categories -- preferred, standard lower floor (which is really a crappy parking lot view) and standard upper floor (which has a nice Epcot view).

1 bedrooms are the most overpriced -- At more than 2x the price of studios, for the same number of beds.

Using a summer weekend as a current example:
TS 19
Studio -std 23
Studio pfd 29
1 bed std 50
1 bed pfd 60
2 br std 64
2 br pfd 77

Total: 322

Assuming we need to keep that same total (yes, this is inexact, as technically, I would need to multiple across the number of existing rooms), I think it should be more like:

TS --- 18
Studio STD - 25
Studio pfd - 30
1 br std - 45
1 br pfr - 53
2 br std - 69
2 br pfd - 82

total: 322

This slightly reduces the premium for preferred. Slightly decreases tower studios. Slightly increases deluxe studios, and slightly increases 2 bedrooms.

One of the reasons I chose CC over Riviera was because a 2 bedroom at CC is less points than a 1 bedroom preferred at Riviera.

I’m going to stick with the Standard Studio for my trip. My goal is to convince the wife to get a small Riviera contract for weekend Food and Wine stays. I’m not convinced she’ll like the Tower Studio.
 
One of the reasons I chose CC over Riviera was because a 2 bedroom at CC is less points than a 1 bedroom preferred at Riviera.

I’m going to stick with the Standard Studio for my trip. My goal is to convince the wife to get a small Riviera contract for weekend Food and Wine stays. I’m not convinced she’ll like the Tower Studio.

I too had to decide between CC and Riviera when I added on recently. I ended up choosing Riviera because although very nice, the theming at CC isn't really my vibe. We also have the tendency to visit WDW during festivals, so being a quick Skyliner ride away was very appealing plus the theme is definitely meshes with my bougie sensibility. Just kidding! 😆 I promise, I'm not bougie! I just love the vibe and the artwork of the resort. ;)
 
I too had to decide between CC and Riviera when I added on recently. I ended up choosing Riviera because although very nice, the theming at CC isn't really my vibe. We also have the tendency to visit WDW during festivals, so being a quick Skyliner ride away was very appealing plus the theme is definitely meshes with my bougie sensibility. Just kidding! 😆 I promise, I'm not bougie! I just love the vibe and the artwork of the resort. ;)

I’ve been to the Riviera for dinner at Toppolinos. I liked what I saw and am indifferent to the resale restrictions. Our guide really pushed CC hard when asked about the Riv.



I just need to convince the wife to buy more points.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!









Top