The Official Riviera Owners & Info Thread

[sethschroeder]

(1) Since it's his 21st, we'll be spending some time on The Boardwalk visiting a few bars after Epcot closes. Assuming we're there more than an hour, is getting an Uber the only way back to Riviera ? Are there any problems getting Ubers down there now ?

If the Skyliner is close then getting an uber should be a snap and you would just call it from BW to RIV. That being said what "bars" are you hitting up? Pretty much every bar is closed currently (ESPN, Jelly, Big River, Flying, Belle Vue).

There is Topolinos Lounge with the a patio and some good views that you might want to hit up. Plus you have Bar Riva as well thats open until 10PM.

I would go on the Disney Website under restaurants to verify the locations you are wanting to go are even open.

(2) On our HS day, is the skyliner a viable option to go to HS if we want to try for Rise of the Resistance ? My son's been dying to go to Galaxy's Edge since it opened and we'll do whatever we need to do to have a reasonable chance at getting Rise of the Resistance ?

Check out the ROR thread over in the Theme Park area of this forum about getting a boarding pass. You can try at 7am from your hotel room and then if you went to the park again at 2pm.

No need to rush if you don't want to but there is MM Runway Railway now as well thats new too.

(3) We've currently got two reservations at Topolino's for dinner ... and I'm thinking of keeping them both. We're probably going to do 2 or 3 signatures this trip anyway and I've got to say, everything about that place looks great. With Flying Fish and Jiko not open, I'd be open to it. Is it as good as it looks ? I was very disappointed in California Grill my last two trips, so when it comes to top-end dining, Topolino's looks as good as there is right now.

Personally I would hit up Shula's if you want something outside the parks for one of the meals otherwise on your Epcot day you could hit up something inside Epcot and use the skyliner for getting around. For sure do Topolino's as well but just another option instead of doing it twice.

 

[Sydnerella]

Hi all. We have a relatively short (6 days) trip planned for my son's 21st birthday in mid January ... Covid allowing. We just got word that a 1 bedroom Villa opened up at the Riviera and since my son really loves the look of the Riviera, we deceided to move from our 2 bedroom lockoff at Boardwalk. He's lucky I love him, because Boardwalk is my favorite place in the world.

Anyway, since we've got every day planned already, the move kind of shakes up our plans so I've got a few questions I'm hoping you all might be able to offer some advice on.

(1) Since it's his 21st, we'll be spending some time on The Boardwalk visiting a few bars after Epcot closes. Assuming we're there more than an hour, is getting an Uber the only way back to Riviera ? Are there any problems getting Ubers down there now ?

(2) On our HS day, is the skyliner a viable option to go to HS if we want to try for Rise of the Resistance ? My son's been dying to go to Galaxy's Edge since it opened and we'll do whatever we need to do to have a reasonable chance at getting Rise of the Resistance ?

(3) We've currently got two reservations at Topolino's for dinner ... and I'm thinking of keeping them both. We're probably going to do 2 or 3 signatures this trip anyway and I've got to say, everything about that place looks great. With Flying Fish and Jiko not open, I'd be open to it. Is it as good as it looks ? I was very disappointed in California Grill my last two trips, so when it comes to top-end dining, Topolino's looks as good as there is right now.

Looking forward to flipping through the whole thread and learning about the resort before the trip. The last time we were in Disney was the week the Skyliner opened, so we sailed through the station there, but Riviera hadn't yet opened. It looks great ... kind of gives me the same vibe Portofino Bay at Universal does, and that's one of our favorite stays. Looking forward to making some time to hang out at Bar Riva and just walking the grounds, in between rushing to parks.

Thanks for any thoughts.

Sounds lovely! Your son has fine taste! The Riviera is absolutely gorgeous and we very much enjoyed our stay in the 1BR preferred view villa overlooking the Courtyard during Thanksgiving week.


1. Unfortunately we had to use Uber More than we should have based on the prices at Riviera. Skyliner and bus service didn’t begin early enough for us to be at the parks for rope drop which seems to occur currently 1 to 1.5 hours before park open. Without fast pass plus this was the only way we could manage the parks and get on the attractions we wanted without our plus waits. That said Uber was fantastic and always arrived within 10 minutes of haling or exactly right on time if scheduled. We were dropped off outside the Boardwalk, near the bridge sidewalk for our walk to Hollywood studios and we were the first people and third group to arrive at the park our two days. This allowed us to get in many rides - as by the time the park actually opens queues really build. Plus we were more comfortable being there with less people due to Covid. Post holidays it should be better but I’m Not a fan of waiting in line and would do this in an off peak trip as well until fast pass returned. We also had to uber to boardwalk - with a mobile order for boardwalk bakery to show the gate officer so they would let us inside - for Epcot rope drop as skyliner Did not start running until 9:45 - 10ish and by that time the line to get into the parks from the gateway was pretty long. They opened right at 10 despite the official 11am opening time. Skyliner was fantastic every other part of the day and we loved the convenience and speed of it except for rope drops.

2. Riviera wifi was faster than data to secure our ROTR BG from the room at 7am. All four of us tried with two on Wi-Fi and two on data. The iPhone 11 (DD14) on Wi-Fi got BG5 and BG7 our two days at HS. The iPhone 12 (me) and X (DS16) on data were slower. Remember to all be linked to the same MDE - we all used my MDE account when doing this. do not hesitate or stop to select your party it should all be selected for you and if it is not proceed anyway and have them fix it at the park. Basically hit join join join on each of the 3 screens that come up, as fast as you can once the clock changes to seven.

3. While breakfast is cute with characters and has tasty options, dinners are a far better value. The prix fix price of 65 for everything but the steak is crazy - cute characters or not! With a 21-year-old I would not spend the money to have breakfast there and if you wanted an early breakfast snd don’t care about beating rope drop crowds, head to Ale and Compass at yacht club as you are close to Hollywood studios - walking from there.

Since he is turning 21 I would also recommend walking over to the Caribbean Beach banana cabana outdoor bar at some point as well as Bar Riva. Cool vibe and enjoyable place to sit if you have good weather!! Enjoy the planning we miss our trip and Riviera desperately already!

 

[jcvalenti]

So we got our boarding group right at 7, had breakfast, then went over to the Skyliner around the time the park opened. At the CBR transfer there was a wait, about 20 min or so. Not bad at all and plenty of time to get to the boarding group.

You know, I totally forgot they changed it to being able to try from anywhere. That does make "arrival time" a little easier. We are interested in Mickey & Minnies and other things at DHS. We're actually going to DHS on arrival day too, but won't get there until 2pm or so (probably after the 2pm Boarding Group try)... so we figured that would be a good time to try riding some old classics and make a try for Ogas.

Definitely take a walk around the grounds and lake at night, the resort is so pretty when it's all lit up!

Be prepared and maybe have a conversation beforehand about what you'd do if anyone in your party starts feeling uncomfortable. Disney is doing a good job generally, but in high crowd areas where the guests vastly outnumber the CMs they really do loose control. There were just so many unmasked people walking around drinking or eating, people not respecting the distance in line, etc.

Thanks for the thoughts. The situation down there is something we discussed extensively before even thinking about the trip, so we've all agreed that this most definitely won't be a "usual" trip, and we've got to be prepared to ditch things if they just don't work out. My wife has been rotating through 6 hospital sites that she managed since the start of this thing, and my son spent the whole summer working front desk at a hotel in a local resort on an island (where the island's main drag got awfully busy at times). We're all pretty comfortable avoiding and adapting as needed, but for the most part we're more concerned with inside proximity than outdoor. I guess we're fortunate to have travelled to Disney enough that even though we have favorites, we're more interested in just the down time and the ambiance than doing any one specific thing.

If the Skyliner is close then getting an uber should be a snap and you would just call it from BW to RIV. That being said what "bars" are you hitting up? Pretty much every bar is closed currently (ESPN, Jelly, Big River, Flying, Belle Vue).

As far as we can tell from research, it looks like Abracadabar, Yacht Club, Phins, Kimonos and Il Mulino lounge are all open ... the kid loves Kimonos especially, so that will definitely be a stop (and I think I'm required by law now to stop at Phins for a smoked Old Fashioned at least once per trip). No Belle Vue and no Flying Fish might be the reason I really didn't mind switching from the BW to Riviera - those are my favorite post-Epcot stops.

Personally I would hit up Shula's if you want something outside the parks for one of the meals otherwise on your Epcot day you could hit up something inside Epcot and use the skyliner for getting around. For sure do Topolino's as well but just another option instead of doing it twice.

We had thought about Il Mulino on an off day. Shula's does look fantastic though so we're considering it - it's never made our list because we always travel in a big group and we all have our favorite "steak night" places (Flying Fish, Jiko, California Grill) ... I've heard nothing but raves. One fun thing about this trip is that it kind of forces you out of habit, which is usually a lot of fun. Our last 2 or 3 trips, we've made it a point to spend a couple nights doing things we've never done before and those are usually everyone's favorite days of the trip. As God is My Witness, I never thought I'd even crack a smile at Hoop De Doo Revue but when we did that for the first time in 2019 all 9 of us had an absolute blast.

 

[jcvalenti]

Sounds lovely! Your son has fine taste! The Riviera is absolutely gorgeous and we very much enjoyed our stay in the 1BR preferred view villa overlooking the Courtyard during Thanksgiving week.

1. Unfortunately we had to use Uber More than we should have based on the prices at Riviera ...

Yeah, I'm really not a bus person, so I see a lot of Ubers in our future. I suppose I'll need Uber XL, as we can't sit in the passenger seat with driver ... and my 2 sons and I are both over 6 feet. I do have a rental car reserved, but I'm leaning towards not getting one this trip - between parking costs at the resort and other parks, and the fact I would like to be able to have a cocktail or three with him on some nights, it'll probably be cheaper just to Uber to and fro.

2. Riviera wifi was faster than data to secure our ROTR BG from the room at 7am.

This is great to know. First time ever I have heard this about a Disney hotel lol. I just got a new 5G phone so hoping it's fast enough. I did not know about having multiple people try to make boarding groups - I may do that. My wife and I both have MDE so we've got at least two devices to try from.

3. While breakfast is cute with characters and has tasty options, dinners are a far better value ... Since he is turning 21 I would also recommend walking over to the Caribbean Beach banana cabana outdoor bar at some point as well as Bar Riva.

We're really not breakfast people (or character dining people), so we probably will avoid the breakfast there. I agree - the price looks crazy. We'll be find grabbing a muffin in the lobby and saving the extra $50 / person for fun money.


I didn't even think to ask, but since could only get a "standard view" villa (and no one on You Tube ever shows you tours of the standard views) is there anything we should request in that category prior to check in ? I generally like higher floors and quiet. I used to scan all of the Touring Plans room layouts before a trip and request specific rooms lol ... I'm getting more casual in my old age.

 

[Tigger's ally]

42,000 feet over Tennessee peddling our way to the Riv as we speak.

 

[Tigger's ally]

Room wasnt ready so here I sit at the hole in the wall....again! I'm home?

Got room text 8747...oh for epcot fireworks!

 

[Sydnerella]

Is there anyway to call/contact the gift shop directly? I wanted to get my daughter the loungefly backpack and the Bienvenue pin for Xmas and coasters for me. I should have bought in person last week but did not really get a great chance away from my daughter and our bags turned out to be full even with the large package of merch that we shipped home from La boutique!! That receipt has a general merchandise number on it so I cannot reach the store directly from it.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

When we were checking in last Saturda

Is there anyway to call/contact the gift shop directly? I wanted to get my daughter the loungefly backpack and the Bienvenue pin for Xmas and coasters for me. I should have bought in person last week but did not really get a great chance away from my daughter and our bags turned out to be full even with the large package of mech that we shipped home from La boutique!! That receipt has a general merchandise number on it so I cannot reach the store directly from it.

Try this number, it's not for the gift shop but elsewhere at RVA. They may be able to connect you or help in some way: 4078287030

 

[sethschroeder]

We have 2022 Point Charts out

Changes:

• Season Changes (1 = Cheapest / 7 = Most Expensive)
  • December 15-23
    • Was: Season 2
    • Now: Season 3
  • Oct 1 - Nov 30 (excluding 3 days around Thanksgiving)
    • Was: Season 3
    • Now: Season 4
  • June 11 - Aug 15
    • Was: Season 5
    • Now: Season 4
• Point Changes
  • Nothing specifically significant to any season
  • Nightly changes everything was 1 point except the following (excluding GVs)
    • Season 3 / 2BR Std / Fri-Sa / Down 3 points per night
    • Season 4 / 2BR Pref / Fri-Sa / Up 2 points per night
• "Awards"
  • Biggest Winner: People who stay in the summer (week in July went from 146/183 to 130/164 in Studio or 398/494 to 375/449 in 2BR)
  • Biggest Loser: People who stay in the fall (week in Oct-Nov went from 123/155 to 130/164 in Studio or 345/412 to 375/449 in 2BR)

2022 Seasons:

1. Sept 1-19
2. Jan 1-31; Sep 20-30; Dec 1-14
3. May 1-June 10; Dec 15-23
4. Feb 1-15; June 11-Aug 31; Oct 1-Nov 22; Nov 26-30 (excludes 3 days of Thanksgiving)
5. Apr 24-30 (Sunday after Easter through end of April)
6. Feb 16-Apr 9; April 18-23 (excludes Easter week); Nov 23-25 (Thanksgiving)
7. Apr 10-17 (Easter); Dec 24-31 (Christmas)

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

We have 2022 Point Charts out

Changes:

• Season Changes (1 = Cheapest / 7 = Most Expensive)
  • December 15-23
    • Was: Season 2
    • Now: Season 3
  • Oct 1 - Nov 30 (excluding 3 days around Thanksgiving)
    • Was: Season 3
    • Now: Season 4
  • June 11 - Aug 15
    • Was: Season 5
    • Now: Season 4
• Point Changes
  • Nothing specifically significant to any season
  • Nightly changes everything was 1 point except the following (excluding GVs)
    • Season 3 / 2BR Std / Fri-Sa / Down 3 points per night
    • Season 4 / 2BR Pref / Fri-Sa / Up 2 points per night
• "Awards"
  • Biggest Winner: People who stay in the summer (week in July went from 146/183 to 130/164 in Studio or 398/494 to 375/449 in 2BR)
  • Biggest Loser: People who stay in the fall (week in Oct-Nov went from 123/155 to 130/164 in Studio or 345/412 to 375/449 in 2BR)

2022 Seasons:

1. Sept 1-19
2. Jan 1-31; Sep 20-30; Dec 1-14
3. May 1-June 10; Dec 15-23
4. Feb 1-15; June 11-Aug 31; Oct 1-Nov 22; Nov 26-30 (excludes 3 days of Thanksgiving)
5. Apr 24-30 (Sunday after Easter through end of April)
6. Feb 16-Apr 9; April 18-23 (excludes Easter week); Nov 23-25 (Thanksgiving)
7. Apr 10-17 (Easter); Dec 24-31 (Christmas)

Thanks for this useful breakdown! Now I'm even more glad to have a FW! It'll save us 5 points on years when we only do couples trips in a studio.

I wonder if they'll keep this pattern in future years...

 

[sethschroeder]

Thanks for this useful breakdown! Now I'm even more glad to have a FW! It'll save us 5 points on years when we only do couples trips in a studio.

I wonder if they'll keep this pattern in future years...

Have to think Fall will continue to increase and summer will get slight decreases as an offset.

As for December I am not really sure what to think at this point. December 1-23 continues to be one of the bigger demand periods but is not being adjusted really much at this point. They can only adjust so much per year though so possibly we will see next year having December get a bump, fall being left alone, and summer reducing.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Have to think Fall will continue to increase and summer will get slight decreases as an offset.

As for December I am not really sure what to think at this point. December 1-23 continues to be one of the bigger demand periods but is not being adjusted really much at this point. They can only adjust so much per year though so possibly we will see next year having December get a bump, fall being left alone, and summer reducing.

Well, here's hoping that crowds at the parks don't also increase in early December like they have this year!

 

[sethschroeder]

I sent an email to Members Services and used the webform as well to ask about the point change that saw total points for Studios decrease while 1BR and 2BR increased.

I asked about demand and asked someone to contact me. It would be nice to get some answers to the "demand" they see and some data to back that up as well for what they are claiming.

 

[sethschroeder]

 

[CP3uhoh]

Odd question but does anyone know if they sell the “riviera blend” in bags of beans?

 

[DVCKing]

Odd question but does anyone know if they sell the “riviera blend” in bags of beans?

they sell French press, ground, and whole bean.
https://joffreys.com/shop/disney/riviera-resort-blend/

 

[Carol_]

 

[sethschroeder]

View attachment 543535

How much would be a good bribe to Housekeeping?

Just kidding haha.

Disney just unlocked a whole new line of merch.

 

[CP3uhoh]

Just saw the point credit for the dues...

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

View attachment 543010

I love this!