I would just say that plenty of members on this forum were actually "never ever" and actually ended up buying.
For what its worth after doing room tours at every resort just in the last two weeks we are both sure that Riviera is one of the best resorts at WDW and for me personally its my top resort followed closely by Boardwalk.
The largest negatives typically will be:
- Resale restriction
- Point Charts
- Location (aka Skyliner instead of boat/walking/monorail)
Resale Restriction
This only impacts you if you sell. Most people will outline you will sell but in reality we don't know what this will do in 20/30/40 years time. In addition you can do the math today on the lost potential. While contracts are selling for more do a cost prediction based on SSR's selling price. You will notice while there is value lost its not so drastic that you worry about it when you eventually sell.
In addition I would add if you end up loving Riviera it might actually be a positive because you can pick up points for less. Various people only ever stay at one resort every year and while there are some downsides I view it as a potential cost savings measure later.
In my case I got 300 points at $155/point so the math even when I go to sell in the future really was a wash when I consider I am getting a larger upfront discount over the other resorts buying direct (wanted the blue card).
Point Charts
This is really hit or miss but realistically you are looking at a
point chart that normally is going to be a little more than BLT but less than VGF or POLY. In 20 years times I would expect places like BWV and BCV to shoot past Riviera and leave Riviera as a "deal" for an Epcot resort. There is also nothing stopping me from trying to switch at 7 months to a lower cost offering at times to save some points.
Location
While it does get Epcot access there is pushback because at times the Skyliner will go down. Now this is more likely during summers due to weather but we don't really have enough information as based on reports during when it was open this last late summer it never had too much issue.
Not being able to walk is a downside but the always moving Skyliner is a benefit in its own right. So while it can get backed up at times it is something you can plan for to avoid the peak rush things like just lining up earlier in the morning, leaving the park a little early or meandering a little longer at park close possibly grabbing dinner. If you are trying to get to Epcot opening and its backed up just go to HS and grab the boat or if you are leaving at HS closing just go over to Epcot and Skyliner from there.
The one thing our latest trip reminded me is that transportation can always be a little hit or miss but with Skyliner (unless its down for weather) you are going to see continual loading instead of waiting for a bus, boat, or monorail that you are not sure where it is.
