Riviera Owners Thread

Fellow Riviera owner here! We took a gamble and bought a contract there without having stayed. (We had visited a few times.)

We did our first stay in a 1 bedroom resort view in February and immediately fell in love. The decor and theming of the villa, along with the Skyliner access and dining options, have us hooked.

My first DVC contract was direct with Riviera. My husband had just passed and he left behind some money. It just seemed like the right thing to do. I like Carrie, never had even stepped foot at the Riviera. I absolutely love the Riviera. My son & I feel quite comfortable there. Yea, it's not overly themed, but it's quite and the cast members are stupendous! The lobby smells so good and you can beat the location. My favorite park is Epcot and my son's favorite park is Hollywood Studios. The quick service is the best on property in our opinion. Oh...and Topolino's is an amazing character breakfast option.

Love the staff at Riviera always so friendly and attentive. We enjoy both pools and always find time to take advantage of bar riva! Also other guests are always so friendly. I’ve made new friends on each of my stays at The Riviera!

Tip* if you have refillable mugs, the bar riva pop machine is 24/7.

Regards

Eric

Bought at Riviera in 2022 after staying there an falling in love with. Didn't intend to do it since we already owned at SSR and will inherit OKW and WL/BR but we did it anyhow.

Hello! I’m a Riviera owner as well! We bought direct in 2024 and are considering adding more points soon. I absolutely love the resort - I think the theming is just perfect, exactly what I am looking for when I return from a day at the parks. And the Skyliner is vastly superior to the monorail!! 😉

We bought a small Riviera contract on a cruise in 2019. Due to world events, we didn’t actually stay there until 2021! But it was love at first sight 😍

Riviera owner here! This is the resort we didn't think we would like, then fell in love. Can't beat the location for getting to Epcot and HS on the Skyliner.

Hello! 👋🏼 Fellow Riviera owner. We bought last year after debating DVC for 7 years. Part of our hesitation was that we enjoy DCL and the points aren’t as great for cruises. As our children grow and interests change, we decided DVC makes more sense for us now. No regrets on waiting. 😊 (I know that is rare!)

We haven’t stayed at Riviera yet - just visited and enjoyed quick service. Our preferred resort pre-DVC was CBR which is why Riviera was a quick decision for location alone.

Our first DVC stay was this past January. I originally booked Riviera but after binging DVCFan podcasts, got the idea to try something different 😆 and switched to BWV. Due to a change in flight plans, we needed an extra night so we added on VGF at the start. Worked out really well as we did MK and had our luggage moved by Disney while we enjoyed the park. Debating a split stay next year too but with time at Riviera. 😁

• Bought Riv pts as my “Jack of all trades” points. Like a lot folks, I Use them everywhere except the RIV. Hope to change this soon. It looks great.

• The only extended stay there was loitering too long after a topolinas feast. ;)

Hello! I used to be so so on riviera but as my kids have become young adults , it’s become my favorite resort! Happy to chat with other owners!

We also purchased the Riviera sight unseen, but felt the aesthetic and skyliner location would suit us, and we weren't wrong.  We are working our way around staying at all the DVC resorts, but always find ourselves wanting to go home to the Riviera on our next stay.

Hey neighbours! Fellow Riviera owner just joined the forum.

We bought direct at the Riviera last summer and absolutely love it!

Hello everyone. We're just happy to be here!

Hi Everyone! Two small contract owner (one resale and other direct) at Riviera! Riviera checked all the boxes for my family and I in what we wanted in a resort. No regrets at all owning at Riviera! Love it!

Joined this year. 1st stay in May 2026 to visit our DCP Son who's working on Skyliner.

I’m an owner and I love Riviera. The perfect vibe for my fiancé and me. The fireworks views from the rooftop lounge are underrated as well.

I’ve been a Rivera owner since 2021. I bought it direct and sight unseen in 2021. I love the theming of resort.

We are owners too and yet to stay there Hope yall can tell us when is the best time to go

We bought here after one stay. It convinced us to join DVC after that stay. We have never Disney'd the same since then. Absolutely love this resort and the Skyline access.

We are also owners at Riviera. We had our first trip booked at POFQ and then I saw availability for our dates at Riviera. I switched our cash reservation and we had an amazing time. We wanted to go back so badly and I learned about DVC from YouTube, mostly DVCFan. We bid on our first resale contract 4 months later and have direct now as well, those crazy incentives a few summers ago. We love Riviera and stay every time we go back annually. ºoº

Riviera is one of our home resort and a memorable 1st DVC stay...always have a special feeling when staying at this resort. Definitely my kids favorite HOME resort...

Hi all! We just finalized our Riviera Contract last month and have our first trip as new DVC members scheduled for December. We had rented points and stayed there two years ago and my wife was immediately hooked.

I am a direct Riviera owner from California. I also own at the Disneyland Villas. I absolutely love the Riviera and how close it s to Epcot!

We bought at Riviera, just prior to it opening. We love it for the compactness, meaning you don’t have to walk for “miles” to get to services. While we’ve stayed at some of the other resorts, Riviera is always our first choice.

Hey everyone,

Fellow Riv owner here. We purchased in July 2025 without staying and had our first Riviera stay this past February. Although we visited Disney 3 times between purchasing our points and finally staying. I have to say, we really loved it. The quick service and coffee shops are second to none. Staying again in July and cannot wait. My favorite part was the double fireworks view we got from our “resort view” room.

Riviera direct owners here...we stayed there twice in 2025. First time was a long weekend with our Son and Daughter-In-Law in April and then we did a family trip in late November. Love the resort and its closeness to Epcot and especially the Skyliner. Looking forward to many future stays there.

Joined dvc in 2022 while on vacation at aulani. Had never seen the Riviera in person but the skyliner had me intrigued and we couldn't pass up the opportunity. Since then we have bought a small contract at Hilton Head as well. Have stayed with all extended families on both sides twice at Riviera and we don't regret buying there at all. My wife loves the theming and my kiddos and I love the skyliner access.

We prefer to visit the second week in December crowds are not bad weather is perfect and all the Christmas decorations are up

FW owners here. Own here, BLT, and VGF but prefer RR to all others. Just so relaxing, great running path, skyline access, and food options. Always great cast members too!

Welcome

Greetings fellow Riviera owners. We purchased as an add on last year with a good priced resale contract. Wanted somewhere near Epcot, and Boardwalk and Beach Club just don’t have enough years left😁😬

Just stopping in to say hello! Riviera was our first DVC contract, so it is responsible for getting us started on this DVC adventure :)

Love that you have homes on both coasts (RIV and VDH) as well! How often do you make it to each park? We’ve been frequent WDW goers for many years. Our son moved to No. Hollywood a few years ago, so we’ve made it out a few times a year since then. Each park has a special draw!!

I usually make it to WDW at least once a year sometimes twice. At Disneyland, I’m a magic keyholder and I live 20 minutes from the park with no traffic. I go at least 2 times a month or more depending on what’s happening in the park and what merchandise comes out. I have a lot of Disney friends and I’m retired so that makes it easier :)

Whooo same. We had a choice between RIV and VGF and we've been very happy with the fact that we have a Epcot area resort that lasts past 2042. It also helps that the rooms are some of the best on property and everything is in one building and convenient to get to.

Quick question for you! Since you have both a direct and resale RIV contract, are the points all still together under the same membership? Would love to add on RIV direct for more flexibility but I don't want to deal with the stress of combining or booking from multiple memberships. Thanks in advanced!

We purchased 150 direct Riv points in 2025. We also own resale OKW (our 1st contract). We hope to add on resale Riv eventually as our kids start their lives amd families several years from now.

Just stopping by. We purchased 150 direct Riv points back in 2024 but actually just added on another 150 yesterday.
We also own at DAK as well, that was our first contract that got us hooked on DVC.

Agreed, we own same places as you and RIV is definitely the overall prefered.

Riviera was my first DVC stay even though Poly was my first purchase. I got pixie dusted to the 2 bedroom and I have been ruined ever since. It is so nice having all that space. That stay caused my adult daughter and her family to buy in to DVC as well.

Love the Riviera. Can’t say it’s my favorite at this point because I love so many of them for different reasons, but it’s probably the nicest.

Hello everyone! We purchased Riviera direct in June 2024 without even exploring the property. We chose it because it was the best option for our family, however, we weren’t made aware of the resale restrictions. After having our first DVC stay there in July 2025, we absolutely loved everything about it and don’t care about the restrictions. The beauty of the resort & rooms, delicious food options, great amenities and sky liner access have us hooked! Proud and thrilled to be a Riviera owner!😊☀️

Awesome! Sounds like us- bought without staying and don’t plan on selling, so the restrictions were irrelevant 🙃

We too purchased without seeing the rooms. Finally stayed there last July and loved it! You will not be disappointed!

Hi everyone! We joined DVC in Oct 2024 with a Riviera contract. Just had our "welcome home" in Dec 2025 (yes, it took a while for us to make it back lol) and currently booked for May and Dec 2026. Hope to eventually add some "sleep around" points at SSR in the future. With the low point chart and walking distance to Disney Springs, we think that would be a good fit for a quick getaway kind of trip when parks are not a priority.

Riviera is one of our favorites. It was out 1st DVC Contract. We bought back in 2019 sight unseen. We usually do a split stay with Riviera being the last resort because we know we love it there so much.

Riviera owner since 2021 here. Our favorite resort, with Poly and AKL in a close second.

Riviera owner since 2021, bought a second Riviera contract in 2024. Our first contract is at the Polynesian. I love both of them so much for very different reasons! I’ve noticed there are a lot of members that own at both resorts.

I love swinging by Le Petit Café in the morning and grabbing a shaken espresso and banana bread. Then picking up a night cap and watching the fireworks from our room.

I’m an aspiring Riviera owner (not yet a DVC member)! Hubby wants us to wait until we visit WDW next in July to see the resort in person first before buying direct.

Question for you all though. I love the rooms but still unsure if the resort will be enough for our rest/resort days. I foresee that with the climbing ticket prices and our tendency to go on DCL more than parks, we will only use DVC to recharge or hang out at. Is Riviera a good place to do that with younger kids? I see the pool and splash pad and just think there are cheaper resorts that might be a better fit (AKL, SSR)—but I fear I will always have fomo for Riv!

We are big parks people, but I love all the amenities at Riviera. They have a very active community hall, a nice pool, and the courtyard has a giant chessboard and other games. If you’re planning to buy direct, it’s super easy to get a reservation at 7 months at Animal Kingdom and Saratoga, so you can always mix it up or do a split stay to add more variety! Fort Wilderness is also a good resort with a TON to do. I’m not the biggest outdoorsy person, but I think Lakeshore Lodge will be a great way to easily enjoy the archery and horseback riding and all that without the full “camping” feel of the cabins, so I would add that to your list of resorts to try out!