Disney Riviera Resort Review

Disney’s Riviera Resort is a hotel and Disney Vacation Club Property (DVC) on the newest “Skyline” transportation system route adjacent to the Caribbean Beach Resort at Walt Disney World.

Disney’s Riviera is Disney World’s all new free-standing resort that walks the line of adult and family friendly, and is marketed as being inspired by Europe and imagined by Disney, a European and Mediterranean theme that is light on traditional cartoon characters, but rich on gorgeous title mosaics that feature familiar scenes, high end ballrooms and rich, soothing colors. This Deluxe Villa Resort offers approximately 300 vacation homes and units, including studios, one and two-bedroom villas, and grand villas that sleep up to 12 guests each.

The last time an all-new resort opened at Walt Disney World, was 2012 and the resort was the cartoon-themed Art of Animation. There have been multiple expansions of existing resorts since that time, including the Gran Destino Tower at Disney’s Coronado Springs, but the excitement was extra high for the first all-new Disney World property in quite some time, and opening night at the Riviera sold out.

One of the many great things about Disney Riviera Resort is that it’s on the new Disney Skyliner route. This system connects Riviera Resort, Art of Animation, Pop Century, Caribbean Beach, Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios via a network of gondola lifts.

Riviera Resort has its own station, where you can board the Skyliner to either go directly to Epcot or to the Caribbean Beach Resort. From Caribbean, you can transfer Skyliners to Hollywood Studios or another Disney resort hotel.

If want to visit the Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom, you can use the free Disney bus system or take a Minnie Van via the Lyft app. A Minnie Van from the resort to Magic Kingdom costs about $40, so save that for when you really need it. You could also take a Skyliner from Riviera to Epcot and transfer from there to the monorail that goes to Magic Kingdom.

Lobby of Riviera Resort

We stayed in the Tower studios, but what we didn’t realize was that they are the smallest rooms, around 220 square feet with no bed. The room had a 2 person couch, a TV, small desk and chair.

Mounted into the wall was a Murphy bed that came down to reveal lovely Peter Pan-inspired art on the wall. The bed easily came down from the wall with a decent tug. There were lots of outlets, including two in a nook right by the bed. The lighting was intuitive, plentiful and dimmable. There was a small fridge, microwave and Keurig.

There weren’t enough pillows. There were two pillows in the closet, but two total pillows in a room for two just didn’t seem to be enough, how many of you sleep on more than one pillow? Though our room was quite small, the bathroom was not. In fact, the bathroom was almost as large as the room itself! The full shower and large vanity were pretty nice. Bath amenities were wall-mounted Disney H20+ shampoo, conditioner and body wash.

All in all, the smallest Riviera rooms were the first ones designed for just two people — and it felt like it. I had no issues at all with the room for the two of us for one night,  and it comes in at the lowest price point for the resort precisely because it’s made for two. However, the price we paid is more than what the room’s worth if you aren’t trying to review the property. If you can book the room for around $200 less and also noticeably cheaper than a standard room for five, it’s not a bad deal for a new deluxe Disney resort. Otherwise, to me it wasn’t worth it. Size aside, the design of the room was smart and pretty nice.

The small, two-chair balcony overlooked the resort, Skyliner and evening fireworks from neighboring Epcot. You stay at a Disney resort for the location and amenities. All Disney resorts provide shared amenities which include Magical Express Bus that provides transportation to and from Orlando Airport (MCO), access to FastPass+ reservations 60 days before the first day of your vacation, access to Extra Magic Hours in the parks and so on. But each resort also has unique amenities, too. In Riviera’s case, its own Skyliner station is a fantastic amenity that made getting to Epcot and Hollywood Studios a breeze.

Then there are the pools. Riviera had what may be my favorite preschooler splash area at any Disney World resort. There was even a poolside gelato stand ($6.50 a scoop). There was also a smaller pool without all the slides, snacks or lifeguards, and it was open longer, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. during our December stay. (And, yes, the pools were heated.) Even a nice hot tub.

If the 20,000 plus steps you’re going to get in while at Disney World each day weren’t enough, Riviera has a gym on the ground floor near the pools.

If you go stay, check out the two mosaic murals in the walkway tunnel to the Skyliner, they are absolutely stunning! I bet it took over a million hand cut tiles to make these beautiful mosaic murals. One of the murals was the lantern scene from “Tangled,” while the other was Neverland.

In the main lobby their is a Le Petit Cafe, both a daytime coffee shop and evening bar. On the morning menu there are coffees and pastries such as blueberry muffins and perfectly flaky croissants. In the evening, the atmosphere transformed and the night menu had adult beverages, brownie bites and small pastries. And there is a grown up lounge just behind the cafe.

The primary quick-service restaurant at Riviera was on the ground floor. You ordered and paid at Primo Piatto at the counter, but staff delivered most food to your table This made it feel like a full-service restaurant, even though it wasn’t. On the menu were pizza, salad, pasta and other Mediterranean foods.

To get a full-service meal at Riviera, visit Topolino’s (Italian for “baby mouse,” which is what they call Mickey). Topolino’s is a signature table-service restaurant perched on the rooftop of Disney’s Riviera Resort and the views are phenomenal. Topolino’s Terrace follows the rooftop dining trend, offering bird’s eye views in a bright and airy space, thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows.  You can both have a signature table service Dinner or a character breakfast.

Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera breakfast, is a prix fixe character dining à la Art with Mickey & Friends dressed in their artistic best! Mickey is dressed as a painter, Minnie’s a poet, Donald is a sculptor, and Daisy is a dancer, tutu and all. This is the only place you’ll find them wearing these unique outfits, so for character fans, this breakfast will be in high demand for the next few months, for sure. At $41 for adults and $24 for children ages 3-9, you’re looking at a pricey endeavor, but it’s along the same price range for many other themed character breakfasts on property, and here you get rooftop dining in a brand-new setting.

For dinner, get ready to indulge in fresh, delicious seafood and meat dishes, handmade pasta and decadent desserts infused with French and Italian flavors at this signature rooftop dining experience straight from the Riviera. Inspired by the cliffside restaurants of France and Italy, Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera takes its name from the Italian name for Mickey Mouse

At the price we paid, I’m not sure the value was there, but if you can secure the room using DVC points or at a lower cash rate, the room would work for two people. But if there’s a difference in price between this and a standard room, so it might be worth it. Remember they do have studios, one and two-bedroom villas, and grand villas that sleep up to 12 guests each. It all comes down to your preference and your budget of where you would like to stay and whether it is worth the value to you. I hope this helps if your planning on booking at Disney’s Riviera Resort. Overall the resort was beautiful and we have a lovely time there. As always, we appreciate you following us.

Until next time, see ya real soon- Shauna

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