Disney's Riviera Resort

Disney's Riviera Resort Information: Rooms, Pools, Dining, and More

On this page is information on Disney's Riviera Resort, including pictures of the view from every hotel room, pictures and video from inside Riviera rooms, a list of amenities, restaurant reviews and dining menus with prices, pool photos and reviews, reader comments, childcare options, and more. Last updated: January 25, 2023

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Overview

The Riviera is the newest DVC resort at Walt Disney World. Themed to evoke glamorous beach resorts in the South of France, it has 300 guest rooms, including studios and one-, two-, and three-bedroom villas, spread over nine floors. Though it’s on land that used to belong to Caribbean Beach, a Moderate resort, Disney has positioned the Riviera to be as upscale as the Grand Floridian—with service, amenities, and prices to match.

Rooms at the Riviera are some of our favorite at Disney World, with white walls and off-white accents, beige carpets, and furniture in neutral tones. Faux-wood vinyl laminate covers the floors, except in the bedrooms, which have carpet. As with other DVC resorts, deluxe studio accommodations have kitchenettes, while the one-, two-, and threebedroom villas have full kitchens. We like the villas quite a bit—they’re bright, comfortable, and modern, even if the theme is understated.

The Riviera has a unique room type among DVC resorts that we like considerably less: the tower studio, which accommodates two guests. These rooms measure about 225 square feet—the smallest on Disney property, and small enough that they require the room’s single bed to fold into the wall when not in use. Disney may have found a lower limit on how small it can make hotel rooms, and these are too small. In fact, when Len visited two friends staying in one of these rooms, one of them stood in the bathroom to maintain what felt like normal social distance—there’s just not a lot of space here.

Beyond the size, the tower studio rooms are dim during the day and dismal at night. The most cheerful space in the studio is the bathroom because of the better lighting. There’s little doubt that these are the worst rooms for the money in Walt Disney World.

In addition to otherwise-posh rooms and amenities and high-end restaurants, the Riviera boasts easy access to EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The resort sits about 1,500 feet from World Showcase, affording park-facing rooms on high floors excellent views of both EPCOT’s and the Studios’ evening entertainment. The Riviera’s restaurants have similar views.

Of course, Disney charges a premium for these views: Rack rates run $429–$738 per night for tower studios; $642–$1,025 for deluxe studios, depending on the date and the view; $911–$1,415 for one-bedroom villas; $1,443–$2,541 for two-bedroom units; and $2,892–$4,677 for three-bedroom villas.

The Riviera’s restaurants include Primo Piatto, an excellent counterservice eatery with grab-and-go options; Le Petit Café, a morningcoffee- and-pastry bar that serves wine in the evening; and Bar Riva, a pool bar. Topolino’s Terrace, the sit-down restaurant, is a Disney Signature venue that serves fixed-price character breakfasts for kids and upscale dinners for grown-ups.

Other amenities include two pools and a fitness center. The main Riviera Pool offers play areas for children, while the Beau Soleil Pool is the quiet pool. The Riviera Resort is connected to EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios by Skyliner and to the rest of Walt Disney World by bus.

Where to Check In, Get Theme Park Tickets, and Make Dining Reservations

A security gate guards the entrance to Riviera's grounds. If you arrive by car, you'll need to provide photo ID at the gate; it's not necessary to provide your reservation number or paperwork. A dedicated lot near the front of the hotel serves as temporary parking for those who need it while checking in.

Guests keeping a car at the hotel overnight will be charged $25 per day.

Check-in time at Riviera is 4:00 PM, and check-out time is 11:00 AM. Disneys Riviera Resort participates in Disney's Online Check-In program, which allows you to you provide name, address, and credit card information up to 60 days before your arrival. If you've checked-in online and provided a mobile phone number or email address, you will receive your room number electronically. Then you can go straight to the room and use your smart phone or MagicBand to open the door, skipping the lobby altogether.

The resorts's gift shop sells MagicBands for your stay, if you don't already have them. Note: The free MagicBand program was discontinued in early 2021.

If you have not registered online, look for signs pointing you to the Registration/Check-In area. You'll need to provide a government-issued photo ID and credit/debit card when you register.

If you do not already have theme park tickets, theme park reservation, or dining reservations, you can make them at the lobby Concierge Desk. (We strongly recommend that you make all these arrangements online in advance.) If you need to both check in and obtain theme park tickets, you can save some time in line if one adult gets in line for tickets just after another adult starts the registration process.

Rooms

Riviera is a Disney Vacation Club (DVC) resort, with apartment-like accommodations rather than traditional hotel rooms. It features a mix of Tower Studio, Deluxe Studio, 1-Bedroom, 2-Bedroom, and 3-Bedroom "villas." Deluxe Studio villas look much like regular hotel rooms, but with one Queen bed and a fold-down Murphy bed and the addition of a small kitchenette featuring an extra sink, microwave oven, and toaster. The 1, 2, and 3 bedroom villas all include a full size kitchen with a larger refrigerator, microwave oven, standard oven, cooktop, a laundry washer and dryer, dishwasher, and a supply of cookware and dishware. Making real meals is certainly possible in a DVC full kitchen.

The Tower Studio rooms are a new type of accommodation, introduced at Riviera. These smaller rooms are designed for two, which is how many they sleep. They still include balconies but they are more compact and intimate (meaning smaller).

One-bedroom and 2-bedroom DVC units have a living-room area with pull-down sleeping surfaces and a bedroom or bedrooms with regular beds. There is at least full bathroom for every bedroom with a shower and a soaking tub. The 3-bedroom Grand Villa units include all of the above, plus an additional bedroom and bathroom, as well as other amenities like an expanded living room or a dining room. The Grand Villa can sleep up to 12.

Transportation

Disney's Riviera Resort has easy access to Walt Disney World's Skyliner gondola transportation system, which takes guests to and from the Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios theme parks. With its own Skyliner station, the Riviera also has easy access to Caribbean Beach, Pop Century, and Art of Animation. Walt Disney World bus transportation to the remaining theme parks, two water parks, and Disney Springs is also available.

From Orlando International Airport See our Walt Disney World Transportation Options page for information about how to get to and from Orlando International Airport and Walt Disney World.

Dining

The showpiece restaurant is Topolino's Terrace - Flavors of the Riviera perched on the roof of the Riviera tower with amazing views of both Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Other dining options include the Primo Piatto quick service, Le Petit Cafe coffee and wine bar, and Bar Riva at the pool.

Other Amenities

Riviera contains three pool areas. The feature pool sits between the building and the lagoon, with S'il Vous Play, the child play area, adjacent to it. Nearby is the quiet pool, called Beau Soleil.

For more information on the pools at WDW resorts, including towels, entertainment programming, handicap access, kiddie pools, life vests, and much more, see our Walt Disney World Resort Pool Fact Sheet FAQ. There is also a fitness center available for resort guests.

Disney contracts with a third party company, Kids Nite Out, to provide babysitting services at the resort hotels. See our Disney resort childcare page for more information.

There are on site washers and dryers available for guest use. For more information on guest laundry services at Walt Disney World hotels, see our WDW Laundry Information page.

Blog Posts About Disney's Riviera Resort

• REVIEW – Le Petit Cafe Serves Up Sweets and Specialty Coffee
• PHOTOS – Disney’s Riviera Resort Revisited For Its One Year Anniversary
• REVIEW – Bar Riva Is an Ideal Outdoor Bar Along the Disney Skyliner Route
• Tips for Staying at a Skyliner Resort
• TouringPlans WDW Resort Tournament – Elite Eight

Hotel Photos

Hotel Video

Grand Villa Room Tour

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths	Weaknesses
Skyliner connection to Hollywood Studios and Epcot	Tower rooms are expensive for their diminutive size
Can easily walk through Caribbean Beach and enjoy those views
Good dining and bar options
Elaborate Child Play area near main pool

Disney's Riviera Resort Dining

• Bar Riva (Quick Service)
• Le Petit Cafe (Quick Service)
• Primo Piatto (Quick Service)
• Topolino's Terrace - Flavors of the Riviera (Table Service)
• Voyageurs’ Lounge (Bar or Lounge)

Commuting Times to the Parks

Park	Bus	Skyliner	Personal Automobile
Magic Kingdom	27 min	–	37 min
EPCOT	26 min	11 min	18 min
Hollywood Studios	24 min	17 min	15 min
Animal Kingdom	27 min	–	17 min
Disney Springs	26 min	–	7 min