- Average night
- $738
- Standard room sleeps
- 5
- Quickest park
- EPCOT, by skyliner
- Pools
- 7 / 10
The short answer
The Riviera is great for little kids and runs out of steam for older ones. It ties for first of all 32 for splash pads and slides and ranks 26th for kids 7 to 13, at about $738 a night.
It feels like a grown-up hotel, and the scores back that up more than the theming suggests. Topolino's Terrace is a rooftop signature restaurant and one of the better meals on property, Bar Riva sits by the pool, Le Petit Cafe does coffee in the morning and wine at night, and Beau Soleil is a really quiet second pool. The Skyliner station on site runs straight to EPCOT with no change at the hub.
What you don't get is much for a ten-year-old. There's a slide and a small arcade, and things to do on site is below average.
Two resorts on one Skyliner line, $400 a night apart. The Riviera wins on splash pads and dining, Caribbean Beach on price and the main pool.
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Your ages, budget and parks re-rank all 32. Free, about a minute.Which room to ask for
Rooms open onto internal corridors with elevators throughout, so which floor you get matters less here than at the Values and Moderates. A request costs nothing and is never guaranteed: make it at booking, and again a day or two before you arrive.
Every measure, against the other 30
Disney does not set a height minimum on its resort waterslides, unlike the water parks. Riders go down one at a time and land in water deep enough to swim in, so the question is whether your child swims on their own, not how tall they are.
| Scored category | This resort | Average of all 32 | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pools | 7 / 10 | 7.1 | 14th of 32 |
| Splash pads and slides | 10 / 10 | 7.6 | 1st of 32 |
| Everything close together | 10 / 10 | 6.0 | 1st of 32 |
| Things to do on site | 6 / 10 | 7.2 | 24th of 32 |
| Suits under 4s | 9 / 10 | 7.8 | 1st of 32 |
| Suits ages 4 to 6 | 8 / 10 | 7.8 | 14th of 32 |
| Suits ages 7 to 13 | 3 / 10 | 6.2 | 27th of 32 |
| Suits adults | 6 / 10 | 5.5 | 13th of 32 |
| Getting to Magic Kingdom · bus | 4 / 10 | 5.5 | – |
| Getting to EPCOT · skyliner | 9 / 10 | 5.5 | – |
| Getting to Hollywood Studios · skyliner | 6 / 10 | 4.5 | – |
| Getting to Animal Kingdom · bus | 4 / 10 | 4.0 | – |
Rank is out of all 32 Disney resorts on that one measure. The park rows show the fastest route Disney actually runs, so a bus and a monorail are not scored the same even when the map says they are the same distance.
Where it wins
Where it loses
What it costs
About $738 a night on average, about what the Beach Club and the BoardWalk cost. Those two walk to EPCOT instead of riding, and the Beach Club has a far better pool, so the Riviera competes on its restaurant and its newness.
Across 53 check-in weeks, a night here ranged from $491 to $859, a swing of 75%. The cheapest week checked in on August 16, 2027 and the priciest on December 28, 2026.
Room only, before tax, for a four night midweek stay for two adults, read from Disney on September 27, 2026.
What the Riviera is really like
The Riviera is a Deluxe, and short of walking from the BoardWalk area, it's the easiest way to EPCOT. The Skyliner goes straight there with no change at Caribbean Beach, so it's one ride instead of two, every day of your trip.
Topolino’s Terrace is on the top floor and looks out over EPCOT. Eat dinner there and you can bring your receipt back the same evening to watch the EPCOT fireworks from the rooftop terrace.
Standard studios sleep five, but the fifth bed is a pull-down under the TV. It folds up and down in place instead of being moved, so it costs you floor space in the evening, not effort.
Your family will rank this differently
Ages, budget, room size and which parks you are doing all change the answer. Resortings scores all 32 resorts against what your family actually needs, and tells you when not to spend the money.
Riviera Resort sold out for your dates? Set a room alert and we will email you when a room opens.
Common questions
Who is the Riviera best for?
Adults and families with young kids doing EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. It ties for first of all 32 for splash pads and slides, has a direct Skyliner line, and Topolino's Terrace plus Bar Riva give grown-ups more than most resorts at this price. It's a poor choice for kids 7 to 13.
Is the Riviera good for older kids?
No, and it's the biggest weakness here. It ranks 26th of all 32 for ages 7 to 13. There's a slide, a small arcade and little else, and a nine-year-old will be bored by the second afternoon.
Riviera or Caribbean Beach?
Caribbean Beach is the Skyliner hub, so it scores 9 for both EPCOT and Hollywood Studios against the Riviera's 9 and 6, and it costs about $400 less. The Riviera has the signature restaurant, the newer rooms and much better splash pads.
Does the Riviera Skyliner go direct to EPCOT?
Yes, that's the whole point. The Riviera is on the direct line and doesn't change at Caribbean Beach, which is why it scores 9 for EPCOT, where Pop Century and Art of Animation score 6.
Is the Riviera worth about $738 a night?
For a family with little kids who'll eat at Topolino's and ride the Skyliner every day, it's easy to justify. For anyone else, the Beach Club costs about the same and has the top-scoring pool on property.