Sorry to but in and be a bit off topic but would wonder if you could let us know what the pool was like at the Riviera. We are booked at the Poly but thinking of switching. The reports of the Poly pool being crowded make me nervous, and I feel like there is a lot we'd be missing out on at the poly now (fireworks on the beach, trader sams/tiki terrace, O'Hana, epcot monorail). But the riviera pool looks a bit small in photos so wonder if that was really crowded too.
We were there prior to the parks reopening, so our experience was a lot different from what others here are reporting. We love the Poly Oasis pool - that pool itself is the selling feature that prompted us to keep our resort-only trip. There were always ample chairs available during our stay and there were frequent times that we were one of maybe five families there total. Even at its busiest, it wasn't busy. We also swam at the lava pool one evening after it reopened following a storm closure and there was almost no one else there. We had a split, so only two days at Poly and then over to Riviera.
As our stay continued, it was obvious that Riviera was getting fuller and fuller. We were also there over the Fourth of July weekend and I noticed an uptick in what looked like locals (things like UCF hats are what gave me this suspicion). On the Fourth and Fifth the Beau Soleil (quiet/leisure) pool at Riviera was pretty full. I don't think it ever hit capacity/no chairs available. The other pool main/feature did hit capacity or at least hit the point where there weren't desirable chairs available as we saw a lot of families come into the quiet pool complaining about the chair situation at the main pool. In my opinion the only benefit of the main pool versus the quiet pool at Riviera is the waterslide. Otherwise both have similar views, features, etc.
I was worried about the Riviera pool capacity since the parks weren't open and Riviera is entirely DVC - there is no portion of it that is officially "closed", unlike the Poly. Also, whether it's the case or not, the Oasis pool feels bigger than the Beau Soleil pool to me, so when you have kids horsing around (as kids are wont to do, it's Disney after all!) that was more disruptive and felt closer to us than at the Poly, where we felt like we had room to spread out and get away from splashing and kids playing catch. We don't have kids obviously, and I don't mind sharing the pool with them, just an observation.
I'd still pick the Poly over Riviera, I guess I shouldn't be worried about getting flamed since we are on the Poly thread, but the Riviera just does not have a level of theming that appeals to me. The room was gorgeous and new, but I don't like the architecture and exterior appearance of the buildings and the music loop at the pool frankly got on my nerves. Contrasted with the Oasis pool that just instantly relaxes me, the lush landscaping, the tropical background loop, and I am instantly transported. I would say that Bar Riva was great and we liked having that option, but the benefit of the Poly even with limited offerings is that you can also easily walk over to the Grand Floridian and double your choices. The monorail triples your choices by offering the Contemporary dining, and if you were really eager, you could transfer at the MK and boat over to WL for 4x the choices for dining and bars. Riviera felt very self-contained since the skyliner wasn't yet running when we were there and CBR is closed.
Thank you both. This trip has given me so many grey hairs! We have had to change plans so many times.... I do love the Poly but I keep hoping they'll announce they are reopening more dining options because we'd be spending a lot of time at the resort and the captain cooks menu seems so limited now, and we do like to have a place to sit and have cocktails. I worry we'll feel disappointed at the Poly and it won't be worth all the risk of going. Riviera does seem more fully operational at the moment, but is quite a bit more expensive. Anyway, thanks for the input and quick responses--I really appreciate it.
As I mentioned, I still preferred the Poly even with limited offerings. I pretty much knew what to expect and wasn't disappointed - we also supplemented what was available by buying indulgent/favorite "snacks" to bring with us and self-cater some things, like having macarons and a bottle of sparkling wine in the room. When is your trip and what is your party demographic?
Edited to add: we had a Lagoon view studio which was more aptly a park view studio. We spent a lot of time on our balcony at both resorts but there is an innate benefit at gazing out to space mountain, the castle, and the grand floridian that was unmatched by our pool view at Riviera. I didn't miss the fireworks, but I did stream them to my TV on the Fourth
That coffeemaker at the riviera is the only one I’ve seen like that. Maybe Disney is testing them out there first?
