IF I were shopping for resale RIV…

[jolynne28]

I don't say this very often, because as soon as I do the BC/YC folks grab their pitchforks, but...

I found SAB to be anticipointing. It's a pretty nice pool, and probably the most interesting one of Disney's. There are plenty of (non-Disney) resorts in Orlando that also have very interesting pool complexes.

Hey I'll join you, I don't mind people coming for me over this. We spent a day there last summer and thought it was meh at best, and I couldn't get over the nastiness of the sandy area. Anticipointing also might be my new favorite word.

 

[JackosinDIS]

I don't say this very often, because as soon as I do the BC/YC folks grab their pitchforks, but...

I found SAB to be anticipointing. It's a pretty nice pool, and probably the most interesting one of Disney's. There are plenty of (non-Disney) resorts in Orlando that also have very interesting pool complexes.

I’m a BCV owner, but I actually agree with you about the pool. It’s not about the pool for me though… it’s the < 5 min walk to Epcot. Even better the short walk back at the end of the night when you’ve done a gazillion miles round world showcase.

 

[Cfabar1]

My worry about CCV is the imbalance between the sources of points and the demand for them. Those cabins generate a lot of points, but they don't soak them up until well into the non-Home Resort window. Poly would have the same problem, except the resort is much more homogenous in terms of unit types, so it's less stark of a problem there.

Yes there is that concern as well…

In many ways I kind of view VGF1.0 as the last one that made sense… Yes, the points charts is high, but the rooms are larger and nicer, you get a bathrobe, it is quiet and secluded, and you’re at the flagship resort (which has its own list of pros and cons). Oh, and a massively high buy-in PP cost now in comparison to other resorts in the area….

Every resort after has tradeoffs to me that make it tougher to justify… Aulani… too far away, Polynesian & CCV have the cabin/bungalow issue, and as a 1 BR and 2 BR user I don’t want to be stuck in a studio either… VGF has some of that problem now with the rise of VGF2.0 too…

Maybe AKV was the last one that made sense…. You get a Savannah, great meals, good pools, underground parking, 2 bathrooms in the 1 BR units… oh wait… there’s that whole bus situation again…

No such thing as a “perfect” DVC resort…. Lakeside Lodge won’t change that either!

 

[jolynne28]

This is probably heresy, but Stormalong Bay doesn’t even rank in my top favorite things about BCV. I think it has potential but I often travel in winter and find it hard to watch my kids there. I love the location and the vibe though.

Pools don't factor in to our resort choices at all. But I'll also say that I hear a lot about the vibe there. We stayed 2 nights, and liked it. I even came home and bought a diffuser and the essential oil that smells like BCV. Weird I know. Maybe we didn't stay long enough, but we find the rooms in BWV to be much nicer, and I believe BWV will get one additional renovation than BCV before 2042, so that factors in for me too. I'm bougie, I like new shiny things.

 

[Cfabar1]

I don't say this very often, because as soon as I do the BC/YC folks grab their pitchforks, but...

I found SAB to be anticipointing. It's a pretty nice pool, and probably the most interesting one of Disney's. There are plenty of (non-Disney) resorts in Orlando that also have very interesting pool complexes.

I’ll extend “anticipointing” to refer to ALL disney pools that I have seen (haven’t been to Aulani or HHI)… If you’re going to Disney for the pools, you’re doing it wrong… Go to one of the many off-property hotels instead and save some money, ideally booking on points…

 

[atthebeachclub]

Pools don't factor in to our resort choices at all. But I'll also say that I hear a lot about the vibe there. We stayed 2 nights, and liked it. I even came home and bought a diffuser and the essential oil that smells like BCV. Weird I know. Maybe we didn't stay long enough, but we find the rooms in BWV to be much nicer, and I believe BWV will get one additional renovation than BCV before 2042, so that factors in for me too. I'm bougie, I like new shiny things.

Makes sense; BWV just got refurbished. BCV was in nice shape on our last visit overall though. And I love the quiet. It feels like vacation and I seriously seem to automatically relax walking in. It vaguely reminds me of fancy places when I was a kid, and I love that.

 

[DVCsloth]

I’ll extend “anticipointing” to refer to ALL disney pools that I have seen (haven’t been to Aulani or HHI)… If you’re going to Disney for the pools, you’re doing it wrong… Go to one of the many off-property hotels instead and save some money, ideally booking on points…

We really enjoy the WL pool early in the morning before it gets crowded. We also include a day at one of the waterparks so that is usually plenty for us.

 

[RuntheMouse]

We love the WL and own at CCV. The last time we stayed, there was no longer a boat running between WL and contemporary. We used to love dinner at The Wave "Steakhouse 71" and boat back to our resort. Great news if the boats are running between the two resorts again.

The boats have returned! They run after 3:00 pm and do the Contemporary, FW, WL loop.

 

[Brian Noble]

Great news if the boats are running between the two resorts again.

As noted, the Blue Flag route came back in Fall of '23
https://plandisney.disney.go.com/qu...lake-towers-saw-blue-launch-boat-line-555264/

If you’re going to Disney for the pools, you’re doing it wrong

TouringPlans used to claim that the number one thing kids remembered from their WDW trip was the resort pool.

On the subject, my kids had three requirements for the resort pool when they were younger:

1. It had to exist.
2. It had to contain water.
3. The water had to be wet.

Any pool that met those three requirements was top-shelf as far as they were concerned. Of course, later they too were both fish: Both were on their high school swim & dive teams, and one played water polo in high school plus swam synchro in college. We took them for a sailing lesson in waikiki during this period, and the instructor after assessing their water skills said: "Well, if we get in trouble out there, you both will end up saving me."

 

[atthebeachclub]

Maybe the points rental companies are what keep the demand high. The points rental companies that mostly use dedicated reservations don't really care about access to other resorts?

I did see at least one LLC buying points there in the occompt data. You might be right.

 

[atthebeachclub]

TouringPlans used to claim that the number one thing kids remembered from their WDW trip was the resort pool.

I think TouringPlans is right. This is true of my childhood Disneyland trip. Very much so. It was almost a miracle to travel south in winter and be able to swim outdoors and play with other kids. I forgot a lot about that trip, but I didn’t forget playing Marco Polo.

Pools matter, in that they have to exist. But for my kids, any pool with other kids and a slide is a great pool.

 

[Brian Noble]

I'm reminded of the year we stayed in a Windsor Hills townhouse. They have these little 3-4 foot plunge pools in the back patio. Even that was just fine for my (at the time) younger-grade-school kids.

 

[🍀TwinsMom]

Just wanted to add to the "meh" SAB love affair. Our kids are on the swim team 7+years now at ages 11 and 12, but SAB stressed me out with the blind spots, chaos, slide that runs outside the pool boundary, etc., and hard time to find chairs when they were younger.

The more we go to WDW, the more we realize we are NOT chaos agents, LOL. We LIKE the quiet RR, WL, AKJ, OKW, and SS grounds/lobbies.

We get drained by too much hubbub in the parks, don't need to fight crowds to get a coffee or to wade into 3' of water to cool off when we want to relax at the resort.

 

[MarkNC2Disney]

Just wanted to add to the "meh" SAB love affair. Our kids are on the swim team 7+years now at ages 11 and 12, but SAB stressed me out with the blind spots, chaos, slide that runs outside the pool boundary, etc., and hard time to find chairs when they were younger.

The more we go to WDW, the more we realize we are NOT chaos agents, LOL. We LIKE the quiet RR, WL, AKJ, OKW, and SS grounds/lobbies.

We get drained by too much hubbub in the parks, don't need to fight crowds to get a coffee or to wade into 3' of water to cool off when we want to relax at the resort.

Yes! One word I’d use to describe Riviera is “calm”

I strapped AirTags to my twin 7yo’s at SAB

 

[jolynne28]

There is no relaxing at a resort pool until all your kids are amazing swimmers and you don't need to have a constant eye on them. And honestly even when my husband is in the water with them, I've found myself watching others' kids quite often when I see that they are alone and aren't very capable in the water. I see this a lot, which is another reason why I don't enjoy the pools as much as I want to. I'm not a lifeguard, but too many parents IMO rely on them 100% to keep an eye out for their kids, and that's not a good idea. Again, living in FL makes you hyper aware of the dangers of water, b/c it's everywhere all the time.

 

[Sprinkles&Sprints]

It’s like someone from Newark or Jersey City saying they live in the New York City area…. no… you live in Jersey (no disrespect) …. it’s not that far away if the transportation is working…. but it’s not New York City area where you could walk to anything you want to….

Eh, as someone who lives in NYC (and did a brief stint in Jersey City in my early 20’s ), it’s far more nuanced than this. Jersey City is 100% closer/has easier access to Manhattan - which is what most people mean when they say NYC - compared to so many other neighborhoods in NYC proper (examples: entire boroughs of the Bronx and Staten Island, and large parts of Queens and Brooklyn).

I very much compare Riviera to living in South Brooklyn and working in midtown Manhattan (or say EPCOT). Yes, if you absolutely must walk to work, South Brooklyn won’t cut it. But once you know you’ll have to take the subway, I’d much rather have a 15-min direct train from Brooklyn Heights (or Jersey City) than transferring multiple times from other parts of Manhattan and it taking 30-45 (looking at you, VGF and Transportation Center).

I understand the point you are making @AstroBlasters and would never consider RR a Crescent Lake resort but I maintain that RR gets a bad rep purely on the basis that it’s not BCV or BWV…but if you ignored that comparison, it has better all-around transportation options vs. many DVC resorts.

 

[AstroBlasters]

Eh, as someone who lives in NYC (and did a brief stint in Jersey City in my early 20’s ), it’s far more nuanced than this. Jersey City is 100% closer/has easier access to Manhattan - which is what most people mean when they say NYC - compared to so many other neighborhoods in NYC proper (examples: entire boroughs of the Bronx and Staten Island, and large parts of Queens and Brooklyn).

I very much compare Riviera to living in South Brooklyn and working in midtown Manhattan (or say EPCOT). Yes, if you absolutely must walk to work, South Brooklyn won’t cut it. But once you know you’ll have to take the subway, I’d much rather have a 15-min direct train from Brooklyn Heights (or Jersey City) than transferring multiple times from other parts of Manhattan and it taking 30-45 (looking at you, VGF and Transportation Center).

I understand the point you are making @AstroBlasters and would never consider RR a Crescent Lake resort but I maintain that RR gets a bad rep purely on the basis that it’s not BCV or BWV…but if you ignored that comparison, it has better all-around transportation options vs. many DVC resorts.

So… as a New Yorker…. you wouldn’t bag on someone who lives in Jersey who says they live in the New York City area? C’mon…. C’mon….

 

[Sprinkles&Sprints]

So… as a New Yorker…. you wouldn’t bag on someone who lives in Jersey who says they live in the New York City area? C’mon…. C’mon….

I’d honestly give Jersey City and Hoboken a pass…but I draw the line at Weehawken

 

[tom1944]

I’d honestly give Jersey City and Hoboken a pass…but I draw the line at Weehawken

As long as they are close to the PATH