Is a Preferred View at Disney's Riviera Worth It? Here's Our Experience

Not all preferred views are created equal at Disney’s Riviera Resort. That said, our most recent stay gave us one worth talking about. The last time we stayed in a preferred view room at this resort, the experience was nice, but nothing comparable to this time.

On this trip, our deluxe studio was located on the 5th floor (room 8542), which turned out to be the sweet spot. Disney’s Riviera is nine stories high, so this mid-level view put us just above the action rather than looking straight down from higher floors. Our room’s placement was also practically perfect, being positioned directly above the resort’s quiet pool. The combination made all the difference, offering an immersive view that extended to Barefoot Bay in the distance. Day and night, the view was serene.

We were more than delighted when we received the text confirming our room was ready and discovered we had this incredible view. The only problem was that we were only staying one night. Therefore, we didn’t get to enjoy it nearly as long as we would have liked. We had reserved this room primarily because we were attending Disney After Hours and wanted to stay on property since we’d be leaving the park so late that evening.

Our room was directly above the Beau Soleil pool, the resort’s quiet pool. We could also see the resort’s green recreation lawn, Barefoot Bay, and Old Port Royale at Disney’s Caribbean Beach, as well as the Skyliner crossing over the Aruba and Jamaica sections of Caribbean Beach in the distance.

a view that show numerous landmarks including the pool, lake, and Skyliner from a preferred view room

If we looked to the right, we could see the tunnel with fountains that leads to the Disney Skyliner entrance at the Riviera.

room 8542 at Disney's Riviera view looking to the right

To the left, we could see the opposite tower and Topolino’s Terrace on the rooftop.

view to the left of our preferred view room at Disney's Riviera

Zooming in, we have a closer look at the lake. Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, a moderate resort, surrounds the majority of the lake, except for the Riviera side. You can walk between Disney’s Riviera and Caribbean Beach if you like.

zoomed in view of Barefoot Bay and Old Port Royale from 5th floor at Disney's Riviera

It was very late when we got back to the resort at nearly 1:00 a.m. It was, however, also very quiet. Here is the view from our room that evening.

I loved how the fountain area was lit up at night. We have a post with photos of the Tangled mosaic mural that takes up one side of the tunnel area. A Peter Pan mural takes up the opposite side.

a view of the fountains and walkway to the Skyliner from our room at night

We’ll have an upcoming trip report with a few details of this stay. I have a couple of things that I want to point out that might help you take advantage of more resort benefits, no matter where you stay.

When it comes to upgrading to a preferred view room at Disney’s Riviera Resort, this stay left me with a different impression. On a previous visit, our preferred view wasn’t all that impressive. You can see the photos in our deluxe studio room tour for comparison. It was fine, but not something I would have considered worth the extra points or a cash upgrade if you’re not staying DVC. I feel like that experience is also why many regular guests feel the “preferred view” category at Riviera can be a bit controversial, or why it’s not worth the upgrade.

For this stay, however, our view was absolutely worth the upgrade, and I was glad we had the chance to experience it. The perspective from our room made all the difference, and it reminded me that while some preferred rooms at Riviera can feel underwhelming, others are truly stunning. Ultimately, this upgrade is a bit of a roll of the dice, but if you’re lucky (or possibly make a special request), it can make your stay feel extra special.

For more on Disney’s Riviera Resort, you might enjoy the following:

About this Specific Room

We have a map of Disney’s Riviera Resort that shows the layout. Our room was centered between the East and West Towers. We used the West elevators when coming and going during this stay. Our room was only a few doors down from the elevator. We could not, however, hear noise from the elevator (or any noise for that matter) during our stay. Again, this was room 8542.

If you’d like to compare additional room views beyond what we’ve shared here, Touring Plans offers a resort room view finder tool that can be helpful when making a special request. This room was secured by our personal travel agent at Firefly Travels. They are authorized Disney Vacation Planners and would be happy to assist you with any special requests.

More Planning

Explore more of our planning resources, including our Disney World Resorts Guide. It provides an overview of everything you need to know about the Disney Resort Hotels. For dining, our Disney World Dining Guide is an excellent place to start. Our Disney World Transportation Guide is a wonderful resource for planning your routes. It’s one of our most popular resources. If you plan to meet characters in the parks, we have an updated list of Disney World Characters. It includes every available character meet-and-greet in the parks, as well as where to find rare characters throughout the year. Lastly, our Disney Parks Guide provides a complete overview of all four theme parks and water parks.