By the co-author of The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit 2020, the best-reviewed Disney World guidebook series ever.

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The Living, Dining and Kitchen Spaces in One and Two Bedroom Villas at Disney’s Riviera Resort



By Dave Shute

(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Riviera Resort, click here.)

PHOTO TOUR OF THE KITCHEN DINING LIVING SPACES IN ONE AND TWO BEDROOM VILLAS AT DISNEY’S RIVIERA RESORT

The combined living/kitchen/dining spaces in One and Two Bedroom Villas at Disney’s Riviera Resort are almost identical. I’ll note the one exception as we go through the entry.

The entry to the kitchen dining living space in Rivera is T-shaped.

One side hall goes off to the bath shared by folks sleeping in the living area and those in the master bedroom.

The doors on the left open to a large closet, and on the right to the washer-dryer.  Images of these  are near the end of this page.

The hall on the other side of the entry leads either to a connecting door, if a lock-off, or the second bedroom if a dedicated Two Bedroom Villa (above). Lock-off units have a shorter hall here than dedicated units–see the floor plan at the top of the page.

Dedicated units have the shown longer hall, with this second entry closet, behind the door seen above on the left of the hall.

In lock-off units, the shorter hall and absence of a second closet creates space in the Studio beyond for the Studio closet.

Back to the entry to the kitchen dining living space in Disney’s Rivera Resort, this is the entry area shown from deeper in the room. Note the shelf on one side and coat rack on the other.

Spin yourself about and you can see an overview of the rest of the kitchen dining living space in Rivera.

THE KITCHEN AREA IN ONE AND TWO BEDROOM VILLAS AT DISNEY’S RIVIERA RESORT

Most of the kitchen is on one side–with the fridge on the other.

Note the range with microwave above, and dishwasher and coffeepot at the end.

Across the space is the last major appliance, the refrigerator…

…with all the usual fittings inside.

For those unfamiliar with DVC villas, they come with all the basic tools needed to prep, cook and serve meals. Drawers on either side of the range have eating utensils and prep and serving utensils.

Cabinets underneath have pots and pans and more prep gear–e.g. a colander and cutting board.  The drawer under the range includes a baking sheet and broiler pan (not shown).

Cabinets above the range include bowls, fun square plates, platters, and wineglasses.

Cabinets above the sink include ovenware, cups and mugs, a toaster, and some open space to store food.

There’s more storage space in a cabinet above the refrigerator.

Lower cabinets around the sink and dishwasher include cleaning gear.

THE DINING AREA IN ONE AND TWO BEDROOM VILLAS AT DISNEY’S RIVIERA RESORT

Recent newly constructed DVC villas have much more adequate dining areas (and living areas) than you will find in many older DVC units except for Old Key West. Rivera is no exception, with quite livable (by DVC standards) dining and living areas.

This dining table will seat at least five, and with another chair (perhaps the desk chair from the master bedroom) and some slim hips, perhaps as many as seven.  That’s not equal to the nine to ten people that Two Bedroom Villas will sleep, but is more than many other such DVC spaces, which will seat as few as two to four at their dining room table.

Adding storage options for the up to three folks who might be sleeping in the living room, at each end of the built-in dining bench you’ll find a medium-sized drawer. This is the one next to the refrigerator…

…and this is the one next to the living area.

THE LIVING AREA IN ONE AND TWO BEDROOM VILLAS AT DISNEY’S RIVIERA RESORT

The living area in One and Two Bedroom Villas in Disney’s Rivera Resort has seating (and hidden beds and storage) on one side, and a TV and another hidden bed on the other.

Here’s the seating area at Riviera…

…and the same space from a different angle. The couch, easy chairs, and ottoman will easily seat six, and with slimmer hips and moving in the two chairs from the dining area, nine is possible.

The tops of both the ottoman…

…and also the coffee table open to reveal storage inside.

The couch is oddly proportioned (it is too narrow front to back) and frankly fairly uncomfortable to sit on. Its cushioning is too stiff.

This is apparently an artifact of its design as a disappearing couch, as a queen bed pulls down from the wall behind it, and most of the couch folds itself away when you pull down the bed.

This bed is quite comfortable, and note the Peter Pan art that is revealed when the couch is down.

Also revealed are six storage cubbies built behind the wall, three on each side.

These large cubbies (my book is 6″ by 9″) work best as places to store the pillows and blankets of the fold down beds, because they are only accessible when this bed is down, making them somewhat inflexible for other storage uses.

The other side of the room has a large 64 inch TV above a thingy. At the right is the door to the master bedroom, and not shown is the door to the balcony shared with the master bedroom.

The thingy folds down to this bed, which I measured as having a mattress about 74 inches long by 32 inches wide. The framing around the back of the bed makes it sleep pretty tight–there’s only a couple more inches of clearance at the foot and head of the bed.  It’s also easy (or at least easy for me) to crack your head on the top framing. Thus I bleed for you, dear reader.

This bed is comfortable enough for an adult who is short enough to fit, but better fits a kid sized person (I sleep on all beds in the rooms I review–that’s the only way to give you sound advice).

The living dining kitchen areas at Disney’s Rivera Resort are very well-designed spaces, and by DVC standards, among the most livable of their type, especially for larger parties.

PHOTO TOUR OF THE MASTER BEDROOM AND BATH OF ONE AND TWO BEDROOM VILLAS AT DISNEY’S RIVIERA RESORT

This review continues here.

The long-time travel agent partner of this site, Kelly, can book you at Disney’s Riviera Resort or anywhere else at Disney World.  Contact her using the form below!

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PAGES IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S RIVIERA RESORT

 

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