Ben_since_1971 Dec 09, 2018

Here now. Pros: Banana Cabana is very well done. I actually liked the smallness of the old one, but this new version is very nice. Cons: Everything else. The OPR makeover says nothing about the Caribbean. Bland, sterile. The former OPR, while no doubt not full-on Caribbean either, at least had a theme. You could sit in the food court and people watch from the gift shop to the concierge desk to the markets. Now? Can't see more than 20' in any direction, unless you sit right opposite the pick up windows. Food selection is terrible for people who just want 'normal' food. And what is served is cold. My wife ordered a grilled cheese. The cheese was so coagulated as to make it inedible. The old bounty platter was never piping hot, but at least it was warmer than the room temperature this morning's American Breakfast was. The Sebastian's/BC building is nice, but it totally takes away from what was a nice courtyard outside OPR. You could walk into the plaza from any direction and had great views of the architecture. Now - no view, and coming from Martinique you have the service entrance. Bland bland bland. Speaking of views, my wife captured a beautiful picture of sunset over Barefoot Bay towards Aruba. The Skyliner towers were captured beautifully in silhouette. My gawd are they hideous. Strike that, hideous for where they are positioned. TBH, I thought that they would be in the parking lot of Aruba and Jamaica and probably not too bad. Nope. There is one right where there used to be a bench bay-side outside the entrance to the Aruba pool, and another right at the bottom of the bridge in between Aruba and Jamaica. While on the subject of views, Riviera completely loses the old charm of the place, and not just because it is still under construction. The old village layout really gave you a feel like you were inside a nice resort, separate from the outside world. Now? This monstrosity of a DVC tower, and (at least for now), you can see the traffic from Victory Way. Needless to say, we are very disappointed. FWIW, will be sending the GM an email (received a welcome letter that included her email) providing the feedback. We've been staying here since 2004, except for last year when we chose POR during construction. Looks like we will be heading back to the bayou next year.