We dislike the Contempo Main tower because of the Chef Mickey traffic when you are trying to get from room to pool and back. PUBLIC SERVICE ANOUNCEMENT CHEF MICKEY IS ON THE 4TH FLOOR-NO NEED TO PUSH ALL THE FLOOR BUTTONS TO GET THERE.
OMG THIS IS US. Also: unless you have a stroller, you can get to Chef Mickey's by
escalator!!!
To us, this is the biggest drawback to BLT/Contemp and the whole "monorail access to MK and TTC" selling point (and I own BLT). When we were traveling with a double stroller (and one trip with a double stroller AND
scooter for MIL), we waited for multiple elevators before we could get one. There's no semblance of a line AT ALL. It's like every wheeled vehicle for themselves. It got to the point where we'd use points to stay at Swolphin and only go to Epcot that way. (And, ultimately, why we wanted a home resort near EP) I avoid the Contemporary monorail at all costs, even when staying at BLT.
Easy access from room to pool and back is a huge plus for my family and it looks like the Riv. is a huge tower thus standing in an elevator with wet kids for multiple floor stops is just a bummer.
With that in mind how would folks rate the Riv. in terms of access to the pool and ability to get to the parks in a timely manner? I can buy into one of the other DVC resorts for a few less years than the Riv. and more $ per point-but I know I can get ease of access to parks, great pool.
There is a really nice rest room with a shower around the corner from Bar Riva - it's not as close as, say, the locker room from the feature pool at VGF, but it has a warm shower and changing area if you wanted to dry off/change or even shower before going up to the room. There are 2 elevator banks that are not immediately off the main lobby,* so there are basically 8 elevators for the whole resort. (Compare to 6 elevators for all of BLT) - the result is that unless you dry off completely or shower before going back to your room, there will always be some component of being in an elevator with wet kids. But there's enough elevators that even staying in the east wing (that has the topolino's-dedicated elevators), we weren't sharing an elevator with anyone except at mealtimes. VGF, a much smaller resort, only had 3 elevators, but I felt like the wait time and elevator crowding was comparable.
Edited: *so pretty much the only non-residential guests at RIV who will be taking the elevator are scooters and strollers that need to go from lobby level to "backyard" level, and Topolino's guests.
As for access to parks: to us, walking will always be better than transportation (why we own BLT and soon another reason to like VGF more), but we like the Skyliner much more than bus or boat or monorail. We left EP on NYE around 7:30pm (after 6:30 fireworks - it took us that long to walk from the crowds at Norway around WS to get out) and the line for the skyliner was down the ramp, but steadily moving. DH and DD1 rented a surrey bike for 25 minutes, we went back to the skyliner there was no line; we walked on. Riding a surrey bike or hanging out on the BW beats waiting the crowds on a monorail platform or boat dock or bus stop any day.
Buses - there are separate stops at RIV for each bus, which really alleviates the crowding when a bus pulls in to load guests. We always had a seat on the bus (only took to and from MK and HS once each, so small sample size). Ditto with returning from the parks - (yes, one HS day different parts of the skyliner were down) - RIV has its own stop at the parks and we always had plenty of room. If you have to take a bus (I hate taking the bus), it was about as pleasant as could be.
you know you want too 
