Flash back to December 2019 and the highly anticipated brand new Disney Vacation Club Resort the Riviera grand opened. Just a couple days before the official opening and a photo leaked online of a new pressed penny machine for the resort. Thankfully my family had secured a dining reservation at the Topolino restaurant for opening night so I figured I could marked off two things at once. Check out the brand new resort and get a brand new set of pressed pennies. Unfortunately after our amazing meal (more on that later) we wondered around there resort but couldn’t find the penny machine anywhere. I even checked with quite a few Cast Members who remember seeing it days before during some of their training sessions and were stumped as to where it may have gone. Collectors were left hanging for almost three years, but I’m here to tell you that the missing machine has finally returned!

The Riviera Resort was building on a large piece of land that was originally part of the Caribbean Beach Resort. It’s located right along Buena Vista Drive which runs right through Disney property so we got quite a look at it throughout the construction process. So far to date I have not stayed here, but I have visited quite a few times. I just love the exterior look of the resort.

It’s themed with both French and Italian inspirations. The cast members will even greet you when you come and go in both French and Italian.

The main lobby is not huge but has plenty of seating. With most resort check-in being on before arrival online the large desks for check-in are a thing of the past. Here some cast members are available with digital tablets to help you with any questions or issues and most of the time will just sit in these large chairs or couches for a more comfortable experience.

There are many things to love about this resort, but one that sticks out in my mind is the amazing art work everywhere you go. Many are gorgeous painting all of which have prints available for sale in the main gift shop, but they even have some fun photos of Walt and his family on their own trips overseas.

Outside are plenty of activities available for you and your family like Bocce ball, or maybe you prefer to play a gigantic game of Chess on the lawn. Of course there is also a wonderful pool with plenty of seating around, and a special kids splash pad with water slide for your younger companions.

On the very top floor of the resort is a fantastic restaurant called Topolino’s Terrace. We were told that Topolino is Italian for Mickey Mouse or at least that’s how he is referred to there, I believe the direct translation is “Little Mouse”.

My family has visited this restaurant I believe 4 times. Once for breakfast and three times for dinner, it’s truly that good. Dinner is by far our favorite, although if you visit for breakfast you will get to meet Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Daisy. For dinner we enjoyed a complimentary basket with French Baguettes and both French and Italian Olive Oils to experience the different between them. One of my favorite appetizers is the fresh Burrata that also comes with these very thin crackers, and yes that is shaved black truffles on the top. We have tried quite a few different main entrees but our favorite is always the Filet Mignon, probably the best I’ve had on Disney property.

While we are on the subject of food, the resort also does have a quick service option down on the first floor can Primo Piatto. There are some great salads, sandwiches and gelato available here, plus as you can see from the photo above this is also the general area where you can now find that mysterious pressed penny machine.

Something interesting here is that the original photo that leaked back in 2019 of this machine had it in a darker colored cabinet. I’m not sure the reasoning behind changing it, but this does seem to fit the surrounding decor a bit better with the more subtle plain white color.

The penny designs available at this machine include a great one of the Riviera Resort’s logo that I really like, and then the rest are a collection of our favorite Disney characters Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy and Pluto in what I guess can be considered French and Italian clothing and activities. Sure let’s go with that.

I am very excited that this machine finally was made available. For quite awhile many of us collectors figured it was gone for good and maybe only available to the Cast Members that were working their leading up to the grand opening back in 2019. If you are visiting this resort or just stopping through be sure to check out the penny machine and if you are able to score a coveted reservation for Topolino’s you won’t be disappointed. Keep on Pressing!