Princess Family Club Riviera
Princess Family Club Riviera gets right what many family-friendly resorts miss: kids have a genuinely good time on their own, which lets parents relax too. It is the family-dedicated section of the Grand Riviera Princess complex near Playa del Carmen, with its own water park, children's pools, Pirate-themed buffet, private bar, ice cream parlour and supervised clubs. The section was fully refurbished and reopened on May 25, 2026, in step with the renovated Grand Riviera Princess next door. The vibe is warm, organized and busy; families come here to be active together.
Traveler Insights
Pros
- +A dedicated family zone with its own water park, four children's pools (one inside the Kids Club area), a Pirate-themed buffet, a private bar and an exclusive ice cream parlour
- +Kids Club for ages 4 to 12 runs crafts, mini disco, movies, video games, piñatas, Spanish and dance lessons, kids' yoga and tennis classes, and under-4s get family hours in the club every afternoon
- +A Teens Club gives older kids their own space, which is rarer than it should be at Riviera Maya family resorts
- +Fully refurbished and reopened on May 25, 2026: all 144 Family Club Deluxe Junior Suites now have one king bed plus three single bunk beds, sleeping up to five
- +Swim-out suites give direct pool access from the room, and the resort says rooms in the Family Club section carry safety measures for children of all ages
- +Guests can use all the facilities of Grand Riviera Princess and Grand Sunset Princess next door, so there are far more pools, restaurants and shows than the family zone alone
- +Five tennis courts, an organic vegetable garden, a 24-hour Sports Bar and an included minibar restocked with sodas, water and beer
- +About 10 minutes from Playa del Carmen, with Xcaret, Akumal's turtle snorkeling and the Tulum ruins all within day-trip range
Cons
- −Buffet food draws mixed reviews: parents call it adequate but rarely inspiring, and picky eaters can struggle beyond the kids' options
- −Sargassum seaweed is a recurring Riviera Maya problem and this beach is not immune in high-season months
- −The Platinum and Laguna Villas areas of the complex are off limits to Family Club guests
- −Motorized water sports are not included; they are booked and paid for at the beach water-activities center
- −The combined complex is large, so moving between the family pools, restaurants and the evening shows with small children takes some walking
- −Travel-club and timeshare pitches are reported as pushy, sometimes at breakfast or by the pool
- −The spa's hydrothermal circuit costs extra, and the beach has a slightly rocky entry in places that toddlers may find uncomfortable
The practical experience is solid if not exceptional. The ice cream parlour and kid-friendly buffet are crowd-pleasers, while adults find the food fine but rarely memorable compared with stronger kitchens elsewhere in the Riviera Maya. The water park is the centerpiece, there are four children's pools, and the Kids Club keeps ages 4 to 12 busy with everything from crafts to Spanish lessons. The refurbishment settled the old room lottery: all 144 Family Club Deluxe Junior Suites now come with one king bed and three single bunk beds, sleeping up to five, in standard and swim-out versions. Guests can also use all the facilities of Grand Riviera Princess and Grand Sunset Princess, apart from the Platinum and Laguna Villas areas.
This resort suits families with children roughly 4 to 12 who want a low-stress, activity-packed week in Mexico, and the Teens Club gives it more for older kids than many rivals. It is not the call for couples or adult groups. It sits in the mid-range for Riviera Maya all-inclusives, and families chasing a more polished stay will find stronger options at higher prices. Xcaret, Akumal's turtles and Chichen Itza make easy breaks from the resort gates, and a per-guest environmental sanitation charge set by the municipality is paid at check-in.
Common Questions
What age range does the Kids Club serve?
What changed in the 2026 refurbishment?
Can Family Club guests use the rest of the complex?
How bad is the seaweed?
How does it compare to other Riviera Maya family resorts?
Are there good day trips from the resort?
Restaurants (10)
| Type | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| Buffet | Food Market Family, Food Market Sunset (at Grand Sunset Princess), Food Market Riviera (at Grand Riviera Princess) |
| Mexican | La Hacienda (at Grand Riviera Princess) |
| Italian | La Volta (at Grand Sunset Princess) |
| Teppanyaki / hibachi | Teppanyaki (at Grand Sunset Princess) |
| Asian | Wok (at Grand Sunset Princess) |
| Steakhouse | La Vaquería (at Grand Sunset Princess) |
| Brazilian churrascaria | Sumauma (at Grand Sunset Princess) |
| International & fusion | Galerie (at Grand Riviera Princess) |
From the resort's own dining pages. Only restaurants the resort lists are shown. All are covered by the all-inclusive rate, per the resort.
What's nearby
25 min drive · 11 mi
20 min drive · 6.3 mi
Playa Mamitas14 min drive · 5.5 mi
20 min drive · 9.6 mi
Xcalacoco Beach5 min drive · 1.1 mi
El Camaleón Golf Course11 min drive · 2.4 mi
More things to do (16)
- Xenses · adventure park20 min drive · 9.8 mi
- Playa 88 · beach13 min drive · 4.4 mi
- Punta Esmeralda Beach · beach20 min drive · 4.1 mi
- Museo del Chocolate · museum13 min drive · 5.3 mi
- Parque La Ceiba · nature13 min drive · 5.7 mi
- Frida Kahlo Museum Playa del Carmen · museum14 min drive · 5.7 mi
- Playa del Carmen Fifth Avenue · town14 min drive · 5.7 mi
- Voladores de Papantla (Parque Fundadores) · historic site14 min drive · 6.0 mi
- Playa Maroma · beach20 min drive · 8.1 mi
- Xplor · adventure park20 min drive · 10 mi
- Cenote Chaak Tun · cenote20 min drive · 7.9 mi
- Iberostar Playa Paraíso Golf Club · golf25 min drive · 9.8 mi
- Delphinus Riviera Maya · adventure park25 min drive · 11 mi
- Puerto Morelos Botanical Garden · nature30 min drive · 16 mi
- Dr. Alfredo Barrera Marín Botanical Garden · nature30 min drive · 16 mi
- Puerto Morelos Town Square and Malecón · town30 min drive · 18 mi
Amenities
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Style & Rooms
Atmosphere
Room upgrades
Seaweed & sargassum
Playa del Carmen gets sargassum, typically worst May through August.See the month-by-month guide →Google Reviews★ 4.6 · 3,173 reviews
“We recently visited the Family Club at Grand Princess, this was our second visit in 12 months and we were so excited to return. Our family had the most memorable time, we enjoyed all of the family club perks like the splash pad, kids activities, pira...”
“During our stay we absolutely loved going to the ice cream parlour and loved Astrid! She is amazing and made us feel so special each and everytime we went there. She always had a smile on her face and always enquired about our days. My two little boy...”
“We had an absolutely amazing experience at the Kids Club! Jessi, Paula, Viri, and Bety were all outstanding — super friendly, incredibly helpful, and so accommodating with the kids. Our children absolutely loved every moment they spent there. Everyth...”
