I was there in December 06' with my hubby and 2 young kids. It's still mostly European, some American families. Beach at that time was starting to erode and got progressively worse in 07'. Not sure how it is now, try and find some recent pics on this site, there are plenty.
If you are looking for luxury, you won't find it at Viva Maya. However it is a nice, clean, big, resort. We also stayed at the Azteca and personally I prefer it over the Maya. But........it's Playa so enjoy wherever you stay!
Shammy said it best "you get what you pay for". Also, you will get the perks with the RCI, so enjoy them. As for staff being rude......if you are not rude to people, people will not be rude to you. Some guests treat staff like crap, so kudos to the staff for treating them like crap back! Be nice to everyone, you'll get it right back!