DVC v Wyndham

[Dean]

I was riveria. Renews September. But I have been given 2019 points free with no dues

it’s a new hotel but I would book 1 bed villa go even booking at GF and Bay Lake shouldn’t be a problem!

The points are not free, you're just getting this years points and for a resale, you could potentially get the same or more points. The only truly benefits in this area you get through DVC are that you can bank up until the last day and you get a slight break on the dues. If your stays are mostly Dec/Jan, a Dec UY is far better than a Sept UY. Since this thread is about whether and what you should buy and you are still within your cancelation window, I'm going to suggest you continue to think through your options and investigate. I would only recommend someone buy Riviera if they wanted to stay there most of the time, at 7 months out getting the higher demand locations can be difficult. I still think that resale is the best option for the situation you described, esp since the pass discounts don't give you a major savings.

 

[macman123]

Re restriction - this is a really bad restriction, but I did know about it. I have checked resale websites and they still go for around $145 a point. But it didnt change my decision, they are clever ways around it

Banking - yes, I intend to do that asap! I may look at other resorts such as the Animal Kingdom. Or could even split resorts, the sales chap said they would move your bags for you.

 

[littlestar]

I was riveria. Renews September. But I have been given 2019 points free with no dues

it’s a new hotel but I would book 1 bed villa go even booking at GF and Bay Lake shouldn’t be a problem!

You can buy Copper Creek (or pretty much any resort except for Grand Californian) direct from Disney and you would not be stuck with Riviera’s resale restriction if you ever had to sell. Plus the dues are high and point charts are high, too. I would break up the contracts into at least two contracts in case you ever needed to sell one or all because it is easier to sell smaller contracts.

 

[Pathways]

The points are not free, you're just getting this years points

Dean - isn't a year's worth of points with no dues 'free'? On any direct buy, a good Disney guide will tell you what use year to buy to get an extra years worth of points.

I agree that a Sept use year is not the 'best' for anticipated stays Dec/Jan, but I would not want a Dec. If a Dec stay creeps into the last days of Nov, a Dec use year can be problematic as a reservation may extend between use years. With banking and borrowing, a stay that bridges two use years is a real pain

 

[Dean]

Re restriction - this is a really bad restriction, but I did know about it. I have checked resale websites and they still go for around $145 a point. But it didnt change my decision, they are clever ways around it

Banking - yes, I intend to do that asap! I may look at other resorts such as the Animal Kingdom. Or could even split resorts, the sales chap said they would move your bags for you.

You could buy SSR for a lot less, that and BLT would be the cheapest long term.

 

[Dean]

Dean - isn't a year's worth of points with no dues 'free'? On any direct buy, a good Disney guide will tell you what use year to buy to get an extra years worth of points.

I agree that a Sept use year is not the 'best' for anticipated stays Dec/Jan, but I would not want a Dec. If a Dec stay creeps into the last days of Nov, a Dec use year can be problematic as a reservation may extend between use years. With banking and borrowing, a stay that bridges two use years is a real pain

No they're just giving you this years points which you'd likely get on a resale anyway.

 

[Pathways]

giving you this years points

OK . Well in my book if they are 'giving' them to me with no fee, they are free. Not saying you can't also get them 'free' in a resale, in fact sometimes you can get triple points on a resale. But depending on the use year, resale double points may require reimbursement for dues, in which at that point, they are not free. Always negotiable.

Direct from Disney almost always can get you an extra years worth of points free. The early Riviera buyers could not, b/c the resort wasn't open yet, so Disney had no way of adding in bonus points. The free points are only on certain use years. The guide will help with that.

 

[Pathways]

It was riveria

I can't comment on whether it was the right buy for you, but you can't go wrong with Riv. Having stayed there myself, it is now our favorite, even over Boardwalk and Beachclub. The skyliner makes all the difference. With the expiration date way into the future, and skyliner to two parks, it is fast becoming the toughest reservation to get. You will need the home resort window for Dec stays

 

[presley]

Thats $8k for every 2 years for a 3 week (every 2 year) stay!

I was going to bore you with my description of why it's cheaper for me to pay $700/night rather than own, but then I saw:

Well I have brought 500 DVC points direct from Disney today

Congratulations and Welcome Home!! That is very exciting news and I think Riviera sounds like a great resort. Early December is the busy time for DVC owners. Book your stay with your home resort advantage and when you get to the 7 month mark, you can look at other resorts to see what's available, but personally, I'd stay with Riviera based on reports that I've read. You are paying a lot of money - may as well stay in a brand new resort.

Please stay on Tug and consider posting resort reviews after your stays.

 

[macman123]

I always tend to stay Jan/Feb so booking wise that should be ok - Ive looked for next Jan and GF is avaiable. Kind of nice for my first ever stay on property.......!

 

[elaine]

If you didn’t do so, if highly suggest splitting into 2 250 contracts or even 4 125 contracts so that you can easily sell a portion of you need. Dvc should do thIs for you for minimal cost. It can make a big difference in the future. If dvc says no, then say you might need to rescind. That will likely get them to be able to do it.

 

[TheHolleys87]

I always tend to stay Jan/Feb so booking wise that should be ok - Ive looked for next Jan and GF is avaiable. Kind of nice for my first ever stay on property.......!

If you want a reservation at VGF for Jan/Feb 2021, you might want to book now (or when the 11-month window opens for your dates) at Riviera and then try to switch at the 7 month window. Depending on the dates you want, VGF may or may not be available, so booking now at Riviera at least means you have a place to stay. This thread will give you a historic look at availability for the various DVC resorts over the last few years: https://www.disboards.com/threads/p...-bd-charts-september-2019-2-bd-added.3689931/.

That said, I've stayed at both VGF and at Riviera, and if I were a new DVC owner at Riviera I'd certainly want my first DVC stay to be there! It's gorgeous, the Skyliner makes transportation to DHS and Epcot (and the restaurants in the Epcot Resort area) extremely convenient, and I'd be proud to own there.

 

[Dean]

OK . Well in my book if they are 'giving' them to me with no fee, they are free. Not saying you can't also get them 'free' in a resale, in fact sometimes you can get triple points on a resale. But depending on the use year, resale double points may require reimbursement for dues, in which at that point, they are not free. Always negotiable.

Direct from Disney almost always can get you an extra years worth of points free. The early Riviera buyers could not, b/c the resort wasn't open yet, so Disney had no way of adding in bonus points. The free points are only on certain use years. The guide will help with that.

Compared to resale you can get the same or more points resale. The benefit of banking late can be helpful and you have reduced fees for one year compared to resale but you are frequently not getting more points retail than resale and if you get a good contract you can get more points resale and with less fees on a per point basis than resale.

 

[frank808]

Dean, can you elaborate on this a bit? I'm not sure I understand why the order matters...

DVC points come with a specific use year.

When you buy resale first you get a use year attached to those points. Much easier to then buy direct from Disney to have them match those points use year.

It is much harder to get a resale contract with the exact same use year and points that you want to buy.

Having contracts with the same use year also is easier to combine points to book at the 11 month window if they have the same resort. Also easier to use points at the 7 month booking window from different home resorts.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[cbyrne1174]

If you stay at Bonnet Creek in the value season owning a Grand Desert resale deed, it will cost you $461.16 a week for a 1 bedroom deluxe (value season is late April, early May, Sept, Nov-Dec before xmas). You can buy the deed you need on Ebay for $500-800 bucks and exchange into SSR occasionally.

 

[montygz]

I always tend to stay Jan/Feb so booking wise that should be ok - Ive looked for next Jan and GF is avaiable. Kind of nice for my first ever stay on property.......!

You bought 500 DVC points and have never stayed on property? I do hope you like it but did you consider a stay there first?

The resale market for Riveria does have some uncertainty because of the special restrictions Disney has put on those points if you need to sell them. I hope you know about that.

 

[CPNY]

I always tend to stay Jan/Feb so booking wise that should be ok - Ive looked for next Jan and GF is avaiable. Kind of nice for my first ever stay on property.......!

While riviera is amazing, I’d rethink buying there and holding off until the new resort opens. It looks like it will be much nicer. In the meantime rent

 

[Pathways]

until the new resort opens. It looks like it will be much nicer

I can't think of any DVC resort at WDW that is not nice. (Well, I'm not a poly fan but anyway) The DVC resorts are all about location, and how to get to the parks. BWV and BCV with Epcot and HS, BLT and the MK, and soon the VGF and MK via the new walkway. The new DVC resort by the campgrounds will be attached to ....nothing. (Unless you think a little flagged boat is easy access). If you are planning to do the parks, it will not be attractive to stay there.

Riviera on the other hand goes to two parks like the BW and BC. To see how important that is, check out the occupancy of the other resorts tied to the Skyliner. I know of three families who would never have considered Caribbean Beach or Pop Century (but they could never afford the DVC rates) and they all just came back raving about Caribbean Beach and how convenient it was for their kids.

 

[CPNY]

I can't think of any DVC resort at WDW that is not nice. (Well, I'm not a poly fan but anyway) The DVC resorts are all about location, and how to get to the parks. BWV and BCV with Epcot and HS, BLT and the MK, and soon the VGF and MK via the new walkway. The new DVC resort by the campgrounds will be attached to ....nothing. (Unless you think a little flagged boat is easy access). If you are planning to do the parks, it will not be attractive to stay there.

Riviera on the other hand goes to two parks like the BW and BC. To see how important that is, check out the occupancy of the other resorts tied to the Skyliner. I know of three families who would never have considered Caribbean Beach or Pop Century (but they could never afford the DVC rates) and they all just came back raving about Caribbean Beach and how convenient it was for their kids.

I rent a car and don’t rely on Disney transport when I stay there.

 

[Pathways]

I rent a car and don’t rely on Disney transport when I stay there

Pretty much no reason to stay at a DVC resort then. Stay offsite and save big $$. Although I can't envision anyone staying at Boardwalk or Riviera etc and "driving" to the park. It would take 45 minutes instead of ten

 

[CPNY]

Pretty much no reason to stay at a DVC resort then. Stay offsite and save big $$. Although I can't envision anyone staying at Boardwalk or Riviera etc and "driving" to the park. It would take 45 minutes instead of ten

Riviera to AK I would drive. Obviously staying at resorts with easy direct transport to certain parks I wouldn’t drive. But SSR I’d drive to the parks

 

[macman123]

Thanks. I will keep you all updated with my stay and progress. Thanks for all your help

 

[CPNY]

Thanks. I will keep you all updated with my stay and progress. Thanks for all your help

Hopefully the riviera purchase doesn’t take too much of a hit if you have to sell. Too early to tell how the restrictions will direct resale riviera prices.

 

[Dean]

Hopefully the riviera purchase doesn’t take too much of a hit if you have to sell. Too early to tell how the restrictions will direct resale riviera prices.

It'll likely lose 1/3 up to 1/2 of the then retail value if one needs to sell esp with the restrictions.

 

[CPNY]

It'll likely lose 1/3 up to 1/2 of the then retail value if one needs to sell esp with the restrictions.

Yeah the restrictions are tough with that resort. The real issue is booking anything under 7 months will likely result in no availability, not to mention the high point values. I can see someone being stuck with a high point contract and no way to use points if they don’t make reservations within 11-7 months In advance. Are riviera resale restriction only limited to riviera usage or would the new reflections resort be included in that restriction as well? At least that would open up to a second resort option.