New RIV and SSR incentives

[AstroBlasters]

Seems like it's gotten slightly worse with each round of incentives. You got your 150 for 167 per point, I bought 185 (fixed week 135 + 50) for 169 per point and this one is a little bit above that at 173.

I feel like buying a fixed week is a pro-level move when going direct.. helps add to the resale value if you book for an in-demand week even if you never actually use it for that week…

 

[heelphan]

I'm not sure what the current incentive is but i bought in the fall. Here's my total:

150 points x $217 = $32,550

- $1,085 (5 points free)

- $1,500 (current incentive)

- $1,500 (welcome home - had an upcoming reservation)

- $22 x 150 points = $3,300 (magical beginnings)

$25,165 = $167/point

So if it comes out to $173/point now before closing costs, then it is not as good of a deal but not that much of a difference.

You also need to factor in closing costs. I broke my contract up into two 75 point contracts, so I also paid $952.66 ($476.33 for each contract x 2) in closing costs.

Thanks for that, I was following those summer threads but had forgotten the details. So looks like no 5 point bonus now. But they’re basically offering about the same deal besides that, $3550 off if you get 150 points. Looks like the magical beginnings has been reduced back down to $20pp instead of $22.

I have told myself I wouldn’t get Riviera because of resale restrictions (I’m currently a resale SSR owner). However, I really want some of the blue card benefits, especially Sorcerer pass and ability to book at future new DVC resorts. Every future DVC resort will be restricted from here on so it’s not like Riviera will be unusual. I’m also not buying this as an investment to resell, it’s for my family and I to have great vacations from here on out.

Also, I have to admit Riviera looks amazing and I love its location. I was leaning towards BLT or CCV resale but for ~$30 or more per point I can get my blue card and be done with that. Decisions decisions!

 

[AstroBlasters]

Thanks for that, I was following those summer threads but had forgotten the details. So looks like no 5 point bonus now. But they’re basically offering about the same deal besides that, $3550 off if you get 150 points. Looks like the magical beginnings has been reduced back down to $20pp instead of $22.

I have told myself I wouldn’t get Riviera because of resale restrictions (I’m currently a resale SSR owner). However, I really want some of the blue card benefits, especially Sorcerer pass and ability to book at future new DVC resorts. Every future DVC resort will be restricted from here on so it’s not like Riviera will be unusual. I’m also not buying this as an investment to resell, it’s for my family and I to have great vacations from here on out.

Also, I have to admit Riviera looks amazing and I love its location. I was leaning towards BLT or CCV resale but for ~$30 or more per point I can get my blue card and be done with that. Decisions decisions!

Not to sway you (because BLT and CCV are sweet deals), but it is nice feeling like a “full member”.

 

[PoppyJ]

Thanks for that, I was following those summer threads but had forgotten the details. So looks like no 5 point bonus now. But they’re basically offering about the same deal besides that, $3550 off if you get 150 points. Looks like the magical beginnings has been reduced back down to $20pp instead of $22.

I have told myself I wouldn’t get Riviera because of resale restrictions (I’m currently a resale SSR owner). However, I really want some of the blue card benefits, especially Sorcerer pass and ability to book at future new DVC resorts. Every future DVC resort will be restricted from here on so it’s not like Riviera will be unusual. I’m also not buying this as an investment to resell, it’s for my family and I to have great vacations from here on out.

Also, I have to admit Riviera looks amazing and I love its location. I was leaning towards BLT or CCV resale but for ~$30 or more per point I can get my blue card and be done with that. Decisions decisions!

I just returned from our first stay. We were there Thanksgiving week. I loved it. My husband loved it and said we can only buy Riviera points from now on. We sold our Polynesian resale points to buy Riviera so I'm glad it worked out. The skyliner was great, never a line.

The pool slide didn't look that big to me but it was fun! I never actually got to go on the slide at Polynesian because it was so crowded every day. Riviera is much less busy.

The food choices were amazing. We did Topolinos breakfast. One day we got quick service and ate by the pool. The next day we ordered from the bar and ate by the pool. All meals were fantastic.

We also purchased Riviera to get blue card status. I didn't think it would matter but we kept feeling like second class citizens when we would visit the DVC booths! Also we want the sparkly pool bands when we go back to Aulani.

 

[intamin]

I feel like buying a fixed week is a pro-level move when going direct.. helps add to the resale value if you book for an in-demand week even if you never actually use it for that week…

That’s exactly why I did it. The FW I feel like especially on a resale restricted resort like RIV at least guarantees the future owner will be able to have something booked no matter what and increases the value when on the resale market. I could’ve gone for early December (week 48) instead but we chose week 50 because we’re more likely to use that so it’s right before Christmas. I may or may not use it but its also a good time to pull the kids out of school or if they’re done with finals.

 

[RichVIII]

I think that is great advice for the fixed week option to squeeze more value out should you need/want to sell down the road. Someone once said to me, it’s not timing the market, it’s time in the market. It’s hard to know what is next. Just a few short years ago we were talking about how could Disney ever cross the $200 line for direct and we have blown past that.

Like most, I wished we purchased more a long time ago. Prices skyrocketed and have come back down to earth but I look at the all the vacations under our belt, and while nothing is guaranteed in the future, we could still - even after paying dues fully recoup what we spent (notice I didn’t say investment).

RR is a great resort.

 

[heelphan]

I just returned from our first stay. We were there Thanksgiving week. I loved it. My husband loved it and said we can only buy Riviera points from now on. We sold our Polynesian resale points to buy Riviera so I'm glad it worked out. The skyliner was great, never a line.

The pool slide didn't look that big to me but it was fun! I never actually got to go on the slide at Polynesian because it was so crowded every day. Riviera is much less busy.

The food choices were amazing. We did Topolinos breakfast. One day we got quick service and ate by the pool. The next day we ordered from the bar and ate by the pool. All meals were fantastic.

We also purchased Riviera to get blue card status. I didn't think it would matter but we kept feeling like second class citizens when we would visit the DVC booths! Also we want the sparkly pool bands when we go back to Aulani.

Wow, this along with AstroBlasters comment is making me have some serious FOMO. Gonna be hard to resist much longer.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

HI @KAT4DISNEY! thank you for your response. I was speaking about the uncertainty of new resorts in the future all becoming restricted from resale bookings like RIV is. Maybe I missed something there so apologies if I did.

Ah - got it. Thought there was some new rumor out there! I think it's wise to assume all going forward will be restricted from resale bookings. And if they aren't then what a pleasant surprise! Personally I consider there to be enough resorts already available that we love to stay at vs the unknown but we also like to stay different places vs one favorite. But a bit hard to compare as we have qualified points should we wish to stay at one of the new resorts although we haven't.

If the new PVB tower is of particular interest to consider as a home resort I I think I'd probably wait.

 

[DVC4]

I recently bought VGF when it was $161 and then snagged a few more when it sold out. Tell me @AstroBlasters & @Sandisw - does addonitis ever end??

 

[AstroBlasters]

I recently bought VGF when it was $161 and then snagged a few more when it sold out. Tell me @AstroBlasters & @Sandisw - does addonitis ever end??

Buying points is fun, using points is fun, paying dues is not fun…. Annual dues is the annual antidote for my addonitis….

 

[jpizzle87]

Even with this incentive, if someone really likes Riviera I still think resale is a much better option, assuming they were okay with booking future stays there exclusively. It’s also a popular resort to rent out points for, which the cash from that could then be used to book at a different DVC resort to circumvent the restrictions. Some people are really into the DVC exclusive perks of direct purchases, but to me the value of the trinkets/lounge access isn’t worth the cost savings of resale. To each their own, but Riv resale is so much cheaper and you aren’t forced into a minimum 150 point purchase like you are buying direct to get the incentives. When you buy resale Riv the restrictions are already factored into the resale price so if you were to sell in the future the difference between purchase price and selling price won’t be nearly as much as what the cost difference is from buying Riv direct and selling Riv later on.

 

[MerlinandtheMouse]

When you buy resale Riv the restrictions are already factored into the resale price so if you were to sell in the future the difference between purchase price and selling price won’t be nearly as much as what the cost difference is from buying Riv direct and selling Riv later on.

I don’t personally love the idea of buying a restricted resale contract if I can avoid it but this is a good point I never thought about. In fact, I’d imagine as more and more restricted properties go up, the value of the RIV resale might also? That might be a stretch but I agree I don’t think it would really come down any further, at least not for the next 15-20 yrs, or so.

 

[heelphan]

I don’t personally love the idea of buying a restricted resale contract if I can avoid it but this is a good point I never thought about. In fact, I’d imagine as more and more restricted properties go up, the value of the RIV resale might also? That might be a stretch but I agree I don’t think it would really come down any further, at least not for the next 15-20 yrs, or so.

If you think about it, the most valuable resort in resale *should* be CCV - no resale restrictions and expiration of 2068. Probably the last one without resale restrictions unless Disney changes course on this.

 

[AstroBlasters]

Even with this incentive, if someone really likes Riviera I still think resale is a much better option, assuming they were okay with booking future stays there exclusively. It’s also a popular resort to rent out points for, which the cash from that could then be used to book at a different DVC resort to circumvent the restrictions. Some people are really into the DVC exclusive perks of direct purchases, but to me the value of the trinkets/lounge access isn’t worth the cost savings of resale. To each their own, but Riv resale is so much cheaper and you aren’t forced into a minimum 150 point purchase like you are buying direct to get the incentives. When you buy resale Riv the restrictions are already factored into the resale price so if you were to sell in the future the difference between purchase price and selling price won’t be nearly as much as what the cost difference is from buying Riv direct and selling Riv later on.

I could be wrong, but I hypothesize that RIV resale is still trading at a premium because it is shiny, newish, and in active sales…. Let’s see what happens when it is 12+ years old and starting to show its age and there are new, or freshly remodeled, resort offerings that people are locked out of.

 

[GRTripetsDad]

I'm not sure what the current incentive is but i bought in the fall. Here's my total:

150 points x $217 = $32,550

- $1,085 (5 points free)

- $1,500 (current incentive)

- $1,500 (welcome home - had an upcoming reservation)

- $22 x 150 points = $3,300 (magical beginnings)

$25,165 = $167/point

So if it comes out to $173/point now before closing costs, then it is not as good of a deal but not that much of a difference.

You also need to factor in closing costs. I broke my contract up into two 75 point contracts, so I also paid $952.66 ($476.33 for each contract x 2) in closing costs.

Thank you for the breakdown @PoppyJ ! very helpful. looks like it would be about $900 difference for the deal now. But as @intamin said, the best time to buy was yesterday so maybe it is better to not wait. we all know $900 in the big scheme of a DVC commitment is not that much.

 

[PoppyJ]

Even with this incentive, if someone really likes Riviera I still think resale is a much better option, assuming they were okay with booking future stays there exclusively. It’s also a popular resort to rent out points for, which the cash from that could then be used to book at a different DVC resort to circumvent the restrictions. Some people are really into the DVC exclusive perks of direct purchases, but to me the value of the trinkets/lounge access isn’t worth the cost savings of resale. To each their own, but Riv resale is so much cheaper and you aren’t forced into a minimum 150 point purchase like you are buying direct to get the incentives. When you buy resale Riv the restrictions are already factored into the resale price so if you were to sell in the future the difference between purchase price and selling price won’t be nearly as much as what the cost difference is from buying Riv direct and selling Riv later on.

We considered Riviera resale before buying direct. I even made some low ball offers that were rejected. Two reasons we decided not to go with Riviera resale that may not apply to everyone.

1. We go to Hawaii every other year. We stayed at Aulani our last visit and loved it. It was important to us that we could use our points here when we wanted to. Yes, we could rent our Riviera points out and use that money to rent Aulani points, but I am a control freak and one of the reasons we bought DVC instead of renting every year is that I like having control of our reservation. I like that I can pick up reservations here and there that pop up. Last year, I managed to snag 2 nights at the Grand Californian right around Thanksgiving time. It was amazing. I will probably never buy GC points due to the cost so getting a couple nights with my points was such a treat.

2. Most importantly, I am also a worrier. I was worried that if anything ever went wrong and we needed to cancel a reservation last minute, worst case scenario, our points would go into holding. Now being restricted to only Riviera, if nothing was available there, we might completely lose those points. I think it would be much easier to find a last minute reservation with unrestricted points.

 

[EYL]

If you think about it, the most valuable resort in resale *should* be CCV - no resale restrictions and expiration of 2068. Probably the last one without resale restrictions unless Disney changes course on this.

I apologize for this but when I see this, I wince a little. It's worth a reality check that the O14 HAVE resale restrictions but the impact on its value is not apparent at the moment since there are 14 resorts to trade into. If people do what they would like to do - own for the life of the contract - then they must remember that as resorts expire starting 1/31/2042, the pool to trade into gets smaller and smaller and the resale value of their contract might go down. "Buy where you want to stay" should always be the mantra.

 

[intamin]

I apologize for this but when I see this, I wince a little. It's worth a reality check that the O14 HAVE resale restrictions but the impact on its value is not apparent at the moment since there are 14 resorts to trade into. If people do what they would like to do - own for the life of the contract - then they must remember that as resorts expire starting 1/31/2042, the pool to trade into gets smaller and smaller and the resale value of their contract might go down. "Buy where you want to stay" should always be the mantra.

Yep, as time goes on, the most important thing as always will be to buy where you want to stay. With 2042 resorts going offline from the resale pool and resale restricted resorts such as RIV and VDH having more and more points over time that can ONLY be used there, 7 month availability for every owner in some form will continue to decrease. I understand that 2042 is still a ways away but even more important than the insurance regarding resale value down the line is insurance that you're going to be able to stay where you want to.

 

[EYL]

I could be wrong, but I hypothesize that RIV resale is still trading at a premium because it is shiny, newish, and in active sales…. Let’s see what happens when it is 12+ years old and starting to show its age and there are new, or freshly remodeled, resort offerings that people are locked out of.

Time will tell. But at 12 years after Riviera has sold out, the Crescent Lake DVC resorts will have less than 10 years left until expiration. While not at a walking distance, RIV should still be the easiest to get to Epcot via Skyliner. As time passes, the direct price of RIV may be set much higher than any actively sold resort, which will also have the same resale restrictions. There will be more "restricted" DVC resorts in the resale market. Hopefully, this combination would keep the resale value higher... At least that's what I would hope as an owner.

 

[intamin]

We considered Riviera resale before buying direct. I even made some low ball offers that were rejected. Two reasons we decided not to go with Riviera resale that may not apply to everyone.

1. We go to Hawaii every other year. We stayed at Aulani our last visit and loved it. It was important to us that we could use our points here when we wanted to. Yes, we could rent our Riviera points out and use that money to rent Aulani points, but I am a control freak and one of the reasons we bought DVC instead of renting every year is that I like having control of our reservation. I like that I can pick up reservations here and there that pop up. Last year, I managed to snag 2 nights at the Grand Californian right around Thanksgiving time. It was amazing. I will probably never buy GC points due to the cost so getting a couple nights with my points was such a treat.

2. Most importantly, I am also a worrier. I was worried that if anything ever went wrong and we needed to cancel a reservation last minute, worst case scenario, our points would go into holding. Now being restricted to only Riviera, if nothing was available there, we might completely lose those points. I think it would be much easier to find a last minute reservation with unrestricted points.

You just never know when you might want that extra flexibility from your points especially if you're planning to keep them to expiration. That's why we opted for direct RIV over resale even though there was a niceeeee RIV resale available. I'd feel bad knowing I'm paying the same amount in dues but not able to use the points anywhere else. Say for example like you said if I wanted to use them on a trip to Aulani or to be able to supplement any other trip to WDW that doesn't involve Riviera. Part of why DVC is so great is because of how much flexibility it has for Disney vacations. You're not locked into the same week over and over and you're also not locked into the same resort. With RIV resale you're giving up one of the best things about DVC. I could see myself doing a small RIV contract but not a large one personally.