Poly Resale owner, talk me out of Riviera Direct

[UrsulaWantsYourSoul]

Oo also don’t forget to consider a guaranteed / preferred week!

 

[BamaGuy44]

With the title of Poly Resale owner, talk me out of Riviera Direct, ya'll are doing a terrible job!

Talking people out of buying points is not our strongest skill

If you are buying to stay at RIV, which it sounds like you are, I think the restriction downside is minor. The point chart becomes pretty reasonable when you have access to the SV rooms, IMO.

And to me, Poly and RIV are the perfect combination for spit stays, or alternating trips.

Poly and RIV are our favorite 2 as well, and we went with RIV direct last year for access to new resorts and blue card stuff, no regrets. Don't own Poly (yet) but love staying there and can't wait to try the tower!

 

[tx911]

With the title of Poly Resale owner, talk me out of Riviera Direct, ya'll are doing a terrible job!

I've got a Riv/Poly split stay coming up pretty soon. Can't wait!
I added on some Riv recently too. I definitely will suck at talking you out of it.

 

[Brian Noble]

If you want to be talked out of it, fine. But I don't think you want to be talked out of it.

We absolutely love the Riviera, it's 100% our style. In fact, that's the main reason we're kicking around going direct. [...] The resale restrictions are what are holding me back.

It is true that RIV points will sell for less than Poly points will, and that will probably be true for the vast majority of the contract. That becomes more important the shorter you plan to hold the contract. There are two ways to look at that.

One way: Is owning RIV "worth" giving up that potential sales revenue? If you like RIV more than Poly, and you think having it as your home resort is important, then owning there has value. Maybe that value is significant enough to justify the difference in potential revenue?

But, I think there is a second way: Imagine that you would get absolutely nothing for the contract when you are done with it. If that happens, will you still think you got good value out of the purchase? If so, then any potential disposal value is found money. I tend to fall in this camp, because the value in a timeshare is using it. If I feel like I'm getting good value from its use, the sales price isn't that important.

 

[RuntheMouse]

I say go for RIV. We have 150 direct RIV points split into 100 & 50. All of our other points are resale including 50 more RIV. It is tied for our favorite resort with BRV.

Same as your line of thinking, our direct RIV points will be the last to go if we ever have to sell. My plan is for them to actually outlast us. I like the idea that you’d have 2 home resorts.

 

[eticketplease]

Talking people out of buying points is not our strongest skill

100% True

 

[Chili327]

Restrictions… even if I loved Riviera, I couldn’t & wouldn’t support or encourage more restrictions.

 

[sarahlord]

Poly and Riviera is a great combination, buy Riviera!

 

[Electron_si]

We currently own 270 PVB resale points across 4 contracts. We're ready to buy more points and are thinking we do 150 direct now to get the benefits, mainly staying at all resorts and a cheaper annual pass. The question is, do we get more PVB or jump into Riviera? We absolutely love the Riviera, it's 100% our style. In fact, that's the main reason we're kicking around going direct.

The resale restrictions are what are holding me back. On one hand, if I have to sell some of my points it would not be my direct points just so I could remain blue card. On the other, if I ever sell ALL of my points then the Riv contract will be a lot harder to move.

Assuming we don't sell ALL of our points, Riviera seems like the way to go. We already have 270 at Poly, so adding 150 at the Riv would get us a second home resort and those points work everywhere. Am I missing anything?

We own 200 points at Poly resale and bought 150 direct at RIV last summer. I say go for it. We love Riviera and the direct points give you access to future resorts and your poly points give you access to the new tower. It’s win win.

Not worried about resale restrictions. Even if we downsize in the future we will keep the 150 at RIV until it expires or we pass it to one of our kids. We cruise out of Florida so it can be used for nights on the front and back of cruises as well.

 

[sethschroeder]

This is the big reason here: "The resale restrictions are what are holding me back."

Honestly, I'd just wait for some other resort to have a reasonable sale, one without those restrictions.

None are coming.

Anything new is getting the restrictions. Poly as an example added the tower but it's the historical end date to the contract that you could have bought for the past decade.

Additonally the resale restrictions so far haven't made it harder to move it just has a slightly reduced price when sold resale.

 

[sethschroeder]

If you want to be talked out of it, fine. But I don't think you want to be talked out of it.


It is true that RIV points will sell for less than Poly points will, and that will probably be true for the vast majority of the contract. That becomes more important the shorter you plan to hold the contract. There are two ways to look at that.

One way: Is owning RIV "worth" giving up that potential sales revenue? If you like RIV more than Poly, and you think having it as your home resort is important, then owning there has value. Maybe that value is significant enough to justify the difference in potential revenue?

But, I think there is a second way: Imagine that you would get absolutely nothing for the contract when you are done with it. If that happens, will you still think you got good value out of the purchase? If so, then any potential disposal value is found money. I tend to fall in this camp, because the value in a timeshare is using it. If I feel like I'm getting good value from its use, the sales price isn't that important.

Here is the thing you can buy less points at RIV compared to Poly especially if you are doing 1/2br.

So RIV will resell for less but you need less points so the total you "lose" might actually not be that much different.

People would need to do their math to get an idea.

 

[DonkeyHoTay]

This is the big reason here: "The resale restrictions are what are holding me back."

Honestly, I'd just wait for some other resort to have a reasonable sale, one without those restrictions.

This is my view too, but I think it comes down to how much OP values booking RIV at 11 months - especially for peak days. I just checked and saw good RIV availability in deluxe studio preferred view rooms between 4 and 7 months out (not good for tower studios and deluxe studio resort views). If that kind of flexibility works for OP at RIV, then buy the cheapest/best direct points with the fewest resale restrictions - I would recommend OP buy 150 direct PVB immediately and before price increase next month.

If OP prioritizes booking RIV at 11 months, especially for peak days, then OP needs to buy where they want to stay at RIV.

 

[WeIcomeHome]

I'd be cautious of basing decisions on current availability, particularly at a restricted resort in active sales. I'm anticipating any studio will be difficult to get in the 7 month window once the resort sells out and more points are bought resale that can only be used there.

This is the reason I went with a FW at RR.

 

[🍀TwinsMom]

We own Riviera and Poly direct. If we buy more in the future, it probably would be Poly resale or perhaps CC for Christmas. We love both.

I am frankly irritated five years in on the endless doom loop of resale restrictions chatter online. Would we prefer no resale restrictions? Sure. Do we like Riviera the best because of the Skyliner, ease of access to HS/EP (favorite parks,) on-site dining, room layout, and tower usability? Yes, we do. Chances you do, too, or else you wouldn't be thinking of buying it. For folks who don't like Riviera, no worries. That's why we all like different options. Buying Riviera direct, you have all the options available to you and discounted APs. Anything else is gravy, but you know that.

The 2042 cycle is coming. All we know is several resorts are slated to close and drop out of inventory. Unless DVC adds on more CC, it seems like they're running out of time to add to 014 resorts, so any new construction *should* end up with restrictions. I feel like DVC has jerked Riviera owners around adding on to VGF and Poly, muddying the waters of the whole restriction game plan, but that IS supposed to be their new world order. In any event, 2042 means Riviera, VGF, VDH, VGC, AKJ/AKK, Poly, BLT, CC, LSL, SS, OKWe, CFW. Riviera is the only Epcot resort available at that time, as far as we know.

If you hold to 2042 and travel yearly the next 16ish years (no points allotted in 2042, AFAIK,) you'll have definitely made your money/investment back in stays at Riviera. You can definitely rent Riviera points out with premium asking price (as well as your Poly points,) and cover dues as a total baseline. I cannot imagine a scenario where Riviera does not appreciate in the next 16 years. Will it be like the appreciation we saw the past 5-10 years? No, probably not. But none of them are appreciating that way anymore with no ROFR activity. ROFR artificially props up the prices, which I'm grateful for if we ever did want to sell, but for the most part it's a non issue. We bought to use the points, and we can rent the points out and cover dues if we're ever in a pinch or want to vacation elsewhere.

Riviera just came out as one of the most economical resorts with dues, and if/when Skyliner is expanded, it's the only resort that has its own dedicated station a few yards away under a covered walkway. The monorail is totally not up to handle the crowds, so something has to give at some point. My money is on the Skyliner being expanded before the monorail ever is repaired/more trains added.

Also, those PIT points charts are brutal! It's so expensive to buy Poly direct points or to use them at the tower, it makes Riviera SAP look almost bargain priced!

I just really think the hysteria over resale restrictions is overblown. None of the properties are appreciating like they did with Covid stimulus money and FOMO and revenge travel skewing everything. Things are settling down, and ROFR seems to be a dormant concept in favor of cranking out as many new DVC resorts -- with restrictions -- as possible. They're opening one every two years. I think another VDH could happen with DisneyLand Forward while they work on selling out CFW/LSL. Poly and Riviera will be sold out in the next year or two, tops. Aulani is a lost cause for selling out -- although they may do another fire sale, but do you want Aulani as your home booking base?

Buy where you want to stay. Are you going to care about resale restrictions when you're vacationing the next decade?

 

[Tatebeck]

Exactly. Restrictions only matter if you sell. And even then sometimes they don't really matter in the end. We got our RIV direct points at $158 per point after MB and it is usually selling around 120 right now for resale. If we sold now we would lose somewhere around $40 per point.

If I bought direct Poly right now for around what $210 after some incentives? And had to resell it, it looks like it is back down to around $160 per point, and may be on it's way to around $140 where it was before the Tower came around. So we would have paid more for the points if we waited to buy Poly, and then lost a higher amount (around $50 right now) per point as well.

Why people are arguing for that in this situation I just don't understand. If you want to stay at RIV+future projects or want RIV+ membership extras, buy Direct RIV. If you only want to stay at RIV and don't care about anything else, then maybe buy some RIV resale. Buy where you want to stay is my number 1 rule. I'm not dropping DVC money to be disappointed when I stay on site.

 

[davidhr]

I'd be cautious of basing decisions on current availability, particularly at a restricted resort in active sales. I'm anticipating any studio will be difficult to get in the 7 month window once the resort sells out and more points are bought resale that can only be used there.

This is the reason I went with a FW at RR.

This is a good point, but I’d add that in these forums we tend to overestimate how many resale points are in the system sometimes.

But, I’d say that it’s wise to buy a FW at riviera right now. You’re not obligated to use it and will give you some assurance in the future if that ever happens.

 

[tidefan]

With the title of Poly Resale owner, talk me out of Riviera Direct, ya'll are doing a terrible job!

Ok, I'll bite.

I stayed at RIV once (in a GV, no less). With its blue and orange awnings, My personal opinion is that it looks somewhat like a Howard Johnson's ( I know most don't share that opinion, but it's what sticks in my head). Also, as someone who drives to WDW most of the time, the parking isn't really convenient to your room, so if you are hauling a bunch of stuff with you, it makes it more difficult.

We went to go to Epcot one morning and it took over 45 minutes to get there, mainly because the line was so long because the cars were all full with riders coming from AOA/POP/CBR. Maybe they've fixed that, maybe not, but it left a bad taste in our mouth.

Lastly, and this is an unpopular opinion on these boards, but it is 100% how I feel, I think that since the refurb, the rooms at SSR are as nice as any on property. So, for instance, when we went to book a GV last year, It was an easy call to save over 300 points and book the SSR GV (which, BTW, in over 17 years of ownership has been one of our favorite WDW stays - had a great view of the drone show...). We have found we are MUCH less SSR averse since the refurb (and the fact that you can walk to Gideon's)...

All that said... if you love RIV, there's no reason not to pull the trigger

 

[disneylandtour]

None are coming.

Naw, there's a cycle here. DVD, at times, builds up ROFR points for various DVC resorts and then puts them on sale.

 

[sethschroeder]

Naw, there's a cycle here. DVD, at times, builds up ROFR points for various DVC resorts and then puts them on sale.

Which isn't any new resort with the 50 year contract.

Them doing a discount on drastically overpriced sold out resorts isn't much to worry about.

If the OP cared for one of those resorts they could just add to their resale points they already have.

 

[Tatebeck]

Naw, there's a cycle here. DVD, at times, builds up ROFR points for various DVC resorts and then puts them on sale.

*usually less popular resorts, with higher maintenance fees than RIV, shorter contracts than RIV, and cannot be used at 11 months at RIV, and can not regularly be used on standard view rooms at RIV since those go first in the 11 month window