Considering DVC

[meggo819]

We have begun to seriously consider DVC and our first thought is to buy 150 points directly at Riviera. My husband is pushing for 25-50 more points, but I’d rather buy those resale, if we feel that we need more.

The other option that has come up is, given current offers, we could buy at OKW and get 200 points for about the same price as 150 at Riviera. I know they have higher dues there and a shorter expiration, but it’s tempting!

How is availability for Riviera during travel periods 1-5? I’d rather stay there than OKW, so perhaps that means we should stick with Riviera as our home resort.

I welcome any suggestions/advice

 

[CastAStone]

FYI, unlike most older resorts, Riviera contracts start at a minimum of 50 points so you won’t find less than that in the resale market. And another unusual thing about Riviera is that if you buy Riviera points resale, you will ONLY be able to use them at Riviera.

I assume you’re looking to stay in studios? Riviera’s long term availability isn’t fully understood yet because it isn’t sold out. But I think it’s safe to say that standard studios will be few and far between when the 7 month trading window opens, and unless you’re traveling in the summer (when DVC bookings are softest), preferred studios will be as well.

So I wouldn’t buy another resort expecting to stay in a studio at Riviera.

Old Key West is a nice resort with some nice pluses (huge rooms, parking next to your room, nice patios) but it has drawbacks. It’s huge. It only has 1 real restaurant way at the far end. It has 5 bus stops. It expires 13 years sooner.

ALSO, You can pretty much count on being able to use those OKW points at Saratoga Springs and Animal Kingdom Lodge whenever you want, and any of the Magic Kingdom area resorts 9 months a year (Jan-Sept).

Without knowing every detail of your personal preferences it’s hard to say which to buy, but feel free to ask more questions.

 

[meggo819]

The size of OKW (and Saratoga Springs, for that matter) is definitely a turn-off for me, since we don’t normally drive to Orlando or rent a car. I appreciate the insight about availability of AKL and MK area!

 

[meggo819]

My husband would like to alternate between studios and one-bedrooms. I’m fine with studios while our kids are young and would anticipate going less often (than every year) when they’re older and we’re needing more room.

 

[CastAStone]

One bedrooms are really only hard to get at Beach Club and sometimes Grand Floridian, at least at WDW. There will still be occasional dates where trading resorts is hard due to special events or it being the first 2 weeks of December (highest DVC demand time), but generally speaking you can get a one bedroom at 7 months anywhere else, including Riviera, as long as you’re not picky about view types.

 

[nickys]

The size of OKW (and Saratoga Springs, for that matter) is definitely a turn-off for me, since we don’t normally drive to Orlando or rent a car. I appreciate the insight about availability of AKL and MK area!

We stayed at OKW for the first time 18 months ago. No car. We all loved it!

Although we were the 3rd bus stop it was only 10 minutes walk to Hospitality House. The only drawbacks for us were the lack of elevators.

 

[meggo819]

The only drawbacks for us were the lack of elevators.

Oh, that’s good to know too! We’re still in the stage of strollers, so that wouldn’t be ideal.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I would never buy Riviera resale points because of the restrictions. If you think you need 175 to 200 points and you really love Riviera and you really want Direct, I would just buy a larger number of Direct points in the first place.

If you want to add on cheaper resale for other resorts (AKA sleep-around points), I would buy larger contracts that are big enough to book whole vacations on their own, not piddly little add-on contracts that you need to combine with your main contract to actually use.

Combining contracts for reservations is annoying when you have a mixture of different home resorts and/or some contracts that are subject to restrictions and others that aren't.

 

[Doberge]

Adding that resale points at other resorts cannot be used at Riviera (and the Fort Wilderness Cabins and Disneyland Villas). Also, adding on a small resale contracts later is expensive. Go have a look at broker resale listing's for small point 50 point contracts vs bigger contracts.

I've rarely ever seen standard view studios available at 7 months to trade into Riviera. If wanting to save points with standard then buying at Riviera is a better bet. Consider weighing the cost of direct Riviera points in standard vs same as though you bought at OKW but needed enough points for Riviera preferred.

I'm a Riviera owner so I'm biased but think it's a very nice resort. The split bathroom in studios works very well for families. Riviera is pretty unique in DVC that's it's very compact and doesn't have the endless hallways of Boardwalk and AKL and doesnt require walking outside to reach amenities, which is great with Florida's heat and rain. OKW and Saratoga are very very different ways to vacation. I don't mean to knock them because I have reservations at both this summer, but the resort sizes and amenity access is different.

 

[Doberge]

The only drawbacks for us were the lack of elevators.

Oh, that’s good to know too! We’re still in the stage of strollers, so that wouldn’t be ideal.

Three buildings have elevators 62, 63, and 64. We stayed in 63 with an elevator and stroller and it worked well. But it's still a big drawback because it's so few rooms. The three buildings are "near hospitality house" which is a bookable category but there are other buildings in the category so no guarantee to get an elevator building. If staying at OKW it may be worth requesting first floor. If owning OKW you'd have first crack booking hospitality area and then I'd prioritize 1. Buildings 62, 63.or 64 and 2. First floor.

 

[meggo819]

Riviera is pretty unique in DVC that's it's very compact and doesn't have the endless hallways of Boardwalk and AKL

Yes! The fact that it’s a tower instead of a bunch of sprawling buildings is part of the appeal for me. Plus, I love using the Skyliner.

 

[Doberge]

Here are two trackers:

I use this one: https://www.dvchelp.com/page/riviera-resort-availability-charts

I've not used this one:

DVC Availability Tables — DVC Field Guide

A look at DVC availability for each of the DVC resorts accommodations over the last 5 plus years.

www.dvcfieldguide.com

 

[meggo819]

We landed on 175 points at Riviera and got the ball rolling with our guide last night! Impatiently waiting for paperwork or more info to be sent…hoping *something* at least comes today!

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Riviera has a resell restriction. Wait a few months and buy the poly. Also they have started to do a lot of incentives and those will intensify.

Two things in a bubble you might want to wait out a little - houses and dvc

 

[Disstevefan1]

If you are considering DVC and have not done so yet, consider renting DVC, you get to experience some of the DVCs before you buy.

 

[lightguy]

I'm going to second whoever said to wait a couple months and buy at Poly to avoid the resale restriction. Because the new Poly tower is being added into the existing DVC timeshare, it should have the exact same terms as the existing units. That means that it should hold more value than Riviera if you ever want to sell that contract, because who in their right mind is going to pay big $$$$ for a resale contract that is only good at one resort. Also, I know everyone has their own tastes and preferences, but very few people dislike Poly. It just has such a laid-back cool vibe…and you can watch the fireworks from your room (depending on what room) or the pool or the beach. Personally, I would only buy the minimum number of direct points to qualify for full membership and then everything else I would buy resale. Since we got DVC we’ve probably made around 10 trips and only stayed at our home resort (BLT) twice. If you can book right at 7 months (and sometimes use a strategy or two), you can usually get what you want at a non-home resort- especially if you have a little flexibility in your dates. Best of luck….and Welcome Home!