Riviera Pricing and Point charts

[doctornick]

I'm just surprised that they're essentially pricing the Skyliner on par with the monorail. I don't see it.

Why not? I don't disagree with your general idea about the points charts being too high compared to over DVC options, but why wouldn't they consider Skyliner to be on par with the Monorail? It is a novel transportation that connects you to two different parks quickly and easily. Not to mention also connects to the Boardwalk area which may be underdeveloped but is better than not having that option (plus with a bit of a walk you get to the Swan/Dolphin as well including mini-golf).

Plus the Skyliner has the cool factor of being new and shiny as opposed to the monorail that every Disney fan has ridden on for almost 50 years. I feel like some are really underselling how popular the Skyliner is going to be.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Why not? I don't disagree with your general idea about the points charts being too high compared to over DVC options, but why wouldn't they consider Skyliner to be on par with the Monorail? It is a novel transportation that connects you to two different parks quickly and easily. Not to mention also connects to the Boardwalk area which may be underdeveloped but is better than not having that option (plus with a bit of a walk you get to the Swan/Dolphin as well including mini-golf).

Plus the Skyliner has the cool factor of being new and shiny as opposed to the monorail that every Disney fan has ridden on for almost 50 years. I feel like some are really underselling how popular the Skyliner is going to be.

It's just a gondola. Monorails are cool. Gondolas are everywhere.

 

[doctornick]

It's just a gondola. Monorails are cool. Gondolas are everywhere.

Unless you ski a lot, not really. Sure they are becoming more commonplace, but they still aren't in that many places. Most WDW guests don't live in the Andes.

I would venture to say that the vast majority of Disney guests will have ridden a monorail way more often than a gondola.

 

[GoofGoof]

Unless you ski a lot, not really. Sure they are becoming more commonplace, but they still aren't in that many places. Most WDW guests don't live in the Andes.

I would venture to say that the vast majority of Disney guests will have ridden a monorail way more often than a gondola.

If they fly into Orlando they ride a tram at the airport that’s similar to a monorail.

The gondola isn’t just a cool new toy it also gets you to/from the 2 parks which will have the newest stuff in the next 3 years while sales go on. MK will always be the most popular park long term but DHS is going to be in huge demand real soon.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Unless you ski a lot, not really. Sure they are becoming more commonplace, but they still aren't in that many places. Most WDW guests don't live in the Andes.

I would venture to say that the vast majority of Disney guests will have ridden a monorail way more often than a gondola.

I doubt it. Anyone from the Northeast has ridden a gondola in Stowe, Loon Mountain, Attitash, the Poconos, or a dozen other locations. That's what we do in the summer AND in the winter, much more often than visiting WDW.

 

[doctornick]

I doubt it. Anyone from the Northeast has ridden a gondola in Stowe, Loon Mountain, Attitash, the Poconos, or a dozen other locations. That's what we do in the summer AND in the winter, much more often than visiting WDW.

I'm from the Northeast and never have (and I've been skiing, albeit not much, but only to places that had chair lifts and rope pulls). A lot of people don't ski or ever go to those resorts. I think you are way overestimating people's familiarity with it.

I mean, heck, just one visit to the gondola thread and all the people who are scared to death about the system (how many "Disney will have to still offer buses to Epcot and DHS" posts have we seen?) show how unfamiliar many WDW guests are with such transport.

 

[GoofGoof]

I doubt it. Anyone from the Northeast has ridden a gondola in Stowe, Loon Mountain, Attitash, the Poconos, or a dozen other locations. That's what we do in the summer AND in the winter, much more often than visiting WDW.

Is there a gondola in the Poconos? I haven’t been up there in a while for skiing but I don’t remember one. I have been skiing at Loon once and they did have a gondola, but I’ve been on the NJT monorail to Newark Airport many more times (unfortunately).

 

[Lensman]

Maintenance fees are high though, no doubt partly to cover Skyliner costs.

I know this seems to make sense, but over in the Gondola of Death thread, (in between the concerns about roasting and alligators) people have mentioned that constructing and operating the Skyliner would actually be cheaper for Disney than continuing to operate the buses. Also, since there is only one internal bus stop rather than multiple stops like at OKW and SSR, the bus charges for MK, AK, and DS service should be lower than at OKW and SSR. So the transportation charges for Riviera should be lower, but who knows?

At any rate, we'll see the real answer when we see the budget breakdown.

I wouldn't mind giving this a try, personally. Though I must admit to being not-so-keen on the linear walk-through kitchen design they've adopted (since CCV, right?).

 

[xdan0920]

I flip flop on the resale market for RR. I see both sides and it isn't one I want to guess on. I do think there are many hoping it'll be cheap to buy into.

I do not think resale restrictions with hurt sales much (if at all) though.

Just curious, what's the other side on resale?

Buying Riviera resale means you are locked into Riviera. Buying any other resort resale means you have multiple resort options(for now). So unless DVC makes all resales resort specific(I think they probably will), Riviera is a lower quality buy.

 

[xdan0920]

The tower rooms are in response to demand from some DVCers. If you’re not going to parks and just want a studio to sit in, the new Murphy beds are ideal. You just have a sofa by day, no bed in the way. Agreed they’re not for everyone but they are delivering what surveys suggested people would like to see - studios for 2people.

Are people really asking for smaller rooms that are the same amount of points as larger rooms?

 

[Lensman]

Just curious, what's the other side on resale?

Buying Riviera resale means you are locked into Riviera. Buying any other resort resale means you have multiple resort options(for now). So unless DVC makes all resales resort specific(I think they probably will), Riviera is a lower quality buy.

The other side being that if you want to stay at Riviera and want to save money by buying resale, your only option is to buy Riviera resale. So depending on the demand for resale buyers who actually want to stay at Riviera, it's possible that resale prices wouldn't be affected that much.

Are people really asking for smaller rooms that are the same amount of points as larger rooms?

Lol. Very funny!

Seriously, though, think of the alternative, which is only more points for the same size room. Remember, Disney's Hobson's Choice is to only have the Riviera Deluxe Studio pricing, which is in-between VGF and CCV pricing.

BTW, when you say "same amount of points as larger rooms", you're comparing Riviera to CCV, right? If so, then the Hobson's Choice is to only have Deluxe Studio rooms that are way more points than CCV Deluxe Studio rooms.

BTW, here is a more readable version of the point chart: https://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-vacation-club/riviera-points.htm. I'm also linking the VGF point chart and the CCV point chart.

 

[xdan0920]

The other side being that if you want to stay at Riviera and want to save money by buying resale, your only option is to buy Riviera resale.

This. Contradicts...

So depending on the demand for resale buyers who actually want to stay at Riviera, it's possible that resale prices wouldn't be affected that much.

This.

If you think buying Riviera resale will save money, then you believe that Riviera resale will be depressed compared to other DVC. Anyhoo, I guess we shall see.

 

[correcaminos]

Just curious, what's the other side on resale?

Buying Riviera resale means you are locked into Riviera. Buying any other resort resale means you have multiple resort options(for now). So unless DVC makes all resales resort specific(I think they probably will), Riviera is a lower quality buy.

Side 1 is that it will hurt resales for the reasons you state. Side 2, it won't hurt because it's where people will want to stay due to location, gondolas, and luxury level. Buying to stay elsewhere isn't a blip.

I do think direct will not be affected by this. Most do not do resale anyway.

As an FYI I believe they can only do each resort no extension to other resorts on resale easily. They'd have to change the POS for each resort. So they could find a way to do it for the legacy resorts, but after thought, I don't see them doing it. You can be pretty sure Reflections resales will be restricted too

 

[TongaToast21]

I don't get it. At all.

Prices (cash and points) are completely disproportionate to what this place offers.

I'm with you here. It's going to be luxurious but in my opinion (which i know isn't shared by everyone) it seems like a stale themed (throw in some hidden mickeys) monolith of a building on reclaimed Caribbean beach land. While dining and other things will be top notch, it just doesn't do anything for me. I just don't get that Disney feel.... But who knows, I'm sure it will still be immensely popular

 

[xdan0920]

I'm with you here. It's going to be luxurious but in my opinion (which i know isn't shared by everyone) it seems like a stale themed (throw in some hidden mickeys) monolith of a building on reclaimed Caribbean beach land. While dining and other things will be top notch, it just doesn't do anything for me. I just don't get that Disney feel.... But who knows, I'm sure it will still be immensely popular

If there is one thing I will give Disney credit for, it's knowing the changing face of their clientele. And I think this resort fits into that demo perfectly.

 

[TongaToast21]

If there is one thing I will give Disney credit for, it's knowing the changing face of their clientele. And I think this resort fits into that demo perfectly.

Who do you think this is catering to? Retiree/ Baby Boomers looking for a luxurious escape? That seems the most logical to me given the resort's draws

 

[xdan0920]

Who do you think this is catering to? Retiree/ Baby Boomers looking for a luxurious escape? That seems the most logical to me given the resort's draws

More like the faux luxury group that WDW has been catering to lately. The same people that eat up these upcharge events with a ladle.

 

[GoofGoof]

Just curious, what's the other side on resale?

Buying Riviera resale means you are locked into Riviera. Buying any other resort resale means you have multiple resort options(for now). So unless DVC makes all resales resort specific(I think they probably will), Riviera is a lower quality buy.

As @helenabear said there’s 2 possible outcomes. The Riviera resale restrictions will either drive down Riviera resale prices or it won’t. If the prices are driven down (which I think they will be down compared to the popular legacy DVC resorts) that negatively impacts all Riviera owners who want to resell their points but also makes it cheaper to buy in to Riviera resale if you want to buy in and plan to only stay at Riviera anyway.

I generally tend to agree that the resale changes won’t have much of an impact on direct sales for Riviera. A large portion of direct buyers don’t even know the resale market exists and out of those that do I hear many owners say they are never planning on selling their points anyway so lower resale value won’t likely impact their decision. For me personally, I have a hard time predicting what may happen over the next 50 years and how my or my kid’s tastes may change. I like knowing the resale market exists as a safety net even though I have zero intention today to sell my points.

 

[GoofGoof]

I'm with you here. It's going to be luxurious but in my opinion (which i know isn't shared by everyone) it seems like a stale themed (throw in some hidden mickeys) monolith of a building on reclaimed Caribbean beach land. While dining and other things will be top notch, it just doesn't do anything for me. I just don't get that Disney feel.... But who knows, I'm sure it will still be immensely popular

I find it interesting that people see the fact that this resort was built on a portion of former Caribbean Beach land as a negative. I have heard that sentiment a lot in various places. Is it the fact that you can see the other resort across the lake as a negative, or is the land somehow “moderate” and not “deluxe”? IMHO the fact that it’s connnected to CBR via a lakefront walkway is a nice bonus for the resort. It expands dining options (and swimming if you want to pool hop) and allows the resort to have access to some shared recreation amenities like bike rentals, playground area and fishing gear rentals (do they still rent boats at CBR?).

Theme is highly subjective. It’s going to appeal to some and others will not like it.

 

[TongaToast21]

I find it interesting that people see the fact that this resort was built on a portion of former Caribbean Beach land as a negative. I have heard that sentiment a lot in various places. Is it the fact that you can see the other resort across the lake as a negative, or is the land somehow “moderate” and not “deluxe”? IMHO the fact that it’s connnected to CBR via a lakefront walkway is a nice bonus for the resort. It expands dining options (and swimming if you want to pool hop) and allows the resort to have access to some shared recreation amenities like bike rentals, playground area and fishing gear rentals (do they still rent boats at CBR?).

Theme is highly subjective. It’s going to appeal to some and others will not like it.

Self admittedly, I wish I had a better answer. I think my sentiments regarding the lack of theming/disney flare combined with the fact that they're just "building over" part of another resort just makes me think they didn't really give it their best effort from an imagineering standpoint. You are 100% right that theme is highly subjective, and again, I'm sure others love it!