Has DVC given up on RIV?

[Slakk]

Riviera reminds me a lot of SSR. It is different and I do not mean different bad just different. It is "farther" away from the parks although the gondolas do add attraction to it but it's an acquired taste. AKV is probably similar but it does have the Savanah which adds to it. People who want to stay there will love it. SSR is still one of my favorites, I love how it is spread out but when it first came up people had tremendous opinions.

Riviera is not for me - but that does not mean it is bad, but I do think resorts that are on the monorail or adjacent to Epcot / DHS are an easier sell. Aulani I think will do better if DL opens up more DVC but none of the non theme park resorts have ever really caught on. I think Aulani needs more west coast DVCers to push it over the line.

 

[Judique]

Agreed. I don't think DVC has "given up" on Aulani, either. Truth be told, I'm not even sure what "giving up" on a resort would look like.

It would look like Vero Beach when they scrapped the second phase.

 

[Dizzydizney]

We purchased Riviera before it opened because we knew it would be beautiful (visited the mock up at SSR) and the expiration date would benefit our adult children. Every time we’ve stayed there it’s been busy and the DVC guides seem very busy. The pandemic messed things up and people are still afraid to travel. I don’t think they’ve given up. The GF2 sales seem to be brisk, but am curious to see how it goes when sales open to the public. Especially now with the high cost of living and the high cost of travel.....I’ll be paying $2 gallon more to drive there now and it adds up. You know airfare will start going up too. Time will tell.
I was just looking at google maps, the satellite version. Was curious about what kind of space would be available for another walk to Epcot resort (the solar panel field by yacht club made me smile). I see a green patch across the road from Beach Club, along with a big parking lot type area that seems to have a lot of container trucks parked there. It’s fun to speculate.
But no, I don’t think they’ve given up. I do wish they would have some kind of reduction in price or incentive. Really would like more points there. Smaller contracts pop up now and then but get snatched up. Personally I don’t think the resale restrictions are being that much of a deterrent. Exception being the larger contracts.

 

[Marionnette]

I’ll be paying $2 gallon more to drive there now and it adds up. You know airfare is already going up too.

There! I fixed it for you!

 

[zavandor]

We purchased Riviera before it opened because we knew it would be beautiful (visited the mock up at SSR) and the expiration date would benefit our adult children. Every time we’ve stayed there it’s been busy and the DVC guides seem very busy. The pandemic messed things up and people are still afraid to travel. I don’t think they’ve given up. The GF2 sales seem to be brisk, but am curious to see how it goes when sales open to the public. Especially now with the high cost of living and the high cost of travel.....I’ll be paying $2 gallon more to drive there now and it adds up. You know airfare will start going up too. Time will tell.
I was just looking at google maps, the satellite version. Was curious about what kind of space would be available for another walk to Epcot resort (the solar panel field by yacht club made me smile). I see a green patch across the road from Beach Club, along with a big parking lot type area that seems to have a lot of container trucks parked there. It’s fun to speculate.
But no, I don’t think they’ve given up. I do wish they would have some kind of reduction in price or incentive. Really would like more points there. Smaller contracts pop up now and then but get snatched up. Personally I don’t think the resale restrictions are being that much of a deterrent. Exception being the larger contracts.

There was a rumor of a new DVC in that lot across BC at one point.

 

[Dizzydizney]

There! I fixed it for you!

. Have not had to fly anywhere in a while so have not been paying attention to airfare. I’ll have to take a look.

There was a rumor of a new DVC in that lot across BC at one point.

I didn’t know that. It’s a really good spot. Would be nice to have your own entrance right into the UK area.

 

[ddubaynavarro]

You are absolutely right. Although in my case, it's hate/fear of the points chart

We just added on direct at VGF and about died at the points chart, we are big time OKW people. Guess we will still be OKW people with our VGF points, just with way lower dues.

 

[JoeDisney247365]

Plus, as of January, about 40% of Riviera is sold, which is pretty good considering a global pandemic shut things down and we're facing inflation, etc. If sales continue to increase, it could be sold out in 3 years by the time PVB2 debuts.

Probably a stupid question but you don't know if you don't ask. If 40% of Riviera is sold what do they do with the remaining 60% that is unsold in terms of room availability? Do they use them as cash rooms? Is it fair to say that once it is 100% sold that it will be harder to book even with Home resort priority?

 

[Sandisw]

Probably a stupid question but you don't know if you don't ask. If 40% of Riviera is sold what do they do with the remaining 60% that is unsold in terms of room availability? Do they use them as cash rooms? Is it fair to say that once it is 100% sold that it will be harder to book even with Home resort priority?

They have declared about half of the rooms into the condo association. That means, half of those can be booked with points, even though only 40% of the resort is sold out…those other points are there for current sales,

As sales progress, the declare more inventory which gives them more points to sell until all are declared,

Those that are undeclared are indeed there for cash stays for Disney. They make all the money on that until it changes over to all DVC.

Any declared points that have not been sold can be used by DVD to sell for cash, but they have to book with those points in the same way owners do.

Once the resort sells all the points it will…DVD must retain at least 2% od the resort…then all rooms will be eligible for booking.

It could indeed get harder to book for everyone. The point charts at RIV for PV will always make SV attractive for owners. Plus, thr SV rooms are the ones that get the Epcot fireworks and IMO a great bargain!

 

[sethschroeder]

If VGF sells out before RIV with 8 years off the contract, they'll have some thinking to do.

Why isn't VGF selling out before RIV? It has way less points to sell.

 

[Slakk]

Why isn't VGF selling out before RIV? It has way less points to sell.

In theory RIV should eclipse any other resort as the bright new shiny toy. It seems to be more of a SSR / AKV sell because it is still location location location and being by Epcot or the monorail still hold value. I think the hope was the Gondolas would help but I do not think it has the pull they thought it would.

Probably why Reflections is on ice and they are looking to add at location resorts. I have no interest in Poly however if they added on to BCV or converted YC I would be buying more points.

 

[kanerf]

I own direct at RIV and am very happy there. Should the right resale contract show up, I might pick it up. I am perfectly happy to stay only at RIV in that case. To each their own. I was disappointed with the rooms at VGF2 and chose not to buy there for that reason. I may pick up PVB2 when it debuts. I like the quality of the rooms at RIV and the showers are fantastic, even in the tower studios. I don't care about bathtubs, never use them.

 

[peabody58]

Agreed. I don't think DVC has "given up" on Aulani, either. Truth be told, I'm not even sure what "giving up" on a resort would look like.

It would look like Will Smith walking up to Reflections! Whaaatttt... too soon?

 

[J-Dog]

I think the hope was the Gondolas would help but I do not think it has the pull they thought it would.

In what way?

From almost everything that I read, everyone loves the Skyliner and it is a big draw for buying at RIV. I see lots of opinions that it is the best mode of transportation at WDW. Obviously, that's anecdotal, but I don't see any evidence that the Skyline is a bust.

For us, we almost always rent a car, so it didn't matter, but I disagree that the Skyliner doesn't "have the pull they thought it would".

 

[sethschroeder]

I think the hope was the Gondolas would help but I do not think it has the pull they thought it would.

People love the gondolas and some way more than walking/boating since it drops you off at the door to Epcot.

In theory RIV should eclipse any other resort

Why? It was new and still turns heads but VGF is now new and has less points.

VGF should sell out first because it has less points at this point.

Lots of people even outline they like the Riviera except for resape restrictions.

 

[SteveAZee]

In what way?

From almost everything that I read, everyone loves the Skyliner and it is a big draw for buying at RIV. I see lots of opinions that it is the best mode of transportation at WDW. Obviously, that's anecdotal, but I don't see any evidence that the Skyline is a bust.

For us, we almost always rent a car, so it didn't matter, but I disagree that the Skyliner doesn't "have the pull they thought it would".

I enjoyed riding the Skyliner on my last trip just as a new way to get around. If I were buying into RIV, though, I'd want to know how often the Skyliner is closed due to bad weather (and therefore busses are brought into service) if I'm going to make an investment in a Skyliner resort.

Does anyone know how often (or % of time) the Skyliner is down?

 

[Slakk]

I meant that while it is nice for Epcot or HS it is not the same as the monorail to MK. Not a slam at all but lots of people buy DVC when they have young kids and so being close to MK is a bigger pull. Me being claustrophobic and afraid of height (after watching them get stuck) I am not interested in them myself.

RIV to me is in the same boat as AKV and SSR, big and not on the monorail. All three have their positives but the monorail or boat to MK is a huge plus for the other resorts

 

[Sandisw]

I meant that while it is nice for Epcot or HS it is not the same as the monorail to MK. Not a slam at all but lots of people buy DVC when they have young kids and so being close to MK is a bigger pull. Me being claustrophobic and afraid of height (after watching them get stuck) I am not interested in them myself.

RIV to me is in the same boat as AKV and SSR, big and not on the monorail. All three have their positives but the monorail or boat to MK is a huge plus for the other resorts

For those that want an MK resort, RIV isn't going to be a top choice, but it is not like SSR or AKV as it is one building and easy to get around...and I believe a lot more popular than those two overall.

 

[bcuinohio]

I have wanted to buy direct for a couple years. We own resale at BLT. With the resale restrictions I just couldn’t pull the trigger. When VGF came out at the same price point as RR and without the resale restrictions, I couldn’t pass it up.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I meant that while it is nice for Epcot or HS it is not the same as the monorail to MK. Not a slam at all but lots of people buy DVC when they have young kids and so being close to MK is a bigger pull. Me being claustrophobic and afraid of height (after watching them get stuck) I am not interested in them myself.

RIV to me is in the same boat as AKV and SSR, big and not on the monorail. All three have their positives but the monorail or boat to MK is a huge plus for the other resorts

You have to spend more than half of your time at Magic Kingdom for the monorail to be a huge net time saver. Those resorts are the closest to MK, but they're the farthest from everything else, especially when you consider that Epcot requires a transfer.