I’m Making This Way Harder Than It Should Be!!

[Wedgeout]

I’m reading your post as the reason you want to purchase 150 direct points is to “buy into DVC” then later looking into resale. Buying resale first at any point amount is a “buy into DVC”. You will be a member. You will have your own membership number. You will have all the access to the website and the club. It’s different if you want the 150 to be an instant “blue (digital) card” holder. If go with resale after direct it will become a bit harder to find a desired contract to match your same Use Year. From your choices, I feel that AKV may be your best match. Great job doing the research before buying!!

 

[davidl81]

Yeah, and ease of time there is important. For us, and it will vary, being able to walk out the room/hotel and get on the skyliner is huge. There are hotels with great access that have lower point charts I know, but SSR and AKV don't seem to be among them. I would rather have a bit higher point chart at a location that makes my daily life easier. Doesn't excuse that it is a rather high chart though. But I think we will mainly be doing 1 and 2BR, but I was comparing the costs and it was interesting that for RIV the jump from 1BR to 2BR was often less than other resorts. I was seeing 58-62 points (for a week) between 1BR and 2BR at RIV, but 70-80 points for others. So it has its other interesting attributes.

It's really the 1BR at RIV that are high, the 2BR are not quite as out of line when compared to other resorts. We are mostly a 1BR family and I think that's why I always think RIV's point chart is so high. If I was looking at 2BRs it might not be so bad.

 

[disneydreaming3]

We went through the same decision. SSR for cost, Ak cause kids loved it, or Bay lake for convenience especially with kids. Each resort has something we love. In the end we did SSr. Primarily for cost but it really has served us well. We never seem to travel during high times and sometimes book other resorts including Boardwalk, Ak and Baylake. Now that our kiddos are in their 20's they actually prefer SSr because of the proximity to Disney Springs. Last trip one requested Ak for two days with her friends, the other SSR and we stayed at Baylake-because it was walking distance to the D23 event although must say the fireworks view and lake view were wonderful. We do enjoy SSR for the access to Springs, golf, the pool and maybe again someday the spa. And when our son became wheelchair bound we did find that SSR rooms were more easy to maneuver and the resort was better for his needs. If you have a set time of year that you want to visit and need that availability and one really favorite place then for sure buy that-you only live once! But if you find yourself being unsure then try them out and also consider how your wants and needs may change down the road.

 

[Brian Noble]

It's really the 1BR at RIV that are high, the 2BR are not quite as out of line when compared to other resorts.

I went back to check this, again comparing to SSR.

At SSR, it costs between 29%-32% more points to go from 1BR to 2BR (29% Standard, 32% preferred) for a week in Season 6 (old Magic Season). At RIV, it costs from 28%-31% more points. So a little better, but not materially.

 

[Sandisw]

Yes, but when you look at total cost you have to factor every thig in. AKV standard is 230 points for the week and RIV 1BR standard is 321 (91 points more). So if buying only 150points as OP has suggested you can take a 6-7 day trip every other year at RIV. The same 150 points gets you a 5 day trip every year at AKV (or maybe 6 days every year if you get value which is super hard). And even direct AKV is cheaper upfront than RIV. I think really if OP wants to get RIV and stay at 1BR 150 points just makes it tough (even going every other year). They would likely need to get something like 175-200 points and bank and borrow to make 1BR work there, at least for the time being with the borrowing restrictions. They could buy RIV and switch at SSR/AKV at 7 months, but just have to be careful that they didn't borrow points to make a RIV reservation 1st and then potentially strand those points if they swap to a lower point resort. It's not impossible to make it work even with 150, but it would be tough at RIV.

There is no doubt that staying at RIV will cost more points than those others. But same can be said if someone decides to trade to VGF or BLT LV or TPV.

But the only way not to have happen what you mention is to never stay at RIV which is on their list.

So, it comes down to whether or not RIV is some place you want to stay. If you do, owning there will almost always take less points than not since you have advantage to get SV rooms.

Now if AKV or SSR is the place you want to be all or majority of the time, then one can buy there.

But, trading out of RIV to AKV and SSR will always be easier than trading in and getting SV rooms.

It’s just not an either or situation. Personally, I’d rather go one or two less nights to be at the resort I want to be at.

Of course, I agree that looking at the point charts when buying along with price is important.

 

[lions1995]

If I were in your situation, I would buy AKL direct. It truly is a beautiful resort. It is not usually hard to get into at the 7 month window, but it is nice to secure a nice resort early and then change if you find availability. And if you cant change to another resort, you wont be unhappy at AKL.

I am not a fan of Rivera, but either way, I would avoid buying into it. 1) Resale value will be low do to restrictions 2) If there are too many resale contracts in the future, it will make it very hard to get a reservation even in your 7 to 11 month window (If that is the only place you can stay, people will make those reservations as soon as possible to lock them in which means less availability)

 

[havoc315]

I’ve researched, watched videos, talked to my guide and I just can’t decide on a home resort. I want to buy 150 points direct to buy into DVC and probably down the road add on resale. The three resorts I’m trying to decide between (yes, I know they are wildly different) are: AKV, Saratoga, and Riviera. A little about our family: we are a family of four including a 2year old and 11 year old. We would probably, at this point, be vacationing at Disney every other year and would like a 1 bedroom. While we enjoy the parks, we enjoy time at our resort just as much and tend to have occasional resort only trips. This is what has me considering these 3 resorts, please give me some input and advice.

AKV: We have stayed in the hotel part before and know we like the resort. Love the kids water play area and the restaurants. Bonus is the extra bathroom in the 1 bedroom villa which would be helpful with a tween daughter! Bummer that only transportation is buses. Love that the resort feels like a vacation in a vacation.

Saratoga: We have never stayed nor visited Saratoga but it seems like the economical best decision. Really like the look of the updated rooms on videos I’ve watched. The pools and kids water play areas look fun. We do tend to visit Disney Springs at least once per trip and would really enjoy being able to walk for dining/shopping.

Riviera: My daughter and I love the Riviera theme (hubs and son could care less)! We have not stayed here but have visited. Pool looks just ok. Restaurants are good. Love skyliner access to HS and Epcot. Do have some views of fireworks. I’m aware of the resale restrictions.

So what would you do?!

You properly hit on your personal pros and cons. What other people would do is irrelevant. No right or wrong answer, all depends on personal preferences.

I'll simply share my family's preferences, as maybe some of the comments are relevant.

My family happily bought into Riviera. Personally, we aren't going to "economical." If we wanted the most economical decision, we wouldn't buy DVC at all, we'd rent off-site condos for less money. It's not like SSR is cheaper for the same product -- It's simply not as nice a resort, in my family's opinions. Others may disagree, especially if they love being close to Disney Springs. (We don't care about Disney springs, which we just see as a shopping mall you can find anywhere, but with a couple Disney stores).
I do think AKV is the best WDW resort for a resort-only vacation, where you don't even hop to other resorts. Outstanding restaurants and a Savannah! So you have an attraction right from your room!
That said, AKV just isn't a great location for a full WDW vacation, having to rely on buses. Plus, it's usually pretty easy to book a AKV 1-bedroom unit at the 7 month mark, no matter where you own. In fact, I'd say it's pretty rare that you wouldn't be able to book at the 7 month mark.
Thus, if I wanted to split by trips with 50% at Riviera and 50% at AKV, I'd buy at Riviera -- knowing it's not hard to get AKV at 7 months.

Couple other thoughts on the Riviera -- We actually love the pools for a couple subjective reasons -- First, no matter where your room is, the whole resort is compact, so both pools are just an elevator ride and few steps away. The pools are spacious and relaxing, and rarely get over-crowded. When my kids were younger, we loved an "active" pool like Beach Club Stormalong Bay. But with older teens, we now prefer a more laid back luxurious pool setting.

One more thought on "resort only trips" -- As I said above, AKV is the best if your trip is never leaving your resort. That Savannah is a huge selling point. But, there are huge advantages of "resort only" trips at other resorts as well --- From Riviera, you are a quick skyliner ride away from the Boardwalk area, where you will find dancing, bars, more restaurants and activities. From a monorail resort (BLT, Poly and VGF), you'll find locations where you can watch fireworks outside the park, you'll have lots of great dining options on the monorail.
So if you want to never leave your resort, AKV is great for a resort-only trip. But the other resorts are potentially better for a "resort area vacation."

 

[Vulnox]

You properly hit on your personal pros and cons. What other people would do is irrelevant. No right or wrong answer, all depends on personal preferences.

I'll simply share my family's preferences, as maybe some of the comments are relevant.

My family happily bought into Riviera. Personally, we aren't going to "economical." If we wanted the most economical decision, we wouldn't buy DVC at all, we'd rent off-site condos for less money. It's not like SSR is cheaper for the same product -- It's simply not as nice a resort, in my family's opinions. Others may disagree, especially if they love being close to Disney Springs. (We don't care about Disney springs, which we just see as a shopping mall you can find anywhere, but with a couple Disney stores).
I do think AKV is the best WDW resort for a resort-only vacation, where you don't even hop to other resorts. Outstanding restaurants and a Savannah! So you have an attraction right from your room!
That said, AKV just isn't a great location for a full WDW vacation, having to rely on buses. Plus, it's usually pretty easy to book a AKV 1-bedroom unit at the 7 month mark, no matter where you own. In fact, I'd say it's pretty rare that you wouldn't be able to book at the 7 month mark.
Thus, if I wanted to split by trips with 50% at Riviera and 50% at AKV, I'd buy at Riviera -- knowing it's not hard to get AKV at 7 months.

Couple other thoughts on the Riviera -- We actually love the pools for a couple subjective reasons -- First, no matter where your room is, the whole resort is compact, so both pools are just an elevator ride and few steps away. The pools are spacious and relaxing, and rarely get over-crowded. When my kids were younger, we loved an "active" pool like Beach Club Stormalong Bay. But with older teens, we now prefer a more laid back luxurious pool setting.

One more thought on "resort only trips" -- As I said above, AKV is the best if your trip is never leaving your resort. That Savannah is a huge selling point. But, there are huge advantages of "resort only" trips at other resorts as well --- From Riviera, you are a quick skyliner ride away from the Boardwalk area, where you will find dancing, bars, more restaurants and activities. From a monorail resort (BLT, Poly and VGF), you'll find locations where you can watch fireworks outside the park, you'll have lots of great dining options on the monorail.
So if you want to never leave your resort, AKV is great for a resort-only trip. But the other resorts are potentially better for a "resort area vacation."

Yeah you nailed every reason we finally went for Riviera. I see people talk about point charts or resale, which aren't insignificant, but I don't get buying into DVC and at the same time going in a direction that doesn't improve your convenience on the trip, all because of something that evidence so far has shown isn't a reality. We spent time at SSR, and it's fine. But Caribbean is fine. That wasn't the point of us looking at DVC. Riviera isn't the only resort that has added conveniences obviously, BLT and Boardwalk and others have great conveniences of their own being so close to parks. But some of them show that with their Direct/Resale pricing compared to AKV/SSR. Riviera resale contracts I see for 130 point contract is $155/point, and BLT, which seems to be a well regarded resort for convenience and resort itself, is $156/point for a 160 point. SSR I see 130 point starting at $129/point. So I don't understand the argument that resale Riviera will be poor compared to others when two years in so far and it has been pretty solid.

So I just don't see a realistic value proposition for giving up convenience for an all things considered marginal price difference from SSR/AKV. If your desire is to be somewhere quiet with only bus/car transportation to the parks, just do what havoc mentioned and get a condo or something. The DVC resort should improve your experience I feel, so a nice room and convenience to the parks.

But, again, that is our view on it. I think that as simply a resort, AKV and SSR are great. But most don't go to Disney World for the resort, they go for the parks or events, so paying DVC money and then having a harder time getting to parks than someone staying at Pop Century or Art of Animation (due to skyliner in addition to bus routes) just doesn't seem like great advice.

Everyone spends their money how they want, of course, I just think people on here get so caught up in the price aspect when as havoc said, if price and convenience is your primary driver than none of the DVC resorts are ideal.

 

[havoc315]

There is no doubt that staying at RIV will cost more points than those others. But same can be said if someone decides to trade to VGF or BLT LV or TPV.

The Holiday Inn costs less than the Ritz. Therefore, nobody should ever book the Ritz, all people should stay at the Holiday Inn.

For some reason, because we talk about "points" instead of "$$$," Some people seem to imply that the resorts are equal and you're being ripped off by paying more points. But the resorts aren't equal. The most extreme difference -- Rooms at Grand Floridian are often 2-3x the cash price of rooms at Animal Kingdom. So no surprise that Grand Floridian DVC cost more points than AKV DVC rooms. (And RIV falls in between).

In the end, it's not a matter of which rooms are cheapest. It's a matter of looking at the value for what you're getting.
If you happen to find the cheaper resort equal to, or nicer than, the more expensive resort -- Then you can get great value at the cheaper resort.
But overall, the nicer resorts, with nicer units, in better locations, are going to cost more points.

 

[Brian Noble]

So I just don't see a realistic value proposition for giving up convenience

That depends on how you value that particular convenience---and, in some cases, how much you value the corresponding inconveniences. For example, the MK area resorts are something of a pain to get to and from except from other MK area resorts and the park itself. If you are spending most of your time at MK, that's a great trade off to make. If you are spending most of your time at other destinations, then suddenly the location becomes a liability, not an asset. Likewise, a family that wants to spend 75% of their time at MK is not going to find the location of the Epcot-area resorts particularly helpful.

Some people really really like Riviera--the style of the rooms, the skyliner access to two parks, etc. Those people would be well-served to buy there. Other people don't care much about those things. For some people, the style might even be a negative. For folks in those categories, buying at RIV might not make sense, because there is a significant difference in vacation costs for vacations of equivalent length. And, the OP states they don't have a strong preference between RIV, AKV, and SSR.

As the saying goes, there is no free lunch.

 

[BamaGuy44]

As the saying goes, there is no free lunch.

Agreed. Sadly there’s nothing that’s close to all the parks. One person’s convenience is another person’s hassle. For some, park access is the #1 feature. Others care more about theming and dining and pools, etc.

Personally I love quick access to the parks, but I also love AKV as a resort. So sometimes we'll stay there and live with the tradeoff of not great park access. Other times we will split stay at a monorail resort and BWV/BCV for easy access to parks. Trade off there is having to switch resorts, which I know some people hate.

Riviera seems to spark some strong feelings on both sides for some reason.

 

[Vulnox]

I think you could take Riviera out of it, my feeling isn't Riviera specific and I don't care about defending Riviera, which is why I tried to bring up other resorts. It was more around the conversation always switching to resale prices or point charts instead of what someone may want from the resort. I feel like the response Brian gave was an echo of what I said, that more emphasis should be on the purpose of the trip and the convenience than point charts and resale markets. I only brought up Riviera because it seems like the most common reason people are saying to not go that route is point charts or resale.

If your biggest issue is just cost over convenience, whatever form that convenience comes in (transportation or favorite restaurants or ease of getting 1BR), then you are probably better off renting. At least based on the numbers I have seen people show on here.

With all that, I can't say I have seen many on here saying they dislike any resort. They may have had a bad experience or whatever, but that can happen anywhere. May just be a situation where you do a Pros/Cons of each park with consideration for what you like to do on a trip.

Despite buying RIV, our first trip in February was almost a 1BR Savannah view, I have nothing against AKV as a resort. But we decided against it because of the parks we intend on visiting this trip, and figured the Savannah view room would go better with a trip with the kids at some point in the future. Great thing about DVC overall is you can usually get in somewhere else if your needs change year to year. Just have to consider what your needs are most often for that home resort.

 

[TutuluvsDisney]

Hi
I have my views on the home resort selection. Buy where you want to stay - in case it gets even harder to use your points at other resorts. You never know how availability will change. If you want a 1 bedroom now, you will grow into a 2 bedroom sooner than you think. So consider your needs now and in 5-10 years.
My family is larger (grown up kids and grandkids) and we like to stay together in a 3 bedroom now--which can be hard to get. Spreading you points across multiple home resorts as you buy more resale later can prohibit getting the big rooms as you need enough of your points to be from the same home resort.

I now have Board walk and Copper creek, but if i could do over and were younger, I prefer a resort you didnt name - Bay lake. It has lots of room sizes and includes some cheaper standard view options. (but the bay lake studios are way small). I like being close to the Park gates and prefer a walking option to get to some

Good Luck on your first purchase

 

[RoseGold]

So no surprise that Grand Floridian DVC cost more points than AKV DVC rooms. (And RIV falls in between).

RIV's point chart is scraping against VGF. It's nowhere near the AKL point charts. Preferred view can cost more than Club Level.

The flipside to the point inflation is that legacy charts (like BLT/AKL/BW) cost significantly less points than VGF/RIV. That can matter a lot in the math, especially if OP will only have 150 points. 150 won't go far on the RIV 1BR chart.

 

[kes601]

We were faced with your exact same conundrum last year…we ultimately went with Saratoga, at the time it was the most cost effective. To be honest, we have yet to stay at our home resort. We have upcoming plans at copper creek, Poly, boardwalk and beach club. In my opinion, the price we paid will never make us feel like we are missing out if we stay elsewhere. If we had bought Riviera I would have felt guilty every time another option popped up at 7 months and we personally love exploring all the DVC resorts.

I will echo this. We purchased at SSR earlier this year because, well, it was the cheapest. The Christmas trip will be our 4th on points and we have not yet stayed at SSR. If we ever "have to" we won't be disappointed, but we have stayed at Poly, BLT, Riviera, BCV, and BWV. We have a trip coming up that will be split between BWV and Poly. Next summer we were able to snag 7 days at AKV (value studio) and VGF. All of these stays were in studios w/the exception of the BWV one coming up, which will be a 1 BR.

For you, since AKV seems to be the most economical at this point that is what I would go with. You'll get 11 month booking privileges at an awesome resort but at 7 months I would imagine there will be a 1 BR you can snag elsewhere when you want.

 

[havoc315]

RIV's point chart is scraping against VGF. It's nowhere near the AKL point charts. Preferred view can cost more than Club Level.

The flipside to the point inflation is that legacy charts (like BLT/AKL/BW) cost significantly less points than VGF/RIV. That can matter a lot in the math, especially if OP will only have 150 points. 150 won't go far on the RIV 1BR chart.

BLT is actually about the same for comparable rooms. The difference is Riviera doesn't have a "cheap standard view." The RIV standard view is really an Epcot view with fireworks. The BLT LV/TPV is about the same points as RIV SV/PV.

Boardwalk Villas do seem a good value for their points, though I'm constantly reading about how rough the rooms have become.

Now yes, RIV costs a lot more points than AKV... But RIV cash rooms also cost a lot more than cash rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge, which are among the cheapest deluxe accommodations on property.
For example, for today, Dec 10, rack rates at AKV studios are $655 standard view and $874 savanna view...
RIV is $884 standard view and $1070 preferred view.

AKV, tonight, would be 14 points for a standard studio and 17 points for savanna view. Riviera would be 18 points standard and 24 points preferred.

So rack rate value per point: $46 for AKV standard, $51 for savanna view. RIV: $49 value per point for standard, $45 per point for preferred.

So when you actually do the math, you see you are getting nearly the same value between AKV or RIV. At both resorts, you're getting $45-$51 per point value, for studios.

In other words -- AKV actually doesn't have a better point chart than RIV. AKV is simply cheaper than RIV. But both point charts give you the same amount of value. As I said above, Boardwalk actually does have a slightly more favorable point chart -- Booking a standard studio for tonight, the value is $57 per point. Just for fun, booking a BLT standard studio tonight would give you $57 per point in value as well. A standard studio at Grand Floridian tonight would give you value of $48 per point. Poly is $46 per point for standard studio, $49 for lake view studios.
Note, different room categories will give you different values -- But it's all within the $45 to $57 range for studios. AKV, RIV, Poly, and VGF all give a similar value mostly in the high 40's. BLT and BWV seem to give slightly higher value -- mid 50's.
I didn't look at other resorts, other room categories.

But I think this exposes the fiction of the good/bad point chart. It's just more expensive resorts, and cheaper resorts. But there is consistency in the point charts, for the most part.

 

[jkips]

For me, I don't think Riviera makes sense unless you love it and you know you want to stay there most of the time. The points have higher dues (though that may well change), but more importantly the point charts are hefty. It's just plain more expensive to stay there. My "normal" time to visit is late February/early March. During that time, a week in a 1BR costs:

174 points: AKV Value
230 points: AKV Standard
232 points: SSR Standard
270 points: AKV Savannah
272 points: SSR Preferred
321 points: RIV Standard
357 points: AKV Concierge
391 points: RIV Preferred

You're paying almost a 40-45% premium to stay at Riviera comparing Standard to Standard or Preferred to Preferred/Savannah.

You can still buy points at any of the three and likely stay at SSR---except for the very worst of Fall Frenzy, it's pretty easy to get a 1BR there at 7 months. AKV-Kidani availability is a little bit tougher at 7 months during the Fall, though the continuing reallocation might help with that. It's harder still to get Jambo 1BRs for some periods, and you absolutely have to own there to get Value/Concierge (and even then you might need to walk and/or be lucky.)

Among these three, I don't think the extra time horizon matters all that much. Even Saratoga is more than 30 years from now, which is plenty. The extra years of the others are not particularly valuable IMO given how the market has reacted to OKW.

Put it all together and I think you have two choices: buy SSR as the resort with the best price/dues combination, or buy AKV for better access to that resort at a slightly higher price/dues cost. You probably can't go wrong either way.

I know it's not top of mind right now, but if you ever decide to sell I would be concerned about the resale value of RIV. With resale buyers of RIV only able to use those points at RIV it limits the appeal and will reduce the potential buyer base.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Only because it has not been said yet, if your plan really is to own a combo of direct and resale, buy the resale FIRST. A couple of good reasons for this;

1. Disney can match whatever use year you want. If you buy direct first you will have to search for a resale that has the same use year.
2. If you get a year or two (or five) in and change your mind about owning DVC you will be far more likely able to sell the resale contract for what you paid for it (give or take). A direct contract is like a new car - it is instantly worth whatever the going resale price is the day you close. Buy resale, "take a test drive", if you really want the blue card perks and the additional points, buy direct later.

I'm going to claim ignorance on the rules for buying direct, but know that small-point resale contracts are scarce, sell at a much higher price per point, and are frequently taken in ROFR. If you think you are going to buy the blue-card minimum direct then add on just a few more points through resale later, understand that's a lot harder to do than it sounds.

 

[Lorana]

Only because it has not been said yet, if your plan really is to own a combo of direct and resale, buy the resale FIRST. A couple of good reasons for this;

1. Disney can match whatever use year you want. If you buy direct first you will have to search for a resale that has the same use year.
2. If you get a year or two (or five) in and change your mind about owning DVC you will be far more likely able to sell the resale contract for what you paid for it (give or take). A direct contract is like a new car - it is instantly worth whatever the going resale price is the day you close. Buy resale, "take a test drive", if you really want the blue card perks and the additional points, buy direct later.

I'm going to claim ignorance on the rules for buying direct, but know that small-point resale contracts are scarce, sell at a much higher price per point, and are frequently taken in ROFR. If you think you are going to buy the blue-card minimum direct then add on just a few more points through resale later, understand that's a lot harder to do than it sounds.

3. You'll have access to Existing Member Incentives, which are always better than new member incentives

 

[davidl81]

I will echo this. We purchased at SSR earlier this year because, well, it was the cheapest. The Christmas trip will be our 4th on points and we have not yet stayed at SSR. If we ever "have to" we won't be disappointed, but we have stayed at Poly, BLT, Riviera, BCV, and BWV. We have a trip coming up that will be split between BWV and Poly. Next summer we were able to snag 7 days at AKV (value studio) and VGF. All of these stays were in studios w/the exception of the BWV one coming up, which will be a 1 BR.

For you, since AKV seems to be the most economical at this point that is what I would go with. You'll get 11 month booking privileges at an awesome resort but at 7 months I would imagine there will be a 1 BR you can snag elsewhere when you want.

I think the argument for SSR in most cases is the ability to use it as SAP. I agree as others have said, to me SSR is a clear step down from RIV,VGF,BLT etc. It’s not a bad resort, but it’s just less than the others. We also own at SSR (as well as AKV and ALU now) and honestly for over 12 years have never really had issues booking whatever we wanted to at 7 months with the exception of very special rooms. But if that was different and my SSR points were going to be used only for SSR stays and I would stay there 75% of the time on Disney trips I would have a totally different feeling about buying there. It’s just that up to this point I have never been “stuck” at SSR at 7 months. I’ve always had options for something else. YRMV