VGF2 vs RIV

[perchy]

Who ended up buying RIV instead of VGF2?

I called my guide thinking I was going to purchase just 50 points of GF when RIV tugged at me again. I can't decide. But 50 points is all I can afford right now with cash. I need to hear some logic for one resort or the other.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Are you going to die with these or might you sell/exit at some point? If the latter, VGF will likely be easier to sell down the road.

 

[RoseGold]

I would much rather be renting out or selling VGF than RIV down the road.

 

[Sandisw]

I ended up going with VGF because we have 300 points at RIV..but would have gone that route had the price been higher.

Here is what I see as a benefit to having RIV points...the SV rooms. You need to own there to have a good shot at them. Of course, this assumes you want to stay at the resort. If studios are what you think you will want, I do think getting a VGF studio, at least the resort ones, will be much easier than before.

IMO, it really comes down to which one do you think you'd want to be at more often....if they are SAP, the MF's are lower at VGF and may make sense to go that way.

 

[Her Dotness]

If RIV is still singing its siren song, buy where your heart says you really would rather be.

You know where that truly is, and when you can afford either...well, you get the drift here.

We're nutty enough to have bought in at VGF at off-sale price because it was our One Twoo Wuv. We've never regretted it.

 

[TinkB278]

I’m having the same struggle but am also considering waiting and just buying poly2. Do both resorts appeal to you? I already own at riv and VGF does not appeal to me as much, so I would rather add on more points at riv and have the longer contract but I don’t want to be stuck with all RIV points if I do unexpectedly have to sell in the future. I still can’t get past the fact that VGF has super high points charts and don’t care much for the look of the rooms ever since they decided to decorate with plaid, yuck. I will probably end up just waiting for poly2 and seeing what direction Disney overall goes in the meantime. I’m not too happy with their decisions lately.

 

[TinkB278]

One other big draw for RIV for me is getting the 2021 points dues free. However, riviera does have higher dues than VGF in general but who knows where the dues will fall for either one in the future.

 

[Slakk]

VGF small contract is a no brainer

 

[got4boys]

There is a resale restriction on RIV. Resale buyers can only stay at RIV. VGF is under the original so you can stay in the other resorts.

 

[Frugal Fairy Tales]

I’m having the same struggle but am also considering waiting and just buying poly2. Do both resorts appeal to you? I already own at riv and VGF does not appeal to me as much, so I would rather add on more points at riv and have the longer contract but I don’t want to be stuck with all RIV points if I do unexpectedly have to sell in the future. I still can’t get past the fact that VGF has super high points charts and don’t care much for the look of the rooms ever since they decided to decorate with plaid, yuck. I will probably end up just waiting for poly2 and seeing what direction Disney overall goes in the meantime. I’m not too happy with their decisions lately.

I can totally relate to this. Current DVC choices are making it hard to choose. I wish we had Poly details.

 

[Her Dotness]

I wish we had Poly details.

Every time we DVCers get caught up in wanting next resort details, I think of an old cartoon of two vultures perched on a branch, one remarking, "Patience? The heck with it. I'm gonna kill something."

 

[ncgator]

I’m in the same boat. I personally prefer the style and feel of Riviera, and am a big skyliner fan, so my heart says Riviera. The fact that I’ll be in my 90s when it expires, though…makes those resale restrictions a bit of a concern. The other note is that there are incentives at Riviera for 100 points vs GF incentives at 125. Only 8 more days to decide!!!

 

[Zach197]

Just bought riv last week and got the 2021 points. Not a fan of vgf and wanted to be closer to Epcot. If you’re buying 50 points you might get more value out of riv with the tower studios depending on how many people you travel with.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

You won't have issues selling a 50 pt contract at either resort. Small contracts usually sell quickly. I would choose Riviera because I like it better and you get 2021 points added. You could rent them out and decrease your cost, or have an added bonus. 50 points will also go farther there in standard view category.
I don't dislike VGF, I just think RVA makes more sense with the circumstances.

 

[Ruttangel]

VGF is worth about $30pp more on resale market, so there's $1.5k reasons to buy there

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

VGF is worth about $30pp more on resale market, so there's $1.5k reasons to buy there

This gets narrowed by ~1K given the 2021 points from RVA. I think it's so close, OP should just decide which they would be happier with.

 

[TinkB278]

This gets narrowed by ~1K given the 2021 points from RVA. I think it's so close, OP should just decide which they would be happier with.

I agree with this. Also, in regards to the resale prices on VGF, I don’t really think we know where resale VGF prices end up once the new addition is sold out and there are so many more contracts floating around on the market, there will be a much greater supply.

 

[J-Dog]

Who knows what is going to happen in the future, but so far small contracts at RIV are reselling for half-decent prices. A large contract might be a different story, but as of now, the people screaming about RIV's resale restrictions leading to a "sky is falling" situation hasn't panned out.

 

[js]

Good luck with your decision but how many nights can 50 points get you at either resort?

 

[havoc315]

To me, it's simply which resort and which location you like more.
I would not worry in the least about re-sale value down the road -- Riviera is now 2 years old, resale value has been consistent with other resorts, in terms of proportion of direct pricing. (a resort with direct pricing of $250 per point will have higher resale value than a resort with direct pricing of $190 per resort). In fact, as soon as the new VGF direct pricing was announced, re-sale prices of VGF have plummeted, and are now about the same as RIV resale prices. And with the longer contract, Riviera may ultimately retain better resale value, depending when you sell. 40 years from now, Riviera will likely have far better resale value -- As Riviera will have 8 years left, while GFV will only have 2 years left. So, in the end, I just wouldn't make resale value part of my decision at all.

Both resorts offer larger-than-average rooms, they both offer elegant high quality decor. Whether one prefers the style of one over the other is purely subjective and personal preference.
If you prefer a monorail / Magic Kingdom location, then VGF is better..
If you prefer an Epcot / DHS location, then Riviera is obviously better.

Apart from location, I'd say a big difference is general layout -- Do you like a big spread out resort, may prefer the style of VGF.
Do you prefer a smaller more compact resort, where you're never far from the dining, never far from the pool... Riviera is a better choice.

Finally, somewhat speculative -- There is a chance, that it will be easier to get larger non-studio rooms at Riviera, as the new expanded GFV may not have enough larger units. But this is highly speculative.