Addonitis - Considering Riviera Resale

[kandlsutton]

We are direct owners at Riviera and the whole family loves staying there. Riviera is our biggest contract (AUG UY membership) and our only direct contract. Animal Kingdom is our second biggest contract, and it’s a resale contract (DEC UY membership). We take family trips with our adult kids every other year, so most of our RIV and AKV points are allocated/banked for bigger accommodations for those trips, typically in early December or January. We have smaller point contracts at CCV and VGF (AUG UY) that we use for fall trips and another small contract at PVB (DEC UY) that we use for spring trips. We don’t mind split stays, book in home resort windows, and typically use the contracts independently.

We had planned to wait until PVB2 goes on sale and add DEC UY direct points. BUT, with the recent drop in prices on the resale market and lack of ROFR, I am considering adding on resale to address a couple of issues:

• DH and I don't have many RIV points for our trips
• Our spring trips are typically in May, after the banking deadline for VGF and CCV

I’m aware of the resale restrictions, but we love staying at RIV so don't think using restricted points will be difficult. I haven't seen many AUG UY contracts at RIV, but DEC UY contracts are easier to find. A DEC UY add-on gives us more points for spring trips and a RIV add-on gives DH and I points at RIV for ourselves. We could also transfer RIV points between memberships (AUG and DEC) to supplement the family RIV trips without borrowing. Adding on at PVB is also an option, but I am impatiently waiting to find out whether PVB2 will be the same association as PVB or a new association (assuming with resale restrictions).

Does a 75-100 pt resale add-on at RIV with DEC UY make sense for us? Or should we just wait until PVB2 direct points go on sale (likely at $227-$247) next year?

 

[mz-s]

I would wait to see about the Polynesian addition personally since you're torn between those two resorts. I'd want a definitive answer either way on if the addition will be a separate association or not before choosing which to buy.

 

[Sandisw]

It would make sense for the trips you want but I’ll give you a few cautions.

To transfer Dec UY points to Aug UY, you will be a year behind if you want to use those points between Aug and Dec…for example, if you want points for an Aug 2024 trip, you’d have to transfer the Dec 2023 points, not the 2024 because transferred points retain all their own rules

We had restricted BLT points in the same membership as with points valid at RIg and it wasn’t great because something would show up and couldn’t book it because the BLT points couldn’t be used..sold those and ended up with just resale RIv..which are now with direct points.

All that to say that having AKV points that can not be used with RIV in the same membership might end up stranding points.

Keep that in mind! We are hoping that something shows up in the next year at a decent price so we can get more RIv points!!

 

[intamin]

I’m in a similar ish boat with direct RIV wanting some resale points in a hard to find UY for RIV (April). NGL I’ve considered doing the same but the headache with the different UY as Sandi alluded to made me stop considering that as an option. I’m only considering RIV resale in the same UY to avoid stranding points. I have my resales in a separate membership/UY and I’m planning to keep direct contracts (RIV/poly2?) in the same membership along with resale RIV. This way I can book the majority of those trips at RIV using the resale points and then use the direct contracts to fill out the rest of the visit with split stays. It’s really tempting to get a Dec UY contract, but keep in mind RIV is still a new resort and more and more are likely to show up in the future. IMO get the direct poly if its a different association. You don’t want to be thinking in 2 years you wish you had a contract in the same UY when you have 45 years left to go.

 

[kandlsutton]

Another complexity - our direct membership includes our adult kids. Our resale memberships do not. The kids don’t think we need anymore points, so if we add on direct it will most likely be in our DEC UY. The kids aren't wrong, but additional points just make it easier to book without being a point miser or needing to borrow.

To transfer Dec UY points to Aug UY, you will be a year behind if you want to use those points between Aug and Dec…for example, if you want points for an Aug 2024 trip, you’d have to transfer the Dec 2023 points, not the 2024 because transferred points retain all their own rules

Good point, had not thought about the transfer in that way. We should have enough points at VGF/CCV for our fall trips. I could see needing some points for the family trips that would occur in December/January (still have one in college), so I could transfer direct ‘23 AUG points to ‘23 DEC UY for a Jan 24 trip. Generally, I keep the memberships separate but its hard to explain to DH why we need to borrow when we have points on other contracts.

 

[Sandisw]

This is similar to us. Our Aug UY has our direct RIV points, and has our adult kids as owners. Our Dec UY and June UY are just DH and I.

Our Dec UY has the resale RIV and where I want to get more resale points for RIV when I can find a deal I am happy with at this time because I don't need them so only going to go for them if I can get a great deal!

But, I use my resale RIV for my December to March trips every year so that is why having them will work. Plus, I have my VGF direct points as well which can supplement as they are not restricted.

Even in my Aug UY, with my direct RIV, I have resale SSR, but those were bought before restrictions so all my points can be used there!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Another complexity - our direct membership includes our adult kids. Our resale memberships do not. The kids don’t think we need anymore points, so if we add on direct it will most likely be in our DEC UY. The kids aren't wrong, but additional points just make it easier to book without being a point miser or needing to borrow.


Good point, had not thought about the transfer in that way. We should have enough points at VGF/CCV for our fall trips. I could see needing some points for the family trips that would occur in December/January (still have one in college), so I could transfer direct ‘23 AUG points to ‘23 DEC UY for a Jan 24 trip. Generally, I keep the memberships separate but its hard to explain to DH why we need to borrow when we have points on other contracts.

Why borrow even if you don't transfer? Just book some nights in one UY and the remainder in the other and have MS show them as continuing stays.

 

[kboo]

We also have Aug UY RIV direct points (no, not selling! JK). Have considered picking up some RIV resale points for RIV only stays in larger units, and I'm willing to wait for a contract in the same UY so I can just book the larger unit at once at 11 mo and be done with it. We have a different resort in a different UY and have never yet thought about transferring among/between our own contracts. We are more likely to book a split stay than transfer our points to use at 7mo. Good luck!

(not looking yet for RIV points - waiting to see whether we want to get points in CA ... but I'll be rooting for you!)

 

[kandlsutton]

Why borrow even if you don't transfer? Just book some nights in one UY and the remainder in the other and have MS show them as continuing stays.

I am booking in the 7-11 month window, so need home resort points. For January 2024, i used remaining 2022, all of 2023, and borrowed 30 points from 2024 to get a Grand Villa at AKV Jambo for 4 nights. Rest of the trip is a STD 2BR and Tower Studio at RIV using some banked 2022 and most of our 2023 points. I couldn't justify a 3BR at over 100pts per night and would have had to borrow from 2024 to get it.

 

[CrystalClear82]

Not sure if purchasing RIV resale is still an on the table option, but there is a contract on www.fidelityrealestate.com UY AUG.

 

[hglenn]

This is similar to us. Our Aug UY has our direct RIV points, and has our adult kids as owners. Our Dec UY and June UY are just DH and I.

Our Dec UY has the resale RIV and where I want to get more resale points for RIV when I can find a deal I am happy with at this time because I don't need them so only going to go for them if I can get a great deal!

But, I use my resale RIV for my December to March trips every year so that is why having them will work. Plus, I have my VGF direct points as well which can supplement as they are not restricted.

Even in my Aug UY, with my direct RIV, I have resale SSR, but those were bought before restrictions so all my points can be used there!

I got confused just reading this! How do i you keep all those resorts, direct, resale, resale before restrictions, etc. straight?!?

 

[Sandisw]

I got confused just reading this! How do i you keep all those resorts, direct, resale, resale before restrictions, etc. straight?!?

All my points are good everywhere except RIV resale which is one there.

So nothing to really keep track of since RIV is our top resort and gets booked almost every trip!

Plus I book split stays mostly between VGF and RIV so that is easy. Our SSR points are used to upgrade to larger units!

But, resale restrictions are also why wont buy points because having some not valid at RIV was a big pain so it’s direct from now on..or resale RIV.

 

[ark101]

Our SSR points are used to upgrade to larger units!

I saw you mentioned this before and am curious. This is subject to the larger unit availability at 7 months right? Studios --> 1BR should be more feasible vs 1BR --> 2BR for example?

 

[RoseGold]

Another complexity - our direct membership includes our adult kids. Our resale memberships do not. The kids don’t think we need anymore points, so if we add on direct it will most likely be in our DEC UY.

With this many points, maybe it's time to get some advice from your estate lawyer. This is a complicated way to own all of this. I would be holding this as a trust or an LLC, or even in the name of your kid. Probate can cost thousands of dollars just on the Florida part, and more in your home state.

I'd resolve that before adding anything else.

 

[kandlsutton]

With this many points, maybe it's time to get some advice from your estate lawyer. This is a complicated way to own all of this. I would be holding this as a trust or an LLC, or even in the name of your kid. Probate can cost thousands of dollars just on the Florida part, and more in your home state.

I'd resolve that before adding anything else.

We’ve looked into a trust, but that gets pretty costly when you factor in changing all the deeds as well.

 

[Sandisw]

I saw you mentioned this before and am curious. This is subject to the larger unit availability at 7 months right? Studios --> 1BR should be more feasible vs 1BR --> 2BR for example?

Yes, that is what we do. We split stay a lot as well, so upgrading using involves a few nights. And, with 300 SSR points, going from 1 bedrooms to 2 bedrooms is pretty easy because we have enough to not worry about view.

Sometimes, I have been able to book outright with my SSR and then cancel all or some of my nights with home resort points which frees up home resort points for future trips.

 

[kboo]

Sometimes, I have been able to book outright with my SSR and then cancel all or some of my nights with home resort points which frees up home resort points for future trips.

Oh wow. I had never thought about this strategy before (though our standard rooms are usually gone before 7 months rolls around anyway.)

 

[Sandisw]

Oh wow. I had never thought about this strategy before (though our standard rooms are usually gone before 7 months rolls around anyway.)

We tend to do 1 bedrooms which helps! But, I have waitlisted the studios even though I held them and that has worked too! So, I definitely work hard at trying to use my SAP for what I want!

 

[Sandisw]

Well, tried a few more but so far, no one is interested. The good news is that I don’t really need more so I can wait for a deal in the low $100s!