BLT or Riviera for you?

[havoc315]

The 1 and 2 bedrooms at BLT are some of the largest DVC villas and it's 1 of the 3 resorts that have an actual full bathroom for the main living area. AKV Kidani and VGC being the other 2.

Regarding dated decor. Every resort eventually becomes that way.

The 1 BRs aren’t bad. They rank right in the middle of DVC resorts at 803sf. Only slightly smaller than Riviera, though I much prefer the Riviera layout.
2BR, BLT ranks below average, 9th out of 16 DVC resorts. 1152sf, nearly 100sf smaller than Riviera.
While the extra toilet in BLT is nice, I prefer the bathroom setup at the Riviera personally.

 

[chicagodisneyguy]

We own at BLT and for us the point chart and third bathroom put BLT over the edge. Being close to MK during years we brought our younger nieces and nephews was awesome too. I think another big draw is I would have to guess the average contract size per owner there is much higher than Riviera....as the buying price in 2009-10 was so much lower as well as having a 160pt minimum buy in. I think that had led to much less competition for rooms. Even the STD view at BLT we are 6/7 with the one miss because we changed dates. As time goes on and more resale contracts enter the market I think securing rooms at RIV could get tougher.

I will say RIV has several things I wish BLT did have. The finishes are much nicer at RIV vs BLT. Of course I think that has something to do with one being built in a global recession and one at the tail end of a pretty good bull market. I also like RIVs proximity and Skyliner access to my two favorite parks HS & EP.

We've looked at selling out our small BWV contract to buy a small RIV contract a few times but just couldn't pull the trigger. Still, I won't be surprised if we do add at RIV at some point.

 

[kboo]

We've looked at selling out our small BWV contract to buy a small RIV contract a few times but just couldn't pull the trigger. Still, I won't be surprised if we do add at RIV at some point.

When we were first buying in 5 years ago, we were going to get *either* resale BWV or BLT at the right price, whichever one made it to contract first. It just so happened that the right size/UY/price for BLT came up first. We still love BWV also, but I do think that if we'd bought BWV as our first contract we would never have then gotten RIV. I think we would have only had BWV + VGF, if we'd ended up with BWV first. Don't get me wrong, I do still like BLT a lot, but we will probably use it more when we take another family or more adults because of the bathroom setup. Each contract has a particular purpose.

 

[Memorymakerfor4]

BLT! It just feels like you're at Disney there. The villas are pretty worn right now but once they get a refresh it'll be fabulous. Nothing against Riviera either, the villas are stunning. But there's something about the Electrical Water Pageant going by your door after fireworks. I thought I'd be turned off by having to walk over to the Contemporary for everything but it wasn't bad at all, less of a walk than many other resorts.

 

[chicagodisneyguy]

When we were first buying in 5 years ago, we were going to get *either* resale BWV or BLT at the right price, whichever one made it to contract first. It just so happened that the right size/UY/price for BLT came up first. We still love BWV also, but I do think that if we'd bought BWV as our first contract we would never have then gotten RIV. I think we would have only had BWV + VGF, if we'd ended up with BWV first. Don't get me wrong, I do still like BLT a lot, but we will probably use it more when we take another family or more adults because of the bathroom setup. Each contract has a particular purpose.

Our stories are pretty similar. We bought 200 BLT then a few months later a 50pt at BWV. The BLT has been great for taking our nieces and nephews and their parents. The 2BRs, especially with our success getting STD views, have really made it a homerun in terms of value. Now that the youngest is 10yr old, I do wish there was a way to swap points. While I still like BLT and the MK area, being closer to EP and HS would fit our future travel plans better I think.

Luckily we've had good luck at 7 months switching. While I know it's getting harder and harder every year at 7 months, BLT isn't a bad backup plan.