DVC Direct Price Increase Coming February 2026

[tx911]

This lines up pretty closely with how we’re thinking about RIV right now as existing owners.

RIV feels very likely to follow the CCV / VGF playbook once it’s declared sold out. A $250+ sticker price wouldn’t surprise me at all, especially if that number conveniently anchors the “see what you missed by not buying while it was actively selling” narrative Disney likes to reinforce. Even if incentives pop up occasionally, I’d expect them to be modest and opportunistic rather than anything resembling the current direct-buy economics while it’s still in sales mode.

I also agree that the real engine of the DVC business is, and always has been, new inventory. That’s where the strongest incentives live, and where Disney can most effectively contrast “today’s deal” with tomorrow’s prices. Sold-out resorts serve more as price anchors and occasional pressure valves via ROFR buybacks and limited resales, not as true value plays.

Where RIV is genuinely different is the combination of restricted resale + deep resale inventory heading into sell-out. That’s new territory. I think you’re right that resale pricing likely stabilizes or even ticks up modestly once the alternative becomes $260+ direct. A $120–125 resale price looks very different when the direct option is that far out of reach, especially for buyers who already have blue card access and just want long-term RIV usage.

For us, that’s exactly why adding more direct RIV before sell-out still makes sense. The effective price with incentives today (just below $30K for 150 pts w/retired military discount) is dramatically lower than the post–sell-out world is likely to offer, and the long-term value proposition changes once Riviera becomes “one of those resorts you wish you’d bought when you could.” At that point, the premium for direct points becomes psychological as much as financial - and Disney knows that.

So yes, I think your framework is right: resale RIV may firm up, direct RIV will almost certainly reprice higher, and people will still pay that premium because they want those points specifically, for the long haul (2070!!). Some of us may even be raising our hands alongside you when that happens.

Nice font!

 

[jcolvin5]

At least that's where we stand today on the subject.

Adding direct to our small CCV resale points and a new resort, like Poly, have also been tossed around in our conversations. We just don't dig Poly as much as many people do. At least not enough to buy direct points there.

 

[jcolvin5]

Nice font!

Haha, thanks! This is my work font. Didn't even realize we could change it

 

[airjay75]

We just don't dig Poly as much as many people do.

That has been us too. I wanted to love Poly given the economics of direct and resale there, but I just don't. More power to the people who do.

 

[walt34]

They could, but will they? We just don't know yet. And, if they start ROFR'ing 50% of all RIV resale points, that could push the price per point higher too.

Price development will be interesting to watch, no question. Historically, ROFR seems to have stopped prices from going too low, if it is done at a low to moderate level. But would you bid on a contract for a restricted resort with a high likelihood of it being ROFRed? What would this do to resale prices?

With no other Epcot area DVC resort in active sales for the foreseeable future, Disney might play this a bit differently and the gap between resale and direct prices might give them the opportunity to do so.

But I also assume direct prices to go up, but maybe not as much as others here expect.

 

[jcolvin5]

That has been us too. I wanted to love Poly given the economics of direct and resale there, but I just don't. More power to the people who do.

If we didn't already have a sizable amount of BLT points that check all of our MK boxes, maybe we would feel differently. Definitely want to stay there (1/2BR) but just don't want to anchor our portfolio to it. That may change of course.

 

[Sandisw]

Price development will be interesting to watch, no question. Historically, ROFR seems to have stopped prices from going too low, if it is done at a low to moderate level. But would you bid on a contract for a restricted resort with a high likelihood of it being ROFRed? What would this do to resale prices?

With no other Epcot area DVC resort in active sales for the foreseeable future, Disney might play this a bit differently and the gap between resale and direct prices might give them the opportunity to do so.

But I also assume direct prices to go up, but maybe not as much as others here expect.

I think those who want RIV will still try. Look at the market in 2022 when they were highly active in taking contracts.

The took the contract I was selling at SSR for $125. People were paying more than that just to get through.

Now, it’s no longer being taken and prices have gone back down.

I will be surprised to see DVC take RIv at rates any higher than they typically do…they have taken one already in the 80s.

It will be interesting to see

 

[walt34]

I will be surprised to see DVC take RIv at rates any higher than they typically do…they have taken one already in the 80s.

But the are currently actively selling, so they only took that contract because it was crazy low. My guess would be that they ROFR RIV more than other resorts after it is 'sold out', because they want to be able to sell something in the Epcot area (for customers who don't fancy MK area) and because the difference between resale price and direct makes it possible for them. They won't make as much money as they make from selling new build (which will of course remain their primary business) but it will be better to sell ROFRd RIV than not selling anything to a potential customer.

 

[airjay75]

With no other Epcot area DVC resort in active sales for the foreseeable future

This is another X factor. But, I could make arguments both ways there - Disney will ROFR/resell or resale RIV will actually look more attractive as the only Epcot area resort with a long contract and prices could go up just a touch. Or, what if RIV 2 is the next Epcot area resort (where Aruba is)? If it is, is it an add-on to the existing association or a new one? Gotta be done by 2030 to be an add-on, so probably unlikely, but who knows. Might depend on how many points LSL has and how fast they expect it to sell out. Just a lot of factors to play out here.

I think the bottom line remains. If you want direct RIV points, there probably won't be a cheaper time to buy than before it sells out. And, don't buy based on future resale value - buy because you want those points to use for the long-term. If you decide you want more RIV points in the future, will just have to evaluate what transpires in terms of sold out direct and resale pricing.

 

[Patmcpsu]

Or, what if RIV 2 is the next Epcot area resort (where Aruba is)? If it is, is it an add-on to the existing association or a new one? Gotta be done by 2030 to be an add-on, so probably unlikely, but who knows.

That's a bingo! I could see it being a standalone property for the reason you stated (it's crazy that Riviera just had its 6 year birthday), but I'm sure DVC is aware of the upcoming dearth of Epcot resorts.

 

[Brian Noble]

With the large difference between direct and resale prices for RIV, I'd be very surprised if they stop selling direct. It's the main advantage they get from the resale restrictions.

If capital is limited, they will almost certainly choose to deploy it building new resorts instead. The margin is very likely to be better.

Post in thread 'Future of Riveria'

Feb 22, 2023

I think ultimately they would like to buy back all resale points and resell them directly.

Only at the right price.

The general rule of thumb in the timeshare industry is that the "cost of inventory" is at most somewhere between 1/4 and 1/3 of the total cost of the product you are selling. (The biggest cost component? Marketing at 40-50%.) That's cost not sales price. So even if they weren't making a dime of profit on any sale, it's better to build a shiny new resort than to ROFR a resale at anything more than about 1/3 of the direct price. Because there is...

• Brian Noble

• 

 

[walt34]

If capital is limited, they will almost certainly choose to deploy it building new resorts instead. The margin is very likely to be better.

Certainly, it's their primary business model. But ROFRing and selling RIV as an additional income stream if the margin is right only binds capital very temporarily. They are just limited by the rate at which people want to sell RIV.

 

[Sandisw]

But the are currently actively selling, so they only took that contract because it was crazy low. My guess would be that they ROFR RIV more than other resorts after it is 'sold out', because they want to be able to sell something in the Epcot area (for customers who don't fancy MK area) and because the difference between resale price and direct makes it possible for them. They won't make as much money as they make from selling new build (which will of course remain their primary business) but it will be better to sell ROFRd RIV than not selling anything to a potential customer.

IMO, they wont care about having to sell RIV when they will have other resorts that will eventually be restricted too.

This is the long game and once you have several resorts restricted and the market goes down, they wont care.

I don’t believe and never have that they ROFR to stabilize the resale pricing. They do it because they have a reason that none of us know.

In this case, I agree they took it because it was in active sales…but once that is done? They won’t care what the market is.

And as someone who loves RIV, if the choices are direct at $260 and resale at $120? I’d pay that for resale.

I think there will be buyers out there willing to continue to pay the RiV resale prices of today for quite a bit without DVD stepping in.

 

[Brian Noble]

They are just limited by the rate at which people want to sell RIV.

No, they are limited by the rate at which people want to buy it. And there will be shiny new resorts with longer time horizons on offer. It is one thing to sell some ROFR'd points to someone who walks in off the street and really wants more RIV points. It is quite another to sell them to a generic sales prospect.

Every person who might have bought a newer (and higher-margin) resort but buys something else is lost revenue. Maybe you have to do that to close the sale, but probably not at a higher price-per-point, which RIV most certainly will be.

 

[walt34]

No, they are limited by the rate at which people want to buy it.

I'm not sure I follow. For selling RIV after it is sold out, they can only sell what they can ROFR. I'm sure they'll build something new eventually but for the time being, there are no new build Epcot area resorts.

Whether the limit is the number of potential buyers (who really want an EPCOT resort) or the number of potential sellers (supply) remains to be seen and as we all know this will determine price.

And there will be shiny new resorts with longer time horizons on offer. It is one thing to sell some ROFR'd points to someone who walks in off the street and really wants more RIV points. It is quite another to sell them to a generic sales prospect.

Sure, the marketing will be on the new resorts. The generic sales prospect will be invited to buy the shiny new thing.

Every person who might have bought a newer (and higher-margin) resort but buys something else is lost revenue. Maybe you have to do that to close the sale, but probably not at a higher price-per-point, which RIV most certainly will be.

Exactly. My only point is that the situation of RIV being the only resort with reasonable time remaining for direct pricing in the EPCOT area and the increased margin (thanks to restrictions) might lead to Disney ROFRing more than they did with previous resorts. It could become more of a business for them, than what we have seen before (more not saying in any way that it would compete with new build)

 

[airjay75]

I think this is likely a question of whether we will see more regular and periodic RIV "flash sales" like the one we see with CCV right now, what we saw with SSR last incentive period, and AKV the incentive period before that. One could easily see that happening more often with RIV and future restricted resorts, if the supply and demand is there - probably depends more on demand than supply.

If we do, I think it will probably look similar to what we see with CCV right - limited, only available as an add-on, no additional incentives beyond the 150-pt level. They won't want RIV competing with LSL sales. But, if they can use occasional "flash sales" as a way to squeeze more money out of existing members with pretty good margins, sure, why not? But, it probably really comes down to demand - what demand is there and at what price point?

 

[atthebeachclub]

My uneducated guess: Riviera resale drops to the 90s. If it hit the 70s I might even consider a small resale contract (but maybe not). I don’t think it will be ROFR’d that much. New resorts will take precedence in DVC’s active selling portfolio.

Remind me in five years and we’ll see if I’m anywhere close to correct!

 

[jcolvin5]

I think Riviera’s dynamics are fundamentally different from what would be required for a sustained drop into the 90s.

For resale to slide that far, you’d need a combination of weak demand and sustained Disney indifference. I don’t see either as very likely once Riviera is sold out. Yes, new resorts will always take precedence in active sales, but that doesn’t mean Disney stops caring about the pricing optics of its most recently sold-out flagship Skyliner EP/HS-area resort. Riviera will immediately become a comparison tool - both for direct buyers “look what this costs now” and for ROFR strategy.

The restriction cuts both ways. It absolutely caps resale demand compared to unrestricted resorts, but it also concentrates demand among a specific buyer profile: people who already have blue card access and want Riviera specifically for long-term use. That’s a smaller pool, but it’s also a stickier one. Those buyers aren’t shopping Riviera resale the same way they’d shop OKW or SSR - they’re comparing it to a $250–265 direct alternative, not to other resale options.

I also think ROFR matters more than many give it credit for. Disney doesn’t need to aggressively ROFR every contract, but selectively stepping in around the low $100s stabilizes pricing with very little inventory risk, especially when those points can later be resold direct at a significant premium. That alone makes a sustained drop into the 90s less attractive for them to allow.

Could Riviera resale dip temporarily? Sure - markets wobble, and sentiment shifts. But a durable move into the 90s would imply Riviera has become functionally undesirable, and that just doesn’t square with its location, point charts, or how owners actually use it.

I think Riviera resale is more likely to find a floor and flatten than to meaningfully reset downward. I’d be surprised if DVC lets it drift that far without stepping in.

 

[Sandisw]

I'm not sure I follow. For selling RIV after it is sold out, they can only sell what they can ROFR. I'm sure they'll build something new eventually but for the time being, there are no new build Epcot area resorts.

Whether the limit is the number of potential buyers (who really want an EPCOT resort) or the number of potential sellers (supply) remains to be seen and as we all know this will determine price.


Sure, the marketing will be on the new resorts. The generic sales prospect will be invited to buy the shiny new thing.

Exactly. My only point is that the situation of RIV being the only resort with reasonable time remaining for direct pricing in the EPCOT area and the increased margin (thanks to restrictions) might lead to Disney ROFRing more than they did with previous resorts. It could become more of a business for them, than what we have seen before (more not saying in any way that it would compete with new build)

Prior to RIV, the last Epcot resorts were BWV and BCV.

And, people were still buying DVC. I don’t think your new buyer is going to care to that degree because most walk in and buy the resort they are promoting and selling.

But, if they do, then they will find a way to sell them that.

With the exception of VGC, and a few times with VGF, they always have points at sold out resorts to sell.

 

[Sandisw]

My uneducated guess: Riviera resale drops to the 90s. If it hit the 70s I might even consider a small resale contract (but maybe not). I don’t think it will be ROFR’d that much. New resorts will take precedence in DVC’s active selling portfolio.

Remind me in five years and we’ll see if I’m anywhere close to correct!

I think it’s going to stabilize around $120…as an average…

Now, as someone who loves RIV…I won’t be sad to see your guess come true since I would buy a few more!!