GF direct over Riviera direct is a no brainer

[Stargazer65]

valuable Monorail resort.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/t...rail-or-skyliner.3883869/page-2#post-64023908
THE scientific poll of all polls showed that the Skyliner is better than the monorail. So if GF is valuable, then Riv more so.

 

[Marionnette]

https://www.disboards.com/threads/t...rail-or-skyliner.3883869/page-2#post-64023908
THE scientific poll of all polls showed that the Skyliner is better than the monorail. So if GF is valuable, then Riv more so.

Looks to be about dead even. Dead.. like this horse that keeps getting beaten.

I like RIV but not enough to own there. The resale restrictions were the tipping point. I took the money that I would have spent on RIV and bought a much larger resale contract at BWV. Yes, it's a 2042 resort. But the points charts is more favorable, I can walk to both HS and Epcot and the dues are lower. Plus, we have qualifying points in other contracts or can rent/transfer points to stay at RIV if the urge hits us.

As for VGF2, the lack of resale restrictions make it a better deal from our perspective. If we were in the market for direct points, that's where we would purchase.

 

[macman123]

I own at both. I prefer RIV. It’s simply stunning.

The 1 BR are superbly appointed. I hate the restrictions so have fixed week and 50 point contracts. all should help if I decide to sell.

 

[JoeyPeligroso]

Buying Riviera over GFV direct is a foolish decision. There are too many advantages in buying GFV over Riviera.
No resale restrictions which means that if you have to sell at some point GFV will probably be twice the value of Riviera.
GFV dues are about $1.30 per point less.
Rooms are comparable / almost identical.
Views are much better at GFV.
GFV is walking distance to a park and a valuable Monorail resort.
Dining options and Shopping options far overtake Riviera.
You can always use your Direct points to stay at Riviera if you want.

Can anyone come up with a reason to buy Riviera over GFV ? Please dont say its on the skyliner .

I have stayed at the Riviera and its nice . But Im not giving DVC any money to condone the ridiculous and unnecessary restrictions they have put on that resort. If they are successful with selling out that resort quickly then whats to stop them from doing this to every resort in the future. It just devalues the whole product to current owners.

I hope it takes them 20 years to sell that resort out !

I own at VGF and think it is lovely. I made the decsion to buy VGF recently because it made sense for me as an individual purchaser. I made my purchase in the context of the current direct and resale market - as all who purchase in a similar timeframe may consider. RIV was and is a viable alternative option.

RIV is also a lovely resort. There are many compelling reasons to buy it, including:
1) location.
2) term of contract.
3) individual lodging/accommodation preferences.
4) resort style.
5) cuisine preferences.
6) current incentives.
7) perspectives on resale that differ from what some have shared here and elsewhere.
8) personal preferences on use of discretionary income for investment in vacations and timeshares in general.
9) transportation options and preferences.
10) new stand-alone properly vs. hotel room conversion.

Altbough it may not be as attractive as other DVC resorts from a resale perspective, it does have real value in resale - a somewhat unique characteristic for timeshares. This is despite its restrictions.

DVC may do whatever they want. Buyers may make their personal choices as well. It’s a free market.

Purchase of an interest in a DVC timeshare does not necessarily mean that one supports all DVC or Disney policies or concepts. It does mean that your are willing to part with your money for a timeshare product on the day you sign the contract.

RIV is not for me as a timeshare owner, but I’m thankful that DVC offers many options including RIV. I personally love reading about the awesome experieces that people have with DVC. There are compelling reasons to love RIV, and many here do. I sincerely hope that DVC continues to develop new and unique vacation ownership options, including resorts like RIV. RIV didn’t make sense for me, but it can easily make sense for many others.

 

[Royal Consort]

Haven't quite decided if the OP is self righteous or mediocre trolling

 

[StoweFoSho]

The original post has the same energy as “my dad can beat up your dad.”

We buy the resorts we want because we want them, just like we buy the make of cars that we want to drive. It’s a luxury timeshare product, they are all uneconomical to many.

I’d never call anyone foolish for buying what they wanted instead of buying what some guy reasoned out for himself.

 

[wnielsen1]

All the other WDW DVC resorts are better than both VGF and Riviera, that's why those other resorts are already sold out

 

[Brob2132]

Considering purchasing Riv this month with the current incentives. Wife and I loved the vibe much more, felt as though it was relaxed and upscale as opposed to stuffy. Can’t wait to take our newborn daughter yearly to fill her childhood with magic.

 

[BrianLo]

I just bought small contracts for both after considering my options for the better part of 3 years. It depends what you want out of them. VGF will likely be the superior SAP contract and is likely the last time one can get a SAP based contract (direct) that will hold the greatest resale value.

That said RIV is on the heavier points requirement end, which means the maintenance fees will likely continue to drift into the lower end of all resorts within the next 5 years or so. Once I realized that the maintenance fees are not going to be as heavy it makes the long term decision easier.

We've also established the contract holds value more than people expected. Once the resort sells out it seems likely initial buyers may be able to sell for what they paid for it. Direct contracts are not restricted, this begets reiterating. It only matters if it destroys resale price, which doesn't seem to be the case. Since we're purely talking about direct purchases, I do agree a RIV resale is significantly worse than a VGF resale.

It is less easy at this juncture to get into Epcot area resorts than a Monorail Resort.

The other factor comes down to rooms. I am interested in the Tower Rooms, which very likely will not be bookable without the 11 month window. They certainly are not for everyone, but they are very cheap points wise, more than enough space for a Solo traveller and don't command any premium for views, which some of them have the best views of the resort. For this reason I am way more likely to always use RIV points at RIV and VGF as more SAP.

Finally, personally, I really like the Skyliner. I think I prefer it over the Monorail. Sacrilege, but even before this was dreamed up I was and am an avid skier and read LiftBlog about new lifts. The new walkability of VGF is a pro though.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Buying Riviera over GFV direct is a foolish decision. There are too many advantages in buying GFV over Riviera.
No resale restrictions which means that if you have to sell at some point GFV will probably be twice the value of Riviera.
GFV dues are about $1.30 per point less.
Rooms are comparable / almost identical.
Views are much better at GFV.
GFV is walking distance to a park and a valuable Monorail resort.
Dining options and Shopping options far overtake Riviera.
You can always use your Direct points to stay at Riviera if you want.

Can anyone come up with a reason to buy Riviera over GFV ? Please dont say its on the skyliner .

I have stayed at the Riviera and its nice . But Im not giving DVC any money to condone the ridiculous and unnecessary restrictions they have put on that resort. If they are successful with selling out that resort quickly then whats to stop them from doing this to every resort in the future. It just devalues the whole product to current owners.

I hope it takes them 20 years to sell that resort out !

On principal over DVC's disregard of the POS in allowing a resort in that I don't believe fits the criteria of being similar to be included in "the club" because of the new resale restriction I also wouldn't buy Riviera I extend it further though and I won't consider any more direct unless they reverse that decision. Hopefully the previous management teams loose interpretations of the POS have not been passed along to the current. I'm not expecting a change in policy so don't need to worry about direct but I still think it dipped below a line it should not have and would have more faith restored in DVC if they dropped the resale restrictions that involve trading into other DVC resorts.

 

[Nabas]

Can anyone come up with a reason to buy Riviera over GFV ? Please dont say its on the skyliner .

RIV is new construction. VGF is a decade old, VGF2 is more than 30 years old.

For many, the Grand Floridian comes across as rather stuffy.

RIV has the better food court.

It's easier to get chairs at the RIV pools than the VGF pools.

RIV has more parking.

RIV has a nice coffee shop in the lobby.

 

[DVCsloth]

RIV is new construction. VGF is a decade old, VGF2 is more than 30 years old.

For many, the Grand Floridian comes across as rather stuffy.

RIV has the better food court.

It's easier to get chairs at the RIV pools than the VGF pools.

RIV has more parking.

RIV has a nice coffee shop in the lobby.

I would add that Riviera has a better balance of room types, especially after they added BPK studios only.

 

[RamblinWreck]

I own both. VGF resale and RIV direct.

No regrets at all.

 

[BruinEd03]

We've also established the contract holds value more than people expected. Once the resort sells out it seems likely initial buyers may be able to sell for what they paid for it. Direct contracts are not restricted, this begets reiterating. It only matters if it destroys resale price, which doesn't seem to be the case. Since we're purely talking about direct purchases, I do agree a RIV resale is significantly worse than a VGF resale.

I don't think the resale value holding up has been established at all. Right now, most people are not selling their contracts as they would have just bought within the last 3 years. In addition, the economy has been humming alone. The people that are buying resale for the most part - my guess is that this is not their first contract. It is people who already have a plethora of other points that can access the other resorts that they only care about staying at Riviera. In a few years, I see supply increasing, and demand being steady or decreasing.

Of course there are other factors, such as Disney using ROFR and propping up prices as they can purchase it via ROFR and magically turn it into Direct points and the ability to book all resorts. I would think it's more akin to Old Key West. Resale is 2042 and DVC can turn it into direct points. However, that hasn't propped up OKW's resale prices above Saratoga Springs. The other factor will be the nearing expiration date for BCV and BWV. Some people who may have bought BCV and BWV may instead turn to Riviera.

Ultimately, I think it might be a wash for Disney (lower direct sales volume, but higher profit from ROFR), but bad for holders of Riviera contracts - especially those who may want or need to sell in the future.

Not a judgment on Riviera contract holders, especially those that don't need to sell. As the saying goes - buy where you want to stay.

 

[RoseGold]

As well, my husband now needs an ECV for mobility, which I anticipated when we bought in. Riviera is really convenient for getting around with an ECV and not being at the mercy of full buses having room for the scooters.

This is an interesting take I haven’t heard before, especially compared to rolling to MK or monorail to Epcot.

I went to RIV with a power chair mid day on a weekday. It took 10 minutes to pull an accessible car because RIV is a midpoint. It is very easy to get off, of course, and the endpoints do a great job with accesible cars.

I can’t imagine this is very pleasant at peak times.

 

[NVDISFamily]

I love this debate. I hope I can in my silly way add some value to the mix.

A few weeks ago I was dead set on adding on some direct points. I thought the current deals for VGF and RIV were solid and, based on what was said here multiple times about RIV and resale restrictions, I was leaning hard towards VGF direct add on. Was likely just going to buy 300 to 400 points VGF via email and the phone, and be done with it. Now these points were not just for VGF, they were going to be my cheaper SAP, get me a blue card, etc. But also for VGF and other WDW resorts. And Aulani, I wanted points for Aulani...........

Then, thankfully, I had a crazy idea to use my extended 4th of July holiday break at my work to fly the family to WDW for a trip to tour a few resorts with my guide. He was a real trooper and spent the better part of half a day showing us around multiple resorts and such. This was a sort of last minute trip planned about two weeks out, but it worked well and it was fun.

So RIV vs VGF. There is where I'm so glad that I went. I would have said I started the day of the tour 90% sure I wanted to buy VGF. Yea, nope. The total atmosphere of VGF, from the rooms to the lobby, to just about everything, just not us. Don't get me wrong, if there was no RIV option, we would have bought there and been happy to have some more points. But RIV won our hearts by a long shot. A few reasons that this is easy for us. 1) We are a west coast family with almost no WDW history. So we don't have any background of VGF being this amazing place with history for us or anything. 2) RIV was a better deal even with the larger dues per point. 3) RIV is a place I want to own. 4) Why would I buy DVC if I plan on getting out of it as one of my key reasons for getting into it? That just seems silly.

Also, we liked the Skyliner. At the end, we left WDW with 400 RIV points, saw the error in our ways....... called our guide and said we needed 500 points. I'll also add that we have shown lots of our family the Matterport tours of the Grand Villas at both VGF and RIV and everyone (and again these are not hardcore WDW people who know anything about the resorts or stuff) says RIV is way better. I will say the 4th BR at VGF was a strong plus, but the BRUTAL point chart (and yes RIV is no joke) is also no beuno. This family VGF vs RIV survey was before we went to WDW


And I'll end this with a little troll to represent the resort I do have an emotional attachment too. I love the talk about access to resorts, monorail vs. Skyliner, etc. VGC is calling in with a friendly reminder that it's the best DVC resort for access to theme parks

 

[jppeek]

I think one of the things I have found most fascinating and really have enjoyed since I found the DISboard is being able to read everyone’s opinions on all the resorts.

Seems If you talk to 20 people your gonna find someone who loves and someone who hates pretty much every Disney resort.

I haven't stayed at Riviera but it looks amazing and I look forward to checking it out. Epcot is growing in popularity fast and skylines is super convenient for that park. I almost bought there and for me access to Epcot, the heavier discounts and extra years were the biggest pros.

While the restrictions were on my pros and cons list we made, it was not the deciding factor either way for us.

In the end I went GFV2, Personally I find it very calming (I get a little anxious at certain hotels) and relaxing at GFV. It feels special when I’m there, plus with a toddler the Monorail / new walk way to avoid the lines for transportation from Mk at end of the night were big.

Personally I still think the restrictions did cost them some sales, and long term will hurt their product as a whole if they stay on that path. I also think the fact that GFV2 wasn’t new with restrictions is a sign they are still not fully sure themselves, however I guess we will know much better once Poly2 details come out. They may be using the VGF2 vs Riviera sales as a gauge and figuring out what the value/cost of restrictions are through the discounts differences. I’m sure they have some crazy formula on the back end.

I’ve learned everyone has their own style, taste and preference of what is important when it comes to their Disney vaca. Disney does a great job in my opinion of creating different resorts that meet different needs and that’s part of what makes it so awesome! Every resort is #1 in someone’s eyes, and their reasons why are all true because it’s their vacation and those reasons are what make it special for them!

 

[🍀TwinsMom]

This is an interesting take I haven’t heard before, especially compared to rolling to MK or monorail to Epcot.

I went to RIV with a power chair mid day on a weekday. It took 10 minutes to pull an accessible car because RIV is a midpoint. It is very easy to get off, of course, and the endpoints do a great job with accesible cars.

I can’t imagine this is very pleasant at peak times.

IDK if we just timed it right or what, but we waited 0-10 minutes to board the Skyliner at Riviera in April with the ECV (first time using one,) and frankly feel like we got preferential treatment with pretty speedy lines leaving Epcot at park closing. I mean, it wasn’t instantaneous, but the line moved fast, and staff was beyond courteous.

Buses, we loathe, LOL, but we bought Riviera because we love it, and Epcot/Hollywood Studios are our favorite parks, so doing buses to MK and AK was only for one day apiece and totally fine.

We ended up in a handicap-accessible studio just the first night at Beach Club (wanted to try BC and Stormalong Bay,) skipped the ECV for the one day there, and had the ECV delivered to Riviera for the rest of April/Easter week, and it was very easily used and parked in our one-bedroom foyer area there, and like I said, Skyliner was easy and timely.

Now for a Skyliner expansion announcement at D23 in September!

 

[Yankee626]

I love when it rains and they have to shut down the skyliner. If your at Epcot you have to walk all the way to the other end of Epcot to catch a bus.

 

[🍀TwinsMom]

I love when it rains and they have to shut down the skyliner. If your at Epcot you have to walk all the way to the other end of Epcot to catch a bus.

We Uber/Lyft’ed last rainstorm for -$10, NBD, and Minnie Vans now have an ECV option.

I know you’re just looking for a fight to on Riviera, LOL. Enjoy your stays anywhere else besides there since you hate it so much. I’ve got bigger fish to fry and more Olafs to find with our daughter at World Showcase doing scavenger hunts and cookie strolls this Christmas.