If you had to buy Direct, which resort to choose

[Where'sPiglet?]

Looking to buy 150 points direct. I just passed ROFR recently for my first purchase recently (Copper Creek), but I must say, the whole waiting game is no fun. I think the next set of points might be through the direct route. Something about AKL resonates with me, but Riviera also looks very nice. AK obviously has 13 less years, but Riviera has the restrictions for resale. I'm 44 with a 6 year old and a 3 year old. Any advice from all the savvy people on this board.

Do you plan to combine these points for a single stay somewhere? You’ll want another legacy resort to do so.

On the flip side, if you want to stay at Riviera, you’ll need to either buy Riviera, rent points, or pay cash, since your CCV resale won’t work there.

The cheapest resorts have the most availability at 7 months, for the most part. I agree with the others: buy where you want to stay.

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

We love AKL. It is one of the only non-home resorts we will stay it. But our favorite is VGF (our home resort). It is an outstanding resort for kids, for restaurants, for transportation, and for the general ambience (but not for everybody).

The reason I mention VGF is that Direct Sales there will open in a few months. That could be a good option for you.

 

[HIRyeDVC]

yup agreed we are at Disney.my post was just in response to resort stay only. Riv is let’s face it a nice hotel. But walk out of the Disney bubble and is it a Marriott, Hilton? I’d bet Marriott could buy the hotel one day and no one would be able to tell. It’s just like any other hotel in Orlando except it’s on Disney property

another post I had was about my awesome impression of swan reserve. It’s on Disney property, luxury hotel. Great hotel. Very much similar to riv. But still a hotel and nothing special. Nothing that says wow I have to pick a week to just sit in my room or at the pool. I’d go bonkers staying at the swan for a week if I were not going To the parks

but a week at akv, no way I’m getting bored. I could spend hours if not days just sitting on my balcony watching the animals

I totally agree. I think it’s sad that Disney appears to have abandoned the notion of building immersive resorts like WL, Grand Cal, and AKL and have relegated to building cost effective towers like Riviera, BLT, and DLT. At least with BLT and DLT, you have the phenomenal walking proximity to the parks where as Riviera, you don’t. I couldn’t agree with you more about the phenomenal experience you get with AKL. Some people may say the same for Riviera. My biggest complaint is the ridiculously high points chart and dues, the main reasons why I bought CCV direct and BLT resale instead.

 

[J-Dog]

I totally agree. I think it’s sad that Disney appears to have abandoned the notion of building immersive resorts like WL, Grand Cal, and AKL and have relegated to building cost effective towers like Riviera, BLT, and DLT. At least with BLT and DLT, you have the phenomenal walking proximity to the parks where as Riviera, you don’t. I couldn’t agree with you more about the phenomenal experience you get with AKL. Some people may say the same for Riviera. My biggest complaint is the ridiculously high points chart and dues, the main reasons why I bought CCV direct and BLT resale instead.

I actually went with RIV, partly for the opposite reason. I was worried that we would get sick of the in-your-face African theme after staying there over and over for years. RIV's theming is much more subtle, so, since you notice it less, I felt like I will get sick of it much slower. To each his own, though.

 

[HIRyeDVC]

I actually went with RIV, partly for the opposite reason. I was worried that we would get sick of the in-your-face African theme after staying there over and over for years. RIV's theming is much more subtle, so, since you notice it less, I felt like I will get sick of it much slower. To each his own, though.

I could totally see that. I love the theming of resorts like AKL and WL but coming from Hawaii, we also love “sterile” resorts like BLT and Riviera. To each is own is right though. There’s something for everyone. The main thing I don’t like about Riviera is the high points chart and dues.

 

[RanDIZ]

I own at CCV and AKV so of course I’d go with AKV. Arguably the best restaurants on property and savanna’s all around filled with animals. Just got back from Jambo last week. This might help your decision. Right off our balcony……..

 

[🍀TwinsMom]

Riviera. It's funny, we have Riviera direct and want to add Copper Creek resale! LOL. AK is awesome (and designed by the same people who did CC, so no wonder you like the style!) but we love everything about Riviera, and Skyliner to two parks can't be beat.

 

[Lorana]

BTW love all your post on the boards. Super helpful, so thank you for that. I know you're not an AKL fan, but I know you're pretty objective too, is AKL better for non park visit stays than Riviera.

This really depends on what you enjoy in a resort stay. AKV has the animals, and a lot of resort activities (some of which aren’t back yet but I’m hoping return): storytelling at the firepit, night vision goggles to watch the animals at night in the main viewing area, arts and crafts, the community center at Kidani, two pools (at Jambo and Kidani) with a fantastic splash pad at Kidani. Grills if you wanted to BBQ, Cultural tours, and more. 3 great restaurants and quick service.

However, there aren’t great walking or running areas at the resort - Disney really missed a great opportunity here! - and it’s not convenient to get to other hotels, without first going to a park, or having a car or taking a Lyft/Uber.

I haven’t stayed at Riviera yet, but they have the ability to walk around Caribbean Beach, outdoor fire pits as does AKV (but no grills), a community center as well for games & crafts, and the ability to take the Skyliner over to the Boardwalk for all its entertainment and restaurants, and you can walk to Fantasia Gardens mini-golf there.

 

[CraigInPA]

I'm not going to enter the debate about whether RIV or AKV is a better resort. Both have pluses and minuses.

Instead, I'm going to delve into your first sentence... You didn't like the "waiting" to get resale on CCV. Yes, I've been there. I watched and waited for my "Cinderella" contract to appear for 9 months, then endured 6 weeks of ROFR and closing. It seemed like forever! But, in the process, I saved $10k over what I would have paid had I gone direct. My requirements were tough, because I wanted a December use year at BLT, and that was not a popular use year at all. Had I wanted a BLT February use year, I could have had the same size contract in under a month of waiting. During the period when we were waiting for the right contract to appear, we rented BLT points and had our annual vacation. We didn't spend a huge premium on the rental versus owning, and it served to reinforce our decision to wait on the right contract at BLT.

Patience, young grasshopper... Patience.

 

[davidl81]

It depends to an extent on how many points you are buying. We just bought 300 direct points and bought AUL, but that was specifically for the price they offered of $133 a point. We are okay using the points for WDW at 7 months as we have always had luck booking 1BR at 7 months.
If I was buying 150 direct points right now I would suggest waiting a few months and seeing what VGF2 prices are at. If they are close to RIV direct prices I think VGF would be a much better choice. If as some people think VGF2 is priced wildly high then RIV or AKV will still be an option.

 

[The Jackal]

They are also actively selling BWV right now as well as Riviera.

20 years left is the huge negative there, especially for the premium of direct points.

 

[kanerf]

20 years left is the huge negative there, especially for the premium of direct points.

I am 62, not an issue for me.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

20 years left is the huge negative there.

I know what you're saying, but I disagree slightly. If the intent is to buy and worry about selling again in 10 years, then yes. But the huge positive side is that you get a reasonable deal for 2 decades of family fun and memories and experiences. That's a long time to enjoy the place before the contract expires. That's an entire generation of my family able to enjoy those 20 years. Just different ways to view it....

 

[RanDIZ]

However, there aren’t great walking or running areas at the resort - Disney really missed a great opportunity here! - and it’s not convenient to get to other hotels, without first going to a park, or having a car or taking a Lyft/Uber.

I really wish AKV would do a path to AK. Imagineering can have a field day with this. I'd even settle for just a boring plain old path.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

I really wish AKV would do a path to AK. Imagineering can have a field day with this. I'd even settle for just a boring plain old path.

I wish they had something like that, too, but I think it might be a bit farther than most realize. Best bet would be maybe a 1.5 mile walk or more, depending how the route would need to go? If that existed, we would definitely use it. But how about a tram path for resort guests like they run from the parking lots to the entry (or at least did pre-Covid). That could be an amazing way to get to/from the resort without hopping on a bus.

I also agree with the previous poster that there really should be a better walking/jogging option at the resort itself. Talk about a place loaded with scenery and so open for people walking - but the savanna views appear to be set up for the rooms (which I understand), and other access is limited for the safety and well-being of the animals. But it still seems like something could have been designed a bit better for walking around the place to see animals.

My biggest fear is that in lieu of a walking path, they put in those ugly Skyliner towers and make that an alternate form for transportation for AKL. In our opinion, that would just kill the theming - but I don't need to worry about that for now!

 

[Vulnox]

I totally agree. I think it’s sad that Disney appears to have abandoned the notion of building immersive resorts like WL, Grand Cal, and AKL and have relegated to building cost effective towers like Riviera, BLT, and DLT. At least with BLT and DLT, you have the phenomenal walking proximity to the parks where as Riviera, you don’t. I couldn’t agree with you more about the phenomenal experience you get with AKL. Some people may say the same for Riviera. My biggest complaint is the ridiculously high points chart and dues, the main reasons why I bought CCV direct and BLT resale instead.

While the RIV chart is higher, I don't get the ongoing discussion that RIV dues are somehow unusually high. They were at launch, but that was well known due to RIV being the first DVC resort to have the wage increases for cast members (or so they claimed anyway). Since then, RIV has increased in dues at a lower rate than nearly every other resort. Their 2021 to 2022 dues change was 0.01%.

CCV 22' - $7.60/pt
BLT 22' - $7.08/pt
RIV 22' - $8.38/pt

Is $8.30 higher than $7.60? Yeah obviously. But it's hardly some monumental gap, and other resorts that are recommended like AKV are $8.23/pt, near as makes no difference identical to RIV. Boulder Ridge is $8.15, OKW is $8.80.

Yeah if you own 500 points then the BLT to RIV dues gap is significant, no doubt. But for a 150 point or so contract, RIV vs CCV is $117 difference. Cheaper is cheaper I guess, but that gap is probably going to keep narrowing. Maybe the $100-300 difference (depending on resort and number of points, considering moderate point ownership) is enough, I would just be surprised to see that as a high concern area when being critical of RIV.

 

[jbreen2010]

If you bought resale at where you already like to stay, i would recommend buying at a different resort (if you liked other resorts) just to have a second option. I've found it extremely helpful to have the same use year for my contracts as well...but maybe another strategy if you preferred different use years.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I would go with AKV because it “resonates “ with you.

I know others here have reasons to recommend others, but I personally think the point costs for RR are too high. I own VGF and already have had issues booking at 11 months. I am not pleased they are adding studios to that resort that are not going to be up to my standards. These are the issues that are important to ME, me not Magic Express!

I own at AKV as well, and have never been sorry to have bought there. Truly, VGF is my only “regret.” I actually added 25 points there last year before they announced the expansion. I thought the additional points would help me, I do not believe they will.

 

[Strimp]

I am not a fan of AKV at all but love RIV so I am biased. However, with little ones, you can not beat the animals for times at the resort. But, the only way to the parks is bus. At RIV, you do have easy access via Skyliner to 2 of the 4 parks. While we have never experienced an issue with it being down, others have. But even then, you have the same situation as AKV with all buses on those rare occasions.

I am biased towards Riviera as well. The one point I would like to add is that my experience with the Riviera busses has been great. It is a small enough resort with dedicated busses that when visiting AKL and MK, the busses were quick and not crowded. We got "stranded" once at Epcot with the skyliner down due to lightning, aside from the walk to the front entrance from World Showcase, the bus wait was not long at all. I think one could argue that Riviera has great transportation options across the board.

One other thing I would add is that if you own at Riviera and can book standard view rooms, the point charts are very similar to monorail resorts. The difference is that the standard view at Riviera often has perfect Epcot fireworks views. I am not sure how long Disney will keep the Standard views like this, but I actually prefer them.

 

[kboo]

OP, we bought RIV direct when considering adding on at BLT v. getting an EP/HS resort. Our kids now 10/6, have been going to WDW since they were babies. We own at BLT, VGF and RIV (durect); BLT and VGF were resale pre-2019.

I am not a fan of AKV at all but love RIV so I am biased. However, with little ones, you can not beat the animals for times at the resort. But, the only way to the parks is bus. At RIV, you do have easy access via Skyliner to 2 of the 4 parks. While we have never experienced an issue with it being down, others have. But even then, you have the same situation as AKV with all buses on those rare occasions.

I am pretty much in line w @Sandisw here (and her later posts). We've stayed AKV Jambo/AKL one time each, and RIV 3-4x now. I am less of a fan of AKV now, despite getting a value 1br during spring break 2021. While the resort is visually stunning and unique, and I love the animals (bio major), the room did not feel great to me, and getting to the parks was difficult and slow compared to our experiences at our home resorts. I think I would stay at AKV in a savanna room for a short resort only/AK only part of a longer stay, and we would not need AKV points to do that during most times of year.

One other thing I would add is that if you own at Riviera and can book standard view rooms, the point charts are very similar to monorail resorts. The difference is that the standard view at Riviera often has perfect Epcot fireworks views. I am not sure how long Disney will keep the Standard views like this, but I actually prefer them.

Oh yes! Last stay we could see both EP and MK fireworks. It was amazing.