Not sure if I’ve gone crazy

[juliebee]

I totally understand wanting to add a second contract with direct points. Once your resale contract closes, you will qualify for better pricing on direct contracts so that is a plus. You might also think about waiting until Lakeshore Lodge opens up in 2027 to buy a direct contract there.

The ability to access all resorts is desirable, but your resale contract can access most of the resorts. Once you have it, see how much the access actually bothers you. Personally, I don't want to stay at Cabins at Fort Wilderness, so the only ones I'm missing out on currently is Disneyland Hotel Villas and Riviera. I've been able to get stays at Boardwalk and Beach Club instead of Riviera, and at Grand Californian instead of Disneyland Hotel Villas. So, it's hasn't been a real loss to me... everyone will be different on that. The thing that draws me to a direct contract for my next purchase is the ability to get a discounted annual pass. So LSL may be what draws me into a direct purchase. I get the struggle... you are already getting addonitis!

 

[cruisehopeful]

There will always be direct points for sale. No hurry to buy. Also, you can buy Copper Creek or more Boulder Ridge direct from Disney if Wilderness is truly your favorite. That's what I would do.

Riviera is a great choice if you want to stay there and you think that 150 points will be enough. It does have the resale restriction so if you decide to sell it later, the buyer won't be able to use those points anywhere else. If you are just looking for direct points, Polynesian is the best buy right now if you don't mind staying there. If I were in your shoes, I would buy where I wanted to stay most of the time. All the sold out resorts have points available for sale or will have them if you are patient enough. If you don't care where you stay and you want the best bargain, Polynesian is best for now. If you can wait, maybe Lakeshore will be better. We have no idea about that, though

 

[sndral]

What don’t you like about the resort? I have not stayed , only dined there and I like that it’s on the skyliner but this is all good advice

My goal when I first bought DVC was to own resorts in the MK, Epcot/DHS, & AK neighborhoods. I seriously considered BWV & BC resale & was interested in Riviera when they started building it. I just don’t like the way it turned out - too grey & monolithic, I’m not a fan of towers & in the case of Riviera the relatively small public spaces & compact grounds, although the spacious grounds of nearby moderate Caribbean Beach somewhat mediates Riviera’s small footprint.
If I want to stay near Epcot/DHS, I’d rather book BC or BWV at 7 months. I can use my grandfathered & direct points to book Riviera at 7 months, I just choose not to - its point charts are steep compared to BC/BWV.
There are those who love the place - given the low resale value on Riviera, IMO you need to really love the place to commit to buying direct there. At least w/ the Poly if you don’t want to keep your direct contract you’ll be out less should you decide to sell it.
DVC isn’t going anywhere. Riviera looks like it’ll sell out sometime in 2027 & the Poly in 2028, meanwhile Lakeshore Lodge will likely open in 2027 - the BCesque lazy river they’re building there & the spacious lobby has me vaguely interested in LL https://dvcnews.com/resorts/reflections/6133-lakeshore-lodge-reportedly-maintains-expansive-pool-lazy-river-of-its-predecesso - so you’ll have lots of choices in the next couple of years.
I’m an advocate of keeping my powder dry ready to use when something I really want becomes available rather than tying up my spare cash in something that’s maybe ok.

 

[🍀TwinsMom]

I would wait for LSL. At the very least, get your feet wet with BR and try some other resorts. Could you use the discounted AP? What size rooms are you needing do you think? Poly direct is good for direct, but the tower point chart is rough. Do you want direct points to have direct points, or do you want direct points for Poly or Riviera or potentially LSL?

 

[Wedgeout]

wedgeout said to buy poly direct to combine with BRV but couldn’t I also do that with Riviera?

BRV & PVB resale/direct is like a two way street, combining option, at 7 months. Any direct and resale points work at each. Can use BRV points with your PVB points to book there or use PVB points with your BRV to book there.

BRV & RIV is more a one way street, like water & vinegar with those resale BRV points. Could combine direct RIV points at BRV but can’t combine resale BRV points at RIV.

It’s whatever buying strategy you prefer and at which resort you would rather have home resort priority, 11 month booking.

My original FOMO was started with resale BCV. After the membership was established, I waited into the following year to maximize points with my UY, buying the required at the time, 125 at OKW (‘57). OKW was always a favorite & in 2021 it was still $165 per point.

Then VDH was an all heart direct purchase. No strategy. No saving. No restriction care. Just a take my money now & not look back decision.

 

[RuntheMouse]

We own at both BRV and RIV, we love them both. I agree with previous posters that you should get your feet wet with your BRV contract before buying direct. I’m a big believer in buy where you want to stay and you haven’t stayed at RiV yet to know if you love it or not. POLY is a better choice by the number but some people, like us, have no desire to own there. So I recommend staying at RIV and POLY and see if you fall in love with one and go from there!

 

[airjay75]

First, full disclosure. I love RIV and I own 600 direct points there. I am very happy to have my direct points there and be committed for the long-term. To the extent I want more points, I'm likely sticking with resale (currently CCV, but I would also consider resale RIV).

I think I'd look at it this way. You have time, but if you think RIV is where you'd like to make your first direct purchase, you don't have LOTS of time. RIV is likely going to be declared sold out by the end of 2027 and before LSL goes on sale. Then Poly probably sold out by mid to late 2028, and then LSL is the only direct option at that point. And, assuming you'd like to take maximum advantage of direct incentives, you're going to want to keep in mind what the UY is of your resale contract because the best time to buy will just before your UY starts. So, if your UY is Dec or Feb, you know you want direct points, and you are leaning heavily towards RIV as the place where you'd like to have direct points, I would try to make a decision before then.

I'm assuming you're not looking at CFW, VDH, or AUL for a direct purchase, so that leaves RIV and Poly currently, with LSL on the horizon.

RIV vs. Poly: RIV generally has better upfront incentives, a slightly higher MF (currently), and a slightly better points chart than Poly. RIV goes until 2070, Poly until 2066. Ownership at RIV is pretty important for resort view studios, resort view 2 BR lock-offs, and high demand times like the holidays. We're not exactly sure where Poly will land, but I suspect resort view rooms will be the hardest to get, followed by TP, followed by preferred. The original studios, I believe, are not terribly difficult to get at the 7-month mark other than high demand times. Poly points don't have the same resale restrictions as RIV, but if you are planning to keep these points for the long-term, I don't think that matters nearly as much as buying where you would find benefit in having home resort priority.

LSL: If you wait for LSL, I think that means RIV is likely off the table (unless you want to pay "sold out" prices with no incentives). What do we know about LSL? It is likely to be a very large DVC resort. Likely to be put into the Palmetto Trust (which, no one knows exactly what that means for the long-term, but I don't know that anyone thinks it is better for the purchaser). Its location is obviously a MK area resort with boat access to MK, bus access to other parks. What don't we know? Will it be combined with CFW? If it is, what will that mean for the MFs? How will the point chart look here? What sort of room categories will there be? Lots of unknowns.

At the end of the day, though, you should buy where you want to stay and find the most value personally. For me, the decision between Poly and RIV was easy. Lots of folks love Poly, however. For me, there are too many unknowns with LSL to wait for that, so if I knew I wanted direct points, I just don't think I'd personally wait until then. But, if you're not so sure about whether you want direct points, Poly will continue to be out there as an option and, economically, it is still a good option. If you love Poly, all the better.

Hopefully those are some helpful thoughts.

 

[Girlstar30]

Stay at Poly and Riv and decide which one you like best is what we did and im so glad we did.

Buying Riv for us would have been a mistake and thats what we would have done had we not stayed at both PIT and Riv. Now we are certain that Poly is for us. Most people dont have the patience for this or want to rent to stay at Riv, but I feel that is truly the best way to know where you really want to own if its important to you (and it should be if you're spending that much and committing to years of MF)

Just doing a tour does not tell you whether you will like to stay somewhere. IMO Riv restrictions make it so that you should really know if you like staying at this resort before purchasing.

 

[Girlstar30]

My goal when I first bought DVC was to own resorts in the MK, Epcot/DHS, & AK neighborhoods. I seriously considered BWV & BC resale & was interested in Riviera when they started building it. I just don’t like the way it turned out - too grey & monolithic, I’m not a fan of towers & in the case of Riviera the relatively small public spaces & compact grounds, although the spacious grounds of nearby moderate Caribbean Beach somewhat mediates Riviera’s small footprint.
If I want to stay near Epcot/DHS, I’d rather book BC or BWV at 7 months. I can use my grandfathered & direct points to book Riviera at 7 months, I just choose not to - its point charts are steep compared to BC/BWV.
There are those who love the place - given the low resale value on Riviera, IMO you need to really love the place to commit to buying direct there. At least w/ the Poly if you don’t want to keep your direct contract you’ll be out less should you decide to sell it.
DVC isn’t going anywhere. Riviera looks like it’ll sell out sometime in 2027 & the Poly in 2028, meanwhile Lakeshore Lodge will likely open in 2027 - the BCesque lazy river they’re building there & the spacious lobby has me vaguely interested in LL https://dvcnews.com/resorts/reflections/6133-lakeshore-lodge-reportedly-maintains-expansive-pool-lazy-river-of-its-predecesso - so you’ll have lots of choices in the next couple of years.
I’m an advocate of keeping my powder dry ready to use when something I really want becomes available rather than tying up my spare cash in something that’s maybe ok.

I second these feelings. These were my exact thoughts, I wanted to own MK, AK and Epcot Area.

But we are taking our time to buy direct.

Once I stayed at Riv, BCV and BWV, I realized that I will always choose bwv or bcv before riv when wanting to stay in the epcot area. Bwv is a really fun resort and bcv is steps away from my favorite theme park.

That eliminated the want to buy Riv. If I didn't have this experience, I would have bought Riv and wished later that I would have bought Poly, as it was a favorite of the entire family.

 

[melissa70]

I second these feelings. These were my exact thoughts, I wanted to own MK, AK and Epcot Area.

But we are taking our time to buy direct.

Once I stayed at Riv, BCV and BWV, I realized that I will always choose bwv or bcv before riv when wanting to stay in the epcot area. Bwv is a really fun resort and bcv is steps away from my favorite theme park.

That eliminated the want to buy Riv. If I didn't have this experience, I would have bought Riv and wished later that I would have bought Poly, as it was a favorite of the entire family.

Are all yours resales?

 

[Girlstar30]

Are all yours resales?

Yes they are. We will be buying PIT next year as we are waiting a year to save and lock in the more favorable financing rate as well as getting a little discount for being resale first and hopefully better incentives.

We also chose to do it like this because better rooms and longer stays were a priority over incidental benefits. And it was very important to us to try the resorts before we were sure where we wanted to buy direct.

If you would have talked to me a couple months before today I would have been trashing PIT for being overcrowded and not having "adult" dining. I never ever thought I would want to buy there because i had never stayed there.

I also would have never thought BWV was a great resort that i would love and that i would choose to stay at over Riv, not in a million years as a Europe theme on paper speaks more to me than a Carnival theme.

Its because I hadn't stayed in these places and didnt know that I loved Poly more than the less crowded and better adult dining options Riv. And I did tour them both before coming to the conclusion that Riv was better for us before staying (It wasnt)