On the fence

[Ruttangel]

My wife and I put a deposit down on 150 points at Riveria before the summer discounts expired. I am on the fence about moving forward with the purchase. We are big Disney fans but also in our mid 20s amd hoping to have kids soon. My worry is that I will have buyers remorse and then we will have a few years soon when we have babies and may not want to bring them to Disney world while they are really little. Anybody dealt with a similar situation?? Help please! I’m also over analytical and keep trying to find a way to make the math not work out in favor of DVC

DVC will still be there if you change your mind to be passionately for it.
Don’t go ahead half heartedly

 

[crisi]

Babies cry, and Disney is actually an awesome vacation with little kids - everything is child friendly, lots for them to do (after they get past the just staring at things stage), people expect whiny kids - if you are going to vacation from infancy to early elementary, Disney is one place where its easy - many other travel destination are harder. Or you can stay home when they are little.....but if you are used to regular vacations, it will drive you crazy to stay home for half a dozen years until the kids travel well. IF the budget works - as Wedgeout says. Kids are so very expensive - make sure you take into account what daycare/diapers/constantly outgrowing clothes etc (and later expenses - sports and dance, after school child care, six pairs of shoes in one year - and later car insurance, college tuition) - etc. etc. is going to set you back. Not to mention how expensive Disney gets - My husband and I were looking at each other planning on post Covid vacation - and we can spend so much more per person when its two airfare/food/tickets......

 

[TheEpcotForEver]

We have been traveling to disney and internationally to places like Japan and France with our kids since they were 1 year old. People would always give us a hard time asking why we would spend the money to take our kids to Disney World, or Paris or whatever when we have to tend to them so much and they won’t remember it. If Disney is a once in a lifetime trip then yes I agree, but Dvc means you’ll be going back over and over. kids are a lot of work no matter where they are. Just because you have small kids doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy going on vacation! It won’t be the same, but neither will going to the grocery store. Dvc isn’t going to get cheaper, if it’s not a financial burden I would go for it! Disney was honestly our “easy vacation”. it’s completely setup for small kids. Every place you go expects kids. Hell the Bigger Dvc rooms even come with a high chair! As for the international travel, it’s not like we are not going to go back to these places again when they’re older but why wait. It’s painfully obvious this year that the future is not guaranteed

 

[Spark65]

When you put down the deposit you weren't on the fence so what changed? That's the question that needs answering.

I first went when my oldest was 6, younger son at 4 and daughter at 1.5 and we had a great time and continued to go for about every 2 years after that. My biggest regret was not buying in sooner but it was my wife who didn't want to do it and relationships don't work if you don't agree.

Don't let the naysayers with the resale restrictions decide for you either I own RIV (Poly as well) and I think they use the resale thing because they themselves can't buy in right now. If you can get good pricing on it buy it if you can afford it. It's really nice stayed there for 5 days in March.

When starting out in life it's expensive and necessities always come first so make sure you aware that a timeshare is a luxury not a must have. Will you kick yourself later if you don't buy ... maybe or will you kick yourself later if you have less of life by springing for luxuries you can't afford ... maybe.

 

[RoseGold]

Don't let the naysayers with the resale restrictions decide for you either I own RIV (Poly as well) and I think they use the resale thing because they themselves can't buy in right now.

Guess that's targeted at me. Uh, I have three, almost four contracts. But thanks?

Resale restrictions matter, especially to someone on the fence. To someone who isn't sure they are going to hold, the most expensive, locked down product might not be the best choice. There are many other choices where the fence is much lower and you can jump on and off with much less impact.

For resale, DVC isn't a lifetime commitment, and not everyone wants a lifetime commitment.

 

[Spark65]

Guess that's targeted at me. Uh, I have three, almost four contracts. But thanks?

Resale restrictions matter, especially to someone on the fence. To someone who isn't sure they are going to hold, the most expensive, locked down product might not be the best choice. There are many other choices where the fence is much lower and you can jump on and off with much less impact.

For resale, DVC isn't a lifetime commitment, and not everyone wants a lifetime commitment.

Not targeted at anyone specifically but as a group.

Resale restrictions only matter to a small portion of prospective buyers as a whole there are more people buying that it doesn't bother than those it does.

As far as lifetime commitment that has no bearing on what DVC or a resort will sell for in the future thats a poor choice of reasons to keep from buying RIV. People who are looking to sell their used item for what they feel they are owed live beyond reality,

 

[colten.c]

The reason we picked Riveria is we love it! We honeymooned there in March and it’s a fantastic resort. I grew up going to Disney and staying at WL and CCV. They are great but Riveria blew it out of the water IMO. I see why resale restrictions bother some people but we are young and (as long as we close) would plan on hanging onto it long term. Now if I can just get my analytical brain out of the way and let my heart do some of the thinking!

 

[sethschroeder]

I feel like that could get us through several years of Disney babies

That is our plans is to get the grandparents to come along when we take the kids. It does make it much easier because in the evening you can go out for a couple hours while the grandparents stay back with the sleeping kids.

I will also say that you may find that your kids go to your grandparents for a few days anyways at which point you could take a couples trip. We have a couples trip in March to WDW as an example (mostly though because of COVID it was originally a full family January trip).

 

[sethschroeder]

RIV is probably not the resort for you with the resale restrictions

Resale restrictions matter, especially to someone on the fence.

If you are buying direct then RIV is exactly where you want to be outside of SSR/OKW. Do the math on price difference between sell price and paid price. At 150 points they are paying $180/point which is $6/point less than AKV/BRV, $20/point less than BWV, $55/point less than BCV/BLT, $65/point less than POLY, and $75/point less than VGF.

The resale restrictions are fairly overblown when accounting for higher discounts on larger purchases that promo price makes it sit fairly well if you go and sell it again outside of SSR/OKW. Yes you might end up selling RIV for less but it has a built in discount anyways upfront.

What it really is about is that if you buy direct you don't want to be selling for 15-20+ years really.

That being said I already outlined in my response the OP really knows themselves best. It seems less about them not wanting to do Disney and more so worried about doing Disney with small kids. Unfortunately on the DVC board you are less likely to find much negativity about bringing small children to Disney.

 

[Wedgeout]

How’s the bride’s brain handling it? That’s where your analytical brain should focus.

 

[RoseGold]

As far as lifetime commitment that has no bearing on what DVC or a resort will sell for in the future thats a poor choice of reasons to keep from buying RIV. People who are looking to sell their used item for what they feel they are owed live beyond reality,

Uh wut? I have 300 points I plan to hold for 10 years. People do buy in for a short time. I bought them used, I will sell them used. All the resorts are "used" anyway. This has nothing to do with my "feelings." For someone in that situation, which it turns out OP is not, resale might be a better mathematical option than RIV, which has completely unknown resale value.

So, yes, the resale restriction does matter for how much commitment you want, and not everyone wants to be locked into this for a lifetime. Guess it's time to throw you into blocked again, at least before the insults weren't directed at me.

 

[EM Lawrence]

The reason we picked Riveria is we love it! We honeymooned there in March and it’s a fantastic resort. I grew up going to Disney and staying at WL and CCV. They are great but Riveria blew it out of the water IMO. I see why resale restrictions bother some people but we are young and (as long as we close) would plan on hanging onto it long term. Now if I can just get my analytical brain out of the way and let my heart do some of the thinking!

This is free advice, so take it for what you paid for it. But the fact that you are young would make me discourage you even more from buying RIV. It is a lovely resort, and you have an emotional tie there since you honeymooned there. But at your stage of your life, a lot of the future is still very uncertain, even how you will feel about taking babies to WDW is unknown. Plus, there are still a lot of unknowns about the future of RIV. In five years, that picture will be a little bit clearer. RIV is considered a good purchase if you know you are going to hold onto it long term, otherwise it is risky because if you find you need to sell it, nobody knows how big of a financial hit you will take. I’ll add that many of the life circumstances that would require a young couple to sell a timeshare are financially devastating enough as it is, without throwing thousands of dollars in lost money on the pile from a time share purchase. Resale prices at RIV have been pretty good so far, but there is not enough data yet to understand the financial risk you are taking. Unless you are an outlier, I’m also guessing that you and your wife do not have a large pool of assets that could protect you in the event of a major life circumstance change. A resale purchase, or a direct purchase at an established resort would probably be safer. RIV is not going anywhere anytime soon. DVC is always going to be partly guided by your heart, but it should not be guided by your heart if it also does not make practical sense. This is the advice I would give my own children.

 

[sethschroeder]

So, yes, the resale restriction does matter for how much commitment you want, and not everyone wants to be locked into this for a lifetime.

Again if we are talking about buying direct then RIV is going to be in the top 3 resorts to buy with a possible argument for AKV. The difference being that for many people SSR/OKW/AKV will be 7 month switch resorts.

The final sale price has only part of the bearing on which one you should buy today. As I outlined in this thread already you are getting a built in discount. Also depending on how you look at math you might put some investment return against that upfront saved money over 10 years which makes it even better.

Even with resale if you are getting SSR or OKW(e) these days even if your initial plan is selling in 10 years the math might come out direct as being an alternative based on travel patterns, size of family, and ability to use AP discounting.

 

[Lorrie7249]

i am speaking as someone who probably should have bought into DVC when my husband and i first started going to disney with our kids. Our first trip was in 2005, when our oldest was 4 and youngest at the time had just turned 2. It was exhausting, and as parents we didn't do nearly enough research as we should have regarding doing disney with littles (although we thought we did!). We learned quicklyadjusted on the fly and the entire loved it-enough to keep going! we went back 2007 when they were 6 and 4 and then baby #3 came along in 2008. As much as we really wanted to go again in 2009, we skipped that year, but went back in 2010 when the littlest was 2 and have been back every other year and in 2016, we skipped a year again. I would think doing every other year, or even a couple of times skipping two years you could make it work.

Fast forward to now---We just bought in July!! i am kicking myself not buying much much sooner, because ever since the youngest we've been staying in deluxe so we can fit 5. This past Dec we decided to try 2 rooms because the boys are bigger (18, 16 and 11) and don't like sharing a bed -- two rooms is so much better space wise and shower wise! The need for larger rooms was what kicked my DVC interest into high gear. If i knew then what i know now, i would have purchased much sooner, planned better and taken advantage of DVC for all our trips every other year instead of paying cash. i think there is a way to do disney with littles, you just need to plan and set expectations. Everyone will tell you what they think is best based on their own circumstances, but in the end, i think you need to decide what will work for you and your growing family and if you have the $$ now and don't need it specifically for something else (house, college funds to start, etc.) it could be the start of a great vacation plan for you. Good luck with your decision! BTW--i'm eyeing an addon for Riviera myself (may take the plunge after we visit in Dec!)

 

[Pek Chee Kian]

I will buy minimum points to qualify for membership extra and rent some points for the first few years. I will then look for subsidized Aulani contract when ensuring that Disney is the place to visit for the whole family in most of the vacation time.

 

[Sandisw]

Uh wut? I have 300 points I plan to hold for 10 years. People do buy in for a short time. I bought them used, I will sell them used. All the resorts are "used" anyway. This has nothing to do with my "feelings." For someone in that situation, which it turns out OP is not, resale might be a better mathematical option than RIV, which has completely unknown resale value.

So, yes, the resale restriction does matter for how much commitment you want, and not everyone wants to be locked into this for a lifetime. Guess it's time to throw you into blocked again, at least before the insults weren't directed at me.

I think the point is that worrying and deciding resale value will be there and ruling out a resort because of it is not everyone’s thinking

No one knows what will happen and if RIV becomes difficult to get at 7 months, there will be a market for it. It will become part of someone’s collection.

IMO, going in to DVC with the expectation that you will get your buy in back may find themselves disapppinted if they hsve to get it back.

Someone owning RIV for 10 years and selling, will most likely have no problem getting 50% of their money back and if they did, it would still end up being a better deal than remaining a cash guest

Now, anyone who isnt comfortable should not buy, but other than making sure others understand it, it’s a personal choice with no one right answer.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Not buying RIV doesn't mean you can't go to WDW. It just means you won't be breaking the bank on a timeshare you might not be able to use or pay for if starting a family becomes the priority. There will always be resales or even new resorts in the future. Rescind you purchase and breathe.

 

[Spark65]

Uh wut? I have 300 points I plan to hold for 10 years. People do buy in for a short time. I bought them used, I will sell them used. All the resorts are "used" anyway. This has nothing to do with my "feelings." For someone in that situation, which it turns out OP is not, resale might be a better mathematical option than RIV, which has completely unknown resale value.

So, yes, the resale restriction does matter for how much commitment you want, and not everyone wants to be locked into this for a lifetime. Guess it's time to throw you into blocked again, at least before the insults weren't directed at me.

There was nothing directed at you do you feel guilty about something. Blocked?? go ahead I wouldn't want to ruin your day I could care less .. next!

 

[fumanchu2488]

So I am close to your situation. We bought last year direct at RIV when my son was 1.5 and now he is almost 3 and we have our second. I have no regrets. Here is how I look at it.

As far as the value of DVC, if you don’t finance or pay it off very quickly you will be saving money with DVC as opposed to cash. My wife isn’t as big as a Disney fan as me so it was important that when we went we had nice accommodations. If we liked the value resorts I probably wouldn’t have bought in because the cost is about the same and you obviously have a lot more flexibility by not owning a timeshare. The thing to realize is that the hotel is a small portion of a trip and that is what is more expensive over time. For a family of 4, with airfare, tickets and dining we are figuring to spend at least $3k per trip. What you are signing yourself up for is the yearly Disney cost. As kids get older that cost goes up as well. Our next trip our son is going to need a park ticket (waaahh).

For us, we handle it financially and do not sacrifice anything in our normal life for it. If I felt like I had to make cuts to afford it, I wouldn’t buy it.

IMO, if you see yourself going to WDW for the next 10 - 12 years and can afford the DVC and WDW cost then go for it. Think of a worse case scenario. In 15 years you go to sell and the value of RIV is $125/point. What do you end up spending? When I ran the numbers it was still better than cash so I went with it.

Once again, the bigger thing you are locking into is 10-12 WDW vacations that are getting more and more expensive every year.

 

[crisi]

Here is another secret from the mother of two college kids. Really little babies are really little for about 45 seconds (I am exaggerating, of course). Unless you are intending to have a dozen kids spaced out over fifteen years, you will have really little babies for what feels like a moment in DVC terms. There are some challenges with DVC and expecting - having to plan ahead doesn't always work when you are trying to have kids and really aren't sure if you will be pregnant for the trip - you can't travel for the couple months and probably should take a really little baby before they've had the full set of shots. So waiting until after the kids are born might be a better idea. Because there will be a year or two around the birth of each child that is difficult to plan with a timeshare. Another thing to consider is babies don't always conceive at the drop of a hat. We spent tens of thousands on infertility treatments twenty five years ago, and then tens of thousands more adopting to get our first (and then our second surprised us). The second pregnancy was partial bed rest for MONTHS. I will harp on finances again......that was a really expensive time and had we owned DVC when we were trying to conceive, we would have had to sell to pay those bills). We also built a house big enough for those kids at that period of time. When setting up our lives for our children, vacations were a really back burner financial priority.