Riv Direct or Poly Resale?

[MomOTwins]

Typically, exceptions are made when buying direct to allow late banking so you should be fine with June or August. I don't know if this policy has changed due to the current circumstances with the pandemic.

I'm curious why they can't do any use year. They might be pushing a certain one, but I would think they would do whatever you want to make the sale.

They will definitely bank them as a courtesy. I bought March 25 with an April UY so I got 2020 points by 5 days and they banked them no problem for me. I just did it over online chat since it was faster than calling MS. Choose which UY you want and be firm and they will give it to you. They match all other UYs for previous DVC owners so they will “make an exception” for you as a new owner. So if you think you will travel in the summer pick June, if you will only travel in the fall and winter choose Aug or Sept.

To add, it mentions it in the Home Resort rules and regulations that this is usually done so one can always include that when making sure they will be allowed to bank!

I agree that they push certain UYs but will not turn down a sale because of that. The only time it is ever a potential issue is for sold out resorts. But if buying one in active sales, as you say, be firm it’s what you want!

Thanks. This is why I love disboards! I had no idea—the rules always seem to be slightly different than what you hear from Disney directly.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

They will definitely bank them as a courtesy. I bought March 25 with an April UY so I got 2020 points by 5 days and they banked them no problem for me. I just did it over online chat since it was faster than calling MS. Choose which UY you want and be firm and they will give it to you. They match all other UYs for previous DVC owners so they will “make an exception” for you as a new owner. So if you think you will travel in the summer pick June, if you will only travel in the fall and winter choose Aug or Sept.

In fall 2020, I bought a few weeks before my use year began. They had no problem banking the 2019 points for me.

However, I had the opposite experience with online chat - they were unable to bank them for me and I had to call in. I'm not sure if that has changed with the long call wait times - maybe they have given the chat people more permissions - or maybe the person I was chatting with did not know how to do it.

 

[Leight19]

That's why the re-sale restriction on Riviera is overstated. Right now, it looks huge -- You can use re-sale points at 13 out of the 14 resorts. Riviera... just 1 out of 14, so it looks like a huge difference.

But come the 2040's... it's likely to be:
Riviera and all direct points... 20/20 resorts (or however many there are)
Riviera re-sale -- 1/20 resorts
Poly re-sale 7/20 resorts
And re-sale at 13/20 resorts will be 1-resort only, just like Riviera.
Suddenly... re-sale is pretty darn restricted everywhere.

So for anyone thinking they are likely to own 20+ years, the re-sale restrictions aren't really going to factor into the pricing of Riviera any more than any place else.

This is my main concern of the resale restrictions, that it creates a lot of “classes” which will have an unpredictable effect on trading across resorts. In this potential future, there is incentive to buy direct so you can trade to new resorts but how available will they be at 7 months if there are appreciable amount of owners who can only book at their home resort? My main reason for not buying riviera wouldn’t be because of concern of resale value but more that if I buy I’m endorsing the practice I feel will greatly impact dvc in negative way. I still hold our hope collectively enough people will not buy with restriction that they consider reversing policy in future.

Also predicting demand for properties 20 years from now may be difficult. I feel there will always be premium on resorts you can walk to parks from. However, I’m not sure how value of skyliner will compare to other options as technology evolves. I imagine sometime in next 20 years (maybe even as early as next 5 years) self driving cars will be a reality. How much more attractive would akv, ssr, and okw be if you could have self driving car take you directly to park, drop you off at resort, and drive back to hotel to park again (or even if automated busses make it financially feasible to have 3x as many busses so never waiting)?

 

[AliceIn]

I absolutely love both resorts. The Poly has been my favorite resort for a long time. Once my kids are all out on their own, my husband and I will stay in studios for a longer period. I can retire in about 7 years, so the long stays are very appealing to me. For now we either book two studios (one for us, one for the kids) or book 1 or 2 bedrooms elsewhere.

I looked at Riv and really loved it. The rooms are lovely and and I love the Mediterranean feeling of the resort. The deal breaker was the Skyliner. I have no issues riding in a Gondola, but my husband absolutely refuses to go. He had a bad experience on one in childhood, and he won't get on one now. He refused to even talk to the guide about it, despite it having some really big incentives.

Honestly, though, you can't really go wrong at either resort. They are both beautiful. I could see myself staying at either one and being happy.

 

[MomOTwins]

Well, guide says the best they can do is April, so 2021 points only. I’m pretty non-confrontational so I’m inclined to just go with it rather than pushing for October... Better than December for sure! Plus it could be a good thing if we ever go in the summer.

 

[Wedgeout]

I’d be telling that guide it’s not their “best” because if you already had a preferred UY membership, they would have matched that UY immediately. Would have thought they are actually wanting to sell that resort. A lot of money to have to purchase on their terms and miss out on 2020 points. Best of luck!

 

[Sandisw]

Well, guide says the best they can do is April, so 2021 points only. I’m pretty non-confrontational so I’m inclined to just go with it rather than pushing for October... Better than December for sure! Plus it could be a good thing if we ever go in the summer.

It does work better for summer than October. But, if you really prefer it, I might at least say that you are going to think about it for the next few days because it’s not ideal. Then say if something changes, let me know.

At least you walk away for a short time without any big implication as prices and incentives are set until mid May.

If you don’t hear in a couple days, you can then call back and go for it

 

[Pens Fan]

Well, guide says the best they can do is April, so 2021 points only. I’m pretty non-confrontational so I’m inclined to just go with it rather than pushing for October... Better than December for sure! Plus it could be a good thing if we ever go in the summer.

I agree with @Sandisw. Hold your ground. This is a game they play - trying to get you to buy a UY they prefer you have vs the one you actually want. If you act as if you're walking away due to the UY, I am 99.99999999% sure your preferred one will magically become available (pixie dust and all that jazz). When we purchased our CC points they tried to sell us a UY we didn't want. We insisted on Sept or nothing and lo and behold they "found" some inventory to sell us .

You're about to drop a lot of money in Mickey's lap. Make sure you get what you want and what works best for your family.

 

[princesscinderella]

Definitely hold your ground for the UY you want they definitely have the inventory for each one otherwise they wouldn’t have add on availability for all the current owners. I had to insist I wanted the April UY and not December. It took a few phone calls back and forth for them to agree to sell it to me.

 

[Pens Fan]

Definitely hold your ground for the UY you want they definitely have the inventory for each one otherwise they wouldn’t have add on availability for all the current owners. I had to insist I wanted the April UY and not December. It took a few phone calls back and forth for them to agree to sell it to me.

Yeah, it’s funny how they act like it’s a big deal to get a certain UY on your first purchase. But if you are adding on they just assume you want your same UY unless you tell them otherwise. There’s no issue getting what you want. At least that’s been our experience. We’ve added on twice now and both times matching our current UY was a given and buying other UY’s wasn’t even discussed. It was only on our initial contract that we had to play the UY availability game.

 

[Gf77]

ㅤ

 

[achinforsomebacon]

Well, guide says the best they can do is April, so 2021 points only. I’m pretty non-confrontational so I’m inclined to just go with it rather than pushing for October... Better than December for sure! Plus it could be a good thing if we ever go in the summer.

You're going to be dropping a lot of cash on this purchase so definitely get what you want! I don't get why it has to be so difficult. I'm sure there are plenty of people looking for every UY so it probably all evens out anyway. As others have mentioned, if you already had a contract, they would just match it no questions asked. I'm sure guides are directed to push a certain year, and that's fine I guess for the uninformed buyer. But if you know when you want to travel, get use year that suits your needs the best.

 

[MomOTwins]

Eep, okay, will try. This is definitely nerve-wracking!

 

[CarolynFH]

I agree with the other experienced members here! Be firm - you want an October or September UY, or you’re not ready to buy. You have to rethink your plans.

 

[CarolynFH]

Eep, okay, will try. This is definitely nerve-wracking!

We’re behind you! Believe me, the “guide” wants to make the sale - if they don’t want it badly enough to get the right UY for you, ask to change guides.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Well, guide says the best they can do is April, so 2021 points only. I’m pretty non-confrontational so I’m inclined to just go with it rather than pushing for October... Better than December for sure! Plus it could be a good thing if we ever go in the summer.

They want to give you April so they don't have even more 2020 points floating around the system right now. They're trying to see if you'll take that offer; but I do not believe it is "the best they can do."

If you consistently want to travel in the summer, you might consider a June use year. Get the one that works best for YOU and your travel patterns.

 

[smsharp]

I hate that they make it seem like they are doing you a favor or you are inconveniencing them for getting you what you want. That's so salesy and those types of sales tactics really aren't necessary. I hope more potential buyers turn to these groups to learn the reality of what is actually available! *full disclosure, I've only bought resale so I haven't dealt with direct yet, but may at some point consider adding on once I get a little more use under my belt and see how well my current number of points works for me* I'm just saying in general, the hard pressure sales mentality has got to go.

 

[dvc lover 1970]

Push for the June use year. This is not a small purchase. I regretted not getting previous years points with my first purchase.

 

[Matty B13]

If I'm buying direct then I'm definitely buying the UY I want, and not just the UY they are trying to sell at the moment.

 

[sndral]

Yep, this is the dilemma we're facing now as we are pretty well convinced we want Riv now. Talked to our guide and they are offering Dec. use year right now with 2020 points. Sounds sweet to get the extra points, except our favorite time to go is Oct-Nov, so that would make it super hard to bank or reschedule if we need to most years. He said we could maybe get an exception and is looking into inventory for other UY options. Fingers crossed we will get the best of both worlds, but I suspect we are going to get offered a choice of either December with 2020 points or Feb-April UY without 2020 points. Eep, so many decisions.

OP when you outlined the pros and cons of Poly v. Riviera a pro for Riviera was 2020 points w/ a direct purchase, I think my conversation with the guide would go something like this “I’m torn between Poly resale and Riviera direct - when I compared the two my calculations included banking 2020 points for Riviera, but if I can’t get a use year that works well for our travel plans at Riviera ... and Dec. really is about the worst use year for us, I need to rethink this, please call me if you can find points in a use year that works better for us but still has 2020 points.”
BTW, you are not being confrontational, you are spending a lot of money and it’s ok to be firm about the details that matter to you and your family, particularly in this situation where we know they’d automatically sell other use year points to existing owners w/ those use years.