Riveria closeout

[Brian Noble]

Looks like at least a 1 mile circuit from the hotel, I’m my sense of scale is right?

Just about exactly. Per google maps, it's 4/10ths of a mile from the back door of RIV to the CBR feature pool in one direction, and a half mile in the other. Interestingly, it is also 4/10ths of a mile from the BCV "side door" to the BWV/BWI village green.

Now that we live in Florida and go for a day or 2 much more often, though, it's all screwed up and I haven't figured out the most efficiant strategy yet.

I think the answer is: use resale points first whenever you can, including borrowing when possible. The only exception: I would want to make sure I have a use for banked developer points, so they don't expire. So, I think the order I would use points for any RIV stay would be: banked resale, banked developer, current resale, borrowed resale, current developer, borrowed developer, banking any developer points forward when possible.

 

[ShaneDJ]

So we decided to do direct. While it was absolutely much more expensive, the extra cost we paid when we bought is the only difference. You don't save money over the years with resale even though your points are heavily restricted.

This is so important and must be emphasized. Very well said!

 

[tx911]

Looks like at least a 1 mile circuit from the hotel, I’m my sense of scale is right? Your description sounds so lovely… and the whole CB area looks incredibly charming from the skyliner, but there’s never been a WDW trip where my body (especially feet and legs) don’t feel like it’s falling apart by the flight home. We tend to do 18,000-25,000 steps a day, this trip we averaged higher than that, crisscrossing EPCOT for F-Arts activities.

A little over a mile if you cross the bridge near the Skyliner station.

 

[kboo]

Quick special mention to the dining options at Caribbean Beach too. We only tried the quick service on our last trip, but it was good - plenty of options and lots of seating. Have heard good things about Sebastian’s (which apparently takes reservations now - I don’t think it used too). And, it really is like a 5 minute walk there from the RIV feature pool.

We used to go there as our Riviera arrival night dinner (as of 3 years ago it was taking reservations). Tons of good food and super casual and a nice way for the kids to work off some steam.

There is a difference between liking RIV and HAVING to use the points only at RIV.

And that is exactly why I went from "all my other points are unrestricted so maybe I'll get a 100pt RIV resale for $100-$110 and use it just for RIV" to "250 direct Riviera pre-opening please"

Reliable access to Crescent Lake for decades. I really like the MK/EP home resort combo.

Justifying choices we already made:
1, When we were buying resale (pre-restrictions), we considered BWV, BCV and BLT. We got a good deal on BLT in the UY we wanted, while we weren't seeing the BWV and BCV contracts we wanted. Our kids were young, we knew we wanted to be near Epcot and HS as the kids got older, so BLT wasn't really our first choice.
2, After BLT, we wanted an EP home resort, and somehow ended up with VGF instead. Oops.
3, right after DVC announced resale restrictions, I decided we needed "more points". Riviera direct was only about $5000 more than what I wanted at BLT resale, and with more years, no restrictions, and no ROFR. And it finally gave us an EP home resort.

During step 2 we made offers on multiple BCV and BWV contracts but none of them made it, so we got VGF resale which we are actually happy with (and added VGF direct points). By luck of timing, all of our points are unrestricted so it would be really hard to have to think about using restricted points so we don't lose them.

If and a big IF I ever decided I would only buy a minimal amount and it would have to be a smokin deal!

heh. that's what I said in early 2019. By April 2019 we'd bought our direct Riviera points.

I am never sure if any of the specific coffees should be blamed or simply the Florida water.

Seriously sometimes I think we are long lost relatives - I thought the same thing. And I have an environmental aversion to using bottled water, and our Owner's Locker doesn't have room for a Brita or other filter (which still is only partially effective). compared to making coffee in our room, Le Petit Cafe is a dream!

And this is how DIS-isms are born: "Rope-dropping Topolino's" - use that on the RIV-haters and watch their reaction.

 

[intamin]

And this is how DIS-isms are born: "Rope-dropping Topolino's" - use that on the RIV-haters and watch their reaction.

Do you guys think that RIV got more hate because new resale owners felt excluded from booking there so it was more of a well if I can't book there then I don't like it as opposed to it being more like I don't like it so I'm not going to book there if that makes sense? Also it being the first one to introduce such restrictions I think added a lot of hate. I don't hear it nearly as much for VDH although to be fair resale restrictions don't matter as much at DLR since there's only 2 DVC resorts there but also I don't really hear it as much for CFW either. CFW already being crippled by it's high dues but idk. If CCV had had restrictions put on it with it being a generally well loved resort, would RIV have looked better then?

Also with the introduction of the tower studios being the smallest room being built on property, would it not have gotten as much flak for having "small" rooms when in actuality it's rooms are among some of the largest in the DVC inventory consistently across the board? The number of clickbait youtube videos I saw of people talking about how small the rooms are when in reality it's JUST the tower studios that are small was actually quite frustrating. But anything for people to say Disney greedy, expensive and not worth I guess to drive up views. Idk, it's interesting to think about.

 

[Carouselofplanning]

This is so important and must be emphasized. Very well said!

This post is 100% the right way to evaluate the Riviera purchase. And underscores that the resale contract simply isn’t as valuable as original 14 resale contracts.

 

[Dodgerburt8]

This is so important and must be emphasized. Very well said!

Yes, other than the roughly $16k upfront saved on say a 160 point contract, there are no other savings.

 

[Brian Noble]

Do you guys think that RIV got more hate because new resale owners felt excluded from booking there so it was more of a well if I can't book there then I don't like it as opposed to it being more like I don't like it so I'm not going to book there if that makes sense?

I can't say.

I can tell you a story though. When my kids were little---not quite three and not quite one---the younger one was banging his spoon on his high chair table. We told him to stop. He kept banging. We took away the spoon, and the Biggest Tears You've Ever Seen started springing up in the corners of his eyes.

From across the table, the Wisdom of the Ages piped up from my daughter: "Don't cry, Russell. When mommy and daddy take something away from me, I just don't want it anymore."

Try parenting that child. I dare you.

 

[J-Dog]

Do you guys think that RIV got more hate because new resale owners felt excluded from booking there so it was more of a well if I can't book there then I don't like it as opposed to it being more like I don't like it so I'm not going to book there if that makes sense? Also it being the first one to introduce such restrictions I think added a lot of hate. I don't hear it nearly as much for VDH although to be fair resale restrictions don't matter as much at DLR since there's only 2 DVC resorts there but also I don't really hear it as much for CFW either. CFW already being crippled by it's high dues but idk. If CCV had had restrictions put on it with it being a generally well loved resort, would RIV have looked better then?

Also with the introduction of the tower studios being the smallest room being built on property, would it not have gotten as much flak for having "small" rooms when in actuality it's rooms are among some of the largest in the DVC inventory consistently across the board? The number of clickbait youtube videos I saw of people talking about how small the rooms are when in reality it's JUST the tower studios that are small was actually quite frustrating. But anything for people to say Disney greedy, expensive and not worth I guess to drive up views. Idk, it's interesting to think about.

IMO, I agree that, in some way, restrictions are what created the RIV hate, at least indirectly. Possibly subconsciously, people needed a tangible reason to convince themselves not to buy the new/fancy resort when it came out, so reasons to hate it were emphasized or even invented. And it eventually became the poster-child for restrictions, even though other and future resorts also have restrictions.

The only other reason I can think of is multiple very small things (that shouldn't necessarily be deal-breakers) - like minimal Disney theming, small lobby, stupid subjective things (like "it looks like a prison building"), etc - all added up to turned into hate. Because (again my opinion) there is no single detrimental issue with RIV that is any way significant enough to cause the hate that it gets.

 

[airjay75]

Do you guys think that RIV got more hate because new resale owners felt excluded from booking there so it was more of a well if I can't book there then I don't like it as opposed to it being more like I don't like it so I'm not going to book there if that makes sense? Also it being the first one to introduce such restrictions I think added a lot of hate.

My thought has always been, when RIV and the resale restrictions came along, all of the existing DVC owners really disliked the introduction of the resale restrictions. They were used to a very different DVC ecosystem where you could buy direct or resale, sell a few years later, and lose very little money (or even make a little money). They probably thought to themselves, well this RIV better be something really special and unique if it's worthy of these resale restrictions and long-term commitment - went into RIV skeptical. And, it was going to take A LOT to make them like it. If no resale restrictions had ever been introduced, some of those people might still not buy RIV - but, I don't think they'd be piping up every time someone expresses interest in buying there telling them why it sucks. I just don't see people doing that when someone expresses interest in buying PVB/PIT. I think CFW/VDH are just more niche products, both for different reasons, that are sort of in a different category. LSL will be an interesting one.

 

[J-Dog]

If no resale restrictions had ever been introduced, some of those people might still not buy RIV - but, I don't think they'd be piping up every time someone expresses interest in buying there telling them why it sucks.

This is pretty much what I was trying to say, too.

 

[Brian Noble]

I just don't see people doing that when someone expresses interest in buying PVB/PIT

I'm not sure it happens as often, but it certainly happens---usually either "the point chart is bats" or "it's way too busy."

 

[airjay75]

I'm not sure it happens as often, but it certainly happens---usually either "the point chart is bats" or "it's way too busy."

Agreed - probably should have said I don't notice it happening as much with PVB/PIT. And, it's just my personal perception which could very well be skewed by my own personal preferences.

 

[byurick]

LSL will probably include some crazy weird restrictions that none of us foresaw, then we will all reminisce about the good ole days and wish we'd bought more RIV points.

 

[J-Dog]

Agreed - probably should have said I don't notice it happening as much with PVB/PIT. And, it's just my personal perception which could very well be skewed by my own personal preferences.

Just for fun, someone should go back through the most recent "Resort Rankings" thread and count how many times RIV, Poly, CFW, etc, were ranked as the bottom resort, or the top resort, compared to how many people rank each one in the middle (assumingly those are more "indifferent" about said resort).

Might confirm or deny your perception. Or my perception of RIV that people either love it or hate it.

It would be fun to know the results, but I'm too lazy to actually do the counting.

 

[airjay75]

I'm too lazy to actually do the counting.

Same. LOL.

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

I just feel that coffee is a huge part of the experience of being in Europe, and more detail should be paid to that at Riviera specifically.

It should border on the best coffee you’ve had! And they should focus on European style coffee. The cappuccino should be unimpeachable.

I agree, and the coffee there for me at Le Petit is not great. I never get espresso from there due to its watered down taste and this last Dec. trip, even my teen kids said their drinks weren't great (normally they like it there, I never really have). Other than that though I am in the "I love RIV" club

 

[Girlstar30]

My thought has always been, when RIV and the resale restrictions came along, all of the existing DVC owners really disliked the introduction of the resale restrictions. They were used to a very different DVC ecosystem where you could buy direct or resale, sell a few years later, and lose very little money (or even make a little money). They probably thought to themselves, well this RIV better be something really special and unique if it's worthy of these resale restrictions and long-term commitment - went into RIV skeptical. And, it was going to take A LOT to make them like it. If no resale restrictions had ever been introduced, some of those people might still not buy RIV - but, I don't think they'd be piping up every time someone expresses interest in buying there telling them why it sucks. I just don't see people doing that when someone expresses interest in buying PVB/PIT. I think CFW/VDH are just more niche products, both for different reasons, that are sort of in a different category. LSL will be an interesting one.

They all get hate, people just like to complain Its completely unfair to say that any of these resorts arent really nice or tell people not to buy them because of a reason they may not even care about. There are people that love each one of them.

 

[Girlstar30]

Just for fun, someone should go back through the most recent "Resort Rankings" thread and count how many times RIV, Poly, CFW, etc, were ranked as the bottom resort, or the top resort, compared to how many people rank each one in the middle (assumingly those are more "indifferent" about said resort).

Might confirm or deny your perception. Or my perception of RIV that people either love it or hate it.

It would be fun to know the results, but I'm too lazy to actually do the counting.

I dont love or hate riv. Its more like if BWV is booked and im doing a trip thats more theme park focused, then bring on Riv!

 

[juliebee]

I'm not sure it happens as often, but it certainly happens---usually either "the point chart is bats" or "it's way too busy."

Agreed - probably should have said I don't notice it happening as much with PVB/PIT. And, it's just my personal perception which could very well be skewed by my own personal preferences.

And plenty of people say that PIT looks like an ugly hospital, which isn't complimentary either.
People love to hate Riviera, Poly, and CFW.