Riviera Sales by the numbers (vs CCV) for 2019 - (December added 1/16/2020)

[The Jackal]

I think I read in another thread that Disney has a hard time selling resorts outside the parks (which I am not sure the statement is accurate) but if true I am not sure you could use that as an example.

Aulani went on sale before VGF, PVB CCV and now RIV and Reflections is next. The expiration date is Jan of 2062. So it probably went on sale in 2011. That’s 8 years ago and it is like half sold out. DVC has pretty much stopped pushing it.

I don’t know how long it took to sell out HHI and VB, I don’t think it took 8 years.

 

[CarolMN]

Some of the posts are getting quite personal. I've been letting them go because the people involved seem to be experienced enough with internet back & forth to keep things in perspective. I'm starting to get uncomfortable, though and now ask that if you're involved in the "back and forth", please pay more attention to how you are quoting and responding to others.

Let's go back to posting facts, opinions and ideas that are on topic and helpful to everyone, and avoid the comments directed at another person's "personality".

Thanks for understanding.

 

[CarolMN]

Aulani went on sale before VGF, PVB CCV and now RIV and Reflections is next. The expiration date is Jan of 2062. So it probably went on sale in 2011. That’s 8 years ago and it is like half sold out. DVC has pretty much stopped pushing it.......(snip).......

From Post #4 of the DVC Resource Center:

July 1, 2010 -- Aulani Hawaii (AHV) sales begin at $120. Incentives are available. Resort to open in Fall, 2011.

 

[lmhall2000]

Having just visited Aulani last week- I doubt it will ever sell out. It will likely stay in a flux- Orlando is accessible by many modes of transportation- Aulani is not. We live in TX and it took us 3 flights to get there (we snagged the $49 SWA fare), we absolutely loved Aulani and considered buying direct then resale- but now have thought it through and forgotten what a great resort it was- and emotions took a backseat. Just like with Riviera- too many variables prevent you from embracing it as a solid option when there are 14 others to look at.

 

[RivShore]

...It is ironic that due to the resale restrictions I went and bought 160 points resale rather than direct; the exact opposite of what disney intended the restrictions to do.

And double ironicly, we recently ended up buying direct because we did not like the L14 restrictions on resales. Apparently their new restrictions are canceling each other out... ;-)

 

[RivShore]

Before we go assuming sales at Riviera are slower than prior resorts, (and no, one or 2 months does not signify a trend yet), we have to find a similar resort to compare to. All of the recent ones were additions to welll known and well loved resorts (CCV, VGF, Poly,...). Was there a prior DVC resort that was DVC from the ground up, like RIV? That would be the only good comparison - how's it doing compared to another resort that went on sale while under construction.

 

[Marionnette]

Before we go assuming sales at Riviera are slower than prior resorts, (and no, one or 2 months does not signify a trend yet), we have to find a similar resort to compare to. All of the recent ones were additions to welll known and well loved resorts (CCV, VGF, Poly,...). Was there a prior DVC resort that was DVC from the ground up, like RIV? That would be the only good comparison - how's it doing compared to another resort that went on sale while under construction.

SSR

Went on sale in the fall of 2003 and sold out of its 13M+ points by July, 2008. So just under 5 years to sell 13+ million points. The Treehouses were added in 2009, adding another 900K+ points which sold out in Feb. 2012.

RIV has 6.7M points, less than half the number that SSR has. So, it should sell out in less than half the time it took SSR, right? Especially given the high points chart when you compare the two, and that SSR’s final 3 years fell during the recession.

 

[heapmaster]

All such great points. A few weeks ago, I never thought I’d even entertain buying a contract at Rivera because of the price per point, and the restriction on resale. Not that I intended to sell, but it wasn’t something I figured made sense,

Then I got talking with my adult kids, and met with a guide this past week with my DD, and it got me thinking. They like the resort, and wouldn’t mind owning there,

So now, I am thinking of selling a contract with 2042 to rebuy with them as owners At RIV. They not only become qualified members, but we need up with points that expire 28 years later.

With the current market and and what I paid, including the discount for what I am buying, including the small CM discount, it brings my net cost for this set of points down to a reasonable number,

Plenty of other points to sell if I had to.so, it really all depends. Now, to be honest, if the direct pricing was better for Poly or CCV, I’d probably consider those, but I guess it’s a never say never,

And I am pretty knowledgeable above it so if I take the plunge, I’ll share!

If your room choice all being equal for head count between RIV and CC/Poly, I wonder if buying CCV direct or Poly direct at the higher price will save you money over the life of you keeping the contract due to better point charts (points going farther/needing less points, plus no resale restrictions) and dues vs buying direct with RIV.....

 

[Sandisw]

If your room choice all being equal for head count between RIV and CC/Poly, I wonder if buying CCV direct or Poly direct at the higher price will save you money over the life of you keeping the contract due to better point charts (points going farther/needing less points, plus no resale restrictions) and dues vs buying direct with RIV.....

I currently own 800 points so any change I make will keep it pretty much the same level...780. I spend my points now at higher priced so not really concerned about that. But I did compare points charts and SV is comparable to what I like to use my points for now. Plus, if I ever have to conserve points, I’ll just spend some time at SSR! Lol

The difference in MFs over what I would sell vs RIV isn’t that much but trading a 2042 contract for a 2070 one is pretty enticing.

Still going through it all and the key is selling what I own first if I do decide.

 

[RivShore]

SSR

Went on sale in the fall of 2003 and sold out of its 13M+ points by July, 2008. So just under 5 years to sell 13+ million points. The Treehouses were added in 2009, adding another 900K+ points which sold out in Feb. 2012.

RIV has 6.7M points, less than half the number that SSR has. So, it should sell out in less than half the time it took SSR, right? Especially given the high points chart when you compare the two, and that SSR’s final 3 years fell during the recession.

SSR does sound like it might be a good baseline . How far ahead of completion did the points go on sale? And this was an existing resort wasn't it - The Disney Institute? So you could at least get a feel for it before it opened as DVC. In addition to all the other things mentioned here that would give people pause before buying RIV, I think the fact that you can't touch and feel any part of it is significant.

 

[RivShore]

The Treehouses were added in 2009, adding another 900K+ points which sold out in Feb. 2012.

The Treehouses too were already in exhistance since at least the late '70's...I know this because my parents put a deposit on purchasing one outright from Disney in the mid-'70's. Then Disney pulled the rug out from under them, sent the deposit back and said they were going to rent them out as part of thier hotel inventory instead of selling them outright. What would one of those be worth today??

 

[zavandor]

I currently own 800 points so any change I make will keep it pretty much the same level...780. I spend my points now at higher priced so not really concerned about that. But I did compare points charts and SV is comparable to what I like to use my points for now. Plus, if I ever have to conserve points, I’ll just spend some time at SSR! Lol

The difference in MFs over what I would sell vs RIV isn’t that much but trading a 2042 contract for a 2070 one is pretty enticing.

Still going through it all and the key is selling what I own first if I do decide.

I think standard view has a chance to be quite ugly: looking at the front of the hotel, with a busy road and other noises coming from the entrance. I've been twice at BWV standard and the view wasn't terrible, with trees and a road in the distance.
Preferred view is a lot of points and it's yet to be seen if it'll be possible to see some fireworks from the rooms.
This is one of those things it's better to assess when the resort opens, possibly with a stay there.
Why don't you wait and book a stay before taking a decision?

 

[Sandisw]

I think standard view has a chance to be quite ugly: looking at the front of the hotel, with a busy road and other noises coming from the entrance. I've been twice at BWV standard and the view wasn't terrible, with trees and a road in the distance.
Preferred view is a lot of points and it's yet to be seen if it'll be possible to see some fireworks from the rooms.
This is one of those things it's better to assess when the resort opens, possibly with a stay there.
Why don't you wait and book a stay before taking a decision?

It is right now in the evaluating stage but views from the room are not that important to us as we tend not to spend a lot of time out there. We just had a boardwalk view room and honestly, not a big deal.

I do know the preferred views are in line points wise with Poly and VGF, but I am okay with that since I spend points there too.

I’ll be doing more solo trips now that I am retired so I could see trying for those tower rooms a few times a year. I’ve stated at so many of the resorts lately that while VGF remains my favorite, I can see staying at any of them if need be. And, if I need to save points ever, I have SSR and BWV standard as back up given what I own,

But, we will see. It all depends on selling a contract first..if we decide to do it. Like I said, main reason is my adult children and since they seem to be impressed with the resort and like the idea of the gondolas to/from the two parks, it’s on the table like I never thought it would be!

 

[Bing Showei]

I have always been of the opinion that the best deal for new resorts is to buy direct when first released. The difference between resale and retail was minimal. Anyone buying RIV direct is getting the best deal they can, except the new restrictions have changed everything.

For me the restrictions make RIV like any other timeshare and PERSONALLY I do not understand why people buy those timeshares. For ME this does not make RIV a smart financial decision. RIV buyers feel differently. If they are secure in their decision why does it matter that I don’t think it’s a smart decision. People think I’M crazy for visiting WDW 6 times already in 2019. I don’t defend my choices to anyone.

Like your other posts that I often find myself agreeing with, I also feel that the new restrictions change everything.

So much so that I feel Riviera and every timeshare moving forward is going to be a shadow of what came before it. I cannot see myself buying in without first being proven wrong about how I foresee this new model impacting the historically observed popularity of Disney’s timeshare.

I also worry about what this portends for the future of a product that built its popularity on flexibility. That flexibility is destroyed with the new restrictions and my biggest worry is how much of the system the new restrictions will take down with it.

I appreciate and understand all of that. But any issue I have with the restrictions lay squarely with Disney and the developers who came up with this new model.

I want these new restrictions to fail. I will be vocal about how this model hurts the ownership to the benefit of Disney only. I just don’t see how disparaging owners who do buy in furthers that objective.

 

[Spark65]

Like your other posts that I often find myself agreeing with, I also feel that the new restrictions change everything.

So much so that I feel Riviera and every timeshare moving forward is going to be a shadow of what came before it. I cannot see myself buying in without first being proven wrong about how I foresee this new model impacting the historically observed popularity of Disney’s timeshare.

I also worry about what this portends for the future of a product that built its popularity on flexibility. That flexibility is destroyed with the new restrictions and my biggest worry is how much of the system the new restrictions will take down with it.

I appreciate and understand all of that. But any issue I have with the restrictions lay squarely with Disney and the developers who came up with this new model.

I want these new restrictions to fail. I will be vocal about how this model hurts the ownership to the benefit of Disney only. I just don’t see how disparaging owners who do buy in furthers that objective.

It will take a while to prove whether the restrictions hurt or not I just hope you have the fortitude to stay on top of it all.

 

[Madame]

Like your other posts that I often find myself agreeing with, I also feel that the new restrictions change everything.

So much so that I feel Riviera and every timeshare moving forward is going to be a shadow of what came before it. I cannot see myself buying in without first being proven wrong about how I foresee this new model impacting the historically observed popularity of Disney’s timeshare.

I also worry about what this portends for the future of a product that built its popularity on flexibility. That flexibility is destroyed with the new restrictions and my biggest worry is how much of the system the new restrictions will take down with it.

I appreciate and understand all of that. But any issue I have with the restrictions lay squarely with Disney and the developers who came up with this new model.

I want these new restrictions to fail. I will be vocal about how this model hurts the ownership to the benefit of Disney only. I just don’t see how disparaging owners who do buy in furthers that objective.

No one is actively disparaging. The “condescending” poster got the word “knowledgeable” from Pete and Zavander a few pages back. This entire discussion began with a poster maintaining that “people” whoever they are, just wanted to see RIV owners lose money

No one anywhere on this thread (that I have seen) has actively been criticizing the buyers. Some of us are ESL, so maybe a word choice was not the most appropriate. I am not responsible for others’ interpretation of anti-restriction / anti-RIV posts. This is a discussion for another thread, one I personally want no part in

 

[Marionnette]

SSR does sound like it might be a good baseline . How far ahead of completion did the points go on sale? And this was an existing resort wasn't it - The Disney Institute? So you could at least get a feel for it before it opened as DVC. In addition to all the other things mentioned here that would give people pause before buying RIV, I think the fact that you can't touch and feel any part of it is significant.

The Disney Institute was not part of DVC or any other resort. It was a learning institution that never caught on. The majority of its buildings were leveled to make way for SSR. When SSR opened it was nothing like the DI.

The Treehouses too were already in exhistance since at least the late '70's...I know this because my parents put a deposit on purchasing one outright from Disney in the mid-'70's. Then Disney pulled the rug out from under them, sent the deposit back and said they were going to rent them out as part of thier hotel inventory instead of selling them outright. What would one of those be worth today??

Those treehouses were originally housing for the CP...they were never part of a Disney hotel.

That’s kind of cool piece of SSR history. Imagine if your parents had been able to purchase a Treehouse! That would have been an awesome deal.

 

[RivShore]

The Disney Institute was not part of DVC or any other resort. It was a learning institution that never caught on. The majority of its buildings were leveled to make way for SSR. When SSR opened it was nothing like the DI.

OK, Good to know. I knew DI was not part of DVC but had assumed the buldings were just remodeled.

Those treehouses were originally housing for the CP...they were never part of a Disney hotel.

That’s kind of cool piece of SSR history. Imagine if your parents had been able to purchase a Treehouse! That would have been an awesome deal.

Really appreciate all the resort history you have! Do you recall if they were ever rented out? I'm pretty sure the letter Disney sent back with the deposit check claimed they were going to rent them rather than sell them. I thought they only became CM housing later, after the upkeep became too much. (We actually have an original sales folder from way back then, it is a unique piece of WDW history.)

 

[CarolMN]

We stayed in one of the original tree houses in 1987, long before they were used for college program housing. I do not remember what the per night charge was, but they were definitely one of the WDW resorts. That wasn't the first year they were open, either. The tree houses were featured in the Birnbaum "official WDW" books. IIRC, I even used a coupon included in that year's edition.

Again, IIRC, when it came time to remodel/ update them, Disney couldn't get required permits to do what they wanted to do. Believe it was for environmental reasons. That's when they decided to use them for the CP housing. Later, they were able to update them in a way that met the requirements, and that's when they became DVC/SSR.

That's what I remember. Would like to stay in one again, sometime.

 

[skier_pete]

The Disney Institute was not part of DVC or any other resort. It was a learning institution that never caught on. The majority of its buildings were leveled to make way for SSR. When SSR opened it was nothing like the DI.

Those treehouses were originally housing for the CP...they were never part of a Disney hotel.

That’s kind of cool piece of SSR history. Imagine if your parents had been able to purchase a Treehouse! That would have been an awesome deal.

Just a correction - the treehouses were originally for guests - but they were a little too out of the way and Disney decided to close them, and THEN turned them into CP housing.