Which to Buy Direct? - Head says Riviera, Heart leaning towards Boardwalk...

[Frugal Fairy Tales]

Under the Nov 4 - Dec 15 incentives I am debating Riviera vs Boardwalk. The Riviera rooms are much better doesn't expire until 2070, but it seems isolated and has higher points charts. The Boardwalk has an unmatched location but the rooms are nothing special and it expires in 2042. If only the Riviera rooms were inside the Boardwalk I'd have a clear winner! Help

 

[DVChris]

Boardwalk was last refurbished in 2014. I wonder if they will rehab in the near future, maybe after BRV? Does a potential refurbish sway your decision?

 

[CarolynFH]

The standard response here is, if you're staying at RIV, will you be sad you're not at BWV, and vice versa?

As above, BWV will get refurbs, and RIV will show wear and tear too.

Finally, I'll admit I'm biased, but our BWV points go a LOT farther there than at RIV. Means bigger villas, longer stays.

 

[MICKIMINI]

20 years is still a long time...follow your heart!

 

[thanxfornoticin]

20 years is still a long time...follow your heart!

I agree! As we've seen the past 2 years, a lot of unexpected stuff can happen, and that's especially true in the next 20 years. If BW is your dream location/resort, go for it and enjoy it for 20 years. Who knows, maybe something more interesting pops up in the next 10 and you add on later!

 

[Frugal Fairy Tales]

Boardwalk was last refurbished in 2014. I wonder if they will rehab in the near future, maybe after BRV? Does a potential refurbish sway your decision?

Good point, but it's more than just the wear and tear. Riviera rooms are bigger and studios have 2 showers!

 

[Sandisw]

Good point, but it's more than just the wear and tear. Riviera rooms are bigger and studios have 2 showers!

They are and that is something to consider. Owning at RIV allows you book SV rooms a lot more easily as an owner which at least helps offset the point chart differences.

We love the SV rooms and having fireworks from the balcony is a nice feature.

But, but it is a lot of money, no matter which one you pick to buy anywhere that would be a disappointment if that is where you had to stay if you can’t get a favorite.

Now we sold BWV to buy RIV because we love it but also due to the longer contract. For times we traveled, if any of the guests wanted BWV, we usually could get garden view at 7 months.

We also wanted it for our adult kids to use a lot longer and 22 years left on BW…when we bought RIV…:was no longer a plus so we sold one and bought the other.

Now the cost of BWV will be sunk in 2042. You will still have some value in RIV. Even with resale restrictions it will be worth more than 0 in 20 years.

HAving said all that, if having BWV will make you happy especially to stretch points it’s worth it in the end.

 

[kilik64]

RIV, the math is pretty bad for BWV with only 20 years left. You can always try to get in BWV at 7 months.

 

[Frugal Fairy Tales]

They are and that is something to consider. Owning at RIV allows you book SV rooms a lot more easily as an owner which at least helps offset the point chart differences.

We love the SV rooms and having fireworks from the balcony is a nice feature.

But, but it is a lot of money, no matter which one you pick to buy anywhere that would be a disappointment if that is where you had to stay if you can’t get a favorite.

Now we sold BWV to buy RIV because we love it but also due to the longer contract. For times we traveled, if any of the guests wanted BWV, we usually could get garden view at 7 months.

We also wanted it for our adult kids to use a lot longer and 22 years left on BW…when we bought RIV…:was no longer a plus so we sold one and bought the other.

Now the cost of BWV will be sunk in 2042. You will still have some value in RIV. Even with resale restrictions it will be worth more than 0 in 20 years.

HAving said all that, if having BWV will make you happy especially to stretch points it’s worth it in the end.

Do you miss being able to walk to Epcot and HS?

 

[Sandisw]

Do you miss being able to walk to Epcot and HS?

Nope, not at all. To be honest, many of the people I go with now use scooters, or appreciate not having to do the extra walking that comes with that resort. We have so far been very lucky to have had no issues with the Skyliner.

We split stay a lot so we do VGF or BLT for part of the trip for ease to MK and then RIV for Epcot and HS. Since AK is a bus anyway, it doesn't matter when we do it...thought we don't always do that park every trip either.

The last time I stayed at BWV with a friend, her knee did not allow the extra walking so we had to use the boat to/from BWV anyway. Now, this last trip, we hung out at Epcot after the fireworks were over and took our time to get to the Skyliner. By the time we got there, the line was not that long...though we did have a person on a scooter so got in faster...but had she not been with us, we would have waited no more than 10 minutes to get ourselves on one. We waited over 20 minutes for a bus back to VGF one day from AK around 4:00 pm.

 

[princesscinderella]

Depending on your travel patterns and how many points you were planning on purchasing maybe the answer it to buy a little of both. Buy the bulk of points at RIV (150 minimum)or a fixed week standard view studio if you tend to go around the same time and then a smaller point contract at BWV for a 3 day weekend getaway.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Do you miss being able to walk to Epcot and HS?

The Skyliner is the greatest thing ever.

I know you CAN walk to HS from the Crescent Lake resorts, but I don't know why anyone would want to. It's a long, ugly walk, and it's miserably hot for 6 months out of the year.

I personally would never buy Direct, never buy a 2042 resort, and never buy Riviera, so I'm the wrong person to give advice here for all sorts of reasons. But I would absolutely not rank Riviera below the Boardwalk strictly from a convenience factor.

 

[Theta]

I know you CAN walk to HS from the Crescent Lake resorts, but I don't know why anyone would want to. It's a long, ugly walk, and it's miserably hot for 6 months out of the year.

This just goes to show there is something for everyone. We rarely take the boat to HS from BW or BC, 95% of the time we walk. One of our fondest memories is when ROTR first opening we walked over in the early morning to get a boarding group number. It was very much still dark, but, oh, the lights of HS in the distance, the sounds, the chill in the air, it was all awesome!

 

[Arthur2990]

I bought BWV in 2019 as our first contract and have never regretted it. We have purchased at other resorts, my husband will NOT let me use our BWV points to stay anywhere else. WE love it that much. That's the thing about DVC is that IMO there isn't one perfect resort all have + and - to them. Buy where you want to stay.. We use the 11mo advantage to book standard view rooms at BWV to save on the points. The pool/garden views are not worth the extra points to me.