Why did you buy into Riviera?

[AKNOTTS66]

As a soon to be owner I’m wondering why Riviera owners bought into Riviera? Skyliner, theme, room layout and size, price, dining, location?
Just curious im wondering what the most popular reasons are.

I’m only looking for those that bought or are going to buy at Riviera. NOT WHY YOU ARE NOT BUYING INTO RIVIERA.

 

[€lairebear]

I was not planning to buy riviera. My plan was after buying at copper creek and grand Californian I’m done. However during our first welcome home stay I went to tour riviera ( I was curious and I wanted fast passes lol) ended up loving the room layout a lot. When riviera was first introduced I didn’t care for the design layout via videos and pictures. We rode the skyliner and love it (it brought back memories when I was a child, I used to ride on skyliners over in Asia where it was really humid with no air conditioning in it; same structure as wdw) I’m not worried about summer heat etc. I have sat on skyliners in the tropics (where humidity is all year round) and hot weather and it didn’t kill me nor did I feel as though I’m suffocating so I’m good with that. The room sold me, love the bathroom. Like how spacious everything felt. Plus Epcot is my favorite resort (first visit ever to wdw on our first welcome home stay at ccv). We know bcv and boardwalk are walkable but we don’t care I mean after a long day at the park I just want to get home (that’s just me). I would feel differently maybe if bcv and bw closeness to the park was equivalent to grand Californian and California adventure. But I know that’s never going to happen! If the skyliner breaks no worries there’s the bus or Uber. I know skyliner had some hiccups however what mode of transportation doesn’t? We rode the monorail and we really didn’t care for it. Felt the skyliner was more convenient and airflow was much better! Despite all the naysayers I’m glad we bought in. Same thing we did for ccv we bought sufficient points to allow us to book studios and one bedroom so we have more flexibility should standard studios ever get challenging to book in the future.
We never intended to buy dvc to make a profit which I noticed a lot of folks talk about making sure they can make back what they spent should they decide to sell in the future. That’s when we were researching about buying into dvc and debating between direct or resale. We have been owners since sept 2018 so we are still pretty new. We will be staying at riviera for the first time this Christmas so we are pumped although we will def miss staying at ccv which is our favorite mk resort.

 

[pineapplepalms]

Lots of reasons, but the main ones in order of consideration were:

1) Skyliner access to our two favorite parks - We've since taken the Skyliner many times and love it.

2) Length of contract - We wanted a resort with good access to EP/HS after our BWV contract expires.

3) Room size and layout - RIV has some of the larger DVC rooms, and even the 1BR has two Murphy beds. One thing I don't like about BWV is that 1BRs only have one real bed and we don't care for the sofabed, so it pushes us to booking 2BRs sooner. Those are harder to book at BWV since they're all lock-offs. I also like that RIV has room sizes ranging from Tower Studios up to GVs. We've since done the member tour and loved seeing all the room types in person.

4) Theme/decor - We really enjoy the decor and ambience.

5) Variety of dining options - We've since eaten at Primo Piatto and Topolino's and had coffee from Le Petit Cafe (loved their iced mocha). We're happy with all the options and especially enjoy the character breakfast at Topolino's (we've been a couple of times so far with our 1 and 3 year olds and it was a hit both times).

6) Price - With incentives, we felt like the price was reasonable considering it's a 50 year contract and we can use the points at any DVC resort. We don't love the resale restrictions, but we don't foresee selling and if we really needed to, we have other contracts at four L14 resorts we could sell too.

As an additional plus after buying... the CMs we've encountered there have been phenomenal.

 

[Royal Consort]

We are international owners and live closer to the Asian resorts. I enjoy the Asian deluxe resorts significantly more than any US Disney Resort. They have a level of sophistication I don't find stateside. When we were looking at buying in we knew we wanted more of a 'hotel' experience than a condo.

There were two options we were generally interested in: VGF and the new Riviera. Buying direct was somewhat important and the cost of Riviera direct was the same price as VGF resale.

Our reasons are the following:

1. Riviera is the closest to the Asian Disney resorts we love with the hotel having Disney character touches.

2. A hotel feel moreso than condos. Love the rooms.

3. Skyliner to 2 parks.

4. Option to purchase a fixed week for the Fall.

5. Love of Europe.

6. After getting married we purchased the DVC contract. The new resort begins our shared life together. Somewhere we can create new memories from the very start.

 

[Dizzydizney]

We had no intention of adding to our portfolio. We had a free afternoon back in May while at Disney and decided to take the tour at the mock up rooms at SSR....was curious, as we had watched the build going on at different phases. We left the tour with two 100 point contracts.
First....good price with preopening incentives.
Second....the rooms...the studios are large and bright. The two showers a definite plus. A nice kitchenette. Room for five without being crowded. The one bedroom is just amazing (spent a few nights in one). Although disappointed with the lack of a second bathroom, we’ve lived with the same type setup at BWV since 1997.
Third...expiration date. Although we are in our sixties, we are thinking ahead. Our boardwalk points will expire in 2042 and will be worthless, and I’m hoping to live to see that day. We will have BLT as our legacy for our kids and grandkids. Adding Riviera to our portfolio makes it even better. They can do as they wish when the time comes. But we intend on enjoying our retirement and reaping the fruits of our labor by doing things and spending our retirement funds on things we put off for too long.
Fourth....the resale market last year. We got a good price for our SSR points that we never used to stay there, plus the difficulty using them where we wanted to stay at 7 months was getting too troublesome. We can use our BWV points to stay there if we ever felt the urge, but it is cheaper to stay at BWV standard. So we put that money towards buying Riviera, and used some savings for the balance. I personally would not pay those high rates for a mortgage.
Fifth...the skyliner. Loved it for Epcot and HS. Now that I understand the reason for the intermittent slowdowns to load ECVs and such at the Riviera station, I’m pretty much okay with it. I know breakdowns are inevitable, so will always use the restroom before boarding.
Sixth...the resort itself. Enough has been said about it....and I personally don’t get why some are fixated on the lobby. It’s quite beautiful. There is no reason for it to be enormous. A waste of space. I normally spend no time in any lobby except to check in and people watch on a rainy day. I’m in Disney. Why would I want to hang out in the lobby? If you’re waiting for Magical Express there is more than enough seating plus the library area.

And the views. We had a standard view 1 bedroom. Sure we saw some parking area and the driveway. But we could see Epcot fireworks and MK fireworks. I have a feeling they will be reclassifying some views. I think the way it is now, preferred doesn’t see the parking areas and floor number doesn’t matter. Standard is parking lot, but I’m fine with that. We usually get theme park view at BLT and I don’t mind seeing the parking lot at all because I can also see the monorail, space mountain, the castle, Grand Floridian, the ferries going back and forth.

I know the resale restriction is keeping some away. But buying a timeshare with the hope of selling and recouping your money and then some may be a thing of the past going forward. DVC is a timeshare. People need to keep that in mind.

 

[npatellye]

1. We loved the convenience of Skyliner to two parks. While our kids are young now, we know MK won’t be as huge of a draw for them as HS and Epcot. On our last trip, we kept hopping back to HS because that’s where they wanted to be most often.

2. The difference between OKW direct and Riviera direct when we bought was $1300 but Riviera had 13 more years.

3. We don’t want to be in super themed resorts forever (we don’t really even like them now).

4. We wanted something with a full 50 years to enjoy as much as possible. With kids who were 4 and almost 7 at time of purchase, we wanted a place that we could all grow into.

 

[SMC23]

We always planned on adding on our initial direct points at CCV, however with the cost per point now at $220 vs what RIV was offering, it was a no brainier for us to add on more points at RIV and also benefit from dual Home resorts. Having CCV close to Magic Kingdom and RIV closer to Epcot will allow us to have more options when we vacation every other year.

Now if i was just buying in today between CCV and RIV, I would definitely choose RIV for its more upscale, modern, vibe. CCV reminds me too much of Great Wolf Lodge resorts.

 

[ookitarepanda]

When I was walking into my tour about a month ago, I had two things in mind: I would not buy direct from Disney and I would not buy Riviera. Then I completely did a 180.

1. Contract Length

2. Rooms are beautiful. Beds are comfy. Amenities are rad.

3. Location with Skyliner and buses that don't have to share with other stops or resorts. I wasn't sold on the Skyliner until I rode on it, but it's great.

4. Topolino's Terrace. Just read the menus.

5. First Welcome Home bonus perk for buying direct

6. Incentives (2019 points with no dues, price cut, etc.)

7. Possibly stay at future other resorts like the California one that may or may not happen.

 

[Sandisw]

We decided to sell BWV to buy RIV for a few reasons. One, I wanted to make my adult children owners and they seemed to like the idea of RIV with the Skyliner and easy access to Epcot and Hs,

I also liked the idea of giving up a 2042 resort for one that expires in 2070. Given the profit I would make on selling, it made a lot of sense,
.
I loved the idea of the tower studios for times when I went on a solo Trip which would be a point saver and comparable to lower priced studios elsewhere.

I loved the pictures and size of the rooms, etc. And, I even liked that CBR was close to have other food options or just options for walking around when not in the park.

My resorts of choice are BLT and VGF...and now RIV...but those points charts were comparable to a RIV so the charts didn’t bother me, I also knew owning there would give us the best chance at SV rooms too,

After visiting in December, I knew it was the right decision. Yes, I am giving up owning at a resort that is walkable, but nothing prevents me from staying at those because I own RiV, if I am with someone who wants to stay there,

Even if Skyliner goes down, I plan to just walk to BCV and Lyft back to RIV.

Just didn’t see any negatives to owning this over BWV. Given that my children are now direct owners, and have a contract lasting much longer, it was the best move!

 

[Akck]

We booked a stay at BWI and the cost got us thinking. We then learned about renting points and thought to go that way, but soon realized it could be difficult to get the exact days you want. That’s when buying became a consideration.

While researching DVC and resorts, we considered direct versus resale, including RIV resale restrictions and resale being restricted from new resorts. Our initial thoughts were to buy direct at any other resort than RIV. So, we started watching YouTube videos of resort walkthroughs. CCV was high on the list, but after seeing a video, the studio room size seemed cramped compared to RIV. This was confirmed when we did our tour.

So for us, it was:

1. Room size. Not feeling cramped in the room.
   
   
2. Skyliner. This was a highlight for us with the convenience to 2 parks. We did a round trip on it just to get a feel and timing of the ride.
   
   
3. Quick Service in the resort. While the BW bakery is good, it really doesn’t offer a wide selection for lunch or dinner. Plus, you have to walk outside to get to it.
   
   
4. Length of contract. As part of my analysis, I looked at selling after 10-15 years compared to BWV and BCV. I figured we could recoup more of initial cost at RIV compared to the other two which would be approaching $0 pp.

 

[carli_h]

I honestly was firmly on the no to Riviera side. Even posted on here I wasn’t keen on the location being opposite Caribbean Beach and the restrictions.

However, I love the Impressionism, expressionism and cubism art eras so when the room tours and the virtual walk through we’re posted I just fell in love with the resort.

We’d had a couple of resale contracts bought back by Disney and were seriously considering VGF resale or part SSR direct and part resale. In the end with discounts (we bought last May) we decided we were buying for our family not anyone else and whilst we’re not dismissing the resale restrictions we did not go in to DVC with the assumption we’d get our money back.

 

[E2ME2]

I honestly was firmly on the no to Riviera side. Even posted on here I wasn’t keen on the location being opposite Caribbean Beach and the restrictions.

However, I love the Impressionism, expressionism and cubism art eras so when the room tours and the virtual walk through we’re posted I just fell in love with the resort.

We’d had a couple of resale contracts bought back by Disney and were seriously considering VGF resale or part SSR direct and part resale. In the end with discounts (we bought last May) we decided we were buying for our family not anyone else and whilst we’re not dismissing the resale restrictions we did not go in to DVC with the assumption we’d get our money back.

How many RIV points did you buy, and when do you normally visit?
ET

 

[carli_h]

How many RIV points did you buy, and when do you normally visit?
ET

200 across 2 contracts. We visit every 18 months to 2 years.

No set time visiting. We like trying different times of the year but now limited to school holidays.

 

[Smoknchip]

1. Room size
2. 50 years on contract
3. double points in year 1.
4. food
5. skyliner
6. art / theming
7. Kids pool/slide
8. epcot access
9. room Layout
10. hs access

 

[RivShore]

To borrow Smokn's format and probably restate what many have said:

1. Rooms - overall design and size and studios sleep 5 in real beds and have 2 showers
2. 50 years on contract
3. double points in year 1
4. Purchase incentives making overall cost reasonable when compared to resorts with shorter contracts
5. Fully enclosed resort, much different than most other DVC resorts.
6. Ability to stay at future resorts
7. food
8. skyliner
9. epcot access
10. hs access
11. CBR access for more food choices

 

[Jack_Sparrow_NJ]

We already own resale at VGF and were looking to add-on a small contract. Our reasons were:

Skyliner - providing fast and efficient access to two parks

Room size - we are a family of five and can fit fairly comfortably in a studio if we like.

It’s brand new

 

[clayfolks]

We had no intention of buying. We went to the preview center at SSR with the hope of seeing a tower studio room. What we saw, and fell in love with, was the studio. We felt that this design corrected all the petty annoyances of the other studios we’ve stayed in. (We also own at AKV & Poly.)

 

[ninafeliz]

1. We loved the rooms- decor, size, and pull down beds instead of pull out couches.
2. Skyliner to 2 parks. If we can’t walk this seems to be second best.
3. Length of contract.
4 incentives bringing cost down to $169 a point.
5. 2BRs allow 9 people

we had thought we would like CCV better, but after seeing the rooms back to back we loved the riviera rooms and really loved the larger size since we will be having 9 in a 2BR when we bring grandparents (plus you can’t have do that at CCV). So despite liking WL overall better than Riviera (at least as of now and based on history) the room size, skyliner, and incentives won us over.

 

[ChimneyJim]

1. Style/Design
2. Skyliner
3. Tower Studios for weekends without the kids.
4. More adult vibe.

 

[rspencer38]

It ticked so many boxes for us when we bought but here are few of the major reasons:

1. 50 year contract and access to new resorts. It was important that we bought a resort with a long contract as we are only young and plan to use this resort for many many years. Also, it would kill me to not be able to stay at new resorts so buying direct was a must. I know we could have purchased direct at the other resorts but remaining contract length was a major influence in our decision.

2. Access to HS and EP. Although we love MK, being able to access EP and HS was more attractive than buying an MK resort. I think the skyliner is significantly superior to the monorail and we love the short amount of time it takes to get to either park.

3. Size of the room, as it is one of the bigger DVC room layouts

4. Theme - we were blown away by how much we loved the theme of the resort. It was absolutely gorgeous with all the right subtle Disney design elements. We've been to just about every DVC resort but were never blown away quite like we were at Riviera.