RIV 50 Points Direct or 75 Resale

[hilltopper152]

As the title states, I am considering several options for buying more points. Currently I own 160 at BLT resale. I would like to add a few studio nights on my stay and most importantly expand my 11 month window for another location. The 7 month window has been good to me during my usual visits (lower point times like Jan). I originally considered the value of Saratoga and we liked it for a few nights on arrival or departure portions of the trip. Looking into direct due so I can have some points that allow me to stay in newer resorts going forward which brings RIV into question. Originally I targeted 35ish points for Saratoga but RIV would require me to add in at 50.

With all that said... 50 points direct is somewhat in line with the cost of 75 points resale. I love the boardwalk area but refuse to buy in at the price for 20 years of life left in contracts. So I view the RIV is the only epcot resort option and like that I have the ability to access the area for 2 studio nights at least each trip even if the resort is not perfect (based on several site day visits - excluding the room). This is very much a me question but what do you all think makes sense? 1. Stick with a tiny saratoga contract when it pops up? 2. Is RIV actually a resort I would want over other options for "tiny" contracts 3. Will I regret going 50 points direct and not taking those extra 25 points through resale?

Resale limits me to that one location which naturally makes me nervous as I like mixing up things and doing various split stays but feel foolish paying the same going direct for less points. Just the flexibility to use those points for one night stay at a new resort seemed nice and of course the use year would perfectly align which I think matters to me. Thank you for any comments you may have.

		PerPoint		Points	Cost	Closing	Total Cost		Points	Pre closing Cost
Riveria	Direct	$217		50	$10,850	$600	$11,450		75	$16,275
Riveria	Resale	$146		50	$7,300	$600	$7,900		75	$10,950
Riveria	Difference	$71			$3,550	$0	$3,550			$5,325

 

[CarolMN]

Don't buy Riviera resale UNLESS you are willing to stay there every trip (or at least every other year if you go annually) and plan to book during the home resort priority period.

 

[Sandisw]

I do own resale RIV but I will say that having some direct VGF points in the same membership is a big plus to making sure that I don’t end up with stranded points since I can use those at 7 months if need be, even if I have to upgrade my room size.

If your resale points for BLT can not be used at RIV, then I would go with the direct points instead.

 

[hilltopper152]

Don't buy Riviera resale UNLESS you are willing to stay there every trip (or at lestt every other year if you go annually) and plan to book during the home resort priority period.

Well I have not stayed there but based on my personal restrictions, it being the only resort I buy in at for epcot, I am open to staying everytime. 50-75 points is not much and I always split stay a total of 8 nights. I also always book at 11 months and tinker at 7 months. I guess my main fear is exactly what you called out... is it worth staying there every time or every other time.... if I went resale. Do people think there is value in that and would recommend it? I am sure some will but is there a better option for the money? If I buy direct it really encourages me to stay everytime the same way but like that I could use my points at newer resorts if those days come.

 

[hilltopper152]

I do own resale RIV but I will say that having some direct VGF points in the same membership is a big plus to making sure that I don’t end up with stranded points since I can use those at 7 months if need be, even if I have to upgrade my room size.

If your resale points for BLT can not be used at RIV, then I would go with the direct points instead.

Yeah my Resale contract was bought right after they changed the rules.... I am not able to use my BLT at newer resorts like RIV. That is why I was considering buying a few direct points at sold out resorts (saratoga) or buying RIV resale. If I got RIV resale, I will be in the same boat with the next new resort possibly. I hate these restrictions so much lol

 

[bobbiwoz]

I would buy the RIV direct. I hope you enjoy staying at RIV as much as we did. Don’t own there, but do like it. I think resale RIV points are too restrictive.

 

[hilltopper152]

I would buy the RIV direct. I hope you enjoy staying at RIV as much as we did. Don’t own there, but do like it. I think resale RIV points are too restrictive.

They are... The extra 25 points probably won't amount to valuable enough considering the difficulty they require to deal with.

 

[sethschroeder]

Depends on if you want to stay at RIV every time or not. If I were doing it today with prices where they are at I would likely to RIV Resale over anything else.

The resort is great IMO and the downside of restricted availability is going to take 20-30 years.

People always bring it up but do you hear about not getting in to BCV? BWV? VGF? These are all places people buy and buy resale specifically to stay at a vast majority of the time.

The place you hear of people NOT getting in to is CCV and that stems from a poorly balanced point chart which RIV does not have the same issues of.

Additionally if you are semi-flexible on dates I would never worry much about getting in to the resort.

Also one thing to remember is more and more people buy resale elsewhere and are locked out from trading in to RIV as well. Your biggest risk is simply if you wait until 7 months out to book but can't say we book anything that close out really unless we happen to like last summer and this coming summer decide to try out a 2BR at VGF or BCV.

Be aware though I am 100% a fan of staying around Epcot and I find the monorail resorts a headache because of the security requirement to get on the monorail, limited food options (compared to the Epcot area), and close to a park we typically don't end the night in (prefer Epcot area for dinner with limited rides).

 

[hilltopper152]

Depends on if you want to stay at RIV every time or not. If I were doing it today with prices where they are at I would likely to RIV Resale over anything else.

The resort is great IMO and the downside of restricted availability is going to take 20-30 years.

People always bring it up but do you hear about not getting in to BCV? BWV? VGF? These are all places people buy and buy resale specifically to stay at a vast majority of the time.

The place you hear of people NOT getting in to is CCV and that stems from a poorly balanced point chart which RIV does not have the same issues of.

Additionally if you are semi-flexible on dates I would never worry much about getting in to the resort.

Also one thing to remember is more and more people buy resale elsewhere and are locked out from trading in to RIV as well. Your biggest risk is simply if you wait until 7 months out to book but can't say we book anything that close out really unless we happen to like last summer and this coming summer decide to try out a 2BR at VGF or BCV.

Be aware though I am 100% a fan of staying around Epcot and I find the monorail resorts a headache because of the security requirement to get on the monorail, limited food options (compared to the Epcot area), and close to a park we typically don't end the night in (prefer Epcot area for dinner with limited rides).

Funny you see MK area as limited on food as I believe there is actually more food options and only struggle for bites to eat in BW area. Not sure why but guess it's subjective. We do like both areas but we have a 2 year old and want more kids so having a bit of both areas would be nice. Ideally RIV would be a primary stay for us but I do like boardwalk and others. I also will want to stay in poly tower or maybe out in Cali. Right now my BLT resale locks me out of all of that. So if I go resale I get more for my money but also don't get to ever stay anywhere else. Direct Saratoga saves a few bucks but figured that 11 month window is important at Riv. Someone commented above above having points get stranded and that was a good point. I can't bring in my resale points to book but I could use points elsewhere with direct contract. A important consideration.

 

[sethschroeder]

Funny you see MK area as limited on food as I believe there is actually more food options and only struggle for bites to eat in BW area.

Not sure what you are talking about honestly or what kind of food you are looking for.

Epcot, BC, YC, BW, Swan, Dolphin, RIV, CBR, HS

There is a literal ton of options. Just Epcot alone has more than all of MK and the MK resorts combined regarding variety. Then lets add in about 90% of the year there is a festival in Epcot going as well.

Disney Springs Resorts do give it a run for its money though with the variety of options they have.

 

[hilltopper152]

Not sure what you are talking about honestly or what kind of food you are looking for.

Epcot, BC, YC, BW, Swan, Dolphin, RIV, CBR, HS

There is a literal ton of options. Just Epcot alone has more than all of MK and the MK resorts combined regarding variety. Then lets add in about 90% of the year there is a festival in Epcot going as well.

Disney Springs Resorts do give it a run for its money though with the variety of options they have.

Adding a park into the calculation makes it a little off balance. You may have unlimited park passes or annual pass but we do not ha. The monorail loop includes unique quality quick service and much more last minute availability at dinning establishments. Last time at BC we literally could not sit at any restaurant around BW and settled for a quick service sandwich. Epcot resorts have settled back in and opened up more but was not impressed with quick functional restaurants as a perk. Definitely options but it's not crushing monorail loop. I am excited Flying Fish came back as I love it and swan area is another off-site property that comes in handy.

 

[SLThomas318]

I would buy direct… those few extra resale points are not going to matter much if you are only looking to book a couple of nights at Riviera. It sounds like you want some flexibility and resale Riviera will not give you that. We bought in when our youngest was just shy of 2 and he just turned 6… you will be surprised at how your DVC wants/needs will change over just the next few years (and again with more kids). I would want “flexible” points at this stage.

 

[hilltopper152]

I would buy direct… those few extra resale points are not going to matter much if you are only looking to book a couple of nights at Riviera. It sounds like you want some flexibility and resale Riviera will not give you that. We bought in when our youngest was just shy of 2 and he just turned 6… you will be surprised at how your DVC wants/needs will change over just the next few years (and again with more kids). I would want “flexible” points at this stage.

Good advice. We want 2 kids at least in the end and I am sure things change. BLT is great now but we know we often find different stays at 7 months when they pop up. Down the road we may do less studios and go every other year. You probably are right about direct but still a lot of money for us. Really asking myself if we want to spend that extra now or wait another year. Direct surely is easier.

 

[sethschroeder]

Adding a park into the calculation makes it a little off balance. You may have unlimited park passes or annual pass but we do not ha.

I would always have park hoppers at WDW honestly and we never basically go to Epcot to start the day. Go to MK, HS, AK to start the day then rest back at the resort then off to Epcot in the evening.

The one missing area is that Victoria and Alberts has no equal but at the same time that is not something we are ever doing more than once anyways.


Sit down:
Ale and Compass
Beaches and Cream
Big River Grille
Bluezoo - Dolphin
Cape May
Flying Fish
Fountain - Dolphin
Garden Grove - Swan
Mulino
Kimonos
Sebastians Bistro - great "value" sitdown
Shulas
Topolinos
Trattoria
Yachtsman


Quick Service:
Beach Club Marketplace
Boardwalk Deli
Boardwalk Pizza Window
Banana Cabana
Bar Riva
Boardwalk Ice Cream
Cake Bake Bakeshop - Boardwalk (coming soon)
Centertown Market - CBR
Fuel - Dolphin
Hurricane Hanna
Landscape of Flavors - AOA
Leaping Horse Libations
Picabu - Dolphin
Primo Piatto - Best QS at WDW imo
Spyglass Grill - CBR

 

[hilltopper152]

I would always have park hoppers at WDW honestly and we never basically go to Epcot to start the day. Go to MK, HS, AK to start the day then rest back at the resort then off to Epcot in the evening.

The one missing area is that Victoria and Alberts has no equal but at the same time that is not something we are ever doing more than once anyways.


Sit down:
Ale and Compass
Beaches and Cream
Big River Grille
Bluezoo - Dolphin
Cape May
Flying Fish
Fountain - Dolphin
Garden Grove - Swan
Mulino
Kimonos
Sebastians Bistro - great "value" sitdown
Shulas
Topolinos
Trattoria
Yachtsman


Quick Service:
Beach Club Marketplace
Boardwalk Deli
Boardwalk Pizza Window
Banana Cabana
Bar Riva
Boardwalk Ice Cream
Cake Bake Bakeshop - Boardwalk (coming soon)
Centertown Market - CBR
Fuel - Dolphin
Hurricane Hanna
Landscape of Flavors - AOA
Leaping Horse Libations
Picabu - Dolphin
Primo Piatto - Best QS at WDW imo
Spyglass Grill - CBR

Yeah we save money on park tickets. Maybe 4 days on 8 day trip. I know there is options and some good ones in that list but that's a wide net of walking to connect all those. My problem specifically is with boardwalk area... The 3 resorts there (I guess I swan is okay but not Disney in my eyes). The quick service is simply piss poor in quality. The sit down is overcrowded and places like beaches and cream are hard to get and not great. Rivera, flying fish, a few over at swan and Epcot together as bonuses make it great. Beach and yacht side is just blah for me.

My problem is I have a 2 year old and family who just want to get food and go on. Sometimes convincing a group to do a mile walk to back of swan for a meal isn't ideal.... Guess we will get warm meatloaf at the beach club gift shop lol. It's a me thing for sure. I love the area around there but not always been great for us. This new bake shop will be an excellent addition and even more reason I would like to spend more time in that area.

In the spirit of learning... What would be your go to 3 places to get a quick meal without too muss fuss?

 

[Nursemanit]

Different answer

Based on assumed age ( having a 2 y/o) Sell your 160 BLT and buy 200+ VGF (or poly 2 if you wait a year) direct. No restrictions, blue card, similar MF, best pricing now, and no issue getting RR, SSR, or Poly at 7 months. They are also easier to rent than RR if you wanted to stop going for a few years ( if kids get into sports/band it gets hard to plan WDW)

The second you add RR you will regret having a mix of resale and direct. I know I am looking to dump my resale at Poly and buy direct when poly 2 opens.

There is no reason to walk to the Dolphin when you have a boat and they have the best kids' counter service for the money at the fountain.

 

[zavandor]

I would not buy RR resale at current prices. The resale restrictions are very limiting and that is not reflected yet in the price.
I would go direct or resale somewhere else.

 

[Bearval]

Don't buy Riviera resale UNLESS you are willing to stay there every trip (or at lestt every other year if you go annually) and plan to book during the home resort priority period.

I would hold off a little bit if you are considering RIV resale. A resale for RIV recently went for $115 per point. If you look at some of the resale sites that have the date the contracts were listed for sale you will see some that have been up for several months and the prices are not that unreasonable. There are at least two AKL ( I am looking to add to my AKL ) one has been for sale since Jan 2022 and one since Mar 2022 and have been reduced at least once. I made an offer for one $20.00 below asking and they countered with $10.00 below asking. I am holding firm with my offer.

 

[drusba]

You may have another issue to consider in buying low point contracts at Riviera (and that includes direct purchase points).

Riviera tower and standard view studios have an 11-month availability issue, in that they sometimes fill almost instantly at 11-months out at 8 a.m. eastern, with the result that you may not get one of them for a desired trip even if attempting to reserve exactly 11-months out. That problem occurs at times during the high demand "fall" season that runs from late Sep to marathon weekend in Jan, although once in a while it also happens at other random times of the year.

Thus, if you are buying points at Riviera with the desire to usually book a tower or standard studio for your trips, you may face disappointment.

 

[eticketplease]

Different answer

Based on assumed age ( having a 2 y/o) Sell your 160 BLT and buy 200+ VGF (or poly 2 if you wait a year) direct. No restrictions, blue card, similar MF, best pricing now, and no issue getting RR, SSR, or Poly at 7 months. They are also easier to rent than RR if you wanted to stop going for a few years ( if kids get into sports/band it gets hard to plan WDW)

Might be a different answer but it is one I can certainly agree with especially with the OP stating they have had luck at the 7 month window.

I love BLT for the location and the 1+ Bedrooms not the studios.

If you are planning on another little one you would only be 4 at that point and can technically stay in a BLT studio it makes it a little cramped where VGF gives you a lot more room and then would get 11 month window to try and grab a deluxe studio that has the split bathroom.

I also enjoy RIV but as @drusba points out standard studios are hard to snag and the 75 points will not go far.

If you are set in stone on buying RIV (and keeping your current BLT contract) I would buy the 50 direct and then you would be able to combine it at the 7 month window giving your 210 points to book within the O14 resorts if you did not wish to stay at RIV for a trip. This would give you 10 more points but I believe @Nursemanit has the better plan as there are incentives for the larger contract, you would get the blue card and if needed it should be easier to sell VGF in the future.