Poly Tower decision and RIV restrictions

[MerlinandtheMouse]

If I recall, the skyliner from RIV to Epcot is about a 11 minute ride. Taking the monorail from the TTC to Epcot is about 15 minutes so I'd say both resorts are in the same ballpark distance to Epcot. I was originally going to buy RIV because I wanted to be close to Epcot but once I found out it was only a 4 minute difference, I decided to wait and see how things go with Poly2.

Either way it sounds like people love both resorts so I don't think there is a wrong choice from an enjoyment perspective.

You make a great point actually I never really thought about Poly being somewhat of an Epcot resort but I can’t fault you here lol One small consideration is if you stay in the longhouses, yes it’s about a 5-7 min walk to the TTC and then the 15 min ride (as long as your train comes right away). Staying in the tower will probably add an additional 10-15 minutes on top of that if you walk from there to the TTC. Even the furthest room in the RIV is probably no more than 5-7 mins to the skyliner. But the monorail does drop you off at the front of the park so that’s something, I know many prefer to start their day there.

 

[hilltopper152]

If I recall, the skyliner from RIV to Epcot is about a 11 minute ride. Taking the monorail from the TTC to Epcot is about 15 minutes so I'd say both resorts are in the same ballpark distance to Epcot. I was originally going to buy RIV because I wanted to be close to Epcot but once I found out it was only a 4 minute difference, I decided to wait and see how things go with Poly2.

Either way it sounds like people love both resorts so I don't think there is a wrong choice from an enjoyment perspective.

Skyliner is cool but also down more often but I do like riding on it more compared to monorail. MK resorts are worth a lot I think. I love both areas though.

 

[Royal Consort]

And actually, just to add to the conversation of resale value (not directly at you OP), CCV also is interesting because it’s only 2 yrs older than RIV, probably more universally liked with a very difficult home resort booking period, no longer in active sales, and still going for $120-$-130/pt on the resale market. Isn’t that roughly for what RIV is going for?

I'm the contrarian here because I chose Riviera over Copper Creek (passed on CCV for years actually). I'd rather own a restricted resort and have more studio availability in Autumn/winter than fight/walk/tear my hair out for a studio at CCV and miss out. I'm not risking flying from Australia to not get my CCV studio when I prefer to go. Resale value is good and all but it's not the only metric.

 

[Nabas]

Resale restrictions hurt value and depreciate the product by $55 a point easy at times.

A quick scan shows that the least expensive mid-size (150 points) contract at RIV currently is being offered at $128pp. This has been on the market for 2 months, so I'm guessing the seller might be willing to take less.

The least-expensive 150-point VGF contract is being offered at $155pp and has been on the market for 4 days.

Roughly, that's about a $30pp difference.

 

[Lorana]

I'm the contrarian here because I chose Riviera over Copper Creek (passed on CCV for years actually). I'd rather own a restricted resort and have more studio availability in Autumn/winter than fight/walk/tear my hair out for a studio at CCV and miss out. I'm not risking flying from Australia to not get my CCV studio when I prefer to go. Resale value is good and all but it's not the only metric.

I hear you about the walking (though I love CCV too much to pass it up). It’s one of the reasons we bought Guaranteed Weeks so that we wouldn’t need to worry about the walking. It ultimately really worked in our favor — CCV opening in one of those few years Thanksgiving wasn’t Week 47 allowed us to get a fixed week for undervalue, and the point chart changes in recent years made it so our weeks 44 and 47 are now cheaper than it costs to book the week, and the point difference for week 48 is only 3 points more. I’m kind of kicking myself for not getting a F&W week at RIV but we wanted to break the contracts into smaller ones so we could evenly pass them along to our kids someday if they wanted them.

 

[noacess]

The ride time is roughly the same but the skyliner is constantly loading compared to the monorail where the wait can be a good deal longer. I love both resorts *points to sig* but I don't think it's comparable.

Can you share your experience with what its like going to Epcot first thing in the morning with the big crowds trying to get in at rope drop from both resorts? In my head I have this fear of needing to wait for multiple monorails to get on from Poly or there just being a constant stream of people from Carribean Beach/AoA/Pop taking up all the gondolas making it a pain to get on at Riviera. At a recent stay at AoA I got to experience the line for the skyliner being wrapped halfway around hourglass lake in the morning. While the line did move, it was by no means a short wait.

I appreciate the perspective!

 

[Lorana]

Can you share your experience with what its like going to Epcot first thing in the morning with the big crowds trying to get in at rope drop from both resorts? In my head I have this fear of needing to wait for multiple monorails to get on from Poly or there just being a constant stream of people from Carribean Beach/AoA/Pop taking up all the gondolas making it a pain to get on at Riviera. At a recent stay at AoA I got to experience the line for the skyliner being wrapped halfway around hourglass lake in the morning. While the line did move, it was by no means a short wait.

I appreciate the perspective!

My DH and teens do not like rope drop. They much prefer to sleep till 10-11am. That said we did do rope drop a couple of times in 2022 from RIV, and we didn’t have a huge issue at RIV. Yes there was a little bit of a wait and a line, but they staggered the gondolas so that CBR and AoA weren’t taking them all up and there were gondolas available for RIV.

 

[MerlinandtheMouse]

I'm the contrarian here because I chose Riviera over Copper Creek (passed on CCV for years actually). I'd rather own a restricted resort and have more studio availability in Autumn/winter than fight/walk/tear my hair out for a studio at CCV and miss out. I'm not risking flying from Australia to not get my CCV studio when I prefer to go. Resale value is good and all but it's not the only metric.

Australia and here I am always annoyed with my 2.5hr flight to WDW, making me a little bit more grateful this morning You’re completely right, I’d choose the same if I were you, too. We own RIV just cause we love it but decent availability during peak times is a nice bonus. It wasn’t until recently that we wanted to join that bloody fight to get to CCV during Christmas

 

[bbeagle]

Disney’s Poly2 decision pretty much assures that I’ll never buy direct or resale at Riviera, as much as I like it. Did it not occur to them that some if not most Riviera owners, who might have bought direct Riviera points thinking restrictions would be the norm going forward, might feel left out in the cold? My guess is that they’ll have to do something.

I'll never buy direct or resale at Riviera, regardless of the Poly2 decision.

If Poly2 was it's own association with restrictions, it would assure that I would never buy Poly2 direct or resale.

The restrictions 100% stopped me from buying at Riviera. The contract isn't a DVC contract anymore if you sell it - it's just a Riviera-only contract, and I think it would hurt resale immensely.

 

[@dvcdudes]

I own at Riviera, bought in September. If I’m honest I was probably high on the Disney magic as I wasn’t aware of the resale restrictions until recently. I am trying not to scream

We have 175 points and a 10 year loan. I’d like to think that over the next 10 years, if we spend 10 days a year at Riviera (which I think our 175 will roughly get us in September) - the cost of the loan and annual dues is a comparable to a cash booking at another Deluxe property or a higher moderate like Coronado.

After that 10 years, we would just be paying dues and I could get onboard with that a lot more. Ultimately the resale restrictions will hurt us I assume. But if I get back my deposit, a bit more and stay level on some vacations compared to a cash booking in the meantime then I see that as a win I guess…..

 

[MerlinandtheMouse]

I own at Riviera, bought in September. If I’m honest I was probably high on the Disney magic as I wasn’t aware of the resale restrictions until recently. I am trying not to scream

We have 175 points and a 10 year loan. I’d like to think that over the next 10 years, if we spend 10 days a year at Riviera (which I think our 175 will roughly get us in September) - the cost of the loan and annual dues is a comparable to a cash booking at another Deluxe property or a higher moderate like Coronado.

After that 10 years, we would just be paying dues and I could get onboard with that a lot more. Ultimately the resale restrictions will hurt us I assume. But if I get back my deposit, a bit more and stay level on some vacations compared to a cash booking in the meantime then I see that as a win I guess…..

Haha if it makes you feel any better we bought in fully understanding the resale restrictions. And will likely buy more Hopefully you’ll love it enough and never be in a financial situation where you need to sell so it won’t be an issue. You’ll enjoy your vacations and have access to all the newest offerings DVC puts out over the years!

 

[hilltopper152]

A quick scan shows that the least expensive mid-size (150 points) contract at RIV currently is being offered at $128pp. This has been on the market for 2 months, so I'm guessing the seller might be willing to take less.

The least-expensive 150-point VGF contract is being offered at $155pp and has been on the market for 4 days.

Roughly, that's about a $30pp difference.

yeah and RIV is the only newer Epcot resort you can buy and grand is a flip. Shows that there is more to the RIV price... restrictions being a big factor for sure.

 

[@dvcdudes]

Aw thank you for the kind comment ha ha, appreciate it. Agree - hopefully never be in the position to need to sell. Poor Riviera gets so much hate, it’s such a beautiful resort

 

[BeachClub2014]

Aw thank you for the kind comment ha ha, appreciate it. Agree - hopefully never be in the position to need to sell. Poor Riviera gets so much hate, it’s such a beautiful resort

So here's the thing: there are a lot of strong opinions about Riviera, its resale restrictions, resale values, skyliner-hate, and silly arguments about whether it's an Epcot resort. If you and your family love the place, then that's all that matters. If you and your family are using your points, enjoying the vacation time, and making memories, then the opinions of others just don't matter.

#RivieraProud

 

[Nabas]

Aw thank you for the kind comment ha ha, appreciate it. Agree - hopefully never be in the position to need to sell. Poor Riviera gets so much hate, it’s such a beautiful resort

It’s not the RIV that gets the hate so much as the resale restrictions.

Many on this site are DVC experts and can’t imagine restricted to one resort for the next 40 years, and don’t want to pay Disney’s direct prices.

That’s enough to eliminate RIV for a lot of people.

 

[bbeagle]

Aw thank you for the kind comment ha ha, appreciate it. Agree - hopefully never be in the position to need to sell. Poor Riviera gets so much hate, it’s such a beautiful resort

It's not the resort - love the resort - it's the contract which gets the hate.

I hope you're never in position to sell. It might be better to rent your points instead of selling if you ever stop going.

 

[Sandisw]

It's not the resort - love the resort - it's the contract which gets the hate.

I hope you're never in position to sell. It might be better to rent your points instead of selling if you ever stop going.

Lots of us bought RIV though because we believe resale value isn’t the end all be all.

If I have to sell RIv and take a loss, I still end up with value from its use. And, I have said before, if someone is having to sell, not choosing, then most likely the loss they are taking is the least of their worries.

If I had to sell my resale contract there today, having three years of trips included, I’m pretty close to break even against what those trips would have cost with cash with a discount.

But, we are also not okay with just staying anywhere. Trips to WDW are too expensive to not be happy with the resort.

 

[MerlinandtheMouse]

It’s not the RIV that gets the hate so much as the resale restrictions.

Many on this site are DVC experts and can’t imagine restricted to one resort for the next 40 years, and don’t want to pay Disney’s direct prices.

That’s enough to eliminate RIV for a lot of people.

Idk I see plenty of hate outside of restrictions but maybe it’s now being viewed through the lens of the restrictions so it’s easier to say well it’s plain and uninteresting and has an ugly lobby, not enough food options, etc to make it even less appealing.

It’s a good thing CCV goes until 2068 or a lot of DVC experts are not going to have a lot of new options as the company moves forward because I don’t see them reversing restrictions even if we luck out and the Poly Tower is fully unrestricted.

 

[tidefan]

Idk I see plenty of hate outside of restrictions but maybe it’s now being viewed through the lens of the restrictions so it’s easier to say well it’s plain and uninteresting and has an ugly lobby, not enough food options, etc to make it even less appealing.

It’s a good thing CCV goes until 2068 or a lot of DVC experts are not going to have a lot of new options as the company moves forward because I don’t see them reversing restrictions even if we luck out and the Poly Tower is fully unrestricted.

If you think RIV gets hate, you should be one that happens to mention that they really like SSR...

I think that a lot of the hate it has is from those that have either never stayed there or at least have not stayed there since the renovations and the fact that it always seems to be available at 7 months, part of which is because there are just so many points there...

That said, we really like SSR, IMHO it is the most underrated DVC resort, but I do understand that not many share my opinion. However, we always drive, which probably makes a huge difference there...

 

[hilltopper152]

Idk I see plenty of hate outside of restrictions but maybe it’s now being viewed through the lens of the restrictions so it’s easier to say well it’s plain and uninteresting and has an ugly lobby, not enough food options, etc to make it even less appealing.

It’s a good thing CCV goes until 2068 or a lot of DVC experts are not going to have a lot of new options as the company moves forward because I don’t see them reversing restrictions even if we luck out and the Poly Tower is fully unrestricted.

If Poly does indeed have no restrictions, those points will sell very fast in comparison plus it is a loved resort. I am scared of the point charts though and honestly a little confused on how it works with rebalancing the old points at Poly now. I beleive the bungalows would come into play too which I am sure I am missing something. To me if that noise is cleared up this resort will be the best selling "newer dvc" product in years.