Hi all - so I’ve been researching DVC for quite some time. The only thing holding me back was I wasn’t sure where to buy at. I recently stayed at OKW and while it was lovely, it’s a bit too spread out for me. I like something smaller. I then visited Riviera and fell in love! I know I’m in the minority here as a lot of people don’t like it but the whole vibe is completely my jam! Love the fact that it’s small, love the pool, cafe, etc. Going back many years ago, I used to go to Vegas a few times a year (2000-2010) and Riviera reminds me of the Wynn/Encore. That kind of style which I love. I’m not into Vegas anymore - it’s changed quite a bit. Because we loved it so much, my husband and I have an anniversary trip planned in August and we’re staying at Riviera. Anyways so now that I know the where and the number of points I want, trying to figure out when to pull the trigger. I doubt DVC ever has a Black Friday incentive - or do they?
If you know what you want, the time to buy is now! Prices will probably fluctuate, and maybe we’re in a bubble, but if you’re going to hold them long term, it’s better to buy sooner than later.
Are you going to buy direct or resale? With Riviera it’s a big deal because of the rules for using your points at other resorts. If you are sure you will only ever use them for Riviera, resale is the way to go. If there is even a chance you will want to try another resort, you’ll have to go direct, but if you later sell the points, the buyer will not have that flexibility so you will get less for the contract than for a similar resort.
There are often incentives of one sort or another from time to time. You can see what offers are out there by visiting disneyvacationclub.disney.go.com
But as far as when to buy:
- The responsible answer is “when you can afford it”
- The actual answer is 5 years before you actually do, because the only thing I’ve ever heard any member say about buying is they wish they had done it sooner.
Happy shopping.
Thank you. We can afford it now so that’s not an issue. I will check out the current incentives. We are looking at buying direct because while we will probably stay at Riviera most often, we may occasionally want to stay somewhere else in the future. With the restrictions in place, I think we have to go direct.
Hi - just wanted to update that I’ve been talking to a DVC rep and it’s going quite well. The one thing I noticed is that the DVC rep wasn’t pushy at all about points I’m buying and I felt no pressure whatsoever. He’s very nice and we’ve had some good chats. The only thing that was pushed was the use year. I did my research and any use years in the last half of the year will work, preferably August so that’s what I want. He kept trying to bring up having a February, March or April use year. Um no. I’m guessing they push that because maybe I’d have to pay dues as of March so if I had a March use year I’d owe for March - December 2021 for dues. If I have an August use year, I’m guessing I pay prorated dues August - December 2021?
Use year is very specific to what your plans are. Maybe he has the impression that Feb-Apr will be good for your scenario? What factors went into your decision to get a use year in the second half?
We’re in the minority with you on Riviera. We bought before it was open based on a tour we did at Saratoga. Dues are calculated on a calendar year and are not tied to your use year. No matter when you buy, the dues you’ll pay will be prorated from the purchase date to 12/31. Ask him why he thinks you should pick a Feb, Mar or Apr use year. He may have a good reason based on what you’ve told him your travel patterns are expected to be. Or they may just want to spread out the ownership. If a lot of people are picking August they’ll want to push new buyers to the other months.
Hi - I will ask him why he thinks earlier in the year would be better. We’d be traveling fall and winter most of the time. I have two daughters, 9 and 7. They have a fall break and a longer Christmas break so traveling fall break or early January would be best for us with weather and kids schedules for the near future. Looking ahead to the future, fall is the best time for my husband and I to go just the two of us. Our anniversary is September, my birthday is October. I just imagine most of our travel to Disney happening in the September - January timeframe. I thought August would be a good use year based on that but I’d appreciate input from you all!
You are right. August works for you. I believe if you buy before August 1st you will get 2020 and 2021 points. That might be why he is advising the way he is.
Yes maybe they want to spread out the ownership, I hadn’t thought about that
Ultimately do what works for you, don’t let them pressure you away from August if that’s what works. When we bought, our preferred travel month was August, so we got a June use year. Since then though our travel patterns have changed and we’ve been every month except July, so use year is no longer much of a factor for us.
Hi - just wanted to follow up and let you know we signed the contract! Yay!
August UY? Congrats and welcome home!
After more back and forth between DH and myself, we did a June UY. After this last June 2021 trip, we thought we probably wouldn’t travel in the summer again but we are already discussing 2022 and are talking about an early January 2022 trip using 2021 points and doing a short trip in June. We thought we may end up sometimes going in June but it would be unlikely that we’d travel in the spring so landed on a June UY.
When I talked to our guide again, he said they do try to get use years at different points in the year but June was no problem so we’ve got 150 points at Riviera with a June UY! Woo-hoo! Also after signing the contract I thought I’d be nervous since it’s a big investment up front but I felt this huge relief! It’s a nice feeling knowing that we can take a ton of future trips and we don’t have to worry about the hotel expense.
Welcome home!