Riviera Resales – What will they be worth?

A post (and poll) on the DVC Forums at DISboards.com invited speculation about what the price of Riviera resales would be once they started to show up on the secondary market.

Riviera is the first DVC resort to have ‘resale restrictions’ built into the contract.  Once resold, the points at Riviera can only be used at that resort.  The general consensus has been that this will have a negative impact on the resale value of Riviera since your resort options for those points will be so limited.

Disney Vacation Club’s Riviera Resort is scheduled to open Dec, 2019

As with anything like this, ultimately the market will determine what the actual value of a Riviera resale will be.  Initially, we believe that the price will be on the higher end, likely in the $160 a point range, but will likely adjust downward depending on how well they sell.  However, it’s important to remember that by the time these resales start showing on the market, Disney’s per point price will likely be $210 (up from $188 right now). That may make a $160 per point Riviera contract look more attractive, and prevent the price from dropping too far below that.

One of the big selling points of DVC for many people is that these contracts retain (if not increase) in value over time.   It’s a source of comfort for many to know that if their financial situation changes, they can recoup some, if not most of the money they initially invested in DVC (of course, this is not always the case, but generally speaking if you resell a contract 5 or 10 years after you purchased it, the chances are strong that you’ll recoup a good part of your initial investment). 

It will be a while before we know for certain as Disney’s Riviera Resort only went on sale a few weeks ago.  We expect to see the first Riviera resales contract on the market later this year or early next year, so before long we’ll have a solid answer to this question.

16 thoughts on “Riviera Resales – What will they be worth?

  • April 22, 2019 at 4:29 pm
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    I wouldn’t pay for Riviera resort resales and the only way I would buy into it is if I knew I would never want to resell it. Disney is starting to go down a dangerous path with this one that they shouldn’t, there was a reason they started their own program and it was so they would be better than everyone else, this makes them not just as bad, but even worse than many others.

    • April 22, 2019 at 8:34 pm
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      I’m not sure it’s so bad. I’ve only stayed at another DVC resort once in the 15 years we have owned. It also protects some of the existing DVC contracts from other new resale buyers clogging up the 7th month window on other DVC Resorts. If you like the resort, I would buy a contract and that wouldn’t bother me at all.

  • April 23, 2019 at 5:16 am
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    we have owned since Dec of 1991, would never think of selling. this change has little to no impact on us purchasing more points.

  • April 23, 2019 at 1:28 pm
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    While I think the inability to use the points at other resorts would be considered a big deal to some, the reality is that it is difficult to impossible to get some rooms (think studios) for the dates you want, unless you are in the home resort priority window – thus making the restriction less of an issue. I think that Riviera will be in the same situation – so if you want to stay there, in most cases you will have to buy Riviera points ( this will increase their desirability). If you want to book outside of the home resort priority window, you can always buy resale Saratoga Springs points, which cost less, and also have lower annual dues.

  • April 23, 2019 at 2:04 pm
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    I wonder…It makes the Riviera less desirable for me as we enjoy staying at different resorts. Additionally, sometimes we like to make last minute reservations so rely on the availability at Saratoga Springs even though it is not our home resort. Oftentimes it is the only resort with availability. With Riviera points, if the Riviera is full and you want a last minute getaway…wellllllll….

  • April 24, 2019 at 5:36 pm
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    Trading points will dictate the future. There is always a legitimate way around the situation. Where ever
    you stay just enjoy. You are at Disney and not in your room much. You can visit any resort anytime NO CHARGE.

  • May 2, 2019 at 7:26 pm
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    Was in the process of buying, but cancelled the sale today. With these new restrictions, I don’t see a resale value in the purchase for Disney Rivieria.

  • May 3, 2019 at 5:34 pm
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    I think the resale restriction is a big negative. We buy today because we feel good about our future and have the mindset that we plan on keeping the DVC for life. Unfortunately, things can happen that we don’t expect and we fall into a negative financial situation. That situation can force you to change your life style and sell things like a DVC. Having the restriction minimizes the buying audience which can create a very long selling cycle or in a way, create a buyer’s market. If you know what I mean.
    Everyone is different, but if I was buying a resale, I wouldn’t buy one that didn’t allow me to stay at other properties.

  • May 8, 2019 at 3:31 pm
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    The biggest selling point to DVC is the way the contracts have retained, or gained (depending on purchase date) value over the years. I realize that most people buy timeshares to use them, but a timeshare is a real estate transaction. Circumstances change, and there’s a good chance the original owners will want (or need) to sell at some point. No one likes to think about that when they’re all goo-goo-eyed thinking about decades of yearly trips to Disney, but no one knows the future and a DVC contract ties up a big chunk of capital that may need to be liquidated at some point. I don’t foresee Riviera retaining its value as well as the older resorts.

    If you buy Riviera resale and there is no availability for your dates, you risk getting shut out for that year. If you’re an owner at any other resort, you can probably go SOMEWHERE. It might not be your first choice, but you can most likely make the vacation work within your timeframe. I realize some people are quite flexible with their schedules, but other have far less wiggle room. The less flexible your dates are, the more flexible you need your reservation process to be. I’d happily stay at SSR or OKW if it meant I could go at a time that worked for my family.

  • August 4, 2019 at 8:51 pm
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    Grand Floridian is the cream of the crop anyways!

  • August 30, 2019 at 5:36 am
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    Disney have been adding resale restrictions to all resorts, including the original 14, removing incidental benefits, cutting off access to new DVC resorts such as Riviera. I wouldn’t be surprised if Disney don’t add further resale restrictions in the future to the resale of all resorts (new and existing) such as limiting them to only the home resort as per the restriction on Riviera resale. Assuming they could legally do this it may rebalance the resale value and likely encourage more direct sales if the resale market doesn’t devalue considerably as a consequence. I suspect Riviera will be worth more on the rental market as a consequence of the restrictions, since some resale DVC owners will be restricted from staying there. Who knows what Disney are planning!!

  • February 7, 2020 at 3:40 pm
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    We purchased our Riviera points as an add on to our existing membership while we were on the cruise last year during a special promo. Never once did they disclose the negative resale aspect. We never would have purchased the additional points knowing the impact if we decided to sell. A buyer would really badly want that resort to buy a resale there.

  • February 16, 2020 at 11:48 am
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    Great comments from all but I am starting to wonder if maybe Disney is doing something entirely different and trying to attract a different type of vacationer for the Riviera. I personally prefer staying at a boutique hotel instead of the large convention size hotels of 1000 keys or more. We were excited to hear that Riviera would only have 300 guest rooms!

    Being that this is their first “unofficial “ boutique hotel maybe they want to ensure that the buyer of the Riviera will appreciate the well appointed and high end finishes found at the Riviera from the herringbone hard wood floors to the Carreras marble blanketing the bathroom. We’ve all heard the funny comments about the Murphy beds, but first tier city dwellers like a New Yorker or San Franciscan will appreciate its high design and clever use of space.

    In addition, like most high end boutique hotels around the world like Thomson, Andaz, Langham having a high end dining experience is key and would most likely be on a rooftop with breathtaking views! Riviera has this as well I have also heard that Toppolinos could challenge “Victoria & Alberts” as the best fine dining food at WDW ( we adored the V&A dinner last yr so this will be a tough one for Rivierato challenge).

    Lastly, the Riviera being a “boutique style hotel” also will attract a Four Seasons or Waldorf traveler because this also fits in comfortably with their aesthetic. Now Riviera will never be a 5 star hotel (since it lacks a spa) & that’s not we are saying but if the Four Seasons or Waldorf is sold out the lost high end traveler would appreciate the high end finishes at the Riviera. Could Disney receiver a Conde.Nast Gold list award or Travel & Leisure’s “Hot List” award? After seeing the stunning photos and the great YouTube blogs of the hotel and restaurant I wouldn’t be surprised if they receive both!

    I also think that the Riviera might be for that DVC member that are empty nesters, couples with no children and DVC buyers not looking to resell Riviera at all (gasp I know)! They will purchase Riviera because of fond memories of that tiny boutique hotel they stayed at in the Left Bank of Paris or the Italian cafe in Venice….& if they crave for more of these memories they can hope on a SkyShuttle to take them to World Showcase at Epcot from the Riviera. Could this boutique style concept cater more towards non resellers?

    Lastly, boutique hotels sometimes are viewed as the disrupters in the market (or city) that they come into. I think with these comments about the new restrictions (which I think is mainly to ensure “quality of value control that Disney can manage directly” ) , unique design, artfully/tastefully done aesthetics is making people within the DVC world scratch their heads a bit.

    Bravo Riviera Disney….you’ve disrupted the 14 yr DVC market!

  • April 23, 2020 at 2:10 pm
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    After the closing of all parks and the mess with DVC points, I doubt any resale contracts will happen for a long time. Many previous renters now won’t rent and buying into a process that is unstable at best in difficult times is not a good investment.

    As for the Riviera itself, I suspect it will have the lowest price/point in resale as the restrictions are huge and the benefits are not – your points don’t go as far at the Riviera, the studio rooms are closets, and the only benefit to the location is the Skyliner, but in the summer, that may very well be a negative.

  • April 28, 2020 at 5:14 pm
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    These restrictions just put higher risk to buyers. Always feels good when Disney does whats best for Disney, even at the expense of the people who buy at riviera and maybe even reflections. I am thankful riviera was so easy to book at 7 month window and maybe this resort will be easy for some time.

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