The decision matrix/struggle of deciding direct/resale

Your points for buying direct are leas compelling than others would have, so would seem to be not needed for you.

What about some good old SSR sleep around points? You’ve tried multiple resorts, do you like continuing to try the 014?

I just bought direct at Riviera and went through all of the same thoughts as you did. What pushed me over the edge with direct over resale was the access to ALL resorts including O14 and new ones after 2042. Once 2042 hits, O14 resale contracts will have only a handful of resorts to pick from and it will only get harder to book at those resorts. Riviera will also get harder to book over time as more resale contracts are sold.

Sure MK might be the favorite while the kids are young, but once they get older they will want HS and Epcot. Better to get direct access now and think long term. As long as you get a good 6-7 years of vacations, you will break even and it will be worth it in the end!

We started with a resale (Poly) contract, and I think resale is a nice way to dip your toe in the water of DVC at a slighlty more affordable price point than direct. And given you don’t envision using some of the cost-saving perks of direct ownership (e.g., the sorcer pass), buying direct is even less compelling. That said, even with the price savings of RIV resale, I would be hard-pressed to purchase there given the resort restrictions. Poly or GF resale provides great flexibility and a wonderful home resort. SSR provides great value along with booking flexibility. It really comes down to your preferences and priorities. Good luck, and welcome home!

I'm right there with you, @TGoody. Also a family of 3 here considering a purchase very soon. The only difference is our travel frequency. We want to be able to have high confidence in booking a week at spring break plus have enough points to do another long weekend trip each year. We have put a lot of thought into it and have decided the direct benefits do appeal to us--at least for our "starter" contract of 150-200 points. In your shoes I would currently share the same uneasiness about Riviera resale. Those restrictions would translate to resentment in my opinion. As much as I think Riviera direct would be nice for you, we are personally favoring a direct Poly contract only because life is unpredictable. You never know if and when you may need or want to sell your position in DVC and I think the market will continue to value the flexibility that comes with the original 14 resort ownership. For this same reason, I don't know if I can fully recommend Riviera since it's resale value is weaker due to restrictions. I'd also suggest you consider how much deed expiration dates may mean to you since the DVC resorts you have direct experience are highly variable in this regard.

It sounds like staying at the Riviera is a high priority for you. That leads to either Resale at the Riviera or Direct somewhere else (which can then be used at Riv).

When it's between those 2 options, I think the smarter play would be to go direct at a resort like the Poly. It gets you access to Riv, a great financial product(low dues), and also it is near MK and you can have priority there when MK becomes a bigger priority. That being said, you could always choose to go direct at Riv, and just accept the fact that if you need to sell, you'll recoup less of your money.

I would not touch a Riv resale unless you truly love the resort. I have an uneasy feeling about the future of Riv, the 11 month bookings could get nasty if too many contracts become resale (maybe Disney will step in at that point, idk). I think it's the first major one to do those restrictions so it's really unknown how it will play out. Current Direct incentives are a bit worse than the last round which further tips me towards resale. Also, I agree with you that sorcerers pass is over hyped. People immediately quote the $500 savings but the savings only apply after you would have spent 1500 on regular tickets. That's like two 4 day park hopper tickets before the savings even start.

Echoing others here. My husband really likes Riviera and we'd like to have access to an Epcot resort with longer expiration. Having said that, even if I wanted to stay there and wanted a direct contract, I'd buy Poly direct. I just couldn't swallow the potential loss on resale Riviera in case life circumstances or priorities changed. We bought resale first at Copper Creek, both because we love Wilderness Lodge and because it was the best value at the time we purchased. Now we are considering adding a direct contract and current members get additional savings. Not sure if two contracts would be appealing to you if you think you'll stay around 100 points, but there are never enough points. We are also a family of three with one on the way. Even with three of us, staying in a 1 BR is soooooo much nicer. We like to preserve our hour or so of parent time after kiddo goes to bed, even if just to veg and watch TV. Good luck with your decision! Sounds like you are weighing the pros and cons carefully and you'll make the right decision for your family.

Thank you all for the great points and advice.

We LOVED RIV. It was an amazing stay and it checked everything off on our list. I guess I did not fully realize the resale restrictions and what issue they may cause down the line with the home priority. I was under the impression owning RIV would just solve the 11mo booking but it may be an issue later on. For the times of year we travel, non peak usually, I don't think this would be an issue. I would not mind being just locked into RIV for a period of time and buying another contract later.

I don't particularly want to buy SSR or a resort I have no interest staying at and hoping for availability at O14 at 7mo. My brain does not work that way.

I believe we have established that Direct Perks for my situation isn't necessary. The only Direct benefit in my mind is the use of future resorts which you could get at any point level.

It may come down to a hybrid option of buying X# of Poly points Direct and X# of RIV resale to accomplish my goals.

I’d challenge the idea of buying Poly direct with the intention of staying st Riviera. As more and more of Riviera becomes resale, it will be slim pickings at the 7 month mark. You will certainly be stuck with preferred views and their high point needs, if you can get anything.

If you are buying Riviera resale the impact of the restrictions is already in the price (it’s why it’s so cheap). Based on what you’ve said I’d buy it.

Good stuff. It seems like you really know what you want(Riviera), and what you don't care about(perks). I'm the same way as you, I really don't like buying into a resort I don't actually want to stay at-- some of this calculation is emotional/personal. That being said, the most recent article re: 2042 expirations brings up a good point, your home resort will become more important as time goes on, so buying where you want to stay is always the safest.

2 more considerations for you, that may be of some help.

• Keep in mind that both Poly and Riviera will sell out from Direct soon, probably later this year. If you want direct points at either, now is the time.

• Additionally, remember that once you are "in" as a member, you can add on smaller direct contracts. (You can add on contracts as low as 25 points, and at any denomination upwards from that) You could possibly buy 100 Riviera resale, and then add on a small direct poly contract that could be used to try out newer resorts, etc.

Honestly, from reading your posts, it seems clear you should buy the Riviera. The question of Resale/Direct comes down not only to cost, but your desire for flexibility over time. The way my brain works, I wouldn't want a contract which is tied to only one resort, but that is totally a personal opinion. If you are good with it, then perhaps resale, and then adding on a smaller contract direct to get access would be the way to go!

I would only want RIV in its current state because of the discount and guarantee that I am home resort priority. We know we want to stay there now and into the future. I believe that once we pull the trigger on this it will be a RIV resale contract of 100 points minimum and a direct Poly 50-75 to get started.

This could change with LSL info coming out and Poly selling out soon but that is where I currently am.

Yeah buying somewhere else in the hopes of staying where you want at 7mo does not compute for me. It may work for some but not me. I usually have to book or plan far in advance. Maybe in the future I can be a spontaneous DVC owner, but not now.

I just spoke to our direct Disney DVC guide today and we were talking about this same issue. To my surprise he stuck to the same story--buy where you actually want to stay, not where you hope to use your points at 7-months out. This meant guiding me towards a contract at a "sold-out" resort. I assumed their mentality in sales would be to push towards the resorts with active incentives.

Assuming I am locked in on the above mention strategy of RIV Resale and Poly Direct. The order of operations would be to buy Resale first for Membership. Then buy Poly Direct to get the member discount. Is there a strategy to buying at a certain time of year in conjunction with the RIV contract use year? Like is there a benefit to buying in June for a September use year to get extra points? I know others have mentioned getting preloaded contracts that had prior year points.

Yes there is an advantage. If you buy direct with a Sept. use year, 2026 points start in Sept (obviously) but you buy prior to Sept they are required to give you the 2025 use year points since you're still in it.

ooooooo nice. I will keep that in mind when looking at direct points.

I'm also of the opinion that at some point those with resale Riv points are going to be fighting for their lives to book studios there even at 11 months. It will likely take a long time for that to happen, but it will.

Most members find it best to have the same use year across contracts. Doing so, for example, can allow you to blend your points together at the 7-month mark to book a single, extended reservation. I also find it easier to keep track of my point allotment and banking period to have my contracts aligned on the same use year. I mention this because if you find a resale contract you like and subsequently purchase a direct contract, then you can have your direct contract match up use years with your resale.

For Magical Beginnings, where DVC in effect "purchases" the current year points to offset the initial purchase price, you are better served having a use year that has not yet started. So, for example, if you had a December use year, DVC would "purchase" the December 2025 points back, lowering your initial purchase price, and you would then receive your point allotment beginning December 2026. On the flip side, if your use year chosen is April, DVC will purchase your April 2026 points (i.e., the ones "received" last month), and you won't receive your next point allotment until April 2027.

I wasn't speaking to magical beginnings (because I didn't think of that aspect when buying and a good move for sure) , just that you are entitled to current year points if you buy before the start of your use year. You can sell back or keep and bank/use!

Yes, I misunderstood (I went straight to the Magical Beginning benefit). You're correct in your post.

So the magical beginnings discount is them "selling" your points? I think I would rather have the points unless it makes that big of a price difference.

I guess I never looked up Magical Beginnings to understand its terms.

The Magical Beginnings is DVC effectively buying back points for the current use year at $20/point. For a 150-point contract, this would reduce your initial purchase price by $3,000. In my case, I finalized a direct purchase in July for a contract with a December use year (to match an existing resale contract). This lowered my purchase price by $3,000 (another way to look at it: it lowered my price per point by $20/pt--pretty substantial in my mind). I then "received" my first point allotment effective December. Effectively, I could begin vacation planning right away in July for trips starting as early as December 1. Had I chosen a September use year, my vacations could have begun even sooner.

If I were you, I would just buy RIV resale. It's decently cheap because of the restriction, and if you really want to stay at Riviera regularly, you will want to own there vs counting on 7 month availability.

I don't think it makes sense at all for you to buy direct.

Only reason to buy direct IMO would be a smaller POLY contract to have use at future resorts.

Good morning, spent the afternoon yesterday during naptime reviewing our plan. The MRS would rather purchase a Poly/GF resale contract first for the access to MK and O14 resorts. Get it paid for and then look at a resale RIV contract for future use. We still do not see a benefit for us to purchase direct based on this info. She wants the ability to use the points at other resorts at the 7mo mark if available.

Sounds like the right balance to me. Given your relatively short stays, some of the current direct benefits mean little or nothing to you. Buying resale at one of the original 14 will still give you some flexibility. In your shoes I would have found it difficult to give up the flexibility to stay at the newer resorts now since you have an interest in Riviera. But as you suggest, you can always choose to add this when you're ready if you feel like you're missing out.

That sounds like a good plan. We started with Poly resale before purchasing a direct GF contract. We enjoy both resorts. Our boys would claim Poly as their favorite.

I made an offer yesterday on a loaded/double points GF contract and it got accepted! Very surprised when I got the confirmation email. Lets see how long this process takes.