Riviera Direct + Riviera Resale Owners: How Has It Worked Out?

I've been considering this same thing. Own direct points but would like more, and thinking of doing resale to save $$$. Hate the restrictions but glad i have direct points i could use elsewhere then just save the resale for RR.

I have the same question!

We own a large direct Riviera contract and a smaller Riviera resale contract. We bought direct first (our first DVC and we were not super educated) and then resale. We have used the direct points at Riviera and also to use at other resorts. We have used the resale points for confirmed trips that we know we are not going to cancel. We borrow in on the resale contract if we know it won’t cancel.

So, our family vacation is booked using resale points for the core days we are staying at Riviera and the beginning days and ending days are direct (sometimes Southwest Airlines pricing determines our vacation starts and ends and therefore cancelling direct points is easier since we can use at Saratoga if we get crunched at Use Year end).

We make sure the resale contract bookings are earlier in the Use Year to ensure IF we had to cancel there would be time to rebook later in the year. The downside is that as Riviera sells more units and matures there will be more resales and therefore more points chasing a fixed set of rooms. You don’t have flexibility to use up your danglign points at Saratoga or a big resort that has a lot of rooms. The original 14 and direct allow you to “clean up” points nearing expiration and this is not available at Riviera since it is only 1 hotel.

A cheap resale in my mind offsets the juggling. I personally believe the premium view is not worth it at Riviera and is a very large point premium. With the standard views going earlier in the booking window, I think you have a risk of having to book a premium view as you approach the end of the use year to avoid full loss. Essentially, this mean, the cheap value is offset by the unnecessary premium view because that is all that is left.

I believe Riviera will be more challenging over time as there will be a larger and larger base of points that MUST book at Riviera or be lost.

500 Direct and 175 Resale.