Help Us Decide Where to Add On

[DisneyFam2326]

We bought 150 VGF direct this past year. We planned to use these 4 nights after Thanksgiving each year (we visit family then make our way to WDW). We are thinking of adding on if we can get some contracts at the right price. We typically stay in one bedrooms, but I'd love to be able to stay in some 2bdrms as well as our kids grow. I'd love to be able to spend a night or two longer at Thanksgiving and take a spring break trip with our kiddos. Right now our kids are little (1 & 4) so walking to MK from VGF is so nice.

We haven't stayed but we loved RIV when we visited for brunch - definitely felt like us (I hate the resale restriction though). We also love staying at VGF. We also are planning an Aulani 2026 family trip - and I could see us doing Hawaii every few years. We have zero interest in the new poly tower (not our vibe).

I'd love some feedback on where, how you'd add on, strategy, and pricing! We aren't in a hurry, we want a good deal but at places we love and would stay.

Thank you!

 

[Frugal Fairy Tales]

Riviera.

 

[MerlinandtheMouse]

Welcome home! We own at VGF too, as well as RIV, PVB and just closing on a CCV contract RIV is our current favorite home resort so we’ll definitely be adding more points there, but I also don’t love the restrictions on resale so we’ll likely end up getting more direct points (waiting to see if any good incentives happen when they finally put the poly tower up for sale, although we might kick ourselves for not buying more with the current prices and incentives but )

I assume if you’re looking for a good deal, direct isn’t an option and if RIV resale is also a turnoff then I’d say CCV is a great option. It expires in 2068, the resales prices are really good, dues are on the lower end, and the point charts are pretty fair for 1 and 2 bdrms. CCV is due for a refurb next year so the rooms, which I think still look great even now, will be refreshed and hopefully have the Murphy beds put in very soon. Not mention having home resort advantage is necessary if you ever want to stay during December and it’s so beautiful during the holidays.

On the other hand it is another MK resort but it’s so stylistically different from VGF it wouldn’t feel like you’re in the same area at all and it will add some variety to your portfolio, even if it’s mostly in the same area. BLT is not my fav but the dues are good, quickest walk to MK and it too is being refurbished next year so hopefully will look much better.

Honestly though, I’d run the numbers for adding direct at Riviera with its current prices and the incentives as an existing member. The numbers might be better than you think and you’ll have more direct points for whatever new projects DVC adds in the future as well as an Epcot resort that goes beyond 2042. Plus, if you already feel like you love Riviera, you definitely will once you stay in the 1 and 2 bdrms. The price charts are high (although not higher than VGF) but it’s worth it.

There’s another great thread happening on here where the OP is hoping to become a DVC member for the first time and I think you’ll find a lot of really great overlapping advice. I’ll try to find it and post it here.

 

[MerlinandtheMouse]

Found it! https://www.disboards.com/threads/how-would-you-buy-in.3935962/

 

[aceshigh73]

We bought 150 VGF direct this past year. We planned to use these 4 nights after Thanksgiving each year (we visit family then make our way to WDW). We are thinking of adding on if we can get some contracts at the right price. We typically stay in one bedrooms, but I'd love to be able to stay in some 2bdrms as well as our kids grow. I'd love to be able to spend a night or two longer at Thanksgiving and take a spring break trip with our kiddos. Right now our kids are little (1 & 4) so walking to MK from VGF is so nice.

We haven't stayed but we loved RIV when we visited for brunch - definitely felt like us (I hate the resale restriction though). We also love staying at VGF. We also are planning an Aulani 2026 family trip - and I could see us doing Hawaii every few years. We have zero interest in the new poly tower (not our vibe).

I'd love some feedback on where, how you'd add on, strategy, and pricing! We aren't in a hurry, we want a good deal but at places we love and would stay.

Thank you!

We bought 150 VGF direct this past year. We planned to use these 4 nights after Thanksgiving each year (we visit family then make our way to WDW). We are thinking of adding on if we can get some contracts at the right price. We typically stay in one bedrooms, but I'd love to be able to stay in some 2bdrms as well as our kids grow. I'd love to be able to spend a night or two longer at Thanksgiving and take a spring break trip with our kiddos. Right now our kids are little (1 & 4) so walking to MK from VGF is so nice.

We haven't stayed but we loved RIV when we visited for brunch - definitely felt like us (I hate the resale restriction though). We also love staying at VGF. We also are planning an Aulani 2026 family trip - and I could see us doing Hawaii every few years. We have zero interest in the new poly tower (not our vibe).

I'd love some feedback on where, how you'd add on, strategy, and pricing! We aren't in a hurry, we want a good deal but at places we love and would stay.

Thank you!

If you love VGF and RIV, and are a young family, Id look to add on at VGF resale for your VGF stays, and then add a larger RIV resale for your RIV stays, you can combine your VGF direct with your RIV resale for RIV only stays. Id also try to stick with a Oct UY since that will cover both Thanksgiving and Spring Break. This is just an idea ofcourse.
Personally, im one of the few that doesnt really like RIV, so my opinion would be to scrap that idea totally...

Good Luck with whatever you decide...

 

[Cfabar1]

150 points at VGF isn't that many....

I'd add on in VGF until you get to 300ish points at least, then consider a second resort.

 

[LittleBitGoofy]

Agreed with @Cfabar1. If you want 1BR then 150 pts isn't going to take you far at VGF. Maybe bulk that up a little more. Resale there isn't too bad right now.

 

[intamin]

If you love VGF and RIV, and are a young family, Id look to add on at VGF resale for your VGF stays, and then add a larger RIV resale for your RIV stays, you can combine your VGF direct with your RIV resale for RIV only stays. Id also try to stick with a Oct UY since that will cover both Thanksgiving and Spring Break. This is just an idea ofcourse.
Personally, im one of the few that doesnt really like RIV, so my opinion would be to scrap that idea totally...

God Luck with whatever you decide...

I'd say that's a fairly common sentiment on here lol.

Having a good majority of our points at RIV direct, I'm still team buy where you want to stay. If you want to be able to book standard view at RIV for less points and get the fireworks view, buy RIV direct. You can consider RIV resale but I personally wouldn't buy a large RIV resale contract just because you never know when you want to do a last minute trip. It's a lot more likely you'll piece something together between the 12 Disney World resorts instead of just 1. We're actually heading to WDW for trip 8 this year and we managed to piece together a couple of nights at BLT followed by a night in an AKV value studio. We booked this trip a little over a month ago.

RIV and VGF are both very point heavy resorts, RIV slightly less than VGF but it's not far behind at all. As above, would recommend minimum 300 at each if trying to stay for 1 week in a 1BR at each consistently.

 

[AstroBlasters]

Get enough points at VGF so you can get the room category you want at your home resort.

 

[RichVIII]

Having three resorts now, the resort I have the most at I can be far more flexible. I can book some spec trips. I can secure some really big rooms if I want. I can easily walk a week if need be. Etc. I would add to VGF and try at 7 mo to switch. My smaller point resorts, I struggle since I need to bank/borrow (and that comes with risks). I don’t have enough points to book something lengthy so I am still waiting for 7 mo to try to add more rooms with other points. Agree with several OPs, for 1BR you need 300 points to really have flexibility.

 

[Sandisw]

We have RIV and VGF, along with SSR. We love RIV with VGF a close second, and why we split stay a lot.

The direct deal for RIV right now is pretty good if you want a second resort and can be used at 7 months with your VGF points. More VGF resale would also work for larger room sizes there, but those points will lock you out of RIV..

I’d probably go with direct RIV and then, down the line consider more VGF resale since price is going to be similar.

 

[Arr2-D2]

We also purchased VGF recently but with 200 points direct and just added another 220 VGF points resale (closing next week). Family size of 4 with plans for Hawaii & bringing grandparents along at times. With the same use year and home resort, I’m hoping it makes the next what, 40 years contract length more flexible for use however we want at 11 months. It will always carry value for its location and title, has the lowest dues currently…. I really geek out on researching and weighing our options. In the end it felt like the right choice for us.

We will likely add on at Boardwalk because we love the quick walk to Epcot, our favorite park. Knowing there’s only 18 years of memories on that purchase vs other locations. I’m just waiting for Paul and Amy to list their contract .

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

I’d buy as many SSR points as you can. I suspect you will eventually want to branch out and try all the other resorts.

 

[maui22]

I would suggest RIV direct while it has a really good promotion. For Thanksgiving and spring break it is important to own points where you want to stay.

Enjoy Aulani in 2026. Aulani is a beautiful resort.

 

[mamaofsix]

If your purpose in buying more points is to be able to stay in a VGF 2 bedroom, you need to add on a VGF resale. 2 bedrooms are very unlikely to be available for tacking on additional days at 7 months if you buy somewhere else.

To me, it seems simpler to own all at one resort then to have to do split stays. However, you could buy at RIV and then bank / borrow to have vacations at each one in alternating years.

 

[DisneyFam2326]

If your purpose in buying more points is to be able to stay in a VGF 2 bedroom, you need to add on a VGF resale. 2 bedrooms are very unlikely to be available for tacking on additional days at 7 months if you buy somewhere else.

To me, it seems simpler to own all at one resort then to have to do split stays. However, you could buy at RIV and then bank / borrow to have vacations at each one in alternating years.

Thank you so much for your input. My littles are very little so we won't need 2 bedroom points for several more years - so I like this idea for the near future. I would have probably pulled the trigger on RIV already if it weren't for the resale restrictions - for some reason, I struggle with spending the money knowing that the contract is instantly worth less the minute I buy it. I know that DVC isn't an investment, but it was easy to buy in at GF knowing I could resell with minimal loss if our plans changed or if it wasn't for us. In hindsight, I wish I bought more direct GF points so they could be used at RIV.

 

[🍀TwinsMom]

What’s your timeline for adding? The current Riviera promotion ends 1/31, I believe. You could get direct points there and rescind if the new promotion is better if you purchased within 10 days of the promotion.

I agree with either bulking up VGF with resale to get to 300 or Riviera direct. I have no idea if there’ll be a Riviera sale like VGF this summer. There was an awesome Aulani sale in 2021, but their dues scare me. It’s possible Riviera gets a sale if the CFW, VDH, Poly, Aulani, and Riviera start cannibalizing each other’s pool of sales. My guess is there’s not a sale at Riviera because it’s the only Epcot resort for sale, and it has the post 2042 expiration.

We have 300 Riviera and feel it’s about perfect for our family of four to go yearly in a one-bedroom and every other year in a two-bedroom with extended family. I think that’s the right amount for VGF, too, especially if you need to walk/borrow over Thanksgiving.

 

[kboo]

RIV and VGF are both very point heavy resorts, RIV slightly less than VGF but it's not far behind at all. As above, would recommend minimum 300 at each if trying to stay for 1 week in a 1BR at each consistently.

This, 100%. We started with VGF resale (all grandfathered, thankfully!) and added on to be at 300 to consistently have access to 1BR at VGF. Then we fell in love with Christmas week at VGF and a week in a 1br std is 380 points. One year I had to pick up nights here and there with stalking and waitlist but for a period I had all various room categories from studio to GV booked to ensure we had a room! It was crazy. And certainly could not have done that without having a lot of points there.

Having three resorts now, the resort I have the most at I can be far more flexible. I can book some spec trips. I can secure some really big rooms if I want. I can easily walk a week if need be. Etc. I would add to VGF and try at 7 mo to switch. My smaller point resorts, I struggle since I need to bank/borrow (and that comes with risks). I don’t have enough points to book something lengthy so I am still waiting for 7 mo to try to add more rooms with other points. Agree with several OPs, for 1BR you need 300 points to really have flexibility.

This was also the reason why we added on at VGF direct this summer. It came down to VGF or RIV because of the incentives, and we are likely taking my dad along for Christmas as long as he is able. While we *can* have him in a 1br, at 82 he really should not be sleeping in the living room! So VGF it was.

For Thanksgiving and spring break it is important to own points where you want to stay.

Also if you think you want to do a Christmas trip. VERY points heavy and can be hard to get. As it is now, I am rethinking my VGF direct purchase - there is definitely some walking going on (myself included ... but I could book a 1br std at Riviera, but cannot book a single thing in the evening at 11 mo at VGF in any room category or view. We are aiming for a VGF/RIV split stay in a 2br. Stalking commences.

TL;DR - if you're adding on direct - go with the best incentives for VGF or RIV - the two resorts together make for a great split stay or bank/use alternate years. Or add on VGF (either direct or resale) so you can put together longer or multiple stys at 11months. You could always use your direct points to book a preferred view at RIV, or resale points for AKV, BWV or BCV to stay somewhere other than MK.

Your kids are young now, but in a few years you'll be limited to going during school breaks and February, spring, Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks are very hard to get. Riviera will be easier than VGF in any category for the foreseeable future because it's not sold out.

 

[DisneyFam2326]

This, 100%. We started with VGF resale (all grandfathered, thankfully!) and added on to be at 300 to consistently have access to 1BR at VGF. Then we fell in love with Christmas week at VGF and a week in a 1br std is 380 points. One year I had to pick up nights here and there with stalking and waitlist but for a period I had all various room categories from studio to GV booked to ensure we had a room! It was crazy. And certainly could not have done that without having a lot of points there.

This was also the reason why we added on at VGF direct this summer. It came down to VGF or RIV because of the incentives, and we are likely taking my dad along for Christmas as long as he is able. While we *can* have him in a 1br, at 82 he really should not be sleeping in the living room! So VGF it was.

Also if you think you want to do a Christmas trip. VERY points heavy and can be hard to get. As it is now, I am rethinking my VGF direct purchase - there is definitely some walking going on (myself included ... but I could book a 1br std at Riviera, but cannot book a single thing in the evening at 11 mo at VGF in any room category or view. We are aiming for a VGF/RIV split stay in a 2br. Stalking commences.

TL;DR - if you're adding on direct - go with the best incentives for VGF or RIV - the two resorts together make for a great split stay or bank/use alternate years. Or add on VGF (either direct or resale) so you can put together longer or multiple stys at 11months. You could always use your direct points to book a preferred view at RIV, or resale points for AKV, BWV or BCV to stay somewhere other than MK.

Your kids are young now, but in a few years you'll be limited to going during school breaks and February, spring, Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks are very hard to get. Riviera will be easier than VGF in any category for the foreseeable future because it's not sold out.

Appreciate this perspective so much - I was thankfully able to get our VGF post-thanksgiving stay in a one-bedroom this year with tons of stalking, but it was not easy. I hadn't considered RIV being easy to book for the foreseeable future, and it definitely would be nice to have one resort option I wouldn't have to fight for a reservation at. Something to think about.

 

[kboo]

Appreciate this perspective so much - I was thankfully able to get our VGF post-thanksgiving stay in a one-bedroom this year with tons of stalking, but it was not easy. I hadn't considered RIV being easy to book for the foreseeable future, and it definitely would be nice to have one resort option I wouldn't have to fight for a reservation at. Something to think about.

It's easier than VGF but that doesn't mean it's easy... but for Thanksgiving and Christmas, which I've booked 3x in the past, it is *marginally easier* to book Riviera than VGF meaning if you log on at 8am 11 mo to the day, you will not be shut out of all room categories!

Edited to add: I've only booked Thanksgiving at BLT once, for a 2br dedicated standard, and as soon as I booked, it was grayed out for as long as I looked shortly after. This was with the old booking engine, with one screen open set to hit search as soon as the clock on the other screen hit 8am...