Where would you buy?

[kandlsutton]

Based on your stated park preferences, Riviera would fit best with Skyliner to your favorite parks. Down time due to storms should be minimal in November and February. Bus transportation to MK and AK was better than I expected in December 2021, probably since the resort is more centrally located. With the amount of miles we walk IN the parks, walking TO the parks isn’t that appealing to me after day 1 of our vacation. Skyliner drops off closer than buses at HS and at International Gateway at EP and it is a bit of a haul to Gaurdians from there (we did that walk 3 times in May in 1 day with park hoppers - EP to HS to HS to EP and EP to HS!)

I agree with others that I would not consider buying any of the 2042 resorts at direct pricing. They do have really good point charts compared to RIV (and VGF) though and might be competitive price wise is purchasing resale. You should look at the point charts to determine how many points you will need for your travel times and room size. If considering studios, PVB, RIV and VGF are the largest and also already have the murphy bed instead of pull-out sofas. Future refurbs will likely put the murphy bed in most villas, but may have to wait awhile depending on resort.

VGF has monorail, boat and walk to MK, but otherwise it’s bus transportation to HS and AK. Could monorail to EP, but it requires 2 monorails - resort monorail to TTC, then down the ramp and up the ramp to the Epcot monorail. Poly has the best access to Epcot from MK area with short walk to TTC and Epcot monorail from there.

Our direct purchase is at RIV and we loved our first DVC stay there. DH wanted AKV originally and wasn’t excited when we signed off on RIV. Now he calls the contract “my RIV” like it was his idea to start with. We bought a small VGF resale (before direct sales resumed) to stay for MK party nights. Heading down to VGF in November for MVMCP then switching to RIV for end of the week.

Best of luck making your decision!

 

[DVC Sue]

I think the Rivoera would be a great choice based on your post

 

[rspencer38]

I'm a Canadian owner at Riviera and I absolutely love the resort. I've stayed at just about every single DVC resort and Riviera is easily my favorite and it's not even close. The rooms are spacious, beautiful and comfortable. Many of the standard rooms will gift you with wonderful fireworks from Epcot and beyond. I love the restaurants (Prima Piatto is easily one of the best quick serves on property) and the pools. The skyliner is so efficient and I've never had any major issues with shutdowns.

Don't get me wrong, most resorts have something that makes them unique and awesome but Riviera is just so amazing in every aspect.

I have ZERO regrets about buying sight unseen during construction.

 

[Jelly563]

I know my wife loves shopping in the hallways of VGF. She also gets her hair done at the spa. Tons of restaurant options at VGF. Monorail to TTC to epcot/hs isn't that bad. Hard to tell what you and your sister should buy without knowing you.

 

[JoeyPeligroso]

If I am planning a stay that includes a number of consecutive days at EPCOT, I like to stay in an EPCOT resort - a location that allows walking or easy access is awesome. Historically for me this has been Beach Club.

Presently, RIV has good options for a direct purchase relative to initial buy in cost. RIV might also be the obvious choice for many of your criteria as well. As has been pointed out, the number of points required to book a room on a nightly basis at RIV or VGF is high. Relative to term of ownership of any location, considering a sale in 20 years or so, depending on your timeline could be a consideration. If you buy RIV direct you will have the flexibility to stay at other resorts as well. If RIV is absolutely your one and only choice, you could consider a resale contract there that might make the initial cost lower.

Personally, I own VGF and CCV. I purchased for theming, resort amenities, and experiences that my family considers to be important. I also like their locations. They are not EPCOT resorts, however. CCV requires a bus or ride share to EPCOT.

 

[Eeyore's the Best]

Thank you so much for all of the amazing thoughts and opinions! I literally run a company and I don't think that there is anything more complex than this DVC business!! lol. I'm think I'm about 98% sold on the Riviera. I knew it was the front runner. Maybe I can see if there is a way to do a night there during our two week vacation just to see how we feel about actually staying there.

To answer a few other questions, I'm not a fan of a split stay, when we move in to a room we are there to stay. Last long trip we packed up to go on a cruise in between and it was too much packing and unpacking for us! It will be my sister and I travelling but it's just me buying the contract so we don't need to worry about a joint purchase. Our husbands don't like to travel so this is our thing. We aren't too fussy about the room and we don't even mind sharing a bed so we could even do a Tower Studio if that is what is available.

 

[thenicefamily]

I'm a Canadian owner at Riviera and I absolutely love the resort. I've stayed at just about every single DVC resort and Riviera is easily my favorite and it's not even close. The rooms are spacious, beautiful and comfortable. Many of the standard rooms will gift you with wonderful fireworks from Epcot and beyond. I love the restaurants (Prima Piatto is easily one of the best quick serves on property) and the pools. The skyliner is so efficient and I've never had any major issues with shutdowns.

Don't get me wrong, most resorts have something that makes them unique and awesome but Riviera is just so amazing in every aspect.

I have ZERO regrets about buying sight unseen during construction.

Can I ask, as a fellow Canadian starting my DVC ownership journey - how did you manage to buy, what was your process? We're visiting Disneyland in November and I called to see if I could set up a tour but was told Disney can't send info to recipients in Canada. I've read somewhere here that DVC CAN sell to some Provinces but, not sure if BC is one of them and....really just trying to get as much info as I can because I'd really like to take part in the upcoming VDL offering but not sure if I'll even be able to from here.

 

[Dismom18]

Can I ask, as a fellow Canadian starting my DVC ownership journey - how did you manage to buy, what was your process? We're visiting Disneyland in November and I called to see if I could set up a tour but was told Disney can't send info to recipients in Canada. I've read somewhere here that DVC CAN sell to some Provinces but, not sure if BC is one of them and....really just trying to get as much info as I can because I'd really like to take part in the upcoming VDL offering but not sure if I'll even be able to from here.

I know that you can purchase DVC directly from Ontario and I believe Alberta as well. You can purchase resale from any province.

 

[thenicefamily]

I know that you can purchase DVC directly from Ontario and I believe Alberta as well. You can purchase resale from any province.

Thank you! No plans to move Provinces in my future so guess it's resale for me.

 

[rspencer38]

Can I ask, as a fellow Canadian starting my DVC ownership journey - how did you manage to buy, what was your process? We're visiting Disneyland in November and I called to see if I could set up a tour but was told Disney can't send info to recipients in Canada. I've read somewhere here that DVC CAN sell to some Provinces but, not sure if BC is one of them and....really just trying to get as much info as I can because I'd really like to take part in the upcoming VDL offering but not sure if I'll even be able to from here.

Not sure about their ability to send info directly to you in Canada but you can easily set up a tour once you are at DL. We did the DVC tour the year before purchasing and got most of our information at that time. Once we returned to WDW the next year we did a final tour with our guide and made the purchase. Direct purchases are easier and we had everything complete within an hour (including having our points loaded into our accounts etc...). Provided you are ready to purchase once you visit DL, there should be zero issues in completing the transaction.

 

[scoobdoo]

Riviera is my answer 9 times out of 10 whenever this question is asked.