A2DisneyMom
The brand, the brand, the brand
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2016
The short version, 5 person 1 bedroom (finally!), room flexibility, Epcot, DHS, food and WINE!
The background:
We’re a family of 4 (mom, dad & two elementary aged boys). We’re Disney people and average about 2 trips per year. AP holders, TIW, Disney VISA, all of that. Been investigating DVC for a while, including stays (cash, rented points) at AKL, Poly, CCV & BWV (multiple times). Have yet to hit “peak” Disney. Summary: DVC makes sense for us.
The economics:
DVC ownership was in the cards for a while, but we wanted to wait until we had the means to avoid long-term financing. We still have a healthy mortgage on our house and don’t need another on our vacations. Through work, we have enough banked miles to cover one vacation per year until our eldest graduates high school (crazy, I know). We’re apart more than we would like, Disney brings us together. For us, DVC is about continued vacations and time together. Summary: A resort that fits our family over time was weighted over resale value.
The decision:
Really hard. We haven’t stayed at a DVC resort we didn’t love and didn’t consider buying at. I’ve been captivated by Poly theming since I was a kid, the dining options and vibe at AKL are my favorite, the CCV rooms are stunning, the location of BWV is our favorite. In the end, despite Riviera initially being a firm “no” for me, we ended up realizing it was the right fit for us. How? BWV ends just as we will be retiring, our kids (maybe) having kids, etc. This was a concern for us. CCV and AKL are not the best location for us. Poly kills us with the lack of a 1br. The 4-person 1 bdr in a resort with 5-person studios mystifies me in general. My children already don’t sleep well together (especially in a sofa bed and while on vacation). We found Rivieria is actually poised to offer all of this to us; a location second to BWV, dining options maybe even better than AKL (especially if factoring in WS), a 1 bdr (to us) just as stunning as CCV—with 3 sleeping spaces and 5 person capacity. The tower studio pied-a-terre option is also appealing (booked for adults only F&W next fall, baby!).
The action:
We bought a 155 point contract direct over the summer. A second contract will be added within the next 1-2 years, maybe at Riviera, maybe resale at another resort. Our experience at Riviera will dictate this. We’re actually checking into a 1 bdr next week (Disney VISA discount). Hopefully we love it as much as we think we will. We’ll be sure to report back!
Thanks for reading!
The background:
We’re a family of 4 (mom, dad & two elementary aged boys). We’re Disney people and average about 2 trips per year. AP holders, TIW, Disney VISA, all of that. Been investigating DVC for a while, including stays (cash, rented points) at AKL, Poly, CCV & BWV (multiple times). Have yet to hit “peak” Disney. Summary: DVC makes sense for us.
The economics:
DVC ownership was in the cards for a while, but we wanted to wait until we had the means to avoid long-term financing. We still have a healthy mortgage on our house and don’t need another on our vacations. Through work, we have enough banked miles to cover one vacation per year until our eldest graduates high school (crazy, I know). We’re apart more than we would like, Disney brings us together. For us, DVC is about continued vacations and time together. Summary: A resort that fits our family over time was weighted over resale value.
The decision:
Really hard. We haven’t stayed at a DVC resort we didn’t love and didn’t consider buying at. I’ve been captivated by Poly theming since I was a kid, the dining options and vibe at AKL are my favorite, the CCV rooms are stunning, the location of BWV is our favorite. In the end, despite Riviera initially being a firm “no” for me, we ended up realizing it was the right fit for us. How? BWV ends just as we will be retiring, our kids (maybe) having kids, etc. This was a concern for us. CCV and AKL are not the best location for us. Poly kills us with the lack of a 1br. The 4-person 1 bdr in a resort with 5-person studios mystifies me in general. My children already don’t sleep well together (especially in a sofa bed and while on vacation). We found Rivieria is actually poised to offer all of this to us; a location second to BWV, dining options maybe even better than AKL (especially if factoring in WS), a 1 bdr (to us) just as stunning as CCV—with 3 sleeping spaces and 5 person capacity. The tower studio pied-a-terre option is also appealing (booked for adults only F&W next fall, baby!).
The action:
We bought a 155 point contract direct over the summer. A second contract will be added within the next 1-2 years, maybe at Riviera, maybe resale at another resort. Our experience at Riviera will dictate this. We’re actually checking into a 1 bdr next week (Disney VISA discount). Hopefully we love it as much as we think we will. We’ll be sure to report back!
Thanks for reading!
Congratulations!!
