DVC Membership Extras

[Coach Holden]

I am considering purchasing several hundred points through Disney (hopefully Riviera) to get the blue card and perks that one no longer gets through the resale market. My question is, how many people in my family are eligible for annual pass discounts/access (Gold membership) and things of that nature? Just the names on the deed or is there a standard number of additional people eligible for that.

 

[FFMickey]

I am considering purchasing several hundred points through Disney (hopefully Riviera) to get the blue card and perks that one no longer gets through the resale market. My question is, how many people in my family are eligible for annual pass discounts/access (Gold membership) and things of that nature? Just the names on the deed or is there a standard number of additional people eligible for that.

Only persons on the deed will be able to receive a blue membership card. You can get gold APs for everyone that lives at your primary residence. Also the DVC discounts are only for people who have the blue membership cards and most times I've had to show IDs along with the membership card.

 

[chalee94]

Make sure you understand the changes in the Riviera legal documents. Unfortunately, you sound like exactly the sort of person who will wind up getting burned by the new rules.

 

[bwvBound]

I am considering purchasing several hundred points through Disney (hopefully Riviera) to get the blue card and perks that one no longer gets through the resale market. My question is, how many people in my family are eligible for annual pass discounts/access (Gold membership) and things of that nature? Just the names on the deed or is there a standard number of additional people eligible for that.

But you only need 75 points, direct, to meet your stated goal. Why the overkill? There must be other reasons behind the intent to purchase "several hundred points" and "hopefully Riviera" ... what are these?

 

[Coach Holden]

But you only need 75 points, direct, to meet your stated goal. Why the overkill? There must be other reasons behind the intent to purchase "several hundred points" and "hopefully Riviera" ... what are these?

But you only need 75 points, direct, to meet your stated goal. Why the overkill? There must be other reasons behind the intent to purchase "several hundred points" and "hopefully Riviera" ... what are these?

We generally get 2 bedroom villa for a week at least once a year, so the point total is going to need to be at least 300 total if we plan on going once a year. Yes, the 75pt minimum purchase followed by grabbing a resale contract would be ideal.... however, having multiple contracts via resale doesn’t really do me any good if I don’t have the option of the 11 month window.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Any children living at your home address will be able to get the AP Discount, but once they hit 16 or 18 (need a photo ID), their address must match yours. So if any college age kids leave the nest, they no longer get the discounts. Like FFMickey stated above, only blue card holders are eligible for the discounts and that means they are on the deed.

 

[bwvBound]

We generally get 2 bedroom villa for a week at least once a year, so the point total is going to need to be at least 300 total if we plan on going once a year. Yes, the 75pt minimum purchase followed by grabbing a resale contract would be ideal.... however, having multiple contracts via resale doesn’t really do me any good if I don’t have the option of the 11 month window.

Good. Glad you are thinking your way through this. So "~300 points, give or take" doesn't trigger my alarm as "several hundred" had. To me, "several hundred points" falls somewhere north of 500 points.

So next question, why Riviera vs Copper Creek for the 2BR plan? Are you aware of the changes to the legal docs regarding Riviera vs any other (existing) DVC?

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Is Riviera definitely where you want to stay? You can buy the 75 direct points at other resorts too and the rest resale, save thousands, get those perks and not have the very limiting restrictions on points you might decide to sell in the future.

 

[Coach Holden]

Wow, I actually wasn't aware of Riviera's terms until now. Essentially it's resale value is quite a bit less since the resale purchaser would only be able to stay at that DVC resort, correct?

 

[crvetter]

Wow, I actually wasn't aware of Riviera's terms until now. Essentially it's resale value is quite a bit less since the resale purchaser would only be able to stay at that DVC resort, correct?

Something we don't know yet, but the thought is there will be some hit to the resale value but how much really isn't known and is quite dependent on the success of Riviera. If it is successful there would be little to no hit, if it isn't successful then there would be a hit for sure. How success is defined, IMO, traditionally as the desirability of the Resort but for Riviera I would also throw in the ease of booking rooms at 11 Months, since the resale buyers will be booking at that resort exclusively.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Wow, I actually wasn't aware of Riviera's terms until now. Essentially it's resale value is quite a bit less since the resale purchaser would only be able to stay at that DVC resort, correct?

It's speculation at this point for how pricing will be affected but if you decided to sell your expensive directly purchased points you'd need a buyer who was ok with those points being restricted to use at Riviera for DVC stays. It's difficult to imagine it wouldn't have a smaller market of buyers and thus that the pricing will eventually settle in lower than it would without those restrictions.

All the other resorts keep their trading ability within the current 14 resorts upon resale. I know which one I'd rather buy.

 

[sleepydog25]

I'm in the same camp as crvetter and KAT--resale of Riviera down the road could be a dicey issue. Someone will likely come on here to say that timeshares (which DVC is) shouldn't be viewed as an investment and none are worth what you pay. Those are valid points; however, there has always been an assumption that Disney's version of timeshares held its value better over time than almost any others. That, too, is a valid assumption based on DVC's history. Even if I loved Riviera (and I don't, but that's another story), I wouldn't buy it direct because I would think that what if something happens financially that forced me to sell? With the prior dozen plus resorts, one stood a decent chance of recouping significant money from the original purchase. With Riviera, it's still unknown what resale will look like, but if I hazarded a guess, it significantly will be below most other resorts. The reason is because I would know as a resale buyer that I'm limited to that one resort and no others, in addition to not receiving any of the perks that come with direct sales. If I really wanted into Riviera, I would simply be patient and wait for resale contracts to enter the market and buy at what I presume to be a lower cost comparative to existing resorts. Meanwhile, if I wanted the perks (which are limited, frankly) I would buy two 150-point contracts (easier to sell down the road than a 300-point contract) from Disney. Better yet, I'd buy a 75-point contract from Disney, then find a larger contract via resale for the same resort and UY. Would that take extra work and extra time? Yes, but it would likely save me several thousand dollars, and then if I wanted to buy into Riviera, I could. Even better than all that, I wouldn't buy Riviera and bet on the fact that its size will make it relatively bookable at 7-months except certain dates. Now, if you simply LOVE Riviera, then you gotta buy direct. That's a choice for you, naturally. Good luck with the process and your research!