If the terms listed on new Disney Vacation Club resale paperwork are correct, it appears DVC is lightening its stance on how resale points can be used for Disney's Riviera Resort.
Update 10/2: DVC has updated documents to remove Riviera from the list of eligible destinations.
(Ed note: Information below was accurate as of its publication on September 30. DVC later amended these documents to correct what appears to have been a clerical error. See our follow-up story for details.)
Resale broker BuyandSellDVC.com has spotted a significant change in recently-issued waivers issued by Disney Vacation Club.
When Disney's Riviera Resort was first introduced, contracts were written to allow points to be used for all DVC locations only if purchased direct from DVC itself. Any Riviera points which later changed hands on the resale market would be limited to stays at Riviera . Similarly, resale points for the 14 original DVC destinations would be barred from booking Riviera or any future location.
Right of First Refusal waivers supported this stance with a statement that read:
Effective January 19, 2019, only Members who purchase directly from Disney will be able to use their Vacation points at the 14 existing Disney Vacation Club Resorts or future resorts--such as Disney's Riviera Resort or Reflections--A Disney Lakeside Lodge. Resale contracts purchased for the existing 14 Disney Vacation Club Resorts will only be able to exchange Points into those 14 resorts.
In other words, a resale purchase at Disney's Beach Club Villas, Disney's Polynesian Villas & Bungalows, Bay Lake Tower or other prior locations could not be used to book a room at Disney's Riviera Resort or any future resort addition.
These conditions have been a source of frustration among members who expect Riviera's resale value to suffer. While they are likely designed to encourage more direct sales (e.g. "you can only use your Riviera points for other resorts if you buy direct from us at DVC!"), buyers wary of diminished long-term value have generally stayed away from Riviera. Points which are valid for a single resort will draw significantly less interest among resale buyers.
Beginning August 11, 2020, DVC quietly revised the language in their waivers to the following:
Effective January 19, 2019, only Members who purchase directly from Disney will be able to use their Vacation points at the 16 existing Disney Vacation Club Resorts or future resorts--such as Reflections--A Disney Lakeside Lodge. Resale contracts purchased for the existing 16 Disney Vacation Club Resorts will only be able to exchange Points into those 16 resorts.
This change seemingly places Riviera in the same bucket with all other resorts as a destination which can be booked using DVC resale points.
A follow-up inquiry from BuyandSellDVC.com seemingly confirmed that this is a deliberate change and not a typographical error. DVC listed Riviera among the 16 properties eligible for resale stays. (Note: in documenting these 16 destinations, DVC counted Jambo House and Kidani Village at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge separately, as well as both Copper Creek Villas and Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge.)
We have not yet been able to confirm whether the single-resort restrictions have been fully lifted from Riviera resales. We also do not know if these changes will be retroactively applied to all prior resales dating back to January 19, 2019 or to Riviera direct purchases made under original terms. Recent attempts to book a Riviera stay using resale points were unsuccessful. However, it is possible that DVC has simply not yet made this adjustment to its online reservation system.
Additional information will be provided as it is made available.
