VB Trip - A mixed bag of....

[DisDaydreamer]

Well... I'm going to try this again. Yesterday, I finally spent a couple hours after work getting photos selected, resized and uploaded, and developing my TR only to accidentally hit submit instead of preview about halfway through. Well I changed the title and content to indicate that I had made a mistake and the post was not ready to post yet, and I continued to finish in edit mode. Well, when I was all done and hit the submit button again, I got an error message "referencing an invalid thread" :scared1: I hit the back button and got the same message :eek: I realized then the thread had been deleted by the mods... and I had not copied my content :sad1: I just shut down my computer and sulked. So now it is a new day and I am trusting that today will be better than yesterday. :)

So, we arrived at the VB resort at around 10:30 am on Sat and neither our OVIR or 2bdrm were ready. I did learn that indeed the resort pre-assigns rooms (at least when full) when I asked for a few specific OVIR rooms the CM said "let me call and see if we can get you moved"... and she was able to tell me what bldg our 2bdrm was in, but said she couldn't divulge the exact room. No other rooms were available. We got our OVIR at around 12:30pm and the 2bdrm at around 3:30pm

All in all we had an excellent trip, but I will say that DW and I decided we will not be doing anymore trips with our grown children... that is all I'm going to say about that.

We walked around the resort and the lake while waiting and everything seems to be freshly painted and well maintained except for the carpets, which appear to need a cleaning or replacement. Our rooms were clean and had no maintenance issues. We were in 2413 with a nice balcony that has an open dormer. I did notice that the unit below us, which has no cover from the rain and is a closed balcony, had a few inches of water pooled on their balcony throughout our stay. That would be 2313.

Here is our wake-up view from our room on the first morning. It is gorgeous except you will note that there are NO waves.
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/arizonaborn/IMG_0101.jpg

Our beautiful afternoon view on Monday... NO waves!
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/arizonaborn/IMG_0097.jpg

I am very happy to say the the vegetation around the resort is lush and beautiful once again
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/arizonaborn/IMG_0190.jpg

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Most days we had storms come through in the afternoon, and a number of times the pool was closed.

Tuesday was still absent of waves (I'm getting pretty concerned).
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/arizonaborn/IMG_0129.jpg

We were setup for the Mon nite turtle walk, but did not attend (ref paragraph 3). However, we did see much egg laying activity each day

Mom tracks as seen from our room
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/arizonaborn/IMG_0132.jpg

Another nest nearby
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/arizonaborn/IMG_0141.jpg

We learned that the Animal Kingdom sends CMs to spend a week at a time at VB to attend to the turtle nests. Here is one digging to verify the nest. He then records the GPS coordinates and marks the nest.
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/arizonaborn/IMG_0144.jpg

They dig just enough to verify eggs are there. After the hatchlings leave the nest they dig up the nest to count the shells and those not surviving.
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/arizonaborn/IMG_0146.jpg

A while back someone asked about the depth of the pool. I can now say that the pool is 3 to 3.5 ft deep all around the entire perimeter and gradually slopes to 5 ft at the center.
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/arizonaborn/IMG_0184.jpg

Here is the BC bobbiwoz was in (didn't know it at the time)
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/arizonaborn/IMG_0191.jpg

Someone asked for a front view pic. Here it is from the 4th floor laundry room.
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/arizonaborn/IMG_0154.jpg

A White Ibis looking for crabcakes
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/arizonaborn/IMG_0243.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/arizonaborn/IMG_0244.jpg

Here is a sea turtle about 20 yards from shore Wednesday morn.
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/arizonaborn/IMG_0264.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/arizonaborn/IMG_0271.jpg

On Friday everyone vacated the water because people thought sharks were in the area. Turned out it was a manta ray. As you can see in the 2nd pic the wing tips would come out of the water and looked like a couple of dorsal fins.
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/arizonaborn/IMG_0301.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/arizonaborn/IMG_0304.jpg

Turns out we did have some excellent waves Wednesday and some awsome waves on Thursday after an all morning into early afternoon storm. So I left happy. Though I did look for other DISboard members I came to realize we don't stand out from other people. Did get to meet Joan (mackeyapp) and her family. They hopped into the water like it was bath water. I think it is probably generally colder in Nova Scotia ;)

I am limited to 25 pics so here is one last one.

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/arizonaborn/IMG_0206.jpg

I have other informative pics that I will post later.

[Starr W.]

Glad to see you got some waves!

Thanks for the pictures! John's going to see them and start counting the days until our next trip. :thumbsup2

[draw]

Great pictures. I will be looking for the minature turtle tracks is Oct. I have a silly question my 9yo asked. Is there a Disney chanel like at Disney World that has 24 hours of Disney attractions and/or cartoons?

[Muushka]

Awesome pictures. I have never wanted to stay at VB, but now I do! Thank you :goodvibes

[starbox]

Wow - what cool turtle & manta ray pictures! I've never seen VB without monster waves - that's craziness. Glad they appeared so you could enjoy them.

Sea turtle nesting looks much more active than it was the first of June. :thumbsup2

Don't tell my kids - but once they leave home, we don't plan to use our points to take them on vacations until we have grandkids past infancy....................

[BWV Dreamin]

All in all we had an excellent trip, but I will say that DW and I decided we will not be doing anymore trips with our grown children... that is all I'm going to say about that.


:rotfl2: :lmao: :rotfl2: Been there, done that this past April. I agree.....::yes:: it's going to be a LONG while before we do it again.:wave2:

[DisDaydreamer]

Okay, here are some more pics… most are not very pretty just informative.

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/arizonaborn/IMG_0183.jpg

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http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/arizonaborn/IMG_0158.jpg

I also have menus, activity sheets, and other info sheets that I will be scanning in to make available in the next day or so.

[BEASLYBOO]

Thanks, these pictures make me want to be there right now, even if it is cloudy today!

[BEASLYBOO]

DisDaydreamer, would you happen to know the age limit to rent the wave runners? Thinking of DS(12) birthday week-end at Vero Beach!

[VrBchJ]

Beautiful pictures. The ray really does look like a shark dorsal. Could you give a hint of why you won't go with your adult children again? I just got home from a 7 day BWV stay with my adult nephew (38) and his family. After the third day of me saying "Good Morning" to him and being greeted by a grunt I said to myself "never again." It didn't take much for me to figure out he wasn't someone I wanted to spend my vacation with. And when I think of all those BWV points I used...

[DisDaydreamer]

DisDaydreamer, would you happen to know the age limit to rent the wave runners? Thinking of DS(12) birthday week-end at Vero Beach! Hi Bea... I don't know exactly, but I am sure 12 would be too young to be a driver. I think you have to be 21 and have a driver's license. He could be a rider though.

[DisDaydreamer]

Beautiful pictures. The ray really does look like a shark dorsal. Could you give a hint of why you won't go with your adult children again? I just got home from a 7 day BWV stay with my adult nephew (38) and his family. After the third day of me saying "Good Morning" to him and being greeted by a grunt I said to myself "never again." It didn't take much for me to figure out he wasn't someone I wanted to spend my vacation with. And when I think of all those BWV points I used...

Especially for the swimmers that were down at water level and couldn't see anything but what looked like fins.

As far as the kids... some of it is immaturity, some poor parenting, some genetic luck of the draw, and some is just DW and I have become accustom to doing what we like to do and not trying so much to appease a bad mood or having our plans or schedule linked to other people who have a different sleep cycle than we do. :upsidedow

[LisaS]

Beautiful photos! The sunrise photo is gorgeous! I loved the pictures of the turtle tracks and the eggs. I didn't realize how deeply they bury the eggs. Those little hatchlings have to dig through a lot of sand to get out of that nest. What steps do they take to protect the nest from people using the beach?

[georgemoe]

Nice report and photos. Thanks.

[Mahusky]

great report and pictures. It has been 4 months since last visit to VB and 46 days until my next visit. Pictures just wick me away to found memories.

[DisDaydreamer]

Beautiful photos! The sunrise photo is gorgeous! I loved the pictures of the turtle tracks and the eggs. I didn't realize how deeply they bury the eggs. Those little hatchlings have to dig through a lot of sand to get out of that nest. What steps do they take to protect the nest from people using the beach?

Hi Lisa, They put these 3 stakes in the ground around the nest and tape around it. The green stakes indicate a green, orange would indicate loggerhead, and blue would indicate leatherback.
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/arizonaborn/DSCF3041.jpg

It is believed the turtles nest so deep because the hatchlings can drown if they are too shallow. Here is a pic from 2006 with the hatch hole and hatchling tracks.
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/arizonaborn/DSCF3044.jpg

[NSL]

Is it hard to get a reservation 7 mos. out for Vero? By the looks of the pictures my family and I would love it there but we own AKV. We typically travel in June, would that be difficult to get? Thanks for sharing your pics. it only makes me want to go more! :)

[Claire L]

Is it hard to get a reservation 7 mos. out for Vero? By the looks of the pictures my family and I would love it there but we own AKV. We typically travel in June, would that be difficult to get? Thanks for sharing your pics. it only makes me want to go more! :)

We booked for 4 nights in the first week of June at 7 months and had no problems, we also own at AKV :)


Love the pictures, really takes me back to last month, thank you for taking the time to post them :thumbsup2

Claire ;)

[DisDaydreamer]

Is it hard to get a reservation 7 mos. out for Vero? By the looks of the pictures my family and I would love it there but we own AKV. We typically travel in June, would that be difficult to get? Thanks for sharing your pics. it only makes me want to go more! :)

We are owners at BWV so 7 months is our only choice. We've been there in the months of April, May, June, August, October, November. Maybe other months too, but at least those.

:beach:

[luvmk1971]

Great pics. I'm so excited!! I'm going to VB for the first time in Oct and can't wait.

[westjones]

All in all we had an excellent trip, but I will say that DW and I decided we will not be doing anymore trips with our grown children... that is all I'm going to say about that.




Can I just ask how old your grown children are?
DJ

[DisDaydreamer]

Can I just ask how old your grown children are?
DJ

DD27, DS23, DDIL24.

[tink6137130]

Love your pics...thanks for sharing! :)

[Cyndibear]

Thanks for sharing your pictures! They are great! We have yet to stay at VB, hopefully one day on our way to WDW or home.

Cyndi

[CarolAnnC]

Great pix and thanks so much for sharing with this report! Did you have any nice restaurants to report on from this trip? We are leaving for Vero a week from tomorrow and it will be DH's first time there, so we are very excited!

:)

[loribell]

What wonderful pics Rob! Thanks so much for sharing them.

So sorry your kids made for a not so peaceful vacation. Mine have done the same, as have my parents. I come home saying never again and always break down.

[madcoco]

Thanks for sharing those great pictures and report Did you happen to run into Jeanne "the turtle lady" in the giftshop and see her photos? She would probably love to have copies of a few of yours!:) Was over there on the beach early this morning Didn't see any Green Mickeys Hanging around. :sad2:;)

[RCharnay]

Wonderful pictures. Can't wait to go. We just found out we were going toward the shore of Florida in Oct so we called this week and got OVIR for our stay. Hope we see a beautiful sunrise like that from our window!

[DisDaydreamer]

Great pix and thanks so much for sharing with this report! Did you have any nice restaurants to report on from this trip? We are leaving for Vero a week from tomorrow and it will be DH's first time there, so we are very excited!

:)

Nope. We rarely go to restaurants and with one look at Shutters & Sonya's menu prices we decided to stick to sandwiches, salads, & mwave meals. The kids told us they went to the Lobster Shanty ( or maybe Shack?) and really liked it. DDIL is from Ketchikan, Alaska and a fishing family so she has something to compare to.

Have a really great trip :beach:

[DisDaydreamer]

Thanks for sharing those great pictures and report Did you happen to run into Jeanne "the turtle lady" in the giftshop and see her photos? She would probably love to have copies of a few of yours!:) Was over there on the beach early this morning Didn't see any Green Mickeys Hanging around. :sad2:;)

Afraid I didn't run into Jeanne. Boy... I want to live where you live or somewhere near the coast. Did a little metal detecting while we were there, but no finds.

[alldiz]

Thanks so much for the pics:goodvibes Theys are awesome:thumbsup2

I can't wait to go to Vero Beach....I'm planning on going next smmer....I hope I get in:goodvibes

BTW.....Do they set up the chair and umbrellas on the beach.....do they run out quick?
thanks
Kerri

[BEASLYBOO]

Great pix and thanks so much for sharing with this report! Did you have any nice restaurants to report on from this trip? We are leaving for Vero a week from tomorrow and it will be DH's first time there, so we are very excited!

:)

One of my co-workers (a local), he works in our Vero store and I work in WPB, recommends Mrs. Mac's Filling Station as a good breakfast and lunch. It has an old gas station motife, affordable and tasty. They have a website, mrsmacs.com if anyones interested, 951 Old Dixie Highway, Vero Beach

[DisDaydreamer]

Thanks so much for the pics:goodvibes Theys are awesome:thumbsup2

I can't wait to go to Vero Beach....I'm planning on going next smmer....I hope I get in:goodvibes

BTW.....Do they set up the chair and umbrellas on the beach.....do they run out quick?
thanks
Kerri

Hi Kerri, You'll get in... :thumbsup2

They do set up chairs and umbrellas early in the morning and I would say usually a little more than half of them get rented.

:beach:

[bobbiwoz]

What beautiful pictures! Thank you!

When DS, gregwoz,now 30, was 25ish, we brought him to WDW to celebrate DM's 85th birthday, and he was bunking with the son (20ish) of DF's. DS showed his first signs of maturity when he mentioned that he remembers giving us such a difficult time as that young man was giving his parents. Truly, there is hope that in the future you'll have some memorable vacations together, in the good sense of the word! However, when I read your post to DH, he said that your reasons are exactly why he likes "just the 2 of us" to go on WDW's trips! What can I say?..except for me, when we are with family, family things are all that I do. I am sorry to say, I didn't even wear my Disboard pin as I planned to.

We're in Cape May now, no sea turtles, just terapins, some being cared for by the Nature Center in CM, an interesting story as well.

Can't thank you enough for those beautiful pictures, sigh...staying in 1475 was a wonderful experience.

Bobbi:goodvibes

[madcoco]

Afraid I didn't run into Jeanne. Boy... I want to live where you live or somewhere near the coast. Did a little metal detecting while we were there, but no finds.
The next time you are there look her up and show her your photos. She is a wonderful CM to have on staff at VB. not even a lucky penny huh? Wish you the best and enjoy your next visit! Thanks again for sharing the beautiful pictures. pirate:

[DisDaydreamer]

not even a lucky penny huh?

Nope... no treasures of any kind.

Glad to getting to know you though. Want to keep close and learn about how to search. Need to spend more time there too.


:beach:

[madcoco]

Anytime. If you are going to be back in the area,PM with some notice. If not away at the time, would be more than happy to show your family or anyone else here on this DVC board some tips. pirate:

[Cheryl N. WI]

Great pictures!!! Last June while we were at VB DH and I were returning from a night time walk on the bach hoping to see a turtle. As we approached the resort someone came up to us and told us to stay back and watch where we step because there was a turtle that had just come up from the water onto the beach! It was the most amazing thing to watch as the turtle finished making her way up the beach, dug the hole, layed her eggs and then covered them and slowly turned and went back to the water, all right in front of the ramp that leads down to the beach in front of Disney's resort!

[AlexTina]

Great pics! Thanks for sharing.

Tina

[TunaJr]

Hey! Rob.......great pictures! We were at Vero from the 21st to the 26th. I was hoping to see ya there.....I would be at the beach or pool trying to guess which person was you.....anyway this was our first trip to Vero and loved it.....I told the wife we need to add a Vero trip in every year.

The only thing that was disappointing was the wave action...the waves did pick up by Wed our last day on the beach. In fact, the boogie boards never made it out of the car. It was nice to relax after being WDW the week before....The beach itself reminded me alot of the Outer Banks of NC...the sand and the drop off....We're going to Myrtle Beach the last of July so hopefully the boards can get some use.

I wish we lived closer to Vero....on Thursday we left Vero at 9:30 in morning and I pulled into my driveway here in Richmond Virginia at 10:30pm.....824.7 miles in 13 hours.....whew!!!!!!

The wife says I'm wasting my time working at DMV and she going to get the number to the Truck Driving school...I did have that Van rolling up 95 north.

[lisareniff]

Wonderful pics Rob!!

I wish we could go down during turtle season, but it's much too hot for us in the summer.

[photobob]

Nice photos Rob, we plan on doing VB next June. Thanks for the informative photos as well..Bob

[mbhoxsie]

DisDaydreamer, which day had the false shark/manta warning??

I was there swimming on 6/27 and spent about an hour in the water during the afternoon.. :eek:

[RLRDA]

Thanks for posting your pictures! VB looks gorgeous--we have yet to go! DisDaydreamer, you mentioned several different months that you've visited. Do you like one month/time of year more than another? Which times of year are easier to book at the 7 month window?

[DisDaydreamer]

DisDaydreamer, which day had the false shark/manta warning??

I was there swimming on 6/27 and spent about an hour in the water during the afternoon.. :eek:

Bingo... You were there just after... Were you the only one in the water?

Frankly, I am many times the only one in the water... sometimes it is just too cold for others and sometimes I just have to go out into the waves knowing I will be with other... critters. They don't really want me.... I'm too big and probably taste bad....

Glad you didn't have an encounter.... :beach:

[DisDaydreamer]

Thanks for posting your pictures! VB looks gorgeous--we have yet to go! DisDaydreamer, you mentioned several different months that you've visited. Do you like one month/time of year more than another? Which times of year are easier to book at the 7 month window?

I think October is by far my favorite time to visit VB. It is at the end of the hurricane season and still great weather and waves. I think November is great too. Next would be May. So far all the months are bookable at the 7 month mark... I would think that April and May are the peak months. Just my experience though.

[BWV Dreamin]

I think October is by far my favorite time to visit VB. It is at the end of the hurricane season and still great weather and waves. I think November is great too. Next would be May. So far all the months are bookable at the 7 month mark... I would think that April and May are the peak months. Just my experience though.

Rob, don't you have to worry about the Red Tide in the fall?

[DisDaydreamer]

Hey! Rob.......great pictures! We were at Vero from the 21st to the 26th. I was hoping to see ya there.....I would be at the beach or pool trying to guess which person was you.....anyway this was our first trip to Vero and loved it.....I told the wife we need to add a Vero trip in every year.

The only thing that was disappointing was the wave action...the waves did pick up by Wed our last day on the beach. In fact, the boogie boards never made it out of the car. It was nice to relax after being WDW the week before....The beach itself reminded me alot of the Outer Banks of NC...the sand and the drop off....We're going to Myrtle Beach the last of July so hopefully the boards can get some use.

I wish we lived closer to Vero....on Thursday we left Vero at 9:30 in morning and I pulled into my driveway here in Richmond Virginia at 10:30pm.....824.7 miles in 13 hours.....whew!!!!!!

The wife says I'm wasting my time working at DMV and she going to get the number to the Truck Driving school...I did have that Van rolling up 95 north.

Hey TJ... Come-on, tell us your real first name..

I too tried to seek out the other DISboard members, but only found one (mackeyapp) and it was a real nice meeting. They are a great family and real nice/polite kids. Turned over my tried and true board to them.... it was having some cracking issues.

You may have seen me.... I was the one with the hand cart behind me with the boogie boards, chairs, umbrella etc.

You are right about the calm seas the first few days... I was pretty depressed about that, but our last two days made up for it.

Hope we can meet up some day at VB.... We too want to live closer... maybe Georgia, or southern SC.

Hey... if you're working at DMV then you must be a government worker... I am really trying to get a government job for the retirement benefits... Stay where you are and get those benefits.

:beach:

[DisDaydreamer]

Rob, don't you have to worry about the Red Tide in the fall?

Howdi Ms. Hope...

I have never experienced a red (or green) tide at any time at VB. I know they happen, but I think the are short lived and really flurish with the warm water streams... I am sure they happen all the time, but I have not experienced one.

:beach:

[DisDaydreamer]

BWV Dreamin;26056370]

Love your new avatar.....

[TunaJr]

You are right about the calm seas the first few days... I was pretty depressed about that, but our last two days made up for it.

Hope we can meet up some day at VB.... We too want to live closer... maybe Georgia, or southern SC.

Hey... if you're working at DMV then you must be a government worker... I am really trying to get a government job for the retirement benefits... Stay where you are and get those benefits.

:beach:

I could not believe the calm seas..:sad2: The wife and kids were content to hang out by the pool...I would set up on the beach and go up to the pool from time to time and back to the beach.

I always thought I would end up on the Outer Banks, but now maybe further south is in order.

I've been with DMV for 20 years and the wife been there 25 years....I'm hoping to make 30 years and then sail off into the sunset....who knows....as you know being here in Virginia times are tough...we can't agree on anything especially our transportation system.....:headache: .....anyway back to my happy place.....Vero Beach....:dance3:

[mbhoxsie]

Bingo... You were there just after... Were you the only one in the water?

Frankly, I am many times the only one in the water... sometimes it is just too cold for others and sometimes I just have to go out into the waves knowing I will be with other... critters. They don't really want me.... I'm too big and probably taste bad....

Glad you didn't have an encounter.... :beach:

There were others in the water... (Though not many...) It may have had something to do with the pool being closed during that time for a "special" cleaning. :scared1: My guess is that multiple people migrated from the pool to the beach.

I agree with you though on knowing about the other critters... I take as many precautions as possible, but you know that there's just certain things you have no control over...

[RLRDA]

Love your new avatar.....

BWV Dreamin' -- love the avatar, too!

[Goofy's apprentice]

Thanks for the awesome pictures and the trip report. Really makes us miss Vero...and we were just there in April.

We have been twice in April, both times staying in a beach cottage with friends (who own significantly more points than we !).

On both vacations the cottages have been booked well inside the 7 month window. In fact, this year, we changed the dates of travel and one night was booked just the week before the trip. However, it was the Saturday night so that may have something to do with it.

We also don't hit the restaurants when in Vero. It seems that we just get so relaxed with the beach life that no one is really in the mood to head out in the late afternoon/evening. We usually get take out from the pool or the Inn bar as well as some basic cooking.

We have never stayed more that 4 days, so I don't know if I would like a full week, but the rest for the 4 days is wonderful. We travel with 4 teenagers and they have never been bored.

[mackeyapp]

Hi Rob

We are back home safe and sound and today is my first day back on the boards. I can't believe it took me that long to find my way back here.

Our trip to Vero was amazing and we will be back for sure. Thanks again for your board and we did have many hours of enjoyment with it. We passed it on along with pails and shovels when we left.

The waves were great and we crazy canucks didn't find that water cold at all. :rotfl2:

It was wonderful meeting you and your wife and we hope we will see you again on future trips. We hope to do the same thing next year with Vero and Disney. Animal Kingdom Villas was great and we so enjoyed our Savannah view room. Overall it was a Wonderful trip and the countdown starts for our Xmas adventure.

PS-A special thanks to the Chair Swap program-it was great. (Sorry, your name escapes me)

Sincerely
Joan, Bill and boys.

GREAT PICS ROB!!

[ses1230]

Thanks for the great pics! I can't wait to go back to VB... hopefully next year :)

[Buckalew11]

Great pix and thanks so much for sharing with this report! Did you have any nice restaurants to report on from this trip? We are leaving for Vero a week from tomorrow and it will be DH's first time there, so we are very excited!

:)

Carol,

I hope you and crissup have a wonderful trip to VB. Warm it up for us. Our firt trip is in Oct. Please tell your DH hello from his old friend buckalew!

[Buckalew11]

And thanks Rob, for these wonderful, beautiful, informative pics. Oct. will be our first (and I am sure not last) trip to VB. I'm from the NJ shore so I am thinking that the water will feel warm to me in FL! ;)

[mikeandkarla]

Awesome pics of the manta and sea turtle! My kids would have flipped if we would have seen the turtle in the water when we were there in early June.

[limace]

DisneyDayDreamer-watching the old movie "Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation" tonight with my family, and couldn't help thinking of you, as it does a fabulous job of describing all the "joys" of travelling with ones' adult children. You should give it a watch, if you haven't already.

[pinktales]

Loved all your pix! Has me dreaming of our first trip to VB next May!!! We'll be staying 3 nights in an OVIR as I wanted to guarantee an ocean view. I'm hoping it will be a nice relaxing break midway of our 2 weeks at AKV.

[madcoco]

BWV Dreamin'
Last Dec was really one of the last times I can remember the "Red Tide" being really serious around Vero Beach, Indian River County. Have ran into more times farther north in Brevard County around Melbourne Beach north than down around the resort. It is hard to explain other than it causes respiratory irratation and gives you a dry cough while exposed to the algae becoming airborne. With the fish kills it can really stink up the beach area.

If you are concerned,keep this link in mind for future use for Red Tide monitoring.

http://research.myfwc.com/features/view_article.asp?id=8939

[BEASLYBOO]

VB next May!!! We'll be staying 3 nights in an OVIR as I wanted to

The abbreviation OVIR is not on my list, can some one please tell me what it stands for, Ocean View ? Reservation/Room, the I throws me off!

[BWV Dreamin]

The abbreviation OVIR is not on my list, can some one please tell me what it stands for, Ocean View ? Reservation/Room, the I throws me off!

Ocean View Inn Room! :goodvibes

[madcoco]

You got it. Ocean View Inn Room.pirate:

[madcoco]

BWV Dreamin You beat me to it. Aren't you supposed to be writing an article or something j/k:thumbsup2

[mla973]

DisDayDreamer - Thanks for posting the great photos. We were just talking about trying to get to VB yesterday.

I saw that there are kayaks for rent as well as a class. Do you happen to know if members can bring their own kayaks? (I guess keeping them safely stored outside woudl be the biggest issue.) TIA!

[DisDaydreamer]

DisDayDreamer - Thanks for posting the great photos. We were just talking about trying to get to VB yesterday.

I saw that there are kayaks for rent as well as a class. Do you happen to know if members can bring their own kayaks? (I guess keeping them safely stored outside woudl be the biggest issue.) TIA!

There would be no problem with bringing you own. Personally, I would just keep them on the roof rack when not in use. I wouldn't feel too at risk of losing them from inside the resort, but you could always use like a bicycle cable lock and secure them to the roof rack. :)

[jdg345]

When is the best time for peak of Turtle Season? Is it now?

Great pictures btw! Thank you for sharing! :thumbsup2 :goodvibes

[madcoco]

It's really hard to say. Each species has different cycles plus throw in variables like beach conditions and it can be hard to pinpoint. March to Sept is basically nesting season so you could consider May to June to be about a peak. Loggerhead turtles are the most common and first to nest on the local beaches.

Nesting got off to a late start this year. Things seem to be picking up.

Here is a great link to keep up on nearby nesting totals.
What is sad is, if you look at the link below you will note the number of false crawls where the female often gets distracted by onlookers and lighting and doesn't lay her eggs.
http://www.fws.gov/archiecarr/updates/index.html

Archie Carr National Wildlife refuge is located North of the Resort.
http://www.fws.gov/archiecarr/

[FormrCastMbr]

Awesome thread...thank you! Now I want to plan a trip to VB! :thumbsup2

[jiggerj]

Great thread and pics! :thumbsup2

I have been thinking about visiting Vero for a few years now and I think that May '09 will be it!

Not quite understanding the layout of the resort. I will be needing a 2 bedroom- is an Ocean view a specific request?

[allaboutmm]

:thumbsup2 Great pictures and info, thank you!

[princessesrule4]

Thanks for the pics! We love VB!:cloud9:

[DisDaydreamer]

Great thread and pics! :thumbsup2

I have been thinking about visiting Vero for a few years now and I think that May '09 will be it!

Not quite understanding the layout of the resort. I will be needing a 2 bedroom- is an Ocean view a specific request?

Ocean view is a category for the Inn rooms, but not for the villas. You need a two bedroom lock-off (which is a category), third floor, in bldg 12, or 15 (requests). Good luck. By category I mean you will know at the time of booking whether it is available.

:beach: