Baby on the Beach – A Vero Beach Mini-Trip Report

[schmass]

Hello and welcome to my Vero Beach mini-TR! Why a mini-TR, you ask? Well first of all, it took me 9 months to finish up my last TR, so I’m hoping to streamline things this time. It’s also mini because it was a pretty short trip! We only spent 3 nights there, arriving early Saturday afternoon and leaving Tuesday afternoon. I wanted to write this because I didn’t find a whole lot of information about the resort, especially staying there with a baby and toddler, so I hope it might help someone considering a Vero Beach trip.

For those of you who have read my other TRs, the “baby” from my previous reports is now a toddler and we are now a family of four.

Our cast of characters: Michael (my DH), Rory (2.5 year old son), and Lola (just shy of 6 months during the trip). Oh, and I’m Sarah – the planner of all of our vacations.

How the trip came to be: A couple of weeks before Christmas, I received an email from JetBlue advertising a sale. I had recently read a review of the resort on easywdw.com and thought it looked like a nice, relaxing place to visit. I think the part that sold it for me was when he compared it to Disney Cruise Line. We are BIG fans of DCL. Anyway, flights to West Palm Beach were pretty inexpensive, and we had DVC points available. The resort had a studio available, so I booked it! I kept it a secret as to where we were going until Christmas morning. Michael knew we were going somewhere, but not our destination.

Dates of the trip: Saturday, January 23 through Tuesday, January 26

Warning: There is a major lack of pictures on Day 1. There will be plenty of photos in the next installments!



Now on to the report!

Day 1

We were nervous for the week leading up to our departure, as the northeast was going to be getting a big snowstorm. As Saturday got closer though, they had changed the forecast in our area from Friday night into Saturday to Saturday night into Sunday. Our flight was at 8:45am and we got out with no problem.

We managed to get through the airport and onto the plane without checking any bags. We had a double BOB stroller, 2 carseats, a rolling suitcase, a Vera Bradley large duffel bag, a tote bag, a backpack, and Rory’s Lightning McQueen backpack. Whew, that’s a lot of stuff! Rory rode in the stroller and I wore Lola in the Ergo. That worked well because then we could load her half of the stroller up with our stuff. I was glad that I didn’t have to take her out of the Ergo when going through security.

Lola did great on her first flight!

Our flight was uneventful except for some major turbulence on our descent. It was WINDY that day. We landed just before noon and headed straight to the Alamo check in. Renting a car for Vero Beach is a must. I got a great deal on a standard SUV through Costco. I would check the rates every day and kept re-booking and cancelling until I got the best deal possible. We ended up with a Hyundai Santa Fe and all of our luggage and the huge stroller fit with no problem.

We stopped at a place called The Chickpea in West Palm Beach before driving the 1 hour, 40 minutes to Vero. This was soooo good. Finally we were on our way!

Shortly after hitting the road, the kids both passed out, as I was hoping they would. We arrived at the resort around 3:30.

Okay, so I have to be honest. I was not happy upon checking in. Since this is a “mini” TR and I don’t want to get overly negative here, I’ll keep this part brief. Not very helpful cast members at front desk + letting us know the kids splash area was about to go under renovation + a few other little things = me asking them if there are any DVC rooms available in WDW. Yes, we were about to completely change our whole vacation at the last minute. There was one 2-bedroom available at SSR, but I didn’t want to spend the points on a 2-bedroom when we are perfectly happy in a studio. So we decided to stay put. Okay fine, let’s go to our room. Oh wait, it’s not ready. At this point it was about 4:15, and since I was already unhappy I really didn’t want to wait any longer. They called housekeeping and about 10 minutes later we went to our room.

We were in Building 12. There are 3 buildings – 12, 14, and 15 plus the Inn. The Inn is the main building and has guest rooms, the lobby, the store, the spa, and the lounge and restaurant. The resort is not huge, so we didn’t really care which building we were put in. They all seemed pretty convenient. Building 14 is probably the most convenient to the pool, but that building was being renovated while we were there and I don’t think anyone was staying in that building. Each building has a parking garage below and they have luggage carts down there, as well.

Our studio was a different layout than the studios we have stayed in at WDW. I apologize for not taking any pictures. By the time we got to our room, it was the last thing on my mind. There was plenty of space for the pack n play for Lola, and Rory slept on the pullout couch.

We had reserved a standard studio, but we had an ocean view. This was the view from our balcony. There’s the ocean!

And there is the campfire area where they do s’mores and singalongs in the evenings.

After dropping our stuff off in the room, we headed out to the beach. Rory was adamant that we go to the beach even though it was not warm and was very windy. So we bundled up and went for a walk on the beach. When we got there, a woman pointed out that there were dolphins in the ocean, and it was very cool to see them jumping out of the water not too far from us.

When we finally dragged Rory away from the sand, we decided to go to Shutters for dinner. There are a few places to eat at the resort – Shutters is the casual sit-down restaurant, Sonya’s is fine dining, Bleachers is the poolside bar and grill, and the Green Cabin Room is the lounge. I had read some not great reviews about the restaurants, but we really enjoyed our dinner at Shutters that night. The chef came out to speak with us since Rory has food allergies, and he made me a special vegan dinner. I am not really vegan, as I do love seafood and eat chicken and sometimes meat, but I do prefer to eat a plant-based diet the majority of the time. Michael enjoyed his burger, and Rory got fish with rice and vegetables. Rory and I both took leftovers back to the room.

After dinner, we got settled in the room. Michael pulled out the couch for Rory and immediately had to call housekeeping, as there were goldfish crackers scattered in the sheets. Ewww…About 10 minutes later, 2 men from housekeeping came up to change the sheets. One was the housekeeping manager, Bruce. He was great. The other man said, “you know, there are extra sheets in the closet”. It was kind of weird, like was he saying that we should have just changed them ourselves? He did end up warming up to us once he heard me say Rory’s name. It turns out his brother is named Rory, as well, so we talked about that for a few minutes.

Once the bed was made and Rory and Lola were ready for bed, Michael went to Publix to pick up a few items. I tried to stay up until he was back, but it had been a long day and I love to sleep, so I ended up passing out pretty early.

 

[schmass]

Day 2

The next day we woke up and made coffee and bagels to eat in the room. Rory told me he wanted to go eat his bagel on the balcony, and at that point I realized that he remembered doing that in the Boardwalk last April. He was 23 months old at the time and totally remembers that! We did go out there for a bit, but it was only about 50 degrees at that point, so we were a little cold. The high for that day was only supposed to be around 60, but it wasn’t windy like the day before and it was sunny. Not quite pool weather for us, though.

Rory enjoyed hanging out with Lola for a bit.

Then we went for a walk on the beach.

We decided to check out the Environmental Learning Center, which was just a 5 minute drive away from the resort. We got there and the gate was closed. I then noticed it didn’t open until 1pm and it was about 11:15. We were going to head back to the resort when I realized that Rory had fallen asleep! We figured that was a good time to drive to the downtown area of Vero Beach and check that out. We drove for a while and didn’t really see anything exciting. I’m not sure if we just didn’t find the right area, or if it was so quiet because it was January, but we didn’t feel like we were missing anything by staying further out. We were looking for a place for lunch, but everything was closed. It was weird.



So we drove up north to Sebastian. I had wanted to go to Squid Lips for a meal, so we decided to head there. Rory woke when we were about 5 minutes away, so perfect timing. I decided that I would nurse Lola in the car before going in, so I met Rory and Michael in there a few minutes later. They had walked out to the dock and saw pelicans. The restaurant wasn’t crowded at all and again, I think it is because it was January. Michael and I both got the Bahama Mahi and it was really good. Although the restaurant was great for families, Rory and Lola were the only kids in there so they ended up getting quite a bit of attention from the waitstaff and other diners.



After lunch we headed back to the Environmental Learning Center. It was $5 per adult to get in. We spent about an hour or so there. We started off on a tour with a few other people and a tour guide, but we were barely moving and Rory (and his parents!) were a little bored.

We broke off from the group and did our own little tour.

At the end we went inside where they have a touch tank and Rory got to touch things like hermit crabs. He was entertained by that. All in all, I would say if you are staying at the resort and it’s not a swimming day, it’s worth checking out, but isn’t really a must-do.

When we got back to the resort, we decided to go for a little walk around the property. I wanted to check out the grill area. This was something that I had tried to find information about before the trip, but couldn’t really find anything. We had considered picking up stuff to grill for one of our lunches or dinners, but since we didn’t know what the grill situation was, we decided not to.

Across the street from the Inn is a lake with the grill, seating area, soccer field, and volleyball area. It was really a nice little area. The grill was just this little charcoal grill though, so even if you can get grilling utensils to borrow, we decided it would be a lot of work/carrying stuff over for us. Maybe if the kids were older and could help carry stuff. Since it is a main street that you need to cross, Disney has provided an underground walkway to use to get safely across.

We let Rory play in the playground for a little while.

Here is the Tiger Lilly splash area that would be going down for renovation the next day. It was too bad that Rory never got to use it. When it was open on Sunday it was way too cold, and then when it finally got warmer, it was closed.

We headed to the Island Grove Packing Company, which is the store at the resort. Here you could rent DVDs. DVC members could rent 2 at a time for no charge. For non-members, I believe they were $5. We rented Pixar shorts, which Rory loved, and then something that he wouldn’t watch. I can’t even remember what it was!

Dinner that night was take out from Orchid Island Pizzeria, which is right near the resort. Since Rory is allergic to dairy and I try to stay away from it, he and I shared a no-cheese veggie pizza (I know, sounds awful to the rest of the world, but it really is pretty good!), and Michael got a Stromboli. We had some beer and wine to go along with our dinner, and had a nice time in the room eating dinner and watching the movie.

We were looking forward to the next day when it was supposed to be in the 70’s and we could finally use the pool!

 

[schmass]

Day 3

We woke up and had coffee and bagels again. It was kind of nice to be able to relax in the room instead of racing to get out the door like when we are at WDW.

Once we were all dressed, we headed to the beach for a walk.

Rory’s shorts got soaked when he got a bit too close to a big wave (the waves were huge that morning!), so after our walk we went back to the room to get him changed. We decided to change him into his bathing suit and we’d go to the pool. He has been in swimming lessons since 6 months old and is getting to be a pretty good little swimmer.

He wanted to go down the water slide. When we were at the Boardwalk last April the lifeguard told us that it wasn’t allowed for Rory and Michael to go down together, but they could do it once before the other lifeguard reprimanded them for it. Michael figured it would be the same situation, so they went down the slide together…and they got reprimanded. Rory said he could do it by himself, so he and Michael went back up to the top. Michael was going to go down first, and when the light was green, Rory was supposed to go. He knows that red means stop and green means go, so I think he would have been fine. However, there were a couple of kids in the pool and I heard them say “the baby is going down the slide again, let’s go help him!” So they ran up there and sent Rory down the slide. He loved it! It was really sweet of those kids, and Rory like swimming with them. I lost count of how many times he went down the slide. One of the lifeguards gave him a pirate necklace for being brave and going down it by himself.

Finally we decided he was tired and it was approaching naptime, so we went back to the room. We had leftovers from Shutters and the pizzeria and then put both kids down for a nap. I remembered that they serve Dole Whips so I went in search of those. I got a regular one for Michael, and a Dole whip float for myself. I headed out to do a little reading on our balcony.

After Rory had been sleeping for a couple of hours, I really wanted to take Lola swimming. It would be her first time. We woke Rory thinking he’d be excited to go back in the pool, but he said he wanted to watch Little Einsteins instead. We brought his headphones and he watched on a phone while Lola and I went in the water. I think this is a glimpse into the teenage years.

Lola didn’t really care about the water one way or the other. She looked cute in her bathing suit, though!

Of course while we were out there, Rory said he wanted to go down the water slide, but we told him he had made his choice back in the room. Michael took him to play in the playground while I took Lola back to the room to get changed.

Michael asked him if he wanted to play mini-golf, but he wasn’t interested. I think that he’s still a little young for that.

After playing in the sand for a while, we decided we’d go to Shutters again for dinner. If there was an early bird special, we would have been there for it, as we were there right when it opened! We ran into Bruce, the housekeeping manager, again and he surprised the kids with Squirt stuffed animals. It was very generous of him, and the kids LOVE those stuffed animals. It was a very nice surprise.

We had another great surprise when Goofy walked into the restaurant! I wasn’t expecting to see any characters while we were there, as there is only a character breakfast at the resort on Saturday mornings, and we arrived Saturday afternoon. He was dressed as a pirate, so Rory was excited to show him his pirate necklace. Goofy stopped at each table, even though most didn’t have kids, and I thought that was very cool. He spent several minutes with everyone, and it was so nice that it didn’t feel rushed at all.

Dinner was very good again. Our server was pretty slow, but the food was good. I’m not sure why most of the reviews I saw weren’t very favorable.

After dinner we went back to the store to get some new DVDs. We got The Lion King since Rory hasn’t seen it, but loves The Lion Guard that is on Disney Jr. We also bought him a new pair of sunglasses, just like the ones he always wears that are from the Grand Floridian. He loves them so much that we thought it was wise to have a backup pair. We also wanted to buy a Christmas ornament since we always get one as a souvenir. The only one they had was of Crush and Squirt, but we loved it and it was a great representation of our time at the resort. Turtles are a big deal on Vero Beach, but we weren’t there during the turtle season.

We went back to the room and Lola went down for the night. We put on the Lion King, and I’m a little embarrassed to admit that while I fell asleep during it, Rory stayed up and watched the whole thing! Apparently he also watched some Little Einsteins before bed, as well. I wouldn’t know, as once again I was in bed early.

 

[schmass]

Day 4

This was our last day. It was warm when I opened the door to the balcony, although pretty overcast. We ate breakfast, got dressed, and enjoyed our last leisurely morning in our room.

Then we headed out to the pool. We saw a little snake on the way!

Rory went down the water slide about 50 more times. It was lightly raining for a bit but Lola and I were at a table with an umbrella and stayed dry. Eventually we headed back to the room so that we could pack up and be out by 11. Michael threw his and Rory’s wet bathing suits in the dryer and we loaded up the car with the rest of our stuff. We then headed to the beach for a walk. It started drizzling a little bit again, and was off and on the whole rest of the day.

It started raining a little harder, so we went into the lobby. There was this cute little kids area, so Rory was entertained here for a while.

We met a couple that were from our home state and talked to them for a while. I felt like we kept seeing the same people around the resort and had some nice conversations with people during our stay.

Before we headed back to West Palm Beach to go to the airport, we ate lunch by the pool at Bleachers. This is the only food option for lunch. It was pretty good though, and once again they handled Rory’s allergies well. I like how when we go to a Disney property we can be confident that his allergies will be taken care of.

After lunch we got back in the car, the kids fell asleep, and we drove the 1.5 hours to the airport. It was a really nice little vacation and we enjoyed our time there. As we were driving, I commented to Michael that while I was sad to leave, it wasn’t the overwhelming sadness I feel when we leave WDW. I’m not sure when we will be back, but I know we will definitely return. Michael thought we could go back next year and have a great time. I agree with that, but think that in a few years we’ll have an even better time when the kids can take advantage of the bikes, kayaks, and other fun activities the resort has to offer.

Thanks for reading this mini-TR, and I hope it was helpful in learning a little about Disney’s Vero Beach Resort!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

How could I resist the title "Baby on the Beach"?? So cute!!

 

[jedijill]

What a fun trip! Lola is sooo cute....those cheeks! Rory is getting to be such a big boy now...especially going down the slide so many times! Glad you had a great trip even though it started a little rocky at checkin.

Jill in CO

 

[cindianne320]

Thanks for the tips! Lola is so adorable, and Rory is just too cute- can't believe he's big enough to go on that slide himself!

 

[schmass]

How could I resist the title "Baby on the Beach"?? So cute!!

Aww, thanks!

What a fun trip! Lola is sooo cute....those cheeks! Rory is getting to be such a big boy now...especially going down the slide so many times! Glad you had a great trip even though it started a little rocky at checkin.

Jill in CO

It was fun - short, but fun! Yes, Rory used to have the big cheeks and now he has thinned out and Lola has them!

Thanks for the tips! Lola is so adorable, and Rory is just too cute- can't believe he's big enough to go on that slide himself!

Thank you! Rory did look pretty tiny coming down the slide and I'm pretty sure people thought we were crazy for letting him go down it. He loved it though!

 

[Ensusieasm]

Such a fun trip report! You sure packed a lot of fun into your mini vacation! Your children are so cute! Thanks for sharing.

 

[jerseygal]

I ENJOYED reading your TR. Your little ones are DARLING! Looks like you had the resort to yourselves almost. THANKS for the pics and posting. We are looking forward to some relaxing beach, pool time and renting bikes in May. I have read that there is biking on the Jungle Trail starting near Sebastian Inlet. Might be fun also to check out the suffers at Sebastian Beach.

 

[traceyg]

Thanks for the report. We are going in June and you answered a lot of questions I had. My son was 10 mos old when we went to the Bahamas so he doesn't remember the beach. He'll be 5 on this trip so I'm excited to see how he'll react. Your family is adorable btw!

 

[schmass]

Such a fun trip report! You sure packed a lot of fun into your mini vacation! Your children are so cute! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for reading! Yes, we managed to have a lot of fun in just a few days. So nice to get out of the cold and snow and enjoy time as a family!

I ENJOYED reading your TR. Your little ones are DARLING! Looks like you had the resort to yourselves almost. THANKS for the pics and posting. We are looking forward to some relaxing beach, pool time and renting bikes in May. I have read that there is biking on the Jungle Trail starting near Sebastian Inlet. Might be fun also to check out the suffers at Sebastian Beach.

Thank you! Yes, we definitely felt like we had the resort practically to ourselves. It was funny how we kept running into the same few families. I noticed the sign for the Jungle Trail - wasn't too far from the resort at all. Have fun in May!

Thanks for the report. We are going in June and you answered a lot of questions I had. My son was 10 mos old when we went to the Bahamas so he doesn't remember the beach. He'll be 5 on this trip so I'm excited to see how he'll react. Your family is adorable btw!

Hi, I'm so glad that this report was able to answer some questions for you. I was hoping people would find it helpful. I bet your son will have a blast, and June should be a great time to go. If you have any questions about the resort, let me know!

 

[Imagineer5]

Thanks for writing this up! It's a place I could see spending a few days in the future. Neat to have a little Disney touch there too with Goofy! I agree it would be more fun when the kids are older for use of kayaks and such, and maybe when the weather is warmer too, but still looks like a nice little getaway.

 

[Dugette]

We managed to get through the airport and onto the plane without checking any bags. We had a double BOB stroller, 2 carseats, a rolling suitcase, a Vera Bradley large duffel bag, a tote bag, a backpack, and Rory’s Lightning McQueen backpack. Whew, that’s a lot of stuff!

I have no idea how you two managed all that stuff!

Okay, so I have to be honest. I was not happy upon checking in. Since this is a “mini” TR and I don’t want to get overly negative here, I’ll keep this part brief. Not very helpful cast members at front desk + letting us know the kids splash area was about to go under renovation + a few other little things = me asking them if there are any DVC rooms available in WDW. Yes, we were about to completely change our whole vacation at the last minute. There was one 2-bedroom available at SSR, but I didn’t want to spend the points on a 2-bedroom when we are perfectly happy in a studio. So we decided to stay put. Okay fine, let’s go to our room. Oh wait, it’s not ready. At this point it was about 4:15, and since I was already unhappy I really didn’t want to wait any longer. They called housekeeping and about 10 minutes later we went to our room.

Sorry it was such a rough start. It would be hilarious if this TR had taken an abrupt turn and become a surprise WDW TR, though.

After dinner, we got settled in the room. Michael pulled out the couch for Rory and immediately had to call housekeeping, as there were goldfish crackers scattered in the sheets.

Yuck! We haven't gotten to the pull out couch stage yet (Izzy is still happy with cribs and small enough to fit), but I've heard they aren't always cleaned so well.

Rory told me he wanted to go eat his bagel on the balcony, and at that point I realized that he remembered doing that in the Boardwalk last April. He was 23 months old at the time and totally remembers that!

Isn't it amazing what they remember at a young age? I have the same type of thing happen with Izzy, where she mentions something that I wouldn't have ever thought she'd remember and it freaks me out (in a good way).

Here is the Tiger Lilly splash area that would be going down for renovation the next day. It was too bad that Rory never got to use it. When it was open on Sunday it was way too cold, and then when it finally got warmer, it was closed.

Isn't that always the way it goes? I'm sure it would have been fun.

I lost count of how many times he went down the slide.

Good job being brave, Rory! Izzy fell in love with waterslides at Aulani this last time. I think they'd get along.

I think this is a glimpse into the teenage years.

We ran into Bruce, the housekeeping manager, again and he surprised the kids with Squirt stuffed animals. It was very generous of him, and the kids LOVE those stuffed animals. It was a very nice surprise.

How sweet! What a nice gesture!

We had another great surprise when Goofy walked into the restaurant! I wasn’t expecting to see any characters while we were there, as there is only a character breakfast at the resort on Saturday mornings, and we arrived Saturday afternoon. He was dressed as a pirate, so Rory was excited to show him his pirate necklace. Goofy stopped at each table, even though most didn’t have kids, and I thought that was very cool. He spent several minutes with everyone, and it was so nice that it didn’t feel rushed at all.

Great bonus!

Thanks for reading this mini-TR, and I hope it was helpful in learning a little about Disney’s Vero Beach Resort!

Thanks for writing it. I see very little info on Vero Beach, so this was great to read.

 

[schmass]

Thanks for writing this up! It's a place I could see spending a few days in the future. Neat to have a little Disney touch there too with Goofy! I agree it would be more fun when the kids are older for use of kayaks and such, and maybe when the weather is warmer too, but still looks like a nice little getaway.

I'm glad that you found it helpful - it was a great place to go and I feel like a lot of people don't even know about it. We will definitely head back there, and I can see it being a different vacation each time we go, based on the age of the kids.

I have no idea how you two managed all that stuff!

Me either. I felt like we were the Beverly Hillbillies!

Sorry it was such a rough start. It would be hilarious if this TR had taken an abrupt turn and become a surprise WDW TR, though.

We came very close to that happening. I was sooo not happy upon check-in. I'm glad we stayed, though!

Yuck! We haven't gotten to the pull out couch stage yet (Izzy is still happy with cribs and small enough to fit), but I've heard they aren't always cleaned so well.

It was really gross. When Michael called, he said "and our son is allergic to goldfish crackers". I said, that's beside the point - it is disgusting there is food in the bed at all! We had to put Rory in the bed because I don't think we could have fit another pack n play, but he did request to sleep in the pack n play for a nap. He still sleeps in his crib at home and loves it.

Isn't it amazing what they remember at a young age? I have the same type of thing happen with Izzy, where she mentions something that I wouldn't have ever thought she'd remember and it freaks me out (in a good way).

So amazing. Kids are so smart.

Isn't that always the way it goes? I'm sure it would have been fun.

He would have loved it, but at least this he didn't even know he was missing it.

Good job being brave, Rory! Izzy fell in love with waterslides at Aulani this last time. I think they'd get along.

I bet they would! He's watching Youtube videos of the slide at the Beach Club for our May trip.

How sweet! What a nice gesture!

It really was. The kids love playing with their Squirt stuffed animals at home.

Great bonus!

It was such a nice surprise!

Thanks for writing it. I see very little info on Vero Beach, so this was great to read.

Yay, I'm glad you found it helpful!

 

[ajc]

thanks for the photo essay. I just bought a 70 point ownership DVC interest and we are planning to visit at the end of our W&F trip in October for a let down 1.5 day.We are empty nesters but it was very helpful.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I enjoyed reading your report!

 

[schmass]

thanks for the photo essay. I just bought a 70 point ownership DVC interest and we are planning to visit at the end of our W&F trip in October for a let down 1.5 day.We are empty nesters but it was very helpful.

Congrats on your new DVC contract! I hope you enjoy your upcoming trip!

I enjoyed reading your report!

Aw, I'm so glad you enjoyed it - thanks for reading!

 

[NJlauren]

Thanks for sharing your short report on vero beach!

Your family is just lovely! Goofy was a really nice surprise! I do think it's so nice that all Disney resorts are so accommodating with food allergies, I would imagine it just makes travel that much easier.

Looking forward to hear about future trips planned!

 

[schmass]

Thanks for sharing your short report on vero beach!

Thanks for reading!

Your family is just lovely! Goofy was a really nice surprise! I do think it's so nice that all Disney resorts are so accommodating with food allergies, I would imagine it just makes travel that much easier.

Aw, thanks! Yes, Goofy was such a nice surprise. Totally was not expecting that! The way Disney handles food allergies takes so much of the stress out of dining with food allergies, so we can truly feel like we are on vacation.

Looking forward to hear about future trips planned!

I'm debating on whether or not to start a PTR/TR for our upcoming cruise...