1st Time Vero Beach Questions - Any answers welcome

[DISNEYTROOP]

We have been in DVC for a few years, but this is the 1st time venturing out of the Disney World theme. We (DH, DD - 14, DS - 10) are heading to Vero Beach in 3 weeks and have the following questions:

1. Do they provide towels for pool/beach the way the WDW resorts and cruises do?

2. Sounds like food is expensive and limited on-site, what are our options available close by?

3. We have a week planned, but sounds like alot of people would take shorter visits if they went again. Has anyone with similar aged children stayed that long and just loved it or would we be better staying 5 days and trading the other 2 for WDW?

Any answers would be welcomed. We do like the beach, but are used to being on the go constantly and don't want to be bored, just thought Vero would be a great change from WDW every year.

Thanks alot!!!

Disneytroop

 

[CaptainMidnight]

1. Do they provide towels for pool/beach the way the WDW resorts and cruises do? YEP

2. Sounds like food is expensive and limited on-site, what are our options available close by? THERE ARE MENUS IN THE LOBBY OF NEARBY RESTARAUNTS. PUBLIX IS VERY CLOSE. THERE IS A CHINESE TAKEOUT NEXT TO PUBLIX THAT"S GOOD.

3. We have a week planned, but sounds like alot of people would take shorter visits if they went again. Has anyone with similar aged children stayed that long and just loved it or would we be better staying 5 days and trading the other 2 for WDW? WE JUST STAYED 8 DAYS AND COULD STAY LONGER. WE LOVE THE RELAXED FEEL OF THE RESORT. OUR KIDS ARE SMALLER SO POOL AND BEACH ARE ALL THEY NEED. TOO MUCH RUSHING FOR TWO DAYS, SIT BACK AND ENJOY. RENT SOME WAVE RUNNERS, RIDE BIKES, ETC.

Any answers would be welcomed. We do like the beach, but are used to being on the go constantly and don't want to be bored, just thought Vero would be a great change from WDW every year. ITS NOT AN ON THE GO CONSTANTLY RESORT, NEED TO MANAGE THOSE EXECTATIONS. SOME DO SAY THEY GET BORED, WE CERTAINLY DON'T.

 

[Cap]

My wife and I stayed for eight days in March and would have stayed a few days longer, if possible. We didn't get bored. However, we didn't have kids with us either.

Food - if you have a car there are lots of places to eat inland along highway 1, ranging from local low cost fish places, to delis, to good restaurants. There is a Publix where you can buy things to bring back to the room. We ate in some breakfasts. We also had a good sized lunch some days and just ate a light supper on our balcony. That type of thing cuts down on the food costs.

 

[Dean]

There are many good restaurants within 15-20 minutes but not much closer than that. The on site options are moderate by Disney standards but higher than local. Many places have specials or early birds. Many also give you discounts or a freebie for staying at DVC. Just show your room key.

 

[KarenB]

We will be there June 19 with two DSs ages 12 and 13. If it is the same time, at least there will be kids their own age there!!!!

We can't wait! We went to HH last year and had so many plans outside of the resort. We ended up never doing any of them because we had so much fun right there!! I'm sure our trip to VB will be the same.

Karen

 

[madcoco]

Its our home resort and we spend alot of time in the local area so we are a bit biased.LOL The previous posters said it well. Captain Hiram's,Hurricane Harbor(Sebastian),Mr Manatees(VB) are popular local dining spots. At the entrance to Wabasso Beach(next door to the resort) is a pizza joint and small market.If you will be there on June 24th you may be interested in this thread.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=191618
We are hosting a DVC small gettogether. Hope you can get some serious R and R and enjoy your stay.

 

[kel3420]

We were at Vero for 7 nights last Thanksgiving with our three children, ds 14, dd 13, and dd 4. They absolutely loved it and could have stayed longer.

We usually do Disney World every other year and a beach vacation on the off years. Now that we are VB DVC owners, we get the best of both worlds. This year is our WDW trip, and we have always stayed there for 8 nights. This year, we all decided we enjoyed VB so much, we are staying at WDW for four nights and heading off to VB for the other 4 nights, and it probably won't feel long enough.

Towels are provided at the pool and beach.

As for food being expensive, you are correct. We ended up eating at one of the onsite restaraunts once, and the rest in our room. Each of us took a turn cooking. It was fun with the kids planning the menu ahead of time. Hubbie kind of took over the cooking (except for Thanksgiving, lol) telling me that since I always cooked and it was my vacation also, he would do most of it. The kids each planned a menu, even the four year old, although she needed help with her hotdogs and mac and cheese, lol.

I had a gift cert from Lobstergram which we used at VB. They delivered fresh crablegs right to the resort, along with the pot, and shell crackers. We all enjoyed this very much.

We shopped at Publix when we arrived, well hubbie did after he sent me to the pool, lol. We saved a ton of money by bringing a small collapsable cooler to the pool, which we filled with pop and beer we had bought from the store. Except when I tasted several of the specialty drinks they make at the pool bar, then of course I had to have those instead

We purchased the refillable mugs for the kids, but not for all of us this trip, since we never used five at any given time, and they do expire.

The only time we, as a family, left the resort was to take in a movie one afternoon. Other than that we never felt the need to leave.

The kids loved the beach. I just made sure that when they did body or boogie board surf, we went down to the beach next door that had life guards. The was a definate undertow at that time, and even seasoned surfers warned us to be careful. I also had the kids wear life jackets if they wanted to go further than I was comfortable with. They are okay swimmers, but definately not used to ocean conditions, just lakes and pools.

Some of our best times, was in the lounge area, on the patio (Green room?). The kids still talk about the water slide and being able to rent FREE games every night. It doesn't matter that most of the games are older types, they loved being able to go up to the counter and pick out any games they liked for the night. For whatever reason, this was very exciting to them.

We played several games of mini golf. The kids joined in on many of the kids crafts and activities.

I guess you can tell we loved it.

 

[KNWVIKING]

For DW & I, one week was a little long. Bleachers is exactly what you'd expect for a pool side resteraunt. Shutters is a little pricey for somewhat average food. We absolutely loved the Sunday brunch at Sonya's. Capt Hirams & Hurrican Harbor are both good off property choices. Plenty of towels. You'll have a great time, be sure to post a trip report.

 

[Patricia]

Our kids are 16, 12, and 6 and we have visited Vero with nieces and nephew who range up to 21 and down to 3. There are plenty of things for the kids to do in the younger age range. My middle daughter couldn't figure out how to fit it all in. As for the older ones, there is less or should I say not much, but really, teens aren't that enthusiastic about activities that are planned "teen" things anyway. The beach and the pool and dinners out and sleeping late were more than enjoyable for our daughter and my nieces. They love Vero and cannot wait to return. I didn't find the food to high but I think that depends on what you are used to. Maybe the food here is priced high and I am just adjusted to the cost. We love Shutters and Sonya's and just adore the convenience of staying right on site. Everything is relative.
All in all, we love Vero and all it offers and find a week there just perfect. We will be there on July 1 for our 6 days of fun and relaxation. Have a wonderful time!

 

[ncligs]

Patricia,

We will be at VB from June 30th for 4 nites then up to OKW for 3 nites . We have requested a 1BR,top floor, direct ocean view. Maybe we will see you down there.

 

[DISNEYTROOP]

Thank you all for such great info! We are very much looking forward to getting away and with the info and restaurants and where to shop for groceries, we'll be all set.

Thanks again!!

Disneytroop

 

[lsyorke]

We've been to Vero twice. The first trip DS13 loved it. We were there for 3 days. By the second trip he was bored to death! The teen activities leave a little to be desired. Don't get me wrong I love this resort, but it is a little quiet for my son. We ended up traveling up and down the coast on day trips( Ron Jons at Cocoa Beach is awesome!). So for a while we will be at WDW until he's a little older.

 

[jmminarik]

Originally posted by DISNEYTROOP
We have been in DVC for a few years, but this is the 1st time venturing out of the Disney World theme. We (DH, DD - 14, DS - 10) are heading to Vero Beach in 3 weeks and have the following questions:

2. Sounds like food is expensive and limited on-site, what are our options available close by?

We found the food to be as you described, but as many people have pointed out, there are lots of restaurants to go to if you have a car. One place no one mentioned was the pizza joint across the road from VB to the north. Its a small hole in the wall place, what I'd expect at a beach resort, but we liked the pizza. YMMV.

3. We have a week planned, but sounds like alot of people would take shorter visits if they went again. Has anyone with similar aged children stayed that long and just loved it or would we be better staying 5 days and trading the other 2 for WDW?

Any answers would be welcomed. We do like the beach, but are used to being on the go constantly and don't want to be bored, just thought Vero would be a great change from WDW every year.

Thanks alot!!!

Disneytroop

Well, VB isn't the sort of place where you'll constantly be entertained by Imagineered Magic. Its an upscale beach resort on an upscale beach resort island. There are things to do and activities, but nothing on the scale of WDW. If you go with the frame of mind that you're going to a beach (where you might meet goofy) instead of going to Disney, you'll be less likely to be disappointed. As to the kids, well, I always found kids tend to be happier with other kids, regardless of what was going on. If they find other kids there to hang out with, they might not be as bored.

Hope this helps,
Joe

 

[lovesdisney]

I can concur with replies so far. My DH and I arrived back from a glorious 2 week holiday, 1st week at Old Key West and 2nd week at Vero.

We enjoyed sitting be the pool by day and spending the later part of the evenings in the bar. Vero is our home resort, and as it was our first time time home, were unsure of whether we would enjoy it as much as the time spent at the parks. Being fortysomethings without children, my DH and I have agreed that this was the perfect purchase for us.

Being from the UK, a short break is not practical so our trips would be of a 2 week duration and we could quite happily spend the whole vacation at Vero for the most part of the remaining years of ownership.

The only criticism I would have is that there is no quiet pool. We enjoyed the pool and watching kids enjoying themselves, but the piped music all day long put paid to my reading the few novels that I had bought with me.

I am today back at work suffering from withdrawal symptoms, and although the sun is shining at the moment, the temperature leaves a lot to be desired!!!!

 

[DisneyPoly]

Quick question ... is the beach the type that the children can dig in and build sandcastles? I thought I remember someone mentioning that it is very shelly and not the Jersey Shore type of beach where kids can play.

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[CaptainMidnight]

is the beach the type that the children can dig in and build sandcastles?

You bet. Adults can too.

 

[madcoco]

The beach is narrow and you will get a small narrow band of broken shells at the high tide line which occurs at almost any beach.It is not rocky or shelly.It is a very natural area so Daytona Beach it is not.one reason we love it there.Have a wonderful time

 

[vernon]

As has been said the best place to get ideas for restaurants is in the lobby at DVC, there is a large book containing sample menus, directions and phone numbers of many of the local restaurants. For Seafood I liked Jack Baker's lobster shanty ( about 20 minutes drive). I also really enjoyed a really nice family run "authentic" Mexican called Hirmana's. It's probably the closest "proper restaurant" to DVC but still needs a 5-10 minute drive. It's just north of the bridge that goes from DVC to US 1. maybe a couple of miles up US1 on the left of the road as you head North. They do some great "happy hour" margaritas

 

[PamOKW]

Sure kids can build sandcastles! But, it isn't like the Jersey Shore. It is much narrower so the children will be closer to the ocean. You need to keep a sharp eye on them at all times. There is also no lifeguard at the Disney beach area (there is a guarded public beach next door). The ocean can also be quite treacherous with strong undertows and the possibility of sharks and jellyfish.

 

[jcodespoti]

VB=Awesome

Joe in CT