Our recent first time at Vero stay overlapped a few days with that of the Op (we checked in on 8/3 and stayed for nine days).
My observations, both pro and con:
- Paying attention to recommendations on this board paid off. Per them, I booked a two bedroom as a lockoff and requested top floor, ocean view. We got put in villas 1242 and 1243 in building 12, which had a magificent 300 degree view of the ocean from our top floor balconies. If you get a villa, building 12 is the preferable building to be in; the northern end of the resort has less construction facing it and is quieter. Frankly, I think the inn room thing overrated; the studio part of our 2Br that my daughter was in had all the amenities and views of a deluxe inn room, with more privacy. Car access is also better in a villa, I loved being able to walk out of our villa to an elevator ten feet away, which took me directly to my car in the basement garage. Other than OKW, access doesn't get any better than this at any other
DVC resort.
- Vero - at least during the season we were there -- has a somewhat different "client dynamic" than the other DVC resorts we've stayed at (we own at Boardwalk, also have stayed at HH, BC and OKW). This is because Vero attracts a large number of guests who are appending a short Vero stay to a longer WDW vacation. These "transitional" guests have both a positive and negative impact on things.
On the plus, there's huge outflow from the resort during the Sunday Monday period (the beaten path approach to vacations is start them at the beginning of the week, so a lot of Vero guests do that at WDW, then check into Vero on Saturday and leave Sunday or Monday), so it's very relaxed and quiet then.
The downside is the crowding in the public facilities (pool and restaurants particularly) when a new flood of WDW "refugees" arrives on Friday/Saturday. Don't try to "stop by" the guest services/registration area then; it's proverbially jammed with people asking all the understandable "I just got here" neophyte questions.
- The overall CM morale at Vero seemed higher than the norm. I attribute this to the fact the workforce has a lot of tenure (a good number of them I spoke to have been with the resort
since it opened) and the fact the area Vero in general sits in is a somewhat laid back place.
- The beach is nice (but the one at HH is better). The coarse Atlantic sand is at best so-so for sandcastle building and sculpture (my son and I are really into this), surf is good but not great for boogie boarding. You can save a buck by doing what we did, picking up two cheap beach chairs in two and only renting an umbrella while you're there. Ambience on beach is nice, not crowded, not rowdy or noisy - as active or relaxing if you want.
- The pool is better than the ones at HH and OKW, but falls below what you experience at BWV and BC. Interestingly, the DVC budget cuts are showing at the Vero pool; unlike BWV and BC there's now no CM up at the top of the slide managing the queue (no, the one in the chair below across from the rentals is NOT doing that), so I saw a good amount of "misbehavior" up there (kids cutting in line, going down the slide improperly, etc). If you want a table, you must be at the pool within a few minutes of the rope dropping at 8am.
- Pool food service setup at Vero is the fastest, friendliest and most efficient I've ever seen at
any resort pool. Love the long hours of that mug refill station, too, and the coffee setup in the Inn in the morning.
- That stated, Shutters did not impress us. We may have picked a bad night (Sunday 8/6), even with an AR (yes, they are available at Vero) we had a long wait to be seated, service was very slow (just to get basket of rolls to us took over 20 minutes), and none of our entrees was anything to get excited about. Sonyas five nights later was 180 degrees different, excellent food and service.
- This is not a resort for the heavy duty nightlife crowd (not that we were exactly looking for that, but BWV has spoiled us). The Green Cabin room is cute, but it's small size belies the fact this is a resort where things really quiet down after 9:30 and are pretty much dead by 10. Evening entertainment options in the whole area are rather limited. My 12 year old daughter was fine here during this visit - but I can see here getting restless at night if we go back in a few years.
- In terms of local tourism opportunities, Vero scores below HH. There's some interesting dining, but beyond the local minor league team, some outlet malls and a few small museums, substantive "attractions" in the area are pretty limited. But that's fine, we (and I think most Vero guests) don't come looking for that.
So the bottom line?
Vero is a relaxed, nice, well-run
retreat - and if approached that way, will satisfy (albeit seasoned beach freaks may miss the soft sand of the Gulf Coast or Caribbbean). It's also a resort where making the right booking and requests almost guarantees you a nice view and and room/villa location - something that can't be said for most other DVC resorts.
