VB Stay, 4/1-4/4
Overall: We got back late last night. I have honestly been spending a lot of today thinking about when/how to get back to VB. We loved it! This resort just feels so special. TBH, if the dues at VB weren’t so ridiculous, I’d probably be thinking about buying points here.
Room: We had a 1 BR villa in the villa building on the north side of the resort. This is one of the most spacious 1 BRs we have stayed in. And we could see the ocean from both our living room window and the large and spacious patio. Murphy bed and the chair pull out bed were very nice. Our room had a dehumidifier in it - I think that is very smart for them to keep in the rooms here, and I think it really helped keep our room comfortable. Although the room layout is very similar to BWV/SSR 1 BRs we have stayed in, this one felt even more spacious and well designed.
Pool: Just a fantastic Mickey-shaped pool with a wonderful waterslide with ocean views, a nice kiddie pirate ship splash area, and plenty of seating. We spent a lot of time at the pool. Never had a problem finding a couple of seats, although it did get pretty full mid-day. I do sort of wish they did the Aulani thing of removing personal items that had not been used in over an hour because I did notice some folks reserving things early in the morning, and not returning for many hours later. Still, there were almost always some available seats, so whatever.
Activities: So many fun activities at VB. Of course, because you don’t have theme parks next door to your resort, I think you notice and do more of them. We did a number of crafts at the Community Hall, many rounds of mini golf, rented bikes, spent some time in the puzzle room off the main lobby, went to the camp fire singalong and smores, and did a Mickey t-shirt tie-dye activity. There were more activities like kayaking on the Indian River that we did not do.
Food: We did not do a full sit down dinner at Wind and Waves or get drinks at the Green Cabin Room. We did have plenty of meals from the quick serve and got to-go food from the pool bar (which is to-go from Wind and Waves) several evenings. Some pretty good bites and some so-so bites. On the whole, plenty to keep us fed and happy, and no real complaints. We would have liked to try a full sit-down meal at Wind and Waves or having some drinks at the Green Cabin Room, but when you’ve got two young boys, that is just no something they are all that interested in (we were missing our
onceuponananny.com service
).
Beach: Ok, I think this is where either you’re ok with VB or it is a big miss for you. VB is not a wide, expansive, slow rolling wave, manicured, white sand beach. The surf is rough - I had a good chat with one of the CMs, and he said the surf is almost always too rough for them to be able to rent out boogie boards. This is not a manicured beach - plenty of seaweed, and the sand is more on the rough side (but with lots and lots of sea shells - my boys found so many!). There is a pretty big drop off when you go down to the beach, but there is still plenty of beach if you’re looking to build some sand castles or just go for a walk with the waves hitting your feet. The surf was rough, but me and my 7 year old had plenty of fun in the waves. There is no lifeguard on duty, so that does make it a bit harder to relax with young kids on the beach.
Beach chairs: This was mostly a miss. They have a beach chair rental station on the beach where you can either reserve chairs/umbrella day of (if you want to line up before 9) or possibly for days further out during your stay. We checked in on Wednesday evening, and they were already closed. Went down Thursday morning and was able to get 2 chairs and umbrella for that day, but they couldn’t sell me an advance reservation for Friday, just Saturday or Sunday. Ok, fine. I should not have bothered, but went down Friday morning, and got in line 10 minutes prior to them opening. After standing in line 40 minutes, all the beach chair and umbrellas were sold out. Line moved really slowly, and there was no indication until I got to the front of the line that they had sold out. There has got to be a better way to do this. I get it - chairs and umbrellas are limited. You don’t want them to be all reserved prior to check-in. But, I think the line and availability could have been managed, much, much better. If I get a post-stay survey, this will be my most significant area of feedback.
Easter: The Easter morning Egg Hunt had to be one of the most magical experiences we have experienced at Disney so far. It went from 8:30-11. So many Easter Eggs out for the kids to find, and about 14 Golden Easter Eggs that were really well hidden. Pluto, Goofy, and the Easter Bunny were wandering the grounds with CMs willing to take any pictures you wanted with them. Just a really special time.
Community: Moreso than any other
DVC stay, we meet other DVC members and families. We met an older couple who have been DVC owners since 1995. We met another family who have been coming to VB for Easter for several years. Their older son gave my older son a pin one evening, and hung out with us for the camp fire. My older boy had so much one one evening with another family and some other kids throwing a football around at the pool. I suppose it isn’t surprising given that VB is DVC resort without a lot of cash stays, but it made this place feel special and like a real community.
Vero Beach area itself: We didn’t really do a ton of exploring outside the resort other than a few trips to CVS and Publix, but my overall sense is that this area of Vero Beach is fairly slow and sleepy. If you’re looking for a beach area with lots of shops and restaurants close by, this isn’t it. If you’re loofking for a very slow, relaxed, and quiet beach getaway, this is a great place.
Special Mention: My 7 year old and I loved riding bikes on the 7-mile southern loop of the Jungle Trail. It was way more scenic than I expected, and it really made me realize just how nice the immediately surrounding beach community around the resort is. Also, there is tunnel that goes under the road, with basketball and tennis courts, and a soccer field for even more activities if your kids are so inclined. A nice pond where I saw some kids fishing a couple of days too. My 4 year old really enjoyed riding one of the bikes with training reals through tunnel a couple of times.
Bugs: I almost forgot to include this. I don't know if it was the time of the year, the fact that we had a pretty good breeze most days, or what, but we had absolutely zero issues with the noseeums. If I had not known about them in advance, I would not have even known they were a thing. They had insect repellent stations and a warning with your check-in materials, but I did not experience a single bug bite, and neither my wife nor our 2 boys complained about them. I also didn't see anyone else using insect repellant either - just plenty of sunscreen!
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