TheBeadPirate
Button Maker Magician & Blinkie toting Sherpa
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2006
- Messages
- 3,075
Soooo… It is the first day of Fall and we thought we would go over and give Vero Beach DVC a try for three nights. We are a couple who travel extensively and report from the perspective of adults who enjoy Disney Parks, Properties and Cruises. We are DVC members (home resort Wilderness Lodge).
Always wondered why the points were so cheap at Vero (and why the maintenance fees were so high?). I understand a bit more now that I have seen the place. It is really more like a beachfront hotel as compared to the usual DVC properties. Not as much in the way of themed décor, no theme music in the public areas, and not as pristine as I would expect from Disney. I am sure the salt air takes it toll on the structures here.
At first glance
The beach has been built up in front of the resort (there is a 10 foot wide swath adjacent to the hotel with a good 6 foot drop off down to the beach proper). Kind of fun to watch the visitors here fall down the slope… and even better watching them climb back up! Seriously I could have brought a pickup of treated lumber back from Home Depot and built a set of steps as opposed to challenging the grandparents to attempt to scale this thing!
The pool is on the small side (does have a slide) and the water today is a little heavy on Brillcream and Fixodent (I can say that as I am in the age bracket in question). This crowd is not the diverse mix that I am accustomed to at DVC property, kind of reminds me of the crowd up in the Poconos…
I have written before about the “villagers”. They are a group of people who are retired and constitute a low priced labor pool for Disney. I call them “villagers” because there is a concentration of them at a senior community called The Villages near Orlando (which I am sure you have seen on TV commercials)
I do not begrudge them their jobs (Well I do continue to object to them staffing the food and wine booths at Epcot during Food & Wine Fest as I miss the kids who used to come from each country and work the booths... but I digress). It is obvious that Disney has not missed the opportunity to staff the Vero resort with “villagers” , there is something that just does not feel right when the lifeguards are older than me (thank god no Speedos!), However they are very nice and are anxious to engage in conversation.
Day 1
The hot tub was our first experience. We have stayed at virtually all of the DVC properties in Orlando and LA and have never been chastised for having our drinks on the side of the hot tub with us (I realize this is against the rules but it is never enforced… heck, there is a standing wine tasting at 10 every night at the Wilderness Lodge Villas hot tub!). The pool manager (the resident pool enforcer) and came over and announced that “that is not allowed”. So I had to take our $9 cocktails (by the way nice job on these Tim!) over to the chairs to melt in the sun.
Imagine my surprise to return to the hot tub and find three new submersed residents chatting with the pool Nazi (they were on a first name basis with her it turns out) and the new arrivals were enjoying their cocktails in the hot tub! (Serenity now… and perhaps another drink) another case of who you know (but I can work with that now that I know the rules).
Ok, so I am over the whole hot tub thing and looking forward to dinner tonight. I understand there is live entertainment in the “green room”.
Food here is good! One kitchen serves all locations and they do a great job.
The green room bar was fun and has a great view of the ocean. The entertainment was Bernie, he played everything (that he knew) and made up a few along the way (i.e. Mack the knife with a lot of la, la, la’s). As Bernie shared “it’s better than working”. He did a great job for the crowd in attendance.
Have to say that Kim and Dennis at the bar were great enjoyed talking with them and I accrued the third largest bar bill in Disney Resort experience! (The new bar menus came out this week and of course we had to try all of the new stuff).
Bed now, must be up for conference call at 6 AM… why are all of the outside lights orange here (turtles?)… Did I mention the TV is about the same size as my laptop screen?
Day 2
Out to rent a couple of lounge chairs, cushions and an umbrella for $30 bucks (what is up with that? Spending $25K for DVC points does not cover this?). Plan to watch people fall over the aforementioned beach cliff and climb back up (might even take a few pics).
Plan to work on tan, we are off to Disneyland next week (DVC Grand Californian, bet I don’t have to pay for chairs there) and must “represent” for the suntanned East Coast.
Went to Shutters tonight for dinner. Once again food was good and our waitress was very kind (but overwhelmed by the rush). Starting to notice a few other things, you know how all CM’s you meet in the hallway or walking across the public areas smile and say “hello”… well that just does not happen here! A fairly surly lot (I thought we bothered the hostess by waiting to be seated)
Rained a lot tonight so no campfire (and you cannot walk on the beach at night – turtle season) quite frankly I am getting too much Rest and not enough Recreation. Not much to do if you do not like coloring books in the lobby!
Day 3
Went deep sea fishing most of the day out of Fort Pierce (caught a lot of fish) got back to Vero at 5:30. Changed clothes and went down to the pool figuring we deserved a nice cocktail (which we will be sure to consume before heading to hot tub). Imagine my surprise when the pool bar is closed at 6 PM!
So we get in the hot tub to nurse some sore muscles and get out to find our “stuff” had been moved by the pool staff as they were straightening out the chaise loungers for pool closing!
Off to the green room again for some nibbles and much needed cocktails. Robin was behind the bar tonight and Bernie was back with musical stylings. We closed the bar down at midnight (makes me feel like I am back in college to close a bar down and be out late night… oh wait it is just midnight!).
Summary
This is a great place to get lot’s and lot’s of rest. If I had taken my children here (when they were growing up) they would be bored out of their minds!
The beach situation is unacceptable and in my opinion Disney should invest in some temporary steps like every other property on the beach has done. We had some throw away points to use but I would think a family who had looked forward to a trip for an extended period would be rightly upset.
I give the place a “C” rating (not nearly enough for a DVC property). I would rather be at the Crowne Plaza Melbourne for a $100 a night.
Might be perfect for another type of family or perhaps newlyweds. Just not our cup of tea.
The good
Good Food
Nice Bar Staff
Relaxing to a Fault
The Bad
Beach Obstacle Course
CM Attitudes
Night Owls Boredom
Extra Charges for Beach Chairs, Umbrellas, etc.
Always wondered why the points were so cheap at Vero (and why the maintenance fees were so high?). I understand a bit more now that I have seen the place. It is really more like a beachfront hotel as compared to the usual DVC properties. Not as much in the way of themed décor, no theme music in the public areas, and not as pristine as I would expect from Disney. I am sure the salt air takes it toll on the structures here.
At first glance
The beach has been built up in front of the resort (there is a 10 foot wide swath adjacent to the hotel with a good 6 foot drop off down to the beach proper). Kind of fun to watch the visitors here fall down the slope… and even better watching them climb back up! Seriously I could have brought a pickup of treated lumber back from Home Depot and built a set of steps as opposed to challenging the grandparents to attempt to scale this thing!
The pool is on the small side (does have a slide) and the water today is a little heavy on Brillcream and Fixodent (I can say that as I am in the age bracket in question). This crowd is not the diverse mix that I am accustomed to at DVC property, kind of reminds me of the crowd up in the Poconos…
I have written before about the “villagers”. They are a group of people who are retired and constitute a low priced labor pool for Disney. I call them “villagers” because there is a concentration of them at a senior community called The Villages near Orlando (which I am sure you have seen on TV commercials)
I do not begrudge them their jobs (Well I do continue to object to them staffing the food and wine booths at Epcot during Food & Wine Fest as I miss the kids who used to come from each country and work the booths... but I digress). It is obvious that Disney has not missed the opportunity to staff the Vero resort with “villagers” , there is something that just does not feel right when the lifeguards are older than me (thank god no Speedos!), However they are very nice and are anxious to engage in conversation.
Day 1
The hot tub was our first experience. We have stayed at virtually all of the DVC properties in Orlando and LA and have never been chastised for having our drinks on the side of the hot tub with us (I realize this is against the rules but it is never enforced… heck, there is a standing wine tasting at 10 every night at the Wilderness Lodge Villas hot tub!). The pool manager (the resident pool enforcer) and came over and announced that “that is not allowed”. So I had to take our $9 cocktails (by the way nice job on these Tim!) over to the chairs to melt in the sun.
Imagine my surprise to return to the hot tub and find three new submersed residents chatting with the pool Nazi (they were on a first name basis with her it turns out) and the new arrivals were enjoying their cocktails in the hot tub! (Serenity now… and perhaps another drink) another case of who you know (but I can work with that now that I know the rules).
Ok, so I am over the whole hot tub thing and looking forward to dinner tonight. I understand there is live entertainment in the “green room”.
Food here is good! One kitchen serves all locations and they do a great job.
The green room bar was fun and has a great view of the ocean. The entertainment was Bernie, he played everything (that he knew) and made up a few along the way (i.e. Mack the knife with a lot of la, la, la’s). As Bernie shared “it’s better than working”. He did a great job for the crowd in attendance.
Have to say that Kim and Dennis at the bar were great enjoyed talking with them and I accrued the third largest bar bill in Disney Resort experience! (The new bar menus came out this week and of course we had to try all of the new stuff).
Bed now, must be up for conference call at 6 AM… why are all of the outside lights orange here (turtles?)… Did I mention the TV is about the same size as my laptop screen?
Day 2
Out to rent a couple of lounge chairs, cushions and an umbrella for $30 bucks (what is up with that? Spending $25K for DVC points does not cover this?). Plan to watch people fall over the aforementioned beach cliff and climb back up (might even take a few pics).
Plan to work on tan, we are off to Disneyland next week (DVC Grand Californian, bet I don’t have to pay for chairs there) and must “represent” for the suntanned East Coast.
Went to Shutters tonight for dinner. Once again food was good and our waitress was very kind (but overwhelmed by the rush). Starting to notice a few other things, you know how all CM’s you meet in the hallway or walking across the public areas smile and say “hello”… well that just does not happen here! A fairly surly lot (I thought we bothered the hostess by waiting to be seated)
Rained a lot tonight so no campfire (and you cannot walk on the beach at night – turtle season) quite frankly I am getting too much Rest and not enough Recreation. Not much to do if you do not like coloring books in the lobby!
Day 3
Went deep sea fishing most of the day out of Fort Pierce (caught a lot of fish) got back to Vero at 5:30. Changed clothes and went down to the pool figuring we deserved a nice cocktail (which we will be sure to consume before heading to hot tub). Imagine my surprise when the pool bar is closed at 6 PM!
So we get in the hot tub to nurse some sore muscles and get out to find our “stuff” had been moved by the pool staff as they were straightening out the chaise loungers for pool closing!
Off to the green room again for some nibbles and much needed cocktails. Robin was behind the bar tonight and Bernie was back with musical stylings. We closed the bar down at midnight (makes me feel like I am back in college to close a bar down and be out late night… oh wait it is just midnight!).
Summary
This is a great place to get lot’s and lot’s of rest. If I had taken my children here (when they were growing up) they would be bored out of their minds!
The beach situation is unacceptable and in my opinion Disney should invest in some temporary steps like every other property on the beach has done. We had some throw away points to use but I would think a family who had looked forward to a trip for an extended period would be rightly upset.
I give the place a “C” rating (not nearly enough for a DVC property). I would rather be at the Crowne Plaza Melbourne for a $100 a night.
Might be perfect for another type of family or perhaps newlyweds. Just not our cup of tea.
The good
Good Food
Nice Bar Staff
Relaxing to a Fault
The Bad
Beach Obstacle Course
CM Attitudes
Night Owls Boredom
Extra Charges for Beach Chairs, Umbrellas, etc.
