Florida's Treasure Coast?: A Disney's Vero Beach Resort TR! COMPLETE

[elleinad16]

Now that I've started writing these PTRs/TRs, I just can't stop!

Hello, readers!
(Scroll down for Trip Report!)

A little about ourselves:

Danielle - I am a Disney Store Cast Member and a recent Disney bride. I love writing about my Disney trips and couldn't wait to start on this!

Chris - My husband and fellow Disney addict.

My parents - The ones I have to thank for my Disney addiction. They've joined us on the past 6 out of 7 trips, so needless to say, they're hooked too.

Basic Trip Information:

Dates: September 4th - September 6th, 2012

Resort: Disney's Vero Beach Resort

Pre-Trip Directory:
Why Disney's Vero Beach Resort?
Resort Room
Dining Reservations
Activities
Countdown #1
Online Check-In
Questions and Photos - LIVE Posts
Countdown #2
Weather Forecast

LIVE Posts:
Water
Beach: Day 1
Pool
Lobby
King Bed
Beach Chair
Beach: Day 2
Dole Whip
Resort Sign

Trip Report Directory:
Day 1 : Part 1 - Traveling and Check-In
Day 1 : Part 2 - Lunch at Bleachers
Day 1 : Part 3 - Our 2-Bedroom Villa #1523
Day 1 : Part 4 - Beach Day
Day 1 : Part 5 - Dinner at Shutters

Day 2 : Part 1 - Sunrise
Day 2 : Part 2 - Breakfast at Shutters
Day 2 : Part 3 - Pool Day
Day 2 : Part 4 - Mini-Golf & Peter Pan Tunnel
Day 2 : Part 5 - Dinner at the Green Cabin Room
Day 3 : Part 1 - Departure

Post Trip Directory:
Other Florida Activities
Invoice Breakdown
Glad I Did / Wish I Had
___
Feel free to catch up on some of my previous trip reports, too!:
• Danielle & Chris: 11-11-11 [Wedding Pavilion/Atlantic Dance Hall] Disney Wedding Trip Report
• ♪ "So this is love" ♫ - A Honeymoon Trip Report

 

[elleinad16]

So, Vero Beach is going to be a new one for us. None of us have ever stayed at a Disney Vacation Club Resort (we are not members), let alone an "offsite" Disney resort, but I have a good feeling about this.

We are actually going down to Florida to visit my brother and niece, however, I really wanted to do SOMETHING Disney related while we were there. I knew Disney World would be out of the question, so I suggested the 4 of us take a mini-vacation at Vero before heading over to visit the rest of the family. Everyone left the planning in my hands, so I jumped on the Disney cast reservation site to see if there was even anything available...

 

[disney212]

I am in. We are planning a VB trip in 2014. Count me in....

 

[elleinad16]

I am in. We are planning a VB trip in 2014. Count me in....

Hooray! Thanks for joining!

 

[elleinad16]

Would anything even be available for the first week of September? (Just 7 weeks out!) Luckily, all the days after Labor Day were open, so I immediately booked us in a 2 bedroom villa for the nights of the 4th and 5th! This will be our first time in a Disney villa too, so I'm excited to see what it has to offer.

Disney's Vero Beach 2 bedroom layout:

 

[elleinad16]

Since Vero Beach has restaurants on property, I knew that I wanted to experience those too. (We're big Disney foodies.) I figured we'd try Shutters one night and Sonya's the next, however, Sonya's isn't going to be open when we are there. So we now have a 6:00 dinner reservation at Shutters the first night and we're just going to wing it the second night. We might go eat appetizers at the Green Cabin Room or something? Any suggestions for good off-site restaurants?

 

[tweidner]

We are in Vero now. We have eaten at Shutter's. The food was OK but,the price was ridiculous. $23 for a fish entree that did not include a single vegetable. We have also tried Squid Lips, Pizzoodles, the Lobster Shanty, and Mr. manatees. squid Lips was good depending on what you got. Ihadblackened grouper that was excellent. My friend had the scallops and did not care for them. Pizzoodles was really good Italian, everyone was satisfied. The lobster shanty was good. The best part waste dolphins that show up at7:30. The waiter told us they come every night and they did. Right on time. Mr. manatees was just OK.lots of fried foods. Overall the food has been pretty good.

The resort is great.

 

[OurDogCisco]

I'm in for your trip report. We are staying here pre-cruise in November and I can't wait.

 

[amyy]

Anxious to read along because I am a Disney bride too My mother-in-law lives in Vero Beach and we walk over to Mr. Manatees a lot. It isn't the California Grill but we like it. I don't eat fried foods and always find something to eat.
http://www.mrmanatees.com/menu.php

They love TooJay's which is a chain restaurant. You might prefer something "local" but I am adding the link just because. I really like the breakfast there.
http://www.toojays.com/

 

[elleinad16]

We are in Vero now. We have eaten at Shutter's. The food was OK but,the price was ridiculous. $23 for a fish entree that did not include a single vegetable. We have also tried Squid Lips, Pizzoodles, the Lobster Shanty, and Mr. manatees. squid Lips was good depending on what you got. Ihadblackened grouper that was excellent. My friend had the scallops and did not care for them. Pizzoodles was really good Italian, everyone was satisfied. The lobster shanty was good. The best part waste dolphins that show up at7:30. The waiter told us they come every night and they did. Right on time. Mr. manatees was just OK.lots of fried foods. Overall the food has been pretty good.

The resort is great.

Glad to hear you are enjoying VB! Thanks for the reccommendations--I will have to look into them more. Dunno what kind of food we'll be in the mood for, but this helps a lot.

I'm in for your trip report. We are staying here pre-cruise in November and I can't wait.

Ohh, how fun! What a great way to start of your cruise trip. Thanks for joining!

Anxious to read along because I am a Disney bride too My mother-in-law lives in Vero Beach and we walk over to Mr. Manatees a lot. It isn't the California Grill but we like it. I don't eat fried foods and always find something to eat.
http://www.mrmanatees.com/menu.php

They love TooJay's which is a chain restaurant. You might prefer something "local" but I am adding the link just because. I really like the breakfast there.
http://www.toojays.com/

Hooray for another DISbride!
Thanks for the links! Sounds like there's quite a bit in the area.

 

[elleinad16]

I'm having very little luck finding info for activities offered at Disney's Vero Beach, especially for the month of September, but these are some things we are wanting to try:

•Turtle Troop
•Kayak Adventure
•Pelican Island Bike Hike
•Mini-Golf
•Campfire
•Beach and Pool

Hopefully some of the excursions will be going on while we're there, since some are offered only seasonally. The official website says to contact the resort prior to arrival to get the schedule, so I might do that.

 

[elleinad16]

Oh, and just because we're all getting super excited:

Just 3 weeks to go!

 

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Signing on to the new TR!

 

[chepic]

We just came back. We tried to book the kayak, but it was all booked up.

The campfire was big and just like the one at OKW, however the no-see-ums were terrible and we ended up leaving. Maybe in September they won't be so bad.

The mini-gold that is right there is very small and alot like the type you would find at a campground....nice little putting.

Beach was great. We invested in the umbrella with 2 chairs for the day and it was fabulous.

Pool is very nice, but be prepared to get there early if the weather is going to be nice....the chairs with the umbrellas go fast.

We saw many turtle nests that were just laid. The Disney conservationist told us that they take about 60 days to hatch, so you might be able to see them.

Have a great time, we loved VB and plan to return in 2 years.

cheryl

 

[J.ThaddeusToad]

Just joining in! My family used to be DVC members and Vero Beach was our home resort. I miss it so much! It's been years since I was there, but I always loved getting food from Bleachers and eating by the pool. I remembering enjoying Shutters and the Green Cabin room as well! My family loves Italian food and we always went to a restaurant called Pomodoro Grill & Pizza. I don't think is too far from the resort and again it's been awhile since I've been there, but the recent online reviews look good! So excited for you! I'm really hoping to take a trip to VB with Rob in the next few years and your TR will be a refresher for me.

 

[elleinad16]

Signing on to the new TR!

Hooray! So happy you can join in!

We just came back. We tried to book the kayak, but it was all booked up.

The campfire was big and just like the one at OKW, however the no-see-ums were terrible and we ended up leaving. Maybe in September they won't be so bad.

The mini-gold that is right there is very small and alot like the type you would find at a campground....nice little putting.

Beach was great. We invested in the umbrella with 2 chairs for the day and it was fabulous.

Pool is very nice, but be prepared to get there early if the weather is going to be nice....the chairs with the umbrellas go fast.

We saw many turtle nests that were just laid. The Disney conservationist told us that they take about 60 days to hatch, so you might be able to see them.

Have a great time, we loved VB and plan to return in 2 years.

cheryl

Hi, Cheryl--Thanks for all the feedback. You're making me so excited for our Vero Beach trip! Happy to hear that the resort and activities are a lot of fun.

Just joining in! My family used to be DVC members and Vero Beach was our home resort. I miss it so much! It's been years since I was there, but I always loved getting food from Bleachers and eating by the pool. I remembering enjoying Shutters and the Green Cabin room as well! My family loves Italian food and we always went to a restaurant called Pomodoro Grill & Pizza. I don't think is too far from the resort and again it's been awhile since I've been there, but the recent online reviews look good! So excited for you! I'm really hoping to take a trip to VB with Rob in the next few years and your TR will be a refresher for me.

Oh man, I'm jealous that VB was your home resort--and I haven't even seen the place yet! I'm sure it's gorgeous. I'm happy to be a refresher. I will be taking plenty of pictures and notes!

 

[elleinad16]

We are now just 10 days away from our Vero Beach vacation, so I checked in online today! I plugged in all of our info and received a confirmation email--Sounds like we're good to go!

Now I just have to pack...

 

[elleinad16]

Hi, all!

Just 6 more days until we arrive at Vero Beach. We're all getting super excited! Still have to pack the suitcases, though.

Anyways, just wanted to share that I will be posting live from the resort! (First trip with the DISboards app on my phone, haha.) If anyone has questions or just wants some DVB eye-candy, I will be happy to take requests and help out!

 

[elleinad16]

Just testing if I can successfully upload a picture with the DISboard app...

Current Countdown:

Edit: Success!

 

[OurDogCisco]

Hope the next 5 days go fast for you!!!