Has anyone stayed at Vero Beach?

  • Thread starter Thread starter kcbean
  • Start date Start date
K

kcbean

Guest
I am looking for some info on Vero Beach. I don't hear much about it and I am considering booking us there after our stay at WDW. Has anyone stayed there? Was it nice? Is it as kid friendly ast WDW? Looking for all the info you can give me. Thanks!:confused:
 
I would like to know about Vero Beach as well. The photos I have seen look beautiful but I have heard very little about it.
 
You may want to post this question on the DVC Board, since Vero Beach is one of the DVC resorts.

We have stayed at VB five times since 2001, first week of January each year and 4 nights in June of last year. The resort is great. On-site restaurants are good, the Green Cabin Room is the most kid-friendly bar/lounge we've seen with decent bar food, and the pool and other resort amenities are all first rate.

It's just the two of us, but it appears to us that VB is very child friendly. There is a regular program of kid's activities conducted by very involved cast members. The sing-along campfire with Smores is a lot of fun.

Ralph
 
It's our FAVORITE place to go as we love the beach.


It is wonderful. IMO, it is much more cozy than WDW. It is smaller and the CM's are wonderful. We always have several who get to know our DS and DD on our trips. A couple of them even gave our kids gifts before we checked out last October.

We never run out of things to do. If you are the type that has to be in the parks all day, every day then you might not enjoy VB.
It is very relaxing.

They have a large pool, pirate ship water play area, mini golf, scheduled activities throughout the day for kids and adults. The campfires at the campfire pit are amazing and you make s'mores.

The restaurants are wonderful and the food is very fresh and well prepared. They have a large selection for children and a different children's dessert each day. They also make a homemade sorbet every day.

They have a spiral pool slide and a nice snack bar out by the pool that serves continental breakfast (NEW), lunch, snacks, ice cream and pizza at night.

They show movies in the Community Hall, you can get a professional massage. DH had an hour massage for only $55. You can rent bikes or go on a kayaking adventure.

It's our cup of tea! There is nothing like sitting on our balcony there watching and listening to the ocean.
 

Vero Beach....a piece of heaven!~In fact, we too visit there each summer. I just finished reserving and paying for our upcoming 2004 summer visit: 10 eves in a 1BR Villa! ::yes:: We have spent a total of 38 eves over the past four visits (since 2000). We can NOT get enough of the place. It's literally astoundingly beautiful...from the drive down A1A, to the sand on the beach front. It has become a "part" of us. No, we are not (yet) DVC members...but seriously contemplating joining the ranks! Feel free to ask anything about this resort. There are SO many wonderful features, and so many places to visit and things to see in VERO. :sunny: We are all set...and I could not be happier!

TTFN...DF99 :wave2:
 
We are planning on staying there in the summer of '05 after a brief trip to WDW. I've seen photos of VB and I've fallen in love. My dd, 10, saw the list of activities there and said..."Sure, we can spend only 3 days at WDW if we can go to Vero Beach and do that neat stuff for 5 nights!" Even my dh says it looks terrific. Come on dreamflight99...what are you waiting for? Join the fun. Buy, buy, buy!!!!! Looks like you'll be buying at VB soon.
 
You guys are making me really want to try out Vero Beach now. Can you get good specials there like you can at WDW??? What kinds of activites are there? So they have restaurants on site???
 
www.mousesavers.com lists some specials available for VB and also Hilton Head. AP discounts are sometimes available and codes from the Disney Visa.

The Birnbaum guide to WDW also has a coupon in the back of the book.

You can also rent points from a DVC member.

Certain times of the year, there are great deals to be had.
 
This all sounds great. What is the beach like? Is it just as nice? Thanks for all your info.
 
Originally posted by goofy4tink
We are planning on staying there in the summer of '05 after a brief trip to WDW. I've seen photos of VB and I've fallen in love. My dd, 10, saw the list of activities there and said..."Sure, we can spend only 3 days at WDW if we can go to Vero Beach and do that neat stuff for 5 nights!" Even my dh says it looks terrific. Come on dreamflight99...what are you waiting for? Join the fun. Buy, buy, buy!!!!! Looks like you'll be buying at VB soon.
:wave2: Hi, Diane! I know, I know...I MUST become a DVC member soon. We spend SO much time in WDW, Vero, Disney Cruise...etc. We live fairly close to Disneyland too, and are PAP holders to each park/world! :earseek: Your DD has the right idea. Vero is absolutely so much fun. Our DD loves every activity, even the little "treasure hunts" in the pool. Bingo is a blast, water balloons, croquet, D.J. by the pool, hair-braiding, shuffle-board, arcade, mini-golf (So much fun), biking, tennis, horseshoes, fishing, ocean activities, crafting, watermelon-eating contests, dance contests, turtle-walks in the summer, canoe trips, hikes on the beach, sandcastles, mask-making, fitness center, campfires w/s'mores! The list goes on and on....nearly endless. We LOVE/PREFER the self-serve bellcarts, and self-parking UNDERGROUND (nice, safe and dry), w/elevators to your floor/room/studio/villa! The Villas are amazing, with all the amenities of home, including a washer/dryer. Just fabulous. The staff is incredible, and the restaurants (Shutters and Sonya's) offer a variety of delicious food at affordable prices (ahh, steamed clams and hot wings too). There is also a bar/lounge, with a balcony. The LOBBY will literally take your breath away (remember I mentioned this). The Beach is so clean and lovely, with Disney cleaning/trimming the brush/plants, and bringing in new sand for their frontage area. There are even showers as you walk back from the beach, to rinse the sand! There are bountiful stacks of pool towels for the taking near the stairs/ramp to the beach. The sand is great, the ocean beautiful & cathartic. We've rented the wave-runners, and also snorkled. We have our own surf boards, but the waves are so small (compared with S.Cali), we usually just use our boogie boards. There are some for rent as well. Nearby, the Indian River Mall is one of the cleanest Malls we've ever seen. There are theaters there, and lots of great shops (Barnie's coffee too!). Citrus groves and stands are all over the place, offering free samples of florida juice/fruit. They are a great place to stop by and shop. We also look at model homes, as there are so many new home areas near this resort. The pool is open 24/7, and you are welcome to swim as long as the noise is kept to a minimum. ::yes:: The staff is there to assist you with any query, and will show you how to get anywhere in the area. There's a great ice cream stand in Sebastian on A1A (left side) as you head towards Melbourne. I love the summer rain storms, which roll in over the ocean. I enjoy spending the afternoon on the beach, then returning to our Villa and the aroma of simmering spaghetti sauce and fresh french bread baguettes! Mmmmmm. I could do a commercial for Disney! (LOL). I just can not touch on enough of the magic which draws us back again and again...from the fun family "sundae" specials to the teen-only movie nights. Vero Beach is simply one of Disney's (& Florida's) BEST~KEPT SECRETS! :goodvibes
 
dreamflight99,

I don't know if I should smile or cry. We love VB as much as you do. You describe it so well. Makes me want to smile.

After reading all of that I realize we won't be there for a few months. Makes me want to cry. I wish we could be there now.


:D
 
Well, count me as one who wasn't too thrilled with Vero Beach.

The resort is very pretty, the pool is great and the accomodations were very pleasant, clean and spacious - we had a one-bedroom villa.

The problem was there was nothing for us to do - I was pretty bored. Yes, there is the beach, which is the main reason we went there, but there is no lifeguard at the beach. DH and I are both strong swimmers, but we still didn't feel comfortable with our young children there without a lifeguard. The beach was yucky and rocky anyway, not a place you'd want to hang out.

If you have children under 4, forget it. They have no activities for them. I managed to talk a CM into allowing my 3 y-o attend the un-birthday party (it was for 4 and up) and that was it. (My daughter was fine, by the way).

Every morning we would read the little bulletin they publish and look at each other in amazment - "there is nothing for us to do!". We spent all our time by the pool, which we could have done anywhere.

We will not be going back.
 
I agree. VB is not for everyone. We could be there for a month and not run out of things to do.

We've been taking our kids there since they were 1 and have always had a wonderful time. I do understand how some people can get bored.

We just love beach vacations and sometimes spend all day on the beach at VB building sand castles, etc.

FYI, there is a lifeguarded beach just north of the resort.

Our kids enjoy the playground, pirate ship play area and the treasure hunts or even just playing checkers in the Green Cabin room with us while we look at the ocean.

Sorry you didn't like it. :(
 
Originally posted by nigel-bigel
The beach was yucky and rocky anyway, not a place you'd want to hang out.
:teeth: For a minute there...I thought you were describing No. Cali beaches! (LOL). We have quite a few areas where the beach can be described as above. However, we did not find this to be the case at all in Vero. The beach sand is actually made of finely "crushed shells", but not too bad when you are sitting near the water's edge (building sandcastles and watching waves), or atop some balnkets/towels. The Beach just north of Disney's, is within eyesight, and has a lifeguard on duty with FLAGS posted (colored warning system). I'm used to the beaches here in So. Cali, which have no lifeguards on duty. I have read many posts where people dislike VERO, as there is "nothing" to do. These differences make the world go 'round. After all, if EVERYONE loved Vero...there would be too much competition for the rooms, etc., leaving floridafam and I forced to STRUGGLE for a reservation! I'm one of those wild & crazy people whom find enjoyment in the simplest of things...like breathing. ::yes:: I guess I'm too easily entertained. Please, no offense....but I believe only "boring people get bored", and the word (Boring) is not part of my vernacular. JMOHO. In fact, it's probably downright silly to most people. I can be "filled" with satisfaction and FUN doing nothing at all, just soaking up the sunshine sitting by the pool or in the cool, green grass. I find enjoyment/thrills/excitement in seeing a snake in the bushes as we walk past, or a lizard doing "push-ups" on a fence post, or even the clouds taking shape over the ocean ("LOOK, there's a Mickey head, oh....I see Goofy's body!, etc.). I find folly in riding the rental bikes under the silly bridge (where the "POOH" music plays endlessly), and along the crooked narrow trail on Disney's back lot area. Watching DH & DD laugh and BUMP along, brings me to near-hysteria. I should be wearing some super-absorbent depends on such adventures...after all, these are "rental" bikes! I get a "kick" out of playing (as Floridafam mentioned) in the toddler area near the pirate-looking ship, where the surface under the shallow water feels like foam rubber! I laugh out loud at the antics of the children playing games together in the water. I nearly fall over with side cramps when we play "mini-golf" together, with all the innocent cheating ("look over there"...as someone punts the ball w/their toe) going on between us. :hyper: I love the way the windows in our Villa "sweat" (dripping with a thick impervious fog) in the summer, as the air-conditioned temperature inside is cold enough to "hang meat"! I love to write in the mist...sending signals to the outside world. Sitting on the porch patio before a storm is fun too...just watching people panic and run screaming from the RUSH of stinging rain which comes out of nowhere (seemingly), getting invariably soaked in the process. The incredible colors and HUES of the Florida Sky are enough to bring tears to my eyes. And...as I mentioned earlier...the CLOUDS (like Whimsical balloons) take my breath away. I still love cotton candy too, and the magical way it "melts" on your tongue (or off the paper cone if you RUN into the wind). I get chills from snow cones, especially when you take a BIG bite of the ice and it freezes you to the core (even if the outside temp is in the hundreds!). I find the entire resort area invigorating and challenging. We must literally RUN from the mosquitoes which chase us each eve! It becomes a nightly game of skill, maneuvering our way from the lobby to our Villa (never go straight to your villa, do a quick drop & loop around to "trick" them just before you open your door). The area is RICH with landscape and creatures, with a subliminal enlightening opportunity at every turn. Sounds silly, right? I just wanted to lend my perspective. I view the world as half-full, Which leaves VERO overflowing. Of course, not all think this way. As I read your post, I wondered...have you ever tried the Disney Cruiseline? They have tons of things to do, all the time. So many, it's overwhelming! They too...publish a little "Bulletin" (daily) and place it in your stateroom. We have taken a few of these adventures, and enjoyed every single moment. But then again, I'm SMILING as I type this post right now...sitting in my office, in my home. Just breathing, and simply happy to BE.
:goodvibes
 
We stayed at Disney's Vero Beach during the summer of 2000. The resort is very nice, restaurants nice (we did a character breakfast), there were many activities to do during the day, but at night things were on the quiet side. If I recall, they had a story time by a camp fire around 7 or 8 at night. One of the problems were the "no- see-ums", I think they're related to mosquitoes. They bite you, but you don't see them (thus the name). They were out with a vengeance, the resort does warn you about them. We used insect repellent, but if you missed a spot; those creatures found it. The pool area was very nice and they also have an area for the kiddies. At the time, you needed your room key in order to access the pool area. My guess was that non-guests probably tried to used the resort's pool, etc.

What I disliked the most was the beach, it is not a natural beach. The ocean/waves were very rough, there were hardly any people in the water. Most people were hanging out at the pool. The sand is coarse and grey, which I absolutely hate. The a/c kept breaking down and we were dying in the villa, a repairman came to the villa at least 4 times to fix the problem. You can also rent bikes. There were activities to do in the resort, but outside of it there wasn't much to do.

We won't be going there again, but at least we tried it one time. As I said, the resort is very nice, but I hated the beach. I prefer the beaches on the west coast of FL with their calm waters and white sugar sand. I'm only about 30 minutes from the beach (east coast of FL) , but I'd much rather drive 3 hours to the west coast of FL to those beaches. Now, that's heaven!::yes::

BTW, Disney should really think about building a resort on the west coast of FL. If they ever do, I'm there no matter what they charge!;)
 
...It's no St. Petersburg, that's for sure. :teeth: But, I confess~~I simply LOVE the "WILDNESS" of it. I enjoy EVERY coastline in this wonderful country. I've been North of Florida (I95) to Virginia Beach (for Lovers) HH, and all the way up the eastern shoreline (love Wildwood)....up to the very edge of Maine, & Nova Scotia (I have family there)...across to Seattle, Oregon and N. Calif., down our PC1/101 to Baja then back over to New Orleans & the the Gulf of Mexico. And, yes...Alaska too. ;) There are unique qualities for every area. The beach at Vero is WILD, with a "shelf" just past the breakline. The water here drops to about 4 ft (from 1 ft). It's a churning and murky water too, as there are some amazing REEFS just off this point (hence the shipwrecks and the treasure-hunters along the sand w/metal detectors). But..the temperature is PERFECT (warm). I dive, surf and snorkel. There is a lot of wildlife in the water around Vero, most of it small and harmless. Out here in So. Cal, our beaches are a sun~lovers & surfers~paradise. The water is shallow (seemingly forever) and mellow, dark blue...yet also clear. But, it's ICY COLD too....year-round. We also have large (G. whites) wildlife in our waters. :earseek:

Those "no-see-ums" are sure pesky! We have discovered the solution, Avon's SSS bath oil. We rub this all over our exposed skin, and the little bugs can not bite. Something about the "oil" repels them. ::yes:: If Disney ever SELLS the Vero Beach VILLAS...I'M THERE!!! :hyper: :hyper:

TTFN...DF99 :wave2:
 
We also love the beach at Vero. The sand is wonderful. Our kids play in it for hours. I like the vegetation lining along the beach-a lot of beautiful plants to look at.

DH likes to play in the waves. He rides them into shore. Every time we go there it's like he's a kid again.

There is just something about the beauty of the ocean. Yes, it can be rough at times but I have also seen it very calm.

We were married on a Gulf Coast beach-Sand Key and I think I prefer Vero. It has a personality.

The view of the stars from the beach is unmatched. They had a Mars viewing party with a HUGE telescope last time we were there.

We once saw the space shuttle launch while staying at VB. IT WAS AMAZING. It was in the evening and we walked down to the lobby. The CM's were telling everyone to quickly go outside as it was launching from the Cape. We all had tears in our eyes. It is something I will never forget!
 


Receive up to $1,000 in Onboard Credit and a Gift Basket!
That’s right — when you book your Disney Cruise with Dreams Unlimited Travel, you’ll receive incredible shipboard credits to spend during your vacation!
CLICK HERE








DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest DIS Tiktok DIS Twitter DIS Bluesky

Back
Top Bottom