Just Back! Drove, POR, AKL, Vero Beach, PICS!

[mm6mm6]

We've been back for just two days after our two week vacation. I put together a website to show our third trip to Disney World with pics.

Just go here to see it all:

http://community.webtv.net/sktracy

We had a great time, let me know if there are any questions!

-Steve

 

[cristbaby]

Wow, what a fantastic report. Thanks so much and glad you had such a great time.

 

[magicmouse2]

Awesome trip report - Thankyou

 

[Amyz00]

Great pictures! Thanks for sharing your WDW vacation with us!

Amyz00

os-early 80's
feb. 2004-asm
july 2005-yc

 

[Minniespal]

Enjoyed reading your report ~ Thanx for posting.

 

[Dreamer04]

That was great! I really loved reading your trip report. It sounds like you had a blast!

 

[Shelby5514]

FANTASTIC trip report! I loved how you had photos along with the report. It really brings it to "life". Thanks for sharing!

 

[elastigirlfan]

I loved reading your trip report and seeing your pictures. What a nice family you have - I'm so glad you had a great trip. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Disneycatlady]

Your report was awesome. I actually had tears in my eyes when you had to leave- but then again I cry very easily. Thanks for bringing Disney to life for me.

 

[traumamama]

Double WOW I really enjoyed reading your trip report and looking at your pics, thanks for sharing. I have too say that I really wished I had found this board sooner cuz I would love to end my vacation with a few days at the beach.

 

[Patio]

Steve, what an awesome trip report. I love the pictures that go along with your report, what a cute family you all are. I can tell you had so much fun.

 

[Cinerama]

Nice report-loved all the photos. Your daughter is a cutie!

 

[bballdiva]

Very great report it was a pleasure to read thanks for shearing with all.

 

[MAGICinMYHEART]

Steve really enjoyed your report.

 

[mimif1]

Wow, great report! What a great idea to end the trip with a couple of days at the beach. Hmmm... Getting ideas for next time...

 

[RayJay]

We've been back for just two days after our two week vacation. I put together a website to show our third trip to Disney World with pics.

Just go here to see it all:

http://community.webtv.net/sktracy

We had a great time, let me know if there are any questions!

-Steve

Steve,

Thanks for sharing, we are going in 4 days, looks like you had a great time. That's how a disney trip should be.

RayJay

 

[mm6mm6]

Thanks everyone for your very kind words!

We really did have a great time again!

If anyone is thinking about trying Disney's Vero Beach Resort, JUST DO IT!

You will not be disappointed. It's like staying at a WDW luxury resort but with a really big wave pool of saltwater with a soft sand beach just 100 feet away!

The beach is very private, it's so far north or south to the public areas that only Disney guests are on the beach. It's not very crowded at all. You can rent Jet Ski's or sailboats and the seaturtles are amazing to watch from a Jet Ski. You put-put around about 75 yards out and see these huge heads the size of a football rise out of the water to take a breath. Just as you look toward them just 5-10 feet away from your rented Jet Ski, their body/shell rises up and then disappears below the water. The shells are the size of your car's hood! They're just HUGE!

There's a Walgreens and a Publix just 7 minutes away. We bought lunchmeat, cheese and bread to keep in our room fridge and made sandwiches with chips for on the beach or by the pool for lunch.

I actually had our film developed at the Walgreens one hour photo and I brought a Hallmark photo album with us from home. One night, I put the photo album together while Lauren was watching the Disney channel before going to bed.

Walgreens has boogie boards (the big ones) for just $14.99 instead of renting them for $9 a day at the beach.

Orchid Island Pizza is right next door to the resort and their pizza is really good (actually they have a rather extensive menu and Robin loved their salad).

Vero has a private lake for fishing, tennis courts, basketball courts, an archery range and a soccer field across the street with an understreet tunnel.

There is a miniature golf course, a pirate ship pool area for little kids, and the Discovery Club for kids from 5-9pm that serves them dinner and plays games and works on projects while mom and dad have a romantic dinner and a walk on the beach.

Vero is just fantastic.

And for some real fun, you can do what I do and stand up on the high part of the walkway to the beach and watch the guys with the metal detectors scan the beach for valuables.

I find this so entertaining because when their backs are turned, I pitch pennies into the sand and then watch them come back and find them and pick them up.

I dunno why this amuses me so much....

-Steve

 

[mm6mm6]

One more tidbit on the cost of driving.

The best deal we could find for flying the three of us from O'hare to Orlando direct was around $250 each, so $750 or really $800 with taxes, 9/11 security, etc. Then we'd have to get from WDW to Vero Beach and back again so there would be a bit of cost there too.

Our total cost for gasoline from Chicago to Orlando and Orland to Vero and Vero back to Chicago in our 104,000 mile '99 Windstar was $305.

Our Comfort Inn on the way down in Georgia was $50. Our Quality Inn coming back in Tennessee was another $50. So $100 on lodging during the trip.

Total cost then for driving vs flying for the three of us was $405. We saved $395 then.

We enjoy the drive, the DVD player in the car made it a snap for Lauren (DD8). We took the rearmost seat out of the van and brought a huge cooler on wheels stocked with a ton of pop and water bottles. I bought 24 oz bottles of pop on sale at home for $2 a six pack. We also brought chips and pretzels and other snacks and breakfast cereal with paper bowls and cups and re-sealable bags of donuts.

If a family of four were to drive vs. flying, the cost of the drive would be the same but the flight goes up another $250+.

So there is also a considerable savings by eating breakfast in the room with your own food and for having snacks and pop and bottled water instead of paying for it at Disney....

-Steve

 

[silverangel879]

I loved your report! Your DD is so cute. Glad you had a great time!

 

[wannabee princess]

Enjoyed your report! We've enjoyed stays at both PO (but FQ instead of R) and AKL too! I agree that Vero is a great way to end a Disney trip! Looking at your photos brings it all back (and makes me miss it all even more!). Thanks for sharing!