Just back from Vero--loved it!

[Johnnie Fedora]

Just returned from the 7-day western cruise (booked on cash from renting out points), and 3 days at Vero. I was really glad we stayed at Vero following the cruise as I wouldn't want to have hopped on a plane home that Saturday morning (depressing).

I really enjoyed Vero, much more than I thought I would. We debated a lot earlier this year about whether to buy more HH points by resale, or buy at Vero. Decided on HH, as it is closer to home and we really enjoy HH atmosphere. I did love some of the extra ammenities that Vero has to offer over HH, like the Green cabin room, and the resturant options. The beach access is great, but the waves and depth of the water made me a little nervious with small kids. Also, the beach is very narrow. I also noticed a lot of building going on in the area. I hope a tall condo doesn't go right next door to the resort. How much property does Disney still own south of the last beach cottage? Look forward to another stay there in the future, 3 days was not enough. 4-5 would be better. The off-sites are the hidden gems of the DVC program. I wish they would build another.

 

[Nick@ VB+OKW]

Glad you enjoyed your 1st stay at VB Johnny.

How was the 7 day cruise?

 

[JimC]

Great idea going to VB after a cruise. We are hoping to try HH at some point. Unfortunately, I doubt if Disney will do another off-site resort. Seems that they have divested themselves of various properties and options after sales of HH and VB did not go fast enough.

Here is link to thread that discussed it.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=398678&highlight=Interesting

 

[Maistre Gracey]

I am happy to hear that you enjoyed Vero!
I am anxious to see what the construction is...

MG

 

[tinkgrl]

Hi,

Glad you had a good time!!!

Allison an associate

 

[floridafam]

Glad to hear you had a good trip.

 

[PamOKW]

Originally posted by Johnnie Fedora
I hope a tall condo doesn't go right next door to the resort.

Zoning won't permit the type of high-rise construction you find further down in Florida. It's some kind of miracle they allowed Disney to build -- you'll notice how the the resort blends into the landscape, that is not by accident.

Glad to hear you had a good time at Vero. The ocean is very changeable, can be surfboard wild or placid as a lake but is always to be treated with respect and you are correct that children need to be constantly watched.

 

[Johnnie Fedora]

Nick...we really enjoyed the seven day cruise, it would be hard not to. We did the eastern in 2000, and after doing the western this time, we've decided that we liked the eastern better. Since we have little kids and weren't into snorkeling or some of the other western cruise excursions/activities, I think the eastern cruise is the one for us (plus it's cheaper). The western ports lack that "tropical feeling" as far as the landscape goes. When we did the eastern cruise, I remember waking up the morning we were anchored off St Martin, stumbling up to the topsiders outside deck for breakfast and being awed by the beauty of the island. I remember saying to my family "now that's something you don't see every morning". The eastern islands were more Hawaii-like with lush greenery, hills and mountains. The western ports were flat. Food and fun on the boat was the same. Overall, the cruise was not as relaxing as I anticipated, but that's mostly due to the running around taking the kids out of the programs and the nursery. I think even the kids got a little worn out. Our 6 yo was perfectly content one afternoon going back to the cabins and giving her "precious little pony" a two hour bath (soaping and shampooing) in the bathroom sink. The Vero stay was our vacation after vacation. We probably would have rebooked another cruise while on board, as they were offering 10% off plus a $200 onboard credit/stateroom, but the dates for 2005 only wet to April, and we would be interested in the fall of that year.

The best part of cruising on points (our way) was that we had 200 extra points to use for our BCV stay last January. Renting out our points and booking the cruise using the proceedes was like having two, two, two vacations in one!

Maistre Gracey, the construction was quite a ways down the beach from Vero on the south end. I just was wondering since Disney sold property there, how much free space would there be between Vero and it's nearest neighbor. We were in bldg 15 in a handicapped room that overlooked south. We drove A1A from port to Vero and there was a lot of beachside construction on that drive.

 

[mouseclick1]

Sounds like you had an awesome time! We are doing the opposite during our Easter break. We are spending 1 night at Vero Beach, then going on the 7-day western cruise. I would like to be able to spend a little more time at Vero having never been there before, but one night will at least give us a taste of the resort. If we like it as much as I think we will, we can plan a longer trip there some time in the near future!

 

[Nick@ VB+OKW]

Glad you enjoyed the cruise Johnny. How far out did you rent your pts out? I sent you a PM but you must not have checked them.

 

[Johnnie Fedora]

Nick,
We rented out points as soon as we got them, about 15 month prior to our cruise date (June use year). We had already booked the cruise several months earlier. We wanted to rent out early to maximize the banking windows should ther be any problems. We were very lucky to find a single renter for all our points. We put the money in a separate bank account so we would'nt accidently spend it. For our next cruise, maybe we will rent points out in several chunks and maybe over several use years instead of all at once. It is worth the hassle as Disney takes too much of a cut by booking throught them with points.