My honest opinion of Vero Beach

[Daydreamin]

Like many others on this thread, we too were not as impressed with VB as we had hoped to be. While there were a number of highlights for our family (the pool slide, boogie boarding at the beach, the campfire, the hot tub, drinks/snacks at the Green Cabin Room, bike riding/hiking & watching our kids ride their razor scooters across the road from the main resort), it is not a place we can't wait to visit. Like many others, we also wondered about the people that seemed to be on vacation from their kids (no supervision or nanny's watching their kids). We truly believe in the family vacation concept and enjoy laughing & being with our kids. We struggled with the fact that many of the activities offered at the resort were adult or child only type activities.

Sueg - We absolutely agreed with you regarding the cell phones at the pool! My husband and I go on vacation to get away from ringing phones & work. This seemed impossible at the pool from time to time . I know alot of people have to conduct business while on vacation, but I'd hope they would have the common curtesy to do this from their room rather than where everyone else has to hear about their work issues.

 

[Lil]

Okay ~ VB is my least favorite Disney resort. We stayed there the year it opened.....they had the special $89 a nite with some freebies.

We loved our room, the beach, the restaurants, and the 1000 acre woods.

The pool was horrible. People staked out their spots at 8am with personal belonging and didn't show up until 1pm....at least the adults didn't. How do I know....we watched one day. We took our coffee and newspaper down by the pool.....and stayed the day. Kids were running.....running......and screaming.......people were smoking and leaving their trash and cigarette butts by their loungers. Loungers were moved to block access to the pool by the steps. Disney towels were everywhere, kids were taking 3-4 towels......they were left all over the beach.

One good thing ~ ID bracelets were required and checked....so it was Disney guests at the pool.

I am a pool junkie.....I must have shade......I love to read and sleep...with occassional dips in the pool. I can sleep through all noise.....but VB won this round. We will never go back!!!!!

 

[CaptainMidnight]

I am sad to read of these problems at Vero Beach. It is amazing how rude fellow vacationers can be and the me forst, me only attitude.

Not long ago a poster on these boards was bragging about how she felt being indignant and obnoxious to a CM when they would try to provide some instructions to her was something to be proud of and boast about. Other unreasonable posters were saying, "you go girl." Although a few posts later people began expressing how unreasonable her hypothetical reaction would be. I have not experiences this lack of consideration at Vero, but will be going there in about a month. Razor scooters should only be allowed on the other side of the road. There is plenty of room over there. Hogging pool chairs should not be allowed. I haven't heard of the wrist bands before, but would gladly comply. There is a public beach next door.

But the main point about inconsiderate parents with unruley children is a very good one, and one to raise here. As is the point about the cell phones. While wildly inappropriate, I could see myself applauding someone who picked up the obnoxious ringing phone and threw it into the ocean.

Our last visits did not have the wild pool area. I guess that is one of the advantages of the resort not expanding, is that the pool area is already limited.

We love Vero, but haven't had to experience the obnoxious inconsiderate people you describe. That would certainly lessen the vacation experience.

 

[AZKathy]

We were just there in June for a long weekend and did not experience any of those things. There were plenty of lounge chairs around the pool and I guess those wild children were not there that weekend! We also did not have any wrist bands to put on. I only saw one child with a scooter during that weekend. One thing I could not stand were those "No-see-ums"! I got back to WDW after that weekend with around 40 bites on my legs and I had bug repellant on!!!

I enjoyed our stay there and we plan on going back again next year for a weekend during our stay at WDW. I am glad I had a nice experience there. I certainly would not do any longer than a long weekend, but I personally can't do the pool lounging/beach longer than a couple of days!

To be honest, I believe those wild children stayed at OKW this time, because that pool area was much more loud and wild!

 

[Halle]

Lil, we had similar experiences our first few years staying at OKW. Chairs saved at the pool with no one sitting in them, and loud groups of people who were a bit on the rude side. We were quite upset since we had recently ourchased until we realized that these people were renters. Now that OKW is sold out I haven't found a problem at the pool.

 

[normr]

The pool is about the only thing for kids to do at VB, all that energy from nothing else to do I am sure contributes to it, If there were more activities, I beleive it wouldn't be as bad.

 

[SnowWitch]

We just returned from our trip last weekend. We spent a wonderful week at VB and can't wait to go back. My family didn't experience any of this stuff, granted we spent most of our time camped out on the beach . We rented an umbrella and chairs for the week. We did take our boys to the pool 3 or so times and really didn't notice any behavior out of the way. Someone mentioned going down to the pool early and laying things in chairs and not returning until noon, I did notice this at the main pool at BWV every morning. However we never had problems getting chairs at the pool so I blew it off.

Oh no scooters to speak of at VB the week we were there. Maybe they were having an irresponsible parent week, offering parenting classes?

 

[nydizfan]

we need to be very carefull about puting all of the bad kids in a pot. some are bad because of the PARENTS. upbringing is a major problem. dave

 

[CaptainMidnight]

Actually Dave, I think the lack of oversight by parents and parental responsibility or lack there of, was the heart of the concern listed in the post. At least that's how I read it.

 

[TrudyZ]

We have had "cell phone" issues before. Yes, we don't mind if someone takes a quick important call, but non-stop ringing (acompanied with loud animated conversations) for hours drives me crazy--that's what I came to get away from. And, if they are right next to you, you can't help but hear the conversation--sometimes both sides of it!

My solution--after the 3 or 4th call I join in on the conversation. Oh, perhaps I ask them a question about their conversation, give them advice, ask them if my 2 1/2 year old can say "hello", whatever pops into my head. I am sweetly persistant peppering them with nosy questions and unwanted conversation until they move. It is quick and efficient and works every time.

Trudy

 

[PamOKW]

It's been awhile since I've been to Vero and I haven't encountered these problems in the past (May and October). I'm hoping I won't in the future. But, the problem with unsupervised children "taking over" is one reason why I am reluctant to take a Disney cruise. I can't imagine being trapped on a ship with this kind of behavior.

 

[KaraKW]

I haven't been to VB, but I can relate to what so many people who have posted about unruly behavior by children -- and the irresponsible parents behind them! I'm a teacher -- I work with children every day, and you would be amazed at the lack of respect for authority these children have -- even at the age of 6!! (I had a kindergartener flick me off in a hallway once!)

And then when I go to malls and restaurants -- ACK! I can't take it... I find it hard to work with children and then go out in public and watch their unruly behavior without putting them in "time out"! It takes all my self-restraint not to say anything as children run around restaurants, knock cereal boxes off of shelves in grocery stores, etc.

One time, I was eating lunch with my sister when I was at a restaurant. There was a child (who looked about 3 years old) in the booth behind her. He kept standing up and looking at us. No big deal. Then he took his (empty) cup and dropped it on the booth beside my sister. She picked it up and handed it to him. Then he dropped it again. His mom turned around and noticed what he was doing. She took the cup from my sister and handed it back to her son. A THIRD time, he dropped the cup on our booth! Now, I'm thinking, make your child sit down and give him something to do (like color)! But she doesn't. The kid stops throwing his cup, but starts spitting. And once he spit INTO MY SISTER'S hair, I couldn't take it anymore! I finally said something.
"Could you please make your child sit down? He's spitting into my sister's hair?"
The mother said to me, "If we're bothering you that much, why don't you move?" (I had arrived before her, by the way).
I replied "I don't think I should have to do that!"
She said, "Well, the world doesn't revolve around you!"
"No, I guess not, but neither does it revolve around your son!"
Well, from there, the conversation became a bit "heated" shall we say?

That's the problem these days...Everyone thinks that the world revolves around them -- and they think nothing of anyone else. Selfish....... I don't want to sound like I "know it all" -- My DH and I don't have any children, so I don't know what it's like to be a parent --but I have quite a lot of experience with little ones through my career. So I'm not totally "ignorant" of how to discipline, to teach, and to care for children either!

Frankly, when my DH and I look around and see what's happening with children these days, we're concerned about having children of our own -- children who would grow up with the "kids of today" .....and suddenly we're not so sure we want to bring children into this world ... how sad is that?

--Kara K.W.