Reflecting on our Vero stay July 21st through July24th

[edk35]

I wanted to do a short trip report on the Vero portion of our two weeks in FL.

We left SSR on July 21st for a 4 night stay at Vero. This was our first trip to Vero and we were excited to try it out. Unfortunately because I booked this late (April) we were not able to get a 2 br. or get 4 nights of the same accommodations. On our arrival day we paid cash for a 1 br. The room was NOT ready when we arrived around 3:15 so we took a quick tour of the resort. It was smaller than I expected. Not too long after that our room was ready so we brought up what we needed for the night, changed and went to the beach/pool.

I like the underground parking garages. Our 1 bedroom was nice villa 1536. We had somewhat of an OV which was nice. However we decided REALLY fast that with a family of 5..we are 2 BR peeps. Even though everyone had a place to sleep...it made for a very crowded living area when the sofa/chair were out. Plus having the one bathroom was a pain with 3 kids ages 19, 16 and 11.

The next day we were happy to check into our 2 Garden Inn rooms right at 11:00. They were ready. That made our day. We were in main building 2302/2303. We had more room and two bathrooms. We were also very close to the elevator.

We thought the resort was nice...however... we didn't get that Disney Feeling" like you do when staying at WDW. I called it Disney Lite. Some cast members were friendly and others weren't. It is hard to explain ...but Vero just has a different atmosphere. Sure it is quieter, more relaxed and at the beach...but there is something that just doesn't feel "Very Disney".

My dd19, ds11 and I went to the character breakfast on Sat. We did have the last available ressie at 10:55 ..that was all that was left. Goofy and Donald were there long enough to do a picture/autograph and they left. The waiter didn't seem to enjoy his job that day either. I mean he literally never smiled and just didn't seem happy. The one guy that worked at the poolside counterservice was never in a good mood.

The pool area was nice however I was surprised they didn't do a lot of activities like some of the WDW resorts do. We are spoiled by BC SAB. They have the best activities at their pool. The pool water was sooooooooooo HOT the first two days we were there. It was almost comical to watch people's reaction as they got in.

The beach: Well....my older son 16 and my dh spent more time at the beach than the rest of us. I didn't particularly like the "beach area". I have never seen a beach like that....built up like that. It is not a wide beach at all like the gulf or Ocean City in Maryland. The sand is full of broken up shells especially when you walk out into the water. My husband said they felt like shards of glass. He said his feet were trashed after 4 days of the beach. Nonetheless..he and our older son spent a lot of time there and seemed to enjoy it.

We had ONE rainy day...which was Friday when that tropical system threw rain our way. We still went out to the beach/pool until the pool was closed at 2:30 for lightening. Then we decided to get cleaned up and head out to find a good meal. We ended up at Squid Lips. That was an interesting place. The food was fine...just a "off the beaten path" a very very casual place on the water.

We had dinner at Mama Mia's our last night. We stumbled upon this place and it was very very good.

So we have all decided that Vero was "okay" At first the guys all loved it..but after a couple of days they didn't like the PAIN in their feet and it was WORK to find a decent place to eat. Meaning....you have to drive a good 20 to 30 min. away. We did enjoy the Green Cabin Room...listening to Bernie. He is there Thursdays through Sunday nights. We did feel relaxed and well rested after our stay. My daughter said she has no desire to ever go back. Her exact comment was "I will take the Magical Express back from Disney and fly home when you decide to do another split stay at Vero".

I think we would go again ....but we would either get OV rooms or a 2 br. We all agreed that 3 or 4 days is plenty. I also think if you have teens....having a friend of two along...might help. We are going to try HHI next. I have a feeling we might like it better since there is more to do...especially for the older teens.

I guess that is about it. I can now say we have tried Vero. After staying at WDW for 10 nights...it was a nice way to SLOW down and catch up on some much needed rest.

Oh wanted to add.... we met some nice families at the pool while staying there. It was fun to chat with other DVC families. There seems to be MAINLY DVC folks there, so it was interesting to hear where they lived and how many times they had been to Vero. Some had just left Disney, some were going there next and some JUST did Vero.

Oh the kids also did the unlimited mini golf for 3 of the days (after we checked into the inn rooms). That was a good deal...5 bucks per person for the length of stay.

 

[Disneypirate85]

Thanks for the TR! We have been contemplating a stay there BUT I was concerned about whether the teens would like it? We have friends that go every Sept and just love it, but its an adult only trip for them...Shawn

 

[edk35]

Thanks for the TR! We have been contemplating a stay there BUT I was concerned about whether the teens would like it? We have friends that go every Sept and just love it, but its an adult only trip for them...Shawn

Yes I can see an adults trip ONLY or families with younger kids enjoying this resort more.

 

[BeesKnees]

HHI is the same way. It is a great place to visit and we look forward to our next trip but it is not as disney as being at disney. The difference for us is that we can spend more time at HHI than VB because there is more to do and a much better selection of nearby restaurants. The only thing I didn't like about HHI was it is hard to find the first time if you arrive a night.

I didn't see a sunrise in your TR I hope you went down for one.

Without a doubt vb is definitely a place where you will want to have groceries and plan to cook meals in the room.

We haven't been to vb in 7 years how was the cell phone service? When we went in 03 we had to drive back across because they didn't allow cell phone towers. It was a pain and being out of touch is not an option for us.

 

[edk35]

HHI is the same way. It is a great place to visit and we look forward to our next trip but it is not as disney as being at disney. The difference for us is that we can spend more time at HHI than VB because there is more to do and a much better selection of nearby restaurants. The only thing I didn't like about HHI was it is hard to find the first time if you arrive a night.

I didn't see a sunrise in your TR I hope you went down for one.

Without a doubt vb is definitely a place where you will want to have groceries and plan to cook meals in the room.

We haven't been to vb in 7 years how was the cell phone service? When we went in 03 we had to drive back across because they didn't allow cell phone towers. It was a pain and being out of touch is not an option for us.

Cell phones worked great so did the wireless internet. We DID NOT see the sunrise. No one wanted to get up early after being at WDW for 10 days. I guess I should have done it on my own.

 

[eeyoresmom]

DH did Vero for a long weekend in October of '08. We ended up calling MS and getting a studio at SSR for the final 2 nights. I am so glad I didn't bring my 4 teens there for 5 days as I had been trying to do for awhile. For my kids,there isn't enough to do. I do think Vero is better suited to older folks and families with very young children. I'm also from New England and was not at all impressed with the beach at Vero. If you do not live in a coastal area, I'm sure you would enjoy it. The resort itself is very nice, but I, also, did not get that "magical" feeling like I do at WDW. I really wanted to love it

 

[BeesKnees]

Aw man, no sunrise. That is a shame. I don't care how many times I see it there is nothing like a sunrise over the ocean and the one we witnessed at vb was breathtaking. Those pics are some of my favorites even though I didn't have the best camera back then.


Now you have a reason to go back.


Thanks for the info on the cell phone. Now we can plan a return trip when we have some free points.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Did you see any turtle activity?

 

[edk35]

DH did Vero for a long weekend in October of '08. We ended up calling MS and getting a studio at SSR for the final 2 nights. I am so glad I didn't bring my 4 teens there for 5 days as I had been trying to do for awhile. For my kids,there isn't enough to do. I do think Vero is better suited to older folks and families with very young children. I'm also from New England and was not at all impressed with the beach at Vero. If you do not live in a coastal area, I'm sure you would enjoy it. The resort itself is very nice, but I, also, did not get that "magical" feeling like I do at WDW. I really wanted to love it

YES Perfect summary for our trip. I too wanted to love it..so that we would include it in future WDW trips. Not so sure now.

 

[Chim Chiminy]

Did you do any of the resort activities?

My DH and I were one of two couples who did the Naturalist Walk and we really enjoyed it. The naturalist (not sure if I can use her name) was wonderful! We learned so much about the turtles and she was able to answer some questions I had about creatures I had seen popping up in the water.

We tried for the turtle walk, but didn't get in.

Our daughter did the fishing fundamentals, with the naturalist, and she had a blast. They were gone for two hours almost, and DD caught five fish on her own. Big ones she said. She learned how to tie her hook on, how to cast, and how to take a fish off the hook. She loved it and wants to go fishing here at home now.

We also did BINGO at community hall.

DH and I both wear water shoes in the ocean, doesn't matter what beach. I have a fear of stepping on crabs and jellies....

I agree about having to drive 20-30-even 40 minutes for a nice meal, but we just tried to treat it as an adventure and enjoy the scenery.

 

[extremesoccermom]

Thank you for the trip report. I am sure I made the right decision now. We had planned to go to Vero before our 3 night cruise in October because DS20 is tired of Disney but didn't want to miss a free cruise. The more I thought about the more I wanted to go to WDW it is more economical (no rental car), we already have tickets, and it could be too cool for much beach action.

I has finally accepted that we are instead going to stay in a 2br at BLT MKV and he can have one of his friends stay with us for that portion of the trip.

 

[edk35]

Did you do any of the resort activities?

My DH and I were one of two couples who did the Naturalist Walk and we really enjoyed it. The naturalist (not sure if I can use her name) was wonderful! We learned so much about the turtles and she was able to answer some questions I had about creatures I had seen popping up in the water.

We tried for the turtle walk, but didn't get in.

Our daughter did the fishing fundamentals, with the naturalist, and she had a blast. They were gone for two hours almost, and DD caught five fish on her own. Big ones she said. She learned how to tie her hook on, how to cast, and how to take a fish off the hook. She loved it and wants to go fishing here at home now.

We also did BINGO at community hall.

DH and I both wear water shoes in the ocean, doesn't matter what beach. I have a fear of stepping on crabs and jellies....

I agree about having to drive 20-30-even 40 minutes for a nice meal, but we just tried to treat it as an adventure and enjoy the scenery.

No we didn't. Our kids are older 19, 16 and 11. With our 11 year old...the kid's activities didn't interest him. We looked at the activity schedule. He likes the pool activities they do at BC but they don't do those at Vero. It was mostly really young kids that did the pool activities. My older son spent time working out in the gym. We enjoyed listening to Bernie. The night we arrived they had the campfire but we didn't come in from the pool until 8:00 and we were starving so we got pizza from Island Orchid. Then the next campfire on Friday was cancelled due to rain and they had something on the porch but it was ALL young kids. On Sat. we went out into Sebastian to find a restaurant and didn't get back in time to go to the campfire that night. We walked on the beach and my husband saw a sea turtle when he was out in the water once. That is about as close to the turtles as we got.

Both my husband and I grew up on the Gulf Coast....and we live 2 hours from the ocean here in MD..... so Vero Beach was just not what we expected. The resort itself was fine.

 

[edk35]

Did you see any turtle activity?

We saw tracks a couple of times..... lots of blocked off nesting sites.

 

[Snurk71]

I hear you on those shards of glass - have to remember to take pool shoes. I don't remember the floor of the ocean getting better until I was in 4-5 ft of water.

Very different sand experience from our visit to 7 mile beach on Grand Cayman.

 

[edk35]

I hear you on those shards of glass - have to remember to take pool shoes. I don't remember the floor of the ocean getting better until I was in 4-5 ft of water.

Very different sand experience from our visit to 7 mile beach on Grand Cayman.

That is what my husband said too. Once he and our older son got out far enough....it was fine. Of course the few times I started to venture out pass the breaking waves....I never made it out far enough because it HURT!!!

 

[DisDaydreamer]

Cell phones worked great so did the wireless internet. We DID NOT see the sunrise. No one wanted to get up early after being at WDW for 10 days. I guess I should have done it on my own.

That's ok there's really nothing special to an ocean sunrise.

I was really hoping you would sugar coat this TR.


Seriously, I appreciate the candor... You know I do.

 

[edk35]

That's ok there's really nothing special to an ocean sunrise.

I was really hoping you would sugar coat this TR.


Seriously, I appreciate the candor... You know I do.

Those are really pretty!!!! Thanks for sharing. You told me NOT to sugar coat.

 

[joandegennaro]

Making me think long and hard about doing a split OKW/VB stay. DH and DD's love the beach, splashing in the waves, running back and forth into them. If their going to have cut and sore feet maybe we should just stay at OKW and settle in for a relaxing 12 night stay.

 

[Tiger926]

I wanted to do a short trip report on the Vero portion of our two weeks in FL.

We left SSR on July 21st for a 4 night stay at Vero. This was our first trip to Vero and we were excited to try it out. Unfortunately because I booked this late (April) we were not able to get a 2 br. or get 4 nights of the same accommodations. On our arrival day we paid cash for a 1 br. The room was NOT ready when we arrived around 3:15 so we took a quick tour of the resort. It was smaller than I expected. Not too long after that our room was ready so we brought up what we needed for the night, changed and went to the beach/pool.

I like the underground parking garages. Our 1 bedroom was nice villa 1536. We had somewhat of an OV which was nice. However we decided REALLY fast that with a family of 5..we are 2 BR peeps. Even though everyone had a place to sleep...it made for a very crowded living area when the sofa/chair were out. Plus having the one bathroom was a pain with 3 kids ages 19, 16 and 11.

The next day we were happy to check into our 2 Garden Inn rooms right at 11:00. They were ready. That made our day. We were in main building 2302/2303. We had more room and two bathrooms. We were also very close to the elevator.

We thought the resort was nice...however... we didn't get that Disney Feeling" like you do when staying at WDW. I called it Disney Lite. Some cast members were friendly and others weren't. It is hard to explain ...but Vero just has a different atmosphere. Sure it is quieter, more relaxed and at the beach...but there is something that just doesn't feel "Very Disney".

My dd19, ds11 and I went to the character breakfast on Sat. We did have the last available ressie at 10:55 ..that was all that was left. Goofy and Donald were there long enough to do a picture/autograph and they left. The waiter didn't seem to enjoy his job that day either. I mean he literally never smiled and just didn't seem happy. The one guy that worked at the poolside counterservice was never in a good mood.

The pool area was nice however I was surprised they didn't do a lot of activities like some of the WDW resorts do. We are spoiled by BC SAB. They have the best activities at their pool. The pool water was sooooooooooo HOT the first two days we were there. It was almost comical to watch people's reaction as they got in.

The beach: Well....my older son 16 and my dh spent more time at the beach than the rest of us. I didn't particularly like the "beach area". I have never seen a beach like that....built up like that. It is not a wide beach at all like the gulf or Ocean City in Maryland. The sand is full of broken up shells especially when you walk out into the water. My husband said they felt like shards of glass. He said his feet were trashed after 4 days of the beach. Nonetheless..he and our older son spent a lot of time there and seemed to enjoy it.

We had ONE rainy day...which was Friday when that tropical system threw rain our way. We still went out to the beach/pool until the pool was closed at 2:30 for lightening. Then we decided to get cleaned up and head out to find a good meal. We ended up at Squid Lips. That was an interesting place. The food was fine...just a "off the beaten path" a very very casual place on the water.

We had dinner at Mama Mia's our last night. We stumbled upon this place and it was very very good.

So we have all decided that Vero was "okay" At first the guys all loved it..but after a couple of days they didn't like the PAIN in their feet and it was WORK to find a decent place to eat. Meaning....you have to drive a good 20 to 30 min. away. We did enjoy the Green Cabin Room...listening to Bernie. He is there Thursdays through Sunday nights. We did feel relaxed and well rested after our stay. My daughter said she has no desire to ever go back. Her exact comment was "I will take the Magical Express back from Disney and fly home when you decide to do another split stay at Vero".

I think we would go again ....but we would either get OV rooms or a 2 br. We all agreed that 3 or 4 days is plenty. I also think if you have teens....having a friend of two along...might help. We are going to try HHI next. I have a feeling we might like it better since there is more to do...especially for the older teens.

I guess that is about it. I can now say we have tried Vero. After staying at WDW for 10 nights...it was a nice way to SLOW down and catch up on some much needed rest.

Oh wanted to add.... we met some nice families at the pool while staying there. It was fun to chat with other DVC families. There seems to be MAINLY DVC folks there, so it was interesting to hear where they lived and how many times they had been to Vero. Some had just left Disney, some were going there next and some JUST did Vero.

Oh the kids also did the unlimited mini golf for 3 of the days (after we checked into the inn rooms). That was a good deal...5 bucks per person for the length of stay.

Good job! We've already talked about most of this through PM, but it was cool to see your actual final bottom line analysis of your Vero trip.

We found a certain Disney magic lacking too throughout most of the resort as well.

I bet you are glad you are home from your crazy split stay vacay!

Glad it all worked out for you in the end, Tiger

 

[MinnieGi]

Thanks for your tr, it has helped me make up my mind for our June trip, we will split stay with HHI, not VB. Its the beach and ocean that did me in. Our whole family really enjoys HHI's beach, no feet getting "trashed" from shells etc. there! They would all be so mad at me if we went to Vero and their feet were sore! Also don't like how not alot of restaurants are close by, at HHI the island is loaded with great places and they are all close, some even walkable. I guess one of the reasons we love Disney's HHI resort is that we just really enjoy the whole island and Disney makes it fun with their activities etc..