The 2011 Vero Beach Adoration and INFO thread

[wigdoutdismom]

We were there in June and didn't use any type of bug spray. We were only out at night one time and that was for a turtle walk and it was windy. I'm sure the wind saved us from being eaten alive. The rest of the time we were just out during the day. So is that why no bug bites?

 

[Mydisneywedding]

I just returned from Vero Beach and my family and I had a wonderful time...

Yes, there are bugs, your typical mosquitos, dragon flies, spiders and ants but it's Florida and you are by the water. I sprayed "OFF" every night on the kids and no one was badly bitten.

The rooms are a bit out dated, when we arrived a picture fell off the wall. It literally fell as we opened the door and sat our luggage down, but still it was a nice 1 bedroom... we called the front desk and someone came to clean up the broken glass.

My only issue was the 6 foot tall Sand dunes... We arrived there the day Hurricane Irene was passing Florida in the Atlantic, the weather wasn't great so we decided to go watch a movie that day. We were excited to go swimming in the ocean on Friday but when we got to the beach we realized we couldn't get down to the beach. The Hurricane pushed the sand up and made 6 ft tall walls

There was a young man with a shovel making a path for people to climb down and he said that they would be getting a truck to flatten everything out later in the day. We went to the pool instead and hoped for a Beach day on Saturday.... Well guess what, the truck never came and they only made 2 STEEP paths for folks to climb down. Being 6 months pregnant, I couldn't climb down.

I really wish they would have prepared a little better, it's not as if Hurricane weather is not common in Florida. All they needed was to make 1 good path and that would have been it.

Other than that, our stay was nice and they have a great pool which saved our beachless days.

 

[treehugnmama]

mydisneywedding

sorry to hear you couldn't get down to the beach that is a bummer. I am glad you had a good trip otherwise. When we were there last year there was a tropical stomr that kept the bugs and the sun away for most of our stay. The last day it passed and the sun cameout but so did the noseeums.... i think I would take cooler and windy temps over those guys lol


When we were there last september they had a shelf of sand and it worries me that when we go back next month with my parents my dad won't get down. he has mobility issues so he needs a gently path down.

was it the shelf or was it from the hirricane? I thought someone posted the shelf was gone but i could be wrong.

 

[Bellies23]

We are currently here and my biggest beef is the sand dune you need to climb up and down to get to the ocean. Someone has shoveled out a couple of paths to sort of slide/walk down but it really is not safe.
Otherwise having a grand time here - ocean is great, pool is great and weather is hot!

 

[mmtravel]

That huge drop was not there when we checked in on 8/22. The walk down to the beach was much more gentle and reasonable until Irene swept by offshore. We only got a little bit of rain, but the waves were wild and the beach eroded considerably. It was crazy.

I seem to remember reading that this had happened before and the beach had been built back up again. Maybe some of the VB experts could ring in.

We had a great week there last week - only sad part was losing my son's shark tooth necklace that he worked so hard on in the program at Community Hall. If that's the worst thing that happens, life is good.

 

[JaneyGrrrl]

Ugh...Now I'M getting nervous. My husband and I are checking in on Friday for the weekend to celebrate our first wedding anniversary....Planned for several months, booked at the 7 month mark and now he has a torn tendon in his ankle and the beach will ALREADY be hard for him to maneuver without a huge wall of sand to climb, which he will NEVER be able to do with that ankle.

I REALLY need to swim in the ocean....like......for my sanity. It's been a rough couple of months and I have been longing for the salt water. I live in FL and haven't been to the beach since LAST August.

For those there now and/or who just left.....Will I be swimming alone or is there a chance it may be fixed by the weekend?

 

[floridafam]

I don't think there is going to be a fix by the weekend but I'm sure they will do what they can. It's not really something that can be helped.

There is beach access just north of the resort. Maybe it would be easier there. I can ask DH to go check things out if he's over on the beach.

I'm so sick of paying for sand replenishment only to watch it wash away in a hurricane.

 

[DVC Jen]

Hey everyone - we were at Vero in late June this year - loved it like usual. We are planning a 5 night cruise on the Magic mid May and then a week at Vero after.

What are the Love Bugs like at Vero in mid to late May? Anyone have any experience with them?

If they are bad I may change our plans... the thought of being outside on the beach or by the pool with amorous little black bugs dropping all around and a daughter who FREAKS out about bugs does not sound like a fun time.

Thanks.

 

[Hopefully]

We were in Vero for our first time last October. The "ledge" after the beach reconstruction project followed be a series of tropical storms was over 8' high. I posted pictures near the end of the prior VB thread.
The resort did not help for our entire week, until our last day. Then they had CM's trying to shovel a safe ramp down to the water through the ledge. It was not good and I was hoping to not face that issue this year.
I understand it is at the whim of Mother Nature.

 

[DisDaydreamer]

We were in Vero for our first time last October. The "ledge" after the beach reconstruction project followed be a series of tropical storms was over 8' high. I posted pictures near the end of the prior VB thread.
The resort did not help for our entire week, until our last day. Then they had CM's trying to shovel a safe ramp down to the water through the ledge. It was not good and I was hoping to not face that issue this year.
I understand it is at the whim of Mother Nature.

Well, as floridafam said "she is sick of paying for it". This is because the beach is not owned or controlled by DVC. By law, they cannot change it. Somehow the local government will have to find money to fix it. Perhaps DVC could donate money to the locality for this purpose. But then DVC only occupies a short piece of the beach so it probably would not be a deal maker.

It sucks for sure.

That said, I would hope DVC would just do something anyway. Who's going to find them guilty of changing public property?

 

[CruznLexi]

We live near the beach so the beach is not that important to us but for others it will be. We just like to hang by the pool. We did that at HH just hung by the pool.

 

[floridafam]

I think Disney was part of the discussion when the county commission approved the last sand project. I'm not even sure it was finished yet. It was delayed and I think I remember reading they weren't going to be done until October. I believe the total cost is around $10 million. They trucked in sand from inland and ran the trucks back and forth all day on 510.

Then the school district laid off countless teachers and special ed aides because of a budge shortfall by.........$10 million (not sure if that is one year or more.)

Funny, isn't it?

I have to believe that the cost of the beach replenishments is somehow incorporated into our dues. I know they can't just let the resort fall in to the ocean but it just seems like such a waste.

 

[delaneyc52]

I just spoke with a CM at Vero and asked about the beach. Basically, she admitted it had damage due to storms and further, they cannot rake during turtle season, but she did say there was accessibility to the beach and no one has had any complaints. I was a bit worried as we will be there next week!

 

[DisDaydreamer]

They trucked in sand from inland and ran the trucks back and forth all day

Yep, I was there...

 

[treehugnmama]

I just spoke with a CM at Vero and asked about the beach. Basically, she admitted it had damage due to storms and further, they cannot rake during turtle season, but she did say there was accessibility to the beach and no one has had any complaints. I was a bit worried as we will be there next week!

Please give us a report on how accessibile the beach is. We go in a few weeks with my dad who has mobility issues.

HAVE A GREAT TRIP!!

 

[JaneyGrrrl]

Please give us a report on how accessibile the beach is. We go in a few weeks with my dad who has mobility issues.

HAVE A GREAT TRIP!!

I am at Vero right now and can tell you that sadly, if your dad has mobility issues, he will NOT be able to make it up and down to the beach. They have carved out a very narrow and very steep "ramp" if you can call it that. If you have no problems maneuvering, then fantastic! My husband on the other hand is currently is recovering from a torn tendon in his ankle, and he took one look and said....no. He was concerned that he could probably get down to the beach, but there was no way he was getting back up. My beach time has consisted of walking first thing in the morning while he is still asleep. The pool is lovely but the beach is disappointing. My morning walks through the ocean water have been fabulous, but I would really have liked to share it with the hubby since we're here for our first anniversary.

Regardless, this is my first time here and it is a gorgeous resort, and we sprung for an ocean view room, so that has been wonderful too. You will have loads of fun and love it here, but just don't pin your hopes on the whole family having a beach day.

 

[treehugnmama]

I am glad you are enjoying your trip thanks for the update but I am so very diapointed. He is going for the ocean. He is in kidney failure and this will the the first and last trip he can take with us I am so so sad he won't be able to get to the ocean. He wanted to watch my kids play in the ocean (5 and 7) I don`t know what to do.

I am at Vero right now and can tell you that sadly, if your dad has mobility issues, he will NOT be able to make it up and down to the beach. They have carved out a very narrow and very steep "ramp" if you can call it that. If you have no problems maneuvering, then fantastic! My husband on the other hand is currently is recovering from a torn tendon in his ankle, and he took one look and said....no. He was concerned that he could probably get down to the beach, but there was no way he was getting back up. My beach time has consisted of walking first thing in the morning while he is still asleep. The pool is lovely but the beach is disappointing. My morning walks through the ocean water have been fabulous, but I would really have liked to share it with the hubby since we're here for our first anniversary.

Regardless, this is my first time here and it is a gorgeous resort, and we sprung for an ocean view room, so that has been wonderful too. You will have loads of fun and love it here, but just don't pin your hopes on the whole family having a beach day.

 

[JaneyGrrrl]

I am glad you are enjoying your trip thanks for the update but I am so very diapointed. He is going for the ocean. He is in kidney failure and this will the the first and last trip he can take with us I am so so sad he won't be able to get to the ocean. He wanted to watch my kids play in the ocean (5 and 7) I don`t know what to do.

If you drive either north or south from the resort there is public beach access....Ask at the front desk and they will help you. The more popular public beaches have much more accessible access ramps. We actually went to dinner last night at a restaurant called The Ocean Grill which is right on the water (and excellent, btw). Right next to it there are stairs down to a public beach (which I wish we knew about before) and your father should have NO problems getting to the water there. Its about a 15 minute drive. Had we known ahead of time we would have been there every day!

 

[treehugnmama]

thnaks for that I will def do that.

 

[delaneyc52]

If you drive either north or south from the resort there is public beach access....Ask at the front desk and they will help you. The more popular public beaches have much more accessible access ramps. We actually went to dinner last night at a restaurant called The Ocean Grill which is right on the water (and excellent, btw). Right next to it there are stairs down to a public beach (which I wish we knew about before) and your father should have NO problems getting to the water there. Its about a 15 minute drive. Had we known ahead of time we would have been there every day!

Thanks for the advance warning! I too remember the access from Ocean Grille area. If you drive north, there is also public access to the beach ... I think about two or three miles up with a handicap ramp down to the beach. I have to admit that I'm a bit disappointed that the CM was not completely honest with me. grrrr But hubby and I will be fine on the steep access thankfully.