The Ups and Downs of My Trip

[zoomsharedisney]

My vacation started on December 13 where we flew from Pittsburgh to Orlando. We rented a car and drove to Vero Beach where we would spend the next few nights. It was our first time being at the resort and we heard wonderful things about it. However...I am not sure that we will return to the resort. We checked in and received a beautiful ocean view Kingsize inn room. It was huge!!! And I mean huge!!! We ate dinner at Shutter's and had horrible service. We sat within a few minutes of arriving, but it took well over 10 minutes for a server to come to our table (there were only 4 other tables and I counted 5 servers plus 2 hostesses). My food arrived luke warm, but my husbands was perfect.

We went to the pool the next day to relax. Bleechers didn't open until 2 PM after several other guests complained that there was nothing to eat or drink at the pool area. Bleachers was supposed to open daily at 11 AM. I also cannot believe that Disney chargers their guests to rent a chair to lay on the 'so called' beach. That's ridiculus!! You would figure that the guest would just show their card and get the chairs for free - while supplies last. And I can't believe how little beach their is. I know that some of it got taken away from the hurricane, but wow - there is seriously NO beach.

The staff was wonderful and the Christmas decorations were beautiful. I didn't find the resort to be very 'Disney' though. I mentioned that the staff was wonderful, but they acted just like any other hotel and restaurant staff. Nobody went out of their way to make us feel like we were in Disney. In fact, my DH and I were in the store several times, but were completely ignored everytime we went in. The bartenders were constantly complaining about the other staff members and the lack of night life. Needless to say we looked forward to checking out on the 16th and driving to the BWV. Stay tuned to hear about how wonderful Disney World was to us.

 

[jakenjess]

I'm sorry your trip to VB wasn't so magical for you. We stayed there for a couple nights last year and loved it. It doesn't scream Disney, but there are enough little touches to remind you that you're at DVC. Our kids loved the beach; it's not huge, but it also wasn't crowded when we were there so it was no problem.

Looking forward to hearing about BWV. I hope it was a great time!

 

[dumbo71]

Sorry your trip wasn't what yu wanted.

I don't like when others attack posters when they post a negative experience so I'll go easy.

Most of the problems you encountered minus the luke warm food are a direct result of traveling to VB in the OFF season.

Bleachers doesn't open at all on certain days. It is weather permitting. OFF season they tend to open later because that is when the majority of guest s go to the pool, when the sun is up and it warms some.

Beach being narrow? Well, VB isn't the widest stretch of beach to begin with but it is much better now than pre hurricane. In the winter ocean levels are higher and the surf a little rougher. This takes away some of the beach. This happens all over.

Free beach chairs? I travel extensively and I can tell you 90% or more of the resorts I stay at oceanfront charge for beach chairs. Most of the ones that don't charge a $20 or more per day "Resort fee" to cover those things like Chairs and gym. I'd rather pay when I want to use it than have to pay that "resort fee."

Staff not making you feel like it was Disney?? It isn't Disney, nor should it be. It is a beach resort with wonderful staff. You even admitted as much.
Small Disney touches can be found but you must look. I wouldn't want Mickey in my face there either.

Poor service and luke warm food? No excuse but I will say having ran three succesful restaurants, that things always run better when you are busy. When it is slow wait staff and the kitchen have a much tougher time being focused. Management needs to keep them focused during those times. When it is busy there is no time for chit chat and they must be moving.

I really feel VB is worth another shot in season. You might experience a completely diferent resort.

I hope your BWV goes better than the VB portion of your trip. From the title of your post it seems you are expecting that to happen.

 

[Tigger031266]

I know what you are saying. I think you would find a different experience in summer. I kind of though VB should dump the Disney theme because they just do not do it well. Also VB is not Cocoa, Clearwater, miami, it is less populated and bult up.

Some cool things about VB that you may have missed:
- Campfires at night
- Beach houses
- Boat rentals
- a really nice comunity hall
- Walks on the ocean in the dark night and early morning

When we stayed there the first time, I never thought that I would want to go back but it kind of calls you. Try it again, now that you know what to expect.

 

[starbox]

I really feel VB is worth another shot in season. You might experience a completely diferent resort.

ITA. I grew up around Florida beaches and the beach in winter is a completely different experience. We went last summer and it. In fact, DD8 says Vero is her favorite resort (beating out Disneyworld itself) AND she was there with a broken arm and could not even swim!

Still - after seeing what happens to beach towns and resorts every winter, I would never want to go during November, December, or January.

 

[zoomsharedisney]

Sorry your trip wasn't what yu wanted.

Bleachers doesn't open at all on certain days. It is weather permitting. OFF season they tend to open later because that is when the majority of guest s go to the pool, when the sun is up and it warms some.

We were given no notice at all that Bleachers opened late. There is nothing posted and the weather was beautiful - 80 and sunny. The sun is up at noon and was plenty warm. But like I said - we were given no notice that they wouldn't open until 2 - and even the staff couldn't tell us why Bleachers wasn't open when people were asking.

Free beach chairs? I travel extensively and I can tell you 90% or more of the resorts I stay at oceanfront charge for beach chairs. Most of the ones that don't charge a $20 or more per day "Resort fee" to cover those things like Chairs and gym. I'd rather pay when I want to use it than have to pay that "resort fee."

I also travel extensively and have ran into plenty of chair and umbrella rental places on the beach. I just can't believe that Disney charges their own guests to rent a chair on a beach that you need to use your key to access. Like I said before...they should charge those who are not staying at Disney's Vero Beach and make the guests show their keycards - like they do at WDW for towels.

Staff not making you feel like it was Disney?? It isn't Disney, nor should it be. It is a beach resort with wonderful staff. You even admitted as much.

Um...DISNEY'S Vero Beach Resort - I'm pretty sure that screams DISNEY! I'm not asking for Mickey Mouse in my face, but I do expect Disney hopitality and I don't think that this resort truely had it. Perhaps it was because I traveled in the off season (as you mentioned before), but I've been to WDW in the off season and still had Disney hospitality.

Poor service and luke warm food? No excuse but I will say having ran three succesful restaurants, that things always run better when you are busy. When it is slow wait staff and the kitchen have a much tougher time being focused. Management needs to keep them focused during those times. When it is busy there is no time for chit chat and they must be moving.

I have also managed several different restaurants and the staff was always putting the customer first. This is a Disney resort and I'm sure that it is at least rated 4 stars, but the service and food was not at that level. Slow or not - the staff and food was poor.

 

[dis-happy]

I also travel extensively and have ran into plenty of chair and umbrella rental places on the beach. I just can't believe that Disney charges their own guests to rent a chair on a beach that you need to use your key to access. Like I said before...they should charge those who are not staying at Disney's Vero Beach and make the guests show their keycards - like they do at WDW for towels.

The charge for beach chairs wouldn't upset me---not too different from staying at Beach Club Villas and being charged to use the inner tubes at SAB. The towels were free at VB, weren't they? I too stay at lots of beach places that charge for the beach chairs---the only place I know of that doesn't is a really private (and expensive) club at Kiawah. When you stay at Disney HH the beach chairs have to be rented as well. Most people on these boards advise going to Walmart and buying your own to save some money.

 

[dumbo71]

We were given no notice at all that Bleachers opened late. There is nothing posted and the weather was beautiful - 80 and sunny. The sun is up at noon and was plenty warm. But like I said - we were given no notice that they wouldn't open until 2 - and even the staff couldn't tell us why Bleachers wasn't open when people were asking.



I also travel extensively and have ran into plenty of chair and umbrella rental places on the beach. I just can't believe that Disney charges their own guests to rent a chair on a beach that you need to use your key to access. Like I said before...they should charge those who are not staying at Disney's Vero Beach and make the guests show their keycards - like they do at WDW for towels.



Um...DISNEY'S Vero Beach Resort - I'm pretty sure that screams DISNEY! I'm not asking for Mickey Mouse in my face, but I do expect Disney hopitality and I don't think that this resort truely had it. Perhaps it was because I traveled in the off season (as you mentioned before), but I've been to WDW in the off season and still had Disney hospitality.



I have also managed several different restaurants and the staff was always putting the customer first. This is a Disney resort and I'm sure that it is at least rated 4 stars, but the service and food was not at that level. Slow or not - the staff and food was poor.

Fair enough. I am very sorry this happened. There is no excuse for the service and food you received at dinner.

All I can say is give it another try in season. VB has been some of our fondest DVC memories.

 

[dis-happy]

I also travel extensively and have ran into plenty of chair and umbrella rental places on the beach. I just can't believe that Disney charges their own guests to rent a chair on a beach that you need to use your key to access. Like I said before...they should charge those who are not staying at Disney's Vero Beach and make the guests show their keycards - like they do at WDW for towels.

The charge for beach chairs wouldn't upset me---not too different from staying at Beach Club Villas and being charged to use the inner tubes at SAB. The towels were free at VB, weren't they? I too stay at lots of beach places that charge for the beach chairs---the only place I know of that doesn't is a really private (and expensive) club at Kiawah. When you stay at Disney HH the beach chairs have to be rented as well. Most people on these boards advise going to Walmart and buying your own to save some money, especially for multiple days.

 

[zoomsharedisney]

We arrived at the BWV at about 11 AM and had a preferred room. The check-in lady told us that there were two different rooms ready for us, but both were way at the end of the hallway. We opted to wait until 3 and checked into a room overlooking the Luna Pool on the 4th floor eight doors down from the elevator! We were so excited. In the meantime we went to EPCOT and walked the coutries and went to China for lunch. I have to admit that I really like Nine Dragons and we looked forward to having the lunch sampler. It was delicious.

Once we checked (and put up our Christmas lights) we decided to spend the evening at Magic Kingdom since it was open late. There were a ton of people there but we still got to ride Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and Pirates of the Caribbean. We watched Wishes and rode a few more rides before the park closed at 11.

We got back to our room and noticed that the toilet wasn't flushing right, but we waited until the morning to call maintenance.

The next morning I showered (water drained extremely slow) and the toilet still wasn't flushing. My DH showered and went to the lobby to use the bathroom. He called maintenance and explained the two problems. We left for the afternoon and headed to Animal Kingdom.

We ate lunch at Pizzafari (ceasar salads) and then went and rode the Safari. It is so different everytime we ride it. We were never able to see the Cheetahs before, but this time we saw 4!! The lions were even both awake and standing tall and proud. After the safari we went and rode Expedition Everest. We ended up the the very back and I HIGHLY recommend that you ride it from that position. Everyone alwasy's wants the front and the back was SO much better! We rode it three times that day and waited about an hour each time. We also rode Dinosaur and scardy cat me left my eyes open the whole time (after my 9th time riding it). We ate dinner at the Rainforest Cafe right at Animal Kingdom. In August we ate the one in Downtown Disney, but we decided to try the one at Animal Kingdom this time. The food was just as good and so was the service.

We arrived back at the resort shortly before 7 and found that the drain was fixed in the shower. I used the bathroom and the toilet flushed. YIPPEE! We changed into jeans and went to Epcot to watch Illuminations. Stayed tuned for the continuation of my trip.

 

[Lexxiefern]

My two favorite resorts! Sorry you did not thoroughly enjoy VB. Bleachers opened late one day for us in May and no one could explain it. We were told that it is not run by disney and they have no say. Looking forward to the rest of your report!

 

[bobbiwoz]

The alligator topiary that welcomes members is enough to give me my DVC fix. The beach is certainly better now after the huricanes, and I can't even walk on sand very well, but I appreciate the beach for what it was/is. Sorry you didn't enjoy your VB stay.

Bobbi

 

[Deb & Bill]

Your husband knew who to call to solve your plumbing problems. A quick call to Maintenance usually does it for us, too.

At Vero Beach, the people renting the chairs do not work for Disney. I think they are private contractors. At least they were when we went to VB a few years ago.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I also was under the impression that Disney was not renting the beach chairs.
Bobbi