VB 2013 Information & Adoration Thread ---CLOSED---

[PammyK]

I'm wondering if Disney tells guests to stay on 512 until US1, rather than take 510, because that section of 510 (aka 85th street) is a bit 'run down' and not very eye-appealing. Quite a contrast to the multi-million dollar homes you see on Orchid Island after you cross US1 and take the bridge toward Vero Beach.

My thinking was always that staying on 512 to US1 would send guests past 2 grocery stores (the Winn-Dixie on 512 and the Publix on 510) where they could pick up supplies for their villas on the way to the resort or at least note the locations so they could return to the store after checking in. The newer Publix at the intersection of 512 and 510 is only about 5 or 6 years old so it wouldn't have been an option when the directions were created.

 

[PammyK]

Our family of 5 & 10 year DVC owners will be doing our first VB trip 6/27-6/29, then on to Disney World. Can't wait! What are our chances of seeing the turtles???

Actually seeing a sea turtle on the beach might be tough since they come out to lay their eggs at night. Your best bet would be to sign up for one of the resort's nighttime turtle walks (this is popular and they take names and select participants through a lottery system).

However, if keep you eyes open and watch the ocean, you should definitely be able to spot the sea turtles sticking their cute little noses out of the water to breathe.

 

[DisDaydreamer]

Checking in on June 2nd. Have never stayed at VB but have had lunch there one time. Have reservations for the Thursday night seafood buffet. Taking stuff for breakfast and to make sandwiches for lunch. Plan to go to Cape Canaveral one day. Other than that, we plan on just relaxing around the resort. We've been to HHI many times and am looking forward to seeing how VB is different.

(this is for WolfpackFan too) We just got back from HHI and had a great time. We love HHI. One of the things I find appealing at VB is that the ocean is right there. You can go down and set up your beach camp and you're less than a minute away from your room, the pool, etc. You should travel over to the VB resort lake and have a walk around. It is beautiful.



They have a tunnel from the resort crossing under the highway.



Over there they have tennis courts, soccer field, basketball courts and a few grills and picnic tables. Catch and release fishing is allowed and Eb & Flows has gear. You can rent a Jet-Ski and have fun in the ocean.

Ya'll have a ball!

 

[WolfpackFan]

Thanks Rob for the pictures. Does anyone have any suggestions for other things to do near the resort? DW loves to lay out on the beach and read and could do it all day long. After about 2-3 hours though, I'm ready to go exploring. Typically at HHI, I would leave her on the beach and head out to Sea Pines, then stop by Starbucks and Barnes & Noble. Any suggestions of things I could do like that at VB would be greatly appreciated. We do plan on visiting Cape Canaveral one day plus we're ending our VB trip with three days at WDW.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Thanks Rob for the pictures. Does anyone have any suggestions for other things to do near the resort? DW loves to lay out on the beach and read and could do it all day long. After about 2-3 hours though, I'm ready to go exploring. Typically at HHI, I would leave her on the beach and head out to Sea Pines, then stop by Starbucks and Barnes & Noble. Any suggestions of things I could do like that at VB would be greatly appreciated. We do plan on visiting Cape Canaveral one day plus we're ending our VB trip with three days at WDW.

We always planned on visiting McKee Botanical Gardens...
http://www.mckeegarden.org/ My husband is a big gardener and this just looks fascinating.

 

[WolfpackFan]

We always planned on visiting McKee Botanical Gardens...
http://www.mckeegarden.org/ My husband is a big gardener and this just looks fascinating.

Thanks loads!!! This was exactly the kind of thing I was looking for. We love touring gardens.

 

[adrianna_sarah]

Hey all. We are taking a cruise in October and thought we might add a few nights at Vero Beach as an appetizer. Was looking at the Trip Adviser web site, and a lot of the recent reviews (more than half) describe the decor as run down and in need of refurbishment. There were also reports of a mildew smell in many of the rooms. There was one that described his room as "new and fresh." Are they at the beginning of a room refurbishment, or if not, would you agree that the rooms are worth the price? We are not DVC at this time, so would be paying out of pocket. Thanks for any advice.

 

[ddiva]

Is this a family restaurant?

 

[PammyK]

We always planned on visiting McKee Botanical Gardens...
http://www.mckeegarden.org/ My husband is a big gardener and this just looks fascinating.

mcKee is really beautiful but also really really buggy. Get gooooooood insect repellent and apply liberally. Also, consider wearing long trousers, a long sleeved shirt, hat and closed toe shoes with socks to give the critters as little real estate as possible for biting.

 

[PammyK]

Hey all. We are taking a cruise in October and thought we might add a few nights at Vero Beach as an appetizer. Was looking at the Trip Adviser web site, and a lot of the recent reviews (more than half) describe the decor as run down and in need of refurbishment. There were also reports of a mildew smell in many of the rooms. There was one that described his room as "new and fresh." Are they at the beginning of a room refurbishment, or if not, would you agree that the rooms are worth the price? We are not DVC at this time, so would be paying out of pocket. Thanks for any advice.

Unfortunately, with any beach resort, the proprietors will always be fighting that damp, mustiness that is inherent when you're so close to the sea. However, in my 3 visits last year and my current visit, I haven't seen or smelled anything musty or mildewy.

As far as the decor, I think the whole idea was to create something of a weathered look to make the resort feel as if it has been here since the early 20th century. So yes, the dresser/tv stand, storage bench, headboards and floor lamp have dings and scrapes in their paint or stain finishes. The colors in some of the artwork can seem faded to some people. But the soft goods (bedspreads/bedskirts, carpets and drapes are newer and in good condition, IMO.

Bear in mind that my observations are based on Inn Rooms, so things may be different in the outer villas and beach cottages.

 

[PammyK]

Thanks Rob for the pictures. Does anyone have any suggestions for other things to do near the resort? DW loves to lay out on the beach and read and could do it all day long. After about 2-3 hours though, I'm ready to go exploring. Typically at HHI, I would leave her on the beach and head out to Sea Pines, then stop by Starbucks and Barnes & Noble. Any suggestions of things I could do like that at VB would be greatly appreciated. We do plan on visiting Cape Canaveral one day plus we're ending our VB trip with three days at WDW.

I liked visiting Mel Fisher's Treasure Museum in Sebastian. There is a
nominal admission fee ($6.50 for adults) and it isn't huge, but I loved looking at all the stuff that they've found - much of it right along the coast near the resort. There used to be BOGO coupons in the local attraction guides but I haven't seen one in a while.
The Vero Beach Mall is about 20 minutes away if you want to do some shopping and they also have a movie theatre there. If you're an outlet shopper, the Vero Beach Factory Outlets are about 10 minutes west of the Mall.
If you're a golfer, there are a number of courses in the area.

 

[DisDaydreamer]

We always planned on visiting McKee Botanical Gardens...
http://www.mckeegarden.org/ My husband is a big gardener and this just looks fascinating.

McKee is a fantastic place , we have visited a couple times.

 

[Pete W.]

Unfortunately, with any beach resort, the proprietors will always be fighting that damp, mustiness that is inherent when you're so close to the sea. However, in my 3 visits last year and my current visit, I haven't seen or smelled anything musty or mildewy.

As far as the decor, I think the whole idea was to create something of a weathered look to make the resort feel as if it has been here since the early 20th century. So yes, the dresser/tv stand, storage bench, headboards and floor lamp have dings and scrapes in their paint or stain finishes. The colors in some of the artwork can seem faded to some people. But the soft goods (bedspreads/bedskirts, carpets and drapes are newer and in good condition, IMO.

Bear in mind that my observations are based on Inn Rooms, so things may be different in the outer villas and beach cottages.

We're WDW veterans with BWV as our home resort and we visited VBR for the 1st time during Easter break and went there with no preconceived notions or expectations (other than we assumed it would be 'Disney quality'). We stayed in a 2BR unit in building 15 on the first floor which presumably would be the dampest since it was ground-level, yet we found our room and the entire resort to be fresh and clean with no musty or mildewy smell at all. We absolutely loved our time there and would definitely visit again.

 

[adrianna_sarah]

We're WDW veterans with BWV as our home resort and we visited VBR for the 1st time during Easter break and went there with no preconceived notions or expectations (other than we assumed it would be 'Disney quality'). We stayed in a 2BR unit in building 15 on the first floor which presumably would be the dampest since it was ground-level, yet we found our room and the entire resort to be fresh and clean with no musty or mildewy smell at all. We absolutely loved our time there and would definitely visit again.

Thanks Pete W. and PammyK. We really have come to trust the Disney brand, but the sheer number of recent reviews that described wear and tear have me second guessing. We stayed at the Boardwalk Inn last year and thought it was fantastic in spite of the fact it had its last refurb in 2008, and that we had read similar concerns about stains and mildew. To date, it is my favorite Disney resort. Still wanting to do some research before I commit to a VB stay, but am feeling better having gotten some good feedback here.

 

[amurphy369]

Headed to VB for the first time at the end of June, do we need to make resv for the on site restaurants? If so can you do it ahead of time? Do you call VB direct or go through member service?

Thanks

 

[okw2012]

Headed to VB for the first time at the end of June, do we need to make resv for the on site restaurants? If so can you do it ahead of time? Do you call VB direct or go through member service?

Thanks

Yes you do want to make reservations for character meals! There are two per week: one breakfast, one dinner. You can do it through MS or by calling the resort directly. But not through Disney dining. If your party is not even-numbered (3 or 5 say) you might have more success by calling the resort directly and asking for one more seat (4 or 6)...

 

[amurphy369]

We won't actually be there on the days that they do the character meals , but what about for non character meals? Are day of resv ok, or should I also do those ahead of time?

Thanks for your help

 

[DVCconvert]

We won't actually be there on the days that they do the character meals , but what about for non character meals? Are day of resv ok, or should I also do those ahead of time?

Thanks for your help

If you desire/can go to the Sunday Brunch, a reservation is a good idea as this can often draw in locals in addition to Resort Guests.
HTH

 

[n2mm]

Headed to VB for the first time at the end of June, do we need to make resv for the on site restaurants? If so can you do it ahead of time? Do you call VB direct or go through member service?

Thanks

We were there for our first stay a couple of weeks ago. I called MS and made my dining reservation for the Thursday night buffet. This had to be the best buffet I've had in a long time. We are still talking about it now that we are home. We are glad we made the reservation for the Thursday Buffet in advance because it was full that evening. We decided to do the Saturday character breakfast and went to the podium on Thursday evening after dinner and made our breakfast reservation then. For our party there was only times for 8:50AM or 10:00AM (we took the earlier one). But to our surprise the place was empty. It was good. We actually had dinner here on Friday night and Breakfast on Friday morning. We never had a problem getting a walk in for the other days with a party of 6. We were only there 2 nights, so we didn't venture out, plus with little ones, we went for the sure thing and no travel time. We really enjoyed all of our meals at shutters. BTW, they also take the TiW discount too.

 

[Stacey6274]

We are going in Aug for the 1st time and when I called we booked a Sunday Brunch, Seafood buffet (thursdays) and there is a Pirate Night (Mondays) as well...# is 772-234-2180