We are staying at VB for a few days before our cruise next month, so I have already mapped this out with my GPS software. Taking the "scenic route" up A1A, the distance from Disney's Vero Beach Resort to the DCL terminal is 49.6 miles, with an estimated driving time of 1 hour and 5 minutes (obviously a very traffic-dependent estimate). That's the route I plan to take to get to the terminal the morning of our cruise.
By way of comparison, the distance from the cruise terminal to Disney's Beach Club Villas (my favorite point of reference ) is 64.4 miles, with an estimated driving time of 1 hour and 40 minutes. So, the answer to your question is: Yes, VBR is closer to the DCL terminal than WDW.