Vero Beach 2012 thread closed... see 2013

[2gr8DisneyKids]

We had Woody's for my grandma's memorial service, on the advice of the lady at her church in charge of such things. I remember that it was excellent, but I don't remember anything about the sauce. I am not BBQ savvy, unfortunately.

Sorry to hear about the circumstances of you having Woody's, but thanks for letting me know it was yummy.

Think we will try it out.

 

[JMTStone]

Happy Dance!

I'm already writing grocery lists (and making notes of places to eat form here - thank you guys!).

Question: We will have 6 people. My Mother and Father in law won't be as keen to be at the beach all day as we are. They're from West Palm Beach, we're from Pittsburgh. They're in their mid 70's. Are there places to "hang" and read for people like this?

 

[mickeywho?]

Has anyone tried the seafood buffet at Sonya's? We missed it on our last trip.
We're less than a month away (yay!) and I just realized I better book a couple of things...
Do we need to call ahead (now?) for reservations for this dinner - what night of the week is it? I seem to remember it was a Wednesday or Thursday?
My son wants to try surf lessons this time too. Do I need to call the resort to reserve a spot for this too?
I also remember a wine tasting evening in the Green Cabin Room....do we need to reserve places or can we just go?

I really can't wait for this trip!!!! This is our second time going - we loved it so much last year we bought a contract!

 

[Pattiwig]

My son wants to try surf lessons this time too. Do I need to call the resort to reserve a spot for this too?

No, they do not take resys over the phone, just sign up when you get there at the pool (having a senior moment, can't remember the name, but it's where you get towels). DD did it over Christmas and had a great time.

 

[TiszBear]

subscribing

 

[TiszBear]

Hi All,

I am already on the roll call and I can't believe I am just over a month away from Vero Beach.

We check in on Sunday March 18th and check out March 20th. I bought our tickets for Kennedy Space Center for March 19th already. So can't wait. We are also driving down for this vacation as after Vero we head over to Animal Kingdom Lodge and then Beach Club.

 

[2gr8DisneyKids]

Woody's has a location in Sebastian-North of Walmart about 1/2 a mile on the opposite side of the street.

I just saw that and by am I glad I did! 20 minutes is soooo much better than 45! Thank you!!!

 

[robhawk]

Heading to the airport right now! I an sooooooooo ready for some warmth!

 

[dort]

Heading to the airport right now! I an sooooooooo ready for some warmth!

Good for you!! ENJOY

 

[bobbiwoz]

Heading to the airport right now! I an sooooooooo ready for some warmth!

Enjoy!

 

[Lauralooneyfordisney]

Stupid question... Does VB still have the grills outside you can use? I thought I saw that they had a few. If so are they taken fast or how easy is it to use it? We would love to grill and then picnic outside.

 

[chepic]

Had such a great time in November, we are going back in August!!!! 8/5-8/13...can't wait!!!!

 

[festus105]

Just returned from spending last week at VB. This was our first visit. I thought I'd share just a few thoughts and impressions...

I didn't realize how close the resort is to US 1A. I guess in my head I had pictured it as more secluded. It wasn't a problem.

We stayed in a two-bedroom in Villa 12 #1235... Nice accomodations. Nice big bathrooms. Loved the big whirlpool tub! No view except of the parking lot... 1235 is on the back corner.

The pool was wonderful. Our kids (all 10 and under) loved the waterslide. I even enjoyed it. Let me also say that the lifeguards are on top of their game. They take their job seriously and are constantly scanning the pool. There are at least two guards on duty and many times three. I also liked the fact that the pool was 3 feet deep around the entire perimeter... there's no "deep end". The deepest part of the pool is at the very center and I believe it was no more than 6'.

We also enjoyed the weekly "character" dinner. Last week was the first one of the season we were told. The food (various Bar-B-Q) was okay. Since there were few families with kids our children were able to spend plenty of time with Goofy and Donald - much more than at a character dinner in one of the parks. The only downside of the meal was the service. Our waitress unfortunately either had too many tables or just wasn't up to speed yet. There were long periods of time when we wouldn't see her. She took way too long to refill drinks, bring the dessert...etc. Once when I asked if we could get drink refills she responded, "Nobody wanted any the first time I asked." I've never had a server respond to a request in that way... disappointing.

My wife and I enjoyed a Valentines dinner in Sonya's. It was very good and the service was far superior. I will say that the service in Shutters later in the week was much, much better. One evening my youngest was upset and the staff did everything they could to cheer him up.

The beach... being from NC I'm used to Myrtle Beach where they are wide and flat... not the case at Vero. The beach seemed narrow. There wasn't a lot of room between the dune and the two foot drop off where chairs and umbrellas are set up... Looking at some older pictures this drop off wasn't present when Disney first built there. The water was beautiful and the kids loved digging in the sand down by the water.

Activities... we didn't do many. My kids enjoyed archery (which is free). My 7 year old daughter was actually the best shot. They have small compound bows that even small children can use. They also did the putt putt tournament and were the only ones who entered... needless to say all three of them recieved a little trophy. Just a note... all the little give aways are from Oriental Trading - nothing Disney specific...

It looked to me that much of the area across US1A is under utilized... the basketball and tennis courts, trails, archery, fishing pond etc.. are all across the street. I just wonder how many people actually venture over there? Of course I was there at a relatively low time of the year...

We also did the campfire sing one night... the songs are geared for the kids but were a lot of fun. It was also fun creating your own smores. I only wished the staff has swept the benches from all the sand that was on them. It would've been a nice touch as they were covered. Since the campfire isn't until 8:30pm most people were wearing nicer clothes.

During the week we took the kids to the Education Learning Center just over the bridge from VB. We went on the day they had touch tank. The kids really enjoyed it. This is where the Disney staff takes the kids who sign up for one of their environmental activities (I can't remember the exact name of it) I suggest saving the $20 or $30 and go there yourself. It cost only $5.

We also went to Legoland in Winter Haven... only because there's currently a buy one adult get one child free ticket promo going on. Check out Mousesavers for the link. You can't get the promo on the regular Legoland site. I don't think the park is worth the regular admission prices when you compare it to Universal, SeaWorld, or Disney.

Finally, we ate out at Marrotta's in VB one evening. Good little Italian place. The pizza was good. We had purchased a gift certificate through restuarant.com. Read the fine print... you can't use it on Friday's. We also ate at Squidlips in Sebastian. It too was good. It's on a pier and sort of "open air".

All in all it was a great week - great weather - no rain and temps in the upper 70's and low 80's... just perfect!

- Ken

 

[DrMomof3]

We're going for our 1st trip to Vero Beach on April 1st. We'll be there until April 5th. We have 3 children ages 8, 6, and not quite 4.
Do we need dining reservations ahead of time? Or can we just wing it when we get there?
We're thinking about a day trip to the Space Center but we were hoping to wait and see if there's a day with mediocre weather. Is this a bad idea? Do we need tickets in advance?
Our youngest will be 1 month shy of his 4th birthday. It looks like this will exclude him from many of the kid activities. Is this flexible at all? We really are "rule followers" so I'm not looking to break the rules but I hate to have him feel left out.
I'm super excited to try a different type of vacation.

Thanks,
Amanda

 

[festus105]

You would likely be at VB during Spring Break season... last week during there were times when Sonya's was booked. If you want to eat at a specific time then I would make reservations. If you don't really mind what time you eat then I would think you could wing it. However I would make reservations in advance if you want to dine during one of times the characters appear. Currently it's offered on Monday evenings and Saturday mornings.

 

[robhawk]

Laura,

There are three grills at Vero. They are all across the street around the lake. Each has a picnic table. They are charcoal grills. There is also a pavilion. Two nights DW and me took a walk around the lake at dinner time and they were all empty!

 

[Lauralooneyfordisney]

Laura,

There are three grills at Vero. They are all across the street around the lake. Each has a picnic table. They are charcoal grills. There is also a pavilion. Two nights DW and me took a walk around the lake at dinner time and they were all empty!

Thanks so much for the info. We will be there over the week of Memorial Day so hopefully all three won't be used all the time.

 

[WolffDVC2004]

I made our reservations today for September 22 - 29 in a inn room ocean view!! This will be our second time there, but first time with a child. He will have just turned 2 when we travel.
We are so excited and praying for no hurricanes!!

 

[DVCconvert]

Laura,

There are three grills at Vero. They are all across the street around the lake. Each has a picnic table. They are charcoal grills. There is also a pavilion. Two nights DW and me took a walk around the lake at dinner time and they were all empty!

Actually there are also grills located near the campfire area...just walk as if going to the fire pit and turn to the left just as you enter the campfire area...tables and trashcan there too.
HTH

 

[lisareniff]

Here at DVBR for a couple days. Have 2 connecting OVIRs on the second floor. I'm liking this location. Up the flight of stairs in the lobby, green cabin room on the way to the room. My little one (really not so little) is feeling under the weather so we are spending a little time in the room watching Sponge Bob.

Had Orchid Island Pizza night of arrival, Capt. Hiriam's Sand Bar last night and tonight is MoBay Grill. Wanted to go to Squid Lips but probably won't get to this trip. Beautiful weather. We haven't been here in 4 years (2 years ago we cancelled due to the beach enrichment, i.e. trucking in sand). My husband gets sad about the loss of beach that has happened over the years. Miss having the BC of last time. That point reallocation really hurt. It also doesn't seem as busy as the other years??? I know they have implemented some crowd easing
techniques such as towels in the rooms which seems to lessen the chair saving and buzzers at Bleachers.


Here for 2 more nights if anyone has questions.