Vero Beach Day Trip??

[Princess_Melanie]

DBF and I are heading to WDW in September for 3 weeks. 2 nights at AKL and then the rest of the stay at SSR. Mid-vacation we're thinking of taking a day to drive to Vero Beach and see what it's like. Take a lazy day (we love driving to new places) and having lunch while we're there.

Can anyone help us with things to check out while we're there, must-see or must-do's?

We're also thinking of having a nice lunch in Shutters (??) can anyone tell us what it's like and what to expect (dress code etc)?

Any tips would be welcomed.....we thought we might take a nice romantic stroll along the beach before we get in the car and head "home" to SSR that evening.

TIA!!

 

[RCharnay]

We took a similar trip before we joined DVC and have since visited for a 2 night stay. We like it a lot.
The restaurant is nice but not too nice-shorts and t shirts are fine but you could also be comfortable in a day dress and polo shirt. The food choices are similar in range--you can get a nice burger or sandwich or a nice piece of fish or roasted chicken. We've eaten a few meals and enjoyed them all. (The servings are also large so we ordered two salads and split a seafood pasta dish one evening and were very full!)
On our day trip it was raining so we didn't do the beach walk but it was nice to sit on the deck and have a drink and watch the waves come in. The front desk was not busy that day and they were kind enough to show us a room and a beach cottage. We wandered around the pool and the mini-golf, spoke with the staff in the store about the turtles and saw kids parading around the lobby on a treasure hunt. On a sunny day, there are bunnies and crabs and all sorts of little creatures to gaze at.
I think you'll enjoy your time and probably want to return for longer--I know we did!

 

[backyardponder]

Let me address your question on must do's at VB...

Walk on the Beach. You can go for miles if you want. I always take a plastic bag and pick up trash while out there. There isn't much, so just by picking up a few things you are making a big impact.

Sit at the pool. The pool is nice and relaxing.

Most important: Don't plan anything while at VB. It is a place to sit back and relax. It will be a nice place to go mid-way through your WDW vacation.

Have Fun!

 

[Deb & Bill]

...Sit at the pool. The pool is nice and relaxing....

You'll need a room key to enter the pool area.

 

[Princess_Melanie]

Thank you so much for the replies, we're glad we've scheduled in this day now and can't wait to go down there for a good look!!

Not to worry about the pool, we're not big pool lovers (although we like the quite pool at Congress Park SSR) but will definately enjoy a long stroll on the beach!!

We would like to do a longer stay at Vero Beach, so this trip will help us make that decision and for how long - our WDW vacations are always so busy and hectic - this will be just what we need!!

Thank You!!

 

[ssawka]

You'll need a room key to enter the pool area.

What? Pool hopping doesn't extend to off-site resorts?

 

[backyardponder]

Yes, you can pool hop to VB. Just stop at the front desk and they will give you a key. You also need the key to get past the gate to the beach.

 

[cheezNE1]

What? Pool hopping doesn't extend to off-site resorts?

You can always stand by the gate and wait for someone to get in or out...

 

[mouse]

In my opinion, the drive to Vero Beach from WDW was a bit of a drag. Seemed long with a significant portion of it stop and go through streets congested with traffic. Although I didn't mind the drive out, certainly didn't look forward to the return trip to WDW. We did our day trip on a Sunday in early March. We waited about 45 minutes to be seated at Shutters because we didn't have a reservation. Shutters has a wonderful Sunday brunch, and we were told that is it very popular with the locals. We didn't see an empty table the entire time we were there. Other than the restaurant, the resort appeared to be deserted on that particular day. It was cold and windy, so after checking out the resort and having brunch, there was nothing else for us to do. I would, however, consider a longer stay there as it is a beautiful resort. Too cool for beach weather to take that chance during the winter, and the weather is too nice in PA to travel to FL in the fall, spring, and summer, so I don't know when we would do a FL beach vacation. Sort of like a Jersey or Maryland shore vacation, if the weather is bad, you have pretty much waisted your time and money.

 

[cheezNE1]

In my opinion, the drive to Vero Beach from WDW was a bit of a drag. Seemed long with a significant portion of it stop and go through streets congested with traffic. Although I didn't mind the drive out, certainly didn't look forward to the return trip to WDW. We did our day trip on a Sunday in early March. We waited about 45 minutes to be seated at Shutters because we didn't have a reservation. Shutters has a wonderful Sunday brunch, and we were told that is it very popular with the locals. We didn't see an empty table the entire time we were there. Other than the restaurant, the resort appeared to be deserted on that particular day. It was cold and windy, so after checking out the resort and having brunch, there was nothing else for us to do. I would, however, consider a longer stay there as it is a beautiful resort. Too cool for beach weather to take that chance during the winter, and the weather is too nice in PA to travel to FL in the fall, spring, and summer, so I don't know when we would do a FL beach vacation. Sort of like a Jersey or Maryland shore vacation, if the weather is bad, you have pretty much waisted your time and money.

I Agree. I just came back from a 3 night stay last week during the rain. There was nobody at the shutters so we had lunch there with no problem. After that, we headed back to the room and watch TV. It was raining and i didn't feel like driving thru the local streets just to get out of the area. The resort is really nice and I'm sure if the weather was perfect, it would be an excellent beach getaway. I brought my own new beach chairs, beach tent and coolers with me and didn't even get to use it. The first day was nice, then started to rain after 5pm. Jumped into the pool during the rain. That was pretty much it.

 

[Tink-n-Belle]

Just a thought

Why don't you try to get a reservation for a few nights at VB midway between your SSR stay. I know its a pain to pack up and go to another resort, but than you can really try it out at a nice relaxing pace. The Inn rooms are very big and you can choose from an ocean view or a garden view.

We just love VB and try to stay there as much as we can. This past FEB we decided not to go to Disney (as we were going in April) and we went on a cruise instead, but I had to have my Disney fix so we went to VB a few nights before our cruise and it only cost me 22 points!! 22 Points for a resort right on the BEACH!!!

 

[Princess_Melanie]

Thanks for all the great tips and suggestions - we're just looking for a chilled out day so VB sounds perfect!!

We are already switching resorts once this vacation but if we like VB we'll definately consider it for another trip