Vero Beach in July

[o.t.4disney]

Since we were closed out for the 8/21/04 seven day cruise we decided to go for 7 nights at Vero Beach in mid July. Is 7 nights too long ? Is there enough to do if we donot want the beach ? What about in the evenings. There are five of us. My two boys are 13 and 16 yrs old. Will they get bored at night ? Should we venture out to nearby attractions ?

Oh also should we fly into Orlando or is there another city closer ?

Thanks,

Carl

 

[PamOKW]

Orlando and West Palm are about the same for the airport (WPB might be slightly closer). Melbourne is the closest but it is sometimes difficult to get direct flights.

I absolutely love Vero but I'm not sure two teenagers will love it for 7 nights in the summer. There is not a lot of "action" in the area. Summer is also the "downtime" for this part of Florida -- winter is the busy time.

It really depends on your family. If you will enjoy the beach and other sports activities (surfing, fishing, etc.) and possibly doing other area things like kayaking, etc. you will probably have a blast. You also have to keep in mind that it is warm in the summer.

Some people make Vero their base and do head up to WDW for at least a day. You can also hit attractions like the Kennedy Space Center. I'm guessing that your boys aren't big on shopping and sightseeing which are two other things "to do" in the area.

 

[jaysue]

Why not split stay - 3 or 4 nights at WDW and the balance at VB - go to WDW first and then VB for a "cool down" after parks time?

thanks
jaysue

 

[o.t.4disney]

We have 255 pts to use so the original plan was to stay at WDW for a week than go to VB for three or four days. I'm not thrilled about doing the parks in the summer. Last year we did WDW first week in Dec. and loved it. The plan now is a week in the summer at VB and a week in WDW early Dec. again.

 

[Gigashadow]

o.t.4disney,

We live on the Island and like PamOKW said the distance between MCO and WPB to Vero isn't that big as far as driving. JetBlue just opened its booking window to OCT of 2004. Syracuse looks like the nearest airport for Jet Blue near you (don't know if other airlines have something closer to connect to JFK) Mid July showed flights from SWR to JFK with small to mid layover times in NY then direct to MCO and vise versa for $94 each way on its online website Jet Blue Airways . We were going to make our first stay at VB (this July) a full 8 days but decided to break the trip in half for variety. First half at VB then 2nd at VWL. This way the ride to the airport will only be 1/2hr from WDW property when its time to leave home . Our kids are younger and I know they will love the beachfront resort as a change from the WDW Villa's, but if a park becomes a needed vacation filler, all 3 major Theme parks will be right around the corner on the second leg of this trip. I dont know the age requirements or your feelings, but on Tagrel's website there are pictures of the resort and I saw a sign that said they also rent "sailboats" and "waverunners" -

Tagrel. What ever you choose have fun !

 

[jaysue]

This thread might be of assistance

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=476618&highlight=vero

thanks
jaysue

 

[mbhoxsie]

For us, seven days at VB isn't quite long enough....

But like PamOKW said, it all depends on your family... There are several activities for older children there.. Tennis, Biking, Minigolf, the HarborBranch Tour, Jetskiing, kayacking, Arcade, Sauna, etc..

That area of Florida is also known as the "Treasure Coast", where 11 Spanish Gallions loaded with gold from Cuba sank... Last month at VB, I saw a few teenage boys at the resort combing up and down the beach with metal detectors. Mel Fischers's Treasure museum is also not far away.

We ususally stay onsite, but there are plenty of nice restaurents and stores nearby... Kennedy Space Center and Daytona could be nice day trips.

We always fly into Orlando... Even though Melbourne airport is closer to VB, there are fewer flights there, and we would more than likely have to layover in Orlando anyways...

The catch for us is that we usually have to get a rental car.. Melbourne is still not close enough to VB to avoid that expense, and there are more rental cars available from MCO...

 

[MDonley]

Once, we took a trip from VB to Calle Ocho (8th street), the Cuban area of Miami. It was educational and fun watching DS try out his 4 years of high school Spanish in the restaurant. When we got back to VB, it was evening. Another thing we like to do at VB is hit up the Hale's Orchards and stores for free OJ ... somehow it never tasts the same at home!

 

[Nick@ VB+OKW]

Originally posted by mbhoxsie
We always fly into Orlando... Even though Melbourne airport is closer to VB, there are fewer flights there, and we would more than likely have to layover in Orlando anyways...

The catch for us is that we usually have to get a rental car.. Melbourne is still not close enough to VB to avoid that expense, and there are more rental cars available from MCO...

I agree with above 100%. It is 96 miles from MCO to VB.So it will take you around 1 hr 20 minutes.

 

[MiaSRN62]

We love Vero, but I will have to admit that the last time we were at Vero Beach resort my (then) 14 1/2 year old son was ready to head to WDW on the 4th day. During our stay, we did have fun swimming and jet skiing and my son met a friend that helped him enjoy his time there. They hung at the small arcade/gameroom by the pool alot. They also had fun chasing the crabs around on the beach--- they seemed to pop-up around 5 pm every day. We never spotted any sea turtles during our stay (which was the 3rd week in August), but maybe you'll have better luck in mid-July ? Have a nice vacation !

 

[RumpleMom]

Our teenagers enjoyed going to "Pizza and Movie" Night. The hotel van took them for a pizza dinner and a movie at the local theatre. Mom and Dad had a romantic dinner off site.

They were with us for family oriented music in the Green Cabin Room.

We went to Mel Fisher's treasure museum and used metal detectors on the beach.

I insist that the whole family bring a book when we have a beach vacation. It takes our family a while to unwind because we are usually park commandos. We have also found that teenagers are like magnets at the beach- they definately will find each other.