Vero Beach owners...advice please?

[hulagirl]

My husband and I are seriously considering buying in at Vero Beach with the intention of booking a beach cottage for a week each winter and also using those points on property for a week in December. I'd love to hear from Vero Beach owners on whether it would be best to buy there if we plan to use them at WDW as well. I understand that annual dues are quite a bit more expensive at Vero, but the point costs are so much lower, I'm not sure it matters much in the end. Does it? If you own Vero Beach, are you glad..or do you wish you had bought somewhere else?

We've been owners in the past so I know the ropes pretty well, but have no experience with Vero. We're ready to buy back into DVC, and Vero prices look extremely attractive. What's the downside? $1.50 or so more than other properties in annual dues only translates to about an extra $300 a year on a 200 point contract. I think I can stomach that, even in the long term.

I love the ocean (grew up in Southern CA) and Vero just seems to be calling to me. Tell me I should answer! (or why I shouldn't!!)

Thanks for your help.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We own at VB, and we love it, but we only use our VB points at VB. In the long run, through 2042, those VB points will cost quite a bit more in MF than the other resorts. This coming year will be the second time that we're bringing the family and we've booked a BC for the 4 nights. We waited until exactly 7 months out to book the other rooms that we needed for the stay. I consider it a bargain to be able to use our SSR points, for instance, at VB!

So, we are not sorry at all to own at VB, but I'm not buying more points there. I know what you mean about the ocean, and the resort calling to me The VB vacations that we've had are some of the nicest ones ever!!!!!

Bobbi

PS. If you want to go to WDW in December you should probably own on site points. Owners like the lower point costs and book those "bargains." Our "December use points" are at VWL and BWV...those are the resorts that we LOVE to be at in the Christmas season, and for New Years, the standard view points at the BWV are especially valuable to use! They must be booked at 11 months.

 

[schwenksvillemouse]

We have owned at VB since 2000 and love it. We have actually added on twice so we now have a total of 241 points. We have mostly used our points at Vero and also a couple trips to HHI. We have also traded into the Disney collection and stayed club level at the Poly and Animal Kingdom before it was converted to DVC. We are using a bunch of points for a first cruise next year. I have a feeling will do the same for a cruise in 2012.

If you love the beach you'll love Vero. It has everything right there. If you have kids they will love it too. PM me if you have any other questions.

 

[hulagirl]

I'm really having a hard time understanding why people don't jump at Vero. Bobbi, I know you said that over time we'd pay alot more for Vero points, but won't the other resorts go up in point costs at the same rate, making Vero points only between $1.50 and $2.50 more per point in maintenance than the other resorts? At most, isn't that like only $500 more in maintenance costs each year than the others...as a worst case scenario? If Vero is selling at $50 - $55.00 per point and BWV or VWL at around $79.00, doesn't the initial buy in buy you alot in savings..to make up the difference?

Math isn't my strong point so I'm probably missing something here, but if we love the beach..want a beach cottage every year, as well as a Disney trip in December, it seems like a no brainer to buy at Vero and take what we can get at the 7 month window at WDW. $39.00 per point cheaper at Vero is pretty significant. I'm having a hard time getting past that, even with the higher dues.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Here's a recent thread, and it just mentions the per cent increase of next year over this year of the MFs, and you can see that VB's increase is higher than most of the others, plus the subsidized points had even a higher increase than the regular ones. At Vero you have the constant "worry" of severe hurricane damage, and every so often, people here mention that if DVC was going to divest itself of any resort, VB and HHI would probably be the ones to go.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2336031

$39 is a significant difference in price. VB's resale was in the $60's when I last saw someone analyze the difference in price vs. maintenance fees. The devaluation of VB's points would also come into play if you ever had to sell the points in the near future.

When we wanted the BC for next year, DH asked me again and again if I wanted to buy more VB points. We didn't have enough (we own 150) without borrowing all of '11 to get the 2 inn rooms for our DFs. I wasn't willing to borrow them all, we have enough left for an OVIR for a few nights in '11. In the end we bought 100 SSR points and at 7 months got the two inn rooms for our friends and we also now have the advantage of being able to book a treehouse, which we have done for a stay the night before the DCL family cruise next November.

We (I mostly,) decided against buying more VB points, but that doesn't mean its the best decision for you!

Best wishes to you as you make your decision. Don't second guess yourself, if you decide to buy VB, I'm sure it will "work" for you!!!!

Bobbi

 

[hulagirl]

What a great post and thank you for pointing me to that thread. It's interesting, and when you mentioned DVC divesting itself of certain resorts it made me stand up and take notice. I hadn't thought of that. I think I'd still love Vero Beach, but it might be wise to own two contracts then..one at Vero, and one at BWV or VWL. (also my two favorite resorts for a December vacation...think you and I would get along just fine!) I'll give it some more thought today.

On a side note, I hear alot about OVIR and wonder if they are preferable to 1 and 2 bedroom units? Better view, I take it? Nothing like waking up to a sunrise over the water, eh? I live on a river, where you can watch the sun rise from our bed. I was never a morning person before moving here, but find myself getting earlier these days, so I can greet the sun. (when it chooses to come up in our cloudy little part of the world!)

schwenks...You have some wonderful plans for using your Vero points in the next couple years. Want a stowaway?

 

[Tink-n-Belle]

I've stayed in an OVir at VB and our view was not great. We were on the 4th floor and our balcony was one of the dormers with solid walls, so you could not see the ocean that great from our room but had to go out on the balcony to see it. However, the days we were there it was very foggy in the morning so NO sunrise for us.

I actually love the room itself, it is very big and spacious with 2 queen beds, however, we always get the garden view ones now, because the sunsets are spectular and its so nice to sit on the balcony at 4 or 5 and watch the sunset after a day at the beach and pool.

I really love VB and the idea of getting a beach cottage really appeals to me. On my 1st visit while I was walking along the beach I decided that I was going to buy points at VB--(that was 4 years ago and I haven't yet). The reason at this point is that we just don't have enough vacation time to be able to enjoy a week at the beach. My mother has a home in southern Florida which is very nice so right now I don't need more than a few days at VB and we can "rough it" in a Inn Room. However, if she ever sells, I would totally buy points at VB to be able to stay in a beach cottage. I'm from MA, and we paid $250 a night to stay on the beach in Maine in a DIVE hotel-- the beds were as hard as a rock, the room was dark and the balcony slanted downward(I was afraid to go on it). And our Room on the beach was actually overlooking the parking lot with a view of the beach if we stuck our heads out while we were the slanted balcony (scary!!!). We had booked 3 nights there but only stayed 2-- even the kids were like "omgosh mom, this is our room? Yeah, its not Disney is it." VB is heaven. The fact that the mf are higher at VB is because its on a beach and subjected to Mother Nature more than inland properties, but that is the case whether your in Florida or Cape Cod. But how many people can stay in a beautiful beach cottage in the middle of December in Florida on the beach. Beach cottages range from $1000 -$2000 a week here in the summer, but most of them are older homes with tons of mold in them. I can't rent something like that with my allergies, so I think the resort at VB is my perfect alternative.

IMHO, if you want to get a beach cottage you probably would have to get points at VB, however, that being said, In Feb 09 during presidents week there was a beach cottage that was empty for 2 nights -- but once the economy improves I doubt that would be the case. When we bought in to DVC in 2005 I had the choice of BW or SSR-- now SSR had more years on the contract, lower price and lower MF and I chose to buy into BW because I wanted to be able to stay at the BW each and every time because the location is just so appealing to me. And believe it or not, I don't regret paying more for it, because I think BW is worth it---even though there are many many SSR owners who have never stayed there. But Just knowing I always will get to stay there is priceless to me.

Good luck with your decision!!! I'm sure you will be happy with whatever resort you choose.

 

[Starr W.]

What a great post and thank you for pointing me to that thread. It's interesting, and when you mentioned DVC divesting itself of certain resorts it made me stand up and take notice. I hadn't thought of that. I think I'd still love Vero Beach, but it might be wise to own two contracts then..one at Vero, and one at BWV or VWL. (also my two favorite resorts for a December vacation...think you and I would get along just fine!) I'll give it some more thought today.

On a side note, I hear alot about OVIR and wonder if they are preferable to 1 and 2 bedroom units? Better view, I take it? Nothing like waking up to a sunrise over the water, eh? I live on a river, where you can watch the sun rise from our bed. I was never a morning person before moving here, but find myself getting earlier these days, so I can greet the sun. (when it chooses to come up in our cloudy little part of the world!)

schwenks...You have some wonderful plans for using your Vero points in the next couple years. Want a stowaway?

We have 2 contracts, VB and SSR. As for the Beach Cottages, there were empty ones during Easter week this year.

I have a contract that let's us book a 2br for a week at our Spring Break every year.
I prefer room over a view with 2 boys. One of these years, I'm going for a beach cottage, but that means we might have to skip year.

 

[pagipsy]

Is there plenty to do with toddlers there?

 

[Starr W.]

Is there plenty to do with toddlers there?

My youngest, who is now in 2nd grade, was the biggest beach bum when he was a toddler. Give him a bucket and shovel and he'd spend the day playing around in the sand. Be it on a beach in Northern Michigan or Vero.

He still likes to play in the sand, but he works in a little pool and boogie boarding now.

I think there are a few activities at the resort for toddlers, can't find my sheet I brought back. Most of the resort activities seem to be for preschool( age 4 ish) and up.

We saw some poor toddler this year spend her whole trip strapped into one of those stroller/carseat contraptions. Even on the beach! She screamed and cried most of the time.

There's another DIS'er here who witnessed it, as we camped out at the pool in the same spot everyday. We'd see them coming rather late in the morning and we would "circle the wagons" so they wouldn't sit by us.