Vero Beach Pros & Cons for our purchase?

[SerinaShelby]

We currently own at OKW & VGF and are considering adding on at Vero Beach. Specifically for the 11 month booking window for the 3 bedroom cottages.
I've read thru the various VB threads but would love to hear any thoughts and pros/cons for our potential purchase.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

We currently own at OKW & VGF and are considering adding on at Vero Beach. Specifically for the 11 month booking window for the 3 bedroom cottages.
I've read thru the various VB threads but would love to hear any thoughts and pros/cons for our potential purchase.

Pros: beautiful resort, nice restaurant, Green Cabin Room, pool bar, pool, activities for family members, tastings in Green Cabin Room

Cons: high maintenance fees, somewhat limited on-site food options and some distance to drive to get to off-site options

We like to do a VB stay after a WDW stay for the laid back vibe in relaxing surroundings.

 

[Budzooka]

I absolutely love Vero and may be my favorite DVC resort that we have stayed in, including Aulani! We have visited each of the past 3 years and have a trip planned in July for this year. We like the parks but love the laid back feel at Vero that includes all of the Disney service without the hustle and bustle.

I don’t mind there isn’t much dining options on site. We usually stay in a one bedroom and hit the grocery store the first day, so we make breakfast and lunch are in the room. We get cleaned up in the afternoon and head into town for dinner. It could be problematic if staying in a studio or not planning to leave the resort, but it works for us.

Having said all that, I don’t think we will ever own at Vero. I’ve looked into it and just can’t make the math work. Dues are incredibly high and it’s a 2042 resort. Yes, it limits our ability to book there over the summer but I have found we can go in Oct/Nov and have a great time. We even snagged a 3 bedroom cottage over Thanksgiving a couple of years ago.

I sure hope Vero stays around past 2042 because it a hidden gem!

 

[ClaraOswald]

So is it impossible to get anything at the 7-month mark?

 

[Budzooka]

So is it impossible to get anything at the 7-month mark?

Not at all, but depends on the time of year and the room type. It’s slim pickings during the summer and cottages can be a challenge any time of the year, but we have had good luck later in the year. If a cottage in June is what you must have, you most likely need to own here.

 

[ClaraOswald]

I was thinking we would try Vero sometime in June in a studio. But probably not for a couple years.

 

[SerinaShelby]

Not at all, but depends on the time of year and the room type. It’s slim pickings during the summer and cottages can be a challenge any time of the year, but we have had good luck later in the year. If a cottage in June is what you must have, you most likely need to own here.

We are specifically wanting a cottage - most likely in November or January. Not having luck getting one at the 7 month mark. Do you need to own at Vero to get one?

 

[Budzooka]

We are specifically wanting a cottage - most likely in November or January. Not having luck getting one at the 7 month mark. Do you need to own at Vero to get one?

I was able to get a cottage at 7 months over Thanksgiving in 2021. Maybe travel was still slowed down at that time because of Covid.

I checked availability as of right now and found the following:

- a couple days in Apr and May
- no June or July
- sporadic single nights in Aug, Sep, and Oct
- 3 nights available the first week of Nov

So, not much. If a cottage is what you have your heart on and there isn’t flexibility in dates, it’s most likely going to be tough at 7 months. But I don’t check availability often for cottages, as we are usually looking for one bedrooms.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We own at Vero and have booked a cottage stay three different times with VB points, during resort booking time. These were usually for summer stays.

 

[RoseGold]

VB is a polarizing resort and I would make sure you have been and are really committed to it.

I wouldn't buy VB right now at any price. In many timeshare systems, the contracts themselves are worthless, and you are on the hook for dues (and assessments). I think this is possible for Vero, which is wildly different than the rest of the DVC system. https://www.disboards.com/threads/what-happens-when-a-dvc-property-becomes-“worthless”.3911055/
They are among the most expensive points in the system. Vero has a combination of low point charts (fewer owners), big risk profile from hurricanes, and very high dues already. There are a lot of other timeshare options nearby, and I would make sure I researched all of those also.

If I were buying Vero, I would be doing it planning to let it get foreclosed if I had to, which could be buying as a trust or company. Obviously, this requires local legal advice.

Edit to add: I think that the current resale pricing drop and all the wacky choices in the parks have a lot of DVC owners using points off-site right now. I can see that changing the booking patterns for Vero right this moment. But there's so few of these rooms, and DVC keeps adding more points. So predicting this particular room's availability will always be hard.