Vero beach struggling?

[Moonspinner]

We stayed at Vero beach for the first time and it was a bit of a let down in terms of not feeling Disney-level service. I’m wondering if this is just a strange week or if this is something that’s the norm there.

We love the relaxed vibe and the decor. The people were all kind and we liked the pool. The beach was very small, but that was ok.

Minor thing, but not having towels at the beach was crazy. There’s already someone ay the shack there, why not hand out towels too? And not having bins to bring your towels back to is also nuts. Bringing them to ebb and flow every time to get them and then return is inconvenient and wouldn’t be a big deal to put some towel bins out like they do at the Disney world resorts.

We also were in a room that was super loud and felt like there was no soundproofing. I could hear scraping of what sounded like chairs CONSTANTLY all morning and night. I heard a c-pap machine through the vent so must’ve been the person directly above us, the beds were BRUTALLY hard and we had back problems after sleeping on them

And we were placed in a handicapped Room with a terrible shower head and all of the hanging rods, etc. were wheelchair height. We were right next to the Green Cabin - like to the point where we could say hello to the people on the deck and have a convo. It was super loud until 10pm which was hard with a kiddo. That part can be handled with room placement.

But, the toughest thing we noticed was the service was not Disney-level. The staff was nice and all, but they were incredibly slow … I mean incredibly slow. All food services were terrible to the point where they’d box up some of the food and we’d be waiting forever for the last parts. So the fries would be cold because we’d be waiting forever for a grilled cheese (as example). And this happened with everything. We didn’t get anything complicated - a turkey sandwich, grilled cheese and fries. Then a burger, chicken fingers, fries, and ice cream. In the morning we’d get coffee and a croissant and by the time the warmed croissant was heated, the latte would be cold. Every experience was like this.

Other people asked about food allergy menus and they ran around not knowing what to do. Where to find one or what to ask the chef.

It just seemed like they weren’t trained and were just dropped in there one day being told to figure it out.

Absolutely not their fault, but I do blame resort management.

Anyway, my question is, for those who go to Vero regularly, is this an anomaly or par for the course?

Trying to decide if I want to give it another go in the future or not.

Vero has 100% gone downhill. It is still a great resort but desperately needs new management. We have gone to Vero for years and can speak to this and have before on these boards.

 

[Cfabar1]

Vero has 100% gone downhill. It is still a great resort but desperately needs new management. We have gone to Vero for years and can speak to this and have before on these boards.

What could they do to restore your confidence? What have they eliminated that you miss?

I have a lot of ideas about how they could make the resort better, but I suspect Disney thinks it isn't worth the effort.

 

[Girlstar30]

What could they do to restore your confidence? What have they eliminated that you miss?

I have a lot of ideas about how they could make the resort better, but I suspect Disney thinks it isn't worth the effort.

Would love to hear your ideas because I see the potential and know you've had good memories there!

 

[Cfabar1]

Would love to hear your ideas because I see the potential and know you've had good memories there!

Some of my ideas include:
- The drinks classes are great, but the revenue people have really undermined them. You used to get turkey sliders with chips, now you get some chips and salsa.
- The restaurant should offer some unique/fun/themed nights. Why not make Tuesdays Pirate Night? Why not do a Seafood Buffet with ice sculptures now and then? Throw in a party in the lobby or outside
- Bring back a kids club experience. A 2 bedroom villa on the beach, where I can drop my kids off for a few hours and enjoy a romantic meal with my wife and drinks in a terrific bar - I'd make that an annual vacation.
- Bring back hot food to the Green Cabin Room.
- Replace all of the furniture in the Green Cabin Room... today... Completely unacceptable...
- Host more events in the meeting rooms. A weekly members update (with free drinks hosted by the GM) would be a terrific start


Dreams that are unlikely to happen:
- Add a second hot tub
- Repurpose the land they do own on the other side of A1A to offer more guest-facing experiences - a playground for kids, swing sets, if there's room maybe a putting green/chip shot area
- Add a trolley that runs into the center of the Beachfront shopping area from say 11 AM -5 PM once an hour or so
- This would be the perfect resort for "unplanned" meet and greets. Imagine just walking the grounds and seeing Daisy or Minnie show up.

These are just a few of them. My suspicion, knowing several of the CMs there, is many of these ideas have been presented to Disney (though I've never asked CMs about any of these ideas specifically), and there is not the desire to invest in the property.

 

[Girlstar30]

Some of my ideas include:
- The drinks classes are great, but the revenue people have really undermined them. You used to get turkey sliders with chips, now you get some chips and salsa.
- The restaurant should offer some unique/fun/themed nights. Why not make Tuesdays Pirate Night? Why not do a Seafood Buffet with ice sculptures now and then? Throw in a party in the lobby or outside
- Bring back a kids club experience. A 2 bedroom villa on the beach, where I can drop my kids off for a few hours and enjoy a romantic meal with my wife and drinks in a terrific bar - I'd make that an annual vacation.
- Bring back hot food to the Green Cabin Room.
- Replace all of the furniture in the Green Cabin Room... today... Completely unacceptable...
- Host more events in the meeting rooms. A weekly members update (with free drinks hosted by the GM) would be a terrific start


Dreams that are unlikely to happen:
- Add a second hot tub
- Repurpose the land they do own on the other side of A1A to offer more guest-facing experiences - a playground for kids, swing sets, if there's room maybe a putting green/chip shot area
- Add a trolley that runs into the center of the Beachfront shopping area from say 11 AM -5 PM once an hour or so
- This would be the perfect resort for "unplanned" meet and greets. Imagine just walking the grounds and seeing Daisy or Minnie show up.

These are just a few of them. My suspicion, knowing several of the CMs there, is many of these ideas have been presented to Disney (though I've never asked CMs about any of these ideas specifically), and there is not the desire to invest in the property.

This resort needs real leadership from the top. The Green Cabin Room activities were the most popular and youre right they should expand on those. Thats what makes this resort unique. There was just one per night I believe for an hour.

What they're doing is not enough. I tried to participate in the activities and I was one of the only people several times lol. Im sure there would be more people if it was worth going to like the green room activity that was fun and packed.

Went to Bocce ball tournament, no one there. Went to the wildlife chat, myself and another lady were the only ones, we really wanted to see the turtles, I dont know if they could have shown one and that be the wildlife Wednesday on the beach, but instead its indoors with just pictures from the internet. That isnt interesting anyone.

So then me and the other turtle hunter wake up early to go to see the turtle specialist on the beach in the morning. She tells us there's maybe one or two turtles left in the miles of sand. Now I get they cant control wildlife population, but its just that feeling that everything was a series of disappointments and there's a lack of enthusiasm and a feeling of abandonment of Disney to not step up and offer the entertainment they are known for and that not everything is just budget cuts. What theyre doing just seems lazy. Maybe show us where some turtles have been spotted more frequently this year? Something?

A character breakfast with goofy and Pluto on Saturdays only. Why not daily or with four characters? Just little efforts that it seems cheap that theyre cutting back on. The resort seemed full enough for some interesting activities. We really did try. We signed up for the mini golf tournament and there was no cast member guiding it. It was completely unorganized with them just handing everyone golf clubs and we're on our own. How do we keep score or break off into teams or what? Guess its not really a tournament and we're on our own.

I'd want to know who the general manager is and share these thoughts. Not just to complain, but from a member who was really excited to go here and would like to return one day to a better experience.

 

[CarolynFH]

Repurpose the land they do own on the other side of A1A

I thought they had sold the last of that land a few years ago, but I could be wrong. I know the reason some VB contracts have subsidized dues is because DVD cancelled everything that was planned for over there, and dues were originally calculated based on those facilities being included in the resort.

Edit - I forgot that they do still own a little bit of land across the highway, but they’ve sold the greatest part of it. https://dvcnews.com/other-resorts/vero-beach/4607-disney-completes-sale-of-undeveloped-vero-land.

 

[Cfabar1]

They still do own the land, and use it as excess parking, they have sold a significant chunk of it, but there is a lot of room back there still....

Personally I wish they had not sold the land, but understand why Disney made their decision.