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.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I wonder if it would help if enough owners complained about the same things. It worked for VGC....

 

[jennypenny]

Doesn't VB have a condo assoc meeting like the other resorts? Does anyone go to ask these questions?

 

[hhisc16]

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.

I wonder if dhhir has the same issues with corporate disney.
Give ideas and disney only wants to maintain.

 

[Girlstar30]

I wonder if it would help if enough owners complained about the same things. It worked for VGC....

This is true! If I was an owner I would def attend the meeting!

 

[Moonspinner]

I love it when people complain about Vero, because I keep hoping Bill Diercksen or SOMEBODY at DVC will care. It’s obvious the woman who says on LinkedIn that she is in charge of the resort does not (or does not know how to) care. And apparently she’s not held accountable. Sorry to be blunt. We love Vero, but since we own points there we are also ticked off about Vero. We feel like we pay outrageous dues and suspect that since the resort is mismanaged overall that there is also financially mismanagement.



Thanks for asking @cfarbar1. Here’s what we think needs to change there:



~@Girlstar30 is 100% correct and it starts at the top. I would say the woman running the resort needs to be fired and replaced. There was someone working there for many years who was awesome. I’m not sure if she is still there because I haven’t seen her in a few years, but she should have been promoted to GM of the resort. Instead, they brought in someone young and inexperienced from the outside. I feel like after Covid hit, Disney corporate started using dvc as their training ground for people they would like to fast track into Disney corporate management positions. These are individuals who check certain statistical boxes on which Disney has decided to focus. It’s not fair to dvc owners. Vero seems to have gotten the worst of it. As I’ve mentioned before elsewhere, HHI, SSR, and OKW are also victims. I keep hoping Disney corporate will stop with this.



~Housekeeping/maintenance at Vero is (I really hate to say this) abysmal. They need to restart from scratch here. There is so much to say about it that I will just leave it with abysmal. If anyone wants specific examples I can enumerate. I’m sure others who frequent Vero can as well.



~the quick service has become a parody of a quick service. It is neither quick nor does it provide much in the way of service.



~The “grocery” section never has any food. Forget picking up a gallon of milk or a pack of bagels. It’s like 1975 in East Berlin with one item sitting on a shelf. Will there be anything there today? I mean this is the definition of operational management (logistics, supply, etc.)



~the restaurant runs at half capacity most times. This also feels like parody. Unlike a lot of people on the boards, we actually like the restaurant. But why do they often say they cannot seat you when half of the restaurant is clearly empty and remains empty?!



~the restaurant needs to move out of the side atrium. Before covid, this area was open to go eat quick service, sit, etc. Since covid, the restaurant has taken over the area. So now random people eat all over the lobby. It’s gross. The lobby is not a dining room.



~as others have pointed out, what exactly are they doing with the green cabin? It used to be a cozy nautical themed bar/restaurant. Now it feels like a pop up store of some kind.



~renovations (as I’ve previously complained) are lackluster. We want the perfectly good chair back that they used to have in the master bedroom! And benches are for mudrooms, not bedroom furniture. This is a dvc wide problem.



~daily wristbands need to be mandatory to use most resort amenities. Yes, we have seen people walk off the beach and come into the pool. This is again just a lack of caring for the dvc customer. They sure keep people who don’t pay for concierge out of the concierge section of the ships on dcl. There is an extent to which current Disney management only cares about a certain kind of customer.



~I agree with @cfarbar1 About the property across the street. They used to have teen events/evenings over there. They used to have nature walks—now nothing. I remember before we had teens thinking our kids would love it. They are teens now but it doesn’t exist.



~bring back dvd “rentals.” What is this? Why did dvc just get rid of this? Oh just stream Disney + (assuming you have it). There’s nothing on Disney+. These dvds are especially missed at places like Vero and HHI where there’s lots of down time.

~What happened to the water pressure? Give me a break. Take out the water restriction they put in sometime around Covid.

~the 3 bedroom cottage that is handicapped accessible should be rented as such. The cottage is so different it is not fair to give it to a family who does not need it.



I have more but have to run for now.

 

[Genie+]

Maybe trying to keep dues from getting too much higher is exacerbating mediocre management?

 

[Cfabar1]

Maybe trying to keep dues from getting too much higher is exacerbating mediocre management?

I think that is a part of this. All of things I mentioned have a financial consideration. And, VB dues are already the highest. As a true DVC resort, almost all the cost would be the responsibility of the owners. I don't own at VB (though I love to visit the property).

Another part of this though, is that Disney is not willing to engage the local community at all.

One example is the drinks classes - which are fantastic. And relatively expensive. People not staying on property are ineligible to purchase them. I'm all about giving resort guests some sort of priority window if necessary, but they are leaving money on the table if/when locals call and say "I'd like to spend $50 on your experience" (which I can assure you makes money for Disney) and the response is "you have to be staying on property... Whenever I've stayed on property, they have always had room in the classes, even 20 minutes before. Maybe that is unusual, but I doubt it...

Similarly, I think a Seafood Buffet that was $80 pp with all you can eat Crab, Lobster, etc. would be a huge hit in the local VB community, and could likely generate revenue. There are many people in the VB area who do not belong to a very high-end country club (think initiation double to triple Club 33), but do have the discretionary income for a very lovely meal experience.

The Spa is another great example. It is mediocre at best, but the prices are quite premium. Cheaper than DCL, but not by enough. Once again, I imagine there are many locals in the area who would happily pay a high premium for a lovely spa experience, but the spa, while nicer than a Massage Envy sort of experience, pales in comparison to DCL - and isn't cheaper enough to justify booking in my view (unless you're not going to be able to get to Mandara, VGF, and/or DCL).

Instead, the solution is to add more chairs to the breezeway to serve $14 omelettes.

We have stayed at VB on NYE in the past. There was basically nothing. Why not do some special themed party of some kind? A special menu? A ticketed event in the Seagrape Room?

My theory as to why not is that since each division has to justify their decisions, the guest experience as a whole is left underwhelming. I'd imagine the F&B people report to Disney F&B in Orlando rather than the GM of the property. And none of those people likely even speak to DVC, as the revenue generating areas as I understand it are not funded by the association.

To be clear, I know several of the CMs at VB, and they are outstanding, creative people. The ones I know I would consider to be some of the most customer centric and outstanding CMs I have encountered. I would never ask them these questions specifically, as I don't want to make their situation awkward, but it seems to me that the resort is lost within the Disney corporate world...

Part of the issue is, and others may disagree, compared to Vistana Resorts Vero Beach absolutely shines in my view. Compared to VGF, BWV, BCV, VB's hard product suffers mightily from the isolated location.

I think DVC learned from that mistake by having part of Aulani be cash rooms - it means that Disney overall has more skin in the game....

Sorry to be writing so much about this!

 

[muppets3d]

Why are Vero's dues so much higher than HHI? HHI is a smaller resort in terms of units although it appears to be physically larger (especially when you consider the beach house).

 

[hhisc16]

I love it when people complain about Vero, because I keep hoping Bill Diercksen or SOMEBODY at DVC will care. It’s obvious the woman who says on LinkedIn that she is in charge of the resort does not (or does not know how to) care. And apparently she’s not held accountable. Sorry to be blunt. We love Vero, but since we own points there we are also ticked off about Vero. We feel like we pay outrageous dues and suspect that since the resort is mismanaged overall that there is also financially mismanagement.



Thanks for asking @cfarbar1. Here’s what we think needs to change there:



~@Girlstar30 is 100% correct and it starts at the top. I would say the woman running the resort needs to be fired and replaced. There was someone working there for many years who was awesome. I’m not sure if she is still there because I haven’t seen her in a few years, but she should have been promoted to GM of the resort. Instead, they brought in someone young and inexperienced from the outside. I feel like after Covid hit, Disney corporate started using dvc as their training ground for people they would like to fast track into Disney corporate management positions. These are individuals who check certain statistical boxes on which Disney has decided to focus. It’s not fair to dvc owners. Vero seems to have gotten the worst of it. As I’ve mentioned before elsewhere, HHI, SSR, and OKW are also victims. I keep hoping Disney corporate will stop with this.



~Housekeeping/maintenance at Vero is (I really hate to say this) abysmal. They need to restart from scratch here. There is so much to say about it that I will just leave it with abysmal. If anyone wants specific examples I can enumerate. I’m sure others who frequent Vero can as well.



~the quick service has become a parody of a quick service. It is neither quick nor does it provide much in the way of service.



~The “grocery” section never has any food. Forget picking up a gallon of milk or a pack of bagels. It’s like 1975 in East Berlin with one item sitting on a shelf. Will there be anything there today? I mean this is the definition of operational management (logistics, supply, etc.)



~the restaurant runs at half capacity most times. This also feels like parody. Unlike a lot of people on the boards, we actually like the restaurant. But why do they often say they cannot seat you when half of the restaurant is clearly empty and remains empty?!



~the restaurant needs to move out of the side atrium. Before covid, this area was open to go eat quick service, sit, etc. Since covid, the restaurant has taken over the area. So now random people eat all over the lobby. It’s gross. The lobby is not a dining room.



~as others have pointed out, what exactly are they doing with the green cabin? It used to be a cozy nautical themed bar/restaurant. Now it feels like a pop up store of some kind.



~renovations (as I’ve previously complained) are lackluster. We want the perfectly good chair back that they used to have in the master bedroom! And benches are for mudrooms, not bedroom furniture. This is a dvc wide problem.



~daily wristbands need to be mandatory to use most resort amenities. Yes, we have seen people walk off the beach and come into the pool. This is again just a lack of caring for the dvc customer. They sure keep people who don’t pay for concierge out of the concierge section of the ships on dcl. There is an extent to which current Disney management only cares about a certain kind of customer.



~I agree with @cfarbar1 About the property across the street. They used to have teen events/evenings over there. They used to have nature walks—now nothing. I remember before we had teens thinking our kids would love it. They are teens now but it doesn’t exist.



~bring back dvd “rentals.” What is this? Why did dvc just get rid of this? Oh just stream Disney + (assuming you have it). There’s nothing on Disney+. These dvds are especially missed at places like Vero and HHI where there’s lots of down time.

~What happened to the water pressure? Give me a break. Take out the water restriction they put in sometime around Covid.

~the 3 bedroom cottage that is handicapped accessible should be rented as such. The cottage is so different it is not fair to give it to a family who does not need it.



I have more but have to run for now.

Who is the current manager at vero beach?

 

[Cfabar1]

Who is the current manager at vero beach?

I think some on the boards have said that (shockingly) the HHI manager and the VB manager are the same person.

If that is true, clearly that is corporate neglect in my view... to say that you are the GM of two hotels in 2 different states is quite appalling, and means the hands on attention required and worthy of a DVC resort is very possibly not happening.

 

[Genie+]

I think DVC learned from that mistake by having part of Aulani be cash rooms - it means that Disney overall has more skin in the game....

Sorry to be writing so much about this!

Not at all! It’s very interesting to hear from those more familiar with VB. Many of us DVC people re wondering what’s going on there.

 

[Moonspinner]

I think that is a part of this. All of things I mentioned have a financial consideration. And, VB dues are already the highest. As a true DVC resort, almost all the cost would be the responsibility of the owners. I don't own at VB (though I love to visit the property).

Another part of this though, is that Disney is not willing to engage the local community at all.

One example is the drinks classes - which are fantastic. And relatively expensive. People not staying on property are ineligible to purchase them. I'm all about giving resort guests some sort of priority window if necessary, but they are leaving money on the table if/when locals call and say "I'd like to spend $50 on your experience" (which I can assure you makes money for Disney) and the response is "you have to be staying on property... Whenever I've stayed on property, they have always had room in the classes, even 20 minutes before. Maybe that is unusual, but I doubt it...

Similarly, I think a Seafood Buffet that was $80 pp with all you can eat Crab, Lobster, etc. would be a huge hit in the local VB community, and could likely generate revenue. There are many people in the VB area who do not belong to a very high-end country club (think initiation double to triple Club 33), but do have the discretionary income for a very lovely meal experience.

The Spa is another great example. It is mediocre at best, but the prices are quite premium. Cheaper than DCL, but not by enough. Once again, I imagine there are many locals in the area who would happily pay a high premium for a lovely spa experience, but the spa, while nicer than a Massage Envy sort of experience, pales in comparison to DCL - and isn't cheaper enough to justify booking in my view (unless you're not going to be able to get to Mandara, VGF, and/or DCL).

Instead, the solution is to add more chairs to the breezeway to serve $14 omelettes.

We have stayed at VB on NYE in the past. There was basically nothing. Why not do some special themed party of some kind? A special menu? A ticketed event in the Seagrape Room?

My theory as to why not is that since each division has to justify their decisions, the guest experience as a whole is left underwhelming. I'd imagine the F&B people report to Disney F&B in Orlando rather than the GM of the property. And none of those people likely even speak to DVC, as the revenue generating areas as I understand it are not funded by the association.

To be clear, I know several of the CMs at VB, and they are outstanding, creative people. The ones I know I would consider to be some of the most customer centric and outstanding CMs I have encountered. I would never ask them these questions specifically, as I don't want to make their situation awkward, but it seems to me that the resort is lost within the Disney corporate world...

Part of the issue is, and others may disagree, compared to Vistana Resorts Vero Beach absolutely shines in my view. Compared to VGF, BWV, BCV, VB's hard product suffers mightily from the isolated location.

I think DVC learned from that mistake by having part of Aulani be cash rooms - it means that Disney overall has more skin in the game....

Sorry to be writing so much about this!

I suspect you have to be staying at the resort to attend alcohol classes because the resort isn’t close to anything. And they don’t want people driving off after taking alcohol classes. I’m not a huge fan of people coming in from outside. Disney has a huge problem with this at other resorts. People not even staying at the resorts seem to think it is ok to come in, plop down in the lobby, and use it to do work on their laptop. Vero used to be run very well without promoting the resort to locals. It just needs new management!

 

[Moonspinner]

Who is the current manager at vero beach?

Grace Fernandez
She has restricted her LinkedIn page but before she did, it said she was the gm of both Vero and HHI dvc resorts. I’m sure she’s a very nice person but she needs to be removed as GM of Vero.