Vero beach struggling?

[Maistre Gracey]

We live a nine minute drive from the resort.
Several years back, before we lived in Sebastian, we had 300 points at Vero. It was fantastic.
Of course we no longer stay there, but we do visit and on occasion do dinner.

On occasion do dinner, not frequently….
Wind & Waves, to be gracious, is marginal. Prices are too high for what you get, the menu is limited, and ambiance is dismal.
To be fair, the CM’s have always been great.

Anyone remember Shutters & Sonya’s ??
Shutters you could eat on the porch, which is now designated for…??
The Sunday brunch was to die for.
Sonya’s was a higher end restaurant, but granted it was usually empty. We did like like it.

The Green Cabin Room, when it served food, was fantastic. Overall the GCR has taken a huge dump.

Probably will have more thoughts later…

 

[muppets3d]

How often do general managers of resorts change? I checked through my emails and I don't have a more recent one, but the last email I have from HHI in 2023 identifies Joe Caruso as the resort manager. I have stayed since but can't find those emails. I will get an updated email for my stay next month when I arrive.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

How often do general managers of resorts change?

I can't speak to the unique locations like Vero or HHI, but for WDW at least - GMs tend to move around relatively frequently, eg every few years, occasionally longer. Changes tend to be lateral (eg, to another WDW resort) or up the corporate hierarchy to broader roles.

 

[Genie+]

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’m not familiar with Vistana beyond knowing it’s a timeshare and seeing random room or resort images in my searches.

When I ran a google search asking about comparing Vistana to VB, it came up with thread from 2007 here on DIS lol:

Thread 'Anyone Own/Has any opinions of Sheraton Vistana Resort?'

Jun 6, 2007

I'm looking into buying a timeshare, but DVC is way too expensive if you really want at least 7 nights at a 1 bedroom villa. I was looking at resales and it seems I can purchase a 2 Bedroom Villa at Vistana Resort for under $4,000. Is this a nice resort? Do you own for life or is it Deeded like DVC (one thing I hate about DVC). It definately seems worth it from what I can tell. Is a week in a time share considered 7 nights or 6 nights?

There are different sections though. Are some newer/better than others?

Thanks!

• cgcruz
• Replies: 22
• Forum: Orlando Hotels and Attractions

What a jump back in time! But it did give a hint at some of the troubles back then. What is the popular consensus on Vistana today?

From your comment I took it as VB being somewhere between the general lower satisfaction of Vistana and the higher satisfaction of WDW DVC.

 

[Cfabar1]

What a jump back in time! But it did give a hint at some of the troubles back then. What is the popular consensus on Vistana today?

From your comment I took it as VB being somewhere between the general lower satisfaction of Vistana and the higher satisfaction of WDW DVC.

That is my view. Our room when we stayed was dirty and dingy in many ways.

It felt one or two refurbishments behind VB.. it also felt like the property didn’t receive the level of care from housekeeping that DVC resorts get.

We also stayed on a Getaways rate for about $120 a night (or less) for a 2 BR… good luck finding that with Vero Beach. So, would I stay there again? Maybe, given the extremely cheap price. But the cheap rate comes at the expense of cleanliness, and honestly some of it like - extremely dusty glasses, an incredibly stained Pack and Play for example (to the point we bought one ourselves) mean it is very unlikely…

 

[muppets3d]

I’m not familiar with Vistana beyond knowing it’s a timeshare and seeing random room or resort images in my searches.

When I ran a google search asking about comparing Vistana to VB, it came up with thread from 2007 here on DIS lol:

Thread 'Anyone Own/Has any opinions of Sheraton Vistana Resort?'

Jun 6, 2007

I'm looking into buying a timeshare, but DVC is way too expensive if you really want at least 7 nights at a 1 bedroom villa. I was looking at resales and it seems I can purchase a 2 Bedroom Villa at Vistana Resort for under $4,000. Is this a nice resort? Do you own for life or is it Deeded like DVC (one thing I hate about DVC). It definately seems worth it from what I can tell. Is a week in a time share considered 7 nights or 6 nights?

There are different sections though. Are some newer/better than others?

Thanks!

• cgcruz
• Replies: 22
• Forum: Orlando Hotels and Attractions

What a jump back in time! But it did give a hint at some of the troubles back then. What is the popular consensus on Vistana today?

From your comment I took it as VB being somewhere between the general lower satisfaction of Vistana and the higher satisfaction of WDW DVC.

Even the worst kept DVC room I've stayed in (a deluxe studio at VGF) was substantially cleaner and better maintained than any other timeshare unit I've stayed in. Granted I haven't stayed in very many outside of DVC, but it's apparent that many other timeshare operators do not take housekeeping or maintenance very seriously. "We already have your money" perhaps?

 

[Moonspinner]

Even the worst kept DVC room I've stayed in (a deluxe studio at VGF) was substantially cleaner and better maintained than any other timeshare unit I've stayed in. Granted I haven't stayed in very many outside of DVC, but it's apparent that many other timeshare operators do not take housekeeping or maintenance very seriously. "We already have your money" perhaps?

We have found Marriot to be excellent. Just as clean if not cleaner than recent dvc. We stayed in two different ones last summer.

 

[muppets3d]

We have found Marriot to be excellent. Just as clean if not cleaner than recent dvc. We stayed in two different ones last summer.

Yes, I haven't stayed in a Marriott yet but I have heard great things. Maybe one day we'll exchange some DVC points into II and stay in a Marriott resort somewhere.

 

[Moonspinner]

Yes, I haven't stayed in a Marriott yet but I have heard great things. Maybe one day we'll exchange some DVC points into II and stay in a Marriott resort somewhere.

We don’t own Marriot but pay cash for rooms. We started using them about 4 years ago when we were missing one night in our reservation at DVC HHI lol. It was one night in the middle of a weeklong reservation. We were shocked we were kind of bummed out about going back to dvc after that one night. We’ve stayed at 4 Marriott total at this point and really liked them all.

 

[Genie+]

That is my view. Our room when we stayed was dirty and dingy in many ways.

It felt one or two refurbishments behind VB.. it also felt like the property didn’t receive the level of care from housekeeping that DVC resorts get.

We also stayed on a Getaways rate for about $120 a night (or less) for a 2 BR… good luck finding that with Vero Beach. So, would I stay there again? Maybe, given the extremely cheap price. But the cheap rate comes at the expense of cleanliness, and honestly some of it like - extremely dusty glasses, an incredibly stained Pack and Play for example (to the point we bought one ourselves) mean it is very unlikely…

Ah yeah. As a general rule we don’t want to vacation where our room isn’t nearly as nice as home.

Some of that is acceptable, like staying beachside it’s understandable furnishings will lean more basic/durable and still quickly show wear considering sea, sand, pool, sunlight, etc. Or a cabin visit meant to be simple or rustic. But chipped up, crusty/unhygienic, overly bland, aesthetically lacking… no thanks lol. Crusty is the big one! Easier to forgive the rest.

I get there’s a time and place due to whatever else it makes possible. As a general rule though? No. It has turned me off looking at some timeshare rental pictures.

 

[hhisc16]

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.

View attachment 1035458

As of nov 25, connie turlington was the gm at dhhir.

I saw her and talked to her. Easy to pick out with braces and a blue tag and everywhere.

 

[hhisc16]

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.

Sounds like connie is at dhhir and grace is at vb.

 

[hhisc16]

How often do general managers of resorts change? I checked through my emails and I don't have a more recent one, but the last email I have from HHI in 2023 identifies Joe Caruso as the resort manager. I have stayed since but can't find those emails. I will get an updated email for my stay next month when I arrive.

We have been owners at dhhir since 2021 and i have seen 5 different GMs at dhhir.

 

[hhisc16]

We don’t own Marriot but pay cash for rooms. We started using them about 4 years ago when we were missing one night in our reservation at DVC HHI lol. It was one night in the middle of a weeklong reservation. We were shocked we were kind of bummed out about going back to dvc after that one night. We’ve stayed at 4 Marriott total at this point and really liked them all.

We have now stayed at all 8 marriott vacation clubs on hhi. Dhhir wins.

 

[Moonspinner]

We have now stayed at all 8 marriott vacation clubs on hhi. Dhhir wins.

We stayed at Barony. We were really surprised that we were impressed. The rooms were in mint condition and well laid out with a much nicer kitchen than and superior bathrooms to dvc HHI. Much better water pressure too lol. The staff was lovely. Disney is much better connected to bike paths and the location in shelter cove with the separate beach house is hard to beat. But then on the other hand it was really nice being right on the beach at Barony. Expedia has them even.

 

[Girlstar30]

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.

I felt what you said about housekeeping/maint and qs there in my bones 100% how we felt. We enjoyed the food at breakfast at wind and waves, but the dinner service is something else lol same with the qs service.

 

[Girlstar30]

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.

View attachment 1035458

Yes i went to look back at my email from September and it is grace Fernandez. Interesting that she restricted some of it, must have had some complaints! I wonder if they use her as the fallback girl for complaints, kind of like the Bob chapek of dvc

 

[Girlstar30]

We have found Marriot to be excellent. Just as clean if not cleaner than recent dvc. We stayed in two different ones last summer.

I was very happy with my stay at Marriott cypress harbor a few years ago, the room was nicer than most dvc, but I dont trust other timeshares to maintain their value like dvc and Marriott sales agents are blatant liars, like im sure most other ts companies are.

Marriott bends over backwards for their guests, I know i used to work there im sure owning there would be nice but the owners didnt know what room view they were getting upon arrival, they were all promised oceanview upon purchasing, and that made it a disaster for us, while sales wiped their hands clean lol. So I actually do appreciate very much that dvc categorizes their room views in the resorts that they can.

Marriott is the only other hotel chain I care to stay at beside Disney that ive stayed in so far. Not impressed by the few Hiltons ive stayed at

 

[davidhr]

Yes i went to look back at my email from September and it is grace Fernandez. Interesting that she restricted some of it, must have had some complaints! I wonder if they use her as the fallback girl for complaints, kind of like the Bob chapek of dvc

I restrict my LinkedIn. I work for a very popular company (we can say as popular as Disney) and I get a million requests if I don’t restrict it.

Everything. People asking for jobs, recommendations, complaints, free stuff, etc. Name it and I’ve received it. I’m not even in a customer facing position lol

 

[Moonspinner]

I restrict my LinkedIn. I work for a very popular company (we can say as popular as Disney) and I get a million requests if I don’t restrict it.

Everything. People asking for jobs, recommendations, complaints, free stuff, etc. Name it and I’ve received it. I’m not even in a customer facing position lol

She not only restricted her LinkedIn, she changed her last name to F on her profile. No one at the Disney company has done that.