Note: For a more in-depth report, including lots of pictures, click here to read my companion report, which will open in a new window.
Special offer: Vero Beach is offering 35 percent off for Florida residents through late November 2010. Click here for full details.
Disney’s Vero Beach is a Disney Vacation Club resort about two hours away from the theme parks. It has 211 rooms, including accommodations inside the main building, plus one and two bedroom villas and free-standing three bedroom cottages. It sits right on the Atlantic Ocean in the town of Vero Beach. I had always wanted to check it out, so I was quite excited when Disney invited me to do a review. I will be doing it in multiple parts so I can cover every aspect, from the rooms to the food to the activities.
We stayed in a regular room in the main building, on the second floor next to the elevators. It was about the size of the rooms at the Disney World deluxe resorts. I was worried about hallway noise but that wasn’t a problem, and it was very convenient because there is a staircase down to the lobby. We did get a lot of sound from our next door neighbors through the wall, but I always pack a white noise machine.
Since this is a DVC resort, even the regular rooms have amenities like a refrigerator, microwave oven, coffee maker and toaster. The cabinet was stocked with paper plates and plastic cutlery. All of the rooms have a verandah; ours was a parking lot view, but there are many with stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean, which is right behind the resort. Click here for plenty of photos of the room and ocean view in my companion trip report (it will open in a new window).
We focused on experiencing as much as possible, including the two on-site sit-down restaurants, miniature golf, pool, campfire, spa, and of course hanging out on the beach. I will cover each aspect in the upcoming parts of this report. For now, here is quick summary of the pros and cons, based on our visit:
Pros
It’s a DVC resort, but you can still book a room even if you’re not a member. They even have occasional Florida resident specials, including one this fall. Click here for the official website.
It’s only two hours from Disney World and also within a reasonable distance from Port Canaveral. You can easily tack a Vero Beach stay onto a Disney World vacation or cruise for some downtime after commando-style touring at the parks or a busy shipboard trip. Laying out on the beach or getting a spa treatment is a great way to rejuvinate.
You can save money by making your own meals if you have lots of kids. The onsite restaurants are very good if you decide to use them, or you can drive to other eateries if you have a car.
The onsite activities are fun, especially for families. There is a full agenda each day of supervised activities, plus plenty of other things to do, like playing mini golf or renting bikes. The pool has a good-sized water slide. We especially liked the campfire at night, which included a singalong and smores. The Green Cabin Room (lounge) is a great place to listen to live music and have an evening drink.
Cons
Kids might get bored if you stay a full week and they are not into beaches and resort activities. They might get stir crazy if you visit during a rainy time. We had no rain during our trip, but we would have been happy to be in the main building if we did; otherwise, you’d be walking in the rain from the villas to the lobby, restaurants, spa, etc.
You may hear your neighbors through the walls, which could be bad if you’re near an especially rowdy family.
The onsite restaurants are a little pricey (think DIsney World prices), which can add up if you’re visiting with a big family.
It can be pricey to rent beach chairs, umbellas, etc. although you can bring your own (that’s what we did).
Click here for part two of this report, which covers fine dining and fun dining. If you didn’t click through to see the photos and more comprehensive review yet, click here. To read more of my articles, click here. To follow me on Twitter, click here.