Disney Resort Report - Disney's Vero Beach Resort

Welcome Home! I decided to step away from the Disney Park Resorts today and give you a little insight to a charming beachside community along the Atlantic Coast called Disney’s Vero Beach Resort. This resort is located less than two hours southeast of the Walt Disney World Resort and is one of only three Disney Vacation Club resorts located outside of the Disney Park regions, the other two being Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort in South Carolina and Aulani, located on the beautiful island of Oahu, Hawaii. 

Disney’s Vero Beach Resort (VB) is an excellent place to relax in conjunction with a high-paced visit to Orlando or to extend a cruise vacation just a little bit longer. Those scenarios seem to be the popular trend for visitors to this resort but we stayed for five days while visiting family from the area and absolutely loved every minute of it. As Disney Vacation Club members, we booked a one-bedroom villa which was very large and afforded us the opportunity to eat the majority of our meals in or from our room (a big money savings) and also entertain visiting family with plenty of room to spare. The selection of rooms available include a Deluxe Inn Room, Studio, One- and Two-Bedroom Vacation Homes and the free standing Three-Bedroom Beach Cottage which is over 2,100 square feet and can sleep up to twelve people! 

Beach Erosion-View of resort from down on the Beach

Beach Erosion

Due to the rough surf, high winds, and destroyed beaches resulting from a hurricane the prior week, we spent most of our vacation at the Mickey-shaped pool with its awesome lighthouse water slide. We did make it down to the beach to play in the sand but it was too rough to swim for my four year-old...and getting down the cliff of sand to the water’s edge was borderline treacherous! We made the most of it and enjoyed scaling the sand wall saying “Well, you don’t get to see this everyday!” (A little positive thinking came in handy here.) Next to the pool is a rubber-floored playground and a water play area called Pirate’s Plunge which are both great for the little ones. Also in the pool area is a secluded hot tub and Port Holes Miniature Golf, a Peter Pan inspired 9-hole course and Blinker’s Arcade. 

No report about Disney’s Vero Beach Resort is complete without mentioning that this is the breeding grounds for the Loggerhead Sea Turtles. We visited in October which is the very end of the Sea Turtle nesting season so we never saw any turtle activity, but the nests were visible and the conservationists at VB are very active to ensure the safety and protection of their number one client, the Sea Turtle. One thing you will be sure to notice is that walking around at night can be quite different than some other beachside resorts as there is very little light and flashlights are not allowed near the beach. They also strongly suggest that you close all blinds in your rooms at night as the lights can confuse the turtle hatchlings. Fun Fact: Apparently, upon hatching at night, they are guided to the ocean by the reflection of the moon on the water. If they see the lights back towards the land, they could mistakenly head in the wrong direction. 

The entertainment staff at VB is very active as it is quite a change of pace from being at the parks and there isn’t much else to do to keep busy. Prior to our visit, it was actually the main complaint that I read…that there isn’t enough to do. Depending on your personality and expectations, I can see that being a problem for some families. I had set my expectations for this vacation to be exactly what it is, a relaxing beach vacation at a family friendly resort. I was actually quite pleased with how many activities we joined in on from a scavenger hunt, to miniature golf, to clay making crafts, to sing alongs, to slide racing competitions, to campfires at night complete with singing and smores. I’ve heard that VB is not ideal for children because of its laid back nature but my daughter simply can’t wait to go back. I could maybe see an issue with an extended trip with older children (10-17) but my advice for that would not be to avoid visiting, but to maybe shorten the trip. The activities are geared more for entertaining the younger ones and allowing the adults to relax. If you don’t fit in one of those categories, maybe a short 2 day trip at the end of a park vacation is more for you. 

Shutter's Seafood Buffet

To get in your Disney fix, Shutter’s (one of the onsite restaurants) offers a character breakfast once a week hosted by Goofy and Donald Duck as well as a Thursday night seafood buffet that was out of this world! As you can see, even with the hurricane destruction we were able to have an extremely enjoyable week at this resort and hope to return again soon.

For tons more information about Disney Vero Beach Resort including area attractions, menus, local shopping and tips, check out the Vero Beach admiration thread on DisBoards.