VB 2013 Information & Adoration Thread ---CLOSED---

[bcvlover]

So excited... we just passed rofr on VBR...

Now to get our membership, so we can plan a trip.

Does anyone do a umbrella / chair / or boggie board pass along..

Bcvlover

 

[jgdsoarin]

We are excited to be heading to Vero next week for 2 nights! This will be our first trip and we are staying in an ocean view inn room. This trip will kick off 10 days in Florida...also visiting family on the Gulf Coast and visiting WDW for 4 nights. Hoping to make this trip all about beaches and water parks! This thread has been great to help me learn about what's available in and around VB!

 

[aclov]

We love the beach so thinking of a possible add-on in the near future. I know nothing about Vero Beach but like the close proximity to WDW!

 

[goodferry]

On our way there, quick question, are there ihomes in the room?

 

[Madi100]

We are headed to Vero Beach July 20. We were supposed to go with another family that is now unable to go. We went with them last year and had a blast. Now we are alone. I have two girls - 12 and 15. I'm sure hoping that we have as much fun just with our family.

We ate at Shutters twice. Once was for the first night and the second night was for the pirate character meal. We won't eat there at all this trip. Our server was great, but the food was not. Burgers were burned, orders not correct, pizza burned and almost no cheese. It was bad enough she offered to not charge us for everything. For the pirate meal, the meal was good. It reminded me of Whispering Canyon Cafe in style and type. But the service was horrible. There were 8 of us, and we couldn't get refills on anything. The quick serve outside was great, but if they closed the pool, they closed the restaurant and that left us with no place to eat.

Really looking forward to the trip, just have to adjust our expectations.

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

Does anyone know what the 2013 summer rack rates were for a 2 bedroom? We're out of points for next year already, but trying to get an idea of what we'd have to pay to stay for a week next August, and hopefully get the 25% member discount! Thanks!

 

[goodferry]

We are here now, arrived yesterday around 2. We are in a studio in Building 15 on the first floor. It's a gorgeous resort and the weather has been beautiful!
We had dinner last night at the Ocean Grill and it was really, really good. This morning we had the brunch on property and it was fantastic. Our service was good and there was a huge variety of food.
The waves are pretty wild and there is a rip current warning out today. I am surprised at the number of small children in the water given the conditions. It's a beautiful beach with at least three sea turtles swimming just off shore. Any questions or advice? Trying to decide now where to eat tonight

 

[dwelty]

Does anyone know what the 2013 summer rack rates were for a 2 bedroom? We're out of points for next year already, but trying to get an idea of what we'd have to pay to stay for a week next August, and hopefully get the 25% member discount! Thanks!

You can call member services, but also check Expedia.com. Type Vero Beach as your destination. Sometimes this rate will be cheaper than the member discounted rate.

 

[Cobra B.]

9th visit 8/17-8/20.

 

[modisneychick]

We are here now. I am posting pics on my Facebook in my signature if you want to follow along. It is gorgeous here right now

 

[floridafam]

Goodferry,
The rip currents have been awful lately. I'm surprised by how many people still go in the water and go quite a distance out. Maybe they just don't know any better.

We are keeping an eye on TS Chantal. I have an appointment at the resort spa this weekend and I'm hoping it doesn't get cancelled. lol

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

You can call member services, but also check Expedia.com. Type Vero Beach as your destination. Sometimes this rate will be cheaper than the member discounted rate.

I will have to check that out! I don't see availability on Expedia or the Disney site for August yet, I did try some dates in February and May to get an idea and am seeing $540/night, which is along the lines of what I expected it to be. When would MS or the other sites generally get availability? Maybe 10 or 11 months out?

 

[caralyn817]

We were there from June 30 to July 3. We really enjoyed it and wanted to go back. I was able to get Labor Day weekend. We are so excited. It is a short drive for us and will be a relaxing getaway. We'll be there Aug. 30th through Sept. 2nd. We're taking my parents along this time. Can anyone tell me how the Character Breakfast is? We're thinking about doing it for DD. We did the Pirate Dinner when we were just there and loved it, but we won't be able to do it this time since we will be checking out that day.

 

[TLPL]

The kayaking is Tues and Thurs if you book through the resort. It is $40/DVC members and $45 non-DVC. We did it this past week and it was a lot of fun. If you book through the resort the van will drop you off and pick you up. You can book direct through Adventures Kayaking(paddleflorida.com) if Tues/Thurs doesn't work for you. This is the same place Disney uses and you can check out their website, they run the same tour most days based on the website. It's an easy paddle and you will have a great time!

Hey there, Is there an age requirement or the tour? My son is 7 yo and he doesn't know how to swim yet.

 

[mazoo77]

You should call them and ask to be sure, 772-567-0522 or contact them via email through their website listed in the previous note.

My thoughts are it should not be an issue. You would use the 2 person kayak and they provide the life jackets in all sizes from kids to adults. Much of the trip is in shallow water. Make sure to take good polarized sunglasses. It makes a huge difference when trying to see the marine life.

 

[DPickering]

First visit, Jan 5-12 '14.

 

[shburks]

We are here now. I am posting pics on my Facebook in my signature if you want to follow along. It is gorgeous here right now

Thank you for letting us know! I'm checking out your FB pictures right now! We check in to Vero Beach in a week! So excited to see that there are turtle nests! My son absolutely loves turtles and other sea creatures, and he'll be so excited to get to see the nest areas!

Can you please report back or PM me or something about your dining experiences? We'll only be there Sunday afternoon until Wednesday morning but I really want to try to some seafood one or two nights. We're thinking one night (probably arrival night) to get pizza from the local joint and eat by the pool or something. I'm definitely considering Riverside Cafe...maybe Squid Lips (it just gets so many mixed reviews).

How is breakfast at Shutters? Can you elaborate on the Bleachers menu?

 

[modisneychick]

Thank you for letting us know! I'm checking out your FB pictures right now! We check in to Vero Beach in a week! So excited to see that there are turtle nests! My son absolutely loves turtles and other sea creatures, and he'll be so excited to get to see the nest areas!

Can you please report back or PM me or something about your dining experiences? We'll only be there Sunday afternoon until Wednesday morning but I really want to try to some seafood one or two nights. We're thinking one night (probably arrival night) to get pizza from the local joint and eat by the pool or something. I'm definitely considering Riverside Cafe...maybe Squid Lips (it just gets so many mixed reviews).

How is breakfast at Shutters? Can you elaborate on the Bleachers menu?

There are so many turtles nests right now. I could count 20 just from my chair on the beach today. I think that is very exciting!

We ate at a different restaurant every night we were here:

Chili's in Orlando -okay that doesn't count

Squid Lips (in Sebastian) - We love this place. It is a local hangout, so you know it has to be a step above some of the rest. The portions are generous and the view is nice. Service can be slow, but this is the beach life here. They serve warm pineapple bread as a starter (one of our favorite things). We had the mountain of shrimp (came with fries and cole slaw - and it was a TON of shrimp) for $12.99. Dh and my son both had Mahi Mahi and really liked it. Dh says this was the best Key Lime Pie he had all week.

Riverside Cafe (In Vero Beach under the bridge) - Another local hangout where you can arrive by car or boat. They have a large menu of typical American foods. The onion straws are really good. We enjoy the burger variety here too. Service was excellent. We have never eaten seafood here, but they do have it on the menu.

Italian Grill (in Vero Beach across from Target, close to the mall) - A nice Italian diner. We have always found the portions generous and the food very good. If you want something other than the typical (Olive Garden) this is a good place to try. They have homemade cannoli here too. Everyone liked their dishes: Lasagna, Ravioli, Italian Bake and Eggplant Parmigiana. The menu is quite varied here too though.

Capt. Hirams (in Sebastian) - We went because we had a new friend with us. The atmosphere here is really nice, but we haven't eaten here the previous three trips as the food is overpriced and not really that special. That being said, My son thought his burger here was the best he had this week. My daughter's friend also really liked the Tropical Chicken (she was still talking about it today). I got the PoBoy and it was obviously made with frozen shrimp and really not that good. Service was not very good. Others may have a different experience, but we probably will skip it again in the future.

Shutters - We went here tonight as a last-minute choice. Again, we have skipped Shutters on our last couple of trips for price, poor food quality and poor service. I have to say we were really surprised tonight. The food was very good and the service was excellent. We had the Seafood Quesadillas appetizer and it was very good. I had the sirloin which was tender and cooked as requested. The girls had the Tidal Wave dessert and thought that was a lot of fun. They did have two types of fresh fish tonight, but no one in our group ordered those.

As for your other questions, we didn't eat at Bleachers all week this trip. In the past though, I have enjoyed the chicken tenders and also their salad (very fresh). The kids meal in a pail is fun for the little ones. I also love the Lava Flow Smoothies - I may have to get one tomorrow before we leave.

We ate breakfast in the room, but we have always had a good breakfast experience at Shutters in the past. It is a little pricey, but the food was always very good.

I know a lot of people love the Ocean Grill, but we don't want to dress up on vacation, so we have yet to eat there (and this is our 11th year here).

There are some food pics over on my page. I will post more this week when I get home too.

Enjoy your trip!!

 

[shburks]

Thank you so much, modisneychick!

 

[kenneywj]

We just got back today. We ate dinner twice at Pizzoodles. The garlic knots were great. Italian Grill was always our go to place, but to us, it paled compared to Pizzoodles.