# Disney Vero Beach



## gretel (Apr 5, 2011)

We have reservations for two one-bedroom units that sleep 4/4 over the Easter week vacation. I called the resort today to ask if we might be able to block units adjoining or next to each other. She said there is no guarantee (as expected).  I asked if we might be able to switch unit types (trade two one bedrooms for a lock-off. They would be gaining in the swap--a one bedroom for a studio-- but she refused and said they never change room types.) I asked about an ocean view and she said there were none.

Any suggestions to help get us next to each other. I don't want my handicapped mother staying too far away. 

Does any one have suggestions as to which building might be the closest for walking to the beach (for my mother)?

Any other ideas/suggestions for the week? We have never stayed at Vero Beach. We go to Disneyworld every year (and may drive over a day at a park). It will be myself, husband, mother and two sons ages 11 and 13.

Thanks for any advice!


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## tomandrobin (Apr 5, 2011)

You should post this in the Disney Forum.

Upon check-in, ask to speak to a manager and ask him your request. The front line people you get when you call, either don't have the authority or don't care to see what they can do for you. But the manager will try. 

There are ocean from rooms, however I doubt you will get one....but I have been wrong before. 

Vero Beach is very laid back.....not much going on in the surrounding area. When we stayed at Vero Beach, we pretty just stayed on property. We did drive around some, but besides gated communities and golf courses there was not much. You can drive up to the town, about 5 miles (maybe) for a little more action. When we were there, the turtles were laying eggs each night....pretty cool.


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## chriskre (Apr 5, 2011)

The 1 bedrooms are quite a trek for a handicap.  
Try to get a building as close to the pool as possible or you'll be driving her to the main building for meals if you use the restaurants.  The buildings all have elevators in the basement where you could drive her to the main building but that's gonna be a pain.  

This is a case where I think the Inn rooms would be a better fit for your mother because they are in the main building.  Might want to ask about downgrading to an Inn room for Mom.  When I go with elderly parents we always take an Inn room instead of the villas for this reason.


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## jdunn1 (Apr 5, 2011)

First of all I absolutely LOVE Disney's Vero Beach.  Best Florida beach resort (on the Atlantic side at least) hands down!

For years I was a DVC owner and Vero Beach remains my favorite DVC resort and maybe my favorite timeshare period.  However, each time I booked a stay at Vero (as a DVC owner mind you) I asked for an ocean view but was given a room in the back of the resort on the first floor with no view whatsoever.  To be fair, there is no ocean view category for anything other than the inn rooms and the stand alone three bedrooms.

All the studios, one bedrooms and two bedrooms are in three different clusters, each three stories (maybe it is four stories, I forget) tall plus a parking garage on the ground level.  Only the front facing top level of each cluster, which is composed of exactly one 2 bedroom condo has a direct ocean view and since there are only three towers, there are only three of those direct ocean view units.  That’s the bad news.  The good news is that I think those units are all lock-offs, so there is the smallest of possibilities you could get one or even two of those units.  More likely, those primo views will go to Vero Beach DVC owners using points, but there is no written priority for room assignments in DVC like there are in other timeshares.  I just know that as a Hilton Head DVC owner using points, I never got an ocean view at Vero beach, NEVER!

Despite all of that, it is possible to see a glimpse of the ocean from many of the top floor units, even if you are put in a unit in the back of the resort.  Your chances of seeing the ocean from your balcony diminish greatly if you are on the second floor and there is zero chance of any view if you are on the first floor.  The vegetation at the DVC resort is very mature and your view from the balcony is of tree trunks, not the grounds or ocean.  Even rooms on the second floor will have obstructed views of the ocean because the trees are so mature and tall.

Disney’s Vero Beach is a very small resort, so you will be close to everything no matter where you are.  It’s such a scenic resort and I really like how peaceful it is, but it is not large and spread out.  

I want to be the first to warn you about the beach.  I do not know the extent of your mom’s handicap, but if she is wheelchair bound or can’t walk long unassisted, the beach is going to be all but off limits for her.  This is not a beach meant for handicap people (or young children for that matter).  

The beach was always narrow and the surf is rough.  I love the rough surf because I like waves but it is not a beach that makes wading in the ocean very easy.  To combat beach erosion and protect from high surfs, the beach directly in front of the resort is sloped at a steep angle with a very narrow ridge wide enough for a single beach chair to be put out, but no more.  When I was there last summer, the slope down to the beach was so steep; most people lost their balance at least once getting down to the water.  Maybe the resort has made the grade down to the surf more manageable, but it was very difficult last summer.

There is a small boardwalk your mom can at least view the ocean from but getting down to the beach might be a difficult, if not impossible endeavor.  There are lots of places to sit around the resort, including very large patios that overlook the ocean and the hotel lobby is very rich.

Have fun, I am very jealous you got two units there over Easter.  What a great time to be there and that is the most EXPENSIVE time for DVC owners to be a Vero Beach, in terms of how many points it costs.  Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!!

...one more thing, the one bedrooms connect to a studio.  no possibility of getting two one bedrooms connected to each other.  The resort should have told you this.  I'm pretty sure the front facing units are all lock-offs, I'm not sure if any of the side units (the clusters are "U" shaped) are lock offs so you may also have to settle for units that are on different floors.


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## gretel (Apr 5, 2011)

*OMG*

Wow!  I can't believe I haven't read this before. I really tried to do my due diligence with this trip. If the beach is that sloped, we can't go. My mom can't navigate a sharp slope and she certainly doesn't want to watch us from the boardwalk  

I may just cancel my trip based on this news. Wow! Thanks so much, It would have been a really giant disappointment after a 20 hour drive down, specifically to lay on the beach!


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## chriskre (Apr 5, 2011)

gretel said:


> Wow!  I can't believe I haven't read this before. I really tried to do my due diligence with this trip. If the beach is that sloped, we can't go. My mom can't navigate a sharp slope and she certainly doesn't want to watch us from the boardwalk
> 
> I may just cancel my trip based on this news. Wow! Thanks so much, It would have been a really giant disappointment after a 20 hour drive down, specifically to lay on the beach!



This is definitely not a senior friendly beach.  Plus you have to rent the beach chairs or bring your own.  I've seen people leave behind beach chairs by the elevators though. I assume it's a chair share from one of the Disney forums.  The pool is not zero entry either.  

The Southwest beaches are much easier for seniors to navigate hence the massive amount of snowbirds that congregate there every winter.   
Shallow beaches with few waves.

Daytona may also be a better alternative since you could drive Mom right to her beach chair and you'd have a better chance of getting an ocean view room.


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## jdunn1 (Apr 5, 2011)

Wow.  I hate for you to cancel based soley on my post.  Can you at least call the resort first and ask about the beach.  There is a ramp down to the top of the beach but unless they fixed the grade of the beach, it may be hard for your mom to actually get down to the water.  I am going to try and attach some pictures form last July when I was there.  I do not know if this picture will be too small to see but I'll try to post more pictures.


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## jdunn1 (Apr 5, 2011)

Here is another picture taken from the water.


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## jdunn1 (Apr 5, 2011)

Sorry, I do not know how to get all these pictures onto one message.

This is a picture of what the top bluff/ridge looks like.  This is the flat part of the beach.  You can see it is quiet narrow, but pretty.


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## jdunn1 (Apr 5, 2011)

last picture.  this shows what the slope looks like when viewed from the top.  i think you can see how steep it is and all of disney's beach is shaped like this.

i hope these pictures help you decide what to do.  it is an exremely beautiful resort but that beach leaves a lot to be desired.  still, the water is blue and warm and pretty.


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## chriskre (Apr 6, 2011)

jdunn1 said:


> Wow.  I hate for you to cancel based soley on my post.  Can you at least call the resort first and ask about the beach.  There is a ramp down to the top of the beach but unless they fixed the grade of the beach, it may be hard for your mom to actually get down to the water.  I am going to try and attach some pictures form last July when I was there.  I do not know if this picture will be too small to see but I'll try to post more pictures.



Disney is usually very accomodating with ADA issues so I'd definitely talk to the manager first before cancelling.  Maybe they have someone to help you get Mom down to the beach.  

This is a really beautiful resort and I'd go anyway as it's probably too late to get something comparable on such short notice.  I think your Mom will enjoy the resort even if she can't get in the beach.  I know that my elderly parents are content to have a nice fruity drink in the beautiful ambiance even if they can't fully participate.  They just love the resort despite the bad beach.  

Go and have fun but I'd call the general manager.   They'll tell you that nothing is guaranteed but I'm sure they'll do you right by Mom.


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## Margariet (Apr 7, 2011)

Disney Vero beach is such a beautiful resort. You often can get it for just a small amount of TUP's but it is so much value. I loved it. We went in December and still got lovely weather. We had a partial ocean view which seems to be pretty special. There are many parks and gardens in the area where we went to see bird life. The beach is accessible by a boardwalk, also for strollers and weel chairs. Besides there are other beaches and parkings nearby which are also easy accessible. The apartment is accessible by elevator from the parking underground. I would never cancel such a great place! Disney will certainly help you and your mother in every way possible.


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## gretel (Apr 7, 2011)

*Update*

Thanks to everyone for your advice and the photos.  I decided to change destinations for this trip. At this time, it would have been too much of a challenge for my mother to walk on the beach. Last year, she was diagnosed with cancer and this trip is more for her than anyone. I ended up getting very lucky and finding fairly reasonable airfare to Aruba and a 2bedroom cancellation.  My mother is thrilled to be going!

I am going to cancel the Vero Beach weeks unless someone is interested in paying what I paid (mf and guest cert). I would love for a TUG member to enjoy them. I'm sure there will be another time for us to visit.


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## chriskre (Apr 7, 2011)

Glad it worked out for you.  

Aruba sounds great and I'm sure the beach is much, much better.


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## jdunn1 (Apr 7, 2011)

First of all, I am very sorry to hear about your mom's cancer.  Sounds like she isn't letting it slow her down too much, though.

Thanks for the update.  It took me so long to post those pictures becuase I didn't know what I was doing, I was glad to hear they helped you.  When I was at Vero last year I was so surprised by what they did to the resort, I took a bunch of pictures to show my family.  I had never seen such a drastic change (for the worse mind you) to a beach before.  I still do not know what to think of it.  I'm hoping the surf has leveled the beach a great deal since I took those pictures but it was just such an odd thing to do a beach.

I'm glad you cancelled.  Much as I love Vero Beach, I'd take Aruba any day if it weren't for airfare.  Marriott has been releasing last minute Aruba weeks like crazy, so I hope you got one of those weeks.  Also, I'm glad you got a two bedroom, so your mom doesn't have to be in a unit all by herself.

Have lots of fun in Aruba.  If you get a moment to respond, I am currious to know how far in advance you put in for your trade request to Vero and if you got both weeks at the same time or if there were a few months in between getting each week?  I'm trying to plan for next year.





gretel said:


> Thanks to everyone for your advice and the photos.  I decided to change destinations for this trip. At this time, it would have been too much of a challenge for my mother to walk on the beach. Last year, she was diagnosed with cancer and this trip is more for her than anyone. I ended up getting very lucky and finding fairly reasonable airfare to Aruba and a 2bedroom cancellation.  My mother is thrilled to be going!
> 
> I am going to cancel the Vero Beach weeks unless someone is interested in paying what I paid (mf and guest cert). I would love for a TUG member to enjoy them. I'm sure there will be another time for us to visit.


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## tomandrobin (Apr 7, 2011)

Ugh...A day late, dollar short.


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## jdunn1 (Apr 7, 2011)

You are so much better at posting pictures than I am.  Took me forever to shrink my pictures and then that process made them blurry and small.

...anyway.  When were these pictures taken?  My pictures were from last July, end of July, actually.

Your pictures show the beach as I remember it from two summers ago.  Thanks.


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## tomandrobin (Apr 7, 2011)

jdunn1 said:


> You are so much better at posting pictures than I am.  Took me forever to shrink my pictures and then that process made them blurry and small.
> 
> ...anyway.  When were these pictures taken?  My pictures were from last July, end of July, actually.
> 
> Your pictures show the beach as I remember it from two summers ago.  Thanks.




Had the pictures already loaded in photobucket, so it was easy to just copy paste.

Yes, the pictures are from a few years ago.....not last year. I was going to post more and give details, but the OP had already booked Aruba instead.


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## tomandrobin (Apr 7, 2011)

I have over 150 Vero Beach pics I could post.....if someone wants to see more.


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## jdunn1 (Apr 8, 2011)

Very nice.  I wish the beach still looked like this.  Althought it was never really pretty, it was better than it is now

I love Vero Beach, too.  Very pretty water, great waves and the resort is my favorite.  I have lots more pictures, too, but they are mostly of my family at the resort.



tomandrobin said:


> Had the pictures already loaded in photobucket, so it was easy to just copy paste.
> 
> Yes, the pictures are from a few years ago.....not last year. I was going to post more and give details, but the OP had already booked Aruba instead.


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## sfwilshire (Apr 10, 2011)

I saw one of those beach wheelchairs in use when we were there recently. I don't know if it belonged to the resort or was a rental. Might be worth asking. I also saw a woman who took her regular wheelchair onto the beach, but she was walking with it, not riding in it, on the sand.

There is a flat spot at the top  of the slope, so your Mom could enjoy the beach. She probably couldn't go down to the water at the resort unless she found one of the beach wheelchairs. She might be able to go to the water from the public access nearby. I think it has a ramp and the drop off didn't seem nearly as steep (if I'm remembering correctly).

Sheila


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## Twinkstarr (Apr 10, 2011)

sfwilshire said:


> I saw one of those beach wheelchairs in use when we were there recently. I don't know if it belonged to the resort or was a rental. Might be worth asking. I also saw a woman who took her regular wheelchair onto the beach, but she was walking with it, not riding in it, on the sand.
> 
> There is a flat spot at the top  of the slope, so your Mom could enjoy the beach. She probably couldn't go down to the water at the resort unless she found one of the beach wheelchairs. She might be able to go to the water from the public access nearby. I think it has a ramp and the drop off didn't seem nearly as steep (if I'm remembering correctly).
> 
> Sheila



We just got back Friday night from VB. The beach wheelchair belongs to the resort, I asked because I vaguely remembered this thread. 

There is still a bit of a hill on the beach, the new sand has created a slope which is better than the "cliff" that was there before.


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## gretel (May 9, 2011)

*Thank You*

Thanks to everyone for the information.  We went to Aruba and had an incredible trip. Even better news is that Mom's test results came back great! Also, a tugger was able to enjoy one of the Vero Beach weeks. It was a winning trip in every way!

For those interested, I booked Disney's Vero Beach about a year in advance when there was a mini bulk bank.  I still plan to visit there sometime in the future.


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