Jay's Spring Break at Vero Beach and Kidani...A great split stay

[Chriskre]

Lovely family Jay.

And just a word about the beach, it looks like they improved it cause the last time I was there a few years ago there was a steep drop off and it was quite rough. Maybe they have dredged but it does look much better.

Glad you enjoyed your trip. I'll be going this weekend myself so hopefully the beach will be just as nice for me as for you. Maybe I'll do a TR too.

[AnnaS]

Originally Posted by Chriskre

Glad you enjoyed your trip. I'll be going this weekend myself so hopefully the beach will be just as nice for me as for you. Maybe I'll do a TR too.

MAYBE? What is that all about?

[Jay324]

Originally Posted by hhhmickey

Great TR Jay! Love the photos also!

We frequently go to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach in Alabama, and I never really thought we would use points at Vero. Having seen your report, we may have to tack on a weekend to a WDW trip at some point.

Looking forward to more!

The only problem with this report is it takes me mentally to the beach with a Corona in hand...tough to concentrate on work!

Got the beer at CVS so not much of a selection. While Corona isn't my first choice, it was very nice in this type of setting.

Originally Posted by lovindisney

Looking forward to more!

Sorry I have been slow at the wheel...just have a lot going on lately. I really want to free up some time and continue for I love writing TR's.

Originally Posted by PAJD

Yum. Sounds like the Canyon Skillet at Whispering Canyon. Best tasting meal I've had at the World. I'd be all over that.


Does that Tinkerbell glow doll still work? My youngest went through 3 of them in one dinner, and when the 4th broke, we just left with a broken one.

Jeff.. The meal was really great and so much better than I expected. But, I have never been to the Whispering Canyon or the Wilderness Lodge (and I must have been to Disney 15 times). Whispering Canyon is a must do for my family in the near future.

We had some luck with the Tinkerbell glow dolls for both of them lasted for a couple of days.

Originally Posted by nevada

Love the pirate pictures. Your girls are adorable.

The dinner sounds like Hoop Dee Doo's...delicious.

Thanks Linda....another dinner on the to do list is Hoop Dee Doo, can't believe I have yet to do that dinner show. Sounds right up my alley.

Originally Posted by AnnaS

Little bit of Disney at Vero. Sounds like a great fun dinner. Great pictures again!

Thanks again AnnaS. It was really nice to see the characters at Vero and the kids loved it.

[Jay324]

Originally Posted by scottinbx

Okay that looks like fun and the food sounds good. Nice update.

I liked pirate Donald.

My wife and I both loved the pirate Donald. Both characters had great costumes and it was a lot of fun to say the least. You and Vinny would love this dinner. Every CM really went overboard to make the night fun.

[Jay324]

Originally Posted by jmark

Great trip report Jay. Sounds like my kind of trip -- relaxing at the beach with family and a few drinks at hand. One question how would you compare the beach between Vero and Hilton Head? We've been at Hilton Head a dozen times and was wondering how you thought Vero compares.

This is great question and really a thread unto itself. As for a few thoughts...

We loved both resorts but would give the edge to Disney Hilton Head if we were just going as a destination without supplementing it with a Disney World trip. The thing about Vero was while it was a great resort, Vero Beach itself really isn't a desirable destination in my opinion (my wife would differ with me for she could have done 10 days just lounging around the resort and the beach). I seem to get very antsy after a couple of days at beach resort and I am good for about 4 days max. But after that I need to explore and the area just didn't interest me. HHI just seemed like there was a lot more going on and a week long trip at HHI is perfect. I really did love Hilton Head Island and its surrounding area.

Another thing that I prefer about HHI is Disney World is not calling you every day. VB is two hours away and it is very hard to ignore the mouse constantly calling you (especially when you start the trip at Vero Beach). At HHI, we know that the destination is HHI (maybe Savannah and/or Charleston as well) and our mindset is a lot different.

HHI is also a more economical trip (no park tickets, expensive meals, etc.) for I just couldn't see myself going to VB and not visiting Disney World being that it is so close. Luckily we were on the tail end of our annual passes (third trip with the pass) so we didn't need that expensive 4 day ticket. If we were buying park tickets, we would have been more inclined to do 6 days Disney World, 3 days Vero Beach on our split stay.

For those that are looking to supplement Disney World with a wonderful beach resort on a split stay, VB can't be beat. Like HHI, VB is a magical place and a resort not to be missed for DVC members.

[Jay324]

Originally Posted by disneyfreak89

Enjoying your TR and pics Jay. We love the resort too!

Thanks DF..we will be back to VB with some family or friends on our next visit.

Originally Posted by Mbarnick

Hi Jay: Just caught up on your TR. Wow, the girls have grown since the last pics you posted - they're beautiful. Love the TR. You always tell such a great story and the pics are always great. As soon as I started reading last night I had to go to dvcmember.com to see if I could add a couple VB days to our upcoming trip but alas, nothing available.

Thanks Miriam. VB really is a great supplement to a Disney trip and we are happy to find this place so early in our DVC lives. My wife loves the beach and if we ever go Easter week again, we will plan for a couple of days at VB to get away from the crowds and relax. Might even try VB in the middle of a trip. But, we really should have planned a 9 or 10 day trip for the Disney World portion 4 days, 3 nights was a little light.

Originally Posted by Chriskre

Lovely family Jay.

And just a word about the beach, it looks like they improved it cause the last time I was there a few years ago there was a steep drop off and it was quite rough. Maybe they have dredged but it does look much better.

Glad you enjoyed your trip. I'll be going this weekend myself so hopefully the beach will be just as nice for me as for you. Maybe I'll do a TR too.

Have a great weekend Chriskre. As for the beach, Yes it is on a slope but it levels out nicely toward the water. The sand is soft and the swimming in the ocean is awesome with no rocks or coral. I guess we lucked out with the weather for the first day the water was rough, but after that, it was very calm and easy. Would love to see another TR on Vero...very few VB reports from what I have searched.

[Tammy]

Beautiful family, great trip report!

[ilonaj1]

[quote=Jay324;662351]This is great question and really a thread unto itself. As for a few thoughts...

We loved both resorts but would give the edge to Disney Hilton Head if we were just going as a destination without supplementing it with a Disney World trip. The thing about Vero was while it was a great resort, Vero Beach itself really isn't a desirable destination in my opinion (my wife would differ with me for she could have done 10 days just lounging around the resort and the beach). I seem to get very antsy after a couple of days at beach resort and I am good for about 4 days max. But after that I need to explore and the area just didn't interest me. HHI just seemed like there was a lot more going on and a week long trip at HHI is perfect. I really did love Hilton Head Island and its surrounding are

Ocean Drive in Vero Beach has many specialty shops, restaurants and lounges. It's a fun place to browse and to have a drink or two at one of their many ocean front settings. DH and I enjoy having breakfast at the Historic Driftwood Inn and lunch at Gloria Estefan restaurant Costa d'Este. Although I live only 40 minutes from VB I always feel like I'm on vacation when I visit that area.

[micgoo]

Thanks for the great trip report! Also enjoyed the comparison to HHI.
We went to Vero Beach a couple of times several years ago when Dodgertown was still there. Hubby is a huge Dodgers fan; son is a huge Braves fan. A Disney Spring Break fit the bill perfectly... as we did a split stay at Vero to watch Dodgers Spring Training and WDW to watch the Braves!

[Islander]

Thanks for the awesome trip report!

I need to put Vero on my list..............