Disney’s Vero Beach-Don’t leave your Resort Part 2

Part 2: Vero Beach.

Disney’s Vero Beach I know what you are thinking … “Vero Beach isn’t even Disney, right?”… Wrong!  I like to think of it as Disney “light.” Vero has all the amenities, service, and little Disney touches you want without the hustle and bustle and characters in your face.  I mean this in the best way (not to offend those who love the fast pace of chasing down characters). 

Have you ever faced the tough decision of coming to Florida and deciding between Disney or the beach? Or trying to squeeze them both into one trip? (Of course, you have or you wouldn’t be reading this.) Now, you don’t have to decide. Vero Beach Resort is the perfect solution to getting both your Disney fix and your beach fix. If you would prefer to mix it up check out my post about Siesta Key here.

On this trip, we stayed 4 days and 3 nights. We never left the resort!

Food:

This resort has only two restaurants and two bars.  The resort here, in true Disney fashion, has staff that is trained to deal with food allergies. We ate at the quick service restaurant the day we arrived. The Wind and Waves market had pretty normal/generic quick service fare. The bonus was that kids meals came in a sand bucket with a shovel. No need to pack sand toys!

Also, guys, they have DOLE WHIP.  A dole whip by the ocean…I’ll wait while you book your next trip. This location also had some snacks and staples (Mickey Premium bars). Another bonus for me was coffee here in the morning was “on the mouse.” Free coffee is the way straight to my caffeinated little heart.

We also participated in the Pirate Night Dinner and Dancing. This only takes place once a week, so make sure you plan ahead. This event transformed a ballroom into a pirate adventure. There was a delicious buffet dinner and they made our little guy with allergies his own plate so he did not have to eat from the buffet. During the evening there was dancing and pirate games; it was so fun for the kids! The kids were so engaged with the party hosts, Sally Sea Legs and her first mate. Pirate Goofy and Donald danced with the kids in some of the best character interaction we have had yet.  The whole experience lasted about 90 minutes and we were able to take these cute pictures when we were finished.

We did not eat at the other restaurant because we were on a budget-friendly trip and we packed a lot of food to make lunches and cook dinner. We ate sandwiches by the pool and used the facility’s two grilling sites to cook out on several occasions.  We stayed in a regular room and stuffed our mini fridge with food and ice to make this happen.

The Green Cabin Room is a lounge with probably the best ocean view ever. Also, the best truffle oil popcorn ever. This is the perfect place to sit and enjoy the ocean view with a drink. We did this very quickly as we had the kids with us. Later on, in the evening they had more adult-oriented activities such as trivia and karaoke.

Activities:

Disney’s Vero Beach Resort has an awesome Mickey shaped pool with a great waterside. Directly next to this pool is the Wind and Waves Bar, the kid’s pirate ship splash pad, a playground, and 9-hole mini golf course.  This is all in addition to the beach! There are lots of other activities that our kids were just not old enough for: surfing, kayaking, archery… the list goes on. However, Vero Beach had an extensive list of free resort activities such as mini treasure hunts and scavenger hunts, campfire sing-along — you get the picture.  Most of the time, our kids were the only ones or in a small group participating in these activities (during our spring break in early March).  I would recommend that if you are taking young kids, visiting when the weather is warm enough to swim and play at the beach is best. I don’t think we would have enjoyed the trip quite as much without the pool and pirate splash pad.

We are considering an adult only trip in the future.  Have you been to Vero Beach Resort? Planning a trip? Let me know in the comments.