Disney’s Vero Beach Resort – A Hidden Gem on the Treasure Coast

When most people think of a Disney vacation, they imagine visiting the theme parks, or maybe taking a cruise.  They picture a trip full of activities, characters and attractions, with very little time left for rest and relaxation.  While amazing and magical, these trips can also be exhausting, and I often arrive home needing a vacation from my vacation!

But did you know that Disney also owns two beach resorts?  That’s right, you can get Disney’s world-class customer service and amazing attention to detail in a quiet, relaxing setting.  With an abundance of recreation options for the entire family and plenty of dining options (including Dole Whips!), all you’ll be missing are the crowds! Sound about perfect?  It is!

 

Disney's Vero Beach

Disney’s Vero Beach Resort is located just 2 hours south of Walt Disney World, on the Atlantic Treasure Coast, sharing space with the nesting grounds of the Loggerhead Sea Turtle. And five hours north of Walt Disney World, Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort can be found on the picturesque coast of South Carolina, fashioned after a 1940s hunting and fishing lodge, and featuring 12 miles of heavenly beaches.  Though both resorts are Disney Vacation Club properties, both can be booked directly with Disney by non-DVC members.  Both resorts are very small, however, with Hilton Head having less than 150 units (ranging from studio to 3 bedroom layouts) and Vero Beach just under 250 (including 132 DVC layouts and 112 rooms in the main building, or “inn”), so advance planning remains a must, just like with any other Disney vacation!

Welcome Home Sign for DVC Members

My family got the opportunity to visit Disney’s Vero Beach Resort this past June.  We did use our DVC points to book this trip, and when we wanted to tweak our dates we struggled to find the availability we needed, and had to move our room type in order to accommodate the change in plans.  And by the time we travelled, there wasn’t a single available room in any room category for our trip dates. Having never had a problem booking the resort I wanted at Walt Disney World, even for last minute trips or during holidays, I was a bit surprised by how quickly this resort filled up, even given its small size.  But now that I’ve experienced it for myself, it’s very easy to understand why this resort is in such high demand!

Resort Property

Beach at Resort

Let me begin by saying that while beautiful, this resort does not “scream” Disney.  There are several subtle (and some not-so-subtle) touches throughout the resort that let you know you are on a Disney-owned property, but you won’t see characters roaming the grounds or hear Disney music being pumped throughout the common areas.  You will, however, get the same level of care and customer service that you have come to expect from Disney Cast Members.  And just like other Disney resorts, you have all the amenities you need right at your fingertips, with no need to leave the resort if you don’t want to!

Resort pictures

Recreation

The resort itself is situated right on the beach (unlike Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort, where you must take a shuttle to the beach) with beach chairs, umbrellas and cabanas available for rent (you can also bring your own).  They also offer body boards, kayaks and surf lessons on the beach, all for an additional charge. 

Body Boarding

Fishin' Time!

Back up at the resort there is also a large pool with a water slide, and plenty of pool games going on throughout the day.  A 9-hole miniature golf course surrounds the pool, and there is also a ping pong table and activities center right outside the pool gates.  The activities center houses different crafts and programs throughout the day, some free of charge and some for a nominal fee.  My kids made shark tooth necklaces one day and did a fishing excursion another (the best part about this activity was that the price included their own rod and reel that we got to bring home!). Needless to say, for those kids who don’t know how to RELAX (like mine!) and need some extra stimulation, they won’t be bored!

Miniature Golf

And during sea turtle nesting season, you can reserve your spot on a guided sea turtle night walk.  This event is currently offered select nights in June and July to those ages 8 and up.  The walk begins at 9 p.m. and lasts 2-4 hours, depending on how quickly a nesting turtle can be found.  Scouts will search for sea turtles while you enjoy a presentation on the nesting process, and once a nest is located you’ll be provided with night vision goggles to watch the turtle lay her eggs, cover the nest and return to the sea.

Destination Signs

Dining

There are several dining options at the resort.  The Wind & Waves Market is a quick service location, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, and also carries some groceries and to-go items.  Also, if you purchased the refillable mug (yes, they have those here, too!), this is where the drink station is located.  (Pro Tip: If your trip to Vero Beach follows a resort stay in Walt Disney World, the mug you purchased at WDW will still work in Vero.)  This is also where you will find the Dole Whip station!! Wind & Waves Market is situated right outside the pool gates, next to the Wind & Waves Bar.

The Wind & Waves Grill is a sit down restaurant, open for breakfast and dinner.  Located just off the lobby and steps away from the pool and beach, the Wind & Waves Grill has a small, hearty menu, with dinner specials that change daily.

The Green Cabin Room can be found on the second floor of the resort, with sweeping views of the ocean from its patio.  The Green Cabin Room serves a full selection of beer and wine in addition to specialty cocktails.  There is also a small menu of appetizers available.  It’s a great place to unwind with a drink before heading to dinner.  The Green Cabin Room is also host to several after-dinner activities for the over 21-crowd, like trivia contests (Disney-themed, of course!) and karaoke.

Lastly, in true Disney fashion, the resort does offer two character meals – Goofy’s Beach side Breakfast (offered seasonally on Saturday mornings) and Pirate Night Dinner (offered seasonally on Monday nights).  This is the ONLY place to see characters at the resort, and both meals include appearances by Goofy and Donald.

Goody's Beach Side Breakfast

Guest Services

One gift shop is located off the lobby of the inn, Island Grove Packing Company.  This shop sells a variety of Disney themed apparel and souvenirs, in addition to groceries and sundries, and even provides DVD rentals.

Parking is available in an underground garage, adjacent to the parking lot.  There is no overnight parking fee for resort guests, but you will be required to display a pass on your dashboard for the duration of your stay.

The resort also has a spa, onsite laundry and dry cleaning services, fitness center, tennis courts, bike rentals, outdoor grills and childcare options.

Offsite Activities

While you certainly don’t have to leave Disney’s Vero Beach property for a single minute during your vacation, there are a variety of things to do in Vero Beach and the surrounding area if you choose to venture out.  Delicious restaurants line the coastline, offering every type of cruise – from seafood to steakhouses, Italian and American.  For the golfers, there are several courses in the area.  You can also schedule airboat rides or take a private boat tour.  My family did a personal tour of the Sebastian Inlet with Capt. Christy Lenz Casual Cruisin’ and it was a definite highlight of our trip.  We got the chance to view dolphins, manatees, stingray and a variety of other fish and birds up close and personal during our 2-hour tour.  It was truly amazing!

Dolphin sighting

Manatee Sighting

So for those of you that are looking for a relaxing vacation, without all the hustle and bustle of the theme parks, but with the legendary customer service you’ve come to appreciate from Disney – look no further than Disney’s Vero Beach Resort.  After just one stay, my family has decided this needs to be an annual trip for us.  We paired our days in Vero with a few days in Walt Disney World prior, and it was the perfect mix of theme park fun followed by pure relaxation.  And I actually came home from this trip refreshed, which was definitely a Disney first! This resort is truly a hidden gem, just waiting for you to discover all it has to offer.  Call your travel agent today to book your stay at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort – I promise you won’t regret it!

Family Cruisin'

By: Alyssa Gates Schreiber

Alyssa@traveltimetravel.com

Let us make your vacation even easier!  We'll help you plan from the start and can advise you and handle your arrangements, including dining, fast passes, room requests, discount application, and celebrations.  We are the same price or less than if you book on your own, and you get us for FREE!  Have an expert on your side at zero cost to you and contact one of our agents today!

 

Review of the Swan and Dolphin hotels at Disney World

The Swan and Dolphin are interesting resorts – you use the official Disney transportation, get access to Extra Magic Hours but don’t get access to Magical Express and you can’t use Magic Bands at the resort. It’s an odd in-between of an offsite resort and an official resort where you get all of the perks.

You also aren’t quite surrounded by the “Disney Magic” 24/7 like you would at one of the official Disney owned resorts. When actually at the Dolphin it felt like a hotel that could be anywhere but was definitely on the much nicer side. Both the Swan and Dolphin are separate resorts though they’re just a couple hundred feet apart from each other, separated by a walkway and Crescent lake. The Dolphin, which this review is about is the much larger property with the Swan being slightly smaller.

I did find the layout of the resort slightly confusing. First off the place is enormous so you can easily get lost just wandering around the myriad of hallways that go off of the center lobby. There are also a few different banks of elevators which can get confusing if you don’t remember which one you’re suppose to go up. Eventually we found the right set of elevators are were headed up to the West elevators. The room was slightly smaller than I was expecting for the price that these rooms go for. Since we were upgraded to a Resort Room we had a mini-fridge, cordless phone and the “heavenly” beds which are very comfortable.

I did know this going into it but was still disappointing were the fact that the rooms only had full beds instead of queens. I would have much preferred to have queen beds in the room instead of full beds. The entry area had a wet bar with a standard hotel room sized fridge below. They do stock the coffee with Starbucks which was a nice treat, it was much better than your standard hotel coffee.

Overall nothing special about the room at the Dolphin. Everything about the room was very average from the double beds, the decor and the small & awkward bathroom. – just wish the room had a little more to offer. There is a parking free of 25 dollars. And you will need a credit card on file. And if your in the Dolphin you will need to walk to the Swan for Disney travel to parks. Boats from the Dolphin will take you to Epcot and Disney Hollywood Studios.

By Vikki
v.tonnesssen@traveltimetravel.com

Let us make your vacation even easier!  We'll help you plan from the start and can advise you and handle your arrangements, including dining, fast passes, room requests, discount application, and celebrations.  We are the same price or less than if you book on your own, and you get us for FREE!  Have an expert on your side at zero cost to you and contact one of our agents today!

Walt Disney World's Pirate League info and Review

Pirates League Blog

As we all know Disney is known for it’s hidden gems from the Dole Whips (okay not so hidden), to hidden Mickey’s, Ohana character breakfast, or the prime parade viewing in Liberty Square across from Ye Christmas Shoppe .  They are the secret gems only the truest Disney fan knows about but they are experiences filled with every nugget of Disney Magic.  Well today I’m going to let you know about another Disney hidden gem that has become my family’s ‘treasured’ (p’aaaarrrrrdon the pun) experiences.  It’s Pirates League at the Magic Kingdom.

So much hype in the Disney community exists for the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.  Yes this makeover venue is pixie dusted elegance and glamour at it’s best but there is another selection for those who want to be magically transformed. If ye dares……

Pirates League is located directly to the right of the queue line of Pirates of the Caribbean.  Once you enter you are given your choices

of becoming any number of scary rough tough pirates or the friendly Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates. For the ladies/girls in your party  you become a dazzling Pirate Empress or mesmerizing Mermaid.  There are ofcourse deluxe add-ons from costumes to t-shirts to make the transformation complete. 

Once your selection has been made you will be ushered by a buccaneer or pirate wench to a room to use a special book and tool to determine what your pirate name would be.  At the completion of the makeover you are given an authentic looking parchment with the pirate oath, declaring your given Pirate name, and signed by ‘Captain’ Jack Sparrow.
If you have selected an add-on you are shown a changing room in which you can change into your official pirate garb. 

You are then introduced to the official buccaneer or pirate wench, or as I lovingly call them your pirate guide, that will be completing your transformation. The room surrounding you has many mementos from the movies.  Ask your pirate guide about the décor and movie mementos and they will freely share the secret treasures Jack and his fellow crewmates have left behind including the chest of Davy Jones, to Elizabeth Turner’s dress, to artwork from the King’s Castle.


Your pirate guide may regal you with tales of ‘Captain’ Jack Sparrows adventures or there may be inquisitions into your new world tales of unfamiliar technology such as television, airplanes, or playstations. Pirates are unfamiliar with such crazy new world inventions and your child will be their informant educating the pirate guide of all the technological advances they are lacking being at sea.  The conversational discourse between Pirate guide and child is insightful and entertaining and you as a parent can delight in sitting back to observe this marvelous adventure.

When a makeover is complete a child’s name and title is announced to the room and a the room breaks out into a hearty cheer for the new pirate joining the ranks. 
Following this magical makeover the pirate guide then bestows on them the special tools of a pirate including a sash, bandana, and depending on the pirate guide your child may also receive the remaining palette of makeup and jeweled tattoos for the mermaid or empress makeovers.

The pirate is then taught the pirate oath and with raised hands and a hearty heart they pledge the oath and are thus officially assigned a prestigious new role as “pirate”. 
Now that they are a pirate they are given secret passage into a hidden room for more treasures.  For our adventure it was a pirate dubloon necklace in a treasure box my children had to discover in the hidden depths of this secret map room.  This is the final step of the makeover and one is then ushered to a Pirate cashier where a transfer of pirate coin (credit card or cash) is used to pay for ye’ transformation.

 There are often Photopass photographers near the sign for Pirates League to take pictures of your new scurvy mate to commemorate the magical moment.  And if you time it right you can walk the plank across the courtyard to the Captain Jacks Pirate Tutorial where frequently Captain Jack Sparrow himself plucks the newly transformed shipmates to join his crew and learn the ways of sword fighting, fleeing trouble, or pledging the pirate oath. 

For my girls this transformation allowed my glamorous fashionable 10 year old daughter to sparkle and shine with pixie dusted mermaid makeover and color changing jewelry (included in the makeover) and my tomboy 13 year old daughter to become a creepy pirate ghost (complete with skull makeup).  This venue truly has something for everyone and I saw whole families getting in on the transformation fun.  It is more budget friendly then Bibbidi Bobbidi with pricing starting at $39.95 and includes a swash buckling good time for the adventurer in all of us. 
The packages include the following components:
The First Mate Package
$39.95
•    Facial makeup and hair to become Ghosted Pirate, Zombie, Captain Hook, Blackbeard or Black Eyed Jack
•    Reversible bandana
•    Earring and eye patch
•    Sword and sheath
•    The Pirates League bag
•    Temporary tattoo
•    Unique pirate coin necklace
•    Official Pirate Name
•    Personalized pirate oath
The Captain Hook Deluxe Package
$99.95
•    Captain Hook Costume (youth sizes only)
•    Captain Hook facial makeup and hair
•    Sword and sheath
•    Bandana
•    Earring and eye patch
•    Pirate tattoo
•    Pirate bag
•    Unique coin necklace
•    Toy hook
The Empress Package
$39.95
•    Vibrant makeup, lip gloss, nail polish and face gem
•    Unique pirate coin necklace
•    Temporary tattoo
•    The Pirates League bag
•    Official Empress Name
•    Personalized pirate oath
The Mermaid Deluxe Package
$79.95
•    Mermaid costume (youth sizes only)
•    Luminous mermaid makeup and makeup palette
•    Mermaid hairstyle and color-changing hair clip
•    Distinctive mermaid necklace
•    Nail polish
•    Mermaid sash

For more information visit : contact your friendly Travel Time Agent today!!!

Let us make your vacation even easier!  We'll help you plan from the start and can advise you and handle your arrangements, including dining, fast passes, room requests, discount application, and celebrations.  We are the same price or less than if you book on your own, and you get us for FREE!  Have an expert on your side at zero cost to you and contact one of our agents today!

Coral Reef Restaurant at EPCOT 101

I had the pleasure of eating at The Coral Reef Restaurant on my recent trip to Orlando. This restaurant is located in the Land and Seas portion of Epcot.  Here is the ENTIRE breakdown of this awesome dining facility.  

Theme:

What I call “under the sea”. From the lighting to the color choices, you immediately feel like you are about to go into a scuba diving adventure from the minute you walk into the restaurant. The hostess desk has octopus lighting fixtures on it and a glass desk top that resembles sea glass. The dining room is the BEST part, and also the biggest part of the restaurant. You will get to dine right next to sting rays and sharks! There are also over 80 different types of fish in the tank, just in case sting rays and sharks aren’t enough!!! There are 3 small levels, for prime viewing experience no matter where you are sat.  There are scuba divers that come in the tanks and they wave to you as they swim by! It has a very elegant, yet casual feel to it.

  

Food:

The menu is very simple. There are plenty of seafood choices, as well as some land choices as well. To start, the calamari was AMAZING! The best calamari I have had in a long time. It was so flavorful and well cooked.  We also enjoyed the crab-spinach fondue which was also awesome! For dinner, we had the pleasure of eating the NY Strip Steak and the Shrimp and Grits. Both entrees were very tasty, and well prepared. All of the food came out in a timely fashion; we didn’t have to wait for a long time between our appetizers and entrees. For desert, we enjoyed the Chocolate Wave. It was a chocolate cake, with a warm fudge center that pours out when you cut it in half! I have nothing bad to say about the food we ate that day. And from what the other customers in the dining room shared, they had the same opinion.

Price:

For the food we ate, and the experience we had the prices are very reasonable. They also accept the dining plan! It is 1 dining plan credit. They also give an Annual Pass discount, as well as Tables in wonderland discount.

Hours and Reservations:

They open at 12:00pm EST for lunch and run that menu until 3:00pm EST. Dinner begins at 4:00pm.  Reservations were relatively easy to obtain. I changed my time twice, one being a week before our arrival to Epcot.

Overall:

I think that this is a great place to dine. It has more of an adult ambiance if you want a place to eat without the kids, but also is a great place to bring the kids! There really isn’t any “Disney” to this dining experience, which could be a nice break from the park craziness! There are a lot of food choices in Epcot, but I think that this is the best choice! Its off the grid, and quiet in the park. Overall, I can’t say anything bad about this place. It was a great experience and I am looking forward to eating here again!!

                                   

 

Let us make your vacation even easier!  We'll help you plan from the start and can advise you and handle your arrangements, including dining, fast passes, room requests, discount application, and celebrations.  We are the same price or less than if you book on your own, and you get us for FREE!  Have an expert on your side at zero cost to you and contact one of our agents today!