General Resort Information

Disney's Vero Beach resort opened in October of 1995 and is the only Disney resort on the ocean in Florida. It is located right in the middle of Indian River County and Citrus Country - a region known for growing some of the world's best grapefruit and oranges since 1807.

The resort is a "summer, sea-side, nautical resort " and was built in the architectural styles of the grand hotels found on the Northeastern seaboard at the turn- of-the-century. The grand atrium of the main Inn towers three floors above, you're greeted with the sights (and sounds) of the seaside. A whimsical sea captain in the lobby sings songs of the sea with a guitar accompaniment. The motif of the main Inn building is a cross between the Yacht and Beach Club and the BoardWalk . The tans, browns and greens used throughout the entire architecture were intentionally used to blend the structure into the surrounding area. Each room with a nautical motif coral pinks and seafoam greens for color.

Vero Beach Resort is quite different from OKW in that there is no theme park around the area to spend time at. It is also different in that it has more of a relaxed atmosphere. There is no rushing off to get to the parks or to try to complete as much as you can during your short time there.

The layout is smaller than OKW as well as being smaller than other WDW resorts. It consists of the Main Inn which houses the Deluxe Inn Rooms as well as some of the studios, as well as three villas which contain the studios, one and two bedroom units. There are also four "Beach Cottages" which are the Vero version of the Grand Villas. These are free-standing buildings which overlook the beach and have great ocean views. There are plans to expand the resort across A1A but at this time there is no construction. It appears to be just in the development stages.

Main Themes

The resort has three main themes:

Citrus- Indian River County's number one industry is citrus. The area groves produce over ten varieties of oranges and grapefruit and is home to 20 different packing houses including the largest in the state. Orange trees in the lobby, The "Island Grove Packing Store" (gift shop and mini-mart) in the main lobby, and packing labels decorating some of the rooms.

Treasure: Indian River County is one of three counties located on the "Treasure Coast" named so for the numerous shipwrecks just offshore. Recovery of treasure still continues today with salvage boats noticeable offshore. The "Green Cabin Room" (lounge on second floor of main Inn) is named after the Green Cabin Wreck of 1618 and is themed after treasure.

Environment: The beaches of Vero are among the densest turtle-nesting areas found in the western hemisphere. The Loggerhead sea turtle will annually nest their eggs on the beaches at Vero Beach. Disney has strive to protect them by purposely not putting outside lights that face the beach (since the turtles hatching behavior is triggered by moonlight).

The accommodations here are very similar to the standard DVC "vacation homes" accommodations with slight differences. Due to the high cost of the property, certain economies had to be exercised. The layout of the units are identical but with an overall slight reduction in room sizes as well as certain missing items.