Yikes! No beach at Vero ... will the pool be jammed?

[LadyLion]

We're vacationing at Vero Beach in less than two weeks ... yesterday received a letter that guests will not be allowed on the beach since they will be working on it (due to damage from last year's hurricanes).

How crowded does the resort get in early November? I assume everyone who would have been on the beach will now be at the pool ... will it be jammed??

 

[PamOKW]

I wouldn't worry too much about the pool being overcrowded. It might be busy, but I wouldn't expect a huge crowd.

I'm kind of curious about the beach being "closed". I wonder if they mean the resort's walkway will be closed or will there be earthmovers or something similar actually on the beach that will close the entire beach area (including the public beach next door).

 

[Kadorto]

We were there in the spring and there was a lot of heavy equipment on the beach then and it was open. While we were walking in the surf the occasional bulldozer or whatever would drive by. Didn't really bother us too much as the beach was fairly wide and they really were not too close. There was a section south of the resort where we primarily stayed at that did not have any construction traffic. At the rate they were doing repairs in just the few days we were there in March...I would be very surprised to learn that extensive major repairs are still needed. Hoping for the best for the OP and if their trip is half as fun as ours...they'll have a great time.

 

[DisneyPhD]

We normally go in May and it isn't a busy time for them but the pool is never too busy and the beach only seems to have a dozen families at most at any time so I don't see it being too crowded.

Last may the beach access was all they way at the end of resort, it was a bit of walk (comparied to where it was) but we could still get to it. (they were working on the boardwalk).

Puplic acess is close by too. (for sebastion I think) I find it hard they wouldn't allow any beach acess. I guess wait and see.

Also the beach at Vero Beach is rather nice too.

Let us know how it went and if you were able to go to the beach. While I love the pool I would be very dispaointed to go there and not have beach access. After all if I only wanted the pool I could stay at at WDW prop resort.

If it was me I think I would call the resort and ask a CM about it.

 

[LadyLion]

Thanks for your replies ... in our other VB trips, I also recall not many families on the beach ... my children prefer the pool but we do like walking and playing on the beach.

The letter says they are doing a "dune refurbishment" project beginning in early November, restoring 270,000 tons of sand to the beach areas along the shore of Indian River County. We will see and hear construction vehicles throughout our stay during daytime hours.

It says we will not have access to the beach because of safety concerns, but notes that "several local county beaches are open". It also says that work will be suspended on Sundays and during the Thanksgiving period. Work is expected to be completed in mid-December.

 

[chrissyk]

Our beaches got the same treatment this past spring. There was a big barge out in the open ocean, and the sand was essentially blown into the shoreline with big pipes. Then, loaders spread the sand back on the beach to build it up. We were at Vero recently, and the beach is completely eroded. They really need to to this work badly!

FWIW, they can only work on one stretch of beach at a time with loaders. You can probably just go over by 1 beach access and go to the beach there on any given day. That's what we did at home when this work was being done here.

 

[Beth]

There are several county (or state?) parks on the way to Sebastian Inlet - just north of the resort by a mile or two - that were plenty wide when we were there over Labor Day weekend.

Some of them had facilities, and even nice picnic areas. The morning we visited, we were the only people there but, that was probably partially due to Ophelia coming in - the surf was really rough.

 

[DVCDawn]

My family and I were in Vero in May over Mother's Day weekend. Practically no one was on the beach -- we checked and there were at most 20 people down there. There was a special party around the pool with a DJ who kept announcing that the resort was at full capacity. Now, you'd think that the pool would be wall to wall people, but it wasn't. We were pleasantly surprised. Front row seats poolside were harder to come by, but not impossible to get. We were able to get a table with four chairs right by the slide entrance, inbetween the main pool and the Tiger Lily area each day by arriving at the pool around 10:00 AM.

Don't worry, I think you'll be just fine.

DVCDawn

 

[PaulaMurf]

We are planning on being in VB for just a few nights the first week of December. I was actually thinking about changing the dates or canceling the VB portion of the trip as my DH & DS were most looking forward to a little "treasure hunting" on the beach.

For those of you who have been to VB - how close are the other access points to the beach?

Can the OP update this info when you get back??

TIA
Paula in CT

 

[LadyLion]

Sure - we return on 11/12 - I'll try to remember to update you on the conditions after that.

Regarding "treasure hunting" ... funny story ... we first went to VB when our children were 2 and 4 ... then again when they were 4 and 6. Both times, we hid metal stuff in the sand when they weren't paying attention, then used a rented metal detector for them to find the little treasures!

They are now 9 and 11 and still haven't figured out that secret. They were looking forward to getting a metal detector and finding stuff - I'm kinda happy to be off the hook because they are too old to be satisfied with pennies and cheap trinkets like they were years ago!!

 

[PaulaMurf]

According to the CM I spoke with, the beach will be unavailable from 9am - 5pm M- Sat, however, available on the evenings and Sundays.

Also, he said that all activities at the resort will be running normally including the campfire. (YEAH)

: )
Paula in CT

 

[LadyLion]

Hi - just wanted to post an update. We were at VB from Tuesday evening through Saturday morning.

Access to the beach was "loosely" roped off during the daytime (9-5, but sometimes not even for all those hours). I say "loose" because you could bypass the barriers - although I don't recommend that - but I saw people do it.

The beach was available during the hours when they were not working. Also, Friday was Veterans Day - no workers so the beach was open all day. We were told that the only reason they had it roped off was because of safety with the construction vehicles ... I suppose it could change as the refurbishment progresses, but the only vehicles we saw were huge dump trucks filled with sand.

During those times when we visited the beach, it was almost "normal" - just some vehicle tracks in the sand closest to the resort. Many families were playing on the beach and swimmers were in the water. Still very enjoyable.

Both the main access and the one at the far end of the resort were open when not roped off.

The pool was not too crowded - we were told that the resort was about 75% full (although I assume it increased over the holiday weekend) - plenty of open lounge chairs and tables.

I would definitely NOT recommend canceling ... we asked at the desk, and they said they did have just a few cancellations but there was SO much to do for kids of all ages - and the beach was available some times - that I'm glad we stuck with our plans.

Feel free to ask any questions should you have them.