We are trying to combine a WDW trip onto a beach trip. The WDW person suggested going to Vero Beach. I really like the accommodations there -the Disney Vero Beach. However, the beach looks quite narrow. I have read some of the posts here and it seems that there are good and bad. Your thoughts on Vero Beach?

Disney said that they also book at places located in St. Pete and Clearwater. Anyone stay there? I believe they are Tradewind Island Grand Beach Resort in St. Pete and Sheraton Sand Key Resort in Clearwater, FL. They are non-Disney properties, but Disney will book them for you. Anyone have any experience with either of these or can recommend another deluxe hotel in the St. Pete area? Not sure if St. pete vs. Clearwater either.

Thanks!

We stayed at Disneys Vero Beach resort 2 years ago, and really enjoyed it. The beach is much bigger than it appears in the pictures. Nice programs for the kids, accomodations were very nice also. The beach is only open to resort guests, so never was very crowded when we were there. There is enough beach for a nice walk, but bring footwear, there are a lot of shells!

Cheermom,
Thanks for the info. We are still trying to decide between Vero Beach and St. Petersburg. The kids like the white sand better. I understood that Vero has the brown sand.

Glad to hear that the beach is a lot bigger than it looks.

What would you compare the hotel there to , say Yacht level at WDW? It's rated 4 star, but sometimes hard to determine what that translates to.

Thanks for the info!

We stayed in the 1 bedroom villa, I would say it was comparable to Old Key west villas, only with soothing ocean waves playing in the background all day and night, very relaxing! The Inn was comparable to The Beach Club, very nice, but not at all stuffy. One thing that really shines about this resort is that it is Disney. So, the service was impeccable, the staff extremely friendly, and many activities for the kiddos that were Disney themed (unbirthday parties, campfire sing alongs with Disney tunes, Disney movie nights, etc.) The turtle expedition was a huge hit, as was the kids night out. You're right about the beach, the sand was definitely not the soft sugary variety!

Thanks, Cheermom! I think we decided to head to St. Petersburg or Clearwater instead. One of the things which attracted me to Vero is exactly what you said, the hotel is run by Disney. Thus you can expect a certain level of quality. Not sure where to stay at St Petersburg which is equivalent to Disney deluxe. Thanks for your feedback!