Bleachers at Disney's Vero Beach Resort

Written by Leann Pettit
Bleachers is the quick serve restaurant by the pool at Disney's Vero Beach Resort. Unlike most quick serve restaurants, food is cooked to order and diners are given a pager (the kind you would be handed for a table at a restaurant) which will notify you when you order is ready.

We ate here a couple of times during our stay, both times at lunch. We ordered the mahi fish tacos, pepperoni pizza, chicken nuggets, and onion rings.

The pizza and chicken nuggets are of the variety that you would find at any Disney restaurant, but definitely hot and didn't taste like they had been sitting under a heat lamp.

The fish tacos, two to an order, had very large pieces of Mahi Mahi on them, almost bigger than the tortillas they were wrapped in. The tacos had two different creamy sauces on them, and had a layer of coleslaw underneath. They were delicious, and the two wasn't quite enough of an order.

The coleslaw was vinegar based and was on the sweeter side, and had a nice bite to it. On the tacos, it was a nice counterpart to the creamy sauces and the moist fish.

The onion rings tasted hand dipped and were super crispy and were served with a dipping sauce.

We chose to purchase a regular soda, versus the Disney refillable mug. With the refillable mug guests pay for unlimited refills by number of days. One day is $8.99, 3 days is $14.99. If you're spending a decent amount of your trip at the resort, this might be a good cost saving option for you. Soda and water is available all day and coffee is available in the morning.

The regular cups, you can refill them 4 times in 2 hours. The two of us sharing one soda, we were able to refill the cup 3 times in that 2 hour period while lounging on the pool deck.

Character Breakfast at Shutters

Written by Leann Pettit
On Saturday mornings year round at Shutters they offer a character breakfast with Goofy and Donald. Breakfast is served "family style," with a large portion of everything coming out to the table, and any or all of it can be refilled.

Breakfast consists of scrambled eggs, Mickey waffles, bacon, sausage links, breakfast potatoes, fresh fruits and baked goods. The fresh fruit served included pineapple, red grapes, cantaloupe, watermelon, and honeydew. The bakers basket had cinnamon rolls, raspberry danishes and cheese danishes.

The waffles were on the small side of Mickey waffles, but your server will bring more if you ask for it. The waffles are crispy on the outside, with nice deep waffle grooves where the syrup soaks into it. While they are crispy on the outside, they are perfectly fluffy on the inside.

The eggs were very good, and very plentiful. The bacon was served very crispy (just the way I like it) and the potatoes were soft and tasty.

As you are seated, each person in your group is handed an autograph sheet and a coloring paper. The coloring paper, with a picture of pirate Mickey on it, is part of a weekly coloring contest held by Shutters, and Goofy and Donald decide who wins.

Character aides with Goofy and Donald are more than willing to take your camera for a family photo with the characters. And servers will also take full family photos if you ask.

Definitely make reservations in advance, either by calling in advance or stopping down to concierge or the hostess stand during your stay.

Blue Palmetto Cafe at Bok Tower Gardens

Written by Leann Pettit
The Blue Palmetto Cafe, located at the Bok Tower Gardens, was a surprisingly good find. Order at the counter and meals are delivered to your table, with tables both inside the cafe, and outside in the gardens.

We ordered the Tropical Salad and a turkey and cheese sandwich. The turkey and cheese was a pretty standard sandwich. However, the salad was delicious and an amazing item on the menu here. The salad has turkey, apples, sweetened pecans, Mandarin oranges, strawberries, Gorgonzola cheese and is served with a honey lime dressing on the side. The combination of the fruits and the turkey were perfect together. On a warm, sunny day, the tropical salad was the perfect refreshing lunch choice.

We also ordered the beer battered, house cut french fries, which were addictingly good.

If you show your AAA card, you get a free fountain soda, hot tea, hot coffee or cookie, so definitely break out that AAA card.

Disney's Vero Beach Resort

Do you want a Disney themed trip without the theme parks?  Well, then Disney's Vero Beach Resort might be the perfect choice for you.  Located about 1.5 hours away from Walt Disney World on Flordia's Treasure Coast, this resort has a good amount of Disney flair to it, without it being too "over the top".

The rooms and facilities are both kept very clean.  All of the staff we interacted with (front desk, lifeguards, housekeeping and restaurant staff) were all extremely friendly and helpful.

The location is right on the beach and also has a very large pool with a great water slide (for adults and kids!) and a hot tub.  There are constantly at least 3 lifeguards on duty at all times, so this will help make parents feel better about letting their kids go into the pool without needing to constantly watch them. The pool also has a restaurant there, Bleachers, that has pretty good quality food and drinks (including alcohol) that are made fresh to order. Also, if you order a soft drink, you get 4 free refills within a 2 hour period. One thing we did note though is that some days this restaurant closes at 5 PM, which we thought was a bit early.

There are various activities offered (some with an additional cost) such as mini golf, shuffleboard, tennis, volleyball, etc.  One free activity they had nightly on the weekends was a campfire sing-along with s'mores.

The room itself (we had a studio) comes stocked with plates, bowls, cups, mugs and utensils.  It also has a microwave, mini-fridge, toaster, and a large coffeepot.  One thing to note about these rooms is that regular guests get daily housekeeping service.  However, people that book with Disney Vacation Club points only get housekeeping service for free once every 4 days (although you can pay extra for more service).  There is also a parking garage located under the villas, giving you easy access to an elevator to get your belongings from your car to your room.

Two cons we saw at the hotel was that the TV in the room is a bit small and the vending machine in our building was sold out for our entire stay.  Other than that though, this was an excellent place to get away for a long weekend and one we'd recommend to anyone looking for some Disney fun without the fatigue of the theme parks.

Sonya's at Disney's Vero Beach Resort

Written by Leann Pettit
We ate at Sonya's at Disney's Vero Beach Resort on Valentine's Day. While the restaurant had a special surf and turf for two entree, they also served their entire regular menu as well.

We both ordered the Oak Grilled Beef Tenderloin Filet, which is served with truffle mac and cheese and a red wine sauce. The filet was cooked perfectly to just before medium well and was incredibly tender. The red wine sauce was peppery and the cheese from the mac and cheese mixed with the red wine sauce, which made it heavenly for both the mac and cheese and the steak.

We also ordered the special dessert duo, which was a passion fruit cream puff and a chocolate bomb cake. The cream puff was made with a delicate, buttery, flaky pastry on the top and bottom and filled in the center with a light and fluffy cream that definitely let the passion fruit flavor shine through.

The chocolate bomb was in the style of a lava cake - a moist cake which surrounds a moister, oozing center. The duo was designed for Valentine's Day as a dessert for two.

The night we went, the restaurant was booked solid, so definitely make reservations in advance.

Tin Fish, Port St. Lucie

Written by Leann Pettit
While driving around Central Florida, we stopped at Tin Fish Restaurant in Port St. Lucie. The place was located in a strip mall and looked very unassuming from the outside. Inside, the place felt like the local hang out, everyone knew each other, and the waitstaff was friendly.

We ordered the the Mahi-Mahi fish sandwich and the Tin Fish's Famous Fish Sandwich. Both were served fried and with a side of slaw. The Famous sandwich was served on a long hoagie roll and and the Mahi-Mahi sandwich served on a bun, both very fresh and soft.

The slaw was vinegar based - no mayonnaise here! - and heavily seasoned with fresh herbs. Both sandwiches also came with a side of fries or onion rings, we ordered one of each. The waffle cut fries were seasoned with Old Bay and well cooked, and the onion rings definitely tasted like they are house breaded and fried, and very, very good, and served with a tangy dipping sauce (also delicious on the fishes).

The famous sandwich was made with cod, there was a lot of of fish on the sandwich and the fish was juicy and tender and the breading was crispy and tasty. The mahi-mahi was perfectly cooked to my tastes - juicy with a nice large flake, and a similarly tasting breading. The mahi-mahi sandwich is ordered to your specifications, with whatever you want on it. We ordered it with lettuce and tomato, but they would have put just about anything on it.