Attending Disney’s Vero Beach Tour de Turtles 2025

On July 26th, 2025 I was lucky enough to be able to attend Disney’s Vero Beach Resort’s participation in Tour de Turtles. Disney’s Vero Beach Resort is home to turtle nesting grounds, and Disney takes advantage of this area to participate in conservation and research. Part of this research includes attaching trackers to the nesting sea turtles that arrive on their beaches and then releasing them back into the ocean. This event is known as Tour de Turtles and takes place annually on the last Saturday in July. During my visit to Disney’s Vero Beach Resort I found myself watching Tour de Turtles without even realizing that it was taking place. Continue reading to learn about my experience at this wonderful event.

Early Morning

When I checked into the resort the night prior they let me know about the Tour de Turtles event that was taking place the next morning. I saw signs stating that The Green Cabin Room would open an hour early, at 7am, for this event. The next morning I arrived at The Green Cabin Room for an iced latte and then made my way down to the beach. I was surprised to find a table for merchandise for the event, and a large crowd of people preparing to enter the beach.

The Beach

I waited in line to enter the beach for about 20 minutes. Once I was able to enter I had to sign a disclosure stating that I’m okay being photographed or filmed and then I was allowed to continue on. If you are visiting with your family, be prepared for a potential wait to enter the beach. I arrived at around 7:15, but the line disappeared by 7:45am.

Once I entered the beach I saw several tents that were set up for the event. There were coloring sheets and other activities for kids, as well as Cast Members ready to educate guests on sea turtles, conservation, and the work they were doing. Barriers were set up for the release, and a kids section was present on both sides so kids had a clear view of the event. There were even a few tents and umbrellas. The turtles were being prepared when I arrived, and I got to watch them paste the trackers on their shells!

The Release

I quickly found a spot near the front of the barrier around 7:30am. I had brought a chair with me, but realized that this was a standing-only event. Holding my coffee in one hand, I had wished I brought water as it was definitely heating up waiting in the crowd! Wonderful Cast Members kept the crowd entertained while we waited for the release. They asked trivia questions to the kids, interviewed conservation experts, and overall kept the crowd happy and energized.

At around 8:15am the turtles were finally ready to be released. The first turtle was Ariel, and she was beautiful. She took her time down the beach; the crowd was quiet as to not scare her during her journey.

Next up was Moana, and she was much faster. She even took down Disney’s camera setup on her way there!

Future Tips and Overall Experience

Overall, this was an incredible experience. Seeing the sea turtles up close was amazing, and watching them enter the water was incredible. Now that I’ve had this experience there are a few things I’d do differently next time. I’d bring water, because the heat was more intense than I expected. I’d use lots of bug spray! July is peak season for “no see ums” which are a type of mite that bite during morning and night hours. I had several bites on my legs after this experience! Lastly, I’d bring more sun protection like a hat or sunglasses! I would definitely experience Tour de Turtles again!

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Featured Photo: Megan Woodard