Why Not Just Queue Up Another Disney Trip? Link to New TR 6/24 p136!

[KatMark]

What a nice cruise (and cheap too) and great pictures as always.

 

[MEK]

Wow, Mary Ellen. Williamsburg is very pretty. Loved the resort you stayed at. I would have loved the naval boat tour. My whole family loves historical things so that would have been great.

The resort was very nice, for a non-Disney resort! The naval boat tour was very fun. I really enjoyed it and having the live narrator made it that much better!

Okay, your adventure getting there sounds a lot like one we took years ago. We stopped off in Myrtle Beach for a few nights on the way to a work conference for me in Charleston, SC. The last night we were in MB, Tropical Storm Gaston blew in. We never lost power at the resort but we would look out the balcony and instantly trees would just fall over. It was scary! Late Sunday morning, they cleared for people to be out and about. It was a long drive to Charleston to get there and find that there was no power. We had to drive a long way to get dinner. The hotel was running on generator. Several rooms were closed off as the winds had actually blown out the glass in windows. It got better as the week went on.

That does sound scary! I can't imagine just sitting there watching trees blow over. Yikes! And then to have to drive to Charleston and not be able to find food.

So glad your son got to college okay. Too funny about checking on him at 6:30 in the morning. That would be me!!!

Can't wait to read more!

I'm sure he didn't think it was too funny, but I was just as one of those points were I didn't care.

More coming soon.

What lovely pictures of your resort! Even your phone takes really good pictures. And that boat tour looked like so much fun! Too bad you couldn't explore the fort, I love to do that sort of thing, thankfully you got to see tons of other cool stuff. That air craft carrier must have been even more impressive being right next to it.

My phone pictures are inconsistent at best. Some times I get really good ones and other times - not so much!

The fort did look cool, but the whole island was so small that we probably didn't miss anything earth shattering. It was a great tour and I highly recommend to anyone in the area.

Being next to the air craft carrier was very, very cool. Probably a once in a lifetime event.

No Ghost Tour that sounds like it would be super fun too!

Yeah - I'll get to that! It was a bummer!

Love the photos of the condo - it looks nice and relaxing!

It was a nice place. I would definitely go back next year and rent from the same guy. He turned out to be very reliable.

What a shame about the fish place having no power but am glad you decided to return after taking the scenic route of Williamsburg!

I like the look of your steak and shrimp fajitas.

I'm glad we ended up returning to Oceans and Ale. It was the right choice. I really did not want to stand outside and wait to be seated somewhere. Better to be waiting while driving around in the car.

The fajitas were very good. I don't think I had any left overs!

I'm glad you were still able to do the cruise. The pictures from that look amazing - wow at the machine gun!

The cruise was great. The machine guns were very intimidating, but our cruise director kept reminding us that is was a post-911 world and that machine gun was certainly proof of it!

 

[MEK]

More replies tomorrow. Sorry I am so slow getting them done!

 

[Roxychica7]

You are so sweet! I would love to help if there's anything you all need information about reguarding SU!

My fiance is from Newport News and we just moved from Virginia Beach, so I have had LOTS of experience crossing the Hampton Roads Bridge tunnel. If you get a chance to go back, you should definitely go to Water Country USA in Williamsburg. It is a BLAST! It's neat seeing your pictures up close, I've only ever seen them from afar!

I'd love to do a Dismeet with you in December!

 

[MEK]

Hi friends -

Sorry I am getting behind in my replies, but I have read them all. Soccer season is in full swing and I am trying to take pics for the team. I am officially 3 games behind (after tonight) in getting them posted. This game went to OT so I got home late and then did all my chores.

Tomorrow night is a quick ladies happy hour and then I am going to see Nick at the football game since he is the junior homecoming prince. Hopefully I will get replies soon and another update is in the works!!!!!

Roxychica - YES on the DIS meet!!!!

 

[MEK]

All I want to say is I HATE getting this far behind on my DIS'ing. So NOT COOL!

Very cool cruise!! What a bargain!

The cruise was so much fun! I'm so glad we decided to do it. I know Denny probably liked even more than I did because he LOVES that kind of stuff!

And I'm super impressed with your Southwest credit-finding skills!

Ahhhhh........Thank you! Considering you ARE the master!

UGH, what a pain to have to shuffle everything around but I can see his point and we'd have likely made the same call.

.

It was a pain, but definitely worth it in the end. I was SO glad the vacation, as short as it was, came through! Really needed it!

you poor thing, that sounds like an awful night for you. I remember how stressed we were on decision day!

Not my finest hour - that's for sure!

Pretty campus! Looks huge next to Tay's school, but they are only half has big.

It's actually nice and compact and easy to negotiate. It looks SO small compared to UD, but it has so many nice features that make it so much more personal.

Supposedly Jeff and the ex are doing the same thing but I haven't gotten a straight answer. I think it's a fair deal and they are old enough to deliver. At least you knew when parents night was, we get NO info from Tay other than "I need a tux", "Is my camera in the garage" and "I lost my cell phone, I'm borrowing an XXX...do you have a charger that works with that?"

Sigh. I don't even know if we will see him at Thanksgiving!



.

Salisbury is very good about sending stuff home to the parents. I appreciate that or we wouldn't know a thing. Well - I check the website alot , so that helps. I get the same stuff from Brian. In fact, he texted me last night and said most of his floor was going home this weekend, could I come get him. And I did. 45 minutes home from work then 2hrs down and 2 hrs back. ughhhh! And I'll probably only see him for 5 minutes this weekend!

U



I know those beers!

Ranger is pretty well distributed around here (the IPA), it's a NW beer. Sounds like a great dinner, my kind of place and food!

I enjoyed my Hoptober quite a bit! It was a fun beer and I like the oversized bottles!

The condo looks great and what a wonderful wonderful tour!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll have to keep this in mind should we ever make it out there. How great you were able to make it all work out.

The condo was wonderful - beats a hotel room any day. Definitely worth a visit to the area when you get to the East Coast. Very fun! I can't wait to go back!

Your condo looked so nice, love that you had a hot tub!

The condo was great and the hot tub was absolutely a bonus! I loved it!

Even though you didn't know where to eat, it looks like you ended up somewhere good, everything looked yummy!

It all boiled down to liking the name and the presence of electricity, of course!

The cruise looks like fun, I would never think to do that! Those machine guns are a little strange, though!

The cruise was very fun. The machine guns - unnerving, but apparently required in a post 911 world!

Gee I am back here on Page 4 trying to catch up. Now the Dis is being apain and is not wanting to load pages quick enough and keeps timing out.

I thought I was the only one who was having trouble with the loading pages. I blamed it on my overly full hard drive. I keep having to delete extra photos and back them up to make room for the new ones.

G

I am slowly catching up and looking forward to waiting in the queue.

ETA: All caught up now. What an adventure to say the least. Glad everything worked out in the end. What a lovely cruise.

Thanks for waiting in the queue!!!!! I need to get on with this TR because my queue is getting backed up!

Getting to W-burg was an adventure and I am so thankful it worked out! I needed that trip. The cruise was very fun and informative!

I know how you feel with your son. That sounds like my daughter. She is doing well but I stay worried waiting for something else to blindside me.

My son will be fine. He just needs to get on with picking a school and all that goes along with that.

Getting blindsided - I know ALL about that! I am always waiting for the other shoe to drop. He's so unpredictable. sometimes I am certain he is turning the corner and finally growing up and other times - forget about it! He is a work in progress - that's for sure!

My younger son is fine. Totally different. Has his act together.

Is Chris a senior this year? My younger son, Nick, is a junior so I get a little breathing room right now. But since Nick is a stronger student I think he has more options open to him and then, it and of itself, makes the process harder. Should he go for the better school?, the one that's closest and gives him the most money?, or should he try to play soccer at a D3 school? He is going to have to make a lot of decisions in the next year.

We did that cruise, also. We got to see one of the nuclear subs & a carrier. Our cruise stopped at the fort, so we got to look around. There wasn't much to see since it had not been used for years.

Doris - I should have know you would know all about the cruise. You could probably be a Williamsburg and vicinity tour guide. I would have loved to see a nuclear sub. Yup - that fort was very small. I didn't mind just sitting on the boat while he talked about it.

My DH likes a restaurant in Yorktown that is before you cross the bridge over the York River. It is on the riverfront. It has great sandwiches.

I think I know exactly what restaurant you mean, except I can't remember the name of it. It had a nice outside deck.

What a nice cruise (and cheap too) and great pictures as always.

Thanks Kathy. It was a very fun cruise and since this was an economy trip I was all about saving some $ on that cruise.

 

[DisneyDoc5]

Hello there! Just subbing in a little late, popped over here from Cdotla's TR. I was looking for a new TR to follow and this looks perfect! Lots in common with the kiddos and sports, etc. Thanks a bunch - back to catching up! Erin

 

[Queenofallthings]

I am behind this week....this work thing is really getting in the way of my Dis-ing the past little while!

Great updates and I have to say that condo is just gorgeous! My dream trip is to one day hit the eastern seaboard and drive the whole way down to FL, stopping whereever we want and staying as long as we want. I think a lottery win will have to happen for our trip to happen tho

 

[MEK]

Hello there! Just subbing in a little late, popped over here from Cdotla's TR. I was looking for a new TR to follow and this looks perfect! Lots in common with the kiddos and sports, etc. Thanks a bunch - back to catching up! Erin

Welcome DisneyDoc 5 Erin! So great to have a brand new reader. Thanks so much for dropping by!!!! I hope you don't mind waiting a couple months until we get to the real Disney world stuff! In the mean time I will be posting Williamsburg and HHI pictures (just in case you ever want to go to Disney's HHI Resort). Lots of pre-trip stuff too!

I am behind this week....this work thing is really getting in the way of my Dis-ing the past little while!

Tell Me About It! Plus I'm crippled by the fact that when I do check the DIS at work I can't see a blessed picture. Some TR's I read twice - once without pics and then again with pics! Some I just wait on and then I run the risk of forgetting and missing the whole update. I need a better system.

Great updates and I have to say that condo is just gorgeous! My dream trip is to one day hit the eastern seaboard and drive the whole way down to FL, stopping whereever we want and staying as long as we want. I think a lottery win will have to happen for our trip to happen tho

That sounds lovely. I dream of doing that from here to Florida. Even when I plan a two week trip in my head, I completely run out of days.

But - if you ever do drive the Eastern seaboard you absolutely MUST stop and stay here for several days because I am seriously in the best location for so many places - 2 hrs to NYC, 1 hr to Philadelphia, 1.5 to Baltimore, 2 to Washington DC, close to all the midatlantic beaches (the closest be a little over an hour). I am literally minutes off of I-95 the major north/south route. We could go touring together, because you know people are always bad at touring what's in their own backyard.

 

[MEK]

Since my HHI Head trip is almost a week away I thought I should post a little bit about it. Planning HHI is a little bit more difficult than Disney world. I KNOW Disney world. That makes planning a snap. But HH - I know nothing, nada, and there really isn't that much on the boards or the net that talks about the specifics of Disney's HHI resort.

So Hilton Head

All of these photos courtesy of photobucket's public photos!

The gals
See the gals in the front (in the black) and the other in the pink. they are my traveling buddies. I know I had a better shot of just the 3 of us, but I can not find it on photobucket.

Here we are - now in brown, black, and I'm in the dress

Until I have their permission, I will refer to my friends as P and L. We have been friends for quite while. I've known P since our oldest boys were in preschool together. Our boys graduated high school this past spring and this trip is for US! Because we deserve it.

So here' the itinerary. It's rather loose. But I keep it all here, in this handy, dandy binder:

Of course, I decided to redecorate my binder for this trip. Check it out!

This is for my DIS friends who are all enjoying F&W right now.

Sunday October 23:

The plan is to be on the road by 0600! Actually, we should be picking up L by 6am, so I really need to be out the door by 5:30am. I hate getting up early. I actually do it all the time, but when I feel the pressure to get up early I can't sleep. On one particular trip with an 8am flight I ended up staying up all night. I never book morning flights anymore.

According to mapquest we have to drive 11 hrs 21 mins or 694.36 miles! Yeah - it's gonna be rough. We drove 777 miles to Nashville last summer, but we broke it up (mostly because we left in the afternoon). 12 hours of driving - NOT looking forward to it!

I'm sure our Sunday evening will consist of getting settled and getting some type of light dinner. It would be nice to check out the resort a bit, too.

Monday October 24th

This is a resort day. Of course it is after all that driving. Some of the things I would like to do at the resort include kayaking, biking, taking a tour or more with the naturalist. I would also like to venture off property to take a dolphin cruise. I did my research and I found a 90 minute tour for around $20. Actually, I just checked my notes and its $16 with a coupon. Works for me!!!!

We are hoping to have 3 resort days with side trips in the various sites on Hilton Head Island. I have had several suggestions for dining and they include:

Sea Shack CP told me about this place. It doesn't look like much, but the seafood is supposed to be fabulous. Looks like a real down home place.

Roastfish & Cornbread - Ellen (Podsnel) gave me this suggestion and all the ones that follow. Another real downhome type place which has a lot of organic dishes.

Check out this menu:

CHEF DAVID'S SIGNATURE DISHES

Whole Roasted Flounder $19.99
(Seasoned with Chef’s house seasoning, gently rubbed with olive oil and Roasted until flaky and tender) Served with a Savory Mango, Onion and Mushroom Chutney, Collard Greens & Sweet Potato Cornbread

Whole-Roasted Tilapia $14.75
(Whole Tilapia marinated in olive oil, lemon and lime juice and seasoned with Dchef’s house seasoning) Served with a Savory Mango, Onion and Mushroom Chutney, Collard Greens & Sweet Potato Cornbread

Sautéed Vegetables over Brown & Wild Rice Pilaf $10.50
Chef’s choice of Yellow Squash, Zucchini, Onions, Baby Bellas, Broccoli, Asparagus & Spinach kissed with Acai Pomegranate Vinaigrette


All-Natural Certified Angus Beef Brisket $15.99
Slow Roasted & Seasoned to Perfection!
Served with Potato Medley, Sweet Potato Cornbread & Collard Greens


You can't tell me that doesn't sound delish!

Hudson's - this looks like a pretty standard menu but they have something called Dinner on the Deck on 10/27 with the LowCountry Boil Bluegrass Band. Tempting! I love bluegrass and if its warm enough to sit on a deck then I'm a happy girl.

Wiseguys - this is basically a wine bar with small plates but they also have a price fix early dinner for $15 a person.

Check out this menu:

APPETIZER (Choose One)
House Made PiMento CHeese diP - Tillamook Cheddar - Smoked Gouda - Fire Roasted Sweet
Peppers - Mediterranean Olives - Panzanella Crackers
BaBa GHanousH - Fire Roasted Sweet Peppers - Feta Crumbles - Seasoned Pita Chips
edaMaMe HuMMus - Wonton Crisps
House Made Potato CHiPs - Gorgonzola - Chives
antiPasto tastinG - Genoa Salami - Mediterranean Olives - Fire Roasted Sweet Peppers -
Imported Cheese - Grissini Bread Sticks

SOUP & SALAD (Choose One)
souP oF tHe daY
Vine RiPened toMato salad - House Made Mozzarella - Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Sea Salt -
Garden Basil
CaesaR - House Greens - Creamy Avocado Caesar Dressing - Manchego Cheese -
Crispy Polenta Croutons
BaBY sPinaCH salad - Fresh Baby Spinach - Bermuda Onions - Tomatoes - Goat Cheese -
Honey Roasted Pine Nut Vinaigrette
Wise GuYs House salad - House Greens - Candied Pecans - Apples - Sundried Cranberries -
Gorgonzola - Balsamic Dressing

ENTREE (Choose One)
FResH CatCH - Daily Feature Fish - Grilled Asparagus - Goat Cheese Whipped Potatoes -
Citrus Splash
GRilled laMB CHoPs - Savory Herb and Garlic Marinade - Goat Cheese Whipped Potatoes -
Grilled Asparagus
CedaR Plank Roasted salMon - Sweet Bourbon Soy Glaze - Goat Cheese Whipped Potatoes -
Grilled Asparagus
BRaised sHoRt RiB Pot Roast - Tender Short Rib of Beef - Caramelized Root Vegetable Demi -
Creamy Horseradish Sauce - Crispy Parsnips - Grilled Asparagus - Goat Cheese Whipped Potatoes
Roasted CHiCken CRePe - Tender White Meat Chicken - Wild Mushrooms - Parmesan Cheese
Sauce - Grilled Asparagus - Goat Cheese Whipped Potatoes
sautéed sHRiMP oR CHiCken anGel HaiR Pasta - Asparagus - Toasted Pine Nuts -
Goat Cheese - Sundried Tomatoes
BRonzed sHRiMP ‘n GRits - Wilted Arugula - Smoked Gouda Grits - Creole BBQ Sauce
neW YoRk stRiP steak - Grilled Asparagus - Goat Cheese Whipped Potatoes -
Caramelized Root Vegetable Demi
BBQ BaBY BaCk RiBs - Tender Slow Cooked Ribs - Napa Slaw - Goat Cheese Whipped Potatoes
Add a Glass of House Wine – $3.25
1513 Main Street - Hilton Head Island
843.842.8866 - www.wiseguyshhi.com


YUM - MEEEEEEEEE!!!!! It's just getting there by 5:30 which might be the problem, but I'd like to talk the ladies into it.

Ellen also mentioned a place called the Old Fort Pub. She said she's had better food, but the view is amazing. Check out their website. I am definitely intrigued.

http://www.oldfortpub.com/

The Old Fort Pub does have a happy hour from 5 - 7pm Gotta love that.

Tuesday October 25 - Thursday October 27th:

One of these days will be a trip to Savannah. I think Tuesday would be good but I will let the gals decide if its Tuesday or Wednesday. I suggested taking a boat there from HHI ($50 RT), but my one friend didn't want to do it. She said she heard it wasn't very good and the boat was dirty or yucky or something. So, we will drive. Our plan right now is to spend the day touring via the Old Town Trolley

http://www.trolleytours.com/savannah/

The Historic Trolley tour is $26. It's a few dollars cheaper if I buy it online, but I think I will just wait. It starts running at 9am and makes a 90 minute loop with multiple stops. I think we could probably spend the whole day doing this. There are some combo tours where we could also do a boat tour. You know I have a thing about boat tours, but we'll see what the ladies want to do. As far as dining - the trolley provides a map with tons of restaurants, so we'll just pick a place for lunch. There is one particular restaurant down by the waterfront that is supposed to be haunted and have more paranormal activity than any place in the country. Interesting, huh? When I come across the name again I will post it.

I did find a place called Segway of Savannah. It's $50 with an online coupon. I mentioned it to one of my friends, but I think she's skeptical (like all of you were when I told you about my segway tour last September). Needless to say, I think I would love this. We'll see.

I forgot to mention that during one of our "resort days" I would really like to check out Beaufort South Carolina. This looks like such a cool little waterfront town.

Friday October 28th - we check out of Hilton Head. Boo! We are planning to get on the road early because we are going to Charleston!!!!! We decided to do this on the way home because, well, it IS on the way home. We are going to spend the day there touring the Boone Hall Plantation. Charleston Princess (Jackie) also suggested we take a tour through the historic district on the Old South Carriage Company. For lunch she suggested Hyman's Seafood and for dessert she recommend Kaminisky's. Wow - they have some amazing looking desserts.

http://www.hymanseafood.com/

http://www.kaminskys.com/

I'm honestly not sure whether we will make it to dessert. We are going to leave Charleston late afternoon and drive to Fayetteville, NC. It's about a 4 hour drive. We thought that would be a good spot to spend the night so we have a shorter trip home on Saturday. Nick has a soccer game Sat night and I really want to get to it. I will be missing two while I am away.

So those are the basic HHI plans. Please note that I have never drive south of North Carolina, so this is actually an adventure for me. I have never stepped foot in South Carolina or Georgia, so I am pretty psyched.

So to end this update, I did manage to find a few pictures of Disney's HHI Resort!

Again - credit goes to photobucket for these shots!

Up Next - No Ghosts in Williamsburg!

 

[MEK]

I almost forgot - I already got my $100 giftcard today from Disney Visa for my first purchase last week. How Great is That????? Cali Grill - here I come in December!!!!!!

 

[KatMark]

MEK, the plans sound great and it looks like a relaxing, yet fun trip as well. That restaurant where you posted the menu sounds so yummy.

 

[tinacaplan]

I'm behind, too... oh well. Life is just like that sometimes! The cruise sounds really cool. I'm sure Williamsburg is a trip we'll take at some point; I love history and we have family in the great D.C. area.

Your plans for Hilton Head sound great, as well. I've never been in the South before, aside from a trip to Atlanta a year ago, which I loved. I really would enjoy driving down there and seeing some sights, especially Savannah and Charleston. And the resort itself looks like beautiful, too. Your dining options sound fantastic. I love Southern food, as it is still a relatively rare thing up here in New England.

 

[MEK]

MEK, the plans sound great and it looks like a relaxing, yet fun trip as well. That restaurant where you posted the menu sounds so yummy.

I think it will be very relaxing. Well, except for the drive. That is going to stink, but what can ya do?

So many of those restaurants' menus looked delish. Ellen gave me a bunch of other names too. Its going to be a hard choice.

I'm behind, too... oh well. Life is just like that sometimes! The cruise sounds really cool. I'm sure Williamsburg is a trip we'll take at some point; I love history and we have family in the great D.C. area.

You are not behind. This is a sloooooow moving TR. Well, actually I hope to pick up the pace a bit this week and add more w-burg stuff.

You would love W-burg. It's chocked full of history and other fun things to do. I can't wait to go back!

Your plans for Hilton Head sound great, as well. I've never been in the South before, aside from a trip to Atlanta a year ago, which I loved. I really would enjoy driving down there and seeing some sights, especially Savannah and Charleston. And the resort itself looks like beautiful, too. Your dining options sound fantastic. I love Southern food, as it is still a relatively rare thing up here in New England.

The resort is supposed to be fabulous. That's why I wanted to post about it on the regular trip report boards. I want to make it informative for other DISers who may want to go there. I am really looking forward to seeing Savannah & Charleston. I have heard nothing but good about Charleston and knowing me, I will probably want to move there. I am dying to relocated further south. Too chilly and damp here in the winters. Brrrrr!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Your HHI plans sound like so much fun!! I wouldn't be looking forward to the long drive either, but it'll definitely be worth it!! Those menus sound so good!

 

[DisMomAmy]

Your HHI plans sound like a lot of fun! That is a long drive though...

 

[Lady Lallie]

Your plans sound really great. Sounds like a trip I would like to take very much someday.

 

[dawnbu40]

I'm not much for long car rides so I don't envy you that but the rest of the trip sounds wonderful!

 

[Nermel9]

Sounds like it's going to be a great trip! I'd love to go to HHI someday, and also Savannah, it looks like such a beautiful city!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Love your Lowcountry vacation plans! (Of course, I do! ) If you don't have time, just pick up your Kaminsky's desserts to go -- you won't be sorry! Also, if you want a truly unique souvenir, get a sweetgrass basket at either Boone Hall or downtown in the market. They are pricey, but oh-so-Charleston. They are made by women who have been taught by their mothers and so on. They sit there, weaving their baskets, while they are selling the others. I am trying to remember if there is anything else I should tell you not-to-miss...I'll let you know if I think of anything.

Oh, if you need groceries for the villa, shop at the Piggly Wiggly which is near the entrance of Shelter Cove -- then, you can say you have shopped at a Piggly Wiggly. LOL!