HHI questions

[DisneyKeepsUsYoung]

We're going to HHI for the first time in a couple weeks. We want to rent bicycles for the week. Is it best to just rent them at the resort or are the bikes better/cheaper at one of the other places on the island? We will need either a kid seat or pull behind for a 2 year old if that effects the decision.
We are debating a dolphin cruise. Is the one the resort offers best or would somewhere else be better or substantially cheaper?
Thanks!

 

[juncker]

We researched this and could have saved about 5 bucks a person going with another party. Went with Disney instead. Having things onsite made pickup and drop off easy. They did have the third wheel tandems as well.

I'd go through Disney next time too.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I'll be there in a few weeks, too! Probably off site could be cheaper, but renting at the resort is convenient. We have taken the dolphin tour and really enjoyed it!

 

[DisneyfromDeland]

I was there late March. I used an off-site bike rental company. The transaction was very smooth. I booked online and bikes were delivered to the resort the day of arrival. I called with our room number once we checked in and they were delivered to the bike rack outside of our building. We were provided with a lock and a basket as well. I would rent from them again as we paid half of the Disney price for our length of stay.

We used the Disney dolphin cruise and it was amazing and a very intimate experience with the captain.

 

[ajwolfe]

We did the Disney dolphin cruise and found that you could do one off site for a substantial savings but the it wouldn't be as intimate. When we took the cruise we were the only family in the boat and the captain spent a lot of time talking to our kids and focusing on what they wanted to learn/know. We enjoyed the experience despite knowing it cost more than others. Now I will say that if you are the type of person that doesn't enjoy making conversation with a stranger for a couple hours this could be uncomfortable for you since it's completely one on one. I was grateful for the kids keeping conversation going by the end as I had ran out of things to say/ask lol.

 

[DisneyKeepsUsYoung]

We did the Disney dolphin cruise and found that you could do one off site for a substantial savings but the it wouldn't be as intimate. When we took the cruise we were the only family in the boat and the captain spent a lot of time talking to our kids and focusing on what they wanted to learn/know. We enjoyed the experience despite knowing it cost more than others. Now I will say that if you are the type of person that doesn't enjoy making conversation with a stranger for a couple hours this could be uncomfortable for you since it's completely one on one. I was grateful for the kids keeping conversation going by the end as I had ran out of things to say/ask lol.

Is the Disney cruise ALWAYS just one family or did you just luck out going in a slower season? I'm not HUGE on small chat with strangers but I like the idea of less people on the boat. With 2 small kids less other people around would be VERY nice!

 

[DisneyKeepsUsYoung]

I was there late March. I used an off-site bike rental company. The transaction was very smooth. I booked online and bikes were delivered to the resort the day of arrival. I called with our room number once we checked in and they were delivered to the bike rack outside of our building. We were provided with a lock and a basket as well. I would rent from them again as we paid half of the Disney price for our length of stay.

We used the Disney dolphin cruise and it was amazing and a very intimate experience with the captain.

Can you recommend the bike company you used? Or is that not allowed here? I'm never sure about the rules mentioning businesses on here.

 

[DisneyfromDeland]

I'm pretty sure it was called Hilton Head Bikes to Go. The bikes were not as nice as the resort bikes (a little more worn), but for half the price, we were more than happy. It was our first time renting bikes and weren't sure how much use they would get. The company was very responsive and actually replaced a bike when I emailed a question about one of the bikes. They replaced the bike within a few hours. I have no complaints.

 

[ajwolfe]

Is the Disney cruise ALWAYS just one family or did you just luck out going in a slower season? I'm not HUGE on small chat with strangers but I like the idea of less people on the boat. With 2 small kids less other people around would be VERY nice!

I would say it's probably more of the norm. We were there during the last week of May - so definitely not a slow season although not summer busy yet. If memory serves me right I think the boat we were on may have been a 6-8 seater at the most so unless there was 2 small families that wanted to go at the same time I would think you would typically be one family at a time.

 

[mouseclick1]

We did a dolphin cruise through Disney several years back, and it was our family of four along with one other couple. We are in HH right now and did a cruise last night. We tried to book with Disney at the last minute but they were booked solid for the day, and the person I spoke with through with Disney said you needed to book 24 hours in advance. I then called Outside Hilton Head. They were able to get us in on an evening cruise which we shared with another family of four, although their boats can seat up to 12. Outside Hilton Head also departs from Shelter Cove. The cruise we booked through Disney was a more comfortable boat (bow rider), but both experiences were top notch. The price was the same for each cruise. I wouldn't hesitate to book either one again.