• Controversial Topics
    Several months ago, I added a private sub-forum to allow members to discuss these topics without fear of infractions or banning. It's opt-in, opt-out. Corey Click Here

Unpleasant experience at HHI, we are not completing our contract now

You must have been at the show more than 10 minutes, since after watching the show for 10 minutes before both you and DD were bored and left before the show's ending---then you were there for AFTER the show to witness an additonal 10 minute period ,after the show, when the CM went on about how he had no time to make animal balloons. Before he then begrudingly blew up some ballons. I am totally confused.

Let me clarify. I said that we left the ghost story show 10 minutes before it ended.

Earlier in the evening we attended the magic show, and it was after the magic show that the kids asked him for the balloons.

What is surprising me in this thread is that for some of you I don't seem to be entitled to have a negative view of my experience at a DVC resort. It was MY experience. It wasn't for me, or my family. Not a big deal. This is supposed to be a community to share information, and I thought it might be helpful to some.

I'm glad the rest of you love DVC HHI, love B'Lou, love the stinky marshes, and can't wait to go back.
 
TCPluto said:
You're right, it is your opinion and you have a right to it.

But you also need to realize that others are reading this thread, and they may not have been to HHI before and might form an opinion based on what you have written. Your negative responses regarding B'Lou are unique to you, others have never reported such an experience. Certainly, our families experience has been just the opposite. I thkn it was you approach, and others deserve to know this. Especially HHI and B'Lou Crabbe.

Oh for goodness sake, I imagine most of the folks on this board are able to discern that a post written by an individual is the opinion of that individual. There is no need to take the OP to task for her opinion, whether we agree with it or not. I read lots of posts I don't agree with, but in many of them I find interesting perspectives and often learn something. I appreciate when someone takes the time to post, especially considering the liklihood of getting beat up for it.

Although I love HHI (not a fan of B'Lou though), I have similar negative feelings about both VWL and BCV. I don't love them, and my reasons are not gigantic horror stories - just a collection of little things that add up to those resorts not being really compatible to my vacation style. I shared my feelings at the time, and hopefully that info was helpful to someone even though it made some VWL and BCV fans a bit Grumpy :rotfl2:

Thanks to OP for your perspective. It is good you found out now, and hopefully you will find a deal on points at one of the resorts that fits you better!
 
It's funny how different things strike different people.

In addition to our DVC, we own two condos on Fripp Island, which is near Hilton Head. Although our condos are on the ocean, the smell of the marsh is my favorite thing about the Lowcountry.

We actually have this quote from author Pat Conroy, who also lives on Fripp, framed and on display in one of our condos:

"Though I have traveled all over the world, it is the smell of the tides and marshes of Beaufort County, South Carolina, that identifies and shapes me." -- Pat Conroy

To me, the Lowcountry is every bit as magical as Disney -- just in a different way.
 
lovemickeyworld said:
Let me clarify. I said that we left the ghost story show 10 minutes before it ended.

Earlier in the evening we attended the magic show, and it was after the magic show that the kids asked him for the balloons.

What is surprising me in this thread is that for some of you I don't seem to be entitled to have a negative view of my experience at a DVC resort. It was MY experience. It wasn't for me, or my family. Not a big deal. This is supposed to be a community to share information, and I thought it might be helpful to some.

I'm glad the rest of you love DVC HHI, love B'Lou, love the stinky marshes, and can't wait to go back.

I am certainly not going to flame you for posting your opinions of a resort. But, I do have to say....it is really strange to see an SSR poster defending posting a negative opinion of a resort. When others post negative opinions of SSR...they are called "bashers". I don't think you are bashing HHI now, just like I do not think others who have posted their honest negative opinions of SSR are bashing, either. People just need to "chill"....really, it is OKAY to not love a resort and post here....at least, it used to be!! :confused3
 


TCPluto said:
Sorry, you seem very angry about this. He never callled anyone's child an idiot, you made that leap.

Apparently, self effacing humor is not for you. Neither is the subtle humor you obviously missed in the delivery of the comments at his shows. We've seen him do the same type of thing, with a very discernible (at least to us and the others at his shows), yet subtle, humorous edge.

I think you are way over reacting.

I should start by stating that I have never stayed at HHI (and never heard this performer), though plan to in 2007. However, I do not think that the OP is over-reacting here. What is offensive to some may be light-hearted to others. Just like the DVC resorts...different people love different ones for different reasons. And some DVC'ers just plain ol' can't stand a particular resort. So the OP just can't stand this performer, that's ok.

Thanks for posting your opinions, OP. I will still try HHI (as I plan to try all the DVCs), but you are certainly entitled to your opinions and entitled to post them here.
 
lovemickeyworld said:
While I was not expecting the HHI to have the full Disney experience, I do feel that we pay a premium for Disney timeshares. While at WDW, I have no problem with this. However, if the resort isn't giving me any of the feelings that I would normally get from staying at a Disney resort, my money can go elsewhere.

Have you priced the Marriott properties yet? I am a former Marriott owner who purchased DVC HH because I could get 5 nights in a 2BR at DVC during prime season for half the cost of a week at one of the Marriott resorts,
 


Sorry you didn't like it as we loved it, but my take was you were looking for reasons not to buy.....

Sorry, not at all true. Please re-read my original post. Good point value, extra points for '05 use year, driveable distance from home, all of those were reasons I really wanted HHI to work out for us. I was actually very disappointed to turn down this opportunity. I just simply don't care to go back to HHI and didn't need or want more points for FL vacations.

You went in with unrealistic expectations, they certainly weren't met, and you fixed the failure of your expectations to every aspect of the HHI resort.

I don't find it unrealistic at all to expect a room where my pillows and sheets are not damp, and where my clothes feel like they've been spritzed with water due to the dampness in the room. I also don't find it unrealistic for a DVC cast member to follow up on my concern about the dampness in the room. I don't find it unrealistic to see some smiles on the CM faces, whether they are at WDW or HHI.

Ok, I didn't know about pluff mud before my arrival. Ok, the dark decor is not my taste. Neither is dampness. Actually I had no problem at all with the size of the studio, so getting a larger unit was not the issue.

in my op:
We understand that any one of these items could be overlooked if everything else about the resort was overwhelmingly fantastic, as are most of the Walt Disney World DVC locations. But for us, as the weekend progressed and our concerns were compounded, we just could not justify the additional purchase at HHI.

the good news for the lovers of HHI is that the points are back in the inventory now, so go buy'em!


Let me just say that we know many of you LOVE Disney at HHI

The purpose of my post is to give my personal viewpoint. Those who are looking to travel to HHI will find many opposite viewpoints here, and will most likely not be swayed by my single post. Especially as I have just seen that to post anything negative seems like blasphemy here.

Oh, shame on me :badpc:
 
I love the HHI haters. We need the haters.

"Keep up the hatercide,.....the haterocity,.........we need the playa haters."
A quote by Big Boi and Andre 3000 of OutKast.



The good ole days when everyone on the Dis hated HHI.....


I think the OP is part of the growing conspiracy to make everyone hate HHI so that it will remain a less crowded resort for the southern folk who live within a couple hours drive to be able to enjoy the place like we used to.
 
I saw nothing wrong with your post. I also appreciate it when people can come to these boards and express an opinion other than "I LOVED IT".

What I have a problem with is when people have expressed a negative opinion about a certain resort and feel the need to express it over and over and over again (over the years, not on the original thread). Oy. Now that gets really old. Anywhoo, I hope this thread does not discourage people from giving an honest opinion about different aspects of DVC resorts (yes, even SSR).

Now I have to ask a question about the use of the word "idiot".

What in the world do you say when you read an article like this:

Woman Crashes When Teaching Dog to Drive

What do you call a woman like this??? :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2:
 
Sorry you didn't like HH. Just have to confess that the marsh scent is my favorite thing there, I always roll down my car windows as I come over the bridge to enjoy it.

Anyway, something you might want to know when booking other dvc vacations: VWL rooms are very dark as well. HTH! :sunny:
 
I don't see anything wrong with the OP's post. I LIKE reading reviews that point out negatives as well as positives. If I was going to buy a car, I'd want to hear all the not so great things about it as well as the good. I don't think it's "resort bashing" to state that you don't like a certain resort either.

The dampness thing would bother me- A LOT. We vacation every summer in North or South Carolina and I realize it's humid. It is not supposed to be humid in the hotel room. That is what air conditioning is for!

As for not finding the performer funny...I can't believe people are giving you a hard time about this and saying you are over-reacting. It's YOUR opinion, period. Not everyone is going to like every performer. I also think the comment about buying the book to learn how to make balloon animals not very funny. That would hurt my children's feelings, even if he meant it as a joke. However, I wouldn't make a judgement about whether or not to see this performer based on your review of him and I can't believe others would either.

The thing that does it for us about HH is that it's not being on the beach. I realize others may enjoy that aspect of the resort, and I'm happy for them. I think checking the place out before you bought was such a smart idea!
 
lovemickeyworld said:
snip....
*lack of Disney themeing on the property which we really love. We did not get that "welcome home" feeling, and just felt that this could have been any other property on Hilton Head.

*decor of rooms was too dark and gloomy for me personally, and although I understand the fishing theme, none of it really made me feel that I was near the ocean or in a tropical setting. It seemed more appropriate to me for a mountain/lake type setting. Also, we thought that some of the areas were in need of refurbishment.

*Sadly, I cannot remember her name at this time, but upon check in, we DID have a wonderful woman that explained the resort to us, gave us plenty of information and maps of the resort. However, beyond this one woman, we just didn't get the "homey" feeling from any of the other cast members. Everyone else seemed almost "sullen" and "lifeless".

*we rented a studio on a cash basis to preview the property before finalizing our purchase. We did not actually check into our studio till 8pm, and noticed that it was extremely damp and humid in the room, although the air conditioner was running and set in the high 60's. It never improved as the night went on. When we awoke we found all the bedding, carpeting, and any clothing left out to be extremely damp to the touch. At 9am we notified the front desk of our concerns, and we were told that South Carolina was humid. We realize that, but we've stayed in other humid climates and have never encountered these condidtions. We were told someone would look into it, but by 11am checkout, no one had responded back to us.

*smell of the marsh: it had rained during the night and the marsh smelled like a sewer to us. Again, when we inquired at the Front Desk, we were told that it's very common in that area and that's just how the marsh smells. I guess nothing can be done about that, but it's just not our idea of a relaxful area if you don't like the outdoor odors.

*Entertainment by B'Lou: As a mother, I found some of his comments to be extremely rude. In front of my child, age 6, and three others, he was questioned about the "scare factor" of the ghost story program. In his own words, he said that children will be a little scared at the beginning and maybe climb into their parent's laps, but by the end they'll understand that it was all funny, and by then they'll all "feel like idiots" for being scared. My daughter is not allowed to use the word "idiot", and she questioned why an adult said that about her and other kids her age. I told her he was simply being rude. Despite all of this, she was very excited to go to the ghost story program, which we did. She was not scared, in fact, both she and I were so bored of his incessant rambling that we left about 10 minutes before the end of the program.

We understand that any one of these items could be overlooked if everything else about the resort was overwhelmingly fantastic, as are most of the Walt Disney World DVC locations. But for us, as the weekend progressed and our concerns were compounded, we just could not justify the additional purchase at HHI.

We know it's all different strokes for different folks, but guess this one is just not for us.
*****************************************

I am a DHHIR lover. It's my favorite resort. But - I agree with almost all of your opinions.

Lack of Disney theming - the resort is themed - just not like a theme park - some miss that theme park theming - I prefer the fishing lodge and surf station themes. There are Mickey touches but they are not overpowering. I also agree that some areas are ready for refurb. I did note that some refurb had been done to the room I had in July.

Decor of rooms - the studios are very dark -much more so then the larger villas. The lockoff studios in the lodge seem even darker to me then the ones in the separate buildings. I tend to turn all the lights on in the room and I still find those studios dark. For me - I've stayed in the larger rooms and they don't give me that samedark feeling the studios do.

Castmembers - I'm glad you found one at least that was special. I've met many great ones there over the years, but also the occasional dud.

The damp studio- I just KNOW I've had that same room! I remember one studio where it just felt damp all the time! Maybe the dehumidifier part of the ac/heat unit is broken in that villa. Our visit in July we were dry, but I've had the other experience as well.

Marsh smell....sometimes a little goes a long way! Lol....high tide can make a big difference. My first visit was a December one and it was cold. No marsh smell to put me off. By the time I figured out the marsh smelled, I already loved the marsh!

B'Lou Crabbe - castmember, entertainer - no big defense here - you know how you felt and those feelings are valid - this is a message board and everybody has an opinion.

I'm glad you posted. Sometimes I feel that HH gets too much hype and then people go looking for things that it is not. Then comes the disappointment. After that the bashing. I think you were fair in your assessment of what you experienced. HH is not perfect and not for everyone. For some of us, it's special, and we love it. I wish things had been different for you, as I sense you are truly disappointed.
 
We just returned from a full week Sunday to Saturday at HHI. This was our first trip to HHI. I have to say that I agree with much of the comments made by the original post.

We knew going in that HHI doesn't have the same hoopla that you get at park resorts. That wasn't a disappointment for us. We also excused the smell because that is the location of the resort and part of the island. No comment on the sense of humor, people look at humor in different ways. What is offensive to some is not offensive to others. Neither side is wrong in this case, everyone is entitled to their opinion.

HOWEVER, we didn't feel the warmth from some of the cast members except from the college students/lifeguards (they were the best). We wish the guides and lifeguards were also working in the other parts of the resort. We thought the cast members in the Tide Me Over were unfriendly. In fact, we had one very bad experience with a cast member from Tide Me Over (the snack bar), that we were compelled to talk to the manager on duty. He was very apologetic and without going into details of our incident, he said that the cast member did not follow their proper procedure. The next day, the resort general manager called us to apologize. They also gave us some small gifts to make up for the incident.

We were also very disappointed with the quality of the food for the all-american party buffet that was served on Monday night. The party that followed was a lot of fun, but we recommend doing something else for food.

Overall, we decided we wouldn't go back anytime soon. There are too many properties in DVC to try. We had a great vacation as a family, but we would choose to do a different locale next time.
 
NMW said:
As for not finding the performer funny...I can't believe people are giving you a hard time about this and saying you are over-reacting. It's YOUR opinion, period. Not everyone is going to like every performer. I also think the comment about buying the book to learn how to make balloon animals not very funny. That would hurt my children's feelings, even if he meant it as a joke. However, I wouldn't make a judgement about whether or not to see this performer based on your review of him and I can't believe others would either.

The thing that does it for us about HH is that it's not being on the beach. I realize others may enjoy that aspect of the resort, and I'm happy for them. I think checking the place out before you bought was such a smart idea!

The thing that bothered us was the comment that he was rude and mean. He decidely is very much the opposite.

You are correct, not everyone is going to find him humorous.

You cannot make a judgement on the balloon tying (buy the book) comment unless you know both sides, which we don't here. I certainly don't believe that he for a minute meant to belittle a child, as suggested by the OP.

Oh, we all better stay away from the Boardwalk performers. Last night one of the magicians used the word "idiot" three times in his routine, all the while interacting with guests of all ages. No one seemed offended and they all laughed loudly.
 
Maistre Gracey said:
Just so everyone here is perfectly clear...
It's fine to bash any resort except VWL and VB. ;)

MG

No bashing out of me, but seriously MG, do you like the decor at the VWL. I really just can not get past that couch, carpet, drapes, bedding. I have to wonder if the designer was looped. :rotfl2:
 
Maistre Gracey said:
Just so everyone here is perfectly clear...
It's fine to bash any resort except VWL and VB. ;)

MG
Tell that to the hurricanes. But don't take away my ability to bash that ugly chair.
 
lovemickeyworld said:
My daughter is not allowed to use the word "idiot", and she questioned why an adult said that about her and other kids her age. I told her he was simply being rude.
The overwhelming majority of parents would not mind the use of "idiot" that the staff member used. Perhaps you would be happiest on a desert island, or at a resort where no one speaks English.
 
lovemickeyworld said:
*Entertainment by B'Lou: As a mother, I found some of his comments to be extremely rude. In front of my child, age 6, and three others, he was questioned about the "scare factor" of the ghost story program. In his own words, he said that children will be a little scared at the beginning and maybe climb into their parent's laps, but by the end they'll understand that it was all funny, and by then they'll all "feel like idiots" for being scared.


Since I signed up for the DIS 6 weeks ago, I have stayed away from some of the more emotionally charged posts, but this one I could not pass up. I am not a parent, I am younger (27) than many who own DVC and on the board, but I too would have been bothered if my six year old godson was refered to as an idiot. I teach high school and students are not allowed to call eachother idiots in my class. (FYI did you know idiot comes from the Greek term for a citizen who does not vote?) Calling kids idiots doesn't seem very disney and I think the OP has the right to consider calling a six year old an idiot rude.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!













facebook twitter
Top