"WE'RE AT MINI DISNEY!" Our First Visit to Disney's Hilton Head Resort UPDATEx2 10/31

[JessicaFaye508]

luvin the princess pins you got.

Thank you!

Loving the relaxing feel to your trip! We just booked our 1st trip to HHI for next summer and I have showed my family all your pictures to get excited!

I just hope that 1 week at the beach will keep us entertained when we are used to park touring at WDW.

It was great! Aww how exciting! I have quite a lot of pictures for this trip so stay tuned! I hope that I will be helpful during the planning process!

I think you'll find enough to do It's a lot different than WDW... but it is relaxing! You can always go for a bike ride, do the recreation activities around the pool, go off property to one of the many restaurants in shelter cover, go to the beach house, go shopping at the outlets, etc. Plenty to do!

SHADOW IS ADORABLE ABJKVAKVHLFQIBJKSBJDBJWHUYUTE OMG.

You got so many amazing pins! The five legged goat one is AWESOME!

Your dinner looks so good! I could go for some garlic bread…at 8:30 in the morning.

Yes she is!
Thank you!
It was DELICIOUS! And hahaha anytime is a good time for delicious food

I love Shadow!!! That is all!
Oh wait and the 5 legged goat pin

Me too! She's adorable!
Haha I'm glad you like the pin, too!

Ahhh, Shadow is so cute!!!!! She's so beautiful!

Wow, those pins are amazing! You sure hit your jackpot! I'm glad she let you trade more... it's the little things that make CMs so amazing!!

That pizza looked wonderful!!

I love her!
I know! I was SO excited - I was freaking out! And me too... she was a sweet heart!

It was amazing!

Awww! Shadow's so cute! I found a Disney Parks blog entry about her and apparently she showed up when the resort was being built, so they let her stay! So sweet!

I love the Partners statue pin! You've traded for a lot of good pins on this trip!

She really is! Aww really!? That's absolutely adorable!
Thank you! I really did - I was really happy!

LOVE that partner's statue with Pluto and Goofy...soooo cute! That pizza looks awesome!

Thank you! And it was!

•Shadow is so cute! It's so cute she gets a CM nametag.
•Love that 5 legged goat pin.
•Mmm, I've heard great things about Giuseppi's! That eggplant parm looks fab.
•Yay, my favorite movie is Mulan!

Great trip report and great pictures - Hilton Head looks great - sounds like you had a great trip!

She really is! I love her so much and I love her name tag!
Me too!
That restaurant is wonderful!!
It's a great one! ​

 

[Loversdreamersandme]

Just joined the Disboards after spending most of yesterday reading your posts! We are going to WDW for the first time for Christmas this year and have been looking at HHI so this information has been priceless, not to mention super entertaining!

Looking forward to more posts, and good luck tomorrow!!

 

[sue_88]

Enjoyed the updates.
Will you be writing a halloween in disney report?
Have a great time on your trip!!!

 

[__disneygirl]

AWWW!!! Shadow! Omg, she is so beautiful! I had no idea about this dog. That is so cute that they have a living mascot. Of course they would, it's Disney. Awww she looks so peaceful.

Lmao you on the pizza: "I am still so sad that it's gone." Jess, I know it's hard, but you CAN make it through this difficult time. Hold on, girl.

 

[cindianne320]

So excited that you are going back to WDW so soon! I Love Shadow! Such a good puppy! Your family is just so cute- I hope my kids enjoy family vacas as much as your family does!

 

[LuvindisCruiser]

Just found this report, and am really enjoying this non-Disney park report !

I would LOVE to visit this resort someday !

When I read about your jelly fish encounter, I was totally envisioning the friends episode about the jellyfish sting. I was waiting for you to mention it, knowing you love watching friends, too.

OMG, you so need to see it, you are going to realize that you were living a 'friends' episode !

Can't wait for the rest, (on this report, and the others I am reading )

 

[Disneydude97]

We got garlic bread first which tasted AWESOME. We got half cheese and half regular. Very good idea, boys. I love when we get extra food. YUMMAY.

Dad got a salad to start. Ahh, the healthy appetizer.

Then Mom got eggplant parm:

Dad got spaghetti:

They were both very enjoyable. Great carb filled meals of deliciousness.

Then Jonathan, Preston, and I split a Pepperoni Pizza. We are from a town that is VERY picky about “good” pizza and I have to say, this pizza was extremely delicious! I absolutely loved it! I ate a little more than two pieces. It was just so good… I am still sad that it’s gone. I didn’t even have room for dessert because I was so full, but gahh that was good. It definitely lived up to my expectations!

​

Oh...my...God! That looks so good! The garlic bread must have tasted like heaven, and the pizza is like wow, and the spaghetti--heck, it must have come out of Lady and the Tramp! Gieuseppi's, we salute you!

 

[princess_momma]

Oh my goodness. Was HH created to be one great big photo opportunity? I swear every inch of that place looks so picturesque! I need to book a trip there now. Oh my goodness. And Shadow? Wow, as if HH didn't look perfect enough before! I love her so much, she is so adorable.

 

[ronnmel]

Update #11: Meeting Shadow and Giuseppe's for Dinner!
August 19th, 2012


There are a lot of stories about Shadow's background and such, but I didn't catch them because I was distracted by how adorable she was. That is exactly the kind of dog I want when I'm older! Only I want a boy dog. And I want to name him Pluto. Yes, I decided that when I was 12 AND THE DREAM HAS NOT YET DIED!!

​

I decided when I was about 12 that my first daughter would be named Claudia (my great-grand-mother's name) and I'm now 31 and the proud mother of a beautiful 3 months baby named Claudia. So hang on to your dream, it can happen.

I love reading your TR in HHI so far.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

All caught up, WOOT! Looks like this Hilton Head place is a lot more than I expected. I guess I got to stop being so judgmental now lol Glad to hear you were having a great time so far. Love Shadow the dog, so adorable! Can't wait to hear about more!

 

[disneyhockeymad]

Yay I'm all caught up finally you and Preston are too cute! So adorable! I love Hilton Head, it looks so relaxing! The beach looks so cool and the pool looks amazing! We've just become DVC members and my parents really want to try Hilton Head at some point so now I'm really excited about going! can't wait to hear more

 

[JessicaFaye508]

Just joined the Disboards after spending most of yesterday reading your posts! We are going to WDW for the first time for Christmas this year and have been looking at HHI so this information has been priceless, not to mention super entertaining!

Looking forward to more posts, and good luck tomorrow!!

Aww that's awesome! I have the perfect trip reports for you to read, then! Thank you!

Thank you so much!

Enjoyed the updates.
Will you be writing a halloween in disney report?
Have a great time on your trip!!!

Thanks!
I think I'm going to because it was such an incredible trip. I'm going to be extremely busy so it might take a while, but I want to write one
Thanks - I had a wonderful time!

AWWW!!! Shadow! Omg, she is so beautiful! I had no idea about this dog. That is so cute that they have a living mascot. Of course they would, it's Disney. Awww she looks so peaceful.

Lmao you on the pizza: "I am still so sad that it's gone." Jess, I know it's hard, but you CAN make it through this difficult time. Hold on, girl.

Isn't she!? I love her! I'm glad I could introduce you to her!

Hahaha girl, that pizza was GOOD!

So excited that you are going back to WDW so soon! I Love Shadow! Such a good puppy! Your family is just so cute- I hope my kids enjoy family vacas as much as your family does!

Ahhh it was such a wonderful trip! I agree - she's adorable. Aww thank you! I'm sure they will! I really look forward to all of our family vacations! They will always be so fun to me.

Just found this report, and am really enjoying this non-Disney park report !

I would LOVE to visit this resort someday !

When I read about your jelly fish encounter, I was totally envisioning the friends episode about the jellyfish sting. I was waiting for you to mention it, knowing you love watching friends, too.

OMG, you so need to see it, you are going to realize that you were living a 'friends' episode !

Can't wait for the rest, (on this report, and the others I am reading )

Thank you!
It's a wonderful spot!
Hahaha I still need to watch it! That is just way too funny.
Thank you!

Oh...my...God! That looks so good! The garlic bread must have tasted like heaven, and the pizza is like wow, and the spaghetti--heck, it must have come out of Lady and the Tramp! Gieuseppi's, we salute you!

It was such a great meal! I love it!

Oh my goodness. Was HH created to be one great big photo opportunity? I swear every inch of that place looks so picturesque! I need to book a trip there now. Oh my goodness. And Shadow? Wow, as if HH didn't look perfect enough before! I love her so much, she is so adorable.

Right!? It was SO gorgeous! Haha aww you should! I loved it so much. Shadow was SO CUTE!

I decided when I was about 12 that my first daughter would be named Claudia (my great-grand-mother's name) and I'm now 31 and the proud mother of a beautiful 3 months baby named Claudia. So hang on to your dream, it can happen.

I love reading your TR in HHI so far.

That's absolutely adorable. I'm so glad that your dream came true!

Thank you so much!

All caught up, WOOT! Looks like this Hilton Head place is a lot more than I expected. I guess I got to stop being so judgmental now lol Glad to hear you were having a great time so far. Love Shadow the dog, so adorable! Can't wait to hear about more!

WOOHOO! Oh yeah, me too! I knew it would be good, though. If something has Disney in the name, I trust it.
Thank you!

Yay I'm all caught up finally you and Preston are too cute! So adorable! I love Hilton Head, it looks so relaxing! The beach looks so cool and the pool looks amazing! We've just become DVC members and my parents really want to try Hilton Head at some point so now I'm really excited about going! can't wait to hear more

Aww thank you so much! I love it too - it was great! WOOHOO that's awesome - Congratulations!! Thank you!​

 

[deedee2177]

I'm along for the ride as well! You were in my neck of the woods when you were in Charlotte! I live right outside of Charlotte and we visit the Disney Outlet there all the time!! We specifically park right outside of the Children's Place store so we can walk right into the Disney Store!!! My 6 year old Step-Daughter and I already have a date planned to go there before our trip next month

 

[JessicaFaye508]

I'm along for the ride as well! You were in my neck of the woods when you were in Charlotte! I live right outside of Charlotte and we visit the Disney Outlet there all the time!! We specifically park right outside of the Children's Place store so we can walk right into the Disney Store!!! My 6 year old Step-Daughter and I already have a date planned to go there before our trip next month

I'm glad you're here! Ah really? That's awesome! How adorable - I hope you have a great time shopping as well as a magical trip!

​

 

[JessicaFaye508]

Update #12: Dolphin Tour and Lunchtime!
August 20th, 2012

I kept having really bad dreams during the night and I woke up a few times. Then I had to wake up at 7:45 am for our dolphin cruise. I had a pretty bad stomachache probably from eating so late the night before, going to sleep so late, and having to get up early. I did not feel good at all when I was in the shower, but once I got up and ready I was a little better.

I just had a yogurt and half a nectarine for breakfast. Then we went to catch the boat for our dolphin tour! Our captain’s name was Scott and our tour began at 9 o’clock am.

Scott took us out on the boat and it was such a nice and smooth ride. Even when he was going fast the boat glided on the water.

He told us a lot about Hilton Head and the dolphins. He has been doing the tours for so many years. He knows how to identify the dolphins in that area by their dorsal fins!

We weren’t taken into the ocean during this tour; it was a small body of water. The dolphins that were in this area usually stay there. They don’t travel in packs either, so it is normal to see dolphins on their own, which is unusual in oceans.

None of the dolphins really came up to the boat or jumped in the air, but we saw TONS of them have their fins and tails come out of the water. They were beautiful. Dolphins are my favorite animal!

We had such a great time! It was a wonderful way to spend Preston's last morning!

The tour lasted about an hour and a half. We were done around 10:30 am so then we didn’t know what to do. Preston and I ended up just going to the gift shop!

I answered the trivia question of the day. The question was “which Disney character was honorably discharged from the army in 1948?” And the answer was Donald Duck! I don’t know how I knew that, but it made sense in my head. And it was right! I got an Ariel pin for my prize. Yay.

I also bought a Mickey and Minnie pin while I was in there. Yay. It’s so perfect. It’s like me and Preston.

After that, we went down to the recreation building and looked at the pin board. I got one that said “remember the opening in 1971.” I thought it was really cute.

Then we went to the front desk and looked at the pin book again! I got a Snow White and Prince Charming pin and Preston got an Incredibles pin!

We saw a BEAUTIFUL butterfly on our walk back to the recreation area:

We met up with Mom, Dad, and Jonathan at Tide Me Over for lunch! As you can see in this picture, this is how close Tide Me Over and Broadcreek Mercantile are! This is on the second story of the building. Then what would be located behind me are a bunch of picnic tables to sit at so you can eat your food!

I got a hot dog and sweet potato fries. Nom nom. It was so good – it was a Disney all beef hot dog and I was HAPPY! I got sweet potato fries too! I never had waffle-style sweet potato fries.. but they were good! I still like regular ones better, but I enjoyed them.

Dad got the shrimp wrap, which he said was good but he only ate half of it. It was big!

Jonathan got the Chicken fingers. You can’t go wrong there!

Mom got sweet potato fries and a fish sandwich that she seemed to enjoy. However, I don't seem to have a picture of it! Dang.

Then Preston got the Popcorn Shrimp and onion rings! Popcorn shrimp only came in a kid’s portion, so he got a free sand pail which he gave to me! What a guy.

We finished up eating and then we went in the gift shop and WE GOT MICKEY BARS NOMMMM.

This was Preston’s first Mickey Bar ever and I had to make sure he got one before he left!

We took lots of pictures and then dug in! Preston absolutely loved it and I thought it tasted so incredible.

I don’t remember the last time I had a Mickey Bar before that… so it was great to finally have one again! YUMMY! That chocolate is perfection. And the vanilla ice cream is SO good. AND it’s Mickey shaped. Like, you seriously cannot go wrong! It melted so fast because it was hot out, but that’s half the fun of eating a Mickey Bar anyways. Ahh yum.

I saw that there was a guarantee on the back of the wrapper, but then I thought to myself... HOW COULD ANYONE POSSIBLY BE UNSATISFIED BY A MICKEY BAR!? Seriously, they're the most amazing ice cream bars on earth!! Crazy people. (please say that like Lottie does in Princess and the Frog. Thank you.)

We sat at the table doing some instagramming for a little while. We spotted this falcon or hawk (I don't really know) that was perched right in the tree near us. So we went right up and took pictures of it. Preston especially thought it was AWESOME.

I also wanted to take pictures of the gym for you fitness junkies out there!

We went in the gift shop, chatted with the CM who has gotten to know who we are because we go in there so much. Preston and I got some pressed pennies from the machine that is right outside of the gift shop. Then we went back to the room.

It was almost time for Preston to go. My stomach was hurting again so I laid on the pull out couch while he packed away all of his stuff. I fell asleep for a couple minutes and then he had to go. I walked him down to the car and said goodbye. The good thing about this goodbye is that we would get to see each other in 12 days instead of 3 months. Thank GOD. I literally don’t know how I made it without that kid for so long. We said goodbye and then I went back up to the room.

Continued in Next Post​

 

[JessicaFaye508]

Update #13: Skull Creek Boathouse
August 20th, 2012

(Don't miss the first update on the previous page!)

I was going to go back to sleep, but then everyone was going down to the pool. Even Jonathan was going! So I had to pull myself together and go down there!

We grabbed chairs by the kiddie pool because those were the only open spots. It was a little cloudy and a few small raindrops started falling by the end of our time there, but that didnt stop us!

Jonathan and I went down the slide about 4 or 5 times. He loved that thing too! It went so fast and ITS SO MUCH FUN!

We went in the hot tub too and we swam around in the pool. It was great.

Then we got out and went to rent bikes! Woohoo! They really were not that expensive for the entire length of stay. For DVC members it was only $30 a bike! Not bad.

We got the bikes, I went up to the room and got changed, and then Mom and I went for a bike ride. For a while we drove around the Disney resort, and then we found a bike path in Shelter Cove that we rode along.

It was really pretty and I enjoyed it! I had been years since I rode a bike (since we really dont have sidewalks near me) so it felt great to be on one again! We rode around for about an hour and then we went back to the room.

I showered and got changed and then it was time for dinner! Our boat captain suggested this place called the Skull Creek Boathouse. Its about 7-9 miles away but it is FANTASTIC.

You absolutely need to get there early or else you WILL NOT get a table. It was raining when we arrived (around 5:30) so we were seated inside after about 15 minutes. However, this is a really cool outside seating area that overlooks the water. If it wasn't raining we would have definitely wanted to sit there!

We were ready for a big feast! It started with FANTASTIC bread. It wasnt quite THE BREAD from Kona but it was pretty close. I wish I could have eaten more of it!

Dad ordered some snow crab legs for the entire table. Those were incredible. The meat was so fresh and flavorful. It was not difficult to crack the crab legs either, which is always a plus. I mean, who really likes to work for their food anyways?

Mom and Dad started with salads. Hooplah.

Jonathan got the grouper which he said was AWESOME! He really loved it.

Mom got the Wahoo fish and fried mac and cheese which was one of the specials. She was really impressed by her dinner and thought it was great!

I honestly have no idea what my Dad got. Its some type of fish& but he cant even remember what it was called. It could have been like the Georgia Triple or something? I dont know. He liked it though  he ate it right up!

Then I got the surf and turf with the Filet Mingon and Lobster tail. GAHHH that is one of my favorite meals on the planet and this one was out of this world good! The meat was cooked absolutely PERFECTLY and that lobster tasted phenomenal. NOM. I was so happy. Sadly, I spilled my butter from the lobster all over my plate. I saved the steak and the lobster but the potatoes and beans were soaked in butter. However, the waitress was kind enough to bring me a whole new plate of potatoes and beans! THANK GOODNESS. She was awesome  there was such great service at this place!

Here's a look inside the restaurant:

We thought the "what would Scooby do?" bumper sticker was quite punny.

Frumpy story... there was this red head girl that was sitting at a table near us and she was just staring at me for a while and then she started waving at me. It was the frumpiest thing because I had NO idea who she was. I wondered if she actually knew me from somewhere or if she thought I was somebody else. Either way, it was really fart shoes and I will always wonder who the heck that girl was to this day. Ah well.

Then, I wasnt gonna get dessert& but THEY HAD FREAKIN BLACKBERRY CHEESECAKE. Like& that isnt fair at all. So we got it, of course, and it was huge. But it was so beyond delicious I cant even handle it. I tried so hard to finish it but it was WAY too big. The serving sizes at every restaurant in Hilton Head are ridiculously large.

Mom and Dad split a giant crème brulee too. They LOVED it.

Ahh that place was absolutely fantastic. Im so glad our captain recommended it to us! This place was on the pricey side, but we were really pleased with everything that we ate! It was REALLY wonderful. I don't think we were disappointed with one thing!

We paid and then we went for a little walk down the dock. The sunset was beginning so we took a couple pictures. It was so beautiful down there!

On the way home, Mom and I went into a store to get her some Nyquill because her throat was a bit scratchy. Then we got back to the room and everyone pretty much went to sleep! What the heck. So I did some disboards and typed up trip report stuff. I kind of enjoyed having some time to type out the TR notes instead of having to write them down  it is SO much faster!

Continued in Next Post​

 

[flyergrad09]

Your dolphin tour sounds like a lot of fun! That's so odd that the dolphins don't swim out into the ocean at all... maybe they're scared!

Mmmm... Mickey bars! It has been WAY too long since I've had one of those.

Maybe the redheaded girl was someone from here? I really have no idea, but I also feel super awkward when stuff like that happens.

 

[__disneygirl]

Oh my GOSH the dolphins! I love them too. I really want to go to Discovery Cove sometime so we can do the swim with dolphins thing, but you know how leaving Disney property scares me! LOL.

Preston's first Mickey bar... what a monumental moment!!!! I'm pretty sure I only had ONE Mickey Bar on our last trip which is a huge decline from the amount I normally eat which is about 52.

Ahh food that comes in a sand pail. Too cute.

Sorry you weren't feeling well and Preston had to leave. So sad! But the food at that restaurant had to cheer you up! Oh man, that looks delicious! AND THE FART SHOES GIRL OH MY GOD. LOL. That is too awkward. I bet she knew you from the DIS or something. That is sooooo frumpy.

 

[LifeIsDis]

Your dolphin cruise seems very nice! That’s too bad though that you didn’t see a ton of them.

HOW COULD BE UNSATISFIED BY A MICKEY BAR?! That makes zero sense.

Your food at the Skull Creek Boathouse looks awesome! Noms.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

That dolphin cruise looks like so much fun! Sorry to hear though you weren't feeling that good before, Jess. Love the pictures of the Dolphins and you and Preston! Equally adorable So jealous of all those pins you got. Totally need some princess pins to put on my lanyard. Love the Mickey and Minnie pin, btw!

Mmmmm... all that food looks so good! LOOOOOVVVEEE sweet potato fries. And you totally can't go wrong with chicken fingers. to the green pail and the Mickey bars! So glad to hear Preston enjoyed those (Again, C-RAAAAZY PEOPLE don't like Mickey bars). A shame you had to enjoy them so quickly though :/ Great picture of the hawk! And so sad to hear you and Preston were separated on this day. Like I said before, you guys look so precious together (Yes, I've said it... again!)

That slide looks like so much fun! I love those mini slides at resorts. to bike riding too! A shame you can never do that at home, but at least you got to ride around a bit this time. Mmmmm, the food at Skull Creek Boathouse looks really good. Disney definitely picked a good location for HHI with all these nice surrounding restaurants. I could totally go for that grouper your brother got, looks and sounds delicious! LOL @ the use of Hooplah (<3 Spongebob) And the Creme Brulee looks good too. Always nice to know about non-Disney restaurants.

Can't wait to read more!