Back from HHI!!

[ripleysmom]

This was our first visit to HHI (definitely not our last though!!) HHI is a really great place to take a vacation. The beach was awesome and the water was just the way I like it (warm)!!

We had a great 2BR villa in Bldg 19 under the thundering herd (aka children running around at 8 am). My only regret was that it was too hot and muggy to sit outside on the balcony in the evening. The mornings were great though.

Anyone planning to make a trip to HHI, do yourselves a favor when you check in....ask the CMs to make sure that there are not children upstairs. Parents please do your neighbors a favor and request a first floor. It may not sound like a lot of noise in the room but when you are underneath sleeping....well it certainly is different.

We had great weather. It was in the 80's every day. It was muggy but at the beach there was a nice breeze all the time. The kids swam every day. First the ocean, then the pool. We also went dolphin watching which was cool and the kids loved that.

The next to the last day, I bought DS a crab net. He went crabbing and caught several crabs each time. We took them back to the room to cook and eat. He was very proud of himself!!

Coming home though we got stuck in traffic which stretched out our ride to 18 hrs!! Yes my children are still alive.

 

[hoodedrooster]

Sounds like you had a great time with the exception of the kids upstairs. We have kids (this is the reason we bought into DVC) and always ask for a room upstairs and will continue to do so. Our kids like to make lots of noise and jump up and down for the purpose of bothering other guests (Just kidding (no pun intended here)). We always work hard to make our children behave and be respectuful to others around us. We have always had great experiences with our kids and other guests at OKW, BCV, VB, and HHI.

I am sorry that the kids upstairs bothered you but I bet you could also find folks on this board that have had adults at DVC bother them as well. As a matter of fact, I can count many more times when adults around me act like children and are not respecful to others.

I have said it before and I will say it again, if one does not like to be around children, then they should not buy into a timeshare from a company that has tradionally focused its marketing to children. DHHI is always busy with kids, however, there are several resorts at Hilton Head that do not have as many kids and many more quiet adults. Maybe you should consider staying at one of these resorts next time.

Man, I hate to be negative but every time people on this board complain about children at DVC it amazes me to no end. Why in the world would anyone buy into the DISNEY Vaction Club and not be able to deal with children on vacation. Children will be children at times and adults with be ...... oh well, most of the time adults.

 

[Canadian Tom]

Hello: Sorry, but I have to say something. I don't think any of us dislike kids. It's the selfish, thoughtless inconsiderate parents who think everyone else thinks their children are cute when they're totally out of control and disturbing others. I'm sure, hoodedrooster, you'd be the first one to complain if some teenagers were playing load music and carrying on when you're trying to put your children to bed. Think about it, there are more than you and yours trying to enjoy a vacation. Again sorry in advance.

 

[OneMoreTry]

I think it would be impossible for DVC to put all families with children in DOWNSTAIRS 2BR units. After all, families with lots of ids are most likely to be in 2BR units.

I don't think it's that rude to allow your children to run around a little at 8am. It doesn't take an unusual amount of movement to be heard downstairs. That's the problem. Not the kids.

However, I have also been below a thundering herd, and it's not fun. But it wasn't just the kids, it was the adults yelling and screaming, I assume drunk, and it was 2am. I guess if you're trying to sleep at 8am it's the same thing.

Bottom line, everyone has to give a little on all sides. There is always going to be SOME inconvenience staying so close to so many people. There are some beautiful houses for rent in the Virgin Islands. Isolated. That's where I want to go for our 20th anniversary. I don't think we can use points. But there won't be anyone to bother us but the seagulls.

 

[WithDisneySpirit]

Glad you had fun and will plan a trip back in the future in spite of the noisy people above you

Mostly, I'm glad you and your kids survived such a LONG trip home

Thanks for the report,
Lisa

 

[ripleysmom]

Sheesh hoodedrooster lighten up!! Where did I complain about the children other than the fact that they were running through the villa at 8 am? I had no problem with it in the evening or at night, just in the morning. We weren't at WDW where I would not have minded the "wake up" service but we were looking to sleep late on this vacation.

I have kids too (my user name and the fact that I mentioned DS crabbing should have been a clue) which is why I did not go and rip these people a new one for letting their children run around.

At the same time, if my post makes someone think about how much noise they might be making so much the better!!

 

[Patty3]

ripleysmom, we had the some problem, but in the evening, and I know that there was a family with only two children in the unit above. You could also hear them running up and down the outside steps. I was just wondering why the noise level from above is greater at HHI than at WDW. I have never been bothered with any noise from above there and at HHI, I had to sleep with earplugs on.

 

[colleen costello]

We had a similar experience. Loved HH completely but swore we were beneath a family of buffalo. We saw them check into the two-bedroom unit above us and notice 4 children and lots of luggage. Every night around 11pm the stampede would begin. To use it sounded like the kids were running back and forth through the unit from bedroom to bedroom. Yikes! We wondered about the insulation because in our usual resorts rooms -- like OKW -- we do fine on the lower floor.

Other than this nuisance, however, we thought the resort was completely wonderful. I look forward to returning someday.

 

[tooncanator]

18 hrs with traffic, what is the best you can hope for?

 

[BWVDenise]

I always request 2nd floor at HH ever since the time we were below a family that let their toddlers stay up until the wee hours. They ran around until 2 a.m.!!! I constantly remind our kids to be respectful of the folks downstairs, but I also don't let our kids stay up and bang around until 2 a.m. either.

 

[tinkgrl]

Hi,

Thanks for sharing!!! Glad you had a good time!!

Allison

 

[cgcw]

Glad you had a great trip.

I agree, 2nd floor at HH is a better option (although we stayed in a 1st floor unit the last several trips). It doesn't take much for a little bit of noise from above to sound like a lot. We've always taken note of the families above us -- their comings and goings because of the sound upstairs. We don't usually hear them go up the stairs but can tell when they are "home". Must be very thin ceilings as we've never heard any noise from the units next to us.

Originally posted by OneMoreTry
I think it would be impossible for DVC to put all families with children in DOWNSTAIRS 2BR units. After all, families with lots of ids are most likely to be in 2BR units.

No, not impossible because HH is made up mostly of 2 bedroom units. It might take a bit of work to monitor the ages of kids -- as our experience has been that littlier kids tend to make more noise than older ones, but it's certainly not impossible. FWIW, we are not a family with lots of kids but we stay in a 2 bedroom unit as we like the home feel it has. We have been traveling to HH every summer since our youngest was 16 months.

Crabbing in one of our kids favorite activities at HH. Wonderful that your DS was able to catch and cook some of them. Do they have much meat on them? My kids have always released what they caught as we were not sure it was worth the effort to cook them. Just curious.

 

[canda]

8 am, that is late. You got off lucky. If you were under my room, my little boy wakes up at 6 am and likes to run around. He also likes to drop Granddad's golfballs on the floor and watch the bounce.

That is why I get a 1st floor.

If you hear lots of noise, it is because the family upstairs is really being excessive with their walking and controlling the kids.

I was at HHI on the 12-18 and I did not hear a peep out of the family above us. I know they had kids because their boogie boards were on the bottom landing.

Some people just walk real heavy. It has nothing to do with weight. they just stomp when they walk.

I hope when they replace carpets that they put a thick pad down. that might help. if not, they will have to insulate the 1st floor ceiling and put new gyp. over it. I would guess that would cost around $5000+ per unit.