Disney's Hilton Head or beach front resort?

[HotdogDncrs]

So very last minute, we have decided to add 3 nights in Hilton Head to the end of our summer vacation at WDW, so that we can have beach time and down time. We are staying at WDW for 11 nights. The first night will be in a Little Mermaid room at Art of Animation as it is our arrival day, and we are not sure what time we will get there, plus our two boys (2 and 4) loved the resort when we stayed in a Cars suite for one night last year. We will then move "home" to BLT in a one bedroom for 10 nights.

We have booked (cash reservation) for 3 nights at Disney Hilton Head in a studio, as that was the only room category left. Well after booking, and doing some more research we see that we could stay at a newly renovated beach front hotel for approximately $400 less. Yes we would not have the kitchenette that the studio provides, but the resort amenities include more dining options, and daily housekeeping. So, is staying at Disney worth 1. The extra money and 2. Not being directly on the beach? What other advantages are there to staying at the Disney property?

Any feedback would be appreciated. Looking for honest opinions based on your experiences. I've heard that the grounds and resort are beautiful......

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

So very last minute, we have decided to add 3 nights in Hilton Head to the end of our summer vacation at WDW, so that we can have beach time and down time. We are staying at WDW for 11 nights. The first night will be in a Little Mermaid room at Art of Animation as it is our arrival day, and we are not sure what time we will get there, plus our two boys (2 and 4) loved the resort when we stayed in a Cars suite for one night last year. We will then move "home" to BLT in a one bedroom for 10 nights.

We have booked (cash reservation) for 3 nights at Disney Hilton Head in a studio, as that was the only room category left. Well after booking, and doing some more research we see that we could stay at a newly renovated beach front hotel for approximately $400 less. Yes we would not have the kitchenette that the studio provides, but the resort amenities include more dining options, and daily housekeeping. So, is staying at Disney worth 1. The extra money and 2. Not being directly on the beach? What other advantages are there to staying at the Disney property?

Any feedback would be appreciated. Looking for honest opinions based on your experiences. I've heard that the grounds and resort are beautiful......

I guess it depends on what you prefer. I love Disney's resort because it is NOT on the beach. In fact, we just spent five days on Hilton Head Island and didn't go to the beach until the last night there. We stayed about 15 minutes. It's very easy to get to the beach from Disney's resort though if you are a beach person. I wouldn't let that be the deciding factor. I think your top deciding factors need to be 1) if you want to keep the Disney magic going or if you'd be ok in a non-Disney place and 2) if the Disney magic is worth the extra $400. Good luck deciding.

 

[marynvince]

We love the DVC HHI resort. Atmosphere is relaxed, CMs are the absolute best that Disney has. Lots of great activities on a daily basis. Easy enough to get to the beach. It has the most Welcome Home feel as any DVC IMO.

 

[missycj96]

We were there last summer with 2 young kids. No other hotel will give you the activities for the family like disney - there are campfires with smores and singing, disney movies outdoors, plus a full roster of stuff for kids, pool games, crafts. It works out well to "go to the beach" as it is an activity and then you can come back to the resort so you wont get bored. Since you're dvc members it makes sense to give it a try because if you like it, you can try to book it on points next time.

 

[spiceycat]

having stayed in Marriott on the beach - sorry dvc HH can;t come close.

would check with tripadvisor to be sure you want to stay there - but the hotel gets my vote.

not having to take your car or their shuttle (which is sometimes really iffy) to the beach - or walking over a mile is great.

just walk out the door and you are almost on the beach.

 

[RobDoc]

So very last minute, we have decided to add 3 nights in Hilton Head to the end of our summer vacation at WDW, so that we can have beach time and down time. We are staying at WDW for 11 nights. The first night will be in a Little Mermaid room at Art of Animation as it is our arrival day, and we are not sure what time we will get there, plus our two boys (2 and 4) loved the resort when we stayed in a Cars suite for one night last year. We will then move "home" to BLT in a one bedroom for 10 nights.

We have booked (cash reservation) for 3 nights at Disney Hilton Head in a studio, as that was the only room category left. Well after booking, and doing some more research we see that we could stay at a newly renovated beach front hotel for approximately $400 less. Yes we would not have the kitchenette that the studio provides, but the resort amenities include more dining options, and daily housekeeping. So, is staying at Disney worth 1. The extra money and 2. Not being directly on the beach? What other advantages are there to staying at the Disney property?

Any feedback would be appreciated. Looking for honest opinions based on your experiences. I've heard that the grounds and resort are beautiful......

Which Beach Resort have you found that will be that much less? There are some that are truly gems - and others not-so-much.

Certainly, being on the beach can be a convenience. The Disney recreation programs won't be matched by the other resort and there are 7 restaurants within 400 yards of the Disney resort so I don't really see any real advantage regarding the dining options. Having the Disney kitchenette might be convenient for at least breakfast.

The real question is how much value do you place regarding being on the beach versus being a short distance away - and how much value do you place on Housekeeping for a 3 night stay.

If the room you would have is an ocean view room, housekeeping is a key component of your personal enjoyment then the less costly option may be your best bet.

If the superior children's programs and kitchenette are something that your family would enjoy, then perhaps the Disney resort might be a better choice for your family. I would view the dining as a wash due to the closeness of the options near the Disney resort and view the beach as a wash since it is very easily accessed from the Disney resort -only few minutes difference from room-to-beach.

Either way, I'm sure you will enjoy Hilton Head. Even if you do not stay at the DVC Resort, you should take a look at it while there. The staff is usually great about allowing members to take a personal tour. If there are any villas unoccupied they will even allow a peek at those too.

Enjoy!

 

[Lisa P.]

It really depends on the specific hotel and whether it's oceanfront or not, for a short beach visit with two little ones. Would you have an oceanfront room?

We've loved the DVC HHI resort for offseason trips with kids who've enjoyed the group children's activities. The resort is just beautiful, the main pool is warmly heated and the oceanfront is less appealing when it's cold & windy.

But if we want to walk, play or swim a lot at the beach, nothing beats oceanfront - doesn't even come close. The views and sounds of the ocean waves from our room and balcony... a quick & simple walk out to the beach (especially if carrying any beach chairs, toys, drinks, umbrella, towels, sunscreen, book, etc.) whenever we want (usually mornings and evenings, when not sweltering)... a hot tub soak overlooking the ocean after an evening beach walk (no hot tub at DVC's Beach House). For us, these beat the theme and program activities on a short stay in the hot weather.

A mini-fridge, microwave and coffee maker are often available in regular hotel rooms, so other than the paper plates, there may not be much advantage to the DVC studio rooms themselves - depending on the beach hotel you're considering. Also, the great majority of rooms at the DVC HHI resort involve walking up at least 1 flight of stairs (to the 1st floor units in stilted buildings) with a smaller percentage of the rooms in the lodge with an elevator and covered parking. Bringing 2 small children and all your beach gear up/down the stairs each day, out to a summer-hot car or across the resort to the shuttle van stop could get old, IMO. Most beachfront hotels have covered parking and elevators - nice in any weather.

So for the specific kind of trip that you're describing (beach, summer weather, 2 small kids, short stay, just spent 11 nights at busy WDW - whew!), I would choose the nice, newly renovated beachfront room ...and if they don't have a mini-fridge available, we'd bring/get a cooler. The fact that it's $400 less for a 3-night stay is a bonus, especially considering all the other costs for a 14-night vacation. Some other kinds of trips, I'd choose the DVC HHI.

 

[HotdogDncrs]

Thank you everyone for the honest feedback. I keep going online and looking at both resorts. I think at this point we are going to stick with Disney's HHI. There is no longer any availability there, so we won't have the chance to change our minds again if we move resorts now! My husband did question if we would be "Disneyed" out by then - but my response was that there is no such thing! I'm actually hoping that I can find some of those HH Tervis Tumblers - I would love them for my patio at home!

I guess it depends on what you prefer. I love Disney's resort because it is NOT on the beach.

Great point DisneyStarWisher - Not being on the beach allows us to get a break from the "beach".

We love the DVC HHI resort. Atmosphere is relaxed, CMs are the absolute best that Disney has. Lots of great activities on a daily basis. feel as any DVC IMO.

We were there last summer with 2 young kids. No other hotel will give you the activities for the family like disney - there are campfires with smores and singing, disney movies outdoors, plus a full roster of stuff for kids, pool games, crafts. It works out well to "go to the beach" as it is an activity and then you can come back to the resort so you wont get bored.

Thanks marynvince and missycj96- Happy to hear that our Disney standards will be met. I did some research and was pleasantly surprised with the amount of activities at the resort - we typically don't do a lot of this when we are at the World, so it would be nice to have them as an option here.

not having to take your car or their shuttle (which is sometimes really iffy) to the beach - or walking over a mile is great.

just walk out the door and you are almost on the beach.

spiceycat - this is what I keep going back to - the idea of having to get in the car or take a shuttle to the beach makes me question staying at Disney HHI

Which Beach Resort have you found that will be that much less? There are some that are truly gems - and others not-so-much.

Certainly, being on the beach can be a convenience. The Disney recreation programs won't be matched by the other resort and there are 7 restaurants within 400 yards of the Disney resort so I don't really see any real advantage regarding the dining options. Having the Disney kitchenette might be convenient for at least breakfast.

Enjoy!

Thanks WebmasterDoc - one of the other resorts we saw was the Sonesta. Apparently it is the old Crowne Plaza, and has been recently renovated. It looks nice enough - but seems more like a "hotel" than a "resort" to us. It has received very good reports on TripAdvisor, but so has Disney......

Thanks for the info on the dining situation - we are so used to going to WDW where we know exactly where we like to stay, eat, and play. A new adventure for us is exciting, but I also don't want to be disappointed with our decision.

Lisa P. - thanks for sharing your experiences. You summed up my internal debate perfectly!!!!

 

[buzz5985]

I don't think anyone mentioned it - but there is a gentleman, Shannon Taylor that would sing every night a short walk from the resort at Shelter Cover. The young kids love it - they will all gather up front and dance away. I don't know what days you will be there but there are fireworks most Tuesdays

As for the van that goes to the beach. It may have changed - but last summer if the van wasn't there, there is a phone, you pick it up say you want to go back to the resort, and it comes right away - 5 minutes at the most. If you see a Palmetto Dunes van - they will also bring you back to the resort.

We love the marsh view. Especially if your lucky enough to see a few dolphins feeding in the canal right next to the Main Lodge, like we were able to see last year. Your 4 yo may like to go crabbing off the main dock - my DS loved that when he was younger. They had a thing called the Funny Bunny hunt - I don't know if they still do. You go around the resort with B'Lou and Shadow and drop rabbit food around the resort - then you can go back later on and you will always see a bunny eating it. One year we went on a dolphin cruise right from the resort too.

When we are there the biggest decision we make is - 1 - should we go to the pool, 2 should we go to the pool at the beach, or 3 - should we go to the beach. I also think you will be pleasantly surprised by the size of the unit.

Have a great time. Oh - last year we ate at One Hot Mama's - it was great - but very popular. We went early - 5 pm and were seated right away. By the time we left about 6:30 it was a 2 hour wait.

Janis