OneMoreTry
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- Joined
- May 9, 2003
- Messages
- 2,632
Getting there
We left home at about noon on Saturday, after a soccer game. Four kids were happy to be going. My oldest daughter was not. She is a walking, breathing ATTITUDE at 16. My wife was neutral, although that changed as you will see. My two sons and I were the only three that had been to DVC at HH, so we were the most excited. I was hoping and literally praying that everyone would enjoy it as much as I thought they would.
Its a 7 hour drive to HH. It took 10 minutes to discover the AC didnt work. Fortunately it was a relatively cool day. The mountains were fine, but we had to open the windows through the hot part of SC around Columbia. We spent our first night at the Hampton Inn at I95 exit 53, an hour and a half away. The next am, on the way in, we stopped at WalMart to pick up beach supplies and arrived at the resort about 1130am on Sunday, where the 2BR was ready.
Checking in
From the very first moment we were treated with incredible grace and hospitality. I dont remember hearing a Welcome Home, but it was implied in almost every interaction with the CMs. It seemed they sincerely enjoyed having us there!! They showed incredible camaraderie. One of my kids commented on our way home, Did it seem to you that everyone was nicer there than at WDW? There was no doubt about it!! There is definitely a better attitude there.
I had requested marsh view. They gave us AWESOME VIEW!! 1522 overlooking the little boardwalk. A large balcony that extends the width of the main room and master BR. And a separate balcony for the second BR. 4 rockers in all. At one point the first day my wife was sitting on the balcony and said, I could see myself coming back here. For my wife that is UNHEARD OF. She doesnt particularly like vacations. The weather was perfect, with a constant soothing breeze. We only needed the AC one afternoon. The resort is so seductive with its winding trails through the oaks. It exudes peace, quiet, serenity and order tucked away neatly amid the natural beauty. My wife also liked the huge list of restaurants and shopping. I think its now her favorite place.
The 2BR is the best of the DVC rooms. Its bigger than BCV and BWV, but smaller than OKW. Its the layout and décor I like. A larger mud room near the entrance for hanging and storing junk. Not as much space wasted on a laundry room as in OKW. The kitchen booth sits 5 or 6 and the TV is under the kitchen counter so a separate cabinet doesnt take up space. The second bedroom seems pretty large, but there is a wasted area on the far side of the closet, which is where the studio entrance would be in a lockoff. Ours was dedicated.
I also think the resort area is the best of the DVCs. (Havent seen Vero and SSR.) A lot of planning went into blending in with the natural beauty and making the most of the areas resources.
We unloaded the car, rented our bikes, ate at Tide Me Over and headed to the beach. The surf was calm all week so we didnt swim in the ocean much. Not enough waves for boogie boards. The kids searched for creatures in the tidal pools, built sand castles and enjoyed the beach house pool. If youre not familiar with HH, the tides are quite impressive. The beach incline is gentle so the tide covers quite a distance every 6 hours.
Restaurants:
Old Oyster Factory for supper. Got there about 630 and were seated quickly but waited a LOOOONG time to get our food. I got the tuna, which was extremely good. The flavor, texture and preparation were excellent. My wife didnt like it because the sauce wasnt strong enough. Which is why I liked it so well. Everything was understated but fresh and delicious my type of cooking.
Crazy Crab at Harbortown. Not cheap but delicious. My wife and I split the 1-1/2 lb king crab which was plenty for two. My oldest son got the soft shelled crab and I forgot what my dtr got. I would rate as fantastic. Atmosphere is definitely family, and noisy kids wouldnt be a problem. We spent a little while wandering around Harbortown but were chased away by the horrible noseeums.
Old Fort Pub without the kids. It was elegant and casual. Lovely grounds and view with excellent service. Not for little kids. My wifes favorite. A little too fancy for me but I wore shorts and they didnt bat an eye. We got the early bird special, thanks to everyone here at the DIS. Salad, entrée, desert and glass of wine for $25pp. Saved well over $50 for the two of us.
The family went to Alexanders without me. My wife enjoyed it and would recommend it. Also saved a lot on the early bird there.
Grubys New York Deli in the Fresh Market strip mall for lunch. (Owned by same family that owns the one in Atlanta.) Very good. Huge sandwiches are good for two meals so a good deal.
San Miguels in Shelter Cove. My sons burrito was great, but my enchildadas were only fair. The singer was excellent and made up for the meals shortcomings. But when we go back I think well look for another Mexican or try another place at Shelter Cove.
The least impressive meal was at Tide Me Over. And the service there is SLOW to boot.
Dolphin cruise.
Climbed in the boat and my son realized he didnt have his glasses. So he had to run back to the condo, which cut into our dolphin viewing time. There is a long slow ride down Broad Creek we saw three dolphin there, including Nick known for the nick in his dorsal fin. Between Harbortown a Dafuskee Island we saw quite a few juveniles including a newborn. Our guide was No Worries Kyle. A definite live life for my own pleasure kind of guy. Stories about teaching windsurfing in Hawaii and captaining surfing cruises to remote islands in Sumatra for 7 mos of the year. I couldnt figure why he was in HH and didnt know what to believe. Disney charges $30 pp. The next day I saw that the place at Shelter Cove charges $20 adult and $10 for kids. The convenience of leaving from the Disney resort was nice, though I came away thinking I could have found something better to do with the money. Kyle said they were catching LOTS of shark on the fishing trips. That I believed.
Resort activities
The kids went to the magic show and enjoyed it. They didnt do any other official activities. We pretty much entertained ourselves with the bikes and pools. No one cared to go kayak or fishing so I didnt spend the bucks.
I found out that fishing, Frisbee, boogie boards, etc are allowed at the Disney area beach. I guess the info at the HH website doesnt apply there. There were even dogs, but I dont know whether they were service dogs or not.
On day #3 I took the car in for AC repairs. The Chevrolet service was great. They had a shuttle to and from the resort and the car was finished by 2pm. (The Disney resort offered to arrange transportation to the service place if I had needed it.) In the Chevrolet shuttle I met Connie, one of the CMs a retired school principal who worked at the Disney resort because she enjoyed it. She beamed when I told her that my family loved the resort and that my older kids said they liked it better than WDW. I could tell she took great pride in her work there. She said that the day she doesnt thoroughly enjoy it, she will quit.
The teenager
She slept late then slept some more. She plugged in to her CDs. After nine, when the cell phone was free, she was out on the balcony talking with her friends. By the end of the week she was enjoying the family a little, but won't admit it. We had some good times together on the beach in the evenings and she a fun afternoon of shopping with her mom.
The bad part
Our daughter with epilepsy had quite a few seizures. She tends to do that when her routine changes. She was extremely hyperactive and caused a lot of stress for all of us. She had a fairly bad seizure in the pool. I saw her just as her head went under and scooped her up. The lifeguard called for help, and someone was there quickly. They kept asking if they could do anything but we had to reassure them that this was really routine for us. I think its hard for people to comprehend living every day with epilepsy. You dont call an ambulance for every seizure.
The lifeguard, Brittany, kept asking what she could do for us. She asked if she could send our DD a teddy bear and I told her she was too hyperactive for toys. I saw that she really wanted to do something so I told her she could send my wife a little something because she feels the stress of DDs illness more than any of us. That evening Brittany and her sister Crystal brought us some balloons. It turns out that is one thing that DD does like to play with. They also brought a Monsters, Inc Life game, which mom played with the other kids that night. And some cookies and candy.
The real bad part
My wife used to let me plan all the vacations, so I could use our DVC points as I saw fit usually at WDW. NOW she wants to use them all at HH, and shes planning a trip there in the fall with her friends!!
Many thanks
To Chapin, Stephanie, Connie, Brittany, Crystal. And all the other CMs. I wish I could remember your names because you were all fantastic. And it was really all of you that made the trip so memorable and enjoyable.
We left home at about noon on Saturday, after a soccer game. Four kids were happy to be going. My oldest daughter was not. She is a walking, breathing ATTITUDE at 16. My wife was neutral, although that changed as you will see. My two sons and I were the only three that had been to DVC at HH, so we were the most excited. I was hoping and literally praying that everyone would enjoy it as much as I thought they would.
Its a 7 hour drive to HH. It took 10 minutes to discover the AC didnt work. Fortunately it was a relatively cool day. The mountains were fine, but we had to open the windows through the hot part of SC around Columbia. We spent our first night at the Hampton Inn at I95 exit 53, an hour and a half away. The next am, on the way in, we stopped at WalMart to pick up beach supplies and arrived at the resort about 1130am on Sunday, where the 2BR was ready.
Checking in
From the very first moment we were treated with incredible grace and hospitality. I dont remember hearing a Welcome Home, but it was implied in almost every interaction with the CMs. It seemed they sincerely enjoyed having us there!! They showed incredible camaraderie. One of my kids commented on our way home, Did it seem to you that everyone was nicer there than at WDW? There was no doubt about it!! There is definitely a better attitude there.
I had requested marsh view. They gave us AWESOME VIEW!! 1522 overlooking the little boardwalk. A large balcony that extends the width of the main room and master BR. And a separate balcony for the second BR. 4 rockers in all. At one point the first day my wife was sitting on the balcony and said, I could see myself coming back here. For my wife that is UNHEARD OF. She doesnt particularly like vacations. The weather was perfect, with a constant soothing breeze. We only needed the AC one afternoon. The resort is so seductive with its winding trails through the oaks. It exudes peace, quiet, serenity and order tucked away neatly amid the natural beauty. My wife also liked the huge list of restaurants and shopping. I think its now her favorite place.
The 2BR is the best of the DVC rooms. Its bigger than BCV and BWV, but smaller than OKW. Its the layout and décor I like. A larger mud room near the entrance for hanging and storing junk. Not as much space wasted on a laundry room as in OKW. The kitchen booth sits 5 or 6 and the TV is under the kitchen counter so a separate cabinet doesnt take up space. The second bedroom seems pretty large, but there is a wasted area on the far side of the closet, which is where the studio entrance would be in a lockoff. Ours was dedicated.
I also think the resort area is the best of the DVCs. (Havent seen Vero and SSR.) A lot of planning went into blending in with the natural beauty and making the most of the areas resources.
We unloaded the car, rented our bikes, ate at Tide Me Over and headed to the beach. The surf was calm all week so we didnt swim in the ocean much. Not enough waves for boogie boards. The kids searched for creatures in the tidal pools, built sand castles and enjoyed the beach house pool. If youre not familiar with HH, the tides are quite impressive. The beach incline is gentle so the tide covers quite a distance every 6 hours.
Restaurants:
Old Oyster Factory for supper. Got there about 630 and were seated quickly but waited a LOOOONG time to get our food. I got the tuna, which was extremely good. The flavor, texture and preparation were excellent. My wife didnt like it because the sauce wasnt strong enough. Which is why I liked it so well. Everything was understated but fresh and delicious my type of cooking.
Crazy Crab at Harbortown. Not cheap but delicious. My wife and I split the 1-1/2 lb king crab which was plenty for two. My oldest son got the soft shelled crab and I forgot what my dtr got. I would rate as fantastic. Atmosphere is definitely family, and noisy kids wouldnt be a problem. We spent a little while wandering around Harbortown but were chased away by the horrible noseeums.
Old Fort Pub without the kids. It was elegant and casual. Lovely grounds and view with excellent service. Not for little kids. My wifes favorite. A little too fancy for me but I wore shorts and they didnt bat an eye. We got the early bird special, thanks to everyone here at the DIS. Salad, entrée, desert and glass of wine for $25pp. Saved well over $50 for the two of us.
The family went to Alexanders without me. My wife enjoyed it and would recommend it. Also saved a lot on the early bird there.
Grubys New York Deli in the Fresh Market strip mall for lunch. (Owned by same family that owns the one in Atlanta.) Very good. Huge sandwiches are good for two meals so a good deal.
San Miguels in Shelter Cove. My sons burrito was great, but my enchildadas were only fair. The singer was excellent and made up for the meals shortcomings. But when we go back I think well look for another Mexican or try another place at Shelter Cove.
The least impressive meal was at Tide Me Over. And the service there is SLOW to boot.
Dolphin cruise.
Climbed in the boat and my son realized he didnt have his glasses. So he had to run back to the condo, which cut into our dolphin viewing time. There is a long slow ride down Broad Creek we saw three dolphin there, including Nick known for the nick in his dorsal fin. Between Harbortown a Dafuskee Island we saw quite a few juveniles including a newborn. Our guide was No Worries Kyle. A definite live life for my own pleasure kind of guy. Stories about teaching windsurfing in Hawaii and captaining surfing cruises to remote islands in Sumatra for 7 mos of the year. I couldnt figure why he was in HH and didnt know what to believe. Disney charges $30 pp. The next day I saw that the place at Shelter Cove charges $20 adult and $10 for kids. The convenience of leaving from the Disney resort was nice, though I came away thinking I could have found something better to do with the money. Kyle said they were catching LOTS of shark on the fishing trips. That I believed.
Resort activities
The kids went to the magic show and enjoyed it. They didnt do any other official activities. We pretty much entertained ourselves with the bikes and pools. No one cared to go kayak or fishing so I didnt spend the bucks.
I found out that fishing, Frisbee, boogie boards, etc are allowed at the Disney area beach. I guess the info at the HH website doesnt apply there. There were even dogs, but I dont know whether they were service dogs or not.
On day #3 I took the car in for AC repairs. The Chevrolet service was great. They had a shuttle to and from the resort and the car was finished by 2pm. (The Disney resort offered to arrange transportation to the service place if I had needed it.) In the Chevrolet shuttle I met Connie, one of the CMs a retired school principal who worked at the Disney resort because she enjoyed it. She beamed when I told her that my family loved the resort and that my older kids said they liked it better than WDW. I could tell she took great pride in her work there. She said that the day she doesnt thoroughly enjoy it, she will quit.
The teenager
She slept late then slept some more. She plugged in to her CDs. After nine, when the cell phone was free, she was out on the balcony talking with her friends. By the end of the week she was enjoying the family a little, but won't admit it. We had some good times together on the beach in the evenings and she a fun afternoon of shopping with her mom.
The bad part
Our daughter with epilepsy had quite a few seizures. She tends to do that when her routine changes. She was extremely hyperactive and caused a lot of stress for all of us. She had a fairly bad seizure in the pool. I saw her just as her head went under and scooped her up. The lifeguard called for help, and someone was there quickly. They kept asking if they could do anything but we had to reassure them that this was really routine for us. I think its hard for people to comprehend living every day with epilepsy. You dont call an ambulance for every seizure.
The lifeguard, Brittany, kept asking what she could do for us. She asked if she could send our DD a teddy bear and I told her she was too hyperactive for toys. I saw that she really wanted to do something so I told her she could send my wife a little something because she feels the stress of DDs illness more than any of us. That evening Brittany and her sister Crystal brought us some balloons. It turns out that is one thing that DD does like to play with. They also brought a Monsters, Inc Life game, which mom played with the other kids that night. And some cookies and candy.
The real bad part
My wife used to let me plan all the vacations, so I could use our DVC points as I saw fit usually at WDW. NOW she wants to use them all at HH, and shes planning a trip there in the fall with her friends!!
Many thanks
To Chapin, Stephanie, Connie, Brittany, Crystal. And all the other CMs. I wish I could remember your names because you were all fantastic. And it was really all of you that made the trip so memorable and enjoyable.
Thanks for taking the time to post such a great report. I loved it 
