HHI LOVERS THREAD

[teawar]

We have rented points for the past 2 years to stay over the 4th of July at DVC HHI and are totally in love with the place. My now 7 year old feels like all of the lifeguards/rec staff are her best friends. Several CMs remembered her from the year before (and she is a shy kid). The Big Dipper Pool area is great with activities throughout the day (some are paid). There are a lot of nature walks and learning sessions you can attend. My child has checked out every dog book in our library to learn more about golden retrievers, like Shadow, the resident canine, and is trying to convince us to get one. This place is magical in it’s own way and will give your family the chance to reconnect without rushing everywhere! We love the parks but HHI is now something we want to do forever!

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

I do not own DVC yet. We just got back today from Disney's Hilton Head Resort (Glad today was our checkout as they closed it down and evacuated it at noon due to Dorian). I have been throwing the idea around about buying DVC but I am 53 so how many more years can I get out of it? I now decided to get with an agent and pull the trigger because of HHI. My girls had the best time as did me and my wife. Everything about this resort was perfect! We had a great time at the beach and the food at the beach house was better than expected. We especially loved the Disney vibe and the pool dance parties! On our last night we got to meet Shadow and sit with him for about 15 minutes and now my girls want a golden retriever lol. Also I love the fact that we were able to walk over to Scotts Fish market and listen to a live band after dinner. I asked my girls (age 5 and 8) if they had more fun at HH then they do at WDW and they said they did! We have a few trips coming up at the world and they asked if we could go back to HHI instead so that was enough for me to realize that some of the best vacations are outside of Disney World. Now to decide if I want to buy direct (if HHI is available) or resale. But for now I went ahead and rented points again to secure a trip in April. Time to do my homework!

 

[sleepydog25]

I do not own DVC yet. We just got back today from Disney's Hilton Head Resort (Glad today was our checkout as they closed it down and evacuated it at noon due to Dorian). I have been throwing the idea around about buying DVC but I am 53 so how many more years can I get out of it? I now decided to get with an agent and pull the trigger because of HHI. My girls had the best time as did me and my wife. Everything about this resort was perfect! We had a great time at the beach and the food at the beach house was better than expected. We especially loved the Disney vibe and the pool dance parties! On our last night we got to meet Shadow and sit with him for about 15 minutes and now my girls want a golden retriever lol. Also I love the fact that we were able to walk over to Scotts Fish market and listen to a live band after dinner. I asked my girls (age 5 and 8) if they had more fun at HH then they do at WDW and they said they did! We have a few trips coming up at the world and they asked if we could go back to HHI instead so that was enough for me to realize that some of the best vacations are outside of Disney World. Now to decide if I want to buy direct (if HHI is available) or resale. But for now I went ahead and rented points again to secure a trip in April. Time to do my homework!

That's a fun story! We, too, have been considering adding on HHI points (we've owned at VWL for about 15 years). Here are some random things to consider that cropped up while I was reading your post:
- While age should be a consideration, statistically speaking, you should have quite a number of years left to enjoy DVC. I can't answer for anyone if the cost of DVC is worth it based on remaining years either of life or of a particular contract, however.
- Remember, HHI has some of the highest dues of any resort, mostly due to the nature of its location which is often, certainly in the past few years, in the middle of hurricane alley. Those dues will go up each year, some years quite sharply, so just be prepared to pay those for the remaining years of the contract.
- I agree that in many ways, a vacation at HHI is far better than at WDW. Still, it's worth noting that at some point(s) down the road, your family will likely want to go back to the World. If so, then owning at HHI will only give you the 7-month booking window which could be problematic during numerous high demand times. Even so, there are usually rooms to be found at SSR, OKW, and often AKL except during really tough to get windows such as the holidays, for example.
- If you love HHI (obviously you do), then I'd rather have the 11-month booking window there and 7-month at the World than, say, owning a WDW resort and trying to get in to HHI at 7 months during the summer or spring break.
- Resale vs. direct is something to study carefully. With infrequent exceptions, buying resale is going to cost you far less than buying direct from Disney. I mean thousands of dollars. The perks of buying direct from Disney do NOT offer you enough savings to make it worthwhile, especially since said perks can be withdrawn at any time as they have through the years (e.g., free valet parking). Now, if you want the cachet of owning a blue card and having those perks, then that's your business and more power to you. Just know that you will likely be leaving thousands of dollars saved on the floor.
- One of the things you lose with buying resale is that you wouldn't be able to book any of the new resorts currently in the queue, such as Riviera and Reflections. Still, you will be able to book into any of the previous Group of 14 which offers quite a library of wonderful resorts.
- Some people opt to buy a larger contract resale, then go with the minimum buy-in of points direct. That direct buy then gives you the perks and allows those direct points to be used to book the new resorts.
- Finally, in terms of advice, be wary of buying a large contract. They work fine, but should the need arise to sell it down the road, they are harder to unload and generally fetch lower prices on the resale market. That's why you often see 400+ point contracts languishing on the resale sites. Although the cost per point is cheaper, multiply that cost by 400, 500, or more, and the contract becomes quite expensive. Many opt to buy a couple of smaller contracts (same Use Year is wise) in case they want to downsize later, say when kids have grown and flown the coop.

Best wishes to you! You're smart to do research. Many don't.

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

That's a fun story! We, too, have been considering adding on HHI points (we've owned at VWL for about 15 years). Here are some random things to consider that cropped up while I was reading your post:
- While age should be a consideration, statistically speaking, you should have quite a number of years left to enjoy DVC. I can't answer for anyone if the cost of DVC is worth it based on remaining years either of life or of a particular contract, however.
- Remember, HHI has some of the highest dues of any resort, mostly due to the nature of its location which is often, certainly in the past few years, in the middle of hurricane alley. Those dues will go up each year, some years quite sharply, so just be prepared to pay those for the remaining years of the contract.
- I agree that in many ways, a vacation at HHI is far better than at WDW. Still, it's worth noting that at some point(s) down the road, your family will likely want to go back to the World. If so, then owning at HHI will only give you the 7-month booking window which could be problematic during numerous high demand times. Even so, there are usually rooms to be found at SSR, OKW, and often AKL except during really tough to get windows such as the holidays, for example.
- If you love HHI (obviously you do), then I'd rather have the 11-month booking window there and 7-month at the World than, say, owning a WDW resort and trying to get in to HHI at 7 months during the summer or spring break.
- Resale vs. direct is something to study carefully. With infrequent exceptions, buying resale is going to cost you far less than buying direct from Disney. I mean thousands of dollars. The perks of buying direct from Disney do NOT offer you enough savings to make it worthwhile, especially since said perks can be withdrawn at any time as they have through the years (e.g., free valet parking). Now, if you want the cachet of owning a blue card and having those perks, then that's your business and more power to you. Just know that you will likely be leaving thousands of dollars saved on the floor.
- One of the things you lose with buying resale is that you wouldn't be able to book any of the new resorts currently in the queue, such as Riviera and Reflections. Still, you will be able to book into any of the previous Group of 14 which offers quite a library of wonderful resorts.
- Some people opt to buy a larger contract resale, then go with the minimum buy-in of points direct. That direct buy then gives you the perks and allows those direct points to be used to book the new resorts.
- Finally, in terms of advice, be wary of buying a large contract. They work fine, but should the need arise to sell it down the road, they are harder to unload and generally fetch lower prices on the resale market. That's why you often see 400+ point contracts languishing on the resale sites. Although the cost per point is cheaper, multiply that cost by 400, 500, or more, and the contract becomes quite expensive. Many opt to buy a couple of smaller contracts (same Use Year is wise) in case they want to downsize later, say when kids have grown and flown the coop.

Best wishes to you! You're smart to do research. Many don't.

Thanks for the insight and advice! We take 3-4 vacations a year, 1 big one Christmas week, smaller ones spring break and fall break and then try to work one in right before school. The one problem with buying DVC is my wife. She is totally spoiled on WDW Club Level and I know the only way to get it with DVC is if we book a room in the Kilimanjaro Club at AKL and I have heard that is a hard one to get. So I have been kicking around the idea of buying a small contract on the resale market at HHI with just enough points to stay 5-6 nights which we could split into 2 small weekend stays. That way we could get the AP discount and still book Yacht Club or Beach Club CL as a regular guest and she's happy Plus with AP we get 30-40% off the room so it's totally worth it imo. This past weekend we arrived at HHI on Friday and checked out Monday and it was just enough beach time so when we left we were satisfied. We are only 4 hours away in Georgia so weekend trips are easy enough. Lots more research to go! Any more advise is appreciated! Thanks again!!

Edit: I just read what perks I will NOT get with resale and I like perks so I'm going to look at buying direct.

 

[sleepydog25]

Thanks for the insight and advice! We take 3-4 vacations a year, 1 big one Christmas week, smaller ones spring break and fall break and then try to work one in right before school. The one problem with buying DVC is my wife. She is totally spoiled on WDW Club Level and I know the only way to get it with DVC is if we book a room in the Kilimanjaro Club at AKL and I have heard that is a hard one to get. So I have been kicking around the idea of buying a small contract on the resale market at HHI with just enough points to stay 5-6 nights which we could split into 2 small weekend stays. That way we could get the AP discount and still book Yacht Club or Beach Club CL as a regular guest and she's happy Plus with AP we get 30-40% off the room so it's totally worth it imo. This past weekend we arrived at HHI on Friday and checked out Monday and it was just enough beach time so when we left we were satisfied. We are only 4 hours away in Georgia so weekend trips are easy enough. Lots more research to go! Any more advise is appreciated! Thanks again!!

Edit: I just read what perks I will NOT get with resale and I like perks so I'm going to look at buying direct.

It does appear buying a smaller contract to allow a couple of weekend trips a year would be ideal for you. And, you're correct, those AKL CL rooms through DVC are extremely difficult to book since there are so few.

As for the perks, that is a personal choice, and I understand people liking those. Still, I would caution you to really price out what you get as perks via DVC direct as opposed to resale.
- Discounts: yep, on merchandise but it's generally only 10%, so you'd have to buy a ton of stuff over the years to make up the difference between resale vs direct
- Restaurants: as AP holders, we find the TIW is an all-around better deal than the discounts offered by DVC membership
- Functions: yes, there are members only functions that no longer include the more recent resale buyers; however, those are often crowded, don't offer a lot of exclusivity
- Cruising: no, you won't be able to use points to cruise if you buy resale, but anyone who has owned DVC for long will tell you that using points to book a cruise is not an optimum deal as the points needed are tremendously expensive, something like 300+ points for ONE person for a 3 or 4-night cruise. Plus, you have to pay them a $95 fee on top of that.

My primary issue with buying direct is solely the price. A quick glance at a couple of 100-150 point contracts for HHI show them listing between $88-$99 per point. From Disney, you won't get in for under $170-$175 unless they opt to offer some amazing deal. At just 100 points, if you buy resale, you could get those 100 points for roughly $9-$10K. The same points from Disney will run you a cool $17K. For me, and again this is just me personally, there's no way we could make back that $7K difference with 10% off merchandise, 10-20% off some restaurants, and various "free" DVC functions. Still, if you've crunched the numbers, and they work for you, then best wishes going forward, sincerely.

As for other advice, a lot of people enjoy DVC so much, they want to add on more points down the road. It's lovingly called "addonitis" on the DIS. Just be aware that having the same UY should you add on in the future makes things easier to keep track of. And then there are those pesky dues again. Unless you buy into the same resort, also be aware that you can only use the points at a particular resort for the 11-month booking window. Say, for example, you buy HHI then later add on AKL. Your AKL points can only be used for HHI at the 7-month point and vice versa.

Again, keep researching and best of luck to you in your journey!

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

It does appear buying a smaller contract to allow a couple of weekend trips a year would be ideal for you. And, you're correct, those AKL CL rooms through DVC are extremely difficult to book since there are so few.

As for the perks, that is a personal choice, and I understand people liking those. Still, I would caution you to really price out what you get as perks via DVC direct as opposed to resale.
- Discounts: yep, on merchandise but it's generally only 10%, so you'd have to buy a ton of stuff over the years to make up the difference between resale vs direct
- Restaurants: as AP holders, we find the TIW is an all-around better deal than the discounts offered by DVC membership
- Functions: yes, there are members only functions that no longer include the more recent resale buyers; however, those are often crowded, don't offer a lot of exclusivity
- Cruising: no, you won't be able to use points to cruise if you buy resale, but anyone who has owned DVC for long will tell you that using points to book a cruise is not an optimum deal as the points needed are tremendously expensive, something like 300+ points for ONE person for a 3 or 4-night cruise. Plus, you have to pay them a $95 fee on top of that.

My primary issue with buying direct is solely the price. A quick glance at a couple of 100-150 point contracts for HHI show them listing between $88-$99 per point. From Disney, you won't get in for under $170-$175 unless they opt to offer some amazing deal. At just 100 points, if you buy resale, you could get those 100 points for roughly $9-$10K. The same points from Disney will run you a cool $17K. For me, and again this is just me personally, there's no way we could make back that $7K difference with 10% off merchandise, 10-20% off some restaurants, and various "free" DVC functions. Still, if you've crunched the numbers, and they work for you, then best wishes going forward, sincerely.

As for other advice, a lot of people enjoy DVC so much, they want to add on more points down the road. It's lovingly called "addonitis" on the DIS. Just be aware that having the same UY should you add on in the future makes things easier to keep track of. And then there are those pesky dues again. Unless you buy into the same resort, also be aware that you can only use the points at a particular resort for the 11-month booking window. Say, for example, you buy HHI then later add on AKL. Your AKL points can only be used for HHI at the 7-month point and vice versa.

Again, keep researching and best of luck to you in your journey!

Back to looking at resale lol. I get better discounts being an AP so maybe resale is going to work better. More research this week.

 

[jerseygal]

Have an upcoming trip to HH, can't wait, haven't been back in 4 years. Anyone know what studios are in buildings with a Marsh view?
We had a 2 BR dedicated in building 31, 2nd floor, Room 3122, loved it, but that isn't a lock off.
THANKS in advance

 

[renzmari]

Main lodge and Building 12. All/most of the studios and 1 bedrooms are located in those buildings. They are all adjoining rooms and those have nice Marsh views. We were in a really nice studio there last month. Request Marsh view as most important and high floor secondary as the noise from above can be a little loud.

 

[jerseygal]

Main lodge and Building 12. All/most of the studios and 1 bedrooms are located in those buildings. They are all adjoining rooms and those have nice Marsh views. We were in a really nice studio there last month. Request Marsh view as most important and high floor secondary as the noise from above can be a little loud.

Thank you! Isn’t Main Lodge for those that can’t climb stairs? We are certainly able to climb stairs.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Building 18 has the most beautiful marsh view, and it has a studio.
Regarding your question about the main lodge and inability to climb stairs, a few people request it for that reason but most just like the location or get randomly assigned there. And since 16 of the 21 studios are in the main lodge, you’d probably be assigned there anyways. Our first several stays we were assigned there, then we learned to love that building plus my mobility decreased, so now we request it.

 

[renzmari]

Thank you! Isn’t Main Lodge for those that can’t climb stairs? We are certainly able to climb stairs.

Yes, but most of the rooms are not accessible rooms and as Simba’s Mom said most of the lock-offs are in those buildings. Have a great time. We had to evacuate from HHI on Monday due to Dorian and missed out on our last 2 days of vacation. But we can’t wait to go back!

 

[jerseygal]

Yes, but most of the rooms are not accessible rooms and as Simba’s Mom said most of the lock-offs are in those buildings. Have a great time. We had to evacuate from HHI on Monday due to Dorian and missed out on our last 2 days of vacation. But we can’t wait to go back!

Hope that you GET BACK SOON, a beautiful place!

 

[LiamsDISMom]

Excited to head here for the first time! Does anyone know if cash reservations get daily mousekeeping like the other DVC? What about refills on things like dish soap, paper towels,etc?

 

[renzmari]

Excited to head here for the first time! Does anyone know if cash reservations get daily mousekeeping like the other DVC? What about refills on things like dish soap, paper towels,etc?

When we stayed last year on a cash reservation we did not get any services as you would in WDW. I don't know if that has changed, but that was their policy when I asked at the front desk.

 

[luvvwl]

Does anyone have any history of success with booking a studio at the 7 month point for mid June? I can see that it's currently available, but our only experience is for 4th of July weekend. We were hoping for good news that the June timeframe might bring us more success!

 

[bobbiwoz]

Does anyone have any history of success with booking a studio at the 7 month point for mid June? I can see that it's currently available, but our only experience is for 4th of July weekend. We were hoping for good news that the June timeframe might bring us more success!

I would not plan on it, but you can try of course! We bought points there because we wanted to go in summer and never got in at 7 months. Our first trip there was for cash around Halloween.

 

[MrsBooch]

Does anyone have any history of success with booking a studio at the 7 month point for mid June? I can see that it's currently available, but our only experience is for 4th of July weekend. We were hoping for good news that the June timeframe might bring us more success!

We do not own at HHI so we are always doing 7 month bookings - we have not seen studios available at the 7 month mark. 1 bedrooms, yes. 2 Bedrooms for sure. And I am pretty good about getting right on the site at exactly when the booking window opens. But I LOVE the one bedrooms so this isn't an issue for us - if you can swing it with the points it's totally worth it.

 

[klbrow11]

Does anyone have any history of success with booking a studio at the 7 month point for mid June? I can see that it's currently available, but our only experience is for 4th of July weekend. We were hoping for good news that the June timeframe might bring us more success!

I have had success with the first week of June twice now. One time though online system was down and it was the same day as presidental election so I may have just been really lucky. But you never know!

 

[klbrow11]

So we put an offer for a smaller contract at DHHIR and it was accepted! Send pixie dust that it goes through. Looking forward to finally having home resort priority and spending more time at our favorite resort!

 

[luvvwl]

We do not own at HHI so we are always doing 7 month bookings - we have not seen studios available at the 7 month mark. 1 bedrooms, yes. 2 Bedrooms for sure. And I am pretty good about getting right on the site at exactly when the booking window opens. But I LOVE the one bedrooms so this isn't an issue for us - if you can swing it with the points it's totally worth it.

We love having a one bedroom as well, so that's what we've booked!