*HHI Owners and Beach Lovers Group Thread*

[muppets3d]

I was told that they are painting the exterior of the resort. I'd guess the mention of the views is because there may be scaffolding in the areas where they are working.

Painting/pressure washing/etc makes sense

 

[hhisc16]

We are now at 100 pages!
It has been 4 years since i started this thread and i still enjoy being in this group of dhhir lovers!

 

[hhisc16]

I found this cool dhhir promotional from 2004.
Looks like the resort sold out in 2003 roughly.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Thanks for the memories! Got to see 2 things I miss
1. The carving of Mickie and Minnie in the heart
2. B'leu Crabbe playing the banjo-I'll never understand how Disney could let such a talent go.

And I didn't know that the resort sold out in 2003-the year of our first visit.

 

[sleepydog25]

B'leu Crabbe playing the banjo-I'll never understand how Disney could let such a talent go.

$$

We are now at 100 pages!
It has been 4 years since i started this thread and i still enjoy being in this group of dhhir lovers!

Congratulations! It's an informative, warm, and welcoming thread!

 

[mikeuno]

Congrats - Long live HHI thread!

 

[momof2n2]

My first ever HHI resort stay is coming up in December. Do you think it will be decorated for Christmas by 12/1-12/4? Thank you.

 

[sleepydog25]

My first ever HHI resort stay is coming up in December. Do you think it will be decorated for Christmas by 12/1-12/4? Thank you.

No guarantees as the schedule isn't set by the resort, rather by Disney as the decorations are stored in Orlando and driven to HHI to be installed by the engineers there. However, usually the resort is decorated by that time. The decorations aren't elaborate, mostly things like garland around the light poles along the walking path, a tree in the lobby, and other such subtle touches. Many boats in Shelter Cove Marina will be brightly lit and decorated, though, so even if the ones at the resort aren't up or seem underwhelming, you should still see plenty in the marina, as well as the palm trees over at Shelter Cove Town Centre which are strung with lovely lights that brighten that area up quite a bit.

 

[muppets3d]

My first ever HHI resort stay is coming up in December. Do you think it will be decorated for Christmas by 12/1-12/4? Thank you.

In my experience the decorations are up by Thanksgiving.

 

[Simba's Mom]

In my experience the decorations are up by Thanksgiving.

Yes! Years ago, they used to put the decorations up the weekend after Thanksgiving, but that changed over 10 years ago.
The first picture was taken over at the Marina. There used to be lots of boats over there that would decorate for Christmas-they were always ready when we were there the weekend after Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, the last year or two the decorations have been very sparse. And make sure you give a nod to the Mickey wreath when you come in. In the evening it's lit up, very festive!

 

[Pens Fan]

A few years ago we spent Thanksgiving week at HHI, arriving the Saturday before. It was really fun to see the entire Shelter Cove area get transformed for Christmas in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. We are doing that again this year and really look forward to it, so I hope that's still the case!

 

[wilkydelts]

When does cash booking normally open up for Hilton Head?

 

[jenmsmith]

When does cash booking normally open up for Hilton Head?

About seven months prior.

 

[momof2n2]

Thank you for the responses about early December.
I know so little about HHI that I don't even have expectations. I understand that resorts often have activities, etc., but will that be the case off-season? Like crafts or trivia, etc. Or is that something only offered sometimes?

 

[Simba's Mom]

Thank you for the responses about early December.
I know so little about HHI that I don't even have expectations. I understand that resorts often have activities, etc., but will that be the case off-season? Like crafts or trivia, etc. Or is that something only offered sometimes?

There are normally a pretty good list of activities off-season (I hesitate to say "there's just as many" since I've never gone in season, so I can't compare). However, occasionally there'll only be one or two people signed up. But I don't imagine early December is that extremely quiet. It happened to me in February.

 

[momof2n2]

There are normally a pretty good list of activities off-season (I hesitate to say "there's just as many" since I've never gone in season, so I can't compare). However, occasionally there'll only be one or two people signed up. But I don't imagine early December is that extremely quiet. It happened to me in February.

Thank you !!!

 

[atthebeachclub]

Going to go to HHI for the first time for spring break 2026 with grandparents, parents, and grandkids! Looks a bit sleepy; I can see us swimming in the pool and taking a quick dip in the ocean and maybe doing a dolphin tour. What else do you recommend? This is our alt to Aulani since nobody was keen on the long plane ride.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Going to go to HHI for the first time for spring break 2026 with grandparents, parents, and grandkids! Looks a bit sleepy; I can see us swimming in the pool and taking a quick dip in the ocean and maybe doing a dolphin tour. What else do you recommend? This is our alt to Aulani since nobody was keen on the long plane ride.

Offhand, I'd recommend checking HHI's activity calendar and doing some of the resort activities. Rent bikes, and although I can't guarantee it's still the case, notice whether renting on 2 separate days is cheaper than a length of stay rental. That's always been the case when we've gone, so we always rented for the length of the stay, and even if we only use the bikes on 2 separate days (due to rain and/or other activities) we're better off financially. There are lots of bike paths.

 

[eticketplease]

Offhand, I'd recommend checking HHI's activity calendar and doing some of the resort activities. Rent bikes, and although I can't guarantee it's still the case, notice whether renting on 2 separate days is cheaper than a length of stay rental. That's always been the case when we've gone, so we always rented for the length of the stay, and even if we only use the bikes on 2 separate days (due to rain and/or other activities) we're better off financially. There are lots of bike paths.

I think it was $24 for 1 day and $48 for length of stay when we were there this summer.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

For anyone thinking of renting bikes at the resort, please be aware they are not currently renting them. We arrived today and went to the recreation desk to rent 4 adult bikes using a discounted Disney GC but were told they are refurbishing the bikes. They could not give me a date when they would start back. It was a bummer because I would not have bought the GC if I had known. They did direct me to call Wheelz, a rental place on Executive Park Rd. They honored the Disney price even for length of stay and gave me a 20% DVC discount. They delivered the bikes shortly after 2:00 and that was after I called at 11:24. They told me they do two deliveries each day, one around 10:00 and one around 2:00. I hope that helps anyone with future reservations. You may call to check to see if the resort has started renting them again before you come.