HHI Second Thoughts

[Jimbo]

We just got back from a great trip to WLV with the grandkids (5 and 9). The solitary problem was a rainy Saturday night, when going to the parks was out of the question. The kids started to go a little stir crazy, and were practically bouncing off the walls. But we were able to keep them occupied enough for the night.

Now I'm starting to question our next trip, which is to HHI. We're checking in on 8/17, and out on 8/23. I wasn't aware at the time I scheduled the trip just how rainy HHI is in August. The girls' parents are coming with us this time, so at least we'll have plenty of adults to take turns occupy the kids on rainy days.

If it was just DW and I, we'd still be able to have a good time. But if all or most of the days are rainy, I'd think this will be a pretty rotten vacation. So I'm thinking about cancelling. I know the last week in August 2002 was nonstop rain. Is this considered normal? Am I overreacting?

 

[speedway66]

I probably shouldn't respond to this post, since I am no fan of HHI, but......

We went to HHI in March, our kids were 15 and 19 at the time, and it was pretty boring- rain or no rain. We don't golf, the beach house is almost too far to walk, there is no on-site full service restaurant, even the malls were deserted and on reduced hours. I was sure glad I brought a Tom Clancy book.

If I'm going to be stuck somewhere in the rain with younger kids, I'd choose WDW anytime over HHI.

Less than 300 days to BWV

Jim

 

[GrammieMame]

We have a place at HH, so I'm a frequent visitor. It's true there's rain in the summer, but it's a good thing. It keeps the temperatures down a little, and it almost always comes along late in the afternoon (and briefly) when you're ready for a break anyhow. We go to the beach around 10:00, take our lunch, and pretty much stay until about 3:00 or so. HH isn't boring if you are looking for a relaxing beach vacation and like the water. Between the beach and the pool, my grandkids are pretty happy there. We also go play Pirate mini-golf, there's a hotel on the Island with a couple of water slides (nothing like a water park, but it's a nice change). Plenty of kid-friendly restaurants. One nice little ritual that the younger kids enjoy is a walk down the beach (to your left from DVC) to a pavilion where they sell slushies. They love to mix up the flavors into a nasty looking concoction. Buy a couple of boogie boards, pails & shovels, and they should have a blast. And although I haven't done DVC there, I understand there are lots of activities for the kids. A trip in the summer is a different kind of trip than one in March when it's not hot.

 

[Jimbo]

We've stayed on HHI once, in May, so we know something about it. I'm not worried about reduced hours in August, and the beach will keep our 5YO and 9YO very happy. Plus we thought we'd take a dolphin cruise, and a fishing trip (they love to fish).

But we can't do any of that stuff if it rains all day. An afternoon shower is one thing, because it can be nap time. But if we lose whole days to rain it'll be a disaster. That's my fear.

If we asked the kids, I'm 100% sure they'd pick WDW. But that's hundreds of dollars per day in park passes, and that will be a problem this time.

 

[CarolA]

Generally it does not rain all day at HH. I have spent a lot of time there and rarely had several days of rain. However, I have been there when tropical storms or hurricanes off the coast cause LOTS of rain.

 

[speedway66]

Jimbo,
I sympathize with the cost issue. We're looking at driving next time rather than flying just so we can afford to do the things we like to do.

I thought HHI was nice, the the staff tried to do their best (warm cookies and lemonade at registration was a nice touch), but I just never felt like I was at Disney. We've gone to WDW around 15 times and I still never get tired of it. That's why we (as a family) agreed that we wouldn't spend anymore of our points at HHI. I'm sure it's great for a lot of people, just not us. We had a little weather issue one day, and the options were billiards with 6 pre-teen "coaches" critiqueing every shot (they were bored, too), or climbing into the car and going to a mall.

I just think there are more options at WDW than HHI. WLV has a video game room, the common areas are good for rambunctious games, and you can use the transportation system to visit other places- I've wandered the Boardwalk in the rain, and every kid would love a visit to Beaches & Cream at the Beach Club. Of course, maybe a sugar buzz from an ice cream sundae might not be what they need

There is also the toy shopping at the Marketplace. That's a good way to kill some serious time w/kids.

Anyway, just my 2 cents worth.

Jim

 

[Jimbo]

I know what you mean, speedway66, so I'm downplaying the Disney connection whever I can. I'm always calling this a "beach trip" instead of a Disney trip. I'm sure we'll have a great time, weather permitting, because the same group had a great time at VB a few years ago. And there's tons more to do at HHI than there is at VB.

It's the "weather permitting" part that worries me.

 

[Dean]

I've been to HH several times in July and August and wouldn't hesitate to go that time. If rains like it does any other warm area, mostly in the mornings and afternoons. If this bothers you NEVER GO TO HI.

 

[Donna]

We usually go to HHI in June or August, both months we usually only get rain during the night. We've never really even had showers during the day, and this is every year since they opened. Even if DVC only had HH, we still would have bought points. OKW was my original home, but if i could trade those points in for HH, i would!
If you DO decide to cancel, you're going to make someone on the waitlist VERY HAPPY!

 

[NancyDVC]

I am a "mature" adult with no children. On my last visit to HH in November there were lots of activities especially for kids. I dragged my friend to Goofy Bingo and had a ball. We had great fun with the little ones at our table. My friend got "Goofy-Goofy Bingo" and we told the 3 year old next to us that she won! (With her Dad's approval). She was so excited that she shared her prizes (candy) with the whole table. Her family was stopping on their way to WDW from Wisconsin and the parents told us that they were having such a good time that they intended to come back for a longer stay. (They did not know about DVC so we gave them some feedback from long time members).
As for the restaurant issue, there are many kid friendly places nearby and some deliver. The front desk will give you a list of restaurants that have DVC discounts and or delivery.
We enjoyed the HH Diner nearby. It is a real NY Greek Diner. (If you are from NY you will know what I mean). Good food, good portions and prices won't break the bank.
While we were there the the resort had a pizza/movie night for the kids. The kids had pizza and soda and then were taken to a nearby movie theater to see a Disney movie. The feed back that I heard was very impressive. I think just getting away from the parents was an experience for the kids. The resort also 'rents' videos just like they do at OKW.
I think that any trip is what you make it. Telling the kids that you are going on a "beach" vacation is probably better than saying Disney. The resort has some nice activities. The beach house is lovely, as is the beach itself. The HHI welcome center has a great movie and exhibits about the local ecology and history. It's just a short drive from the resort and isn't too intense. A day trip to Savannah can be worthwhile exploring too.
Try a search for Hilton Head on the net and you will come up with some of the local sites with more ideas for things to do with kids.

 

[CGregoryJr]

Different strokes for different folks. With a permanent resident population of approx. 35,000, the island hosts over 1 million visitors every summer. It is one of the premier resort locations on the east coast. We have been going to the island for over 10 years although we have never stayed at the Disney resort. Our kids (ages 11,9) love the place and we never seem to have any difficulty keeping our family busy. Some people don't care for the island because they feel it borders on the expensive side. Compared to the overall costs around the WDW resorts, I don't think the HHI locale is altogether out of line. Dining, shopping, golfing, tennis, water sports, and the beach are all first class. Palmetto Dunes (home to the Beach Club) in particular is one of the finest residential communities in the southeast. Don't worry too much about the weather. Who can plan around it anyhow? Finally, day trips to Charleston and Savannah can offer a great break if needed.

 

[BounceyOne]

We were there last week of august 2002 and it rained ALOT. I would say out of the 6 days we were there it rained everyday. Some days it rained all day some it just rained on and off all day. We went in the pool a total of 5 times the entire trip. We got to the beach once and it rained again after we were there for 20 minutes. We shopped to much and spent to much money during the rain.

This said I loved HH and would love to go back. WE were actually heading back down during presidents week, but got snowed in and had to cancel.

 

[GrammieMame]

A followup thought for things to do on rainy days. There are always a couple of kid-friendly summer movies at the local theaters. If you save these for your trip, it's a good rainy day activity. There's also a "family fun park" indoor place with a large game room where you can spend a good bit of time (and money)indoors. When we had a rainy day last year, we took the kids (same age as yours) bowling, which they liked. Again, all-day downpours are the exception.

 

[PamOKW]

Rainy days are the chance you take with any beach vacation. All beach resorts are a lot more fun with nice days....but that's something you can't really predict. Of course, WDW has lots more things to do if it rains but it is also a completely different vacation to start with.

I haven't been to HHI, but if you would like to take a summertime beach vacation, that sounds like an excellent choice. I'll hope you get all sunny days.

 

[LisaR]

All day washouts can happen on ANY vacation. We went to WDW one December (about 6 years ago) and it rained from the minute the plane touched down. The first sign of sun was a week later as we were heading back to the airport. Trust me, I am not exagerating in the least. Sure, the good thing about a little rain at WDW is you can still take in a lot of stuff. However, this wasn't a little rain. This was so much rain that parades were canceled, rides were closed, etc. The gift stores were all out of sinus and cold medicine because everyone was sick from the weather.

My point is, rain can happen anywhere. In season or off season. All day washouts for a straight week are unusual at WDW and HH. However, anything can happen. I wouldn't change my plans because of the chance of rain. You could make ressies for the lowest rain season of the year and get blasted.

If it honestly rains enough that you can't do anything (which I doubt), hit the local Walmart, buy some board games and puzzles, order in and enjoy the family. When something like bad weather happens, I always remember, it could be worse. We could be at home!

Lisa

 

[Jimbo]

OK, I'm sold. If we have good weather, or even average weather, I know we'll have a fabulous time with our granddaughters. If (heaven forbid) we have weather like BouncyOne had last August, the girls' parents will have their hands full

That's why being a grandparent is the bestest job in the whole world!

 

[cgcw]

While we haven't done HH in August, we've been the past 2 years in July. We had rain a couple of times -- enough to send us inside but it didn't last all day long. Once we were at the beach and made it back in time before the big downpour rolled in (really quickly). Another time, we were out on a dolphin tour almost to the point of where the creek meets the Atlantic. That time, the rain was a driving rain we we were trying to get back to the marina at a quick pace. But, the storms we encountered blew through and by no means ruined the entire day. Later, it cleared up and became warm enough to continue on. As others have said, there's always a chance of rain.

If you do go ahead with your plans, make sure the kids have a chance to catch crabs off the dock. They will love it!!

 

[Boo Mc]

We just got back from our first trip to HH last week. After 2 weeks at BWV we stopped at HH for one day on our drive home. We never thought we'd choose a week at HH over WDW so we thought we'd stop just to check it out (and had some points about to expire). I must say we were pleasantly surprised. Yes the weather was kind of rainy and low 60's but the staff was awesome! They kept joking about how there were only about 10 families at the resort but that was fine with us. Our kids are 4 and 6. They did the fish shirt painting with Allan, heard Bryan the naturalist give a great talk on seashells, went to the campfire/sing along (with Bryan and Allan) and went to the Disney Kids Club run by Crystal and Heather. All 4 of these CM's were great with our kids! We can't say enough good things about them. One thing I really liked about the kids club was that they took the kids to the beach to look for seashells, made art projects with shells and were going to go fishing (but it rained). It seems like the kids clubs at WDW just have the kids color, watch TV and play video games. We would have loved to have more time at HH and definitely plan to go back. Even in the rain the activities still went on-- they told me if it rained during the campfire they would have made smores in the fireplace at the main lodge. Granted, a week of rain would be a drag but like other people have said, that can happen anywhere. Good luck with your trip!

P.S. The water slide was closed when we were there because no one was in the pool but they told us to just ask at the rental office and they would open the slide (if it's during the posted hours).