HHI Trip Report...*MORE PHOTOS ADDED*

[kristenrice]

I'm going to *really * try hard to turn out a decent trip report, but it's my first time, so bear with me.

First, a little backstory...

Last April, we had a fantastic spring break vacation at AKV with my parents. Everything was perfect, except for a room-assignment error. In the grand scheme of things, it was not a huge deal, but I brought it to the attention of DVC member satisfaction, and they returned the 46 points that were used for the night we were in the "wrong" room.

So, with 46 more points and an entire year's worth (2012) to borrow, I decided to see if we could squeeze in a vacation this year. When we bought DVC in 2008, we planned on going every other year with our 100 points at AKV. (Our vacation money comes from using rewards programs and small direct deposits so it takes about 2 years to save up for the food/passes/transportation.) Knowing that we wouldn't be able to save up enough for WDW again, I decided to look into HHI....

After scouring the boards and reading everything I could find, I decided that HHI would be the perfect vacation for us. DH is not a huge fan of WDW, but he goes along and has a good time once he's there. I found that it would only be 135 points *IF* we could get a 1BR at the 7-month mark. I called at exactly 9am the day our window opened...and we got one! All five days, no waitlist! Let the planning begin...

The more and more I read about HHI, the more I knew that we had to go here more than just once. I also learned that Easter and the summer can be very difficult to get, nearly impossible in a 1BR, without the 11-month window. Since our children are young (kindergarten and 2nd grade), we will be doing spring break and summer trips for quite a while. When I paid off my truck, DH said I could add-on a small (50 point) contract at HHI. I already have reservations made at WDW with those points and our next trip to HHI will be in 2013.

Now, back to this trip...

We are driving to HHI, leaving early Friday morning. We are stopping in Gatlinburg, TN on the way. Looking at MapQuest, we will have about 11 hours of drive time to get there. The initial plan was to leave Saturday, spend the night in Gatlinburg and then head to HHI on Sunday morning. When I noticed how close we'd be to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, I felt bad that we wouldn't have more time to "explore". So, I booked us an extra night in Gatlinburg and now we will have all day on Saturday to "sightsee". We're really just planning on driving through some of the "scenic routes" and maybe having a picnic. It will be a nice break after a LONG day of driving.

Earlier, I mentioned that I use rewards programs to earn our vacation money. For this vacation, I have $1800 in rewards....FREE money = FREE vacation! If we stick to budget, we should not have to touch our vacation savings account at all!

That brings me to today...

As usual, DH hasn't started to pack yet. I have almost everything packed, but I am "stuck" on the food situation. We have a larger, hardside cooler that I would like to bring, but it takes up a lot of space. I'm now considering taking our soft-side cooler and taking less food. I'd like to bring along as much food as I can, but I don't want to overstuff the vehicle either. I plan on doing a grocery run once we get there so I'm thinking that perhaps just buying food as we go is a better idea. We drink a lot of soda but we don't want to bring too much with us. (Michigan has a $0.10 bottle deposit so we don't want to be hauling a bunch of empties back.)

We have a LOT of things to keep us occupied over the next 4 days...

...Monday: DD5 field trip to the zoo; mom's trip to the salon
...Tuesday: I get to work 14 hours (2:30pm-4:30am)...DH get to work 12 hours (5:30am-5:30pm)...kids get to stay with the DGP's after school.
...Wednesday: I get to work ANOTHER 14 hours...DH gets to take DD's to the dentist after school and then to their evening programs at church
...Thursday: After (hopefully) getting to sleep in until noon, I get to pack the truck while the DD's are at school...DD's have gymnastics class...and it's OPENING DAY for the Tigers.

FRIDAY...up and at 'em at 6am! We are leaving the house at 7:30am...

...more to come...

 

[bbn1122]

I look forward to reading more. I hope you have a great time!!

 

[Disneypubgal]

Sounds like you have a great trip planned, can't wait to hear more!

 

[heathers4um]

Subbing!!

 

[kristenrice]

....but who's counting

I just checked the weather forecast for our day in Gatlinburg and I think I will have to repack a few things. For some reason, I thought it had said "sunny and high 60's" in which case, my DD's would want their tank dresses. Now, I checked it today and it is "partly cloudy, high of 55". I'll have to replace their dresses with jeans and t-shirts. At least it should be sunny. That will make sight-seeing slightly more enjoyable.

Yesterday, I bought DH a new camera. The girls have been begging for cameras but they are just too young for a "good" one and I do not want to spend $100 on the AAA batteries that need to go into the "cheap" ones. I compromised....I bought DH a new camera and so now DD5 gets his old one and DD7 gets my old one. I got a Zi8 for my birthday so now we all have cameras....that means PICTURES WILL BE POSTING!

I'm off to get ready for work now.... 2:30 this afternoon until 4:30 tomorrow morning...sleep for about 6 hours and then repeat.....but after that, I'm off for 12 days .

 

[Checkers]

Sounds like you have everything under control. Have a safe trip and enjoy! Looking forward to reading more.

 

[kristenrice]

 

[tarheel]

You will really enjoy HH and I hope the weather cooperates and gives you some warm sunshine ( get it?, I know how you made your vacation free money!!!) Have a great trip!
Tarheel (or luv2go2diz)

 

[kristenrice]

You will really enjoy HH and I hope the weather cooperates and gives you some warm sunshine ( get it?, I know how you made your vacation free money!!!) Have a great trip!
Tarheel (or luv2go2diz)

I do love the SUNSHINE!.....It is so rewarding!

 

[andijean]

I can't wait to hear about your adventures b/c we will going to HHI this summer for the first time and looking for the inside scoop. Keep posting!

 

[kristenrice]

One more shift at work and then....VACATION!!!

I made my weight loss goal as of this morning too. I wanted to be down to 155 (from 165 in April 2010....and 188 in December 2009!) and I was 154.5 this morning!

Last year, before our 7-month window opened, I was planning on booking a 2BR for 4 nights and paying cash for the 5th night. I didn't think we'd have a chance at a 1BR. So, we were going to arrive in HHI on Saturday (cash) and leave on Thursday. I booked the hotel in Gatlinburg for Friday night as our stopover. When we got the 1BR, we had to shift to Su-Th to save points. So, I booked the Gatlinburg hotel for Saturday night and planned to cancel the Friday night reservation. After a little research, we decided that perhaps a "break" day in Gatlinburg would be a good idea. We've never been there before so we thought "why not"....I had rewards points to cover both nights in the hotel so it wasn't costing us anything extra.

Yesterday, it finally dawned on me that we had TWO reservations. I don't want to check out and check back in so I called today to see if they could "link" them. Yup, no problem! So that little detail is taken care of.

I have a bunch of spare change and small bills in my "cash drawer" that I've been saving up. It's only about $75, but I don't really use cash for that much anyways. I told DH that I need to stop at the bank to cash in the coins. That's when he informed me of his little addition to the itinerary... He said that he has a jar of coins too but he is going to leave them as change for the vending machines at the rest areas. Ummm...I was planning on stops for food and gas (preferably not in that order) and maybe an occasional potty break, but apparently, he is planning on a sightseeing tour of the rest areas of Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. (I don't think we'll be posting THOSE pictures) I'm not sure why he thinks he needs a JAR of coins for the rest areas....they haven't installed pay toilets have they?

Ok....I'm off to my elliptical machine...must run 1 mile before work!

...Stay tuned....

 

[kristenrice]

So here I sit at work...watching the clock....6 more hours....

DH called me earlier...DD5 (who'd been up since 5am) complained of a headache and then fell asleep at school. At the dentist after school, they found that all of her back molars are decayed (explains the headache) and she'll need crowns. When she got home, she threw up and went to sleep. I'm thinking (and hoping) that it is a result of fatigue. She does tend to get "sick" when she gets too tired so we'll see how she is tomorrow.

DH still hasn't packed....

 

[rwcmath]

I hope your DD feels better and that you have a great stay.

 

[kristenrice]

...DH has finally started to pack.

I got a whopping 4 hours of sleep last night so I am dead tired right now. DD5 is feeling better now. We kept her home from school because she was still complaining of a headache, but she is back to normal now. A good day of sleep can do wonders...wish I could do that.

I've still got a lot to do, but nothing huge, mostly just odds and ends. DD is taking the kids off to gymnastics right now so I've got at least a solid hour to myself to get the last things taken care of.

Tomorrow, we get up at "the butt-crack of dawn" (according to the kids) so I'm hoping for a good night of sleep.

Until later....

 

[Disney grandma]

Our daughter and son in law and two grandchildren just returned from a two night stay in Gatlinburg and a four night stay at HH. They had a wonderful time. As far as weather in Gatlinburg, it can be very cold up in the mountains and sunny and warm in town. Depending on where you are staying, you can walk to the downtown street area. There is a beautiful acquarium in town that is well worth the time and money. There is also a very good pizza place in one of the strip areas I believe it is called Best Little Italian Pizza Place, it is very reasonably priced and the food is excellent. Be sure and stop at the entrance to the park at the welcome area, you will see a lot of information on the park and wildlife. To get to Gatlinburg you have to first go through Sevierville and then Pigeon Forge which can be very time consuming and lots of traffic. Once you get through there it is peaceful and serene. Enjoy your trip!

 

[kristenrice]

After a late start, we had a fairly uneventful journey from Grand Rapids to Gatlinburg. We ran into some traffic issues around Cincinnati which set us back about a half hour, but other than that, it was fairly smooth sailing. We only made 2 stops at rest areas and two stops for food/gas. The kiddos stayed awake the entire trip (which is more than I can say for me) and so they are pooped out.

We arrived here at the Fairfield Inn in Gatlinburg at about 9:45pm. We left about 30 minutes later than I'd planned and we also had the 30 minute traffic delay, but I am still pleased with our time. I assumed that we would be here sometime between 10 and 11pm.

As far as tomorrow goes...we are in trouble. The kids saw "the strip" on the way here and they want to do EVERYTHING. We decided that the "plan" is going to be to visit Cades Cove in the morning and then do the Rainforest something-or-other before going to dinner at TGI Friday's. It's abit of a compromise...we'd planned on Cades Cove because it is free and I have $50 in free gift cards from TGI Friday's, along with a 10% off coupon from the hotel. We agreed to pay for ONE attraction, within reason, and that is the one they chose.

It's been a very long day. I was up at 4am....walked the dog....finished packing...fought with the bike carrier for almost an hour...rode in the car for 13 hours...I'm done!

Goodnight!

 

[bobbiwoz]

I hope you enjoy your day in the Smokies as much as we do! I remember going on the early morning hay ride with our DSs. Maybe you'll see some of the foxes around there.

 

[kristenrice]

Yesterday, we spent almost all day at Cades Cove! We arrived at the park around 11:30am. We started around the loop and made all of the stops. We didn't see any bear, but we saw quite a few deer and we were VERY close to a few of them. We see a lot of deer in Michigan so the kids weren't too excited...until they saw a 6 point buck!

We finished the loop at about 4pm and decided to do a carriage ride. DD7 wanted to do a horseback ride but DD5 is too young so we opted for the carriage ride. It was Ok....nothing special...and NOT worth the $40 + tip that it cost. They advertise it as being "about 30 minutes"....well, "about 30 minutes" translates into "exactly 18 minutes". We aren't complaining....we can say we did it and we won't be doing it again. It really wasn't worth $10/person, but the kids enjoyed it and that is what counts.

After Cades Cove, DH had to stop by the distillery and pick up some moonshine. He doesn't drink anymore but he wanted the "illegal" souvenir.

Then we had a great dinner at TGI Friday's. After using the 10% off coupon and my gift cards, our total dinner expense was $7.

Here's a few pictures from our day in Gatlinburg...

Our Hotel...

Gatlinburg...

Super close to the deer (This is at my max zoom...3x!)

The girls...

Scenery...

More Deer...

I got up at 6:30am today and hit the treadmill. DH worked out after me and then the girls woke up. It's almost my turn to hit the shower while DH takes the girls down to breakfast. Then....we're off to Hilton Head Island!!!!

I'll try to check in tonight! Thanks for reading!

 

[kstinw19]

Great report so far...subscribing to see how HHI is as I am thinking of trying it soon.

I have been dying to know...has dh used his change jar yet?

 

[nydisney14]

Looks like it will be a great time!