ProudMommyof2
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2007
Another great update! Getting so excited- we will be there in 3 short day!
"It's a Disney-fied island". A Disney Hilton Head DVC trip report June 21-28
- Thread starter Chelley00
- Start date
Chelley00
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2005
I'm a huge fan of B'Lou. That man can do anything. Later in my report you'll read about the day he walked me back to my villa and we chatted for long while about all things outside Disney
I can't wait for you to get back and share your thoughts! I'm going to try and get my report done in the next couple of days because we are leaving to visit family in Texas on Sunday and I'd like to be done with this before then. We will see!
June 25
Pirates take over
My kids love all things pirate. We actually went to MNSSHP in October dressed as pirates. They did Pirates League with my nephew. They even did a Pirate Adventure cruise.
My kids love pools. Both are swimmers and DD is on competitive swim team (DS quit this year to take gymnastics instead....he wants to be a diver instead of swimmer!)
So if you take those 2 things and combine them into a Pirate Pool Party, well, you have my kids attention!
First we noticed that the pirates had taken over the Mercantile area
This is a rotten picture of DD, but here you can see the lifeguards were even in costume!
Everyone got bandanas (including Moms and Dads)
While they were signing kids up for games, they had a "water balloon tank" set up. Same premise as a dunk tank on one side, but if you hit the bullseye, it popped the water balloon.
B'Lou was there making balloon animals. Just an FYI, the balloons pop if they touch the pool deck.
At 6:30 they started announcing games
Chelley00
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2005
June 25
Piratey games
The first game was over near the shuffleboard area. One person had to hold a sword and the other person on the team had to throw rings at the sword. DD and DS did okay, but it was apparently a lot harder than it looked
The second game was a balloon sword fight in teams, and they had judges. DS and DD had to go first which wasn't so good for them. They just beat the crap out of each other instead of hamming it up for the judges.
The next game was a disaster
DD was given goggles, an apron and an ice cream and told to lie on her back and hold the cone in her mouth
DS was given an ice cream scoop and a bowl of half melted ice cream
When they said "go" DS had to try and get the ice cream in DD's cone without bending over.
DD started laughing and the cone came out of her mouth
So DS tried to catch up by just dumping the bowl on her
Yeah, there was no sibling fighting after this game
Those covered in ice cream were allowed to go shower off by the pool.
There was another game after this one, a pirate treasure hunt, but neither of the kids wanted to play so we didn't sign up for it. They decided to swim instead.
Piratey games
The first game was over near the shuffleboard area. One person had to hold a sword and the other person on the team had to throw rings at the sword. DD and DS did okay, but it was apparently a lot harder than it looked
The second game was a balloon sword fight in teams, and they had judges. DS and DD had to go first which wasn't so good for them. They just beat the crap out of each other instead of hamming it up for the judges.
The next game was a disaster
DD was given goggles, an apron and an ice cream and told to lie on her back and hold the cone in her mouth
DS was given an ice cream scoop and a bowl of half melted ice cream
When they said "go" DS had to try and get the ice cream in DD's cone without bending over.
DD started laughing and the cone came out of her mouth
So DS tried to catch up by just dumping the bowl on her
Yeah, there was no sibling fighting after this game
Those covered in ice cream were allowed to go shower off by the pool.
There was another game after this one, a pirate treasure hunt, but neither of the kids wanted to play so we didn't sign up for it. They decided to swim instead.
Chelley00
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2005
June 25
We should be dancin'
After the games were over, Joey the best lifeguard in the world announced it was time to dance. First they had each of the lifeguards come out as he introduced them. (and I'm so bummed, but my good camera died the day before the pool party so all of these pictures were taken with our waterpoof Canon) When they started the dance music, they opened the pool slide which closed at 5
And basically they did every cheesy dance party song you could think of
and the kids loved it
that's our daughter in purple
Next they played "Shout" and everytime my kids tell someone about the party, this is what they talk about. Everytime they said "shout" in the song, the kids were told to splash....and splash hard. The lifeguards all jumped in the pool cannonball style fully clothed, and splashed with them.
This is DS dancing with Kayla - his favorite. She had been at Kids Night In with him
We had to take a picture to send to the older brothers
Usually the party ends at 9pm when the fireworks start, however, they were calling for storms and we could see some nasty clouds working their way up the coast, so the fireworks actually started at 8:30. They told everyone to go watch the fireworks and they would resume the party afterwards. They definitely aren't Disney fireworks, but it's still a nice treat. We had planned on watching them from our balcony at 9 but we ended up just grabbing a bench near the firepit and sitting there to watch.
The party resumed with the lifeguards collecting the dads, passing out hats and making them do the YMCA. It was awesome and I have great video to blackmail DH with
They had moms do the macarena but I was busy with DS and didn't have to go (woot)
The ended the party with a few more dance tunes
The kids loved it and said it was one of the best things about the resort. The pirate BBQ looked really good and they kept the buffet going pretty late. The kids really liked that the lifeguards partied with them, dancing, swimming, even going down the pool slide when they changed shifts. This was one of those times when we realized that going to a Disney resort was worth the extra cost because of the staff.
We should be dancin'
After the games were over, Joey the best lifeguard in the world announced it was time to dance. First they had each of the lifeguards come out as he introduced them. (and I'm so bummed, but my good camera died the day before the pool party so all of these pictures were taken with our waterpoof Canon) When they started the dance music, they opened the pool slide which closed at 5
And basically they did every cheesy dance party song you could think of
and the kids loved it
that's our daughter in purple
Next they played "Shout" and everytime my kids tell someone about the party, this is what they talk about. Everytime they said "shout" in the song, the kids were told to splash....and splash hard. The lifeguards all jumped in the pool cannonball style fully clothed, and splashed with them.
This is DS dancing with Kayla - his favorite. She had been at Kids Night In with him
We had to take a picture to send to the older brothers
Usually the party ends at 9pm when the fireworks start, however, they were calling for storms and we could see some nasty clouds working their way up the coast, so the fireworks actually started at 8:30. They told everyone to go watch the fireworks and they would resume the party afterwards. They definitely aren't Disney fireworks, but it's still a nice treat. We had planned on watching them from our balcony at 9 but we ended up just grabbing a bench near the firepit and sitting there to watch.
The party resumed with the lifeguards collecting the dads, passing out hats and making them do the YMCA. It was awesome and I have great video to blackmail DH with
They had moms do the macarena but I was busy with DS and didn't have to go (woot)
The ended the party with a few more dance tunes
The kids loved it and said it was one of the best things about the resort. The pirate BBQ looked really good and they kept the buffet going pretty late. The kids really liked that the lifeguards partied with them, dancing, swimming, even going down the pool slide when they changed shifts. This was one of those times when we realized that going to a Disney resort was worth the extra cost because of the staff.
Chelley00
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2005
June 26
Funny Bunnies and *Squirrels*
DS wanted to the Funny Bunny hunt with Shadow. DD was not really feeling it, but I made her go so that DH could take a little alone time to go crabbing. She decided to ride her bike on ahead to find the tic tac toe characters and would stay at the Lodge until we got there. We met at the campfire pit. B'Lou explained that we were going to try and flush some rabbits out with food as we walked toward Live Oak Lodge. He gave one of the older kids the bag of rabbit food and then started along the path, stopping here and there to tell stories of Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox
DS putting rabbit food under the bushes
All was going well until Shadow spotted a squirrel
We didn't see any rabbits but B'Lou assured us later they would be out. Later that evening DS and DH saw quite a few of them!
Once at the Lodge, B'Lou and Shadow posed for pictures with all the kids.
DD went to get her bike from the bike rack and B'Lou offered to walk DS back to the end of the boardwalk area. DS thought it was so cool that B'Lou remembered his name and that he got to walk with him.
Once we caught up with them, DS and DD walked on ahead and B'Lou and I walked back to the pool area. We talked a lot about the things he does outside of Disney (He's Santa!) and some not-for-profit work (I work for a not-for-profit) He also talked a little about his kids. He's very nice and does a lot for the community.
We grabbed our bikes and rode out to find DH at his crabbing spot,
convinced him to come back for lunch and then packed up to head to the beach for the rest of the afternoon.
Funny Bunnies and *Squirrels*
DS wanted to the Funny Bunny hunt with Shadow. DD was not really feeling it, but I made her go so that DH could take a little alone time to go crabbing. She decided to ride her bike on ahead to find the tic tac toe characters and would stay at the Lodge until we got there. We met at the campfire pit. B'Lou explained that we were going to try and flush some rabbits out with food as we walked toward Live Oak Lodge. He gave one of the older kids the bag of rabbit food and then started along the path, stopping here and there to tell stories of Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox
DS putting rabbit food under the bushes
All was going well until Shadow spotted a squirrel
We didn't see any rabbits but B'Lou assured us later they would be out. Later that evening DS and DH saw quite a few of them!
Once at the Lodge, B'Lou and Shadow posed for pictures with all the kids.
DD went to get her bike from the bike rack and B'Lou offered to walk DS back to the end of the boardwalk area. DS thought it was so cool that B'Lou remembered his name and that he got to walk with him.
Once we caught up with them, DS and DD walked on ahead and B'Lou and I walked back to the pool area. We talked a lot about the things he does outside of Disney (He's Santa!) and some not-for-profit work (I work for a not-for-profit) He also talked a little about his kids. He's very nice and does a lot for the community.
We grabbed our bikes and rode out to find DH at his crabbing spot,
convinced him to come back for lunch and then packed up to head to the beach for the rest of the afternoon.
Chelley00
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2005
June 26
catchin a wave or two
We shuttled over, having learned our lesson about not getting a parking space at noon. Once there we set up our chairs and umbrella (word of advice, get the auger from the lifeguard station, work it in by wiggling it back and forth, then put the umbrella stand in and pour a bucket of water in the hole. Someone showed us our first day and it worked like a charm, even this day which was really windy)
DS and DD were so excited to be able to use the boogie boards. The waves weren't big at all but it was enough they could get a little ride in
They even shared with me
We had the kids come out and eat a snack and we noticed Gaby the lifeguard out doing sandcastles and so the kids grabbed our pails and shovels and headed over to help. We were laughing because Gaby is a Midwestern girl like me and we are good at snow forts......not sandcastles
Gaby had to leave before 3 because she was in charge of shell necklaces at the resort, so the kids basically made a moat
The kids realized the tide had gone out so they had a blast exploring the tide pools.
DS started screaming and come to find out he had stepped on a horseshoe crab! It didn't hurt him but scared the crap out of him!
Someone came over and picked it up to show the little kids before taking it back out to the ocean
We spent some time sitting at the edge just playing in the water and trying to catch the little fish that got caught in the waves. See the sunburned shoulders. 100 SPF every 30 minutes and still I fry!
We decided after a few hours we had enough sun and didn't like the looks of some clouds we saw forming. We packed up and called for the shuttle. As were standing at the beach house waiting we heard the thunder start. We were no sooner on the road and it started pouring down rain. The shuttle driver was so nice and offered to drop everyone off as close to their room as he could get us.
While DD was changing she found this dead fish stuck to her belly. That went over well
Once showered and changed we realized the storm was going to last for awhile, we we all hunkered down to nap before dinner.
catchin a wave or two
We shuttled over, having learned our lesson about not getting a parking space at noon. Once there we set up our chairs and umbrella (word of advice, get the auger from the lifeguard station, work it in by wiggling it back and forth, then put the umbrella stand in and pour a bucket of water in the hole. Someone showed us our first day and it worked like a charm, even this day which was really windy)
DS and DD were so excited to be able to use the boogie boards. The waves weren't big at all but it was enough they could get a little ride in
They even shared with me
We had the kids come out and eat a snack and we noticed Gaby the lifeguard out doing sandcastles and so the kids grabbed our pails and shovels and headed over to help. We were laughing because Gaby is a Midwestern girl like me and we are good at snow forts......not sandcastles
Gaby had to leave before 3 because she was in charge of shell necklaces at the resort, so the kids basically made a moat
The kids realized the tide had gone out so they had a blast exploring the tide pools.
DS started screaming and come to find out he had stepped on a horseshoe crab! It didn't hurt him but scared the crap out of him!
Someone came over and picked it up to show the little kids before taking it back out to the ocean
We spent some time sitting at the edge just playing in the water and trying to catch the little fish that got caught in the waves. See the sunburned shoulders. 100 SPF every 30 minutes and still I fry!
We decided after a few hours we had enough sun and didn't like the looks of some clouds we saw forming. We packed up and called for the shuttle. As were standing at the beach house waiting we heard the thunder start. We were no sooner on the road and it started pouring down rain. The shuttle driver was so nice and offered to drop everyone off as close to their room as he could get us.
While DD was changing she found this dead fish stuck to her belly. That went over well
Once showered and changed we realized the storm was going to last for awhile, we we all hunkered down to nap before dinner.
Chelley00
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2005
June 26
Salty Dog, Gelato and a little putt putt
Once everyone was awake, we were pleased to see the weather had cleared and it wasn't raining anymore. We debated between Crazy Crab and Salty Dog and the kids liked the fact that Salty Dog had some kids activities.
It cost $5 to get into Sea Pines where Salty Dog is located. Parking was a mess but thankfully the parking lot attendant "created" a parking space for us so we didn't have to wait long at all. Wait time was an hour, which again, isn't bad for a beach town in June, so we decided to check out the rest of the area. It's a total tourist trap with lots of shops, bar, couple of restaurants.
We took a before dinner low tide picture
and this is what it looked like after dinner
While we waited, we found the face painters
They also had chalkboards and sidewalk chalk out and a magician show that started at 7. We did a little shopping for shot glass and Christmas ornament as usual and just looked around the shops.
Our wait was nowhere near an hour and we were seated by a window overlooking the marsh. This was low tide
and by the end of dinner
The She Crab soup was amazing, but the rest of our dinner was just so so. It was definitely nothing like our meal at SkullCreek, but now we can say we've been to Salty Dog
We decided to use our groupon for Pino Gelato, so we headed out of Sea Pines, only to find this in a pond beside a stop sign
DS was crazy beside himself excited to see an alligator! We actually pulled off the road onto a little parking area to check it out
We made our way to Pino Gelato, which for a quick review was so very good and so very crowded. They had a ton of different flavors and would let you sample before buying. There aren't many tables inside or out, so we ended up sitting in the car to eat.
It wasn't very late so we ended up swinging by Pirates Cove to play a round of mini golf using yet another groupon. We are all terrible awful. The people in front of us were getting holes in one left and right and we were lucky to finish in 6.
But had fun until about hole 12 when DS started to get tired (way past the bedtime) and then DD was cranky because her brother was being a putz. We honestly should have just left them in here
Salty Dog, Gelato and a little putt putt
Once everyone was awake, we were pleased to see the weather had cleared and it wasn't raining anymore. We debated between Crazy Crab and Salty Dog and the kids liked the fact that Salty Dog had some kids activities.
It cost $5 to get into Sea Pines where Salty Dog is located. Parking was a mess but thankfully the parking lot attendant "created" a parking space for us so we didn't have to wait long at all. Wait time was an hour, which again, isn't bad for a beach town in June, so we decided to check out the rest of the area. It's a total tourist trap with lots of shops, bar, couple of restaurants.
We took a before dinner low tide picture
and this is what it looked like after dinner
While we waited, we found the face painters
They also had chalkboards and sidewalk chalk out and a magician show that started at 7. We did a little shopping for shot glass and Christmas ornament as usual and just looked around the shops.
Our wait was nowhere near an hour and we were seated by a window overlooking the marsh. This was low tide
and by the end of dinner
The She Crab soup was amazing, but the rest of our dinner was just so so. It was definitely nothing like our meal at SkullCreek, but now we can say we've been to Salty Dog
We decided to use our groupon for Pino Gelato, so we headed out of Sea Pines, only to find this in a pond beside a stop sign
DS was crazy beside himself excited to see an alligator! We actually pulled off the road onto a little parking area to check it out
We made our way to Pino Gelato, which for a quick review was so very good and so very crowded. They had a ton of different flavors and would let you sample before buying. There aren't many tables inside or out, so we ended up sitting in the car to eat.
It wasn't very late so we ended up swinging by Pirates Cove to play a round of mini golf using yet another groupon. We are all terrible awful. The people in front of us were getting holes in one left and right and we were lucky to finish in 6.
But had fun until about hole 12 when DS started to get tired (way past the bedtime) and then DD was cranky because her brother was being a putz. We honestly should have just left them in here
ProudMommyof2
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2007
More great updates! I truly love your writing style and voice. 2 more sleeps for us!
Chelley00
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2005
More great updates! I truly love your writing style and voice. 2 more sleeps for us!
I wish I was going with you!!!
June 27
Everyone gets one last pick
This was our last full day (boo) Everyone had some ideas of what they wanted to accomplish but we all agreed on one thing...NO MORE SUN. We don't get out in the sun often where we live, DS and I are pretty fair skinned and burn easily, we still had one more day in North Carolina for beach day and there were some other things we wanted to do.
The day before was a LONG day. All day beach, late dinner, late gelato and even later night golfing and so it was really really late before the kids got to bed.
That's why it was no surprise to me that this was the scene in our villa at noon
DH decided around 10 that if the kids weren't going to be up soon he was going to try and use the rest of his crab bait and see what he came up with. This was his reward :0
I spent some time packing the non-essential stuff while waiting for the kids to wake up. I finally had to wake them up because today was their activity day. We gave them Disney gift cards for Easter for one paid activity while on vacation. We walked over, signed up for Goofy Bingo and had lunch at Tide Me Over.
No idea why DD's lunch is not in the picture, but here is DS's in a sandpail and mine. Once again I was not impressed with the food service. They said they had gluten free bread, but then called me over to tell me they were out but could give me a gluten free bagel for my turkey sandwich instead. And then it took 30 minutes, almost making DD late for her activity.
DD's pick was first. She decided to do the pin trading corkboard.
She got Gaby as her personal assistant
and the final product
DD went back to the villa to hang out while DS was in the shark teeth necklace activity. It started out with all kinds of information on sharks with TJ.
and then the necklace
Chelley00
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2005
June 27
Dolphins!
We had one last groupon to use for the week. I had scored a cheap dolphin cruise for DH and the kids. We had debated about me going too, but I knew it would give me time to pack without "help". I also knew I would be sending DH out to fish/crab alone and I was looking forward to a little Mommy alone time.
Our groupon was for Vagabond Cruise in SeaPines. The boat they were on had covered and uncovered areas, bathrooms and a snack bar. They really enjoyed it and saw a lot of dolphins, plus some of Savannah and Tybee Island.
Ahhhh, preteen attitude
While they were out hunting dolphins, I packed for a little while then drug one of the kids blankets for a pillow, my Kindle, a "alcohol included" frozen drink and an Almond Joy out to a hammock and actually ended up taking a nap
I woke up to the sound of thunder, and when I switched directions in the hammock, this is what I saw
I watched the storm roll up the coast, but it never rained on our side. DH came out to find me not long afterwards saying they were back and ready for food.
Next up:
The worst meal of the week, but the fun makes up for it
Dolphins!
We had one last groupon to use for the week. I had scored a cheap dolphin cruise for DH and the kids. We had debated about me going too, but I knew it would give me time to pack without "help". I also knew I would be sending DH out to fish/crab alone and I was looking forward to a little Mommy alone time.
Our groupon was for Vagabond Cruise in SeaPines. The boat they were on had covered and uncovered areas, bathrooms and a snack bar. They really enjoyed it and saw a lot of dolphins, plus some of Savannah and Tybee Island.
Ahhhh, preteen attitude
While they were out hunting dolphins, I packed for a little while then drug one of the kids blankets for a pillow, my Kindle, a "alcohol included" frozen drink and an Almond Joy out to a hammock and actually ended up taking a nap
I woke up to the sound of thunder, and when I switched directions in the hammock, this is what I saw
I watched the storm roll up the coast, but it never rained on our side. DH came out to find me not long afterwards saying they were back and ready for food.
Next up:
The worst meal of the week, but the fun makes up for it
Chelley00
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2005
June 27
Clowns, singers, crappy food and "we're going to miss Bingo!"
The weather was still looking iffy, so we debated our plans of riding the bikes to Harbourfest and eating at San Miguels, but we decided to chance it anyhow. Kinda wishing we wouldn't have!
DS is way ahead in the orange shirt. It's really hard to ride a bike and take a picture
We went straight to San Miguels and put our name in. They said 40 minutes which gave us time to check out Harbourfest. We went to Shannon Tanner first. Our kids at 8 and 11 are maybe just a little too old for him, but we enjoyed watching the smaller kids
The kids gave up on him pretty quick and were eyeing the balloon animals and face painter, so we headed that way. Balloons were first. Both kids agree that B'Lou's animals were better
Then we made our way to Cappy the Clown. This lady is fantastic. She kept a never ending dialogue with the kids and somehow talked our shy DD into teaching her how to do Cups. I didn't even know DD knew how to do it. She told DD she would make her chosen flamingo painting extra special if she would teach her and boy, did she ever!
DS opted for a sea turtle
Once they were all done, we had maybe a 3 minute wait before our table was ready. We were seated on the patio with a view of the live music
Our drinks came out quickly and so did the queso we ordered (queso good!!), but it was all downhill from there. Our food took FOREVER, and it was cold and, well, icky. DH's wasn't bad, but mine was terrible, DD's was grossish and DS didn't eat at all. We are not picky eaters and it's hard to screw up Mexican, but wow. We waited so long for our check after we finally gave up that they made us late for Goofy Bingo, something we had looked forward to all week
Since the kids were so bummed, we decided to let them go swimming until the pool closed. That helped a little.
Once we got back to the villa we all ended up eating what little was left in the fridge because we were so hungry
And so, that's it. We woke up the next morning, loaded up the car and were on our way to North Carolina to spend the weekend with our "other son" (DS17's best friend) who is a Marine and just transferred to Camp LeJeune (where I grew up!)
In the next post, some final thoughts, what we would do or not do differently and a comparison of HHI DVC and our NC condo.
Clowns, singers, crappy food and "we're going to miss Bingo!"
The weather was still looking iffy, so we debated our plans of riding the bikes to Harbourfest and eating at San Miguels, but we decided to chance it anyhow. Kinda wishing we wouldn't have!
DS is way ahead in the orange shirt. It's really hard to ride a bike and take a picture
We went straight to San Miguels and put our name in. They said 40 minutes which gave us time to check out Harbourfest. We went to Shannon Tanner first. Our kids at 8 and 11 are maybe just a little too old for him, but we enjoyed watching the smaller kids
The kids gave up on him pretty quick and were eyeing the balloon animals and face painter, so we headed that way. Balloons were first. Both kids agree that B'Lou's animals were better
Then we made our way to Cappy the Clown. This lady is fantastic. She kept a never ending dialogue with the kids and somehow talked our shy DD into teaching her how to do Cups. I didn't even know DD knew how to do it. She told DD she would make her chosen flamingo painting extra special if she would teach her and boy, did she ever!
DS opted for a sea turtle
Once they were all done, we had maybe a 3 minute wait before our table was ready. We were seated on the patio with a view of the live music
Our drinks came out quickly and so did the queso we ordered (queso good!!), but it was all downhill from there. Our food took FOREVER, and it was cold and, well, icky. DH's wasn't bad, but mine was terrible, DD's was grossish and DS didn't eat at all. We are not picky eaters and it's hard to screw up Mexican, but wow. We waited so long for our check after we finally gave up that they made us late for Goofy Bingo, something we had looked forward to all week
Since the kids were so bummed, we decided to let them go swimming until the pool closed. That helped a little.
Once we got back to the villa we all ended up eating what little was left in the fridge because we were so hungry
And so, that's it. We woke up the next morning, loaded up the car and were on our way to North Carolina to spend the weekend with our "other son" (DS17's best friend) who is a Marine and just transferred to Camp LeJeune (where I grew up!)
In the next post, some final thoughts, what we would do or not do differently and a comparison of HHI DVC and our NC condo.
Chelley00
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2005
Final Thoughts
What we'd do again:
*Stay at HHI DVC. We loved it so much we are looking into points. We loved the fact that there were so many activities, that the ocean was a separate "trip" and it kept the resort quieter.
*SkullCreek Boathouse -favorite family meal of the trip
*use Kids Night In and go to dinner at WiseGuys
*Go to the pool party
*play tic tac toe! Both kids won 2 pins each during the week.
What we'd do differently
*San Miguels (nasty)
*request a different building. We were in building 27. We loved the marsh view and being away from the Live Oak Lodge and close to the pool, but we were too close to the pool and it was a little loud on the balcony
*Not plan dinners out on campfire or Goofy Bingo nights. We missed them all
*wear socks to the marsh tour
*Spend a little more time trying resort activities. We missed so much
We had a huge wake up call when we got to Surf City, NC to see our "other son". We had spent all week in this beautiful, well maintained resort surrounded by low country trees and Spanish moss and marshlands. The beach waves were smaller and great for the smaller kids, it wasn't shelly or rockey. The area was upscale and well maintained and just pretty.
When we got to NC it was barren, the resort was old and our condo was, well, old. The waves were crazy high and the rip tides were insane, the beach was always covered in shells and rocks and dead jellyfish. Surf City is a beach town, everything was tacky and painted bright with tourist traps everywhere and weather beaten. We much preferred Hilton Head to Surf City.
We get 2 weeks for Fall Break and are planning to go back, taking DS17 with us. If DS20 can get off work, we will take him with us, otherwise we will let DS17 bring a friend with him. I'm so excited to go back!
What we'd do again:
*Stay at HHI DVC. We loved it so much we are looking into points. We loved the fact that there were so many activities, that the ocean was a separate "trip" and it kept the resort quieter.
*SkullCreek Boathouse -favorite family meal of the trip
*use Kids Night In and go to dinner at WiseGuys
*Go to the pool party
*play tic tac toe! Both kids won 2 pins each during the week.
What we'd do differently
*San Miguels (nasty)
*request a different building. We were in building 27. We loved the marsh view and being away from the Live Oak Lodge and close to the pool, but we were too close to the pool and it was a little loud on the balcony
*Not plan dinners out on campfire or Goofy Bingo nights. We missed them all
*wear socks to the marsh tour
*Spend a little more time trying resort activities. We missed so much
We had a huge wake up call when we got to Surf City, NC to see our "other son". We had spent all week in this beautiful, well maintained resort surrounded by low country trees and Spanish moss and marshlands. The beach waves were smaller and great for the smaller kids, it wasn't shelly or rockey. The area was upscale and well maintained and just pretty.
When we got to NC it was barren, the resort was old and our condo was, well, old. The waves were crazy high and the rip tides were insane, the beach was always covered in shells and rocks and dead jellyfish. Surf City is a beach town, everything was tacky and painted bright with tourist traps everywhere and weather beaten. We much preferred Hilton Head to Surf City.
We get 2 weeks for Fall Break and are planning to go back, taking DS17 with us. If DS20 can get off work, we will take him with us, otherwise we will let DS17 bring a friend with him. I'm so excited to go back!
ProudMommyof2
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2007
Another great TR with wonderful tips !! Thanks for sharing !
pollyanna30
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 4, 2008
Great trip report! We were there soon after you and had similar experiences. We also really enjoyed the Skull Creek Boathouse and it was by far our best meal of the week. We went to the Salty Dog and did enjoy watching the tide roll in during dinner. What we did not enjoy at all was our food! We were wishing for Skull Creek's food and cheaper prices again. We also took the marsh tour and found that our legs were muddy at the end of it. In fact, it even got on my nephew's shorts. It was no big deal to us, but it had not rained recently at all so that must be the norm! We really enjoyed that tour though. Your pictures made me relive our week there. We were so happy with the resort and will definitely return!
missx0xdelaney
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2012
I really enjoyed your report! I'm always wary of going to touristy places and getting stuck with a bad meal like you guys did. I'm glad to see the whole island isn't like that, or at least the Disney part. There's much more to do at the resort than I'd imagined. I think I might be able to convince my bf to go!
Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards
Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards
Nora03
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2007
Hi "Chelley00"
I really enjoyed your trip report. So much so that I clicked on the links to your other two reports. Your info about Wyndham Bonnet Creek was very helpful as we plan to stay there next year.
Wow on the food issues. You are so brave about it. I know I'd be whining and crying.
Hope you write a report for your next trip. I'll be watching for it. Have fun.
Nora
I really enjoyed your trip report. So much so that I clicked on the links to your other two reports. Your info about Wyndham Bonnet Creek was very helpful as we plan to stay there next year.
Wow on the food issues. You are so brave about it. I know I'd be whining and crying.
Hope you write a report for your next trip. I'll be watching for it. Have fun.
Nora
CluelessDisFan
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 23, 2009
So glad I randomly came across your TR. My DH and I have talked about going to HHI for a future vacation. I was shocked a Disney resort restaurant thought Gluten free was a salad. It's actually a little scary. Our youngest DD is ANA to eggs, and DS is ANA to shellfish. We'll need to be extra cautious and plan more meals in than out.
Other than that, your TR has me really excited about booking a trip to HHI.
Other than that, your TR has me really excited about booking a trip to HHI.
CluelessDisFan
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 23, 2009
So now I've started reading on to your food allergies around Orlando. And I have a follow up question were the Mickey waffles you got at HHI gluten/egg/diary free? So I'm understanding this right, they were able to accommodate your food allergies some, just not as prepared as at WDW?
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