Just back from HH!

[mouseclick1]

We just returned from our Easter trip to HH and had such a good time! Here are some random notes from our trip:

ROOM:
We were in building 27 which had the best view we've ever had! It was a smoking room (we are non-smokers), but the view was worth it for us! You could smell some smoke, so if you have allergies or really just can't stand the smell, this would not be a good choice. I must have spent at least an hour each morning drinking my coffee on the balcony and enjoying the view.

ACTIVITIES:
We finally did the dolphin cruise which was, without a doubt, the highlight of our trip. We booked the 5:00 cruise so we could see the sunset, which was beautiful! The cruise started off with just a few sightings of some solo dolphins. If this is all we saw it still would have been worth it. But, we got really lucky and came across a group of dolphins that were strand feeding. This is where a group of dolphins work together and chase a school of fish up on the banks. Then, the dolphins kind of beach themselves onto the banks and feed for about 15 seconds, then go back out into the water. We watched them do this 3 - 4 times; it was truly an amazing sight!

We went to the shrimp boil, Shadow's Tales, and Ghost stories and Legends. B'lou Crabbe entertained us at all of these events. Also, both of my boys (13 & 15) participated in Teens Night Out (or for us, Parents Night Out!). They had pizza then headed off to see "Hitch".

DINING:
We had a lot of our meals in our villa this time around, but did get out a few times. We went to the Salty Dog for lunch, and had dinners at Giuseppi's, Kingfisher, and the shrimp boil at the beach house.

WEATHER:
The trip started out cool and rainy, but was beautiful mid-week. In fact, we totally underestimated the power of the sun and got a little burned! I think I like summer time a little better but would definitely go back at Easter again.

VCR/DVD:
If anyone is wondering - DH asked what we would have in our room when we checked in, and was told it could be either since they were slowly making the change throughout the resort. The CM said we could call the desk and they would make the change if we had a VCR and wanted a DVD player. Well, we did have a VCR when we entered the room, so DH did call and they switched it to a DVD player in no time.

FINAL THOUGHTs:
It was a fabulous trip, and everyone in our party agreed that we love HH even more than WDW. We will probably go back to BWV next Easter since it's been a little while since we've been there, but I'm still thinking of a way to squeeze HH in some time next year!

 

[becobscot]

I enjoyed your report! Thanks for posting. I have been thinking about a family gathering at HH. It sounds like you had a wonderful time.

 

[OneMoreTry]

Can't wait!

 

[dwdeb]

Thank you for your report. We (myself,DH, and DD,9), are headed to HH for our first visit 4/15. We are staying for 8 nights in a 1 BR. We have requested n/s, marsh view, but I am sure will be delighted with anything we get.
We are very excited about our new DVC adventure!
The dolphin cruise sounds wonderful. We are looking forward to some beach time as well as pool time.
Sounds like the resort offers fun acitivities for kids, too.
Any other info you would like to share? Would love to hear it.
Thanks, Deb

 

[mouseclick1]

Thank you for your report. We (myself,DH, and DD,9), are headed to HH for our first visit 4/15. We are staying for 8 nights in a 1 BR. We have requested n/s, marsh view, but I am sure will be delighted with anything we get.
We are very excited about our new DVC adventure!
The dolphin cruise sounds wonderful. We are looking forward to some beach time as well as pool time.
Sounds like the resort offers fun acitivities for kids, too.
Any other info you would like to share? Would love to hear it.
Thanks, Deb

There is so much for kids to do there! In addition to the activities I posted, my kids enjoyed playing shuffle board, ping pong, crabbing, and simply exploring. We saw many kids and families borrow big plastic boots from the rental counter and explore the marsh, tromping right through the mud. It looked like a lot of fun and we wanted to do it, we just never got around to it. They also have camp fires a couple nights each week but ours got rained out. I'm sure you will have a great trip!

 

[cottontail]

Hi: The dolphin excursion is it thru disney. Also do you go out miles into the ocean or not too far?

Deb.

 

[mouseclick1]

Hi: The dolphin excursion is it thru disney. Also do you go out miles into the ocean or not too far?

Deb.

We booked the excursion through Disney, though it is run by an outside company. You pretty much stay in the marsh area, or the water between HH and the mainland. You don't go out to the ocean side of the island at all. We went over to Daufuskie Island and saw a few dolphins, then came back to the marshes. It's a nice, easy boat ride, though it does go fast at times!

 

[dwdeb]

Should we bring bug spray? WDW does an excellent job of keeping the mosquitoes and other bitey-type flies at a minimum, but being on a marsh,well...
We can't wait!
Deb

 

[OneMoreTry]

There are a number of companies on HH that offer dophin-watching trips.

 

[mouseclick1]

Should we bring bug spray? WDW does an excellent job of keeping the mosquitoes and other bitey-type flies at a minimum, but being on a marsh,well...
We can't wait!
Deb

The no-see-ums were bad on some nights. They hardly bothered me at all, but DH and DS were pretty bit up! It wasn't just at the marsh; they were pretty bad at the Beach House and along the beach. I would bring some kind of bug spray along.

 

[mtdewhead]

When you say you booked the dolphin cruise "thru Disney" do you mean member services or at the front desk? We are going in June and the kids would love it. I have a phobia of deep water (ocean mainly) so it sounds like something I might be able to go on too instead of waiting for them back at the resort. Also, did you book it in advance?

 

[mouseclick1]

When you say you booked the dolphin cruise "thru Disney" do you mean member services or at the front desk? We are going in June and the kids would love it. I have a phobia of deep water (ocean mainly) so it sounds like something I might be able to go on too instead of waiting for them back at the resort. Also, did you book it in advance?

I called the recreation desk from our room and booked it the day we arrived. They had a lot of availability for the week and it was no problem. The last time we went to HH was over the 4th of July in 2003. I remember trying to book the cruise on our day of arrival, and they were booked solid for the week. It probably didn't help that we arrived on a Tuesday that year.

 

[cottontail]

Hi: Sounds like fun, the dolphin sighting cruise.

Mtdewhead: I do not want to go out into the ocean either, so I know what you mean by waiting for everyone.

Deb.

 

[tinkgrl]

Hi,

Thanks for sharing!! Glad you had a good time!

Allison

 

[JoEllen]

Mouseclick - do you think teenagers would enjoy HH or is it more for families with young children?

Also, forgive a Left-Coasters ignorance, but what city do you fly into for HH?Is it a long drive from the airport?

Thanks for being so patient answering all our questions!

 

[mouseclick1]

Mouseclick - do you think teenagers would enjoy HH or is it more for families with young children?

Also, forgive a Left-Coasters ignorance, but what city do you fly into for HH?Is it a long drive from the airport?

Thanks for being so patient answering all our questions!

Heck, answering these questions seems to make my vacation last just a little bit longer, so I don't mind a bit!

While there are definitely more activities planned for younger kids, my teens found plenty to do and they both prefer HH over WDW. The only teen activity they participated in was the movie night, but there were a couple of others planned by the resort. My boys like to do their own thing, and have more fun throwing a football around on the beach or playing a game of pool in Murggie's Den than participating in planned activities.

As far as airports, we drove, but I know Savannah is the closest. My parents flew into Savannah when they joined us 2 years ago, and it took them about 45 minutes to get to the resort.

 

[gazeborob]

Mouseclick,
We were there at the same time. We were in Building 25, right behind the pool slide. We like the location near the pool. I had 4 teenage girls, and they all had a great time. We booked them a private Kayak trip from the same people that do the ones for Disney. They said it was awesome! We also did the Shrimp Boil, and loved it. My wife and I also did one of the presentations that Chef Gordon did. It was some awesome food! I was also told by someone that was at the same presentation that Chef Gordon was not going to do The Private Affair any more.

We had a ton of rain while we were there. I was a little surprised at the flooding around the resort. I was glad that it wasn’t bad in front of our stairs like it was by some of the others. All in all, we had a great time.

 

[mouseclick1]

gazeborob-We had to tromp through giant puddles to get to building 27! There was absolutely no way to go around them! I was glad we at least had a couple days of beautiful weather! We wanted to kayak but didn't have time; I guess it's something we'll have to do on our next trip. Glad you had a nice visit!