We just returned back from our 4th annual trip to HH. We were there from Sun - Fri. We drove down from CT on Sat, and were able to check in first thing Sun morning (about 8am). Our villa was ready, and we were happy to learn we got a top floor marsh view which is what we had asked for. We were in building 15, one of the two next to the boardwalk. Everything was fine with our villa. We were handed a letter explaining that during our stay we would be a lot of repairs and construction going on and if we had any concerns to let them know. There was a lot of work going on to a lot of the buildings, many were totally closed off (the four buildings at the far end) along with others. I have never seen so many workers there. When I checked in I asked what the occupancy rate was and was told it was about 70%, a CM I spoke with later said that figure was high. My guess was it was only about 50%. We have never seen it so few people there. This was especially evident at the campfire and the shrimp boil. There were about 40 people signed up at our shrimp boil, they said the week before the number was 128. Even the CMs were commenting they did not know why there was such a small number of resort guests. I'm sure some of it had to do with the repairs. Also, my parents who arrived on Monday (cash reservation) were upgraded from a studio to a one bedroom, and we met another family who were upgraded to a two bedroom.
The weather was pretty good. We luckily dodged the rain bullet again. This is the fourth year we have not had a day of rain. We did have 2 cloudy days that were supposed to be rainy, and some rain during overnight hours. Some days were sunny and in the upper 70s, the cloudy days were cooler. We did swim at both pools, and my boys did boogie board in the ocean. They are used to the cold water of Jones Beach.
We also did lots of bike riding. This was the first year everyone was on their own bike -- finally crossed that threshold. The weather was perfect for that. We also went over to Palmetto Dunes to play tennis a couple of times.
The CMs at HH are always great, though we did not interact with them as much as past years. We were happy to see Crystal is there, she is now in charge at the beach house. B'Lou Crabbe we enjoyed a few times. He performed at the Beach house for the shrimp boil, and we also did the bunny hunt with him. Also, he ran a "sorcerer's" class for older kids in Big Murgie's den one morning. This was a class teaching coin and card tricks. Only my two boys showed up, and he spent over an hour with them on that. They loved it, and have been doing the tricks they learned. We still can't figure some of it out.
At the current time, they are not doing A Private Affair. I'm not sure if that is permenant or not. We were supposed to do it this trip, we have done it on the previous three trips and it is one of our favorite things. Chef Gordon canceled it through an email the week before. While we were there he did not even have an evening food event. He said that was because they will not do it if the occupancy is low. We were very disappointed with that. We did get to see Chef Gordon a few times. He was working in the Mercantile.
They still have not replaced Christopher the naturalist. It sounds like it is not an easy position to fill. The person must not only have the qualifications, but be good working with children. Those events were sorely missed. The activities schedule was very light compared to our previous three trips. It did not affect us too much and we still had a wonderful time, but it definitely takes away from the whole character of the Disney HH vacation.
We ate at a number of places we ate in previous years -- Captain's Seafood, Fuddruckers, Just Pasta, Old Oyster Factory, Rita's Ices. And we tried some new ones -- Wild Wing Cafe, British Open Pub, Brusters ice cream. We thought British Open pub was excellent, and really enjoyed the ice cream at Brusters. The Tuesday night Shrimp Boil was also very good.
We wish we had one more day there -- the Beach Boys were playing Friday night at Shelter Cove Park and the ticket prices were not bad. My daughter loves the Beach Boys, and I've seen them play a number of times -- all over 20 years ago!
I'm happy to answer any questions.
The weather was pretty good. We luckily dodged the rain bullet again. This is the fourth year we have not had a day of rain. We did have 2 cloudy days that were supposed to be rainy, and some rain during overnight hours. Some days were sunny and in the upper 70s, the cloudy days were cooler. We did swim at both pools, and my boys did boogie board in the ocean. They are used to the cold water of Jones Beach.
We also did lots of bike riding. This was the first year everyone was on their own bike -- finally crossed that threshold. The weather was perfect for that. We also went over to Palmetto Dunes to play tennis a couple of times.
The CMs at HH are always great, though we did not interact with them as much as past years. We were happy to see Crystal is there, she is now in charge at the beach house. B'Lou Crabbe we enjoyed a few times. He performed at the Beach house for the shrimp boil, and we also did the bunny hunt with him. Also, he ran a "sorcerer's" class for older kids in Big Murgie's den one morning. This was a class teaching coin and card tricks. Only my two boys showed up, and he spent over an hour with them on that. They loved it, and have been doing the tricks they learned. We still can't figure some of it out.
At the current time, they are not doing A Private Affair. I'm not sure if that is permenant or not. We were supposed to do it this trip, we have done it on the previous three trips and it is one of our favorite things. Chef Gordon canceled it through an email the week before. While we were there he did not even have an evening food event. He said that was because they will not do it if the occupancy is low. We were very disappointed with that. We did get to see Chef Gordon a few times. He was working in the Mercantile.
They still have not replaced Christopher the naturalist. It sounds like it is not an easy position to fill. The person must not only have the qualifications, but be good working with children. Those events were sorely missed. The activities schedule was very light compared to our previous three trips. It did not affect us too much and we still had a wonderful time, but it definitely takes away from the whole character of the Disney HH vacation.
We ate at a number of places we ate in previous years -- Captain's Seafood, Fuddruckers, Just Pasta, Old Oyster Factory, Rita's Ices. And we tried some new ones -- Wild Wing Cafe, British Open Pub, Brusters ice cream. We thought British Open pub was excellent, and really enjoyed the ice cream at Brusters. The Tuesday night Shrimp Boil was also very good.
We wish we had one more day there -- the Beach Boys were playing Friday night at Shelter Cove Park and the ticket prices were not bad. My daughter loves the Beach Boys, and I've seen them play a number of times -- all over 20 years ago!
I'm happy to answer any questions.
