So NOW I get it, HHI lovers!

[jekjones1558]

Thanks for the tip, iloveokw! We've never done crabbing before so it should be a blast!

 

[LVSWL]

Yes - it's one of my favorite things about HH!! You can rent one umbrella and two chairs - the last time we did this I believe it was $17 per day, with a small discount if you rented for the week. Many think the cost is not worth the convenience and bring their own, but I hate the idea of having to buy and store that equipment, and am totally willing to pay for the privilege of having someone else set it up for me!! If you rent for more than one day, they will put a card on the back of your chair and you will have the same ones each day.

When we go I rent two umbrealla and 4 chairs - we are a family of three. That way each of us can have a chair to herself, and at least two of us can have shade any time. I have two teen daughters so usually one of them is in the sun or in the ocean, but I need shade on the beach so the umbrella is a must for me.

Btw, the chairs and umbrellas are not specific to Disney - they are rented by the lifeguards on the HH beach - although they are mostly set up in front of the Disney Beach House - which makes it very convenient to hit the snack bar or the bathroom!! It makes a good vacation that much better!

Do you need to have cash with you or do they take credit cards? Thanks!!

 

[PrettyKitties]

When my dad was stationed at St Julien's Creek in Va (near Norfolk), we used to go crabbing off a nearby pier. We would put chicken necks on a string & then use a net to get the crabs once they had bitten. As kids, we enjoyed it. One time, my mom was cooking a pot & it overturned & the crabs were all over the kitchen floor. I scrambled up on a chair & screamed like a baby (must have been around 12 at the time).

 

[Laxmom]

Oops! Missed that post by LVSWL. Sorry for the duplicate info.

That's a funny story! I have never put a live crab in a pot before. I like to eat em but don't know if I could do it!

 

[DVCLiz]

Oh, good point - I think you do have to have cash in order to rent the umbrellas and chairs. They won't charge to your room if I remember correctly.

It is probably cheaper to buy your own but I am never able to get an umbrella of that size set up correctly so that it doesn't eventually blow over, and I'm not willing to pay for a big one that I have to take back and forth and store all year. It is well worth it for me to rent them.

 

[Laxmom]

Last year we bought a beach cabana from Walmart for under $20. It goes up a lot like a dome tent with poles held together with bands. It anchors down but folds up smaller than one of those chairs that folds into a bag. If I can find it, I will post it here. It provides great shade but doesn't solve the chair thing.


Walmart doesn't carry it anymore but this one is similar.
http://www.amazon.com/ABO-Gear-Aero...?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1211756011&sr=8-15

 

[global_mom]

We are leaving at 6am tomorrow morning to drive to HHI for a few days. We cant wait!!! My girls just came downstairs as they are too excited to get to sleep and we all read the posts about the chairs and umbrellas. We are definately going to rent those, we really need the umbrella.

Do we need to get to the beach super early to be able to rent or is there a problem with them "selling out"?

My goodness, I cant wait to get there!

 

[Laxmom]

I am green with envy!!! Have a great trip!! I don't think they run out at least they haven't at the other resorts we have stayed at. Anybody else have more Disney specific info on that?

 

[LVSWL]

Thanks for all the info guys! I am busy finalizing my WDW and HH lists and checking them twice! Only 9 days left before we take off!

 

[SusieBea]

I was waiting for your post, Jean! Glad you're having a good time. We're here (there) now, too, just not at Disney. We took a walk through Shelter Cove and over through the resort today. This was one of the most perfect HHIsland days I can remember. Keep posting your observations!

 

[srandsr76]

We will be at HHI for the July 4th week. We were there 4 years ago when our daughter was just 1 year old. Now we are interested in the Kids activities for 5-6 years old. If you have a schedule, could you share????
ENJOY your time and RELAX!

 

[justloveit]

Sounds wonderful. Have a wonderful trip. We stayed at HH once the last time we drove from New Jersey. It is a beautiful resort. We keep finding cheap airfare so haven't made the drive recently.

 

[DVCLiz]

We will be at HHI for the July 4th week. We were there 4 years ago when our daughter was just 1 year old. Now we are interested in the Kids activities for 5-6 years old. If you have a schedule, could you share????
ENJOY your time and RELAX!

hi, srandsr76, we'll be there the same week!!! I don't know about the schedule - you could probably call and ask.

For the poster who asked about the rentals "running out", I don't think it's a problem. I asked once and the lifeguard said they had more in a container on the beach if they ran out of the ones that were already set up.

 

[MinnieGi]

Ahh, we will be down on June 21st!!! We can't wait!!! We were there last August and have been highly anticipating our return!!!!

Hope you are having a great trip!!!

 

[jekjones1558]

If you have a schedule, could you share????

I tried taking a photo of a few activities on the schedule with my computer camera, but it's pretty blurry:

I will try to remember to bring the activities sheet home to scan. DGNiece age 5 just loved the pool activities and campfire yesterday. We plan on making the shakers for today's parade (bet they'll do something similar for July 4th). I'm also going to see if they will let her do the shell necklace (she has been asking to make one) if I sit with her to help (the age on the sheet says 10 and over).

 

[disney1474]

jekjones1558
They will let her make the necklace as long as your with her. We did that with our kids and had a great time. Have you seen Lizzie the CM? She's great when she's doing the campfire.

 

[jekjones1558]

• I had read beforehand that the CMs here are the best. I totally agree. Every single one we have met seems to be happy and helpful. I have always had good experience with CMs at WDW parks and resorts, but these are even better.
• The villas that are separate from the main lodge are all above ground and require climbing steps--12 steps to the first level and an additional 18 steps to the upper level rooms in each building. We love the location of our villa overlooking the pool because it is so handy. But if my DH visits, we will have to be in the lodge, where there is an elevator. No way could he do so many steps with his terrible knees.
• This is a fabulous time of year to visit. (I actually hesitate to post that here because it will only make it harder for me to try to book this resort at this time of year at 7 months in the future!) High temps around 80° and low humidities. We have not been in the ocean yet, so can't speak for how warm the water is, but there surely were lots of folks at the beach yesterday.
• The lighting in these units is better than other DVCs, especially in the bathrooms.
• I love the long bench with hooks above in the entry area and the hooks and big storage area in the 2nd bedroom. I wish there were more counter space/storage in the 2nd bedroom's bathroom.
• This is a very child oriented resort. That means that the resort pool is really not that great for adults. The beach pool seemed to attract the adult crowd, though it is certainly not as convenient as the resort pool.
• I can't believe how many people have bikes here! Some bring their own but most are rented. The paths are user friendly and the rental rates are so cheap!
• I need to do some checking around to see if there is a map that lists the names of the various shopping areas along Hwy 278 and which stores/restaurants are in each one. Since the signs are so restricted, it makes finding places a struggle for a newbie. Glad I have my computer and GPS to help.
• We are doing mostly kid-friendly restaurants this trip. We aren't the only ones! Line at Giuseppi's was WAY long. When we called in our take-out order, we were on hold for almost 15 minutes just to give our order!
Baby's crying! Mom and Dad are golfing, so no more DIS time for me!

 

[srandsr76]

Thanks so much!! We would love to take a peak at your schedule once you return.
A parade sounds fun and I hope they do one for July 4th!

DVCLiz - where in NC are you from?? We are in Wake Forest!

Jean - enjoy your Memorial Day!!

 

[Laxmom]

Jean, I am loving reading your report!!

And for the record, we have been to HHI some 4-5 times and still have trouble remembering where things are because of the sign limitations. This last trip we took our new GPS and found new and exciting places to eat and shop that we didn't know exsisted!!

 

[DVCLiz]

Thanks so much!! We would love to take a peak at your schedule once you return.
A parade sounds fun and I hope they do one for July 4th!

DVCLiz - where in NC are you from?? We are in Wake Forest!

Jean - enjoy your Memorial Day!!

I'm near Greensboro. It's such a nice drive to HH from NC - just about 5 and a half hours. It always seems so much shorter than the trek to WDW!!!!!