What to do at HH?

[mtdewhead]

We're heading to HH the first week of April. Any suggestions on what to do? Kids are 5, 7,9, and 17. I know the weather can be alittle cool that time of year, but it still beats Ohio! Im not a big ocean girl anyway (sharks and all...yikes!) any ideas?

 

[anniet]

My sister went last year with her dh, 7 year old dd and our dp's (dear parents) and they went on a dolphin cruise they REALLY enjoyed. I can try to get more info tomorrow if your interested...just pm me.

 

[westjones]

I'd like to hear about the cruise too, we will be at HH the last week in March. Do you really see Dolphins? That would be so cool! Can you book it through Disney?
DJ

 

[K&TLoveDisney]

DH and I were in HH in January. We didn't do the Dolphin Cruise, a little to cool. The one really nice day we had we rode our bikes on the beach and went shell hunting.

We met a family that did the Dolphin Cruse and they loved it. One of their daughters is into marine life (daughters were under 15). Said dolphins came right up to the side of the boat.

There was plenty to do. We did the Beach Nature Walk with Bryan and he showed us how to find shells and what to look for (hence the reason we were on our bikes the day after). Bryan was great with all the kids (highly recommend this tour).

There were campfires at night, art classes, unbirthday parties, magic and music & lore of the low country. Highly recommend anything with B'Lou Crabbe (very interesting man and also great with kids).

Have a great time -- there is plenty to do.

 

[westjones]

Can anyone tell me how much the Dolphin Cruise is at HH? I think my twin DDs would really enjoy this when we are there in March. Do I make reservations at the front deck of the resort?
DJ

 

[K&TLoveDisney]

Not sure of the cost. When we checked in, we were given a sheet of all of the activities. There is a number you can call for the dolphin information which is listed right on the sheet. The Dolphin Discovery was listed for every day in January and the sheet said tours run throughout the day (weather permitting).

All activity registraton is done at the Recreation Sign-up window under the mercantile (by the pool area) or by dialing the extension number given on the sheet.

 

[DownNeckBoy]

The dolphin cruise is approximately $35 per person. You go out on a small boat (6-8 maximum?), which is ideal for getting very close to the dolphins. Also, if you are there on a Wednesday, that is member day @ HH and you save $5 per person.

Have fun!

 

[Fenceman]

There is also a dolphin & beach combing trip for about $50.00 a person. They take you on the same boat to see the dolphins and then go to a small island (I forget the name) where they let you on the beach to look for shells, sand dollars(you can't keep the live ones) and star fish.

You find a lot more nice shells because there are very few people on the island. The only way to get there is by boat. We also did some sight seeing and drove close to harbor town and got some great pictures of the lighthouse.

You can sign-up for the trip at the DVC rental area.

Have fun.

 

[JVL1018]

Originally posted by Fenceman
There is also a dolphin & beach combing trip for about $50.00 a person. They take you on the same boat to see the dolphins and then go to a small island (I forget the name) where they let you on the beach to look for shells, sand dollars(you can't keep the live ones) and star fish.

Can very little kids go on this, or no? I'll have my 3.5 year old daughter, and also my son who will be a few months shy of 2.

 

[VMS]

We were there last year the second week in April, and the weather was beautiful and warm. We did the dolphin cruise and loved it. We also asked people who did the Island trip and they thought it was great, but it was not practical to bring strollers, and they said their little one got very tired and they ended up doing a lot of carrying. I think it goes for a number of hours, so you would have to know what your little ones are up for.

 

[Fenceman]

We took our 10, 6, and 3 year old and they all had a great time. There was 2 guides on the boat and they pulled the boat up to the beach and helped us all get out. Very professional and very polite. You may want to have 1 adult per small child and I would not recommend going on a very windy day.

They anchored the boat and walked along with us showing the children how to find sand dollars, crabs, conchs and star fish. They also stressed the importance of not taking the living animals like sand dollars and said they could only keep the dead ones and empty shells. They then tended the boat and gave us 1/2 hour to look around ourselfs.

Around HH you have to really watch the tide because it can rise and fall up to 9 feet if the moon is just right. They had to continue to move the boat away from the shore as the tide went out.

On our way back we went buy Harbor Town and saw a small tour boat (like the ones Disney uses) sitting in mud in a small cove by the golf course. Seems the inexperience guides did not realize the tide was going out so quickly and got stuck in the cove. Our guide said they had the choice of sitting there until the tide came in(about 8 hours) or wade through the waste deep mud to get to shore. He said it was important to make sure you go with a tour company that has experience guides.

Sorry about the long answer. Yes you can take them but it may help to have 1 adult per small child.