Why Not Just Queue Up Another Disney Trip? Link to New TR 6/24 p136!

[MEK]

Great couple of updates, I loved all your pics. So crazy about that tour guide, she sounded a little uptight!

Thanks!

That tour guide did have her panties in a bunch - KWIM!

Great plans for your Dec trip, I love it there for Christmas but I haven't been able to go for that time of the year for a long time. Maybe we'll get there soon.

It's been three years since I've seen the Christmas decorations and I am really looking forward to them. It will be a fresh prespective now that I have my new camera!

You have me wishing for a HHI trip now with your amazing report! What a BEAUTIFUL and fun area!

I feel like every true Disney fan needs to experience HHI at least once because it is so Disney without the theme parks. Being at the pool of the resort was just like being at any other deluxe resorts pool with all the CM's and the parties and stuff. I know I am going back in fall 2013. And I can't wait!

Your December plans are looking great too-Christmas in Disney is so wonderful, I can't wait to go back at this time of year again.

I am much more in the Christmas spirit than I usually am this time of year, so that has really increased my desire for a Disney Christmas. If I had a longer trip I would have definitely liked to do that tour where you get to see all the behind the scenes decorations. I am so looking forward to seeing the story tellers in Epcot. Oh, and I hear you have a plan for seeing them all. Do tell!!!!!

 

[manntra]

Your plans look fantabulous!!! I am sooooo wanting a Christmas trip!!! One of these days.
I really liked OKW and am sure you will be loving the space. The bathroom is HUGE for a studio and I loved having the two beds. The thing I didn't like which is just me... is the direct access to being "outside" rather than the hotel feel. And I guess it is too many horror movies for us because we then covered up the peep hole on the door What dorks!!!
I would also say that it would be a great resort to have a car at because it is quite spread out like SSR.

Mmmm fish and chips sound great for lunch today.....Funny story my niece called me last night to tell me that she randomly called one of the UK phonebooths. She talked briefly with someone and he said uhhh you know that you called the phonebooth in the UK right? We had a great time sitting far enough away to watch people when we were there last month.

Happy packing!!! Your tree looks great My lighted palm trees and flamingo have landed in my front yard

Tracy

 

[MEK]

Your plans look fantabulous!!! I am sooooo wanting a Christmas trip!!! One of these days.
I really liked OKW and am sure you will be loving the space. The bathroom is HUGE for a studio and I loved having the two beds. The thing I didn't like which is just me... is the direct access to being "outside" rather than the hotel feel. And I guess it is too many horror movies for us because we then covered up the peep hole on the door What dorks!!!
I would also say that it would be a great resort to have a car at because it is quite spread out like SSR.

I'm glad to hear you liked OKW and that you liked the extra room and the bathroom. That's awesome. I don't mind the whole outside entrance thing and Denny actually prefers it. We will have a car so being spread out is not an issue either. I also requested NOT being on the ground floor. I don't like the ground floor at all because I feel like you are on the lawn when you use the balcony (which isn't really a balcony)

Mmmm fish and chips sound great for lunch today.....Funny story my niece called me last night to tell me that she randomly called one of the UK phonebooths. She talked briefly with someone and he said uhhh you know that you called the phonebooth in the UK right? We had a great time sitting far enough away to watch people when we were there last month.

Whenever I see that number in my contacts I have to resist the urge to call. So funny that your neice randomly called there. That's awesome! Thanks for reminding me that I am going to trick Denny and Nick to get them to go in.

Happy packing!!! Your tree looks great My lighted palm trees and flamingo have landed in my front yard

Tracy

I forgot about the palm tree and flamingo! You have GOT to take a picture of that!

 

[MEK]

So I am determined to get this portion of my TR done before I leave for Disney. All I want to focus on when I get back is Disney trip reporting. So keep up with me because I have at least 5 more updates to do in the next 2 weeks, maybe more depending on how many Charleston pictures I took.

But for right now we will focus on the HHI resort again. Today is Day 4, Wednesday October 26th. I did forget to mention that when we got back from Savannah Tuesday evening our big nighttime activity was the hot tub (and an adult beverage). Since we ate such a late lunch, no one felt like dinner. Rather, I am sure we all snacked on the tons of food in our frig (too much food in fact).

The hot tub at the resort is lovely and it never really got crowded, which is a big plus. Not sure if we watched more smut TV that night or not. I did talk to the ladies about what our plans would be for the rest of the week, and more importantly, the next day. I mentioned a dolphin tour, but I couldn’t seem to garner much interest. L had just been to Tampa the previous month and told me she had seen plenty of dolphins. There was a tour I was interested in that was reasonably priced, but it dawned on me that I had no way to get there since I wasn't the driver. Oh well.

I also wanted to kayak and Wednesday happened to be member day. The kayak tour was $5 off, making it $25. I asked if anyone was interested and, again, couldn’t get an affirmation, although no one flat out said no. I was OK with that. That was, until I actually went to register for the tour! Stay tuned.

We also needed to make plans for our Charleston visit. We had initially discussed visiting Charleston on Friday (our departure day) and then driving another 4 hours north before spending the night. Unfortunately, this plan wasn’t going to work because L wanted to be home for a Saturday afternoon for a soccer game in Reading Pa. We would have been cutting it way too close. So, decision made – we needed to go to Charleston on Thursday and drive completely home on Friday. Not my choice, but what can ya do?

On Wednesday morning I decided to go run on the treadmill in the health club. There was a man running as well. In fact, his whole family was there. His wife was making a half-hearted attempt on the elliptical machine and there were two young kids playing in the corner. I vowed not to turn around and see what mischief they might be getting in to.

When I was done running I went to the activities area to see if I could sign up for the tour. The young CM asked if I had kayaked before and then was somewhat insistent that I should go with a partner in a double kayak so I couldn’t flip the craft. Bottom line – I think she was unsure if there enough single crafts, but she unnerved me to the point where I went back to the villa and asked P and L if they would reconsider. Finally, P stepped up to the plate and all was arranged. The problem was, I knew P didn’t really want to go and I felt bad. So I just decided to pay for her to ease my conscience.

I know you are curious to see how we faired with the kayak, but first I must share a few resort pictures I took that morning before we left for the Kayak tour.

Ah, yes, one can not kayak without first taking a picture of their vessel

I love the view from these chairs

A close up view of the birds attacking their buried prey

My favorite fishing dock complete with my favorite bird! I think he needs his own cast member tag.

This sort of proves my point that smokers always get the best smoking areas

More views

The ground

The trees

Prior to tour time I also had the opportunity to meet Dottie, who works in the Mercantile. Ellens (podsnel) told me that I HAD to meet her and send her a big Hello from Ellen. So I walked right up and said "Are you Dottie? I've heard so much about you and Ellen says hello". I also added, "Can I take your picture?"

This is not the best picture (cell pic) of Dottie because I caught here in an awkward moment as she was preparing for her photo. I wish I had taken another because she is a very attractive lady and she was also every bit as nice as Ellen said. If you visit HHI make sure you go visit Dottie. She can probably answer all your questions.

So back to the Kayak tour.....

There was a decent sized group of people taking the tour. They were all couples, as in male/female couples. One couple used single kayaks, but everyone else doubled up. I got the rear position, which meant I had to do the steering. I got the hang of it after awhile, although I did "gently" bump a couple other kayaks with my novice skill! Sorry. Actually, no one seemed to mind.

Here is P suiting up

I was determined to take pictures with my cell phone to PROVE to you all that I actually did kayak

However, if my iphone had ended up in the water I would NOT have been happy.

And off we go.........

Our tour guide

I can’t remember our tour guide's name. I have to check my notes, but for all the ladies in the group – he was very easy on the eyes. Not so much on the ears. He really, REALLY liked to talk. But because he was so cute and nice I forgave him for his constant chatter. He owns the business and has had a contract with Disney since the beginning of time. He graduated from Notre Dame with a business degree (maybe even a Master’s degree) and he lives on Dafuskie Island with his wife and kids. Most importantly – he expressed himself as if he knew everything about everything. When he found out that one of the tour participants was a minor league baseball player he struck up a conversation with him that lasted, well…..a long time. I’m sure this guys woman was hoping for a nice, quiet time with her man, but instead they had the tour guide glued to their sides talking baseball.

Despite his "yappiness", he did tell us a lot of interesting stuff. For example, did you know that HHI has the second largest tide fluctuations on the East Coast (second only to the Bay of Fundy). The tide fluctuations can easily be 7 – 8 ft. Not sure about the Bay of Fundy, but that’s impressive. Did you know that every member of the SNL cast had a house on HHI during the 80’s? No, I didn’t think you did. Did you know that Rose Peroe either owned or wanted to own a house in HHI but decided against it because he could not get a permit for a helipad?

How about this - building on HHI was so tightly controlled for the longest time that houses could not be built above the tree line or beyond it. All of the shopping centers on HHI are so tasteful and they all have cute, small signs. When Walmart tried to come on the island the first time they were told they had to seriously downsize their sign. And Walmart said NO, but several years later they came back and accepted the small sign. I like the shopping centers on HHI, but P made a good point when she said its hard to see your landmarks at night in the dark.

Another interesting thing we learned was that (1) dolphins are mammals (you probably knew that (2) dolphins, being mammals, need to sleep. (3) Dolphins sleep with 1/2 of their brain. That allows them to stay in the water and have a conscious part of the brain which brings them up for hair.

Speaking of dolphins, we actually saw a few of them off in the distance. We kayaked against the current and I remember feeling pretty tired by the time we hit our turn around point. I didn't think I had the energy to make it back. Our guide told us our arms would not hurt a bit the next day. I didn't believe him, but he WAS right!

Continued..........

 

[MEK]

Continued......

More kayaking pics

See this couple off in the distance. Well, you are not going to believe this, but they actually had a dolphin swim right up to their canoe. And it stayed there for like 30 seconds or more.

I tried so hard to get my phone set up for video, but there was no way. They were too far away. But they got video. How lucky. So if you are wondering whether you might see dolphins or not in the Broad Creek - the answer is yes.

Kayaking back to the resort was SO much easier and it felt like it took about a quarter of the time. Because the tide had already gone down several feet we needed to actually stay out towards the middle of the Broad Creek.

We passed this boat and actually didn't hit it while kayaking by!

Almost back!

So What Did I think?

I loved it. The tour was great and I would do it again in a heart beat. Kayaking was fun and it was easy. Plus I felt great the neck day. Despite the fact that our tour guide like to talk, I really enjoyed him. He was obviously smart and had a great personality. He even talked to us about Charleston. P felt the same way about the tour. She loved it to and refused to let me pay for her. Yup - she liked it that much!!!!!!! L didn't realize all the fun she missed as she was already sunning herself by the pool.

When we got back we went to the villa and had some lunch. Then it was time to hit the pool.

L didn't want to kayak, but she was brave enough to do the slide!

It was a gorgeous afternoon - sunny and warm. The pool felt wonderful.

Before long it was Party Time

Kids started coming out of the woodwork for this but I purposely did nt take any kid pics.

Well....except for these big kids!

Oh, wait...I lied

I thought this little girl was adorable.

Anyway - the pool was awesome and we spent the better part of the afternoon there. Our plans for the evening were to go over to Harbor Town and the Sea Pines Resort and the dinner at the Alligator Grill.

I did treat myself to something at the Mercantile

Is this not the cutest decal? I also purchased a pin similar to this to send home to Bill (Saintstickets) who had to cancel his trip at the last minute. He was kid enough to send us a $50 restaurant.com gift certificate that he was unable to use. So, thanks again Bill. Alligator grille coming up in the next update.

I almost forgot - here's a few more resort pics I took with my good camera

Up Next: Look honey, I bought a yacht!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I'm glad that you both enjoyed kayaking! It looks like it would definitely be an arm workout, but it must have been cool being out on the water! And that's so cool that a dolphin visited the other couple! Too bad they didn't stop by you guys as well!

 

[LilAnn]

Interesting update on Savannah, but I think I am more impressed with HHI and the resort. It looks like such a nice vacation spot! I can't believe all of those different building restrictions that you mentioned.

Love, love all of your Disney plans. Can't wait to hear about Artist Point, dying to eat there. One day we will make it there during the holidays. I would love to see everything all decorated for the holidays.

Speaking of decorations, love the Disney ornaments. I think our tree has more Disney touches than non-Disney touches. Not surprising, huh? We even have a Tinkerbell light up tree topper.

 

[MEK]

I'm glad that you both enjoyed kayaking! It looks like it would definitely be an arm workout, but it must have been cool being out on the water! And that's so cool that a dolphin visited the other couple! Too bad they didn't stop by you guys as well!

Kayaking was really fun and it was surprisingly easy. Yes - my arms got a bit fatigued on the way out, but the way back was super easy and no sore muscles at all.

You have NO idea how badly I wanted to see a dolphin up close. Next time!

Interesting update on Savannah, but I think I am more impressed with HHI and the resort. It looks like such a nice vacation spot! I can't believe all of those different building restrictions that you mentioned.

HHI and the resort where wonderful. The restrictions allow the island to be very "upscale" in nature. Seriously the nicest facades I have ever seen your typical fast food joints. And everything is hidden behind the trees. Very pretty and very relaxing. The resort itself is wonderful. Smart move on Disney's part to cash in on that little niche!

Love, love all of your Disney plans. Can't wait to hear about Artist Point, dying to eat there. One day we will make it there during the holidays. I would love to see everything all decorated for the holidays.

I definitely recommend AP. Denny and I ate there on our anniversary trip two years ago and it was wonderful. It had all the components that make a great meal - Best CM ever, ambiance, good food, beautiful resort, and the little bonus extras like the champagne, light-ups, and menu to take home. Definitely give it a try!

I am very excited to see the holiday decorations and I bet AP looks just beautiful in all its holiday splendor.

Speaking of decorations, love the Disney ornaments. I think our tree has more Disney touches than non-Disney touches. Not surprising, huh? We even have a Tinkerbell light up tree topper.

I love Disney ornaments. That's all I buy now.

I am *shocked* your tree would be adorned in Disney. I bet your Tinkerbell is adorable. You should post a pic!

 

[Roxychica7]

FUN! What a great morning so far! I'm glad P ended up going with you, it looks like you two had a blast on your kayak tour! Looked like such a great day to do it!

 

[mickeystoontown]

The kayaking tour looks and sounds like it was a lot of fun and very interesting despite the fact that the guide liked to talk and talk and talk. I've always been scared to try kayaking for fear of turning over and being stuck upside down in that itty bitty thing.

 

[MEK]

FUN! What a great morning so far! I'm glad P ended up going with you, it looks like you two had a blast on your kayak tour! Looked like such a great day to do it!

It was great! I knew it would be and I am so glad that P liked it as well. I figured if any kayak tour would be fun and easy, it would be a Disney sponsored tour.

I will definitely kayak again on my next trip to HHI!

The kayaking tour looks and sounds like it was a lot of fun and very interesting despite the fact that the guide liked to talk and talk and talk. I've always been scared to try kayaking for fear of turning over and being stuck upside down in that itty bitty thing.

Yeah - the extra talking was only mildy annoying. He really was a nice, friendly guy and the kayaking was so fun. I was actually scared to try it, but I figured if it was a Disney tour it was going to be safe. It required far fewer instructions than the segway tour I took last year at Disney. I wanted to kayak when we were at the OBX last summer, but I chickened out because the current looked strong. This was a great place to try it as a beginner!

 

[KatMark]

The kayaking looks like a great time...and I'm glad that P went with you and ended up loving it as much as you.

I could sit in those chairs all day long looking at that view.

 

[DWGal210]

Phew! All caught up! I was MIA but I'm back, baby!

HHI looks just gorgeous. What a great place to relax & get away.

Savannah is so beautiful! And that church - come on!! Stunning!! I'm sorry they weren't nice about taking pictures in some of those places. How rude.

I'm glad you had fun in the kayak - good for you! I'm such a chicken I don't know if I could do it.

 

[glennbo123]

I'm sure the kayaking would be a lot of fun, and I'd do that for sure. When we lived in NC we used to participate in a lot of activities that the Fort Fisher Aquarium used to offer like exploring the salt marsh, crabbing, clamming, etc. They were always great.

 

[rndmr2]

The Kayaking tour looked like it was fun, you got a lot of great pics. I have wanted to try kayaking but I have always chickened out.

 

[TanzUnited99]

Love all the shots of the views...they all look so lovely!

I'm glad Dottie was a very nice person and able to answer all your questions

Yay on going kayaking - it looks like so much fun. I have done it once and was scared I was going to fall out of the kayak! Yay on the tour guide being easy on the eye...a shame that it was not the same when it came to the ears!

I knew the first two things about the dolphins but didn't know they sleep with half of their brain - I have learnt something new on these boards

 

[tinacaplan]

Two weeks and 1 day and my suitcase is Packed!

Going to buy a second park ticket today with my $250 in AAA rebate certificates. Having $500 towards park tickets certainly made this trip less expensive!

Nice job on the packing. And on saving all that money. We're AAA members, too. Hmmm....

I never do anything early, but for some reason I can always get my packing done way ahead of schedule. It helps that I don't need to wear any of the shorts I packed.

I totally understand. I'm already half-packed and we don't go 'til February. But I figured when I was putting away the summer clothes that I might as well pack the warm weather clothes I'm going to take with me.

And kayaking with dolphins in beautiful surroundings with good friends. Sound fantastic. And...as always...beautiful pictures.

 

[MEK]

The kayaking looks like a great time...and I'm glad that P went with you and ended up loving it as much as you.

The kayaking was great and I highly recommend it to anyone who visits the resort. It also gives you a look at the resort from a different perspective, although I didn't take any pictures of the resort from the kayak.

Phew! All caught up! I was MIA but I'm back, baby!

Well, welcome back! I'm so glad you took the time to catch back up!!!!

HHI looks just gorgeous. What a great place to relax & get away.

HHI was amazing! It is such a visually appealing island with so much to see and do. I absolutely loved it.

Savannah is so beautiful! And that church - come on!! Stunning!! I'm sorry they weren't nice about taking pictures in some of those places. How rude.

That church was the most beautiful cathedral I have ever been in. They did a fabulous job with the restoration. I love how they combined the the new with the old and the painting on the ceiling was amazing.

Savannah was a great town. I am so thankful I had the chance to visit.

As far as the pictures, I just think I am spoiled from being able to take whatever pics I want on a Disney trip. But I know that a lot of places restrict pictures so I shouldn't have been surprised.

I'm glad you had fun in the kayak - good for you! I'm such a chicken I don't know if I could do it.

Wel, I'm a chicken too, but I looked at it this way - if I'm going to do something scary, I can't think of a better place than Disney. It really was perfect for a beginner.

I'm sure the kayaking would be a lot of fun, and I'd do that for sure. When we lived in NC we used to participate in a lot of activities that the Fort Fisher Aquarium used to offer like exploring the salt marsh, crabbing, clamming, etc. They were always great.

The kayaking was great. If you ever visit HHI make sure you take the tour (on Member day).

I didn't know you lived in NC. I bet that was a blast. And those sound like great activities. I think the Carolinas must be a great place to live.

The Kayaking tour looked like it was fun, you got a lot of great pics. I have wanted to try kayaking but I have always chickened out.

I always chicken out too, but this really was the perfect place to try it. I'm so glad I did because it was easy and it wasn't scary at all. All I can say is, give a chance if you get the opportunity again. It's really fun!

Love all the shots of the views...they all look so lovely!

Thank you! I had so much fun taking pictures around the resort.

I'm glad Dottie was a very nice person and able to answer all your questions

She was a doll! She used to be on the DIS before she became a CM, but then I guess she decided to drop it. Really, really sweet. Hope she's still there when I go back.

x

Yay on going kayaking - it looks like so much fun. I have done it once and was scared I was going to fall out of the kayak! Yay on the tour guide being easy on the eye...a shame that it was not the same when it came to the ears!

Well, the CM who signed me up had me worried that was going to happen, but apparently its next to impossible to flip a double kayak. I really would like to try a single.

"Easy on the Eyes, but not on the Ears". Good one! That about sums it up!

I knew the first two things about the dolphins but didn't know they sleep with half of their brain - I have learnt something new on these boards

Apparently their right and left sides of the brain don't communicate so one side can be asleep when the other is awake. Pretty cool. I wish I could learn that trick!

Nice job on the packing. And on saving all that money. We're AAA members, too. Hmmm....

The AAA Visa has good rewards - better than the Disney Visa. I think its 2% on everything. The rewards came in as $50 certificates which can be used on anything AAA sells or they can be used towards $75 off a Hertz rental and you can use up to 3 for a rental. I use my rebates for park tickets and for rooms. But if you use it for a vacation or room you have to book through AA, which I don't mind because I found a really nice AAA agent that I like. So the rebates come in pretty handle towards traveling.

Oh and of course there is no annual fee with the CC. I think you just sign up. The certificates do expire after a year.

I totally understand. I'm already half-packed and we don't go 'til February. But I figured when I was putting away the summer clothes that I might as well pack the warm weather clothes I'm going to take with me.

Well, now I don't feel so bad if you're already packing. I have a few more things to add ( a couple pairs of pants), but that's it. Yeah! I only have a few more errands like memory cards and I'm going to get a Disney gift card for food.

Yup - packing for the opposite season is fun!

And kayaking with dolphins in beautiful surroundings with good friends. Sound fantastic. And...as always...beautiful pictures.

Well said. The kayaking was wonderful and seeing the dolphins off in the distance was a bonus.

Thank you on the pictures!

 

[Poolrat]

Glad you got to go kayaking. Looks like you had a ton of fun.

Great phone pics while kayaking, i would have been too scared I would drop the phone.

 

[MEK]

Glad you got to go kayaking. Looks like you had a ton of fun.

:

It was great! So much fun and very educational! Now I can cross that off my bucket list. Seriously - I hope to do it again the next time I visit HHI.

Great phone pics while kayaking, i would have been too scared I would drop the phone.

I was very afraid and dropping it, but got braver as the trip went on. Then I started to worry that I might drop the paddle, but I knew our fearless leader would retrieve it!