First time HHI visit - Loved it!!

[MinnieGi]

Wow, we had no idea we'd like HHI so much!!! We were there 8/5 to 8/10.

Now we are used to going to the beach here in DE and knew we'd like a beach vacation, but having a beach vacation with a Disney resort stay way exceeded our expectations!!

Great Times:
Star Spangled Banner Tues. BBQ and Pool Party!!!!
-my 6yo danced every song with a huge smile on her face!
-kids enjoyed the face painting, tatoos and ballon animals
-Macarana Moms and YMCA Dads were such a hoot! Great fun!
-Sweet Tea
-fireworks to end the night

DD named Princess of the Slide!
-6yo DD is hestitant about new experiencs and we were trying to talk her onto giving the slide a try b/c we thought she'd like it a bunch. We could tell she wanted too, but then would get to the stairs and back away. Jennifer the lifeguard overheard us trying to encourage DD to give it a try. And told us she was looking for a Princess of the Slide for that day, but had not found one and was wondering if DD would oblige. Well at the mere mention of being princess of the slide, DD walked right up those stairs and took the plunge!!! She LOVED it and proceeded to slide the rest of our time there!!! Jennifer and Janelle the lifeguards presented her with a magical moment certificate and a batch of candy for being the princess. Jennifer earned our eternal gratefulness for her so cool encouragement to get DD to give the slide a try.

Terrific Beach!
-We loved the damp, impacted sand - great for building small pools, castle, motes etc...
-Calm waves and shallow water great for wave jumping.
-Ocean was 84 degrees!
-Spent every morning on the beach. Not too crowded at all.
-Great beach to walk, ride bikes, play ball etc..

Campfire
-Okay so we sweltered with a fire roasting us even more in the high temps. But Nathan and Janelle led all of us in fun songs that the kids really enjoyed - Boom chick-a-boom; Hey, I here you're pretty neat...cheeky,cheeky.
-Smores, Yum!

Spotting dolphins!!

Shadow - my kids loved meeting this friendly pooch.

Harborside marina - easy walk from resort
-Shannon Taylor show - very fun! Kids enjoyed it and its free.
-Nice shopping, the restaurants looked good too but we didn't try any this time

Balcony
-I love balconies and the ones at HHI are tops!!

Pool games
-the reward of ice water being thrown on top of you. - sounds awful, but when the heat index is up to 118, ice water actually feels incredibly refreshing!!
-the beach house pool was actually pumping cold water in. It felt so awesome to stand on a cold jet of water!!

Relax, Relax, Relax!!!
-by the pool
-by the beach house pool
-on the beach
-on the balcony in the rocking chairs
-at Big Murgie's Den with a cup of lemonade. And cookies if we were lucky.

Friendly cm's
-big kudos to the lifeguard/recreation staff. They had great personalities and really interacted well leading activities.
-housekeeping and grounds staff always saying hello

We are so looking forward to going back in June of '08!!!! We already started talking about what activities we'd like to try next time. The resort has lots to do.

If you have any questions ask away.

 

[bobbiwoz]

It sounds wonderful! Haven't been there myself, but hope to go.

Bobbi

 

[DisneyNutMary]

Thanks for the review.
We're checking into HHI in 2 weeks, I can hardly wait

 

[Wilson.dvc]

Thanks for the post. We're looking forward to going to HHI next summer.

 

[SLM]

Sounds wonderful! We have a place in north OC and love the beach, but the surf can be so rough (or I'm getting older!) I rarely go in anymore. We're hoping for a June trip in 08 or late Sept. if we can't get June at 7 months. Did you book at 7 or 11 months?

 

[MinnieGi]

Sounds wonderful! We have a place in north OC and love the beach, but the surf can be so rough (or I'm getting older!) I rarely go in anymore. We're hoping for a June trip in 08 or late Sept. if we can't get June at 7 months. Did you book at 7 or 11 months?

HHI is one of our home resorts (good thing we liked it so much as we bought it sight unseen!) so I booked our trip at about the 8th month mark. One of the reasons we ended up with an August vacation was b/c I could not get anything for June or July which were both inside the 7th month mark when I was making my reservations.

I was booking a one bedroom. I have heard it might be a little easier if you are considering a two bedroom. In fact I did talk to a woman while there who booked day by day at the 7th month mark to get a two bedroom our same week.

I did make my reservations for our summer '08 trip for June for a one bedroom the first week in August and did not have a problem.

Late Sept. might be more doable to get inside the 7th month window. The average temps for HHI for late Sept. was 84 degrees (according to my HHI brochurs I picked up) for the highs which is just two degrees lower than June. Might be a great time to go! Good luck!

 

[DisDaydreamer]

Glad you had a great trip.

 

[dizzneebabe]

Your trip sounds very familiar!!! We too, went for the very first time and loved it!!!!!!

Glad to hear you had such a terrific time! It definitely is a great family vacation spot--with just enough touch of the "mouse" to give us a warm fuzzy!!! We can't wait to go back!