"WE'RE AT MINI DISNEY!" Our First Visit to Disney's Hilton Head Resort UPDATEx2 10/31

[Disneyfreak508]

Originally Posted by flyergrad09

Steak and coffee? That's... interesting. I'm not much of a steak eater, so I'll take your word for it!

That's so sweet of that CM to call you when a Haunted Mansion pin came in! Disney people are seriously the BEST.

I love your Mickey tie-dye shirt! I'm pretty inept when it comes to crafts, but it sounds simple enough for even me to try.

Haha it was good! Who would've known!

I know. She was an angel!

It really was easy! I bet you could do it!

Originally Posted by beachphotog

Two updates? Love it!
I was inspired to get into pin trading after reading about how fun it is! I can't wait to start trading with the pins I got off eBay (thanks for the tip/gateway to a new obsession!)

How amazing is Ray? I went to see that movie with my mom when it came out and fell in LOVE with him! His love fore Evangeline made me tear up and I full on cried when Facilier stepped on him! Honestly, I have never cried so hard at a Disney movie (except Toy Story 3. Show me someone who didn't cry at that person and I'll show you someone with a heart of stone!)

You're welcome! I hope you have lots of fun! Pin trading is pretty much my favorite thing.

He's PRECIOUS. I'm glad you appreciate him as much as I do. Every time he gets smushed (even though I KNOW it's coming) I get so sad. He's such an angel.

Originally Posted by aras4007

Love the updates...looks like you made out great at the outlets...I love everything!
Oh that pizza...It looked awesome the first time and even better the second. If thats possible!

Thank you! Yeah there were some incredible deals!

I KNOW RIGHT!? That pizza was freakin' delicious.

Originally Posted by emma212010

Your shirt came out great! I love it!!

Great shopping trip! I love shopping! LOL!

That pizza looks so good!!! Wow!!

Thank you!

Hahaha so do I.

It was amazing!

[jecskc]

I love that you are writing this trip report. I live in South Carolina and we have been to Hilton Head a 100 times. But since we have bought into DVC, we have been wondering how the resort is in Hilton Head. Thank you for sharing your trip with us. It is very informative and has really helped me decide to book a long weekend there.

[Disneyfreak508]

Originally Posted by jecskc

I love that you are writing this trip report. I live in South Carolina and we have been to Hilton Head a 100 times. But since we have bought into DVC, we have been wondering how the resort is in Hilton Head. Thank you for sharing your trip with us. It is very informative and has really helped me decide to book a long weekend there.

I'm so glad that I could help with your decision! It'll definitely be worth it - we had an incredible time!

[Disneyfreak508]

Update #18: Leaving Town
August 24th, 2012

Alright everyone.. I can't believe it but I already am posting the last two updates of this trip report! I hope you all enjoyed and that you learned lots about HHI! Thanks for reading!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This morning I woke up at 9 o’clock. It was time to get PACKED. I chatted with Mom, took a shower, got changed, and started packing. Due to my shopping in Georgia, my shopping here, and just the fact that I packed for two trips, I had A LOT of stuff. Thankfully with the help of a couple extra bags, we were able to fit everything!

Dad made some scrambled eggs for breakfast. Jonathan and I went over to the gift shop because I wanted to get one last pin and guess the trivia question! The question was “what kind of pet does Jasmine have and what is it’s name?” UMM HELLO, I AM JASMINE! She has a tiger named Rajah! The cast member that was there during the beginning of the trip was working again today, and he was happy to see us again. The cast members really get to know who you are throughout the course of your stay because the resort is so small!

He let me pick a pin and I got a tinkerbell one with flappy wings. Then we went to the recreation station to look at the pin board and there was nothin’.

Then we walked to the main desk and the pin book was out on the DVC desk like it was just waiting for me to arrive! I flipped through and found an adorable Mickey Mouse and sandcastle pin. It was from the cast member lanyards from 2006! Awesome! I was really excited because they were out of the actual Disney’s Hilton Head pins this week, so at least I got a beachy pin to finish off the trip!



We went back and Jonathan and I returned the bikes. Then we helped Dad load everything into the car. It was a tight fit but we were able to do get everything packed in there!

Soon we were all set and it was time to hit the road! MissPrice suggested a little place on my Christmas trip report the night before, and I wanted to go check it out! It was called Sweet Carolina Cupcakes. She also said that there might be an Earl of Sandwich in that same plaza!

Since it was only 9 minutes away from our resort, I asked if we could go and everyone agreed! It was in the Coligny Plaza Shopping Center which was REALLY cute! I wish we could have spent more time there. It was touristy but it had a ton of cute shops that I would have loved to look at!

So first we found the Earl of Sandwich on the map, but I noticed that Earl was spelled “E-A-R-L-E.” I had a feeling that it wasn’t going to be the same place. So we got there and it was a pub – not the downtown Disney favorite sandwich shop. It wasn’t even open yet so we decided to move on.



The trip was all worth it because we found Sweet Carolina Cupcakes! We walked in and it was a cute little place with LOTS of different kinds of cupcakes. I took pictures for you all. GAHH THEY WERE SO BEAUTIFUL.

















I just went into a food coma by looking at all of these. HOLY CUPCAKES.

They all looked so delicious and I ended up deciding on the “Sweet Carolina Cupcake” which was a white cake (dyed pink) with cream cheese frosting and pink sprinkles. It was absolutely DIVINE. I am so glad that I got it! I can still picture the exact flavor.. it was AMAZING. It really didn’t feel too heavy and it just tasted so good!



Mom got the coconut cupcake, which was wonderful too! It had a white cake with white frosting and coconut on it. She really loved it.



On our way out I saw that there was an ice cream place in there with over 90 flavors!! If we ever come back, I know where I’m going!

We got back in the car and started driving. We decided that we wanted to get all the way to Pittsburgh that night, so we booked a room. We stopped at Walmart so we could get an electrical outlet plug to plug into the car so I could keep my laptop charged. Then we kept driving, I typed up some trip reporting stuff, and Kristen called me and we chatted about her Disney trip.

After driving for a good while, we decided to stop at Sonic! We have so many commercials for Sonic in the north, but we don't actually have any restaurants! So this was my first time at Sonic EVER!



The whole concept of pulling up to the speaker and parking your car there was very confusing to my parents, but after what seemed like an eternity, we finally placed our orders.

Here are some Sonic food pictures for you all. Sigh... I wish we had them up here.

ONION RINGS!



Cheeseburger!



Chicken Strips!



Chicken Poppers!



French Fries!



Tater Tots! (Why does every fast food place not serve tater tots?! Like... HELLO!? Brilliant!)



Chicago Style Hot Dog!



And STRAWBERRY MILKSHAKE! I have been craving this since I finished it. Wahhhh I want another one.



Continued in Next Post

[beachphotog]

Sad to see this TR coming to an end... Thanks for sharing all about HHI and your trip to GA!

Isn't Sonic amazing! Unfortunately/fortunately they came to the Philly area about 2 years ago. I managed to stay away until 2 months ago when I moved up the street from one! It has proven very dangerous! Like, I want it RIGHT NOW dangerous!

[Disneyfreak508]

Update #19: Our Road Trip Home
August 24th, 2012

Once we finished up at Sonic, we set back out on the road. I pretty much edited pictures, edited the frump movie, went on disboards, and uploaded my hilton head pictures to facebook. I had plenty to do to keep me busy!

We stopped at Chile's around 8:30 pm. I was rather underwhelmed by this meal because I wanted sweet potato fries... but they didn't have any honey!!! I was appalled. I guess it's either a northern thing or a crazy person thing to eat honey with sweet potato fries... but DANG I wanted it so bad. So I was crabby. Also, the fact that I had been in the car all day started to make me go insane.

Once we finished up at Chile's we still had about four hours to go. Preston was a gem and called me so that helped pass a good amount of time. I ended up falling asleep for about an hour, and then we got there around 1 or 2 am! I think we were in the car for fourteen hours straight!

We checked into the Marriott City Center and CRASHED. The beds at that place were like... too comfortable. I was very happy to be there.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning we went up and went to breakfast downstairs. I got some delicious cornflake crusted french toast that I was VERY happy with. Yum. That tasted awesome.



We planned to stay the entire day in Pittsburgh and leave the next afternoon, due to some Pittsburgh Pirates baseball games. So that's what we did!

After breakfast I went to the gym for a while. Then I just relaxed on the computer and hung out until it was time to go to the game.

The four of us took the subway over to PNC Park to see the Pirates vs. Brewer's baseball game!



I was honestly more concerned about the food.





The Pirates ended up winning 4 - 0! Hooray!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning we woke up and repacked the car. Dad and Jonathan were going to another afternoon baseball game, so Mom and I decided to go to the South Hills Village Mall. THEY HAD A DISNEY STORE and they were only 24 minutes away! I was SO there.



I only ended up buying ONE thing. (shocking, right?) It was a super adorable Mickey Mouse Club T-Shirt that I can't wait to wear! Ahh so adorable.



DISNEY STORE PICTURES:







Then Mom wanted to find a dress for a wedding she was going to in September. We decided to check Macy's. She had AWESOME luck and ended up finding two beautiful dresses. And on top of that, I found THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND AMAZING DRESS IN THE WORLD!!! This picture doesn't do it a justice, but it is a gorgeous deep purple. It just looks so classy! The employee who was helping us, Sandy, just gasped when she saw it on me! What a wonderful find!



We also found an adorable pair of shoes from Macy's. Then we went to lunch at Red Robin!

After we finished eating, we went to go pick up the boys. Sadly, the Pirates lost that game. Oh well.

We hit the road and it was only a 3 hour drive home. I read the play my monologue was from and we stopped at a gas station, where I had a Krispie Kreme doughnut. YOLO?



IT WAS SO GOOD OMG.

Before I knew it, we were home and the vacation was over! I couldn't believe it.

Overall, we had an absolutely WONDERFUL time at Disney's Hilton Head Resort. My family would go back there in a heartbeat, especially my Dad. You can definitely feel the Disney hospitality when you're there which is a huge plus for me!

I know the big question is "would you rather go here or WDW?" Honestly, I do love Disney World more. That could be because I am beyond in love with the place, but I am the type of person who would rather be constantly on the go rather than sitting around. However, on the other hand, my Dad LOVED the relaxed pace of this place. So, to compromise, it is a great place for our family to go. It has Mickey Bars and Mickey Waffles and pin trading, after all!

I just wanted to thank you all for reading along about our trip! If you ever have any questions, never hesitate to ask! I love to share about our experiences! I'm glad that you stayed through the journey and hopefully you learned a few things along the way!

Until next time, I hope you have a magical day! Thanks again! (:

[Disneydude97]

Wonderful trip report, Jess! Can't wait till the day I visit Hilton Head! Again, another amazing trip report and I can't wait for progress on your Halloween TR!

[disneyhockeymad]

Amazing! You've made me really fall in love with Hilton Head, I can't wait to try it some day, it looks so beautiful! I'm so glad you had such a good time I've loved reading about it!

[aras4007]

I can't believe this is over! Good thing you have your October Trip to tell us about! I hope you are never in a lull where you don't have anything to share! haha

[Reddog1134]

Great trip report.

I LOVE Sonic. They constantly played commercials here in Baltimore but the closest one was over an hour away in PA. We would always seek out a Sonic whenever we went on vacation but they finally opened a location about 10 minutes from our house.

[LifeIsDis]

I just loved this trip report, Jess. This is the first TR I have read about HHI, and I can see why you fell in love with it. I think I might have to take a trip there now...

[rusafee1183]

Hi Jess! I found your report a few days ago when I was looking for info on HHI for an upcoming trip in May.

What a great report! I am super excited to visit now, but I am a little afraid now too because I also usually like a more fast paced vacation. We'll see! At least it will be different. And we are new DVC members, so it will be nice to use our points a different way.

Also, it's pretty random that I get to the end of your report and see that you were at South Hills Village Mall and that is like, 5 mins from my house!

Glad you enjoyed the Pirate game! How pretty is PNC park??

And I am glad you found the Disney Store! That's usually how I get my fix when I haven't been to WDW in a while

[ProudMommyof2]

Thanks for the great TR!! It has been soooooo helpful in planning my upcoming trip!

[michael's mom]

Another great report Jess! Thanks for writing and allowing us to live vicariously through you as we wait for our next trip

[Disneyfreak508]

Originally Posted by Disneydude97

Wonderful trip report, Jess! Can't wait till the day I visit Hilton Head! Again, another amazing trip report and I can't wait for progress on your Halloween TR!

Thank you!

Originally Posted by disneyhockeymad

Amazing! You've made me really fall in love with Hilton Head, I can't wait to try it some day, it looks so beautiful! I'm so glad you had such a good time I've loved reading about it!

Aww I hope you get there sometime soon! Thanks for reading!

Originally Posted by aras4007

I can't believe this is over! Good thing you have your October Trip to tell us about! I hope you are never in a lull where you don't have anything to share! haha

I know - it was a quick trip report but very informative. Hahaha don't worry, I don't think that will happen anytime soon.

Originally Posted by Reddog1134

Great trip report.

I LOVE Sonic. They constantly played commercials here in Baltimore but the closest one was over an hour away in PA. We would always seek out a Sonic whenever we went on vacation but they finally opened a location about 10 minutes from our house.

Thank you!

SAME. We have commercials all the time but I don't even know where there is one around here!! Your'e so lucky that you have one now!

Originally Posted by LifeIsDis

I just loved this trip report, Jess. This is the first TR I have read about HHI, and I can see why you fell in love with it. I think I might have to take a trip there now...

Thank you so much. I'm glad you enjoyed it and I hope you get there someday soon!

Originally Posted by rusafee1183

Hi Jess! I found your report a few days ago when I was looking for info on HHI for an upcoming trip in May.

What a great report! I am super excited to visit now, but I am a little afraid now too because I also usually like a more fast paced vacation. We'll see! At least it will be different. And we are new DVC members, so it will be nice to use our points a different way.

Also, it's pretty random that I get to the end of your report and see that you were at South Hills Village Mall and that is like, 5 mins from my house!

Glad you enjoyed the Pirate game! How pretty is PNC park??

And I am glad you found the Disney Store! That's usually how I get my fix when I haven't been to WDW in a while

I hope that this TR was helpful! When I was looking for information for my HHI trip there were NO trip reports.. so I wanted to write one for all future planners!

Well don't be worried! Especially for a first time visitor, you're going to really enjoy it. Just get involved with the recreation area around the pool and take the time to explore the island. It's lots of fun!

Hahaha that's too funny!

Thanks! It's gorgeous!

I LOVE THE DISNEY STORE.

Originally Posted by ProudMommyof2

Thanks for the great TR!! It has been soooooo helpful in planning my upcoming trip!

You're welcome! I'm SO glad!

Originally Posted by michael's mom

Another great report Jess! Thanks for writing and allowing us to live vicariously through you as we wait for our next trip

Thank you so much!