Paul Krieger
Amy and I are new Orlando, Florida residents where we live with our dogs Odie the greyhound and Hermès the Spanish galgo. We are DVC owners at Animal Kingdom Lodge, BoardWalk Villas, Grand Californian, Grand Floridian, and Polynesian, Disney World Annual Passholders, and love educating Disney Vacation Club members on how to both use and maximize the value of their DVC points!
We went in March two years ago — it was too cold for the beach or the pool, but we played lots of bocce and shuffleboard and went to the movies. And of course, hung out with B’Lou Crabbe!
We were fortunate to stay at the resort two years ago. That stay is what helped me convince my husband to buy DVC. My daughter said
It was the best vacation she’s ever had. And yes, I’m not too proud to admit I cried on check out day. In my opinion you can be as busy or relaxed as you want when you’re there. We ended up barely leaving the resort. One thing that maybe could have been talked about a little more was the number of activities that you can book right on property. This would include bike rentals, tour excursions, etc. Hilton head is extremely bike friendly and it’s very easy to get around that way. We biked from the resort to the beach house every day and it took about 10 minutes. Hilton Head has done an excellent job of making sure their bike routes stay off of the road and get you where you need to go. Also I can’t believe no one mentioned the resort mascot, Shadow! She is a beautiful golden retriever that makes special appearances with singer, story-teller, and all around great guy, B’Lou Crabbe. Their appearances are included on the resort calendar. Finally, if you really want to leave the property, Savannah Georgia is less than an hour away. There are some amazing tours there as well. We usually try to spend at least one day exploring Savannah when we come to visit Hilton Head. We have not done this, but there is a ferry that you can take to Savannah from Hilton head. I believe it runs two days a week. I think anyone that wants a great Disney vacation without the parks should try Hilton Head.
This is our FAVORITE vacation spot outside of WDW! We’ve been to DHHIR at least 4 times now and we’ve loved it each time. If you have kids, there’s so many activities for them. We aren’t “beach” people either so this is the perfect compromise. Plus, I love that I can get a Disney vacation without paying for park tickets. We spend so much less money when we go to Hilton Head. We eat more in our villa than dining out but we do still do several meals out. I don’t mind cooking if I don’t have to adhere to a schedule of FastPasses or ADRs. The cast members at DHHIR are top notch! We do a lot of the activities with the naturalist so we do learn a bit on vacation, too. It’s an actual vacation for us. Disney trips are not what I consider a “vacation.” There’s way too much planning, scheduling and go, go, go at WDW. HHI you just go with the flow.