South Carolina's Lowcountry?: A Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort Trip Report!
- Thread starter elleinad16
- Start date
WolffDVC2004
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2006
Love the renovated rooms! So beautiful! We haven't been since 2011, but are planning to go back next year. If only there were enough points to go this year. But Hawaii used up all of our points, but it was totally worth it!
ProudMommyof2
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2007
Great pictures! We just loved HHI last year and can not wait to see the renovations!
elleinad16
Have you ever looked beyond today into the future?
- Joined
- May 2, 2010
How was your trip? I hope you had a fantastical time!
Love your photos and TR so far....the new decor is beautiful!
We were there in 2012 and we are planning to visit next summer.
We are from NJ, but drove last time and will drive again. How long was it to fly, having to fly north and then south to get there ....were there not direct flights?
Curious?
We found a direct flight only on our way back home, however, we had a little hiccup. (You'll find out when I finish my trip report) So, I actually can't tell you how long it would have taken to fly...but I wish we could have!
Yay, room twins! Wasn't it great? I would love to go back!
Thanks for joining!!
Ooooh, I bet Hawaii was great. That's next on my list!
The renos are beautiful. I really enjoyed them.
Hello, readers!
I'm still here!!! Slowly, yet surely, I will continue and finish this TR! I started my Summer I grad school session at the beginning of June and it was a lot of work in a short amount of time. I've already begun Summer II now, so I still might not post as frequently as I would like to. Just dropping in...Here's another post to tide you over.
elleinad16
Have you ever looked beyond today into the future?
- Joined
- May 2, 2010
5/10/2014
Meeting Shadow & Breakfast at Tide Me Over
I was a little slow moving after such a deep, restful sleep, but I tried to get ready for the day quickly since we were going to attend Shadow's Tales with B'Lou at 10:00 am. I was most excited to take a picture with Shadow and Duffy the Disney Bear to send back to my Disney Store cast members. If you are not familiar with Duffy, he is Mickey's teddy bear that Minnie made. Duffy keeps Mickey company while he travels, so our store Duffy accompanies us on all of our vacations. This year alone, he's been to Walt Disney World two times, on a Caribbean cruise, London, and New Orleans. I was very excited to add Disney's Hilton Head Island to the list!
As we walked over to Big Murggie's Den, my mom and I stopped to take a picture with the Thumper and Bambi topiaries outside the Live Oak Lodge because Bambi is her favorite character.
We then went up the stairs and passed Shadow's dog house. Wherever could she be?
We went inside and kicked back on the couches in the den. About a minute later, B'Lou walked in with Shadow and was so excited to see us waiting to meet them! We ended up being the only family that visited Shadow that morning, but that gave us plenty of time to get doggy hugs and listen to B'Lou's famous tales.
Chris petting Shadow
What a ham!
Me with Duffy and Shadow! - This is what I sent to my cast members
Before we left, B'Lou and Shadow gave us a small postcard souvenir to take home Just another piece of Disney magic! We realized we had spent almost an hour with these two, so we decided to explore the rest of the resort and find some breakfast.
We started to wander back towards our room when we spotted a sign for the Mercantile, so we detoured and followed the picturesque boardwalk past the marsh.
We continued past the pool gate and up the ramp towards Tide Me Over and the Mercantile. I glanced over and recognized the iconic Disney Hilton Head pier and instantly fell in love.
We walked up to Tide Me Over right as they were switching over to lunch, so luckily we were still able to order breakfast. I couldn't wait to get ahold of my favorite Mickey-shaped delicacy!
Daddy ordering breakfast
We chose a spot to dine and agreed that the view couldn't be beat!
Got my Mickey Waffles--Happy girl!!
After our meal, we decided to check out the activity board and signed up for our first activity: the Coastal Discovery Nature Walk!
To be continued
Meeting Shadow & Breakfast at Tide Me Over
I was a little slow moving after such a deep, restful sleep, but I tried to get ready for the day quickly since we were going to attend Shadow's Tales with B'Lou at 10:00 am. I was most excited to take a picture with Shadow and Duffy the Disney Bear to send back to my Disney Store cast members. If you are not familiar with Duffy, he is Mickey's teddy bear that Minnie made. Duffy keeps Mickey company while he travels, so our store Duffy accompanies us on all of our vacations. This year alone, he's been to Walt Disney World two times, on a Caribbean cruise, London, and New Orleans. I was very excited to add Disney's Hilton Head Island to the list!
As we walked over to Big Murggie's Den, my mom and I stopped to take a picture with the Thumper and Bambi topiaries outside the Live Oak Lodge because Bambi is her favorite character.
We then went up the stairs and passed Shadow's dog house. Wherever could she be?
We went inside and kicked back on the couches in the den. About a minute later, B'Lou walked in with Shadow and was so excited to see us waiting to meet them! We ended up being the only family that visited Shadow that morning, but that gave us plenty of time to get doggy hugs and listen to B'Lou's famous tales.
Chris petting Shadow
What a ham!
Me with Duffy and Shadow! - This is what I sent to my cast members
Before we left, B'Lou and Shadow gave us a small postcard souvenir to take home Just another piece of Disney magic! We realized we had spent almost an hour with these two, so we decided to explore the rest of the resort and find some breakfast.
We started to wander back towards our room when we spotted a sign for the Mercantile, so we detoured and followed the picturesque boardwalk past the marsh.
We continued past the pool gate and up the ramp towards Tide Me Over and the Mercantile. I glanced over and recognized the iconic Disney Hilton Head pier and instantly fell in love.
We walked up to Tide Me Over right as they were switching over to lunch, so luckily we were still able to order breakfast. I couldn't wait to get ahold of my favorite Mickey-shaped delicacy!
Daddy ordering breakfast
We chose a spot to dine and agreed that the view couldn't be beat!
Got my Mickey Waffles--Happy girl!!
After our meal, we decided to check out the activity board and signed up for our first activity: the Coastal Discovery Nature Walk!
To be continued
adrianna_sarah
Mother of two curious little monkeys!
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2005
Tell us more...
Thanks for the pictures. We will be there over Labor Day weekend, and it has been great to show the kids what it actually looks like.
Two questions:
1. Are they still doing the Low Country Boil?
2. Did you happen to notice what nights they did the Parents Night Out programming? We always try to get in a date night when Disney provides evening child care.
Thx,
A
Thanks for the pictures. We will be there over Labor Day weekend, and it has been great to show the kids what it actually looks like.
Two questions:
1. Are they still doing the Low Country Boil?
2. Did you happen to notice what nights they did the Parents Night Out programming? We always try to get in a date night when Disney provides evening child care.
Thx,
A
elleinad16
Have you ever looked beyond today into the future?
- Joined
- May 2, 2010
Hi, A! Thanks for reading.
Will be updating the TR momentarily...Just finished my summer classes today!
To answer your questions:
Yes, the resort was still hosting the Low Country Boil. (Not sure when it ends though, as I am pretty sure it is seasonal.) But while we were there it was on Thursdays 5:30pm - 7:00pm.
And on both of the recreation activity guides I have, the "Kids Night In" was on Saturdays at 6:00pm in the Community Hall.
Hope that helps! Not long now until your trip!
elleinad16
Have you ever looked beyond today into the future?
- Joined
- May 2, 2010
5/10/2014
Coastal Nature Discovery Tour
The resort has a variety of activities and excursions which can be reserved by either calling the activities line from your room (dialing 42) or by visiting the Broad Creek Rentals window down by the pool. An overview of the activities can be found in the weekly newsletter that is available at check-in from the Live Oak Lodge. The daily breakdown is also listed on the activity board outside of Broad Creek Merchantile. After an easy phone call, we were all set up to do the Coastal Discovery Nature Walk. We were told to meet at the campfire pit about 20 minutes before the departure time (at 1:30pm). While we waited, we signed up for more activities at the recreation window and then proceeded to start a game of corn hole. My parents dominated us and ended up being winning the game.
The recreations cast member, Robin, walked up as our game ended and introduced herself. She said that another family had cancelled, so it was just going to be our small group going with her. We followed her to the far end of the resort and loaded into a van. We did some small talk, introducing ourselves, where we were from, that it was our first visit, ect. She shared how long she had been living in South Carolina and what kind of activities she does for Disney. She was very friendly, personable, knowledgable, and accommodating. A short ride later, we arrived at the Coastal Discovery Museum located on Honey Horn Plantation.
The plantation property was absolutely gorgeous. The museum house itself seems like it had been recently renovated and displayed a lot of information on the island, native plant and animal species, Gullah history, the plantation itself, and more. We were able to spend as much time as we wanted in the museum and went at our own pace. Overall, we probably wandered for about 30 or 40 minutes through the three exhibit rooms.
After we finished with the museum itself, Robin took us outside to see the rest of the property. We started by going out on the little boardwalk behind the house. It was low tide right next to the walk, so we were able to see hundreds of tiny barnacles and periwinkle snails clinging on to the swamp grasses.
From there, we continued to walk the whole way around the plantation.
The overall tour lasted about 2 hours. It was warm that day and we did a lot of walking, but Robin let us take it slow. It was such a beautiful place and this experience helped immerse us into the South Carolina Low Country. Wanna know an added bonus? This tour was absolutely free. Yep, included in the resort stay!
We headed back to the van and thought we'd be going back to Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort, but Robin asked if we wanted to take a pit stop to see if we could spot some gators. Of course we jumped at the chance! We were taken to Jarvis Creek Park and headed down to the pond. Sure enough, small gators were gliding through the water.
The other neat thing about the park is that it has a ginormous live oak tree. Look closely behind those long, low branches That's the trunk!
After admiring so many wonderful things, Robin took us back to the resort and we said our goodbyes. We were so impressed that she was able to spend so much time with us and tailor the experience to our interests. If any of you want to learn just a little more history about Hilton Head Island, this is a great excursion!
We ended our day by going out to dinner at One Hot Momma's. This came highly recommended through some of the users in the Facebook group I follow, so we thought we'd try it out!
Chocolate Ribs
Hand-pulled Pork
Had to try the Chocolate Ribs we're all about novelty food items. Sounds gross, but it was great. Overall, One Hot Momma's had good BBQ. (Although, I'm spoiled and have sampled BBQ from many parts of the US, so I'm not sure if it was the best). I actually think Chris' brisket was better tasting than the pulled-pork. The cornbread was delicious, so we ordered extra of that.
After dinner, we stopped by the Merchantile to pick up Mickey Ice Cream Bars for dessert. From there, we went back to our villa, changed into pjs, and ended the day by watching Frozen. My parents had not seen it yet, so we had to fix that problem.
Frozen treats!
It had been a long, fun-filled day. Immediately after the movie had ended, we all went to bed!
To be continued
Coastal Nature Discovery Tour
The resort has a variety of activities and excursions which can be reserved by either calling the activities line from your room (dialing 42) or by visiting the Broad Creek Rentals window down by the pool. An overview of the activities can be found in the weekly newsletter that is available at check-in from the Live Oak Lodge. The daily breakdown is also listed on the activity board outside of Broad Creek Merchantile. After an easy phone call, we were all set up to do the Coastal Discovery Nature Walk. We were told to meet at the campfire pit about 20 minutes before the departure time (at 1:30pm). While we waited, we signed up for more activities at the recreation window and then proceeded to start a game of corn hole. My parents dominated us and ended up being winning the game.
The recreations cast member, Robin, walked up as our game ended and introduced herself. She said that another family had cancelled, so it was just going to be our small group going with her. We followed her to the far end of the resort and loaded into a van. We did some small talk, introducing ourselves, where we were from, that it was our first visit, ect. She shared how long she had been living in South Carolina and what kind of activities she does for Disney. She was very friendly, personable, knowledgable, and accommodating. A short ride later, we arrived at the Coastal Discovery Museum located on Honey Horn Plantation.
The plantation property was absolutely gorgeous. The museum house itself seems like it had been recently renovated and displayed a lot of information on the island, native plant and animal species, Gullah history, the plantation itself, and more. We were able to spend as much time as we wanted in the museum and went at our own pace. Overall, we probably wandered for about 30 or 40 minutes through the three exhibit rooms.
After we finished with the museum itself, Robin took us outside to see the rest of the property. We started by going out on the little boardwalk behind the house. It was low tide right next to the walk, so we were able to see hundreds of tiny barnacles and periwinkle snails clinging on to the swamp grasses.
From there, we continued to walk the whole way around the plantation.
The overall tour lasted about 2 hours. It was warm that day and we did a lot of walking, but Robin let us take it slow. It was such a beautiful place and this experience helped immerse us into the South Carolina Low Country. Wanna know an added bonus? This tour was absolutely free. Yep, included in the resort stay!
We headed back to the van and thought we'd be going back to Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort, but Robin asked if we wanted to take a pit stop to see if we could spot some gators. Of course we jumped at the chance! We were taken to Jarvis Creek Park and headed down to the pond. Sure enough, small gators were gliding through the water.
The other neat thing about the park is that it has a ginormous live oak tree. Look closely behind those long, low branches That's the trunk!
After admiring so many wonderful things, Robin took us back to the resort and we said our goodbyes. We were so impressed that she was able to spend so much time with us and tailor the experience to our interests. If any of you want to learn just a little more history about Hilton Head Island, this is a great excursion!
We ended our day by going out to dinner at One Hot Momma's. This came highly recommended through some of the users in the Facebook group I follow, so we thought we'd try it out!
Chocolate Ribs
Hand-pulled Pork
Had to try the Chocolate Ribs we're all about novelty food items. Sounds gross, but it was great. Overall, One Hot Momma's had good BBQ. (Although, I'm spoiled and have sampled BBQ from many parts of the US, so I'm not sure if it was the best). I actually think Chris' brisket was better tasting than the pulled-pork. The cornbread was delicious, so we ordered extra of that.
After dinner, we stopped by the Merchantile to pick up Mickey Ice Cream Bars for dessert. From there, we went back to our villa, changed into pjs, and ended the day by watching Frozen. My parents had not seen it yet, so we had to fix that problem.
Frozen treats!
It had been a long, fun-filled day. Immediately after the movie had ended, we all went to bed!
To be continued
adrianna_sarah
Mother of two curious little monkeys!
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2005
Hi, A! Thanks for reading.
Will be updating the TR momentarily...Just finished my summer classes today!
To answer your questions:
Yes, the resort was still hosting the Low Country Boil. (Not sure when it ends though, as I am pretty sure it is seasonal.) But while we were there it was on Thursdays 5:30pm - 7:00pm.
And on both of the recreation activity guides I have, the "Kids Night In" was on Saturdays at 6:00pm in the Community Hall.
Hope that helps! Not long now until your trip!
Thanks for the reply. It has been fun to read along. Can't wait to hear about the rest!
We leave four weeks from today. Yay!
elleinad16
Have you ever looked beyond today into the future?
- Joined
- May 2, 2010
5/11/2014
Dolphin Tour
Today was Mother's Day, so naturally we let my mom decide what activities she would like to do! We had booked one of the Dolphin & Nature Tours for that morning, so we headed to Tide Me Over for a quick breakfast before setting sail. Instead of picking Mickey Waffles (GASP!
), I tried the banana bread french toast. Very yummy!
After our meal, we went downstairs and met up with our guide, Scott. We followed him across the resort and went down to the docks that are across from the parking lot. Again, it was just our family for this excursion, so we had plenty of space to sprawl out on the boat.
Scott started by taking us around the thicker parts of the marsh that are right behind the resort. We went in a large circle and then started to go up towards the bridge. He told us a lot about the dolphins and other creatures that lived in the marsh. Sure enough, after just a few moments of idling in the water, dolphins started to appear!
Momma and baby dolphin
After seeing a handful of dolphins, Scott took us back to the docks. We all had a fantastic voyage, but my mother probably had the most fun since she is the biggest nature/animal-lover out of the group. The trip was $45 per person and lasted about 1.5 hours--Well worth it, in my opinion!
We decided to spend the rest of the afternoon at Disney's private beach!
We stopped back at the room to change before we ventured out again.
To be continued…
Dolphin Tour
Today was Mother's Day, so naturally we let my mom decide what activities she would like to do! We had booked one of the Dolphin & Nature Tours for that morning, so we headed to Tide Me Over for a quick breakfast before setting sail. Instead of picking Mickey Waffles (GASP!
), I tried the banana bread french toast. Very yummy! 
After our meal, we went downstairs and met up with our guide, Scott. We followed him across the resort and went down to the docks that are across from the parking lot. Again, it was just our family for this excursion, so we had plenty of space to sprawl out on the boat.
Scott started by taking us around the thicker parts of the marsh that are right behind the resort. We went in a large circle and then started to go up towards the bridge. He told us a lot about the dolphins and other creatures that lived in the marsh. Sure enough, after just a few moments of idling in the water, dolphins started to appear!
Momma and baby dolphin
After seeing a handful of dolphins, Scott took us back to the docks. We all had a fantastic voyage, but my mother probably had the most fun since she is the biggest nature/animal-lover out of the group. The trip was $45 per person and lasted about 1.5 hours--Well worth it, in my opinion!
We decided to spend the rest of the afternoon at Disney's private beach!
We stopped back at the room to change before we ventured out again. To be continued…
elleinad16
Have you ever looked beyond today into the future?
- Joined
- May 2, 2010
5/11/2014
Visiting the Beach House
Located at the entrance to the resort is a small bus stop for the shuttle to Disney's private beach and beach house. We waited for a few short minutes before the shuttle arrived.
As we boarded, the driver greeted us by waving hello with his Mickey gloves! It was only a 5 minute ride over before we arrived at the beach house.
The beach house offers a pool, arcade, and snack bar. Walking across the pool deck takes you to a set of gates which requires your resort key card to access the beach. Past the gate is a small boardwalk that takes you down to an absolutely gorgeous beach.
We walked up the coast and rented beach chairs and umbrellas. I wanna say it was about $22 per umbrella, but I don't 100% remember.
We put down our stuff and soaked in the amazing view!
My parents took a stroll up the beach, so Chris and I went in the water. It was warm, easy to stand in, had soft sand, and had tame waves. I found this beach to be much more pleasurable to swim in than Disney's Vero Beach Resort because of these reasons. This is an ideal family beach!
Once my parents returned to the umbrellas, I decided it was time to finally get my Dole Whip from the snack bar, Signals. We walked back towards the beach house and ordered 4 to-go.
I'm sure you all can tell from my pictures, but I was SO happy to finally have my Dole Whip again, especially at the beach. For those of you that don't know: Dole Whips + Beach = Heaven.
After a couple more hours of rotational swimming and napping, we decided to pack up and head back to the shuttle. Once back at the resort, we showered and got ready for dinner. Tonight, we were going to try Skull Creek Boathouse, per the Mother's Day request. We had actually heard a lot of great things about this restaurant and couldn't wait for some seafood. The restaurant was packed, but we put our names in and got drinks at the bar.
The wait took about an hour, but it went by quickly since we were chatting and people-watching. We were seated outside and had a front row seat for the sunset at dinner.
We ordered some appetizers to start, including fried pickles, hush puppies, and fried green tomatoes. My entree was a crab cake with mashed potatoes and green beans.
Everything was fabulous! Everyone loved their meals. This turned out to be our favorite restaurant from the whole trip. I would go back in a heartbeat.
To end the night, we surprised my mommy with some flowers and a card back at the villa. She was thrilled and exclaimed that this had been one of the best Mother's Days she had ever had! (Thanks, DHHIR!
)
To be continued
Visiting the Beach House
Located at the entrance to the resort is a small bus stop for the shuttle to Disney's private beach and beach house. We waited for a few short minutes before the shuttle arrived.
As we boarded, the driver greeted us by waving hello with his Mickey gloves! It was only a 5 minute ride over before we arrived at the beach house.
The beach house offers a pool, arcade, and snack bar. Walking across the pool deck takes you to a set of gates which requires your resort key card to access the beach. Past the gate is a small boardwalk that takes you down to an absolutely gorgeous beach.
We walked up the coast and rented beach chairs and umbrellas. I wanna say it was about $22 per umbrella, but I don't 100% remember.
We put down our stuff and soaked in the amazing view!
My parents took a stroll up the beach, so Chris and I went in the water. It was warm, easy to stand in, had soft sand, and had tame waves. I found this beach to be much more pleasurable to swim in than Disney's Vero Beach Resort because of these reasons. This is an ideal family beach!
Once my parents returned to the umbrellas, I decided it was time to finally get my Dole Whip from the snack bar, Signals. We walked back towards the beach house and ordered 4 to-go.
I'm sure you all can tell from my pictures, but I was SO happy to finally have my Dole Whip again, especially at the beach. For those of you that don't know: Dole Whips + Beach = Heaven.
After a couple more hours of rotational swimming and napping, we decided to pack up and head back to the shuttle. Once back at the resort, we showered and got ready for dinner. Tonight, we were going to try Skull Creek Boathouse, per the Mother's Day request. We had actually heard a lot of great things about this restaurant and couldn't wait for some seafood. The restaurant was packed, but we put our names in and got drinks at the bar.
The wait took about an hour, but it went by quickly since we were chatting and people-watching. We were seated outside and had a front row seat for the sunset at dinner.
We ordered some appetizers to start, including fried pickles, hush puppies, and fried green tomatoes. My entree was a crab cake with mashed potatoes and green beans.
Everything was fabulous! Everyone loved their meals. This turned out to be our favorite restaurant from the whole trip. I would go back in a heartbeat.
To end the night, we surprised my mommy with some flowers and a card back at the villa. She was thrilled and exclaimed that this had been one of the best Mother's Days she had ever had! (Thanks, DHHIR!
)
To be continued
glennbo123
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 10, 2008
Great write-ups on your excursions! We did the dolphin boating tour, but not the coastal nature discovery tour -- I wish we had, but you know, with only a week there's not enough time to fit everything in! 
elleinad16
Have you ever looked beyond today into the future?
- Joined
- May 2, 2010
Great write-ups on your excursions! We did the dolphin boating tour, but not the coastal nature discovery tour -- I wish we had, but you know, with only a week there's not enough time to fit everything in!
Thanks for reading, Glenn!
I know what you mean, there never seems to be enough time while on vacation...but that just gives an excuse to plan another trip!
elleinad16
Have you ever looked beyond today into the future?
- Joined
- May 2, 2010
5/12/2014
Kayaking
Today was a jam-packed day, starting out with kayaking in the morning and a family portrait session around the resort in the afternoon! Chris, daddy, and myself got up early to go kayaking while my mother stayed back at the villa to get ready for the photo shoot. We met our guide down at the recreation window and walked down to the kayak landing at the edge of the resort. We went out with one other family of 4, so our group was nice and tiny.
We pretty much followed the same path that the dolphin tour boat had taken the previous day, through the thick swamp behind the resort and then up towards the bridge. However, it turned out to be a very long distance to kayak, so take that into consideration if you would prefer to paddle a single or a double kayak. It was definitely a great workout first thing in the morning, though!
This was my big request for the trip, so I enjoyed myself. We were able to see more dolphins, some cranes, and some crabs. Overall, we were out on the water for a good 2 to 2.5 hours and it cost us $30 per adult.
After our excursion, we went back to the room to get cleaned up. We were scheduled to have a family photo shoot around the resort at 5:00pm with Studio 1250 Photography and I was having hair and makeup come around 12:00pm. I ended up using The Knot to research and book our photographers, Studio 1250, who are based out of Charleston and I used my high school friend, Annie Carlson Emison to do my hair and makeup. Both come highly recommended! They each did a fantastic job.
So there are a couple reasons I decided to have a family portrait shoot. The biggest being that I hardly have any pictures with my parents from my wedding day.
The second, I could hardly find pictures of the mysterious Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort, so I thought this could show others what the resort offers.
Right at 12:00pm, my friend Annie showed up at our villa. I had not seen her since our graduation in 2006, but have kept in touch via Facebook. It was so much fun catching up with her, it was like time never passed! She shared all the adventures she has been through and how she ended up in Hilton Head just a year ago. After she did my hair and makeup, she styled my mother's hair. Before she left, we snapped a selfie!
We said goodbye to Annie, changed into our outfits, and went down to meet up with our photographers!
To be continued
Kayaking
Today was a jam-packed day, starting out with kayaking in the morning and a family portrait session around the resort in the afternoon! Chris, daddy, and myself got up early to go kayaking while my mother stayed back at the villa to get ready for the photo shoot. We met our guide down at the recreation window and walked down to the kayak landing at the edge of the resort. We went out with one other family of 4, so our group was nice and tiny.
We pretty much followed the same path that the dolphin tour boat had taken the previous day, through the thick swamp behind the resort and then up towards the bridge. However, it turned out to be a very long distance to kayak, so take that into consideration if you would prefer to paddle a single or a double kayak. It was definitely a great workout first thing in the morning, though!
This was my big request for the trip, so I enjoyed myself. We were able to see more dolphins, some cranes, and some crabs. Overall, we were out on the water for a good 2 to 2.5 hours and it cost us $30 per adult.
After our excursion, we went back to the room to get cleaned up. We were scheduled to have a family photo shoot around the resort at 5:00pm with Studio 1250 Photography and I was having hair and makeup come around 12:00pm. I ended up using The Knot to research and book our photographers, Studio 1250, who are based out of Charleston and I used my high school friend, Annie Carlson Emison to do my hair and makeup. Both come highly recommended! They each did a fantastic job.
So there are a couple reasons I decided to have a family portrait shoot. The biggest being that I hardly have any pictures with my parents from my wedding day.
The second, I could hardly find pictures of the mysterious Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort, so I thought this could show others what the resort offers. Right at 12:00pm, my friend Annie showed up at our villa. I had not seen her since our graduation in 2006, but have kept in touch via Facebook. It was so much fun catching up with her, it was like time never passed! She shared all the adventures she has been through and how she ended up in Hilton Head just a year ago. After she did my hair and makeup, she styled my mother's hair. Before she left, we snapped a selfie!
We said goodbye to Annie, changed into our outfits, and went down to meet up with our photographers!
To be continued
elleinad16
Have you ever looked beyond today into the future?
- Joined
- May 2, 2010
Looked like a GREAT FAMILY TRIP!!!
YES, Dole Whip and Beach are the BEST!!!!
LOVE the pics of the BEACH!!!
Thanks for reading! It was a great trip.
Makes me wanna book another ASAP!
elleinad16
Have you ever looked beyond today into the future?
- Joined
- May 2, 2010
5/12/2014
Family Portrait Photo Shoot
Once we were dressed, we went outside to begin our portrait shoot with our photographers, Philip and Kristine, from Studio 1250. They were just the sweetest couple and we enjoyed working with them. Our look for the shoot was inspired by the 1940's theme of Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort, so we tried to look a little retro and coordinate with each other. We began taking pictures near the boardwalk, then around the resort, and finally in Big Murggie's Den.
We had a few cast members and guests come up to say hello or compliment us, which was very kind. We felt like movie stars, for sure! After about an hour of shooting, we stopped back at the room for a wardrobe change and then we headed to the beach for a few more family pictures.
Even though my family initially dreaded the idea of having a family photo shoot while on vacation, they ended up having a good time. Once we got the pictures back, they said it was one of the best decisions and such a great way to make memories at one of our new favorite Disney resorts.
After the photoshoot we went to dinner at an Italian restaurant that came highly recommended from our nature walk guide, Robin. [I'm blanking on the name right now, so I'll have to research and look it up.] Service was a little slow, but the food was excellent. This was the lasagna loaded with Ricotta cheese. (UPDATE: The restaurant is called Bella Italia!)
To be continued…
Family Portrait Photo Shoot
Once we were dressed, we went outside to begin our portrait shoot with our photographers, Philip and Kristine, from Studio 1250. They were just the sweetest couple and we enjoyed working with them. Our look for the shoot was inspired by the 1940's theme of Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort, so we tried to look a little retro and coordinate with each other. We began taking pictures near the boardwalk, then around the resort, and finally in Big Murggie's Den.
We had a few cast members and guests come up to say hello or compliment us, which was very kind. We felt like movie stars, for sure! After about an hour of shooting, we stopped back at the room for a wardrobe change and then we headed to the beach for a few more family pictures.
Even though my family initially dreaded the idea of having a family photo shoot while on vacation, they ended up having a good time. Once we got the pictures back, they said it was one of the best decisions and such a great way to make memories at one of our new favorite Disney resorts.
After the photoshoot we went to dinner at an Italian restaurant that came highly recommended from our nature walk guide, Robin. [I'm blanking on the name right now, so I'll have to research and look it up.] Service was a little slow, but the food was excellent. This was the lasagna loaded with Ricotta cheese. (UPDATE: The restaurant is called Bella Italia!)
To be continued…
glennbo123
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 10, 2008
Great photos Danielle! I especially liked the ones in Big Murgie's Den...the clothing style really fit the location. And of course beach portraits are always awesome and these were no exception.
And of course beach portraits are always awesome and these were no exception.
Share this page
-
Walt Disney World Bounce Back Offer Can Save You 25% to 35%!
-
Tokyo Disneyland to Replace Buzz Lightyear with Wreck-It Ralph Attraction
-
Does Anyone Have Disney Jollywood Nights 2024 Predictions?
-
Top 4 Reasons to Stay at Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter
-
A Brief History Of Disney: Disneyland's Matterhorn Bobsleds
GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE
Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.
Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!
Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.
Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!
