Our Tuesday morning went exactly as planned. Got up early, headed to the beach, and enjoyed a great HOT morning under the sun. While we were getting ready to go to the beach house, our little red light was flashing on the phone. Being at Disney my first thought was "guess my purchase arrived at the gift shop", but then I remembered I was at HHI, not WDW! It was a message informing us that the Beach House was closed for the morning because of a water main break! Oh the irony! Water, water everywhere at the ocean!
Of course, my favorite part of that recorded message was the part where the cast member assured us all that the ocean was, indeed, still open. . . No "closed for your future enjoyment" signs from the big guy upstairs. . . .Although an "Imagineers at Work" sign would be funny in front of the ocean now that I think about it. . . But I digress. . . .
While I was sitting on the beach that morning, I swear I could hear Jimmy Buffet songs playing in the background. It could have been my amazing imagination. . . . Or those Marriott neighbors. . .
DS 12 left us at 10:30 to take part in the "Teen Capture the Flag" activity back at the resort while we stayed behind with baby to continue to relax. Best laid plans of mice and men. . . DS 2 really was quite bored without his big brother to help him in the sand, so we headed back around 11 to go to the resort pool. We had to resort to the resort pool (like the pun?) because of the not-yet-fixed water main break. No problem. . .
Yet another reason to love HHI. . . Get bored with one thing, go on to something else. A problem with one area? No problem! Lots of choices! And choices that don't involve fastpasses, runs from entrances to rides, and a one-hour bus ride to your destination. Not that I mind those things when I'm at WDW, but this place is just. . . .well. . . different. . . In a GREAT, laid-back way.
Not that HHI is absolutely flawless. . . Let's chat about the food, shall we. . . Please keep in mind, this was OUR experience. . . Your experience and mileage may be different.
6:00PM rolls around and we head down to the Pirate BBQ Party at the pool. We paid $22.95/per person for three of us, and DS 2 was free. I thought the sheet given to us at check-in was a bit misleading. . . It hinted that for this price we received the food AND entrance to the pool party going on in the rec. area. The reality. . . The $22.95 gives you access to the food. The other "things" and "games" are available to ANYONE in the pool area! Again, I'm not blaming Disney for their marketing of the "Pirate BBQ", it is what it is. But, keep it in mind for those of you going later. Because, trust me, you may not want to pay the amount of money they were charging for the food you received. . . Here comes the rant (Pete, you will be proud). . . .
A bit of a disclaimer here. . . I take absolute PRIDE in my BBQ skills. It is a big hobby of mine and I love to cook ribs, pulled pork, steaks, hamburgers, etc. I own a smoker, a charcoal grill, and a gas grill. I LOVE IT!!!! Now, I'm not a BBQ snob. I just appreciate good preparation and good food. BBQ is about the soul and the passion behind the food. That was not here. . . It was not AWFUL, just not worth $22.95 per person. For $22.95 you got:
Ribs, BBQ Chicken, Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Cole Slaw, Watermelon, Baked Beans, Cornbread, Corn-On-The-Cob, and an array of sweet treats. You also had a choice of lemonade, sweetened or unsweetened tea, and water.
Now, on paper, that makes my mouth water. In reality, my school cafeteria serves about the same quality of food. There was just nothing "special" at all about the food. In an area like the south that takes such pride in their food (especially their BBQ), this does not even come close to being worthy of $22.95. The whole food buffet was, quite simply, forgettable. . . . As a matter of fact, it was so forgettable I forgot to take pictures. . . . Sorry. . .
Rant begins. . . .
C'mon Disney! Y'all can do better than this! I know you can! I've eaten at the Hoop-Dee-Do-Revue: that's good! I've eaten at Flame Tree BBQ: that's good! It's within your capabilities! Let's go team!
There is no excuse when somebody less than five miles away from you is creating amazing BBQ at an amazing price (more about One Hot Mama's in a later post) that you should be able to do it as well! Now go out there and make the Carolinas proud!
Rant over. . .
The games and activities seemed like fun, definitely for the entire family. We really enjoyed watching them. But, it was one of those activities more geared for the 4 - 10 year old age set. Our DS 2 was not interested, and the DS 12 was a bit bored. He did stick around for the pool party and the fireworks and found that to be much more "fun." We headed back to the room at 7:30 to put DS 2 to bed and to watch the fireworks from our balcony. Yes, you can see the fireworks from some of the balconies. If your room is facing the marsh, your seeing and hearing some fireworks!
A bit of a note about the fireworks: these are not "Disney" fireworks. These are put on by Hilton Head Island and just happen to be in Shelter Cove (the resort area). They are right behind the Disney resort so a great "bonus" for viewing them. But, please do not expect "Fantasy in the Marsh" show where gators start singing, fish start doing the hula, and some crab starts being your "conscience". . . . Ain't happening. They're not bad at all, just not some Disney spectacular. As a matter of fact, we really enjoyed the laid back, small town atmosphere of the fireworks. Just a great summer activity like you remember in your own hometown. Definitely a "must do"!
Sorry for the lack of pictures in this post. I promise a LOT more in the next post. Including a review of the "Dolphin Tour" and the local "putt-putt".
The CMs are the greatest, I think- 
I can't wait to vacation at HHI again 
And both of my kids are shy. Are these activities well attended?
. Can't wait for our HHI trip in August.
