Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort Trip Report

Since we are gearing up for another fabulous vacation at Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort, I thought I would rerun this trip report post from last year's amazing trip. Disney does vacations right! If you want more information on this resort, or would like to book a trip, contact me at amy@wishdrawals.com and let me set it up for you at no additional cost! Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Let me start by saying this was quite possibly the best Disney vacation Mr. Photos From The Parks and I have had since the kids have arrived in our lives. I actually felt like I had a vacation. It's been a couple years since I could say that! Why was it so great? I think there were several things that made us wish we had bought into this resort at the beginning.

From our very arrival, we loved the atmosphere of this resort. Mr. Photos grew up vacationing on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and it immediately felt very much like home. As many of you know, I grew up vacationing in Fort Wilderness, before there was anything more than the Magic Kingdom & River Country (and eventually Epcot). This resort took me back to how it used to feel spending our days as a family at Fort Wilderness. There was lots of down time and plenty to do if you weren't in the parks. We did most of it then and loved it. Hilton Head brought all of that back for me.

The pace of this resort also made our stay wonderful. We are used to our Disney vacations being of the fast-paced, non-stop, I'll-sleep-when-I-get-home variety. It's just not possible to do that here. The pace on the island was easy. If we slept in, no matter. If we missed the storyteller, he'd be back in an hour. If we wanted to eat later, no ADRs to worry about. The kids did as they wished and no one bothered to worry about it. It was such a delight!

Additionally, this resort is small, roughly 15 acres. To give you are reference point, Disney's Boardwalk Inn Resort encompasses 45 acres. The entirety of the Hilton Head Island Resort has roughly the same footprint as both areas of Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. That's it. There are only 31 cottages here (with extremely spacious units), one pool and central activities area, as well as a few things to do at the check-in area. It's incredibly walkable with plenty to do without ever leaving the resort. But it's also easy to walk all around the Shelter Cove area, visiting several shops and restaurants.

The units were undergoing a major rehab while we were there. The color schemes were all updated to much more soothing blue/taupe/white theme. We had all new appliances as well as a full-size washer and dryer. This is the view of our main living area in the 2-bedroom villa. We had plenty of room to spread out even with all our baby/kid paraphernalia! There were several full sized closets as well as a mudroom for all our jackets, shoes, hats and stroller! That alone was a selling point for me! And although we didn't need it, both of these sofas fold out into beds. We could have easily slept 4 more people in our villa. It was more than enough room for us.

Disney also has a beach house and private beach area that is quite easy to get to. We drove, but Disney offers transportation, and there is also a very nice bike path for access. We had cool weather while we were there, but it didn't keep us from enjoying the beach and the amenities at the beach house. With the arcade and the beach, we were happy to spend the afternoon playing.

So, should you stay at Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort? I say absolutely! If you are looking for a relaxing place to get away from it all, this is just the place you are looking for. Less hustle and bustle but still all the comforts of Disney you've come to love and expect. And for those of you who like seeing it all in one place, I've created a PDF fact sheet for the resort. Enjoy!

Scrapbooking Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort

My regular readers will know that my family LOVES Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort. It is one of the properties where DVC members can use their points, but you DON'T have to be a DVC member to stay there! We had one of our most enjoyable family vacations there for Spring Break 2014. . . . and I finally got around to scrapbooking it! I wanted to share these pages with you as inspiration for your own scrapbooking or as inspiration to go there! If you want to book a trip through me, your independent earmarked Disney Travel agent, feel free to contact me at amy@wishdrawals.com

Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Disney Beach Sand-off Bags

We do a lot of summer travel. This summer we will have climbed sand dunes, visited several Lake Michigan beaches, as well as the Chesapeake Bay. And we have another blissful trip scheduled for Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort this fall. In every one of these scenarios we will be covered from head to toe in sand. Last year I found a deal for these powder pouches and bought them for our summer travel. We loved them and used them often. The concept is simple: the talc dries the water causing the sand to fall off your body. It works brilliantly!

Of course this summer, I can't find those pouches anywhere! But I reasoned that they couldn't be too hard to make for myself. A quick search through Pinterest brought me to this super easy tutorial for these talc filled bags. Mission accomplished!

If you are in the straight line sewing club, you can do this. If you happen to have two 4" square scraps of fabric, a small bit of ribbon and some talc laying around the house, then you could actually make this for free! And they didn't take long to make either. I whipped up these three in less than 30 minutes. (You may recognize these fabric scraps from the cute toddler pants I made several years ago for the littles.) We simply keep these talc pouches in a plastic bag in the back of the van (although if you have a dedicated beach bag, that would be awesome too) so they are ready for all our sandy adventures!

If you are planning to stay at any of the resorts in Disney that have a sandy beach, these would be a great little item to have packed in your suitcase! Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort Trip Report

For those of you who may be considering a trip to Hilton Head Island in the near future, remember that Disney has a gorgeous resort on the island that I HIGHLY recommend! We were there last April and had one of the best vacations ever! Head on over to the Wishdrawals blog and read all about it!

Becoming a Certified Disney Travel Planner

I am pleased to announce that I have just started a new job as a certified Disney Travel Planner! I've always been the go-to person in my various circles of friends on how to plan a trip to Walt Disney World and how to make the most of your time there. When this job with Wishdrawals just sort of fell into my lap, I knew it was the perfect fit for me!

Wishdrawals is a Certified Disney Travel Planning company owned by two enthusiastic Disney-loving families. We have been trained by Disney and have an incredible wealth of personal Disney travel experience. And since we only book Disney related travel, we are familiar with even the smallest details of making your Disney travel enjoyable! I am really impressed by the other travel planners on the team and their willingness to help all of us help our clients create trips of a lifetime! We can help you plan a trip ANYWHERE Disney goes, with Disney Cruise Lines, any of the Disney Resorts, even Adventures with Disney. And the best news is that it's at no additional cost to you our clients! Disney pays our commission, not our clients. So our expertise is free to you! And with so many agents on board with expertise in so many various parts of the Disney experience, you really can't go wrong.

If you are planning a trip to one of the Disney properties in the near future (or know someone who is), consider using Wishdrawals to make all your arrangements. We can be as involved in the planning or as hands-off as you want us to be. We can help advise you on which hotel is right for your family and your budget, help you decide if the dining plan is right for you, even make dining and special event arrangements for you. I'll be posting once or twice a month about deals and promotions that may be available in the Disney Resorts, and a few trip reports so you can get some insider information you won't find anywhere else! You can also find information on my Pinterest board Wish With Amy. And finally, you can search #wishwithamy on Instagram to see pictures of what's happening in the Disney Parks and Resorts and see information on the current promotions at Disney.

There's a lot of excitement in the cottage with all this change. But do not fear. We will still be highlighting Disney DIY projects, introducing you to new Disney artisans, and reviewing Disney-related books here on the blog. This is just an added bonus.

Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Disney Road Trip 101 | What's In Our Road Trip Bag?

As a kid, my family made an annual pilgrimage to Walt Disney World in our RV. We spent long hours in the motorhome and my mom and dad, being teachers, made sure that we had plenty of activities to keep us occupied during that time. Now I'm the mom (and former teacher) and in charge of helping the kids stay occupied and happy on the long ride to Disney.

After this last trip to Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort, it occurred to me that others may find it helpful to know what we pack for the road trip. We live in the midwest, so getting anywhere Disney related is a long drive. Here's what we usually have in our "go bag."

First of all, I use a collapsable market bag. I found ours on Zulily, but before that we used an old diaper box. I think it's easier to see everything if you have a wide opening, and I get less frustrated if the bag isn't collapsing in on itself all the time.

Second, we need movies. I try and estimate how long the trip is for the littles by telling them in movie lengths; for example, "Today's trip is 4 movies long." This way we can track it together. I like to take movies that are enjoyable to listen to. Some of our favorites include: Fantasia, Fantasia 2000, Make Mine Music, The Jungle Book, and Ratatouille (mostly due to our Little Chef's obsession!).

Third, we need activities. This can get tricky. I try and cater to what the kids are into at the moment, so this varies. But some of the tried and true include:

Magnet activities and an dollar store cookie sheet including, story magnets, popsicle stick puzzles, and matching magnets; stickers (as long as you don't mind them all over the car seats!); coloring books and crayons; new books and small toys; car bingo and other assorted games. We also use the travel clips I posted about here if the ride begins to get tedious!

Fourth, make sure you have your lovies! We have had more than one instance where the special elephant or pillow had to be express mailed to our destination. (I have incredible friends who are willing to help out a forgetful mama!)

Lastly, we take lots and lots of snacks. In fact, we pack a snack bag for Doc (he eats A LOT these days), and a snack bag for the rest of us. We now have a fancy vehicle with a cool box, so we don't need to take a cooler just for the road. But we often have one with us anyway. I like cold carrots and apples on the road.

I'd love to hear about any items you take with you on the road too. Variety is the name of the game! Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Trip Report | Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort

Let me start by saying this was quite possibly the best Disney vacation Mr. Photos From The Parks and I have had since the kids have arrived in our lives. I actually felt like I had a vacation. It's been a couple years since I could say that! Why was it so great? I think there were several things that made us wish we had bought into this resort at the beginning.

From our very arrival, we loved the atmosphere of this resort. Mr. Photos grew up vacationing on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and it immediately felt very much like home. As many of you know, I grew up vacationing in Fort Wilderness, before there was anything more than the Magic Kingdom & River Country (and eventually Epcot). This resort took me back to how it used to feel spending our days as a family at Fort Wilderness. There was lots of down time and plenty to do if you weren't in the parks. We did most of it then and loved it. Hilton Head brought all of that back for me.

The pace of this resort also made our stay wonderful. We are used to our Disney vacations being of the fast-paced, non-stop, I'll-sleep-when-I-get-home variety. It's just not possible to do that here. The pace on the island was easy. If we slept in, no matter. If we missed the storyteller, he'd be back in an hour. If we wanted to eat later, no ADRs to worry about. The kids did as they wished and no one bothered to worry about it. It was such a delight!

Additionally, this resort is small, roughly 15 acres. To give you are reference point, Disney's Boardwalk Inn Resort encompasses 45 acres. The entirety of the Hilton Head Island Resort has roughly the same footprint as both areas of Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. That's it. There are only 31 cottages here (with extremely spacious units), one pool and central activities area, as well as a few things to do at the check-in area. It's incredibly walkable with plenty to do without ever leaving the resort. But it's also easy to walk all around the Shelter Cove area, visiting several shops and restaurants.

The units were undergoing a major rehab while we were there. The color schemes were all updated to much more soothing blue/taupe/white theme. We had all new appliances as well as a full-size washer and dryer. This is the view of our main living area in the 2-bedroom villa. We had plenty of room to spread out even with all our baby/kid paraphernalia! There were several full sized closets as well as a mudroom for all our jackets, shoes, hats and stroller! That alone was a selling point for me! And although we didn't need it, both of these sofas fold out into beds. We could have easily slept 4 more people in our villa. It was more than enough room for us.

Disney also has a beach house and private beach area that is quite easy to get to. We drove, but Disney offers transportation, and there is also a very nice bike path for access. We had cool weather while we were there, but it didn't keep us from enjoying the beach and the amenities at the beach house. With the arcade and the beach, we were happy to spend the afternoon playing.

So, should you stay at Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort? I say absolutely! If you are looking for a relaxing place to get away from it all, this is just the place you are looking for. Less hustle and bustle but still all the comforts of Disney you've come to love and expect. And for those of you who like seeing it all in one place, I've created a PDF fact sheet for the resort. Enjoy!

Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

The Night Before Disney, And All Through The House

The night before we load up the family and head to our next Disney destination is always full of emotion: excitement, frustration, anxiety, anticipation, exhaustion and finally, once everything, or almost everything has found a place in the bags, calm. I'm always amazed at how much energy it takes to get ready to go. We leave for Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort tomorrow, bright and early. Our spring break might be rainy, but will be having some Disney magic anyway. I'm looking forward to it.

Today I did four loads of laundry (after yesterday's 2), made a grocery list, cancelled the milk delivery, packed 5 suitcases, 5 bags of groceries and snacks, one box of toys and one road trip ready bag. I made sure the arrangements for the dog were set, double checked the weather and activity schedule for the resort, checked that my knitting was in order and located all the camera equipment. I have this vain hope that I will be able to take "real" pictures at this resort since we will not be competing with amusement park fun. I charged all the electronic "ish" we shall take with us and made my lists for the last minute items we'll need in the morning (blankies and such). My work is finally done and I have a moment to reflect on how much I am looking forward to spending some Disney time with my family. I realize this will be a different sort of Disney vacation for us, but I am really excited about having a relaxed Disney vacation.

I hope your spring break plans include a little magic! I'll be posting while we're gone, so you won't miss a thing. And you can expect a trip report about the Hilton Head Resort too. I can't wait to see what's out there for us. Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Disney Trip Command Center

Spring Break planning is in full swing here in the cottage and it's hard for the littles to comprehend what is about to take place. I devised this command center as a sort of daily reminder and planning center for our upcoming trip to Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort. You can expect a trip report on this particular vacation, as we have never done it and I have found very little in the way of reviews on line.

I decided to use the very cute Disney countdown paper chain that I saw on CapturingMagic's Pinterest board. It was so easy to do using Lisa's tutorial for the Mickey ears loops. This was a great way to involve the littles. They may not know what to expect, but they know we are counting down to something!

I also put out these souvenir money jars for each of the kids. This was a great way to encourage good behavior. We awarded a dollar a day for good days for the littles and for no missing assignments for Doc. Watching their trip money grow was a great incentive for them. And what busy mom can't use a little extra help in encouraging kids to be good?

I also made my own subway art for the display area. I like thinking about all the possibilities of this trip: ice cream, campfires, lazy days, the beach, games. If you would like to download it, feel free. You can find my Disney's Hilton Head Island subway art right here. I would recommend printing it at around an 85-90% scale if you want it in an 8x10 frame.

Finally, I put our road trip basket (from our 2013 Wilderness Lodge trip!) on the table as a place to put all those little things that "would be great for the car" but have a way of disappearing before a trip. This way it's all centrally located and easy to pop in the van when we are ready to go!

If you have other command center ideas I'd love to hear about them. I like this so much I think I'll be doing another one for our Walt Disney World trip in October! Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Disney Popsicle Stick Magnet Puzzles

I first saw this idea on the Silhouette America Blog. It captured my attention as we are getting ready to road trip to Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort for spring break and I am always on the lookout for car-friendly activities. I especially like anything that will work on a magnet board (i.e. cookie sheet from the dollar store)! And this was easily converted. With two toddlers, keeping it fresh is the name of the game! Well, that and snacks. Lots and lots of snacks.

This is possibly one of the easiest crafts I've done. I first found pictures of Disney characters my kids are fond of by searching Google images. I then printed them out on regular copy paper. I even used one of my own pictures of Cinderella's Castle! The possibilities are endless here. You could use pictures of family members, the states you are traveling through, favorite rides at the parks, you name it! I think it's a fun and easy way to generate a little interest and excitement about the final destination while trapped in the car.

Once I had everything printed I used my tape runner to make the entire back of the picture sticky. I imagine you could use craft glue too, but I didn't want to deal with goop and bubbles. I then placed my popsicle sticks on the sticky paper and used an exacto knife to cut around them. It was just that simple! I'm not too worried about them getting torn up. I figure we can use them in the car, use them on the fridge in the villa, and then use them in the car again. If they last longer than that, bonus! If not, and the kids fall in love with them, I can always make more. After all, they were fast to assemble. I was able to whip up two of these in about 20 minutes. Simple and sweet!

May all your road trips be short, and until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!