The day began in our lovely Hilton Head Island studio. Any day that starts with the promise of a Disney breakfast and time at the ocean is bound to be a good one!
As we made our way to grab a bite of Disney deliciousness for breakfast we noticed some adorable details below. Disney's Hilton Head Island has a resident golden retriever, Shadow, who serves as a mascot of sorts for the resort. "Shadow's paw prints" can be spotted in the resort's paved pathways. Does anyone else adore the pavement prints like these found throughout the Parks? My favorites include the bike and footprints at Animal Kingdom.
Disney Breakfast at Tide Me Over
Mickey waffles always make me smile!
We couldn't resist this cute sand pail offered at Tide Me Over!
Disney's Beach House -
Palmetto Dunes Beach Park
Disney's Beach House is about a mile from the resort. Although we opted to drive our own vehicle, they do offer complimentary shuttles for resort guests. There is also a bike path that runs between the resort and beach house. If we return one day we'll likely rent bikes and take advantage of that fun option!
One of my favorite views :)
When we arrived back at the resort we enjoyed a bit of time in the Live Oak Lodge (the resort's main building) before check-out...
They have a photo machine where you can create your own souvenir for free! Can't beat that!
Those smiles make this mom's heart happy!
Soon it was time to hit the road again. We sure did enjoy our time at Hilton Head Island, but it's hard to be sad about leaving anywhere when Disney World awaits!
WDW Bound!
This was our first time ever driving from our Midwestern home to WDW. Seeing this sign was pretty exciting! We were getting close!
This sight brought back fond memories. In 2015 we surprised my race-loving dad with a tour of the Daytona Speedway. It was also our family's first trip to the ocean! Sweet memories!
We made it!
Surprising our Girls!
If you've been around here for a bit you know we love giving our girls Disney surprises. This trip they expected to spend the entire vacation at our Disney Vacation Club home resort, Animal Kingdom Lodge. However, we had different plans for our first evening on property, we were returning to their mutual favorite, Disney's Polynesian Resort! Somehow I didn't get any photos of our arrival, but I did get video! You can see their complete surprise and delight in today's vid on my family's YouTube channel, Eat, Sleep, Dis, Repeat. I'll include a direct link to today's video at the conclusion of this blog post.
When at the Poly, Dole Whips and Dole Whip Floats (my personal favorite) are a must!
My love and I with Cinderella castle over his shoulder in the distance.
My Poly loving girls and I
Little One's sand self portrait :)
Swinging on a beach with a view of the castle, life doesn't get much better than this!
Life is sweet!
The view from our private balcony included another splendid sight, the monorail track! While I didn't score a great snapshot, it sure was a fun spot to sit and watch the monorails pass by.
Thanks so much for being here today, friends! I invite you to return tomorrow for the start of this trip's Disney Parks fun!
You can check out the video footage from this day on my family's YouTube Channel,
Eat, Sleep, Dis, Repeat!
Eat, Sleep, Dis, Repeat!
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
Previous Trip Reports from this Vacation:
A sneak peek at what's to come...
Day 5-15: Walt Disney World + my 40th Birthday
Day 16, September 15: Georgia Aquarium
Day 17: Homeward Bound
The experience at Hilton Head sounds great. I love that the dog is the mascot there. And your arrival at Disney made me smile!
ReplyDeleteIt was wonderful! Thank you, Dara! Your comments always make me smile!! :D
DeleteWhat a great day of the trip ... BUT how in the world do you get your daughters to share a pull-out couch? I know that I was your daughter's ages there was NO way I was sharing a pull-out couch with my sibling while traveling. My parents even made sure to buy a condo (vacation home) that has two separate beds in the guestroom so that we didn't have to ever fight about sharing a bed. Haha! Do you guys try to get two queens/double beds when reserving hotels and just don't get lucky all of the time?
ReplyDeleteThanks! It was a fantastic day! When staying at Disney resorts we book our rooms using our Disney Vacation Club points and plan the rooms we book based on how many nights we’ll be staying on Disney property that year. We always spend at least part of our trip in a DVC studio which typically offers a queen and a pull out sofa as they are the best value and allow us to take longer (usually 2 week) vacations. Often we begin in a studio and then move on to a one bedroom (larger villa). This trip we stayed in value sized rooms to allow our DVC points to be spread over multiple vacations within a year. Thankfully our girls get along well and are fine with sharing a sofa bed when that’s what the resort offers. A shared queen sofa bed at Disney is better than a king size to yourself any where else. :D
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