Spring Break Road Trip {Part Three: Disney Hilton Head Island Resort}

The morning of Thursday, April 3rd rolled around and we bid Savannah farewell as we headed out to the highly anticipated Disney Hilton Head Island Resort. I can not stress enough how fantastic this place is! I've heard it best described as an upscale summer camp and that is exactly how it felt. The kids were entertained by the fun hearted lifeguards allowing parents the rare chance to actually lounge on the pool deck. If you are in search of a family-centered vacation spot where the pace is slower and the amenities up to par, look no further.

Upon arrival our room wasn't ready yet, so we made a quick jaunt to the facilities and changed into our swimsuits and hit up the water slide. Belle, Peanut & Hubby all participated in a water slide contest while I parked myself in the sun and finished up book #3 of the 4 I read over vacation. 

Once our room was ready we headed in to shower and get ready for the low country boil we were attending that evening at the Beach House. 

I had read mixed reviews on the LCB, but we were happy to find it a great way to spend the evening. The buffet included everything from a traditional low country boil (shrimp, potatoes, corn on the cob & sausage) to mac'n cheese, chicken tenders, pork loin & Caesar salad.

Belle & Peanut enjoyed the evening's activities that included Mickey fishing, face painting, a cake walk, performing with old B'Lou & family trivia for which we won a prize with our answer, "Tree of Life" for the question, "Name an attraction at any of the Disney parks."

After the LBC we hung around the beach house and enjoyed the amenities by "playing" some ping pong & pool. Peanut & I also spent a little time looking over the marine time memorabilia displayed in the lounge.

 As the sun was beginning to fade into the horizon we headed out for a stroll along the beach before returning to our room. Peanut and I weren't running at full speed so we headed to bed while Belle & Hubby set out to explore the resort. They were happy to report the spent their evening watching dolphins off the pier and enjoying a movie in the outdoor movie theatre....that's what I call quality daddy-daughter time.

The following morning we dined on Mickey waffles and breakfast sandwiches before enjoying another day filled with the pool. We took a small break to tie dye Mickey t-shirts as a fun keepsake from our trip. But the true highlight of Friday was the evening bonfire. Belle & Peanut still recite the silly songs and delightful dances they learned from Tim & Katherine.

After a belly full of s'mores, it was back to the pool to swim until the 10pm closing whistle. It goes without saying, Belle & Peanut slept like rocks.

On our final day at the resort, we started off at the pool bright and early. Hubby & I were able to convince the littles to venture away from the water slide and their new buddies long enough to enjoy some family game time. We played corn hole, shuffleboard and raced up and down the pier enjoying the fact the we had no where else to be and no one else to distract us. At this point, the exact purpose of this trip was fulfilled: time spent together just BEING together.

We wrapped up our afternoon by heading back to the pool. The friendly pool games resulted in Belle taking first place in an adapted form of musical chairs and Hubby showing off his skills in the hula hoop contest. Plenty of fun was had by all.

Sadly all good things come to an end. The littles bid farewell to their new buddies J& W who's mommy Amanda is the great gal behind Dixie Delights. It was a shame it took until our last day for these littles to all connect...they took quite a liking to each other. Sweet lil W even proclaimed, "See you next spring break." Maybe little man...you never know. So with fond memories, we packed up and headed down the road to our final destination: Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa.

Vacation Day 7 {Epcot}

We were all feeling the affects of yesterday's marathon park session and rolled into Epcot well after the gates opened. Thankfully, the overcast sky scared away many people and the park was not overcrowded.

The spender of Spring burst throughout the park and the kiddies were more than happy to pose in front of their favorite character topiaries.

We meandered through the countries as we made our way to Italy for our 11:00 am lunch reservations. I found booking an early lunch guaranteed that we would have food in front of the little ones by noon when the actually started to get hungry & aided in warding off any mid day meltdowns.

This intricate model village set up by HGTV was nestled among spruce bushes and fascinated young and old.

Once we in Italy we enjoyed the most gigantic pizzas cooked in the traditional Naples style. We had so much pizza remaining that we canceled our dinner reservations and dinned on leftovers in the park!
My favorite was a white pizza with arugula, melon & proscuitto…….yummy!

After lunch, Bopi, YiaYia & Bear headed out for an afternoon nap inducing stroller ride. Hubby, Belle, Peanut & I helped thwart the plans of the evil Dr. D in Germany.

Afterwards, we headed over to the butterfly house. Though the number of butterflies were underwhelming, the kiddies had a blast attempting to catch or even touch one. And of course the topiaries were again beautiful.

Finally we managed to fit in a few rides, Nemo: Under the Sea Adventure,  Turtle Talk with Crush (absolutely hilarious btw), Living with the Land, and Test Track before meeting back up with YiaYia, Bopi & Bear.

 We continued our day by visiting the remaining countries before winding up in France.

I swooned over the gardens in France. I could have sat and looked at them all day. My favorite section was a grouping of gardenia trees off the beaten path. The scent was heavenly. And being one of my absolute favorites, it saddens me that I they are not hearty enough to grow in our zone.

After taking in the Impressions de France, we stopped off at the scrumptious bakery and sampled a variety of delectable pastries including the best napoleon and macaroon I've ever tasted.

A final romp through the children's garden and playground rounded out our Epcot experience.

And just like that we bid farewell to Disney…..it's been Magical!