SoG Revisited

[FirstNo]

Since I seem to be having such a difficult time responding to the last 2 posters of the old thread, I thought I'd start a new one, answering those 2 and see if my luck changed. Here's the first:



Originally posted by Kat
We are going April 22-April 29th. We wanted to make some room requests. Should we do this now through SOG or should we contact the Contemporary once we have our confirmation numbers?

I've tried a couple of times to answer your question but the thing just sits there and spins!!! ARG!

We were told that Disney will only be able to see some of our service requests, however we don't know which ones those will be (I know, organized, huh?). I'm going to guess the ones Disney will see will be "handicapped," "connecting," "1st, 2nd & 3rd floor" as definites and maybe 1 or 2 others. So, unless your requests encompass those, I would hold off contacting us for the time being.

We were told that Disney will be able to see 2 lines of where we can type info, but there's not a lot of room. And, as with all requests, they can't be guaranteed.

Best bet is to probably call/fax Disney your info 3-5 days prior to your arrival date (further out than that and you'll probably still be in central reservations and the hotel won't be able to 'see' you). But, if you want to give it a whirl, you can try contacting us in a week or 2. By then, we should have been told what we can request and we'd be happy to put in on the reservation for you. :)

[FirstNo]

And here's the 2nd. I hope they both get these!!



Originally posted by buzzandwoodysmom
We are staying at SOG for the first time starting next saturday the 16th. Are there any things with the conversion that might affect our stay??? Also, does SOG accept personal checks for anything? Rooms, tickets, souveniers, or even just for cash???? Thanks for all your help!! This is also a little off this subject, but has anyone in the National Guard had any luck getting the Military Salute price with out Active Orders in hand?? I heard Disney was going to change the rules for this special.

Thanks again:cool:

Other than what I posted in another thread about no more room service and a smaller meal menu, there shouldn't be any thing happening that will affect your stay. To my knowledge, nothing else should be happening that will affect the guests.

SoG does accept personal checks. If you're looking to cash in a check (and if I remember correctly), it's no more than $100 per day, no more than $300 per stay and a 1% processing fee. I don't think there are any limits or charges if you are using your checks to pay for your room or tickets. However, we cannot accept checks from P.O. Boxes. You MUST have a street address. :)

[laurenk]

FirstNo-

I keep getting e-mail notification that you and others have posted to that first thread, but when I go there the last post showing is buzzabdwoodysmom. What's up with that?:eek:

[disney4us2002]

What is this about no checks from a PO Box? We do not have a mail receptacle in front of our home (long ugly story & we're about 1000 feet from the road, soooo we have a PO Box where we receive all our mail). We do have a physical address obviously and it is also listed on our checks, but since the PO Box is listed first, would my check be accepted or not? Also, can I still pay for my room in advance thru SoG or should I just wait and pay directly to Contemporary?

Carla

[DancingBear]

FirstNo, thanks again for all of the info. At what point should in the process should we be able to call CRO and they will have our info? Or will SoG continue to be our contact point up until the room controller at CR takes over a few days before our arrival?

[FirstNo]

Originally posted by laurenk
FirstNo-

I keep getting e-mail notification that you and others have posted to that first thread, but when I go there the last post showing is buzzabdwoodysmom. What's up with that?:eek:

I know I tried countless times to answer those last 2 posts. I either got a "server too busy" message or things just sat there and spun. But, I wonder if my (and others) hitting 'reply' was enough to send you a posting message.... what a pain! :(

[FirstNo]

Originally posted by disney4us2002
What is this about no checks from a PO Box? We do not have a mail receptacle in front of our home (long ugly story & we're about 1000 feet from the road, soooo we have a PO Box where we receive all our mail). We do have a physical address obviously and it is also listed on our checks, but since the PO Box is listed first, would my check be accepted or not? Also, can I still pay for my room in advance thru SoG or should I just wait and pay directly to Contemporary?

Carla

6 or so months ago, we switched check verification companies. When we did that, new rule became that we (SoG) could no longer accept checks with PO Boxes because the company we now have cannot verify addresses with PO Boxes (or that's what us pion-like people were told <g>).

However, Disney doesn't have that problem. So, as long as you aren't looking to use a personal check for any thing at SoG, or the temporary ticket office in the North Wing, you should be fine. Otherwise, you'll have to use a money order or traveller's cheques if you don't want to use a credit card. Sorry! :(

[FirstNo]

Originally posted by DancingBear
FirstNo, thanks again for all of the info. At what point should in the process should we be able to call CRO and they will have our info? Or will SoG continue to be our contact point up until the room controller at CR takes over a few days before our arrival?

SoG should be your POC up until the time you check in, as it would be with any overflow resort. However, where requests are concerned (and I've given the same advice over the phone to guests), I would contact the hotel you will be staying in (this case, the Contemp) directly 3 days prior to your date of arrival. Whether you call them or fax them, I don't think it makes much difference, but I know I always like to talk to someone for these types of things. The Contemp Front Desk will be the ones to assign your rooms. 3 days prior and you should be in their system and they should have no problem placing requests on your reservation for them to see.

Please keep in mind that all of this is new to me, too. I'm hoping this info will work, but I don't know what kind of rules and stipulations Disney will impose on their own people. They may tell their CMs to not touch the reservations....period. Unfortunately, I won't know how it's going to go until we start getting feedback from the guests.

The contacting 3 days prior is advice front desk people (both at the old Dixie Landings and in Fort Wilderness for the now defunct homes) have given to my Dad. My parents have had good success in getting what they wanted and no, I didn't book them <G>. I've read on other boards of other guests being given the same advice by cast members.

[DancingBear]

Thank you so much again, FirstNo.

BTW, based on your post, I assume disney4us will be okay with her checks since they include the street address in addition to the P.O. Box?

Oh, also I saw a notice finally appeared on the SoG website (as a pop-up) yesterday!!

[FirstNo]

Originally posted by DancingBear
Thank you so much again, FirstNo.

BTW, based on your post, I assume disney4us will be okay with her checks since they include the street address in addition to the P.O. Box?

Oh, also I saw a notice finally appeared on the SoG website (as a pop-up) yesterday!!

Welcome!! I'm really not sure about Disney4us' checks. I would *assume* they would be okay because they do include a street address, but not being one who handles the checks, I don't want to say "good to go".

They may want to call the hotel direct (407-824-3400) and ask to speak with the front desk. They handle personal checks every day and should be able to give them a definitive answer. :)

[buzzandwoodysmom]

FirstNo----

Thanks so much for all your wonderful Shades of Green info!! It is really appreciated!! See you in 4 days??? We arrive on the 16th.

:earsgirl: :earsboy: :earsboy: :earsboy:

[SplshMtn99]

FirstNo, glad to see you on the DIS boards. Remember you from AOL boards :( & all the help you gave me there. :) I was & am Jmasury on those boards.

I don't make it to this Resort forum too much. I hang out on the Community Board forum. I think they maybe your kind of people. :jester: Love to have you hang out there sometime.

[FirstNo]

Originally posted by SplshMtn99
FirstNo, glad to see you on the DIS boards. Remember you from AOL boards :( & all the help you gave me there. :) I was & am Jmasury on those boards.

I don't make it to this Resort forum too much. I hang out on the Community Board forum. I think they maybe your kind of people. :jester: Love to have you hang out there sometime.

Long time, no see!!! I really missed giving out the SoG info and with what's going on now, I figured people needed someone to ask the questions to without waiting 30 minutes on the phone.

I'm not going 'back there' with the current management and these boards seem to have it all. The people here have been very nice and have made me feel welcome. I'm happy to have found a place I can get the info out.

One of these days, I'll have to pop over to the Community Boad, but your comment about them being "my kind of people" scares me :p <VBG>

[A1A1]

FirstNo,
Thanks for all the info. Just made my first ressies through SOG. Will be staying at CR in December. What do you request at that resort? What are people requesting? All I asked for was non-smoking, and they said the whole N Wing will be Non smoking.

What is your advice for me and dd 4yo?

[suevee]

This is such an informative post I just wanted to say thank you!

[aero99]

I just wanted to give an update. My friend got her letter from SOG about the reservation for the fall. It states she will get another one from CR. She is very happy just to have one right now. I do have a question, she had a $111 charge on her cc that doesn't have a name associated with it. Could it be for the reservation at CR? (89+10 for extra adult + tax?)

Thanks!
Melissa

[PrincessAli]

I, as well, had many questions answered by you on the AOL boards and was so sorry to discover that you were no longer available. We LOVE Shades of Green and are disappointed at the temporary closing, we'll be at The Contemporary in Sept and December, but are looking forward to staying at the newly expanded resort when it opens again. The pictures we received look absolutely beautiful.

[FirstNo]

Originally posted by A1A1
FirstNo,
Thanks for all the info. Just made my first ressies through SOG. Will be staying at CR in December. What do you request at that resort? What are people requesting? All I asked for was non-smoking, and they said the whole N Wing will be Non smoking.

What is your advice for me and dd 4yo?

At this point, I've had few people requesting any thing. Some of the more elderly guests are requesting first floor rooms, but that's about it. And the North Wing is non-smoking.

We still haven't been told exactly what we can request for the guests and what requests would be better off requested directly through Disney. At this point, I would say about the only requests we can make using our specialty codes are: 1st, 2nd or 3rd floors, connecting rooms (for multiple reservations....but this is automatically requested for you any way) and notations that the guest is handicapped.

I just remembered...I did have one guest request a lake view. So, I guess you can request that as well. But, we don't have a lot of room to type out requests so if you do want to make any, I wouldn't ask for too much. Those requests I listed in the above paragraph have special codes that don't take up any room in the typing area.

As for what to ask for, I guess it really depends on what you're looking for. If you plan on spending a lot of time in the room, then I know I would like a room with a view of the lake or gardens. If you plan on spending the majority of your time at the MK, then I would ask for a room towards the far end of the building. If you know you'll be using the Disney transportation a lot, you may want to ask for a room at the opposite end, closer to the tower. Just depends on what you're looking for. :)

[FirstNo]

Originally posted by aero99
I just wanted to give an update. My friend got her letter from SOG about the reservation for the fall. It states she will get another one from CR. She is very happy just to have one right now. I do have a question, she had a $111 charge on her cc that doesn't have a name associated with it. Could it be for the reservation at CR? (89+10 for extra adult + tax?)

Thanks!
Melissa

Sounds about right. The charge should have been something like $109 and change, but I'm pretty certain it should have showed up as a Disney charge. That's strange.... :confused:

[FirstNo]

Originally posted by PrincessAli
I, as well, had many questions answered by you on the AOL boards and was so sorry to discover that you were no longer available. We LOVE Shades of Green and are disappointed at the temporary closing, we'll be at The Contemporary in Sept and December, but are looking forward to staying at the newly expanded resort when it opens again. The pictures we received look absolutely beautiful.

I'm glad I could help!! Hopefully, I'll be able to do the same for you here, too.

I agree, the pictures look nice. I hope the actual buildings turn out that way they're hoping. :)

[laurenk]

Good Morning FirstNo-

We all received our yellow confirmation letters from Disney yesterday. None of them reflect that we all put deposits down on our credit cards, and none of them reflect our request for first floor. We called CRO, and they show no record of us paying, or our request. They said they also couldn't add our request in, that we had to call SoG. We also have a wierd package code on our ressies that CRO had no idea what it meant. They were 2 different ones. Shouldn't they be the same?

Thanks
Lauren:)

[GrammieMame]

Here I am again. We did finally get our letter from SOG (they had the wrong address). We are checking in on April 2nd. But I'm leaving for a head start at another resort next Friday, and I'm afraid CR won't have time to get me a confirmation before I leave. But all this is old news. I took your advice and called yesterday (Friday) and tried to get a confirmation number for CR. They said there was no way they could get it for me, but they are sure CR will have my reservation under my name and it would be no problem.

I'm a worry-wart, and I'm not reassured. There have been quite a few times when a hotel had no reservation in my name, and I had to whip out the confirmation number. Name could be spelled wrong, etc. I really would feel so much more comfortable if I had a number in hand when we check in. What do you suggest for a next step?

[FirstNo]

Originally posted by laurenk
Good Morning FirstNo-

We all received our yellow confirmation letters from Disney yesterday. None of them reflect that we all put deposits down on our credit cards, and none of them reflect our request for first floor. We called CRO, and they show no record of us paying, or our request. They said they also couldn't add our request in, that we had to call SoG. We also have a wierd package code on our ressies that CRO had no idea what it meant. They were 2 different ones. Shouldn't they be the same?

Thanks
Lauren:)

Let me start off by saying I have no clue as to what your confirmation letter looks like or what it says. I have asked for a copy of one so I can have some kind of an idea of what the guest is talking about when I get asked the inevitable questions. Supposedly, the boss' boss has a copy of one, but she has yet to give it to us (you know, we just deal with the guests, why should we have one....ARGH!!!!!!!).

I'm coming to realize that the deposit amount does not show up on the confirmation letters, but we knew that would happen (we were told that should happen) and, most of the guests, should have been told to expect that. So, that one isn't a suprise for me.

We also are learning that it's stating your remaining balance is due by "x" date and we were told that would be removed. Doesn't seem like it's happened.

As for the requests, I've mentioned to other people that, supposedly, Disney can only see certain request codes. We STILL have not been told exactly which of those codes they are (yes, we're an organized bunch, can ya tell?).

So, with that stated, if you know there's a charge on your credit card, then your reservation is guaranteed and one of us has your deposit. I had been told all of the monies had been transferred to Disney. However, I have come across reservations for guests in Nov and I still see money on it. I don't know if the money is still with us or, if they realized their mistake from the Apr reservations. That mistake was, a guest would call to check on or cancel their reservation and we weren't showing a deposit because the money had been moved to Disney (but there were no notes telling anyone the money was moved). Unfortunately, we've had it happen in the past where agents forget to charge a credit card. If we don't see a deposit, we rightfully assume we didn't take one. At this point, I'm not sure that when we see money on a reservation, if that means we are still in control of the money OR if the money has been transferred, but they left the amount we had on the reservation so if the guest calls, we can tell them what we're showing or how much they'll be reimbursed for cancelling. Or, another thought just popped to mind, perhaps we're only doing deposit transfers once a month. When Apr 1 rolls around, we'll transfer all of the deposits we have for Apr reservations. When May 1 rolls around, we'll transfer those and so on. I just don't have the slightest idea. Downward communication seems to be a difficult thing lately and please believe me when I tell you it's twice as frustrating for me as it is for you.

I know nothing about the codes. Other than the special services codes (the ground floor, connecting rooms type of codes) we don't use codes. Do you have the old poolside rooms? I know those rooms are guaranteed first floor, facing the lake. Perhaps Disney created their own special codes to single out those guests so they know where they should be going? Just don't know....but I do know this transition time is seriously HOOVERING (can I write that?) at the moment....::::pulling out hair:::: :mad:

[FirstNo]

Originally posted by GrammieMame
Here I am again. We did finally get our letter from SOG (they had the wrong address). We are checking in on April 2nd. But I'm leaving for a head start at another resort next Friday, and I'm afraid CR won't have time to get me a confirmation before I leave. But all this is old news. I took your advice and called yesterday (Friday) and tried to get a confirmation number for CR. They said there was no way they could get it for me, but they are sure CR will have my reservation under my name and it would be no problem.

I'm a worry-wart, and I'm not reassured. There have been quite a few times when a hotel had no reservation in my name, and I had to whip out the confirmation number. Name could be spelled wrong, etc. I really would feel so much more comfortable if I had a number in hand when we check in. What do you suggest for a next step?

I don't blame you. I'd want a confirmation number, too. I have come across 2 reservations with Disney confirmation numbers on them. It looks like it's going to be an excrutiatingly slow process of placing them on our reservations. However, the agent you spoke with (unless my info is incorrect and since I always seem to be the last to know any thing, I may be wrong) was incorrect. He/She should have been able to place you on hold, call the Disney people we deal with (which is a different group than the people you talk to when you call CRO) and get your number for you.

If I were you, I'd call back again (not Monday...very busy) and ask for your confirmation number. If they tell you we don't have it, which is probably the truth (or, at least we don't have it where the agents can see it), tell them your situation. You're leaving on vacation this Friday and you won't be home to receive your Disney confirmation letter for you Apr 2 arrival date down here and you need your confirmation number NOW. Be nice and polite (because we're going to have a lot of rude and upset people about this, I can all ready see it) and ask the agent to please call Disney for you and get the number. There should be no reason why they can't do that for you. I would also verify the info you have with what Disney should have; i.e. 2 adults, 2 kids arriving this date departing that date and Disney should have a deposit of whatever that should have been transferred from SoG. And, if for some reason, you can't seem to get satisfaction out of the agent, you can always go to the supervisor. Even though they told us at the meeting that we should be able to call our Disney people for help, not every one pays attention during the meetings. Whomever you spoke with may have just missed, or forgotten, that bit of important info.

Hope that helped! :)

[zumfelde]

New question about SOG. What is the definition of "retired"? Does this include anyone that has served in the military or someone that has retired after a certain number of years? Thanks

[suevee]

Retired is someone who has served 20 years and recieves benefits, or is disabled with full benefits. Hope this helps.

[LeapYear Debbie]

We received our confirmation letters from Disney and everything looks okay. If we want to request anything special (for example, first floor or close to the tower), do we call SOG reservations or wait until 3 days before our arrival date and fax the room controller at Disney? We are arriving June 16th and have 3 rooms reserved.

Any insight you can give is greatly appreciated.

Debbie

[disney4us2002]

FIRSTNO, Come back......

We finally got our airfare purchased. Prior to this we weren't definite on our dates. Now we know that we need to leave a day before our reservation ends. I tried calling Disney with my new confirmation number, but they said to call SoG. Do I go thru SoG for this? With my old confirmation number or the new one? I'm sure SoG is soooo busy, I really didn't want to have to trouble them, but not sure what to do.

Thanks for any tips, Carla

[tinkerbell1967]

FirstNo,
Here's another questions and maybe some of your thoughts:

We have canceled our ressie for this Sept. I cancelled them on 2/13. I called 2 weeks ago to get an idea when we would received our money that we had paid and was told it went out on 2/28. We never received anything, so I called again. Then I was told it went out on 3/4. Still have received nothing. I called last week and told it had never even been sent out yet and it would go out the end of last week and I could call back to confirm. I called this past Friday to see if it was going out and left a message. No one called me back. I called back today, 3/18, and they couldn't find anything in the system while I waited on hold for 30 minutes! To say the least I am extremely frustrated. I know they are extremely busy with changes and cancellations. but I cannot believe they cannot give accurate information on this. I had sent a good bit of money and it seems they are not to willing to send it back. It will be 5 weeks. Any comments, suggestions???? Thanks!

[FirstNo]

Originally posted by disney4us2002
FIRSTNO, Come back......

We finally got our airfare purchased. Prior to this we weren't definite on our dates. Now we know that we need to leave a day before our reservation ends. I tried calling Disney with my new confirmation number, but they said to call SoG. Do I go thru SoG for this? With my old confirmation number or the new one? I'm sure SoG is soooo busy, I really didn't want to have to trouble them, but not sure what to do.

Thanks for any tips, Carla

As with ANY reservation booked through SoG (no matter what hotel it's for), you must go back through SoG to make any changes. If it's a SoG/CR ressy, you'll need to give the sponsor's SSN.

If it's an overflow ressy, you'll need the name of the resort and the name the reservation is under for us to pull it up. :)

[FirstNo]

Originally posted by tinkerbell1967
FirstNo,
Here's another questions and maybe some of your thoughts:

We have canceled our ressie for this Sept. I cancelled them on 2/13. I called 2 weeks ago to get an idea when we would received our money that we had paid and was told it went out on 2/28. We never received anything, so I called again. Then I was told it went out on 3/4. Still have received nothing. I called last week and told it had never even been sent out yet and it would go out the end of last week and I could call back to confirm. I called this past Friday to see if it was going out and left a message. No one called me back. I called back today, 3/18, and they couldn't find anything in the system while I waited on hold for 30 minutes! To say the least I am extremely frustrated. I know they are extremely busy with changes and cancellations. but I cannot believe they cannot give accurate information on this. I had sent a good bit of money and it seems they are not to willing to send it back. It will be 5 weeks. Any comments, suggestions???? Thanks!

Refunded deposits can take any where from 6-8 weeks to receive. If you paid by check, it can take up to 6 weeks. Credit card refunds can take up to 2 statements to reflect.

I imagine the accounting office has been extremely busy, what with almost all of them having to find new jobs as well as doing the money transfers for the reservations and refunds of cancellations. I'm going to guess they're backlogged.

If you want to be nice (and you certainly don't have to....this is money and someone like myself would be in need of that refund ASAP), you could give an extra 2 weeks if you paid by check or an extra statement if you paid by credit card. But, the "6 weeks/2 statements" is standard refund time. :)

[tinkerbell1967]

First No:
I received a call on Tuesday from Shades of Green telling me that they definately sent out our checks on this past Monday, March 18th. I should see them anytime now. I really appreciated that they called me to tell me this and the girl I talked to was very pleasant and apologized for all the wrong info I had received. :)