SHADES OF GREEN at Walt Disney World Resort Information & Questions

[capeseal]

We are actually going to SOG this Friday. We live in Tampa and go to Disney frequently although we do about once/ twice a year take a long weekend and stay on property. This will be our first time staying at SOG. I'm a little nervous about the food now. I have read nothing good about sog restaurants. We paid for a package there which includes our breakfast and dinner. Wishing I can change that now.

I think the packages are for the buffets? We've had the breakfast and dinner buffets. Some of the dinner ones are decent and I find the breakfast to be pretty standard for Disney breakfast buffets (which I don't care for but always find something edible at .) I think you'll be okay, just don't order take-out at SOG! I have always gotten my worst meals there as take-out. Really, you're just going to love the resort (and the inexpensive price you pay .) If you have a night of particularly bad eating, walk over to the Poly and order some late-night lava cake to go. Lava cake makes everything better

 

[robin19871]

It is a tough choice between DLH and PP. I actually switched because the extra cost was pretty low. I asked about it over on the DL boards and it was almost a toss-up though the general consensus was that GC was not worth the extra, if I remember correctly. Here is the thread I posted when trying to decide:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2990050

Thanks for the link.. It seems that you are in the same boat as me. We are booked at PP now and I am thinking that I will just stay with it because we will only be there for 3 nights and will be in the parks from morning to night. I want to stay at a Disney hotel only and this was the most economical of the 3.. The difference between the PP and the DL hotel was $165.00 and I would spend the money if it was that big of a difference.. (We will not have time for the pools so that does not matter to us.) For the price of 3 nights at PP (With the 30% discount) we could have stayed at Shades for 6 nights.. Summer prices are crazy at the Disney Hotels.

 

[WDW 3]

We stayed at PP last March. Our room did not have the park view but we didn't mind because we usually just shower and sleep in our room. I know that a lot of the rooms at DLH have views of parking lots. I have a photo looking out our window at DLH and the only thing between PP and DLH are parking lots. I don't know how to post it

The location is great. Across the street and through GCH and you are in California Adventure. We chose PP based on the price and have no regrets.

 

[household6]

Now that HS seems to be letting people in early (at 8:45 from what I've read), it seems that waiting to take the SoG bus at 8:30 may not get us there in time to truly take advantage of rope drop. If we walked over to the Poly, what would be the best (least time-consuming) mode of transportation to HS from there? Don't their buses start running earlier?

 

[capeseal]

Now that HS seems to be letting people in early (at 8:45 from what I've read), it seems that waiting to take the SoG bus at 8:30 may not get us there in time to truly take advantage of rope drop. If we walked over to the Poly, what would be the best (least time-consuming) mode of transportation to HS from there? Don't their buses start running earlier?

I would walk over to the Poly and then take the bus to HS. Buses will begin running around an hour before the park is scheduled to open. We actually use the Poly transportation a lot when we stay at SOG. If we stay at Epcot until closing, we almost always grab a (mostly empty) Poly bus back (most monorail resort guests take the monorail so the buses tend to be very low crowd in my experience...in off season, at least.

 

[WDW 3]

I don't think you really get in early. I think you get in past the turnstiles but are stopped by the rope at the corner of Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards until 9. HS has a bus from the TTC that stops right in front of the Shades bus. We've taken the TTC buses to AK & HS when the Shades buses don't suit us.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

I don't think you really get in early. I think you get in past the turnstiles but are stopped by the rope at the corner of Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards until 9. HS has a bus from the TTC that stops right in front of the Shades bus. We've taken the TTC buses to AK & HS when the Shades buses don't suit us.

Yes, you do get in earlier to try to ease some of the crowding at TSM.

 

[tcp0421]

I think the packages are for the buffets? We've had the breakfast and dinner buffets. Some of the dinner ones are decent and I find the breakfast to be pretty standard for Disney breakfast buffets (which I don't care for but always find something edible at .) I think you'll be okay, just don't order take-out at SOG! I have always gotten my worst meals there as take-out. Really, you're just going to love the resort (and the inexpensive price you pay .) If you have a night of particularly bad eating, walk over to the Poly and order some late-night lava cake to go. Lava cake makes everything better

Lava cake sounds like a pretty good night to me. I was wondering if there is certain rooms where we would be able to see the MK fire works. Oh my brain is all over the place right now. Do they have a salad bar at dinner are SOG? If so that is fine with me. Actually salad is my favorite meal. Although by the weight I'm gaining anymore you would never tell.

 

[lilsk8nmac]

Lava cake sounds like a pretty good night to me. I was wondering if there is certain rooms where we would be able to see the MK fire works. Oh my brain is all over the place right now. Do they have a salad bar at dinner are SOG? If so that is fine with me. Actually salad is my favorite meal. Although by the weight I'm gaining anymore you would never tell.

Yes, I believe at the Garden Gallery for dinner they have a salad bar as part of the buffet

 

[tcp0421]

Will anyone from here be at SOG this weekend?

 

[robin19871]

Lava cake sounds like a pretty good night to me. I was wondering if there is certain rooms where we would be able to see the MK fire works. Oh my brain is all over the place right now. Do they have a salad bar at dinner are SOG? If so that is fine with me. Actually salad is my favorite meal. Although by the weight I'm gaining anymore you would never tell.

3 years ago I requested a room on the 5th floor in the new wing overlooking the pond and we could watch the higher fireworks no problem. We quickly learned that the long walk to the room was not worth it so we switched back to the old wing close to the lobby the following year. (You can also see them from the Magnolia pool on the side facing the MK.)

 

[capeseal]

Lava cake sounds like a pretty good night to me. I was wondering if there is certain rooms where we would be able to see the MK fire works. Oh my brain is all over the place right now. Do they have a salad bar at dinner are SOG? If so that is fine with me. Actually salad is my favorite meal. Although by the weight I'm gaining anymore you would never tell.

I have two little ones, one who is sensitive to fireworks. One thing we like to do is stay for the light parade at the MK and then head out of the park and down to the resort boat docks. Then we hop the boat back to the Poly and watch the fireworks while we are on the water. Kind of a nice way to end the night without the crowds in the park. Also, it's a slightly shorter walk from the boat dock back to SOG then from the monorail

 

[ColoradoDis]

I have two little ones, one who is sensitive to fireworks. One thing we like to do is stay for the light parade at the MK and then head out of the park and down to the resort boat docks. Then we hop the boat back to the Poly and watch the fireworks while we are on the water. Kind of a nice way to end the night without the crowds in the park. Also, it's a slightly shorter walk from the boat dock back to SOG then from the monorail

So...this is new info for me. Is it really a shorter walk from the Poly boat dock to SOG?

 

[capeseal]

So...this is new info for me. Is it really a shorter walk from the Poly boat dock to SOG?

Slightly because you don't have to walk through the hotel. You know, when you take the monorail you have to head down to the first floor and down the hall out the back door whereas from the boat dock you just hit the path. Probably saves you all of 2-3 minutes which is why I say slightly shorter

 

[ColoradoDis]

Great info. Thanks

 

[buffettgirl]

Slightly because you don't have to walk through the hotel. You know, when you take the monorail you have to head down to the first floor and down the hall out the back door whereas from the boat dock you just hit the path. Probably saves you all of 2-3 minutes which is why I say slightly shorter

oh wow, I never thought of that!

 

[RedPanda]

Sorry if this has been asked before; I couldn't find the answer. Do Shades of Green guests get free parking at the theme parks (like resort guests), or is the regular parking fee charged? (I know it costs $5/day to park at SoG, but we'll be driving down.)

 

[tcp0421]

Sorry if this has been asked before; I couldn't find the answer. Do Shades of Green guests get free parking at the theme parks (like resort guests), or is the regular parking fee charged? (I know it costs $5/day to park at SoG, but we'll be driving down.)

I really can't say because we are passholders so we don't pay parking either way. I think there is a post about that but I can't remember if you have to pay or not.

 

[stm61]

Sorry if this has been asked before; I couldn't find the answer. Do Shades of Green guests get free parking at the theme parks (like resort guests), or is the regular parking fee charged? (I know it costs $5/day to park at SoG, but we'll be driving down.)

we never drive to the parks so I'm not positive, but I think it's free at MK and you have to pay at the other theme parks. Water parks are also free I believe. Parking at the theme parks is about $15.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

Sorry if this has been asked before; I couldn't find the answer. Do Shades of Green guests get free parking at the theme parks (like resort guests), or is the regular parking fee charged? (I know it costs $5/day to park at SoG, but we'll be driving down.)

There is a little cut through, so you don't have to pay at MK, but you do pay at Epcot, DHS, and AK. Parking is free at the water parks and DTD. I guess ther eis always the possibility of getting someone that will just wave you on through, but I would be prepared to pay.