Shades of Green vs All Star Movies ... HELP

[Cindylieu]

I AM SO CONFLICTED! I have June reservations for All Star Movies with a military discount. (Dad is retired military and parents are coming with us) Now that SOG evidently has 60+ day Fastpass reservations I am torn.

All Stars has 250sq ft rooms, no coffee maker and double beds...BUT ME transport, Disney bus system, magic bands, and charging to the room. SOG has 480sq foot rooms with queen beds and a sofa-sleeper, great pool, and close to the Poly...BUT no MCO transport, its own buses (with access to WDW bus system from parks), no magic bands, no charging to rooms. For about $500 more per room (getting two) for our 12 day trip I could do this military on-property resort.

Help me out here, folks:

A. What is the SOG bus service like? Can I rope drop? Do they run late into the night?
B. How close is the walk to the Poly? Can I go there and use their bus/monorail system?
C. Did you buy magic bands or just go without?
D. How much of a pain is it to arrange my own transport to/from MCO?
E. What was your overall experience with SOG as opposed to the complete “Disney Bubble”? We’ve done the bubble many times, but this would be our only chance to stay as a Deluxe-style hotel.

It is KILLING me to try and make this decision for the whole family. They are entrusting me with the planning, so I am not even telling them the options until I have a firm grasp on all the facts. No need to stir this pot needlessly. HELP??

 

[happymommy]

It's been a very LONG time since I stayed at SOG (20 years), but I recall the walk across the street wasn't bad at all. My DH was at a conference, and it was super hot and I was pregnant, so didn't feel up to the parks by myself. I spent a lot of time relaxing in the GF's lobby reading, eating at the counter service there for lunch every day.

We enjoyed the sports bar at SOG (onion rings were yummy), and the food was much more reasonably priced.

I didn't feel too out of the Disney bubble at all really.

If it were just two people, the All Star resort room would be okay. If you have kids sharing the room, I'd definitely want the space at SOG. Plus, I actually always bring my own coffee maker for All Star or Pop, as I like to have it right away in the morning. Having a coffee maker would be nice.

 

[8caliace]

A. What is the SOG bus service like? Can I rope drop? Do they run late into the night?
Its been a few years, but the bus service is manageable for both early morning and late nights. However, we prefer to walk to the Poly and use the monorails.
B. How close is the walk to the Poly? Can I go there and use their bus/monorail system?
10-15 minutes. I know they used to have a golf cart that would even drive to the end of the SOG entrance and drop you off, so potentially even shorter if you can take advantage of that.
C. Did you buy magic bands or just go without?
We have APs, so we have Magic Bands anyway. We never use the room charging, so its not an issue for us.
D. How much of a pain is it to arrange my own transport to/from MCO?
There are all kinds of options, so its not really a pain at all.
E. What was your overall experience with SOG as opposed to the complete “Disney Bubble”? We’ve done the bubble many times, but this would be our only chance to stay as a Deluxe-style hotel.
You won't find much of the Disney theming, but we don't mind that at all. Given the huge difference in room size, the location, and the overall amenities of SOG, its no contest between SOG and any All Star resort.

 

[firstwdw]

Oh we LOVED SOG so much better than a Disney resort! Stayed there spring 2017. In the past we've stayed at all the moderates with the exception of CSR.

The SOG transportation is so much better than Disney! It's on a schedule so you know EXACTLY when the bus will be coming. You can walk to Poly and use monorail, buses etc if you prefer. It's less than 1/2 mile on a lighted pathway and it's a beautiful walk. You can also ask the bell services folks to drive you to the end of the property on their oversized golf cart (Shady Shuttle) for a small tip to cut down the walking to Poly. We NEVER stood on the SOG buses and everyone is incredibly polite and respectful. You do need to show your resort ID every time you board the bus. Some people complain about this but it didn't bother us at all. We liked the security of SOG

SOG has HUGE rooms, 2 queen beds and a sleeper sofa, big balcony with 2 chairs and table and beautiful views. The setting is just gorgeous. We saw deer, wild turkeys, peacocks. just beautiful. Rooms are spacious. TONS Of storage space. A real closet!

SOG pools are incredible. Nice splash area for kids under age 13 with sprayers, small slides, tipping giant bucket. I like that they allow the taller kids in this area if they are respectful of the littles. A big slide for the big kids at the regular pool. pool basketball, pool volleyball anytime. BIG hot tub, a walk in pool. The 2 pool areas were never busy! Huge perk! A few afternoons a week they have games at the pools for the kids. There are lifeguards as well. I am fairly certain they had life jackets avail. They have a nice regular playground right next to the main pool.

We used old magic bands from a trip a year prior.

Shades of Green recommends Sunstate for airport transportation. We rented a car last time but will be arranging transport this time as we never used the car. We did not miss magical express at all.

We didn't feel out of the "bubble" at all. We could walk to Poly anytime! We could literally leave our room, walk to Poly, jump on the monorail and be standing in front of the castle inside the park in under 30min (more like 25!). We could hear the train whistle outside at Shades. I thought that was neat. Nice little gift shop at Shades with much cheaper Disney things than at the resorts. car rental desk, ticket counter, plenty of restaurants, a gym, spa (great deals on spa treatments at SOG and also princess and pirate makeovers I've heard). You can check your luggage into your airline and have them deliver it to your plane right from the bell services desk(must set it up the day before). They will deliver packages bought in the parks to the front desk at Shades so you don't have to carry all day. Shades gets extra magic hours too.

Happy to answer any questions. We are in process of planning our second SOG trip. My tween actually picked SOG over a Disney resort.

Good luck!

 

[firstwdw]

one more thing: they have Starbucks in the lobby at Shades of Green

 

[Cindylieu]

Wow! That sounds amazing! Have you had any problems getting your fast passes at 60 days + length of stay?

 

[disneyvoice]

We loved SoG!! We had a rental car when we stayed there but it is pretty easy to get a cab, town car, etc to and from the airport (I don't know if they are allowing Uber or Lyft at the airport yet).

We actually never used the SoG transportation. Instead we walked across the street to the Poly and the TTC. It was super quick and easy. In fact, my mom sometimes has some trouble with walking (and walks pretty slow in general) but there was a golf cart like thingy that drove back and forth between the SoG entrance and the end of the sidewalk right across from the Poly. They drove my mom back and forth. Not sure if they still have that service.

I would happily give up the convenience of a MB to stay at SoG. It is a very nice hotel. The rooms are huge compared to the All Star Movies, very nice, and they have a great pool. When we stayed there we joked that it was better than AKL because every morning when we opened our curtains we had several different animals right outside our window - rabbits, squirrels, wild turkeys, geese, etc. The turkeys came right up on our patio (I'm guessing a lot of people feed them).

Our stay at SoG was our first time not staying at a WDW resort. I was VERY worried that I would feel like I was missing out on something but I didn't at all. It was a great stay.

I will also add that it is much quieter than the All Star Movies, and in general we felt like everyone staying at SoG was extremely friendly, polite, and respectful of other guests. Also, we never felt like SoG was ever super packed and crazy busy at any time. I always feel like the All Stars are a zoo at certain times.

Having stayed at both, I would ABSOLUTELY choose SoG over All Star Movies! Especially since you are staying for 12 days. I don't think the beds at the All Stars are comfortable and I would much prefer the extra space if I was going to be there that long.

 

[Cindylieu]

Ok guys, you convinced me! We are going SOG this trip, < gulp! > I made room reservations a few minutes ago. Yikes! Tomorrow I’ll cancel our ASMo ressies and we will be ALL IN.

Everyone seems on board and I am excited…and nervous! Thanks for the input!

 

[KenHutch]

In many ways SOG is nicer, and much quieter. As to Magic Bands yes you get free ones from the Disney hotels but in my families case they gather dust in my desk. The girls select bands ahead of time that I buy ( I keep my Stitch band thank you very much). And with your military ID you can buy from the onsite store there and save money.

 

[firstwdw]

Ok guys, you convinced me! We are going SOG this trip, < gulp! > I made room reservations a few minutes ago. Yikes! Tomorrow I’ll cancel our ASMo ressies and we will be ALL IN.

Everyone seems on board and I am excited…and nervous! Thanks for the input!

Yay!!! I was extremely nervous our first stay and then annoyed with myself that we hadn't tried SOG sooner once we experienced how awesome it is! Have a wonderful trip! I just ordered our tickets through them for our trip (they send an email 120days prior to check in if you want to order directly through them). We don't qualify for the cheap military salute tickets but since we stay at SOG, we do qualify for the Stars and Stripes Length of Stay tickets and those are really reasonable I think. So check that out too! I am all linked up in My Disney Experience online account so should be all set. You'll love it and being close to Poly is just awesome. Our first night we walked over to Poly and ate in their quick service and then rode the monorail and the ferry boats around.

 

[minniebeth]

SoG IS a very different experience than staying at All Star Movies, but I think you won't regret your decision! It's a little bit of a learning curve, but once you figure it all out, I really think you will enjoy it! The rooms alone are so worth it! Enjoy!

 

[Pooh2]

It's been a few years since we've stayed at SOG (hoping to change that next winter) but I would choose it over a value resort.

Grab a bus schedule and keep it in your pocket. The buses came with military precision. No guessing how long you will be waiting.

If the bus schedule does not work for you in the morning (can be crowded in the morning too), just walk down the sidewalk to the Poly and hop on the monorail, boat or bus.

SOG is a beautiful resort, the rooms are spacious and comfortable. Feels more like a resort room with indoor hallways than a motel room feel like the value resorts have.

If your dad is the military member, take advantage of staying at SOG while he is along and stay value another time when he may not be with you.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[disneyvoice]

Yay! You will love SoG! Have a great trip!

 

[ChristineNic]

Shades of Green is the right choice. We are FL residents and annual pass holders. We go to Disney a lot. We learned that we were eligible to stay at SOG a year ago. We have stayed at the All Stars, Pop Century, Poly, GF, Swan and Dolphin, both Port Orleans, Carribean Beach, Coronado Springs, and Old Key West. After staying at SOG several times, we won't stay anywhere else.