Can anyone tell me about SOG??

[MOMOFMNM]

we have decided to take a spring break trip to WDW!!!!!!!!!!
As much as I would LOVE to stay at the Poly, we just can't (but we will Sept 2006!!!) I had even considered Swan but the Sq footage thing is not great IMO and they have no daybed whereas SOG does have it all plus fridge, table and chairs and a whopping 480 sq ft room during spring break for $99 a NIGHT! WOW!!! I have looked over Allears and read all about it but I am just wondering if anyone can tell me what rooms are the best, what the gold leaf plan is and how much $$ it is, tell me about the busses and such, just give me an idea of some things????

We are going to have a car (we are driving from Iowa...yes we are crazy)
Any advice is helpful thanks

 

[Butch50]

I am just wondering if anyone can tell me what rooms are the best

I have stayed in the "old" section and the "new" section - there really isn't much difference. I would suggest that you request a room as close to the elevators as possible. A long walk to the room gets even longer after a day/night at the parks.

What the gold leaf plan is and how much $$ it is

Can't help you on the Gold Leaf plan, but after what I read at the SoG web site it sounds nice!

tell me about the busses and such, just give me an idea of some things????

We have never used the busses much from SoG. They don't run as often as the Disney resort busses (I don't like using the Disney busses much either). I have two tips for getting to the parks...

1. Use the "Shady Shuttle" or walk to Poly and hop the monorail to get to MK or the T&TC. The walk to the Poly takes about 10 minutes, and it's a nice walk. ***WARNING*** If you have little ones (under 5), make sure you have a stroller for them to ride in. You don't want to have to carry a four year-old from Poly to SoG after a long day at the park. The "Shady Shuttle" is an overgrown golf cart that will carry folks from the SoG lobby to the area where you cross the street to go to Poly. It can cut 5 minutes or so off of your trip. We were there last October, we rode the shuttle a few times, but we never seemed to be able to find it when we were really tired.

2. If you are going to AK, MGM, DD or the Water Parks, take your car. Your SoG parking pass will get you into the parking lots for free just like a Disney Resort parking pass.

We have stayed at SoG three times over the last 8 years - one time since the renovation, and have always enjoyed it. The food at SoG is very good considering that you pay much less than you would at a Disney resort. The AFFES store has a pretty good selection of Disney merchandise. And it is a great atmosphere to be in for a few days. Many folks complain that it doesn't have the "magic" of the Disney resorts, but to me, there is a different type of magic at SoG. I'm not in the military, and I never have been (I work for the Army), but as I walk around SoG, I always feel a real sense of pride that the military has put together a place like SoG for their soilders, sailors, airmen and marines.

Have fun!

 

[MOMOFMNM]

thank you for your great answers!!

where do you cross to go to the Poly?? Is it at the Poly parking lot in front of the GCH?? I have been to Poly before so just trying to get an idea of how to walk from one to the other. I am calling now about the gold leaf plan...

did you also buy park tickets there?

I am actually considering an AP to use on our Sept trip to get AP rates at the Poly!!

The resort looks pretty big...sound quite large and very nice!

 

[MOMOFMNM]

so to answer my own question for anyone interested in SOG gold leaf plan this includes breakfast and dinner for length of stay with park hopper plus pack for length of stay

I did a sample pricing for this plan on the phone for 2 adults 3 kids for 5 nights with 4 day premium park hopper tickets with options and meal plan includes tax and gratuity for dining...
2000.00 for everything...

could not do better at a value during peak season with 5 of us would need two rooms HOWEVER I wonder when they are open for meals because we are park open to close type family so I don't think we will need the meal option...

I think without meals it is 1200.00 for 5 of us...

 

[Momof6]

Were headed back for our second SOG stay in a couple weeks - well, 18 days. We missed out on SOG for our first stays - we weren't aware it existed. Then, when we wanted to go there they were under renovation. In fact, they were under renovation for two of our stays. But, back to SOG...
We found it very, very relaxing. No, you won't see hidden Mickeys, and there aren't any topiaries shaped like, well, anything. BUT, the place was very, very clean. Both pools were nice. We were especially blessed on our last trip to have a room in the new section, third floor, facing the pond/new landscaped area. We were close to the elevators, AND the parking garage. We would highly recommend these rooms. Oh, we were also right down the hall from the laundry room. We were there for 15 days last trip, so we had to do laundry twice.

As someone above mentioned, there is a kind of respect there among the guests. My DH is in the Army, and it was nice to be at such a nice resort for so little money.

We spent a lot of time at the parks, so we mostly ate away from SOG. We also rented a car, so we didn't use the buses except for to MK which went very smoothly.

Have a wonderful time! It helped us to splurge elsewhere when we knew we were getting such a good rate. Heck, we'd spend more per night to stay at the local Holiday Inn!


Denise

 

[stm61]

we used the gold leaf plan last month, we added it at checkin. For 2 adults, 3 kids for 4 days (total of 8 meals) it cost us $356. The price is good compared to park meals.
The problem is you can only use it at the buffet or Evergreen's. I think their breakfast buffet was like 7-10 am, and dinner was maybe 5-730 or 8. You can choose to eat lunch at Evergreen's instead of a breakfast or dinner. You also have the option of a dinner at the Italian restaurant one night but it didn't appeal to my kids.

I thought the dinner buffet was fine. They could have used more variety at the seafood one but we had no complaints with the rest. Breakfast could also use some variety. We had been told by the front desk that we could just muffins and go in the morning. We found out the hard way that's not true.

The big problem we had was the buses. The TTC bus runs every 15 min, everything else runs once an hr. Some are on the 1/2 hr, some are at 20 of, I could never remember which was what. We felt like we were giving up park time to get a bus to go back and eat. It just took to long to get back and forth. If all the buses ran every 15 min, or even every 30 min, it would have made a big difference. I would not do this plan again with kids, I might if it was an adult only trip. Again, it wasn't the food or the price, it was the bus schedule.

 

[Butch50]

where do you cross to go to the Poly?? Is it at the Poly parking lot in front of the GCH?? I have been to Poly before so just trying to get an idea of how to walk from one to the other.

Here is part of the Poly map with the path from the entry of SoG to the Great Ceremonial House at Poly marked with a red line.

did you also buy park tickets there?

No, we bought them at the MWR office at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, AL. The tickets were a little cheaper there than at SoG (where the prices are great).

Hope this helps!

 

[MOMOFMNM]

Here is part of the Poly map with the path from the entry of SoG to the Great Ceremonial House at Poly marked with a red line.

No, we bought them at the MWR office at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, AL. The tickets were a little cheaper there than at SoG (where the prices are great).

Hope this helps!

WAAA AAA!!!!
I have a big feeling I am going to miss the Poly........

I wish I could afford two or three trips a year at the Poly, but at 300 less A NIGHT...I am not going to complain

The rooms look spacious and the grounds look nice!! The beds are queen and it is in the MK area!!

thanks for the info everyone, if anyone else has any SOG info I'd be glad to hear it...TIA

 

[Otto's Doll]

We haven't stayed there, but we did go to a taste testing in 2003 before they opened. For $7 per person you got a ton of samples of the foods they are now serving as well as beverages. We loved it, and are looking forward to our stay in just 18 days. Looks like we will be there the same time, MOMof6! We are staying the 6th - the 10, and leaving on the WONDER on the 10th, then headed back home on the 14th.

 

[PA DISNEYLOVER]

We stayed there twice this year. We love it. The rooms are large, the bathroom is large, we had a beautiful view off of our balcony.

We drive down so I have never had to use the buses. We did look into the goldleaf plan but decided against it. We don't think the food is that great and we would rather eat at the parks and not have to worry about being back before the buffet ends.

They have a little Cafe type place that is right inside of the bus pickup area. We would go down and get muffins or breakfast sandwiches every morning. We loved that place.

We did use the Shady Shuttle once. It was a nice walk but it would have been alot nicer if we had not just walked in the parks from opening until closing. We were quite glad to see our room.

I too would ask for a room close to the elevators the hallways are LONG. Our last stay we were in the very last room and we dreaded the walk.

The soap and the shampoo they provide leave alot to be desire so please pack your own.

Hope this helps. If you have questions feel free to ask.

 

[mommyrom]

We have just booked a Dec. '06 Wonder 4 night cruise. We are planning to spend 3-4 extra days (probably before the cruise) in WDW. We have thoroughly enjoyed other on-site resorts in the past, but have yet to choose SOG (DH is DoD Firefighter). I am considering it for our cruise/WDW trip.

How do you think we would handle to "non-Disney" feel of a resort and the absence of the buses? We are not renting a car, but instead will most likely get a private towncar for our transfers. Our kids will be 8, 5 and 3 in 2006 and we are planning to focus our park visits on MK and Epcot, which I know can be handled by the monorail.

Any insight/opinions on this option would be appreciated...Thanks much!

 

[bdcp]

We'll be arriving at SOG in 17 days for our second stay. We've been to WDW twice before and the first time ('89) was before SOG was opened and we stayed in CBR with a 3 1/2 and almost 6 year old. You just get so much value out SOG. It's also a very relaxing, peaceful place to stay. We walked to the TTC about half the time last time and took SOG transportation the rest. Found it all very easy to use. We just checked the bus schedule and planned around it. This will be our first trip without children. Ours are both in college now and we've always talked about doing this. My DH is a navy reservist and it's a great benefit. Even though he's pretty senior (O-6), the room is still a lot cheaper than GF or CR. We definitely didn't miss the "disney feeling" that some people talk about, especially when we were sleeping in our queen sized bed and each boy had his own place to sleep (pull out sofa also). Any place on site that's cheaper to stay in has two double beds and SOG is an interior hallway hotel, not exterior, like POP and AStars.

* Absence of buses? There are buses and it's very easy to get to the TTC.

 

[Jynohn]

For the price, I really don't think you can go wrong at SOG. We've stayed there 3 times so far and have never had a problem with service or cleanliness. The rooms are quite large, and while it's true that SOG lacks the Disney theming, you are still right in the middle of it all, being right across the street from the Polynesian and so close to the Magic Kingdom.

The food is good, nothing spectacular, but the prices are very reasonable and it's a nice break from the sticker shock of the parks to have a quick breakfast at the Garden Gallery or a late night snack at Evergreen's.

We didn't use the buses very often as we usually walk to the Polynesian to use the monorail instead, but the few times we did use them they were very efficient and we didn't have to wait long.

Most importantly, as others have pointed out, there is a great sense of comraderie at SOG and everyone is so polite and friendly. We've always had a great sense of pride in being part of the military while staying there.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[Sollenberger]

we were there this past June, another thing we did for breakfast, especially later in the week when we were slower moving...we ordered room service - it was quick, very reasonably priced and served very elegantly - the table had 4 chairs around it, and the room is so large - in fact we were in the old section and there was a wall divider on each side between the beds, etc and the sitting area where the table, pull out sofa, etc are and of course the balcony overlooking the pool was really nice
We did eat at the buffet several other mornings and it was very reasonable with every breakfast item imaginable - the fruit was really good
I would not go with the dining plan though, because you want to be free to sample all the wonderful disney restaurants as well...
The halls are LONG, so do ask for one closer to the lobby, we walked to Poly and took the boat ALOT, the bus to TTC ran very often and was great, the only bus problem we had was we should have driven ourselves to DDT - the SOG bus does not run during the day at all....we did drive once to Epcot, very easy to do as well.
We purchased our tickets there - we got the stars and stripes, that covered everything each day, a great deal...we also purchased for part of our party the 5 day hoppers, much cheaper than anywhere else, and no tax!
Have a great time!

 

[Otto's Doll]

Are the pools located nearer the old section than the new one? I know that the kids will want to be able to swim easily, and also like the idea of the divided sleeping area, and the lobby.

 

[Butch50]

Are the pools located nearer the old section than the new one?

Yes, it is quite a hike to get from the new section to the pools. That wasn't much of a concern for us when we stayed in the new section last October. We don't swim much (if any) when we go to WDW.

 

[suevee]

I love the old section. I like being close to the pools and to Evergreen (the sports bar/restaurant). It was nice to hang out late in the evening.

 

[marj70]

I stayed there last spring with my mom on a girls only trip (DH is Air Force). There were things I loved and things I didn't, but the value cannot be beat. The entire place is spotless, the rooms are amazing. Quiet and peaceful, perfect for our trip. I wouldn't say it had no theming--try to tell yourself it's a mini-WL if you can. The theme is very "hunting lodge" like. You are right about the feeling there--just a different clientele I guess. Everyone is very polite.

I would skip the dining plan. We had one meal there it was just ok. The prices are so cheap I'd just try a meal or two out of pocket if you really want to eat there. I think it would be a pain as a previous poster said to go back to the hotel at those times to eat, and who wants to eat at one or two restaurants the whole week if they're at Disney?

I thought the busses were just ok when we went. To TTC is pretty good. Just be sure to really check that bus schedule. If you miss the bus to AK, for example, it can be a long wait until the next one. (Transfering from the TTC is always an option I guess but still time consuming.) Also make sure you know where the bus PICKS UP, when we were there it wasn't always the same place as drop off and sometimes FAR. I second taking your own shampoo/soap. The walk to the Poly proved to be too much for DM, we only did that once.

Love SoG, will stay there again and again but this time we did choose POP so that we could get the DDP (love to eat!). I also thought DS would adore the theming at POP, and he fits in better with someplace LOUD!

Don't forget there is also NO sales tax on the rooms or anything else, and make good use of the AAFES store. Souveniers were at great prices, although selection isn't enormous. Sundries are WAAAAY cheaper than Disney prices also.

Oh, and I am lame but I did miss Disney resort TV. Could handle no Mickey soaps, but missed those corny promo tv stations!

 

[fterie4u]

I agree with most of these posts! There are just so many positives about SOG! We went last year and are heading bak there in just a few hours!!!
We came away with absolutely no negatives on our last trip (except maybe the shampoo thing, but we always bring our own) and hope this trip is the same!

 

[MOMOFMNM]

I agree with most of these posts! There are just so many positives about SOG! We went last year and are heading bak there in just a few hours!!!
We came away with absolutely no negatives on our last trip (except maybe the shampoo thing, but we always bring our own) and hope this trip is the same!

OHHH three hours til WDW!!

YOU ARE SO LUCKY, I WOULD LOVE TO BE THERE RIGHT NOW!!

have a great time and thank you for your help!!

say hi to Mickey for me!!

congrats on the baby too!!