Just Back from SOG - Any Questions?

[comstocky]

What time does the breakfast buffet start in the morning? I would like to be able to go early and get to the parks when they are opening. Also is there anywhere else at SOG that you can pick up breakfast or even a snack in the morning?

 

[Disney_1derland]

Anyone here know what types of 'cribs' SOG has. They couldn't give me any info on the phone just that they do have cribs to loan. Wondering if they are full size or travel sized cribs?

3 weeks to go!

 

[jkmmah]

We're trying to make a decision whether to book at SOG, an All Star, or go off site by using Priceline. Some opinions would definitely be welcome...

We're trying to stay budget minded so Priceline-ing it appeals to us, as does eating off site for much cheaper.

However, we like the idea of the Extra Magic Hour, and not having to pay for parking.

Is SOG worth paying more than one would using Priceline and going off site? I'm having a hard time justifying to myself paying around 100/night for SOG vs. a Priceline 2 or 3 star hotel for half of SOG's fare.

Thoughts?

 

[Disney_1derland]

I have no idea the ages you are traveling with but here is my $.02 on the EMH....

Are you traveling with kids? What time do they normally get up when you are at home? What does that translate to in Eastern Time? (Like, my kids get up at 6am, which is 7am at Disneyworld) So, if they get up at their normal time and you get ready, have breakfast, travel to a park, are you going to get there in time for the Extra Magic Hour?? Or, by the time you do all of this would you be there at normal opening time? Especially with young children it's better for them to operate as closely to their normal schedule so they won't tire out too quickly. For us it's not really worth it, so we aren't going to use the EMH (except at MK)

As for staying on site vs. off, you mentioned having a car. With your own vehicle staying off site is certainly more economical but you do spend a lot of time in transit, traffic can be bad.

SOG is paying moderate prices for deluxe accomodations, if that is what you want then go for it!

I've stayed off site and it was okay. It was our first trip, no way could we afford on site, blah blah blah. But, now that we've stayed on site I can't imagine going back off site(unless we were renting a vacation house). The 2 or 3 star motels just can't compare to even the Disney Value resorts in my opinion. They are so heavily trafficed that I have yet to see one that is well taken care of. If you don't spend a lot of time in your room/at your resort then it's probably less of an issue. We like to spend a day or two at the pool and for that on site (or a private vacation home) is WAY better than a 2 or 3 star.

Good Luck and have a great time!

 

[jkmmah]

Thank you for the info.

It will be dh, myself, and our two dd's, ages 7 and 2 1/2. Based on their ages and schedules you have a very good point about the EMH and how that would work with their morning routines. Plus, we would probably only use the EMH at MK anyway, so maybe the EMH wouldn't be such a plus for us after all.

You've given me some things to think about. Thanks!

 

[mahoneyth]

I would pick the SOG over a motel offsite anyday for a Disney vacation. Not everyone can stay here, so by not paying hotel taxes should save you money.
You can take a short walk to the poly resort for the monorail.
Plus, the food is allot cheaper at SOG than eating offsite.
I also stayed at the HGVC Hilton @ Sea World and it was absouletly beautiful! But was more than 100.00 dollars a night and after taxes add up....We had Universal passes for that trip, location was very good. That is why I would pick SOG for Disney.
You can check out the pictures at www.allears.net.
Good luck on your decison, hope this helped.

 

[tiggerwannabe]

~Here's a link I use quite often for SOG info~

http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/faq_sog.htm

Some of the info is a little dated-but quite useful.

 

[llij]

Originally posted by tiggerwannabe
Hollyjoy & llij,

We'll all be there the same time!
My Mom (retired Army, also named Jill) booked 8 of us into a 2 bedroom suite at SOG. We could only get til the 9th, so I surprised my family with 2 extra days at CSR. (For whatever reason, we couldn't get the suite for the whole week.) It'll be my Mom, my BIL & his 14 yo & 15 yo boys, my DH, DD 16, DS 18 and me. ~I was looking at Zurgswife's official list and you two are going to the MVMCP the same night~ My family was originally going to do the party on Dec 7th but wound up booking the 9th.

Hi Tiggerwannabe!

Maybe we will see you there at SOG! I heard that the suites at SOG are great. Let us know how you like it! Have a super trip!

 

[tiggerwannabe]

Love the new picture of your girls!

I have yet to decide how my mom and I will wear our lime green. I've got a Mickey Head template & will probably make "bag tags" for our handbags...Be sure to look for us! I'll be sporting a Christmas Tigger hat as well

Only a few weeks to go!


If we don't see each other, have a great holiday!

~I'll post reviews upon our return~

 

[janeski]

Originally posted by jkmmah
We're trying to make a decision whether to book at SOG, an All Star, or go off site by using Priceline. Some opinions would definitely be welcome...

We're trying to stay budget minded so Priceline-ing it appeals to us, as does eating off site for much cheaper.

However, we like the idea of the Extra Magic Hour, and not having to pay for parking.

Is SOG worth paying more than one would using Priceline and going off site? I'm having a hard time justifying to myself paying around 100/night for SOG vs. a Priceline 2 or 3 star hotel for half of SOG's fare.

Thoughts?

We've been many times with many different options. In the beginning, we stayed off-site due to budget constraints. Then came Shades of Green. What a big bang for the buck!! We went when they first opened and we have been sold on it since. Have tried Value Resorts and they are ok, especially during this time of year when you can get rooms for as low as $55/night for a special rate. Would definately not rule out All Stars for this price range, although don't forget taxes, taxes, taxes...food and accomodations. Not to mention that the rooms are small at All Stars and the resorts can get quite noisy as well as inadequate bus transportation when it gets busy. SOG you lose a little of the Disney Magic as far as theming, but the resort itself makes up for it. And you are close enough to the Polynesian to walk over if you desire. As for the ages of your children, the convenience of being on site is one to consider. If you need a break during the day, you can easily get back to the hotel if you are onsite, relax for a while, eat some lunch, and head back. Just my 2 cents! Have fun.

 

[Barbday62]

Disney_1derland

We used a crib in August and it was a metal one on wheels. It was about the size of a pack and play, maybe a slight bit bigger and deffinelty not so hard to get the baby into as a pack and play. It look ed like a miniature crib to me. and they gave us a little packet with a pacifier and a few samples things in it. They had a sheet and small bumper pad but my daughter brought my grandsons from home with a mobile. It made it feel more like his place and helped a lot too.

I never felt the resort had any less Disney feel than other resorts. I have stayed at Beach Club twice, and COntemporary once and they all had they own little thing that made them unique and Shades of Green is no different. The busses didnt sat Disney on the sides, and the TV didnt have a lot of Disney channels but they had the regular disney channel and another one where they show attractions and theme parks. The look when you pull in was like wilderness lodge with the water fall. Then in the new section I felt like i was walking down the hallway at the beach CLub. I loved the resort and value. I prefer the Beach CLub location as Epcot is my favorite and MGM my second favorite place to be at.

 

[ppony]

Info in case anyone wants to know. I got info from SoG today

Ressie can be made up to one year in advance of your departure date. But during holiday times, the require you to buy into a package. One of their packages I think. I didn't inquire further since we're going to be gone by the time those dates come into effect.

YAY!

 

[Disney_1derland]

I just realized that nowhere on their website does it say anything about refrigerators or coffee makers in the rooms, any of you recent folks that can confirm or deny their existence would be appreciated!

 

[HollyJoy]

It's listed here:

Shades of Green

 

[Poohbeck]

Maybe this was posted somewhere, but I failed to see it.

At the new and improved SOG what is the store like? Is it bigger than the last one? Where is it located? I'm sure they sell milk, juice, sunscreen, ect... RIGHT????

We are in the final countdown and my sister is getting nervous, she's got the 18mnt old. We have a grocery shopping trip once we land at 9:30am with Tiffany Towncar, but checkin isn't until 3pm. I spoke to SOG the other day and they said the can Pre-check us in, but I'm not sure about keeping stuff cold unless we buy a cooler. Anyone have any experience about arriving early and having their rooms ready early.

ps
We will be there Nov. 6 - 13 and have 3 rooms.

SOG is Awesome! Can't wait to see the renovations!

 

[NotTooGoofy]

Disney_1derland - I was at SOG a month ago and there was a small refrigerator in the room. It was not one of those mini-bar refrigerators but an empty one that can hold some pop, milk or juice. I don't know if it would hold a 1/2 gallon jug of milk or not. I can't remember if there was a coffee maker or not.

Poohbeck - I've never seen the old SOG store but the new one does have food, drinks, toiletries, sunscreen, souvenir stuff... The store is located near the registration desk. I arrived at SOG around noon on a Saturday and my room was ready but you never know until you get there.

 

[Disney_1derland]

Thanks for the info HollyJoy, I guess it never occured to me to look under Room RATES for info about the rooms themselves!

Poohbeck, you could forego your grocery stop and use a service like wegoshop.com and then schedule your delivery for after 3pm that day, that way you will not have to worry about the cold stuff going bad. Otherwise, call SOG and ask if they might have a place to store cold stuff in case your room is not ready.

 

[Barbday62]

We checked in about 10am and one of our rooms was ready and the other not. They checked us in and gave us one room key and the other one wee picked up later in the day.

We waited until late the first night (Like 10PM) to go get our groceries. This way we knew we had a place to put cold stuff. There was a store not too far from Downtown Disney.

We did have a half gallon of milk in our refrigerator. It was tight fitting in everythign but we had two refrigerators with two rooms so it worked out.

 

[wickidwitch]

Just got back from a wonderful week at SOG. Instead of answering individually I will try to recap: We arrived at about 11:00 AM and were not allowed access to our rooms until after 3:00. They took our luggage and put our milk in their refrigerator so it wouldn't spoil. They said we could use the pools but it was pouring rain and all our stuff was in our luggage so we went to lunch. The foot of onion rings is no longer a foot, they are just on a plate. But they tasted pretty good. Since it was still raining we went to the lobby to wait for our rooms. The kids (15 and 20) fell asleep in the chairs in front of the fireplace so I got some cute pictures. When we finally got to the rooms (we had requested top floor and as close together as possible) they were on the third floor and not very close. We were so tired we figured we would just accept it but when I opened the drapes to the balcony all you could see was a huge wall! Back to the front desk. They finally found another room closer to the other in our party and actually a view of the golf course - it was beautiful. The rooms were very nice and large but no Disney theming at all. They had a safe, iron, ironing board, hair dryer, tiny coffee maker, and small refrigerator. The hardest thing to negotiate was the transportation. We were never asked for ID on the Disney or the SOG transportation. The SOG buses do not usually say SOG on them. We almost missed one because it said Embassy so we thought it was going to EMbassy Suites. When we questioned the driver he pointed to a tiny cardboard with letter B and that was the only indication that it was the SOG bus B. It is almost impossible to get to TYphoon Lagoon from SOG. The store was pretty well stocked but they do not sell gallons of water. We don't tolerate the heavily chlorinated FL water so we bring gallons to refill our own bottles and make coffee etc. As far as the restaurants go I wouldn't plan a lot of meals there. Breakfast was OK (we chose the buffet) but when we went to dinner Mangino's was closed so we went to the other one. Someone at the next table started choking and the waitress didn't do anything. Luckily one of their family members did the Heimlich and it turned out OK but I thought all waitresses were trained to help customers who were choking. She asked if we wanted rolls and we said yes. She came back and said the bread was still baking so she would bring them later ( it was about 7PM). When she brought the bread we didn't have plates to put it on. We asked for bread plates and she looked at us like we had 3 heads. The food was OK at least. PLace settings only included a fork and a knife - no salad fork, and no spoon. I don't mean to sound like all criticisms. Most staff tried to help but few speak English and they are woefully undertrained. One morning while I was in line at the front the desk they were helping a family traveling with several teenagers who had requested adjoining rooms and were being told their rooms were not even close. Now I know they don't make promises about requests but do you really want to be next to a roomfull of kids whose parents are not nearby? And another woman had no water and no electricity in her room. They wouldn't talk to her because she wasn't the sponsor of the room. The woman didn't want to embarass the sponsor by complaining and they gave her no choice. The ladies rest room by where you meet the SOG buses was out of order the whole time we ere there. Only one of the 3 elevators in the new wing was working. There was still a lot of work going on that should have been finished before they opened. With all that I would go back in a heartbeat - you are still at Disney. Hope you all enjoy your trips! Valerie

 

[PrincessaC]

Originally posted by wickidwitch
Just got back from a wonderful week at SOG. Instead of answering individually I will try to recap: We arrived at about 11:00 AM and were not allowed access to our rooms until after 3:00. They took our luggage and put our milk in their refrigerator so it wouldn't spoil. They said we could use the pools but it was pouring rain and all our stuff was in our luggage so we went to lunch. The foot of onion rings is no longer a foot, they are just on a plate. But they tasted pretty good. Since it was still raining we went to the lobby to wait for our rooms. The kids (15 and 20) fell asleep in the chairs in front of the fireplace so I got some cute pictures. When we finally got to the rooms (we had requested top floor and as close together as possible) they were on the third floor and not very close. We were so tired we figured we would just accept it but when I opened the drapes to the balcony all you could see was a huge wall! Back to the front desk. They finally found another room closer to the other in our party and actually a view of the golf course - it was beautiful. The rooms were very nice and large but no Disney theming at all. They had a safe, iron, ironing board, hair dryer, tiny coffee maker, and small refrigerator. The hardest thing to negotiate was the transportation. We were never asked for ID on the Disney or the SOG transportation. The SOG buses do not usually say SOG on them. We almost missed one because it said Embassy so we thought it was going to EMbassy Suites. When we questioned the driver he pointed to a tiny cardboard with letter B and that was the only indication that it was the SOG bus B. It is almost impossible to get to TYphoon Lagoon from SOG. The store was pretty well stocked but they do not sell gallons of water. We don't tolerate the heavily chlorinated FL water so we bring gallons to refill our own bottles and make coffee etc. As far as the restaurants go I wouldn't plan a lot of meals there. Breakfast was OK (we chose the buffet) but when we went to dinner Mangino's was closed so we went to the other one. Someone at the next table started choking and the waitress didn't do anything. Luckily one of their family members did the Heimlich and it turned out OK but I thought all waitresses were trained to help customers who were choking. She asked if we wanted rolls and we said yes. She came back and said the bread was still baking so she would bring them later ( it was about 7PM). When she brought the bread we didn't have plates to put it on. We asked for bread plates and she looked at us like we had 3 heads. The food was OK at least. PLace settings only included a fork and a knife - no salad fork, and no spoon. I don't mean to sound like all criticisms. Most staff tried to help but few speak English and they are woefully undertrained. One morning while I was in line at the front the desk they were helping a family traveling with several teenagers who had requested adjoining rooms and were being told their rooms were not even close. Now I know they don't make promises about requests but do you really want to be next to a roomfull of kids whose parents are not nearby? And another woman had no water and no electricity in her room. They wouldn't talk to her because she wasn't the sponsor of the room. The woman didn't want to embarass the sponsor by complaining and they gave her no choice. The ladies rest room by where you meet the SOG buses was out of order the whole time we ere there. Only one of the 3 elevators in the new wing was working. There was still a lot of work going on that should have been finished before they opened. With all that I would go back in a heartbeat - you are still at Disney. Hope you all enjoy your trips! Valerie

I'll be there in a few days and I'm starting to worry about this place. Maybe we should of booked POR.

You mentioned the busses. How was it to the other parks? That is mainly our biggest concern. We want to be able to get to the parks and back to SOG w/out hassle......Also how hard is it to get to DTD??