military families first disney vacation!!

[gibsontrio]

I guess you could say this vacation just fell in our laps. I decided to check out Shades of green and other prices and mentioned it to DH that we should go , I got the ok and before I knew it I booked the shades of green resort, airfare, and chef mickeys the first night , leaving may 5 and coming back may 9th!!
I have a 2 yr old DD who wears princess costumes on a daily basis and sleeps with 2 mickeys, minnie, and her favorite ,daisy. My son is soon to be 5 and LOVES everything toy story and space.
I'm overwhelmed by excitement , we arent a very wealthy family, but I believe this trip will be worth its weight in gold in memories.
I called my mom to tell her and she couldnt help but to invite herself which spurred my DH to invite his mom bringing the grand total to 4 adults, 2 kids!
I'm very excited to be staying at the shades of green but I have a few questions if anyone has some answers , so here I go!
transportation to and from shades of green?? Like the night we get there is it going to be terribly difficult to get to the contemperary to get to chef mickeys??? which brings me to my next question....
Is going to chef mickeys at 745 a bad choice with two small kids?? We are flying Jet blue from ny straight to MCO arriving at 3. Its a little late for my daughter but she seems to fare alright with later bedtimes. Is it overly crowded? I was so stunned when I made reservations that that was the only time left but i'm glad we got in
I feel like telling every person I see on the street that we are going but i'm sure they will think I am crazy, i'm just that excited, Any other advice would be great appreciated. Thanks!!!

 

[mom2aredhead]

First of all...WELCOME TO THE DIS

I think 7:45 may be a little late for the kids at Chef Mickey's, especially on your first night after traveling dowm there. Since their regular routines will probably be thrown off from traveling, they may be tired or out of sorts the night you arrive. However, they may do fine. You never know. Could you try for a breakfast later in the trip? If they have trouble getting a res for six, try asking for 2 different reservations, a table for 4 and a table for 2 and when you get there see if they can put you near/next to each other.

I have never stayed at Shades of Green so unfortunately I can offer no advice there...but HAVE A WONDERFUL TRIP - ENJOY EVERY SECOND OF IT!

 

[milmom6]

I have 2 boys, now 5 and 9 and we've been to Shades of Green twice with them. You are going to have a wonderful time. Shades of Green is a beautiful place. The rooms are huge compared to most, the restaurants are great and reasonable and the grounds are beautiful. Let me tell you a couple of things that we like:

Tickets there are cheaper than buying at most other places.

Buy your souveniers in the store at SOG because the clothes and toys are about 1/2 the price that they are in the park. No taxes. Buy a box of cereal and 1/2 gallon of milk instead of paying tons of $$ in park for breakfast.

Take time to enjoy SOG. There is a neat orange tree area we like to walk around, tennis courts, great pools and my kids love the playground.

Use the early morning hours. The shuttle there at SOG will adjust its running times accordingly.

With a little one, I suggest go early morning hours to Magic Kingdom, coming to room for lunch and nap, and that will allow you to stay later.

Jet Blue is notorious for running late, so I would be concerned about any plans you may have. There are shuttles you can take from airport to SOG, not sure about all of this though because we usually drive.

Let me know if you have any other questions. Oh, by the way, military families can get in free to Sea World if you feel like doing that. Google "Busch Hero salute" for info. We have visited Sea World and Sesame Place this way.

 

[Melissa_E]

Hello! We're a military family as well, we decided to go with Pop Century since it was cheaper than SoG and we wanted the dining plan. But I'm sure you will have a great time!

 

[hoosiergirl7]

Another military family here! We have never stayed at SoG, but probably will at some time in the future. The first time I went to WDW I was 11 and remember parts of it. The 2nd time I went was in 2002 after being married for 6 yrs. Our trip in April will be our 3rd trip and each time I know we're going I can't help but be excited and giddy. For our trip in April we are staying at the WL because we will be celebrating Dh's 40th birthday and he wanted to stay there or AKL.

I'm know you will have a blast! I've seen many people post on the Resorts board about SoG and how much they love it and many who will never stay anywhere else. I will say though that we will probably catch a bus over to SoG to do some souvenir shopping since it's so much cheaper there and tax free. One of the reasons I love being military - discounted shopping and no tax!

 

[love2driveinct]

Check out a couple of recent threads on Shades of Green:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1678104

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1696357

HTH

 

[Think_Tink_Think]

transportation to and from shades of green?? Like the night we get there is it going to be terribly difficult to get to the contemperary to get to chef mickeys???

When we stayed at SOG with friends we just walked to the Poly and took the monorail to MK so you could also to that to get to the Contemporary.

 

[andyjack]

This is our first trip but we haven't decided if we will be staying at SOG or not. Right now I'm just trying to figure out the least expensive ticket/room/food options.

 

[GJM]

We always stay at SOG and LOVE it - I pool area is nice and quiet after a day at the parts. We like to get food from Evergreens and eat by the pool. The rooms are big.

We would walk across the street to the Poly and catch the monorail to get to the parks, we have used the bus with no problems.

The souvenir shop is great for snacks and disney items - much cheaper then the parks.

 

[gibsontrio]

great!! Thank you everyone. I'm so excited I cant stop looking up disney stuff.I almost cant believe i"m taking my kids there! I'm a little aprehensive about bringing the 2 grandmoms because i'm the type that wants to go go go but perhaps it will work in my favor, get some alone time with hubby. I promised him next year we would go to germany and stay at the edelweiss military hotel (same price as sog) but this year its my disney trip!!!

 

[CruiserMom2096]

When we stayed at SOG with friends we just walked to the Poly and took the monorail to MK so you could also to that to get to the Contemporary.

We found that the walk to the Poly and back, in addition to all the walking we did in the parks, was just too much. You can just take the shuttle bus to the TTC, and then hop on the monorail to go to the Contemporary.

I believe to get to Epcot, you take the SOG shuttle to the TTC also, and then get on the Monorail. To go to Animal Kingdom or the Studios, they have a shuttle that takes you directly to those parks.

 

[Mickeyluver37]

I guess you could say this vacation just fell in our laps. I decided to check out Shades of green and other prices and mentioned it to DH that we should go , I got the ok and before I knew it I booked the shades of green resort, airfare, and chef mickeys the first night , leaving may 5 and coming back may 9th!!
I have a 2 yr old DD who wears princess costumes on a daily basis and sleeps with 2 mickeys, minnie, and her favorite ,daisy. My son is soon to be 5 and LOVES everything toy story and space.
I'm overwhelmed by excitement , we arent a very wealthy family, but I believe this trip will be worth its weight in gold in memories.
I called my mom to tell her and she couldnt help but to invite herself which spurred my DH to invite his mom bringing the grand total to 4 adults, 2 kids!
I'm very excited to be staying at the shades of green but I have a few questions if anyone has some answers , so here I go!
transportation to and from shades of green?? Like the night we get there is it going to be terribly difficult to get to the contemperary to get to chef mickeys??? which brings me to my next question....
Is going to chef mickeys at 745 a bad choice with two small kids?? We are flying Jet blue from ny straight to MCO arriving at 3. Its a little late for my daughter but she seems to fare alright with later bedtimes. Is it overly crowded? I was so stunned when I made reservations that that was the only time left but i'm glad we got in
I feel like telling every person I see on the street that we are going but i'm sure they will think I am crazy, i'm just that excited, Any other advice would be great appreciated. Thanks!!!

Awwww, your post made me smile. I remember being a young military family, talking to DD about going for as long as she could talk, and wondering if we would ever afford it. WDW ran a great promotion for Active Duty after 9/11, and all of a sudden it was affordable! I do have to warn you though- it was then that we became hooked and have been able to justify the (full price) cost for 3 more trips since then! My kids were about the same age when we went, and I think it was the BEST ages. They were just in awe of everything!

The only time we stayed at SOG, it was being refurbed, so we were actually at the Contemporary. I don't think 7:45 is too late for dinner, unless you are getting up really early to get to the airport. Arriving at 3, checking in, and going to dinner at Chef Mickey's sounds like the perfect first day!

 

[disneygal2007]

We are a military family also we have never stayed at SOG but it is beautiful. We have been to DW twice and both times we have gone there to just walk around. I hope u have fun it is really u that knows how your kids internal clock are but A nice warning kids can play outside for days straight but that would never compare to one day in the park. The parks makes a whole new meaning to tired but so worth it. Good luck.

 

[traviesojmt]

Hi, another military family here. We have stayed at SOG in the past and will be staying there again this summer. I think that you will love SOG. It is a deluxe resort for value pricing. The rooms are some of the largest on Disney property.
I, personally, think that the transportation from SOG is very easy to use. If you are going anywhere on the monorail line (which the Contemporary is), you can easily walk over to the Poly and catch the monorail there. Never be afraid to ask any Cast Member a question if you are unsure of anything. I have found them to always be very helpful. The bus system at SOG is set up on a specific schedule. You will know what time each bus leaves for each park. This really helps with planning.
I say that if you are concerned about the time for your reservation, keep calling to try to find a new time. People cancel all of the time. Personally, I wouldn't probably want to schedule a meal the day of our arrival with two small children. Traveling can be very tiring. I usually schedule us fairly light on travel days. Keep in mind that a 7:45pm reservation time does not mean that you will be seated at that time. They do often run behind. I would take that into consideration too. Having said all of that, only you know how your children will handle eating at that time. Don't give up on getting a different time or day if that is something you are interested in doing.
We love Disney, so I hope that your family has a great time. I am counting down the days until our June trip as well.

 

[pepperderr]

Hi,

I can understand your excitement. We are not going to DW till June and I am already excited. We are military and DH is in afghanistan. He is supposed to be home for leave in June. I am not sure yet when. I am afraid about making reservations and then having the military change things on him like they have EVERY other time he came home before. I don't think we are staying a SOG though. I have heard the rooms are really big compaired to the others, but I just don't see that it is a better deal than any of the value price DW hotels. The plan is to stay at Pop.

I am so glad I read about the suviours being cheaper there and no tax. So we will definitely stop there. Do you have to show military ID to go to the shop?

 

[gibsontrio]

I DEFINITLY think I will be hooked. DH insists we go to germany next yr ( just the 2 of us) but I think after that we'll be back to DW. I think the kids will be ok since they are always so full of energy for the dinner, starting to worry about the grandmoms..lol. But at least they can take care of themselves. Thank you all!!

 

[casnider]

We stayed at Pop Century last year because Shades of Green was full (SOG overflowed us into the Pop). And even though Pop was nice it is not as great as SOG. SOG you at least get a fridge and coffee maker. Rooms at SOG are a lot bigger. We went to the SOG to buy our tickets which were cheaper and so wished we could stay there instead of POP. SOG was just a beautiful place, you should have a great time.

 

[blondinkaya]

I guess you could say this vacation just fell in our laps. I decided to check out Shades of green and other prices and mentioned it to DH that we should go , I got the ok and before I knew it I booked the shades of green resort, airfare, and chef mickeys the first night , leaving may 5 and coming back may 9th!!
I have a 2 yr old DD who wears princess costumes on a daily basis and sleeps with 2 mickeys, minnie, and her favorite ,daisy. My son is soon to be 5 and LOVES everything toy story and space.
I'm overwhelmed by excitement , we arent a very wealthy family, but I believe this trip will be worth its weight in gold in memories.
I called my mom to tell her and she couldnt help but to invite herself which spurred my DH to invite his mom bringing the grand total to 4 adults, 2 kids!
I'm very excited to be staying at the shades of green but I have a few questions if anyone has some answers , so here I go!
transportation to and from shades of green?? Like the night we get there is it going to be terribly difficult to get to the contemperary to get to chef mickeys??? which brings me to my next question....
Is going to chef mickeys at 745 a bad choice with two small kids?? We are flying Jet blue from ny straight to MCO arriving at 3. Its a little late for my daughter but she seems to fare alright with later bedtimes. Is it overly crowded? I was so stunned when I made reservations that that was the only time left but i'm glad we got in
I feel like telling every person I see on the street that we are going but i'm sure they will think I am crazy, i'm just that excited, Any other advice would be great appreciated. Thanks!!!

Hi! We seem to have a few things in common! We're military also, will be going on our first WDW trip, and will be there 5-9 May as well! Only we're staying at Pop because it's cheaper and I wanted to use the DxDP (can't w/SOG). I would think Chef Mickey's might be a bit too late w/the little ones, but it really depends on what your schedule is. My kids are up before dawn, so it'd be a bit too late for them. However, my neighbor's little one is a night owl (goes to bed around midnight every night) and wouldn't have any problem with that ADR time.

Anyway, welcome to the Dis, and be sure to wear your lime green Mickey somewhere on you; maybe we'll see each other around!

 

[mom24/7]

We are heading to All Star Music this week (cheaper than SOG for us for the $300 we are saving we bought princess & pirate tickets). I ended up buying our tickets throught the ITR office on post. They were priced a few dollars cheaper cheaper per ticket then SOG's posted prices but the really great part was the ITR lady called me back and asked if I wanted the FREE upgrade to premium tickets with the PLUS features for the same price as the regular park hopper. While this special runs out 14 FEB. It might be worth a phone call to ITR to see what their ticket prices are.