Official SHADES OF GREEN Information

[KatRob]

January has been fine for swimming. Oh course, all the moms watching kids had on jackets (and it as evening). Come to think of it, mine has gone swimming in Nov. and didn't think it was bad at all. Isn't the pool heated anyway? It's just the walk back to the far side of the hotel that gets nippy.

 

[Pluto_fan]

So hopefully someone can give me an honest answer to this question. Would this be a good place for a honeymoon? My fiance and I are looking to be there possibly next September, but from what I can tell on the website, there are really no "suites" for two people, just family suites. Also, does anyone have any pictures of the rooms in the newer part of the resort?

Thanks for the help!

hharris,
Congratulations on you upcoming marriage, and to the DIS!

I'd say that as far as a honeymoon destination, SOG has its pros and cons.
Pros, it's a beautiful resort (love the pictures, BigAWL! ), very peaceful and quiet.
Cons, no rooms with one king size bed--all rooms have two queens; no in-room jacuzzi tubs or anything like that.

Have you definitely decided on a WDW honeymoon? You could look into some of the Disney-owned hotels and see if any of the themes really jump out at you. Price-wise, the moderates are comparable to SOG (depending on your SOG rate category), but the rooms are much smaller, though you could get a king-size bed. And you'd need to consider your tolerance for kid-noise, although in September that would probably be less of a problem.

I know there are room pictures on the SOG website, although they don't tell you which are the new and which are the old rooms. Someone on this thread can help you if you have specific questions about them. Happy planning!

 

[KatRob]

There is a way to tell which rooms are the old ones and which are the new ones: The unremodeled rooms have small walls seperating the sleeping area from the "sitting" area. The top row of pics on the SOG website show the new rooms and the pics on the second row are from the older section. To me, not having the wall really opens up the room and makes it feel a little bigger.

I know you didn't seem interested in the family suites, but they do have king size beds if that makes a difference. And of course, the price is always a big difference. I was making a ressie one day for just me and my DD and the agent asked if I wanted a suite, I'm thinking: two people? suite? get out of here!

 

[hharris]

How do I get a quote through the SOG website for tickets with the no expiration option? Under the descriptions of each ticket, it says "expires _ days after use." Does anyone know about this?

Thanks for the responses on the rooms/honeymoon! We are still looking in to other disney hotels, but for what we want to spend, this may be the best option.

 

[suevee]

For your honeymoon you could get a suite as SoG for what you would pay for a room at Wilderness Lodge or AK. I think the suites are around $250 per night. The suites have king size beds and it would be nice to have a sitting room with a designated eating area for the wine and snacks.......

 

[bigAWL]

How do I get a quote through the SOG website for tickets with the no expiration option? Under the descriptions of each ticket, it says "expires _ days after use." Does anyone know about this?

They first show the special Stars and Stripes tickets which I don't think have a no-expiration option.

If you click a link at the bottom of that page you'll see this page: http://www.shadesofgreen.org/WDW.htm

Pick the number of days, and click the corresponding drop-down box on the right hand side to see the prices for Adult or Child tickets and all the Magic Your Way options - you should be able to find the no-expiration option in there.

 

[KatRob]

How do I get a quote through the SOG website for tickets with the no expiration option? Under the descriptions of each ticket, it says "expires _ days after use." Does anyone know about this?

Thanks for the responses on the rooms/honeymoon! We are still looking in to other disney hotels, but for what we want to spend, this may be the best option.

The rooms really are nice and big. The fridge and coffee pot are a nice touch too. My best friend stayed at a moderate for her honeymoon and actually came home early! I found that amazing after spending all that money to up and leave.

 

[Bay Hill]

Just to let everyone know, we leave tomorrow for MCO. Our first hotel is the Hilton WDW for a comp 4 day stay due to a 2003 "construction" stay. The GM was nice enough to comp us with no exp dates. Nice during a slowdown.

Following the Hilton, it's a 2 day stay at The Shades. It's on par with a deluxe resort. Nice and quite after hearing noise all day. Evergreen's is great, good wings and can't beat the 12 dollar beer pitcher price, cheapest on Disney. We requested the new side near the parking garage on this visit, will follow up after we get back.



97-Sheraton Lake Side Inn (never stay offsite again)
99 (Honeymoon) Hyatt MCO, Radisson Twin Towers, Dolphin...Montreal
00 Dolphin
01 Dolphin
02 Dolphin
03 WDW Hilton, Dolphin
04 Swan
05 Shades Of Green, Swan
06 Shades Of Green, Swan
07 Shades Of Green, Swan

 

[Sleepy]

Would this be a good place for a honeymoon? My fiance and I are looking to be there possibly next September, but from what I can tell on the website, there are really no "suites" for two people, just family suites.

I think they call them family suites because they know some families have more than 3 kids and their suites allow families to stay in the same room. So, by calling it a family suite, it helps to push those rooms.

SOG really is just functional. A hotel designed to offer military people (not just families) a more affordable option. There are no special rooms like you would find elsewhere. Of course, elsewhere you will pay a lot more money for those special suites, etc.

I have visited most of the hotels on property and SOG is the quietest of them. The kids can be loud in the pool area, but it is a pool and the kids are excited. The Magnolia pool has a quieter atmosphere and that is where the hot tub is. Keep in mind older teens are allowed to use the hot tub too. As far as the rest of the hotel, it is super quiet. The kids tend to be quiet where appropriate as the parents expect this of them. I wish I could say the same for the other hotels I have visited. Some of them seem like a playground with all the kids running through the lobby and food court. The volume of people flowing through doesn't help. The advantage of SOG is that it is a much smaller hotel compared to the rest. Get a room at the end of one of the wings and you feel like you are in the Twilight Zone. It is just that deserted. Nice for privacy.

SOG is definitely a good choice for someone wanting to watch what they are spending.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

My DS and his wife honeymooned at SOG in 2006 and they were very happy there! Come to think of it, DH and I had our first trip without kids there in 2004, too!

The rooms are way larger than other Disney property rooms and have a nice tropical decor. I guess a King is nice on your honeymoon (or anytime), but a queen is cozy, right? I'll look for pics - I don't have any on this computer. We had great service, it was quiet and the children were really well behaved (almost a novelty these days).

Having all of the Disney amenities and the AAFES store without paying Disney prices was great! A relatively short walk over to the Poly would get you right on the monorail, and the bus system was great - we didn't even need a car except to get to the resort.

The only thing we were disappointed in was the pool, but we spent so much time at the parks, we didn't need much pool time. The hot tub was closed when we were there.

 

[4nana]

Has anyone tried the daily Sunrise breakfast pkg and could explain how it works? I called SOG for info and somehow got confused!

Thx bigAWL, really enjoying your photos!

 

[Sleepy]

Has anyone tried the daily Sunrise breakfast pkg and could explain how it works? I called SOG for info and somehow got confused!

Thx bigAWL, really enjoying your photos!

The only thing I know (because I did the math) is you are not saving a dime by using this package. Even the included gift certificate is paid fully by you. I suppose it is convenient if you don't want to deal with cash each breakfast, but if you can't find anything in the gift shop you want, you have wasted money.

 

[4nana]

The only thing I know (because I did the math) is you are not saving a dime by using this package. Even the included gift certificate is paid fully by you. I suppose it is convenient if you don't want to deal with cash each breakfast, but if you can't find anything in the gift shop you want, you have wasted money.

Thx Sleepy, I appreciate your help! Think we'll pass, also have other ADR's, so really don't want to be obligated to have breakfast at SOG daily.

 

[Piglet4Ever]

Just got back from our WDW vacation. We stayed at SOG again and loved it. Brought Dh's family with us and they really loved it too. Can't wait to go back again, gotta talk DH into it, haha....

 

[hharris]

Does anyone here prefer SOG to disney hotels? Or is it more of a cost thing? Or both? I guess I am wondering, if it wasn't for the cost, would you rather stay somewhere else on disney property?

 

[ntsammy5]

Actually I prefer Shades - but to another topic.

We just got back from a trip where we stayed in a timeshare through AFVC. I posted the following on the Orlando board because it deals a lot with the specific resort we stayed at, but everyone here also qualifies for AFVC. It's a great, cheap alternative. I do love Shades though.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=28739065&posted=1#post28739065

 

[Poohbeck]

Actually I prefer Shades - but to another topic.

We just got back from a trip where we stayed in a timeshare through AFVC. I posted the following on the Orlando board because it deals a lot with the specific resort we stayed at, but everyone here also qualifies for AFVC. It's a great, cheap alternative. I do love Shades though.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=28739065&posted=1#post28739065

So, was it a nice place??
I remember reading your post months ago about you renting through AFVC. We have booked a townhouse through the AFVC for April down in Williamsburg, VA. That will be my next trip to plan after WDW.

 

[bigAWL]

Does anyone here prefer SOG to disney hotels? Or is it more of a cost thing? Or both? I guess I am wondering, if it wasn't for the cost, would you rather stay somewhere else on disney property?

I've never stayed at another on-property resort. But for me, if price were the same, I think I would definitely want to stay at a monorail resort. I'd probably have to fight my wife over which one - I'd prefer the Poly and she the Grand Floridian.

I think the convenience of the monorail would make it an easy choice for us, as we by far spend most time at the MK and Epcot. A quick hop on the monorail beats walking or bussing just to get to the monorail. Then I know I prefered Kona Cafe to anything at SOG - but then again cost is a factor here. Edit: it might be useful to note here that I'm not a coffee drinker, so I'm not counting Starbucks.

All that said, because of the cost, there's no way I would consider staying anywhere other than SOG. I much prefer the location, size, and style of SOG to the comparably priced Disney resorts.

 

[Sleepy]

SOG has a lot of what we are looking for. If we can find a Disney resort that has the following, we would stay somewhere else.

Totally inside (meaning you don't have to go outside to get from your room to the lobby)
Balcony or patio
Not crawling with unruly children
Super quiet
Close to a monorail for transportation backup
Within our budget

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Thx Sleepy, I appreciate your help! Think we'll pass, also have other ADR's, so really don't want to be obligated to have breakfast at SOG daily.

Wow only 6 days until your trip! I'm not here much, so have a great time!

Just got back from our WDW vacation. We stayed at SOG again and loved it. Brought Dh's family with us and they really loved it too. Can't wait to go back again, gotta talk DH into it, haha....

Welcome Back! So glad everyone had a good time!

Does anyone here prefer SOG to disney hotels? Or is it more of a cost thing? Or both? I guess I am wondering, if it wasn't for the cost, would you rather stay somewhere else on disney property?

If it weren't for owning DVC, (which we bought because SOG prices will continue to steadily go up just like on-property prices ), we would stay at SOG every time! We will be adding SOG days to our DVC stay this year. We love the size of the room, the quiet and convenience. I also feel the transportation within the world is the best! Now if we can just get a good way to get there from the airport.

Actually I prefer Shades - but to another topic.

We just got back from a trip where we stayed in a timeshare through AFVC. I posted the following on the Orlando board because it deals a lot with the specific resort we stayed at, but everyone here also qualifies for AFVC. It's a great, cheap alternative. I do love Shades though.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=28739065&posted=1#post28739065

AFVC is great! We booked a beautiful two bedroom lock-off condo in vegas for $800 for 7 days and shared it with friends. They had a really nice pool and lobby with activities and shuttle service to the strip! It's hard to get a studio in Vegas for $100/night!