Just wanted to add my SOG experience! We stayed there in January (2008 ) and loved it! We usually stay in a Disney hotel, but we'll be staying at SOG from now on. I completely agree with everyone who said that people seem friendlier there (staff AND guests), and it was so nice to go back to a calm, friendly hotel after a busy day in the parks. We only encountered one grumpy employee, and he was at the ticket desk. I was so excited to be getting my tickets that I didn't even care
There were 5 adults and 1 child (16 months) in our party, and we stayed in one of the Jr. Suites. It was huge, and having 2 bathrooms was AWESOME. The master bathroom has 2 separate sections: 1 with the toilet and shower and 1 with the sinks, so my husband and I were both able to get ready at the same time.
We were in the new section, and the view of the beautiful, well-kept grounds from our huge balcony was gorgeous. We could even see some of the MK fireworks from the balcony. We also saw 3 alligators, several large pretty birds and several groups of wild turkeys from our balcony! Who needs Animal Kingdom Lodge?!
Being able to walk to the monorail was a HUGE plus, especially since we had a young toddler with us and we never knew when we'd have to head back to the hotel quickly with a stroller (what a pain to haul a stroller on a bus!

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We ate at Evergreens, Garden Gallery and got room service several times. Room service was slow at times, but we tended to call really late. The food was ok at all of them. We actually liked Garden Gallery the best even though most of our party aren't buffet fans. We went on Seafood night and I could have eaten the entire pot of the crab soup (or maybe I *did?!*)!
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this hotel to anyone. While it is lacking some of that Disney magic, the calm, friendly atmosphere more than made up for it. We are heading to the world again in January, 2010 and will be making our reservations as soon as we can! I can't wait to go back!
