Planning Trip: Military AFVC or On Disney? And other silly questions!

[Cajungaltx]

Hi everyone! One of my acquaintances recommended I come check out disboards.com when I mentioned that my husband had requested that we go to Disney on his mid-tour leave from Iraq in April.

So far - I've found out about the $99/tickets for soldiers, and I've found out about the 40% off the resort rates as well.

Someone else told me about the Armed Forces Vacation Club - so I looked them up - and found that we can book a week for $329 - but in reading the reviews through trip advisor - the extremes are either dead bugs & urine soaked mattresses - or the best thing since sliced bread.

We have two girls who will be 13 and 3 when we make our trip.
It's been suggested that we let our teenager bring a friend with her - as it would make it alot more fun for everyone involved.

The AFVC option seems to give us the option to have 2 rooms....and... to put it quite...well....bluntly? having a separate bedroom for us from the kids bedroom would probably make my husband quite happy.

But - we are planning on flying from Houston - because driving will take 2 days...and that means 4 days gone out of 2 weeks....and those days are quite precious I must tell you. So - AFVC option means that we will almost definitely have to rent a vehicle for our stay - as some of them don't have shuttles to Disney.

I checked with Shades of Green - and the RT to them/airport they said was $100.

So I guess I need input from those who have stayed at AFVC resorts - and on Disney.

I stayed on Disney when we were there when my daughter was 4... We stayed at the Coronado - and loved it. But I had booked our trip a year in advance, which meant a year of paying on it, and we drove, which saved significant money on the travel.

This is rather 'last minute' - so I'm trying to make sure it's enjoyable for my husband - so he can relax, etc...and the kids....without breaking the bank.

I appreciate any help/suggests/etc that you might have!

 

[angelmav]

Shades of Green is a great resort and nicely appointed. Our problem with it is the food options are lacking, but you dont have to eat there either and the Poly is just across the street. The plus side is the food options are significantly less expensive. If I were flying I would look into a car service to book to/from the airport or a taxi service. Yes your going to spend some $ for it but shouldnt be too bad and much less expensive than a rental.

On the other hand with the discount you could book a Disney Moderate resort for about the same amount and then get the magic express for free. Also qualify for the dining plans. You can stay in one room with 5 people at POR, weather or not its worth it to pay for a second room for privacy is up to you. If thats a primary consideration then two rooms at any of the values will be less than 2 rooms at Shades of Green.

 

[Metro West]

 

[Cajungaltx]

Thanks for the response ya'll - I'm still up in the air on the rooms.

 

[angelmav]

Just wanted to add, you can knock that drive out in one day, we did that last sep (oddly enough, breaking down in Houston!) Its a little over 900 miles. I have family there that have made the same drive. Just a consideration.

 

[a_sailor's_wife]

I've stayed at an AFVC resort, SOG, as well as onsite. My favorite is staying onsite because of the convencies of extra magic hours, no rental car needed, and the dining plan. With that said, I loved our AFVC resort, Silver Lake, Silver Points. We were literally 3 minutes from the gates of Animal Kingdom. It was a very nice resort with a pool and all types of activities. The bed was incredibly comfortable. Well worth the money. If you go with this option you will need a rental car, however, the AFVC offers rental car discounts from Budget and Avis. You can combine coupons. Take a look under the resource tab on the AFVC website. We booked our car through Budget with the AFVC discount and saved a little over $125 for the week. Shades of Green I've only stayed at for one night. It was a nice resort, but for the $100 I could've gotten a night at a value with the 40% for less. Those are just my thoughts. Good luck on deciding! It's so hard!

 

[MAGGIED]

We have stayed at SOG several times.. and will be back in Feb 2010... the rooms are plenty big enough for 5 people so you wouldn't need two rooms. The resort is wonderful.. the pools are great, the rooms are huge, there is an shoppette, dining and bus service. WHile you can't get the Disney Dining plan the pluses of this resort make up for it...

good luck on what ever you decide..

 

[MPwifey]

Umm we are getting ready for DH to leave and I suggest staying somewhere where you can have a second room for you and hubby. Even if it is only for 1 night, I think you would find it well worth it.

 

[Cajungaltx]

Umm we are getting ready for DH to leave and I suggest staying somewhere where you can have a second room for you and hubby. Even if it is only for 1 night, I think you would find it well worth it.

Fortunately he'll have been home for 5 days before we leave on this trip - but considering that we'll probably be acting like bunnies the entire 2 weeks - it's a MAIN issue for us.

The only place I've found for sure - ON Disney - that has the suites is the All Star Music Resort Family Suites. At 190/night, with the 40% discount - it'd put us at around $600 for the week.

Which is doable... but when I normally pay $50 for a 4 star hotel when I book through Priceline - it's KILLING me to even consider that rate...

 

[Minnie321]

I have stayed at SOG and loved it! The resort is beautiful! The prices do depend on your husbands rank, so you may want to check that out. The higher the rank, the higher the price. Go to their website and check it out - just google Shades of Green. That is also the location you can go to buy military tickets no matter where you stay on-property or off-property. I have stayed on and off property - like them both. The area around Disney offers whole four bedroom houses for great deals. Also if you are interested in doing other things the military offers I think one free Sea World pass per family member - something like that.
Have a great trip where ever you decide.

 

[ReneeinNJ]

I say go for the All Star Music Family Suite! We have done all 3 options (SOG, AFVClub, and onsite) and all were tons of fun, with their own pros and cons. For both privacy and convenience (no rental car, etc), ASM is wonderful!