SHADES OF GREEN at Walt Disney World Resort Thread

[Disneyfriend]

Hello to my fellow military peeps!

For those of you who have stayed at SoG recently (say, within the past 6 months or so):

How long did you wait to buy tickets?

We've stayed at SoG several times over the years and purchased tickets, but I have heard that the ticket lines are now often quite long and time consuming due to the current Disney military salute tickets.

This trip we are staying at the Animal Kingdom Villas (on DVC points), and I'm trying to figure out if it's worth it to go over to SoG for our tickets when we arrive. We are going Magical Express and will not have a car, so we would either take a bus to the TTC or MK/transfer to SoG, or take a cab.

I would probably be less likely to do this, though, if the lines are now quite long at the SoG ticket office. Not to sound like a diva . . . a few minutes is no big deal . . . but if we're likely to wait a full hour or something, we might figure something else out since it will already be a bit of a challenge to get to SoG from Animal Kingdom Villas.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[buffettgirl]

Hello to my fellow military peeps!

For those of you who have stayed at SoG recently (say, within the past 6 months or so):

How long did you wait to buy tickets?

We've stayed at SoG several times over the years and purchased tickets, but I have heard that the ticket lines are now often quite long and time consuming due to the current Disney military salute tickets.

This trip we are staying at the Animal Kingdom Villas (on DVC points), and I'm trying to figure out if it's worth it to go over to SoG for our tickets when we arrive. We are going Magical Express and will not have a car, so we would either take a bus to the TTC or MK/transfer to SoG, or take a cab.

I would probably be less likely to do this, though, if the lines are now quite long at the SoG ticket office. Not to sound like a diva . . . a few minutes is no big deal . . . but if we're likely to wait a full hour or something, we might figure something else out since it will already be a bit of a challenge to get to SoG from Animal Kingdom Villas.

Thanks in advance!!

well, for those staying AT shades of green they now offer an option to preorder tickets so we all no longer have to wait in the ticket line. I don't know if it makes the actual ticket line shorter, but in the past, we've waited various from no wait to 1 hour, just to buy tickets. So maybe call ahead and see what the wait time is? Or ask when the slowest time is?

also, there is no SOG bus from Mk or Epcot. Only a bus from TTC. You best choice is to take a cab. Otherwise you can take a ALK bus to AK and then get a bus to TTC from there and from there a SOG bus. (if timing is right you can get the SOG bus directly at AK, but I think that's at 10 of the hour in the far parking lot).

 

[WDW 3]

Another bus option is take the AK bus to DTD and the SOG bus from there. That's how we went to AK to eat at Boma.

 

[Nomad70]

Another bus option is take the AK bus to DTD and the SOG bus from there. That's how we went to AK to eat at Boma.

We were just there a couple of weeks ago and the bus drivers were not allowing any non-shades of green guests on the buses. So, I would suggest going to the Poly and walking over or driving and letting them know you are there to purchase tickets. As for ticket lines, we have never encountered any lines on our stays.

 

[buffettgirl]

We were just there a couple of weeks ago and the bus drivers were not allowing any non-shades of green guests on the buses. So, I would suggest going to the Poly and walking over or driving and letting them know you are there to purchase tickets. As for ticket lines, we have never encountered any lines on our stays.

oh that's funny - we were never asked for an ID not even once (end of August).

 

[WDW 3]

Wow! We've never had a Shades bus driver turn anyone away. Ever.

 

[WDW 3]

http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/

This says that you can't use tickets back to back like before. I haven't been able to confirm this new info. It appears that if we are going to a week we'll have to pass on the salute tickets.

 

[minijeanie]

I would take a bus to MK - get on monorail that goes to resorts. get off the Poly and just walk to SOG. It is an easy walk.

 

[Disneyfriend]

Thanks everybody. I truly appreciate the input!

I unexpectedly solved my problem yesterday by getting WDW tickets at the MWR office here in Hawaii. I stopped in there on a whim last night, expecting to be told they did NOT have WDW tickets. Surprisingly, they can order them . . . and the prices (at least for park hoppers) were nearly identical to the Shades of Green prices. The only downside is that it is expected to take 2-3 weeks for the tickets to arrive. Fortunately, I do have that amount of time before our trip.

Just posting in case it helps anybody else. Maybe it's at least worth asking at your local MWR to see if they can order the WDW tickets for you - just give yourself enough time.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

Thanks everybody. I truly appreciate the input!

I unexpectedly solved my problem yesterday by getting WDW tickets at the MWR office here in Hawaii. I stopped in there on a whim last night, expecting to be told they did NOT have WDW tickets. Surprisingly, they can order them . . . and the prices (at least for park hoppers) were nearly identical to the Shades of Green prices. The only downside is that it is expected to take 2-3 weeks for the tickets to arrive. Fortunately, I do have that amount of time before our trip.

Just posting in case it helps anybody else. Maybe it's at least worth asking at your local MWR to see if they can order the WDW tickets for you - just give yourself enough time.

Ours can do that, too. I think it might only be for AP's, but not sure. They always have the 4 Day Salute tickets available in the office, though.

 

[jjbishop2733]

Has anyone stayed there recently? My family and I will be there the 6-13 and I just wanted to know what you thought about it?

 

[billyvmom]

Hi I am starting to plan my trip to shades of green and Disney. We are staying in palm suite with our family all 11 of us... Anyone stay in plan suite? Or have any tips about the resort

 

[robin19871]

http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/

This says that you can't use tickets back to back like before. I haven't been able to confirm this new info. It appears that if we are going to a week we'll have to pass on the salute tickets.

Us too... Our Spring Break trip does not allow us to use any of the Salute tickets this year.. (Last year it was only MK, This year it is everything.) I am so thankful that when we were able to use them that this does not bother me..9 Days at the Shades price of Magic your Way is still $ 200.00 cheaper than the regular way and for this I am grateful.. Less than 6 months...

 

[bellemeeko1]

We JUST got back like 2 weeks ago. We used Disney transportation including buses ( yes we stayed at Shades) and there was NO wait to get our tickets, I unpacked, DH went down and got our tickets and we were all set! Also our friends who stayed at the Poly could take our buses too....in fact when we pulled up for the first time our friends brought us back to the resort, after a late night at one of the parks, the guard didn't even ask for any Shades ID from any of us. He saw their Disney tag on their review mirror and let them in!

ALL the years we have been going we have never been asked for ID anywhere except for being able to stay for EMH's and to buy the MNSSHP tixs of course! We come and go wherever we want when we want with no problems or having to prove anything.

 

[bellemeeko1]

Has anyone stayed there recently? My family and I will be there the 6-13 and I just wanted to know what you thought about it?

We have been to it MANY times and have also stayed at Mod and Deluxe Disney resorts.....Shades can't be beat! The rooms are the largest on property, you can easily fit 5 adults in one room (even 6 if you need a cot, we have done it before with our 4 sons when they were in their teens). Love having a private balcony, love being able to have interior corridors, the only think lacking, in many opinions, is the food! But, we mainly only eat breakfast there and that's not everyday, we don't spend a ton of time at the resort, but enough to know, at the price and what you get, even Disney says, it is to their Deluxe resort standards.

 

[WDW 3]

Booked this morning!!!! Arrive the 29th of October.

 

[stm61]

We were there the week after Labor Day. The rooms were clean, no complaints about housekeeping at all. The only issues I had, and we usually stay at Poly with 40% off code, were with the food and the buses.

Every post I've seen agrees that the food is pretty bad. We passed on the buffets, the only food we ate there were sandwiches from the grab and go place and pizza from Evergreens. (I think it was Evergreen, my sons got it for us) The sandwiches were just that, 2 pieces of bread with meat or whatever in between. For $7+ I thought it would be a sub, but nope, just a plain old sandwich Breakfast sandwiches were $5. Can't complain about the pizza, it was better then Domino's, which is our only choice at home.

The buses drove me nuts. We mostly walked from Poly. It seemed like we were always missing a bus back to the hotel from a park. We spent more time sitting at TTC then we did actually riding buses. We saw the same people sitting on the same benches every day, we joked about who owned which benches. We did ok getting to the parks, it was the getting back that we just couldn't manage. Maybe we're just bus challenged or something Some of the buses were in pretty bad shape. Not dirty or anything like that, but there were screws missing from the metal shields in front of the seats by the back doors, loose railings, a/c leaks, etc. The buses ran on time, but not very frequently. I think it was once an hour from AK and HS, so we just took the shuttle to TTC and either waited for the SOG bus there or walked to Poly and then SOG. My youngest is 7 and used to keeping up with teen brothers so he was fine, but a family with younger kids could have a problem with cranky kids not wanting to walk.

We didn't wait in line for tickets at SOG, just walked right up to the counter. The only time I've ever waited in a line there was last June. It was late afternoon at the end of June and the line was over an hour wait. What made it so slow was nobody knew what they wanted! Almost every person in the line asked the poor guy behind the counter to go over every option, for every park in Orlando! I don't know how he kept his cool. The worse part was everyone had heard the poor guy repeat the same thing over and over again for all the people in front of them, but still made him do it all over again for them. Lucky me got stuck behind a young mother with one kid asleep in a stroller and a 4 year old girl who was doing everything except standing next to her mother, including swinging on the ropes, repeatedly annoying the baby so he'd start screaming, and throwing things out of the diaper bag. Mom was mostly ignoring her daughter, and the dirty looks everyone was giving her, while trying not to spill her beer. She got to the counter, had the poor guy go over every option again, then called her husband, who was in the room, and her sister, who didn't answer. She finally decided what to buy and then her sister called back and she had to discuss every option all over again with her! My sons and my brother-in-law were taking bets on the kid getting hurt before somebody in line got tired of mom's flying beer and staged their own intervention. That was the only time I've ever seen a line at the ticket counter at SOG.

 

[basilb]

We are staying at SOG the week before Christmas. This will be our 4th stay, although we haven't been there for about 6 years. We are all so excited to go back!!

We just changed our reservation to get the pricing of the Deck the Palms special....saves us about $180 for a 6 night stay. As I have been researching all of the specials, codes, dining, etc....at other resorts, the prices at SOG cannot be beat. There is no package that has even come close.

I haven't set up our transportation from the airport yet, or our shuttle to Universal while we're there, but things are coming together.

Any advice from others who have been there more recently??

 

[Nomad70]

oh that's funny - we were never asked for an ID not even once (end of August).

They weren't asking for ID's or anything, but on two occasions I heard the bus driver ask some who were boarding if they are SOG guests and then telling them the bus was only for SOG guests and then announced it to the other riders. Every evening bus they did announce it was the SOG bus for SOG guests only. But, I have to agree with them, the buses should only be for guests of SOG. It's very easy to either drive there on your own or take a bus/monorail to Poly and walk over.

 

[lilsk8nmac]

We are staying at SOG the week before Christmas. This will be our 4th stay, although we haven't been there for about 6 years. We are all so excited to go back!!

We just changed our reservation to get the pricing of the Deck the Palms special....saves us about $180 for a 6 night stay. As I have been researching all of the specials, codes, dining, etc....at other resorts, the prices at SOG cannot be beat. There is no package that has even come close.

I haven't set up our transportation from the airport yet, or our shuttle to Universal while we're there, but things are coming together.

Any advice from others who have been there more recently??

As far as transportation to/from the airport we were just there at the end of Aug and for the first time needed transportation. We used FL tours and loved them. We will use them again in a heartbeat.