Shades of Green in Twenty Eighteen!

[Cindylieu]

I am going in June, how about you!? Ive been to WDW, but I’ve never been to SOG before. I am getting SUPER EXCITED about our trip, having seen pictures and a few trip reports.

It is hard, however, to find much real information, and current information, from real folks about their recent SOG experiences.

I would LOVE to hear what your experiences have been (both recent and remote). Are you there now? What fun things are happening? Where are your “secret” spots on the grounds? What are the rooms really like? How about the suites? Have you spent time in the lobby? Have you seen wildlife? How about bag-check? How about housekeeping? Do your kids love the pool? What are the pool hours in the summer? The winter? What has been YOUR experience with transportation? Fastpasses? Going outside of WDW? Do you have a favorite walking path? A favorite meal? A favorite activity? Anything you would like to share would be GREAT!

How about photos? LOTS AND LOTS OF PHOTOS?! Do you have pictures of wildlife? Kids’ activity photos? The grounds? The path to the Poly? Inside the restaurants? Your room(s)? The lobby? Your family having fun?

This can be a place for military folks to share their experiences and gave each other tips on how to navigate WDW from Shades of Green. It might be a little different than staying at a WDW property, but with help from the military community it can be great!

When I come back from my June 2018 trip with my family, I will also post pics and mini-reports.. Help out by posting for the rest of us!

 

[firstwdw]

We are going to Shades of Green in April for our second stay. Our first SOG stay was April 2017 and we LOVED it!!! It's a hidden gem!

We loved the pools! There are 2. One is a walk in pool with volleyball set up and a huge hot tub where you can easily watch the kids in the main pool from. The other is a big pool with water basketball and a giant slide. Lifeguards are attentive to both pools. Next to the pool with the slide is a really nice kiddie water park area with smaller slides, shallow water, sprayers, geysers, tipping water buckets. Disney resorts are super strict about kids over 48" being in these mini water parks but at SOG, taller kids get to enjoy it too!The pictures of the regular land playground do not do it justice. It's super nice with plenty for the bigger kids and benches for the grown ups.

We saw wild turkey, deer, peacocks, and even a baby alligator

Transportation is awesome! SOG buses have the most polite guests riding them. Id is checked every time you get on a bus. We never had to stand and we were never packed in tight even at park closing. You can also walk to the Polynesian to use their transportation and another 5minute walk beyond the Poly is the Transportation Center with direct monorail to Epcot and Magic Kingdom. Lots of transportation options at SOG.

Housekeeping came late for us-we were usually napping. That's ok though as we didn't really need housekeeping. They always left a message on our phone asking if we needed anything as they noticed the do not disturb sign was out. And we found out later in the stay that you can request a time for housekeeping to come so they are willing to work with your schedule.

Check out the military Disney tips website for lots of SOG information. You will love your stay there! We are kicking ourselves for not trying SOG sooner.

You can also sign up the SOG website for their monthly newsletter which includes a link to all the happenings at the resort including pool activities (I think those are usually Tues/Thurs afternoons) and many FREE yoga classes each week.

There aren't as many kids activities at this resort as at a Disney resort but that was ok by us. We spent a lot of time at the pool and playground. We walked over to the Poly quick service a lot and watched the torch lighting ceremony at the Poly. We also enjoyed the band and piano at the Grand Floridian Lobby. VERY easy to get to the Magic Kingdom resorts from SOG so we took full advantage of those resorts and their quick services, movies, campfires, etc.

 

[totallytigger]

Check out militarydisneytips.com. He has a SOG guide for families to use for tips and info. Its very helpful for newbies.

 

[Cindylieu]

Thanks for these great reports and tips! I’ve gor some more research to do now. Keep them coming!

 

[Cindylieu]

a huge hot tub where you can easily watch the kids in the main pool from.

My daughter is really excited about the hot tub! We didn’t know about that! She will be 15, and a hot tub is right up her alley. She is also pretty happy about the pool slides and sneaking onto the splash pad when no littles are there.

 

[Cindylieu]

And we found out later in the stay that you can request a time for housekeeping to come so they are willing to work with your schedule.

Nice! I like the idea of being able to schedule housekeeping.

 

[jphilhower]

We love SOG. We have been staying there since 2006. It's a great hotel. The one thing I like you can sit by the pool and hear the magic Kingdom train. The walk to the Polynesian hotel is nice walk. Every room has a nice view too. We are going back in May 2018.

 

[Jen_G]

I stayed at Shades of Green last May with my cousin and her family, and it was amazing. I loved the bus transportation, we always knew exactly when the buses would be leaving. I don't think we had a late departure the entire week we were there. Even coming back from the Transportation and Ticket Center after the Magic Kingdom closed, the bus was maybe a quarter full and we had plenty of room to sit. The only time we couldn't was one morning when we were trying to get a park right when it opened - we had to stand for that one, but even then it was nowhere near as crowded as most Disney buses.

We did the Garden Gallery for breakfast a couple of times. It was really good, the buffet was extensive and they had made to order omelette stations which were great. I think it was like $13-14 a person? We have a lot of big eaters in our group, so it was definitely worth it. We also ate at Evergreens, which had very basic bar fare, and the Italian restaurant in the lower level. The Italian place was great, and very reasonable compared to the prices you'd pay at a Disney restaurant. Our server was attentive and helped my cousin pick out a wine she liked. The Italian place and Garden Gallery both have daily specials, so check their newsletter when you're there to see what they have that week. There's also a coffee kiosk in the main lobby that sells coffee, pre-packaged breakfast foods, and ice cream. They're open early if you need to grab something on your way to rope drop.

The grounds are beautiful. We had a pool room and we saw turkeys, peahens, and armadillos wandering around. i think we saw a possum waddle it's way across the walking path one night too. I loved that the pool near the waterslide had an actual deep end that we could swim in without touching the bottom. We walked or took the Shady Shuttle over to the Polynesian a couple of times while we were there and it was really convenient. (It wasn't as convenient on the way back, though. There was one day when we called to ask about the shuttle and were told that it was busy at the moment but that they would send it down as soon as it was free, and instead of walking back up to Shades we just all laid down on the grass and decided to wait for death. A bus driver coming from the T&T took pity on us and picked us up at the curb.)

Let's see what pictures I've got.

Waterfall in the area leading up from the downstairs area where the buses are to the main lobby.

View of the landscape from our room. We were on the first floor and could just open our sliding glass door and walk down that path to the big pool.

A picture of the big pool. The deep end is off the left with the shallow end on the right.

Arcade by Evergreens (the poolside restaurant/bar). We made the mistake of showing this to my cousin's youngest son our first day there and it was all he wanted to do from then on.

One of the lakes you pass by on the way to the Poly. Taken from the Shady Shuttle. There's a sidewalk on the other side of the road.

The spa at the hotel. My cousin and her future daughter in law both went there for a special and had a great time. It seemed to be very reasonably priced for what you got.

This is the smaller pool. It's horseshoe shaped and has zero entry gradients on both sides. It's not very deep, maybe 4 feet or so? You can see the hottub to the back left, right next to the pool.

Copy of the bus schedule for the week we were there. Keep a copy of this with you, we were constantly forgetting when our buses were leaving.

An armadillo we found on our way to Evergreens one night.

Our last day there, this peahen came by and tried to muscle her way into the room.

 

[Cindylieu]

The one thing I like you can sit by the pool and hear the magic Kingdom train

That sounds heavenly!

 

[Cindylieu]

the bus was maybe a quarter full and we had plenty of room to sit.

I’ve spent my fair share of time STANDING on a WDW bus. Sitting sounds like the better option!

The Italian place and Garden Gallery both have daily specials, so check their newsletter when you're there to see what they have that week.

Great tip! That will be good to know when we go. Thanks.

We had a pool room and we saw turkeys, peahens, and armadillos wandering around. i think we saw a possum waddle it's way across the walking path one night too

love all the waddly armadillos! It’ll be like Snow White calling in all the wee creatures.

I loved that the pool near the waterslide had an actual deep end that we could swim in without touching the bottom.

I didn’t know that! I thought they were all pretty shallow. My daughter will be glad to know there is a deep end.

I am LOVING all of the personal favorites and little tips. Thanks guys!

 

[Cindylieu]

I am so bummed, Jen_G, I can’t see your photos. Is it just me? Can others see them?

 

[dansdad]

I am so bummed, Jen_G, I can’t see your photos. Is it just me? Can others see them?

I cannot either. I can only see the video.

 

[jen7233]

Are you there now? What fun things are happening? Where are your “secret” spots on the grounds? What are the rooms really like? How about the suites? Have you spent time in the lobby? Have you seen wildlife? How about bag-check? How about housekeeping? Do your kids love the pool? What are the pool hours in the summer? The winter? What has been YOUR experience with transportation? Fastpasses? Going outside of WDW? Do you have a favorite walking path? A favorite meal? A favorite activity? Anything you would like to share would be GREAT!

We stayed at SOG a few days last summer. We've been there a few times and we love it. My family loves the grounds more than we did the Wilderness and the Beach Club. Yes, there are some gators in the ponds, we saw turkeys, etc. It's pretty nice. My favorite place on SOG is the Evergreen's in the back. We hang out, have pizza, kids played pool and video games. The kids like the Garden Gallery buffet, I'm not much of a fan just on the service. My kids love that place, though. I feel for the servers, it always seems like they are understaffed, by the amount of time it takes for table bussing and getting drinks. But they've always been polite, just looks like they need to have more staff in this particular restaurant.

The rooms I think are great. Spacious compared to the other properties around we've stayed in. The lobby? I actually like it! Even though it's not Disney themed, I don't care and love the tall ceilings and the chairs, etc. You can also get a coffee right there at the coffee stand, which I did every morning because I don't like the coffee in hotel rooms. Bag-check? We had a great experience, and we've split stayed and ask bags to be held until we could deal with the bags due to park hours or room check in times, and they've done it with no issue. The front check-in wait? Well, that was a little long last time for DH but no big deal. Housekeeping was great, no issues.

Favorite walking path is from the hotel to the Poly. We do that often and then take the monorail rather than the bus. Our experience with transportation was not really much different than any other hotel we've stayed at by WDW. A little less frequent bussing to Animal Kingdom, etc. than say MK. We didn't go to Disney Springs last time, or anywhere other than MK, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood, and then Epcot but did Epcot when we were the BC portion of our split stay. The favorite activity was the pool and checking out the little ponds on the path along the way back from the lobby to Evergreen's.

 

[Cindylieu]

My favorite place on SOG is the Evergreen's in the back. We hang out, have pizza, kids played pool and video games.

I’m going to have to check that place out. It has been mentioned briefly in some SOG info blogs, but hearing that it is one of your favorite areas intrigues me! I’ll be sure that is on my list.

You can also get a coffee right there at the coffee stand, which I did every morning because I don't like the coffee in hotel rooms.

I was wondering about bringing extra coffee for the coffee maker. I drink a lot of coffee in the mornings. Do the coffee makers take any sort of special pod or filter?

The favorite activity was the pool and checking out the little ponds on the path along the way back from the lobby to Evergreen's.

The pictures of those little ponds look so nice! My daughter and hubby have never seen alligators in the wild. I really want them to get a chance to spy one while we are there.

 

[Jen_G]

I am so bummed, Jen_G, I can’t see your photos. Is it just me? Can others see them?

I cannot either. I can only see the video.

I think I figured it out. Thank you both for letting me know, they were showing up fine for me so I had no idea. They should all be viewable soon, please let me know if they aren't.

 

[jen7233]

I’m going to have to check that place out. It has been mentioned briefly in some SOG info blogs, but hearing that it is one of your favorite areas intrigues me! I’ll be sure that is on my list.


I was wondering about bringing extra coffee for the coffee maker. I drink a lot of coffee in the mornings. Do the coffee makers take any sort of special pod or filter?


The pictures of those little ponds look so nice! My daughter and hubby have never seen alligators in the wild. I really want them to get a chance to spy one while we are there.

Sorry, I can't remember how the coffee maker was because I just automatically go get my coffee in the lobby every morning! The line was never very long. Yes, there are still gators there, we thought they took them out because the times we went in the past we saw them hanging out on the lawn by the pond in the back, but nope, this time we saw more than one and they were small, but still they were gators nonetheless, were in the ponds up close to the back of the lobby. They will hang out by the surface a lot. What freaked me out is when we've walked back at night from the Poly to the SOG, I thought there was going to be a gator near the sidewalk lol that I will not see until I come upon it, I'm pretty nightblind! We keep our little SOG guest pass in our wallets just in case (there is a guard post), no issues though. Anyway, the grounds are lovely, though. Love the magnolias also.

 

[Poutine]

Stayed at Shades twice, it isn't bad...so me rooms have a long walk to the elevators. The px is convenient. I actually opted to walk to Polynesian and use the monorail or go to the ttc for AK rather than wait for the shades bus (I've had more than a few times waiting for the bus to come outside a park and see other buses come and go multiple times before a shades bus appeared).
You can see some fireworks from the top of the parking garage.

 

[Cindylieu]

They should all be viewable soon, please let me know if they aren't.

Yay!! I can see them all now!

 

[dansdad]

I think I figured it out. Thank you both for letting me know, they were showing up fine for me so I had no idea. They should all be viewable soon, please let me know if they aren't.

Yup, can now see all but the last one. Great pictures! Thanks!

 

[Jen_G]

Yup, can now see all but the last one. Great pictures! Thanks!

Fixed! Thank you again. I hadn't realized Google photos was so finicky about embedding images in forums.