Shades of Green - Pros & Cons?

[LeeAnn]

I know that Shades of Green is Not a Disney Hotel but it's on Disney property and has some perks.

It's a Military Hotel and thanks to FIL we can stay there.

I know we can go to the paks during Magic Hours and I believe Paking is included.

But I think the the perks end there.

I don't believe we take adavantage of any the Disney Dining plans. Is this correct.

Please let me know the Pros and Cons of Shades of Green.

Also, do they have a food court (like Disney), where we toast our bagels, or use a microwave?

Do they have coffee pots and coffee in the rooms?

Thanks.

 

[thefigueroas]

You ARE able to park at the parks free but there is a per day charge for parking which is $5.00 a day.

You CAN go to EMH.

You do NOT have charging privileges in the parks and can not purchase the Disney dining plan. SOG has their own dining plan but, and this is my own families opinion, would not recommend it as the dining there leaves ALOT to be desired.

They do NOT have a food court per se but maybe someone else can answer about the microwaves.

They DO have coffee pots in the rooms and the rooms are a very nice size with a seperate area for the vanity from the toilet/tub.

Overall we did not mind the hotel. We really like the "Disneyness" of the other resorts though so will probably stick to those but if I had to I would go back.

 

[ttree]

I found a microwave inthe laundry room for guests to use. I also like the food there - pool bar with pizza delivery, ice cream parlor, large rooms and balconies.

 

[bitohoney]

Pro:
For the money, room size is great.

Cons:
No dining plan
No food court
No Magical Express - they do have trans to and from the parks but there's nothing like the ME
No theme - just boring Holiday Innish
Just wasn't Disney enough for me

 

[monkeybug]

We keep wanting to try SOG, but one major con for us is that after the 40% off Disney offers military, it's cheaper to stay in a moderate than it is to stay at SOG, not to mention the savings we get by purchasing the dining plan.
It does seem nice to be able to walk to the monorail though, and a larger room would be nice, but I'm not willing to pay more for just those two perks.
I also don't like that they don't have a slide at their pool.

 

[BabyFu18]

Pros:

-Larger Rooms
-Balcony/Patio (all rooms)
-Price (depending on your rank, the price can be a great deal)
-Hot Tub (that can be a plus to some, the best part is they don't allow kids under 16 in the hot tub, sorry kids but nice plus for adults)
-Less Crowded (buses, pools, game room, etc. seem less crowded than any Disney hotel and that can be a nice plus sometimes)


Cons:

-Dining options (this is the biggest problem with SOG)
-Lack of Disney theme (I compare it to a scaled down/non-disney version of the WL)
-Gift shop (so it's a basic small little aafes/mini-mart situation, no big disney filled shops here)
-No Refillable Mugs

And one thing I'll put on both the pro and con side of SOG is the bus transportation. Buses are always on schedule, so if you are a "get there when we get there..." type of family you might find yourself always waiting on a bus. However, if you follow the schedule given at check-in for the buses, and can be at the bus depot on the half hour or hour, you'll be perfectly happy with the buses. I don't have a problem with that, but I know some people would prefer the buses ran on a different schedule. My only problem with the buses is that sometimes they drop you off in the middle of nowhere (DTD), so you may want to drive there or be aware that it'll be a little more of a walk.

 

[dismagiclover]

We've stayed in SOG a couple of times and really enjoyed it. Obviously if it will work for you depends on your individual circumstances and tastes. We are a family of 5 so for us it is much cheaper than anything else on property. The rooms are large and very comfortable. I also think the location is excellent. It's a 10 minute walk over to the Polynesian monorail which is very convenient. The time of year you go also determines how good the deal is. At Christmas time you can't beat it and if we ever go at Christmas our plan is to stay at SOG (though we will have to book a year in advance.) During value season (especially with all of the current discounts Disney is offering) the value declines somewhat. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the hotel though. In fact we are staying here for a night in October when we go to the Halloween party because the location is so convenient for the Magic Kingdom.