Shades of Green questions - please help!

[Disneyorbust05]

Hi everyone!
My parents,myself and my 2 small kids will be staying at Shades of Green at the end of October. Can you help us with the following:

What is a good area of the hotel to stay in if we want close access to the Poly monorail and/or bus stop? Or...is an area close to the pool better? What would be your pick?

Is the end of October a good time to go?

My dad got a rate of $106 per night - can other discounts be applied or not?

Any other tips/ advice you could give on this hotel?

Thanks everyone in advance!

 

[califred]

The only thing I can answer is that no no other discounts can apply unless you are on leave from Iraq. They go solely by rank on their pricing scale otherwise.

Have a great trip!

 

[Disneyorbust05]

I am bumping my own post in hopes that it attracts more attention!!

 

[Stitch Inside]

We found the new section up near the parking garage convenient to everything but the big pool and Evergreens.
And I'm not aware of any other discounts. $106 is still a great rate for this Deluxe resort. The rooms are the biggest, quietest, and cleanest standard rooms we've experienced at WDW.

 

[Butch50]

Deleted

 

[Butch50]

What is a good area of the hotel to stay in if we want close access to the Poly monorail and/or bus stop? Or...is an area close to the pool better? What would be your pick?

No one area is better than another, but the closer you are to the lobby, the less walking you will do. Once you hit the lobby, it is about a 10-15 min walk to the Poly - unless you can catch the Shady Shuttle.
If you want to be near the pool, request the older section. Don't worry about the rooms being better or worse, they are the same.

Is the end of October a good time to go?

We went in mid-October last year, and it was great. Still warm, but not too warm. In the past, we have had days that time of year when a light jacket was necessary, so you might consider taking one.

My dad got a rate of $106 per night - can other discounts be applied or not?

Like others have said, there are no additional discounts like AAA or AP.

Any other tips/ advice you could give on this hotel?

If you plan on walking to Poly like we did (we only used the SoG busses one time) make sure to give yourself a 10-15 min pad for the walk. Also, that walk seems substantially longer going back to SoG after you've been in a park all day.

We always use our car to go to MGM, AK and the water parks. I just don't care much for riding on the busses - at any resort.

Plan to buy some souveniers a the AFFES shop in SoG. Prices are lower than the Disney resorts or the parks, and you don't have to pay sales tax. There is less selection though. I suggest going to AFFES first, look at what they have, then look in the parks or other resorts. That way, if you see something in a Disney store that you want, you already know if AFFES has it or not.

Plan to eat one night at the Garden Gallery - great food at a very reasonable price.

Have fun!

 

[Disneyorbust05]

Thank you! That was helpful!

 

[FirstNo]

Hi everyone!
My parents,myself and my 2 small kids will be staying at Shades of Green at the end of October. Can you help us with the following:

What is a good area of the hotel to stay in if we want close access to the Poly monorail and/or bus stop? Or...is an area close to the pool better? What would be your pick?

My pick would be neither. I always liked the top floor facing the golf course, but that is my preference. You cannot choose which area of the hotel to be in (you can pay extra to have a first floor room facing one of the two pools). When you check in (as long as it's earlier in the day), you can always ask if there is another room available if you don't like the one you've been given. If there is, they'll be happy to accommodate you. If not, you may have to wait a day or two to be moved.



Is the end of October a good time to go?

Depends on whether or not that golf tournament is going on. If it is, then I would say "no, it's not a good time to go", but again, that is MY preference. The area is overrun with guests and media covering the tournament. However, if you love golf, it would be a great time to be there!



My dad got a rate of $106 per night - can other discounts be applied or not?

Not unless someone in your party is of a lower pay grade, however the rule is that whomever the highest paygrade is in your party, that is supposed to be the person the reservation is booked under. $106/night, with no tax involved, for a deluxe room is a great deal. You won't find one better.

 

[Sleepy]

You cannot choose which area of the hotel to be in (you can pay extra to have a first floor room facing one of the two pools). When you check in (as long as it's earlier in the day), you can always ask if there is another room available if you don't like the one you've been given. If there is, they'll be happy to accommodate you. If not, you may have to wait a day or two to be moved.

I have found that if you give them a block of rooms you are interested in at time of booking, normally you will get what you asked for. It has worked for me (more than once) and I never had to remind them at check-in that I even had a special request.

 

[princess mom]

I have stayed several times...the rooms are great (you can't beat the price either!!) Also they have a buffet breakfast in the resturant for only $7.00 or so...and the food is good too! We have requested to stay in the area faceing the golf course at time of booking and we recieved what we asked for. We walked over to the poly a couple of times...but mostly used the bus. They have added more buses so it is quite easy to catch one.( we always went to the ticket center then took the monorail) Have a Great time!!! Missy

 

[TSirgey]

We LOVED SOG! Just got back on 5/7. We stayed on the 2nd floor above the pool where we were the furthest away from the lobby. We didn't mind the walk to the lobby one bit. It took about two minutes. The pool side curves like a U and does not connect. One side faces the pool and the other the golf course. We really enjoyed sitting on our balcony in the morning watching the golf course. The pool was around the corner and down the steps.

If you plan to take a car, the parking garage is near the new section. Both are beautiful.

We walked to and from the Poly several times. The bus runs to the TTC every 15 minutes, so we used that many times too. We had strollers, so sometimes it was easier to walk back to the hotel VS. collapse the strollers or wake sleeping kids. I would make sure you check out the Poly maps when you walk because the walkways can be confusing for unfamiliar people. We walked entirely out of our way the first time we tried it.

In our opinion, for what we paid per night, we couldn't have asked for a better deal!! I have heard a lot of negative comments about the staff. We had mostly very pleasant experiences with the staff. If we needed something and called the front desk, they were at our door in record time. Everyone was pleasant and friendly.

 

[Disneyorbust05]

Thanks everyone! All of this information is extremely helpful in our planning. Now, I just have to figure out when the golf tournament dates are.

 

[baileybelle]

Golf tournament dates are October 20 - October 23.

 

[FirstNo]

Golf tournament dates are October 20 - October 23.

Keep in mind that there is usually some other lesser tournament right before the main one (kids or juniors or something like that). The whole golf shebang is usually about a week in length.

 

[SeaShelley]

Hi Disneyorbust

Maybe we'll see eachother in October. My family...all 10 of us...will be there for the tourney: 10/14 - 10/24. You'll love SOG. As others have said, the rooms are huge and the price is right. I can't wait to see the renovations.

Check out my counter below...we'll be enjoying the magic before we know it!!!

 

[Disneyorbust05]

Wow! 10 of you! That is great - are you getting suites or adjoining rooms?

 

[SeaShelley]

Wow! 10 of you! That is great - are you getting suites or adjoining rooms?

I think my Dad (retired AF) has requested 3 adjoining rooms. We are so excited to be going back. This will be the first trip for my neices (ages 3 and 5 1/2)!

 

[ougrad86]

I'll be staying at SOG in March 06. I was wowed by the price and the closeness to MK and the monorail, and will probably walk to the Poly when we need to use the monorail.

I have a couple more questions (most of them were answered! ). Do they have a small refrigerator in the room or one we can rent? Does the shuttle go only to the ticket center, or does it go to the entrance of each of the parks? And the AFEES store - what is available there...like a 7-11 with snacks or just a few sundries like film, sunscreen and souveniers? I was kinda hoping we could just pick up little items for breakfast and keep them in the frig in our room...$7 is a good price for breakfast, but when I see how much we'll be spending in meals (we love Epcot!), I want to cut corners where I can!

And my DH wanted to add one - if we do the shuttle, how often does it run? Every 20-30 minutes?

Thanks so much!!! Anybody who could help with these questions, it would be most appreciated. I think I'm more excited than my 9-yr old, and we have to wait so loooong!!

 

[Barbday62]

We was there last August during Hurricane Charley.

Yes they have a small refrigerator. ANd its free. Its built into the whole TV, Dresser thinggy.

When we was there there was 2 shuttles. The A route went to the TTC every 15 minutes and it was very reliable for us too. I never tried the B shuttle becuase we had a rental car but it went to MGM, Animal Kingdom adn I think Water parks. I think the B shuttle ran about eery 30 minutes or so.

The store is very much like a small 7-11. We got cereal (I think they had about 4 choices), Milk, chips, they had lots of water, some beer, some souveneer type items, a small medicine section, and there was even a small baby section for diapers and such.

 

[ougrad86]

Thanks! It sounds like it will be perfect, and you can't beat the price!

So excited......