Shades of Green questions

[hapandpam]

We will be staying at SoG in April with another family. We have asked for rooms close to each other, but did not specify any particular area. We stayed there many years ago, before the new addition, and the resort was small enough that every room was convenient. Should we/can we request a particular area? How is the transportation to the parks? Any tips/advice would be appreciated.

 

[buzzmom3]

The new section is close the paking garage and is very nice. I didn't use the buses but a few times we walked over to the Poly and caught the monorail to the Magic Kingdom.

 

[abolanwoski]

We will be staying at SoG in April with another family. We have asked for rooms close to each other, but did not specify any particular area. We stayed there many years ago, before the new addition, and the resort was small enough that every room was convenient. Should we/can we request a particular area? How is the transportation to the parks? Any tips/advice would be appreciated.

Now, with the increased size, none of the rooms are particularly convenient. It really depends on what you're looking for. If you want to be close to the pools, the old section wins hands down. As the other poster noted, the new section is much more convenient to the parking garage. Either section is equidistant from the lobby and front door. The old section is (only slightly) closer to food and the AAFES/tix sales.

The rooms are the same size (to the inch I believe) but have slightly different decor. The old rooms have two half-walls between the sleeping and dining areas which I feel make the room seem larger (but I may be delusional). They are, of course, a little more worn, especially the hard furnishings and the bathroom fuxtures, but not gross. In Sept we stayed in 202 through 205. These are right at the entrance to the old section, so not alot of walking. Of course, there was heavy traffic, but I didn't hear/notice it. They are adjoining rooms(202-203, 204-205) and I did notice alot of noise transfer under the connecting door. The view was over the quiet pool and there was one evening, a loud group out there. Overall, I like the location alot.

As far as transportation is concerned, the buses run like clockwork, so as long as you know where and when you want to go, it shouldn't be a problem. That being said, I hate buses (childhood scars) and so I always walk to the poly or TTC and take a monorail for MK and Epcot. I will take the bus for MGM and AK as needed, although, often, I will just pay a few bucks for a cab to return, especially if it's late in the day and I'm tired. I always take a cab to go to resorts for meals/etc because the Disney buses in the evening stop at multiple places often and a short hop can turn into a prison sentence.

Hope that helps! Have a great time.

 

[rlovew]

I would have to agree with the poster who said it depends on what you are wanting to be near. We have rarely had trouble with the buses unless we are late as they run fairly well on schedule.

Rebecca

 

[cmhand30]

I would request adjoining rooms now and in what area you want. Be aware that pool side does cost more.
I have never had a good experience with transportation at SOG. Prefer to walk to Poly. You may want to check out www.allears.net for those readers reviews on SOG.
SOG is great when your on a budget. Rooms are very big. Service and ambiance is magic lacking. It is run by DOD/NAF employees not Disney.

Have fun.

 

[chessieiglr8402]

Good Afternoon.

My Boyfriend and I are going to Disney May 22-29 and we are going to be staying at the Shades of Green. One of the things that I love to do while I am down at Disney is going to the Character Wharehouse. We are flying down and not renting a car because we are under 25 and it is to much money. Is there anyway to get to the outlet mall without having a car.

Thanks

 

[Mrsjvb]

we like to end our day with several drinks at Evergreens, so for us, being on the pool side/old section was perfect, but it was a haul to get to the main bus stop or to get to Poly.

We had a bad start to our Bus experience..nobody showed up to drive the AK bus on EMH morning, so it soured us for the rest of the trip and we only used them for DTD. Frankly, the nice slow walk from Poly was a good way to relax and wind down from the excitement of the parks.

I will say there buses were NEVER SRO, which was nice.

 

[Sleepy]

We had a bad start to our Bus experience..nobody showed up to drive the AK bus on EMH morning, so it soured us for the rest of the trip and we only used them for DTD.

We have found it is easier to just take the TTC bus from SOG and then catch the Disney MGM or AK bus to those parks. It's more direct and you don't have to deal with the side trips by water parks.

 

[hildarumpole]

Buses are great, as long as you observe the schedule and there aren't any mechanical issues. The first trips of the day have the most problems, because the drivers arrive just before it's time to go and find out they can't. Non-functioning wheelchair lifts were the most common problem, which meant the bus was not allowed to go, even if no one with a wheelchair or ECV was waiting to ride. We hiked over to Poly once when that happened. It wasn't very nice. The bus was completely crammed before it even made it's next stop at Grand Floridian. I don't know how they managed to squeeze anyone else on, but we all waited while every last inch of space was filled by a human body before taking off. It was a very long trip to AK, with a stop at a waterpark along the way. As a PP stated, you're better off taking the SOG bus to TTC (runs every 20 min.) and hopping on a Disney bus to your desired destination if you don't want or can't get an SOG bus.

As far as room requests, we stayed in the new section and loved it. We were on the 2nd floor, which is the lobby level, so it was a quick walk to the bus stop every morning. It only took a couple minutes to walk to the pools, so we didn't miss not being poolside.