Shades of Green ??'s

[DisnyMik]

My son (Army) wants to take a family vacation to Shades of Green. We typically stay on property but since he is now eligible for SoG he wants to try it.

We do have some questions though:

I know the rooms are bigger but is it worth it to spend the xtra and get a family suite or will one room be big enough for 5?

Do they have a slide at the pool? I can't find much info on the pools. We still have a 9 yr. old @ home who loves the slides.

We have stayed @ all of the All Stars and POP (2 rooms for 5) over the years and all the moderates and a couple of deluxe resorts. The last time my husband said he would prefer to stay at least at a moderate from now on if possible. So, other than the decor, how would you rate SoG as far as the hotel being nice, clean, rooms, the employees, etc? We just love the Disney resorts and love to hang out at the pool @ least a couple of days and we love staying on property.

We still have transportation if we don't want to drive, right?

No dining pkgs.?

Anything else? For the cost, it seems like it would still be cheaper than an All Star (no tax, also.)

Any thoughts?

Thanks a lot!

 

[micmacmissy]

We are staying there for the first time in January. I'll answer what I know and leave the rest up to the SOG pros out there!

1) The family suites are bigger, but are $250/night regardless of rank. It may be cheaper to get two rooms (or depending on ages, stay in one).

2) The hotel is supposed to be beautiful, clean, and well laid-out, people compare it to a Disney deluxe.

3) There is bus transportation, or you can walk to the Poly and hop on the monorail.

4) They DO have a dining package, although people on this board overwhelmingly rate SOG food as awful. We got a dining package basically free (with the OEF plan) so we'll try it.

Check out their website at shadesofgreen dot org and see if your son is eligible for any special discounts, like the OEF.

Have fun!

 

[Maine-iac]

Do they have a slide at the pool? I can't find much info on the pools. We still have a 9 yr. old @ home who loves the slides.

No there are no slides at the pools.

We have stayed @ all of the All Stars and POP (2 rooms for 5) over the years and all the moderates and a couple of deluxe resorts. The last time my husband said he would prefer to stay at least at a moderate from now on if possible. So, other than the decor, how would you rate SoG as far as the hotel being nice, clean, rooms, the employees, etc? We just love the Disney resorts and love to hang out at the pool @ least a couple of days and we love staying on property.

There is no Disney theme at SOG. The resort is surround by beautiful golf courses. The resort is clean and quiet. The rooms are big and have 2 queen beds and one pullout sofa. You may want to get 2 connecting rooms so you have 2 bathrooms. The walk to Poly is a nice walk. You can catch the monorail from there or walk to TTC from there if you do not want to catch the bus to TTC (for MK and EPCOT). I found that when the resort was full it did not feel like it was.

 

[Ms. Belle]

I stayed at SOG this past June and loved it. The rooms are huge (I've stayed at the CR and Poly, so I'm comparing the rooms to those), you can definitely fit 5. I traveled with my sister and her family, my mother and my family (total 6 people) and we got two connecting rooms and had plenty of room. There were two queen beds and a day bed in each room. The bathrooms were also very spacious.

The room was one of the cleanest I've ever stayed in at a hotel.

We never took the bus because we would always walk over to the Poly and take the monorail or catch a bus from there. The walk is about 10 mins and was really nice.

I only went to one pool and there was no slide and also no lifeguard, so be aware of that.

We also bought park hoppers there and you don't have to pay tax on them.

The food wasn't awful, but there isn't alot of choices and I don't remember any late night dining.

I hope I've covered all you questions.

 

[hildarumpole]

My family of 5 was very comfortable in the huge standard room. There are 2 queen beds plus a sofa bed. Double sinks made getting ready in the morning a breeze. As long as your family gets on well, a standard room should be fine. The rooms were well-maintained, along with the common areas. Staff was helpful and friendly. The landscaping is beautiful and the overall ambiance is very peaceful.

There are 2 pool areas, but no slides. The Mickey head pool is most popular with families. The "quiet" pool also has a whirlpool. My kids got their fill of slides at the waterparks, so didn't complain.

Bus transportation is available to the TTC, AK, Disney Studios, Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, and Downtown Disney. If you want to walk to Poly to catch the monorail, ask one of the bellboys to drive you to the end of the property on the Shady Shuttle to save some walking. It's actually a pleasant walk, so if you can't get it, you won't suffer.

I wouldn't recommend the dining package, because it limits you to SOG. We enjoyed Mangino's. Evergreen's is good for sandwiches, pizza, and drinks. They also offer carry-out. There is also a quick service stand near the bus stop. They offer pastries, coffee, breakfast and deli sandwiches, fruit, etc. Starbucks is very popular in the mornings. The ice cream parlor is open in the evenings. We never ate the buffet. I heard the breakfast is decent and reasonably priced. AAFES is well-stocked with snacks, soda, beer, wine, toiletries, souvenirs, first aid and beauty items, and paper goods.

You'll be able to purchase discounted park tickets. The Stars & Stripes package is a great deal.

All purchases are tax-free, so that's a big money saver.

Check out the website for pictures, pricing, and ticket info. You can also sign up for the newsletter. My family loves SOG. We won't stay anywhere else at Disney.

 

[Mrsjvb]

I know the rooms are bigger but is it worth it to spend the xtra and get a family suite or will one room be big enough for 5? 2 Qn beds and a pull out couch in the rooms. depending on how old every one is, you may be cramped, esp with the bathroom.

Do they have a slide at the pool? I can't find much info on the pools. We still have a 9 yr. old @ home who loves the slides. No slide, although one pool is mickey mouse shaped. There are however, boats and ATV remote control things to play with and a small playground near Evergreens'( the pool side bar).

We have stayed @ all of the All Stars and POP (2 rooms for 5) over the years and all the moderates and a couple of deluxe resorts. The last time my husband said he would prefer to stay at least at a moderate from now on if possible. So, other than the decor, how would you rate SoG as far as the hotel being nice, clean, rooms, the employees, etc? We just love the Disney resorts and love to hang out at the pool @ least a couple of days and we love staying on property. If you can live without being eyeball deep in Disney theming, SoG is comparable to a Deluxe as far as amenities, style and ambiance.

We still have transportation if we don't want to drive, right? SoG has dedicated buses to each park as well as DTD. Poly is a short ten minute walk which gets you access to the monorail, and another five minutes gets you to TTC. SoG buses only run once per hour, though, so at some point you may find it easier to take a Poly bus/monorail.

No dining pkgs.? The only dining package is for people on their R&R from The sandbox. It includes Buffet brekkie and buffet dinner every night for the stay. in my humble opinion, the dinner buffets aren't all that.

For us, price is everything. I can stay at a 'deluxe' for $103 a night year round
and still take advantage of nearly everything that a regular resort offers. Since DDP or ME are not that important to us, we don't miss out. plus, I'll be honest, I like getting away form the whole Disney saturation once in a while.

One thing I DID like was the little cafe down by the bus stop will prepare a picnic lunch for you the day before, so if you are wanting to save some money in the parks, the prices were very reasonable and there was a nice variety.

 

[edk35]

We have stayed at SOG several times. Our last stay was Jan. 07. The rooms are very big compared to other Dis resorts. We are a family of 5. Our youngest son sleeps on the sofa/bed. I would not get a suite but two rooms if you feel you need more room. IT would be nice to have two rooms for the extra beds and bathroom. We said that if we stayed there again (our kids are 17 now, 14 and almost 9) we would get two rooms. The resort is very clean, rooms are clean, quiet resort. The pools don't have a slide and compared to other Dis resorts....not much to thrill you. We love the closeness to Poly....walk over and hop the monorail to MK or EC. The rates at SOG are AWESOME AND NO TAX. The buffet restaurant is okay. We have only eaten breakfast there but very very inexpensive. They also have a little place by the busses to grab a quick bite in the mornings. The sports grill is just okay to us. There is also a small PX type store. We will probably still stay at SOG on occasion but would get 2 rooms. We are DVC members now so a regular resort room will feel much smaller to us now.HAVE A GREAT TRIP...YOU WON'T BE SORRY YOU STAYED AT SOG. Oh and the busses are fine too. You have a schedule so you know exactly what time they pick up from SOG and from the parks. That is a bit better than Dis busses at other resorts.

 

[JayP]

We just returned from our first stay at SOG, and we'd go back in a heartbeat.

The pros:

Lovely, quiet resort. We actually liked getting away from the Disney theme after the hustle and bustle of the parks, and the resort seemed much more calm and quiet than some of the other resorts we visited.

The rooms are spacious and very clean. We had 3 adults and 2 kids (7 & 12) and we opted for 2 rooms. We were lucky to get connecting rooms which was great. (Room 235 & 236) I liked that the bathrooms had 2 sinks and were spacious as well, although the shower could have been a little bigger.

Transportation was very efficient. The busses ran on schedule most all the time, and we never had to stand due to over-crowding. If you did miss the bus, you could walk to the Polynesian. (about 15 min. walk)

Food. We actually enjoyed all our meals at SOG and the prices are much more reasonable than elsewhere. We loved Manginos and the portions are huge so you can share. We also thought the dinner buffet was really good... we ate there at opening and the food was fresh and plentiful. Evergreens (a sportsbar) was great for a quick or lighter meal. We all shared appetizers one night and they were all yummy. (My BIL also liked that he could watch sporting events at night.) We also ordered pizza to go one everning and brought it back to our room. They also offer room service.

Starbucks, Snack Cafe, Ice Cream shop. It was nice to get a coffee and bagel in the morning before catching the bus, and an ice cream treat in the afternoon.

Friendly staff.


The cons:

Depending on where your room is, the walk can be long. We were by the Mickey pool, which the kids loved, but the walk was a little long after a tiring day.

Temperature. This sounds silly, but they kept the resort so air-conditioned I about froze. (And I'm from Colorado!) I definitely suggest bringing a sweater.

Slow service. Everyone was very nice, but for some reason it took a long time at all the restaurants, snack bars, starbucks to get served. I actually noticed that at most places we ate in Disney World. No one seemed to be in a hurry. I would suggest giving yourself plenty of time to eat.

No airport transportation. SOG does not participate in the free Disney airport shuttle service. We used a private car service, which was very nice and convenient, but it was an additional expense.

Overall it was a great experience, and we highly recommend the resort considering that you pay a value price for deluxe accomodations.

 

[Mrsjvb]

We just returned from our first stay at SOG, and

Temperature. This sounds silly, but they kept the resort so air-conditioned I about froze. (And I'm from Colorado!) I definitely suggest bringing a sweater.

so I WASN'T crazy in September!! DH kept insisting it was not that cold and called me a wimp, But I done froze all the time too! But then again, I was cold in every indoor venue at the parks too.

 

[hddanis]

so I WASN'T crazy in September!! DH kept insisting it was not that cold and called me a wimp, But I done froze all the time too! But then again, I was cold in every indoor venue at the parks too.

I was so cold in June that I actually sent my DD back up to grab my "blankie" because I was freezing in Evergreens.

We loved SOG. I think 2 rooms is a better idea than the family suite, but that's just my opinion. No Disney theming, but clean rooms, super friendly staff and an awesome price. We'd go back there in a heartbeat

 

[TLSnell1981]

I stayed at Shades of Green last year. As stated rooms are large and the hotel is very nice and convenient. I wouldn't even think of staying at any of the values or moderates that are actually Disney owned over SOG. The price would encourage me to stay there over the deluxe Disney. You are "on" Disney property at Shades, it is across the street from the Poly. You will love this hotel and its location. Hope you and your family have a great time!