HappyMommy2
<font color=green>He loves that Disney quasi-"futu
- Joined
- Jun 19, 2003
- Messages
- 1,789
If you're eligible to stay at Shades of Green and haven't tried it yet, be sure to consider it for your next trip! We just returned from a 7-night stay there--our first SoG visit--and had a fabulous time. We were really amazed by the beauty of the grounds, the relaxed "resort" atmosphere, the sparkling spotlessness of the whole place (one morning at 8a.m. we walked by the playground and a groundskeeper was meticulously picking every fallen leaf off of the play structure!), and the SIZE of the room! The service was excellent; from check-in to check-out every SoG staff member we dealt with was smiling and accommodating. We had a minor problem with the a/c unit in the room one day and maintenance was there to fix it within about 5 minutes of our call--very impressive.
Things that especially surprised us (for good or bad):
1. The *deluxe* feel of the resort--the decor was gorgeous. We loved
the beautiful lobby area with its comfy couches and big rocking chairs,
and the grounds (waterfalls, fountains, etc.) were extremely pleasant.
We didn't expect such a "rich" feeling from SoG.
2. The quiet--even when the big golf tournament rolled in the atmosphere
was still quiet and peaceful. We might have felt differently if we had
had a room along a major foot traffic hallway--we were in the new
section toward the rear, overlooking the golf course, and had so
little noise that we almost wished we had brought a noise machine to
drown out the silence,
but there were some thoroughfare-type hallways (especially in the old
section, on the way to the pool or lobby in particular) that would
probably have been uncomfortably noisy.
3. The price of sodas/snacks/etc.!! We were expecting a price break
on vending machine sodas and/or sodas in the AAFES but the prices
were almost Disney prices--$1.75 for a 20oz. bottle of Coke or water,
etc. The AAFES had a fairly good selection of snacks at okay prices
but still pretty $$$--next time we will do a grocery stop enroute!
4. The buses--we didn't use these as much as we thought we would.
We are a get-to-the-parks-before-rope-drop family most mornings
and even taking the first bus just didn't allow that--the bus (or bus +
monorail depending on the park) would get us to
the park right at opening or shortly after, not quite good enough for us!
We ended up using our rental car or walking to the Poly (very
pleasant walk BTW) and taking the monorail(s) depending on the park on
days when we wanted to be among the first inside the park at
rope drop.
5. The "Disney" feel--I was concerned that I would miss the "Disney" feel,
being accustomed to staying at Disney resorts, but I didn't feel
deprived at all! Just being so close to MK and the MK resorts, and the
"Disneylike" demeanor of the SoG staff, gave me plenty of the Disney
feeling.
All in all we were absolutely in love with SoG. We plan to stay there again on our next visit, hopefully before too long! Any questions, please ask and I will try to answer.
Things that especially surprised us (for good or bad):
1. The *deluxe* feel of the resort--the decor was gorgeous. We loved
the beautiful lobby area with its comfy couches and big rocking chairs,
and the grounds (waterfalls, fountains, etc.) were extremely pleasant.
We didn't expect such a "rich" feeling from SoG.
2. The quiet--even when the big golf tournament rolled in the atmosphere
was still quiet and peaceful. We might have felt differently if we had
had a room along a major foot traffic hallway--we were in the new
section toward the rear, overlooking the golf course, and had so
little noise that we almost wished we had brought a noise machine to
drown out the silence,
but there were some thoroughfare-type hallways (especially in the old
section, on the way to the pool or lobby in particular) that would
probably have been uncomfortably noisy.
3. The price of sodas/snacks/etc.!! We were expecting a price break
on vending machine sodas and/or sodas in the AAFES but the prices
were almost Disney prices--$1.75 for a 20oz. bottle of Coke or water,
etc. The AAFES had a fairly good selection of snacks at okay prices
but still pretty $$$--next time we will do a grocery stop enroute!
4. The buses--we didn't use these as much as we thought we would.
We are a get-to-the-parks-before-rope-drop family most mornings
and even taking the first bus just didn't allow that--the bus (or bus +
monorail depending on the park) would get us to
the park right at opening or shortly after, not quite good enough for us!

pleasant walk BTW) and taking the monorail(s) depending on the park on
days when we wanted to be among the first inside the park at
rope drop.
5. The "Disney" feel--I was concerned that I would miss the "Disney" feel,
being accustomed to staying at Disney resorts, but I didn't feel
deprived at all! Just being so close to MK and the MK resorts, and the
"Disneylike" demeanor of the SoG staff, gave me plenty of the Disney
feeling.
All in all we were absolutely in love with SoG. We plan to stay there again on our next visit, hopefully before too long! Any questions, please ask and I will try to answer.