Shades of Green--spectacular! (long)

[HappyMommy2]

One question: how long does it take to walk to the Poly? The kids will be 4 and 6 (4 year old in a stroller). Do you think the walk over is OK for the 6 year old? He is a good walker, never complained once or asked for a stroller on his trip in March. On the other hand, I would not want to wear him out unnecessarily at the start of the day.

We usually had both kids in their umbrella strollers when we did the walk to/from the Poly. We timed the walk a couple of times and it was about 12-13 minutes from our room (in the new section) to the monorail platform at the Poly. We thought we were walking pretty fast but it must not have been as fast as MyTalula! The walk was very, very pleasant, other than having to cross one semi-busy street. We never did see the Shady Shuttle (golf cart) but I think maybe it was being put into use for something having to do with the golf tournament that was going on while we were there.

 

[MyTalula]

We usually had both kids in their umbrella strollers when we did the walk to/from the Poly. We timed the walk a couple of times and it was about 12-13 minutes from our room (in the new section) to the monorail platform at the Poly. We thought we were walking pretty fast but it must not have been as fast as MyTalula! The walk was very, very pleasant, other than having to cross one semi-busy street. We never did see the Shady Shuttle (golf cart) but I think maybe it was being put into use for something having to do with the golf tournament that was going on while we were there.

LOL Ya, I was talking about the Lobby of SOG to POLY. If I added the time it took us to get to our rooms, it would be 12 - 13mins total.

 

[liamsaunt]

Thanks guys, this is good news.

 

[SeaShelley]

Hi HM2, We were there at the SoG with you last week....actually stayed an extra day thanks to Wilma! I have to agree with everything you wrote. We just love the Shades. It's plenty Disney enough for me; I actually enjoy the quiet, laid back nature of the place after a full day in the parks.

We stayed in the old section (much to the dismay of my Dad, who had requested, but did not get the new section) and our room (272) overlooked the 10th tee of the Palm course. We saw deer on the lawn by the fountain almost every night when we got back to the room!

 

[disneyholic family]

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.

i'm jealous...i've been trying to convince my FIL for years to come to WDW with us....we could all stay at SOG as he's both a vet and a retired big cheese from the DoD....but he hates all things Disney....
even when i brought my mom with us several times to be with us on our vacation and then my sister.....i thought he might soften up....but no go...
so i guess i'll never get to stay at SOG.....

i was wondering....are non-guests permitted on the property at all?....i've always wanted to drive in just to see it, but didn't have the nerve....

 

[baileybelle]

We just returned from our stay at SOG on 10/27 and we absolutely loved it!!! We were in the new section in room 3153 overlooking the golf course. The room was big and beautiful. We had 2 Queen beds and a full sofa sleeper. The bathroom was huge with double sinks and a separate room for the tub/shower/toilet which was very convenient in the morning.

All the staff we encountered were wonderful.

We were there during the golf tournament and were overlooking the practice green and the 1st tee. It was fun to wake up in the morning and watch the pros practicing from my balcony.

We used the bus service every day and found it very efficient. The only bus stop that was a problem was the one at AK. It was quite a hike from the park entrance.

The food was good, but not exceptional. We ate at the dinner buffets 3 times and breakfast once. Great value. Each night there is a different theme. On Tuesday it's BBQ night. Only $10 per person.

We also ate at Evergreens twice and the food was ok. The little ice cream shop in Evergreens is quite expensive. They charged me $2.00 for one scoop of ice cream.

Any questions? I'd be happy to answer.

 

[suevee]

Beth, your MIL has an Dod or military retired ID card right? Take her, she can sponser you. I go with my grandkids, friends, or just by myself when my husband can't make it.

 

[MickeyHereWeCome!]

Hi! Does the Shades of Green resort have anything similar to a food court, like they have in many of the other resorts. We're trying to decide if we should try out SOG on our next trip. I'm concerned about the lack of Disney decor, and the availability of quick food (we like to take food back to our room). Also, being so close to MK, is transportation to that park fairly easy and quick? We'll have a car with us, but I know we'd have to take WDW transportation at some point to MK anyway.

Thanks...I'm glad you had a great time. We have finally reached the "less than a year" countdown!!!

 

[NotTooGoofy]

SOG doesn't really have a food court. They have a sports bar and grill (Evergreens) that have similar food you'd find at a food court but it's more of a restaurant. It's fairly quick to get to the all of the parks.

 

[MickeyHereWeCome!]

Thanks!

Also, do guests have to be escorted by the person with the ID card at all times? Something about this was mentioned on the old website. I'd have for us to have to travel as a pack.

Does anyone know if an infant counts towards the 5 persons? In the other Disney resorts, a baby under 3 is permitted, in addition to the maximum. We'll have 5 of us, plus a baby.

Sorry for all the questions. I just got in a Disney planning mood today.

 

[pewing]

How far in advance do you book?

 

[bdcp]

We booked just under 1 year for our trip that starts this weekend. We booked 9 months out in 1998. I would suggest at least 6 months to ensure you get the dates you want.

 

[pewing]

Anyone do Christmas? How far in advance?

My dad was active duty retired when he died. My mom has talked about getting three rooms and going with my family and my brother's family.

I think it would be great to do Christmas!

 

[Sollenberger]

We booked in Jan for our June trip and wished we had started earlier so we could get a suite, which were gone by that time. My SIL is active duty marine and while he and my daughter were our sponsors (also had my son and family with us as well) we could come and go and shop without either of them with us - only needed them to check in and buy our park tickets there (we did the stars and stripes deal). We were never asked for ID on the buses either. As for eating in your room, we ordered room service - but they also have a little cafe shop by the busses that have great sandwiches and snacks, as well as Evergreens, which we ordered to-go as well. Good Chicken Sandwich there. Another option is drive to DTD - Earl of Sandwich and bring back to SOG ...seriously, the rooms are so large and have such a nice eating area that room service worked great for us at times.

 

[samshane]

We book March 1 for our trip next week... we had heard that it can be difficult to get a room if you do not book way in advance. I think they book up to a year out, but that may have changed.

 

[Texa]

I'm so greatful to the people on this thread. We are planning a trip for June and were considering SOG. Not only do I love the idea of the savings, and the location of the resort but I think DH would love the "atmosphere" of being with other DOD people (he is Airforce reserve). But I was having such second thought when I hear about all the Disney magic we will be missing! Now I'm beginning to get excited about SOG. Is it kid friendly? We have an 8 year old DS and 3 year old DD (who will be turning 4 on the trip!). They won't really know any different. We went to a small Ramada in Del Rio,TX one time and they thought it was the greatest because it had its own pool!

 

[Soarin' Rocks]

My brother and his family went in June and they have two little boys, ages 6 and 7. The boys had a great time, especially when they spent the entire day around the pool. The adults mentioned that it seemed like SOG was very kid-friendly (and they are very hard to please). There were a lot of kids there in June and all seemed to be having a great time.

 

[rabyoga]

We stayed at SOG this past May and we LOVED it!!! It's in a great location- only a 1/2 mile to Poly. (We walked every morning to Poly to catch monorail/bus or something to eat.) It's a great resort at an afforadable price. We also liked the food there-the little eatery downstairs in front of the bus stop has pretty good sandwiches.
I definitely recommend it. Although I will need a room for 8 nights in May 2006

Robin

 

[ppony]

This talk really jazzes me up! I'm SO excited to stay there for the first time. WHY I thought my hubby had to be active to stay is BEYOND me! All this time we've been paying $300+ a night!!!! And he was E5 when he was discharged so we're in the cheaper seats! So my hubby's and mine gift to each other for this Christmas is paying for our room for our 2006 Dec trip. I'm waiting until I can pounce on reservations but I had a question. I've heard, possibly mistakenly or I misunderstood, but I heard that WDW owned resorts will only let you pay for one night when you reserve your room. That may not be true but I wanted to know if SoG had that kind of deal going on or if I can pay for our entire stay up front? I'd rather get it paid for and worry about saving for everything else.

Excitement! SO glad to hear so many people lovin' it!
Thanks in advance for any help!!!!!

 

[bdcp]

This talk really jazzes me up! I'm SO excited to stay there for the first time. WHY I thought my hubby had to be active to stay is BEYOND me! All this time we've been paying $300+ a night!!!! And he was E5 when he was discharged so we're in the cheaper seats! So my hubby's and mine gift to each other for this Christmas is paying for our room for our 2006 Dec trip. I'm waiting until I can pounce on reservations but I had a question. I've heard, possibly mistakenly or I misunderstood, but I heard that WDW owned resorts will only let you pay for one night when you reserve your room. That may not be true but I wanted to know if SoG had that kind of deal going on or if I can pay for our entire stay up front? I'd rather get it paid for and worry about saving for everything else.

Excitement! SO glad to hear so many people lovin' it!
Thanks in advance for any help!!!!!

Discharged? Not retired? You have to be active, retired or reserve.