Shades of Green vs Pop vs ??

[TeamP09]

Hi everyone! I am new here and of course having the dilemma of where to stay for our upcoming DW trip the first week of May. We are a military family so we can stay at Shades of Green (Its next to Poly) but I also have reservations currently at Pop. The price difference is only $45 total so I'm not sure where to stay! My son will only be 21 months at the time we visit, but these are the things important to me:

-Decently quick transportation as my son still naps so going back and forth would possibly be a necessity..we will probably go to MK more than other parks
-Things for my toddler to do at the hotel, as my spouse and I would like to leave our baby with my mom in the evenings while we go to parks more.
-Food within the resort (not sure if we will do meal plans yet)

I know SOG does not have Disney theming, magic bands, disney dining plans, etc. That really doesn't bother me (but maybe it should??) I just want the commute times to be as short as possible to avoid toddler meltdowns. I like that Pop has more for my son to do on site, but it seems to be out of the way of everything from what I have read? help!!

 

[melissafox18]

I love Pop, but it doesn't necessarily fit your criteria in terms of quick return during a meltdown and meal options (it only has one with a second a short distance away at AoA). I really enjoy the hotel itself even just as adults. I never felt like it was out of the way. I was happy with the bus service throughout our trip!

I can't speak for a comparison for SoG. I know it's more expensive, but I think Wilderness Lodge would be perfect for you. It's a boat trip away from Magic Kingdom and less expensive than the monorail resorts. You should be able to get somewhere around a 40% discount off rack rates. You are also a boat ride away from the monorails which offer a ton more options of different things to do.

 

[Momoftwins+1]

Pop has a food court with various selections of food. SOG has um...a restaurant that I wouldn't recommend to anyone, a smaller aafes store with offerings similar to what you would find in a shopette/gas station on post/base and souvenirs, and a coffee service area (which was pretty good, one of the highlights of our stay there).

There are grounds to be walked around and stuff at SOG but I wouldn't peg it as toddler friendly/amusing per say. It is more golf country clubish with pools. Pop is more kid oriented.

Neither are a quick return type resort. Someone else pointed out Wilderness Lodge might be a good fit for you guys. Can use a quick boat ride to get back instead of a bus and if they have any left it carries a 40% military discount as a deluxe non monorail resort.

I would lean towards POP if I had to choose. But I am not a pro SOG'er after our stay there. I would equate it to a post lodging with a prettier lobby plus if your flying in you can use magical express from the airport if you stay at POP and you can use magic bands and FP+ where you can't with SOG.

 

[NinaBella]

SoG all the way! Based on the information provided, SoG is going to be a more peaceful and quiet setting for your family to enjoy and toddler to have space to run about on the green belts and the property. Pop is going to be crowded and louder in comparison. There is a huge cheer competition the first weekend in May that brings many spectators along with this particular competition in addition to the normal May crowds so I expect the Pop will be in full swing with guests.

SoG is kid friendly and the restaurants are fine but you don't have to eat there if you do not want to. I have four kids and we always enjoyed SoG. We don't stay there anymore only because I can get better rates off property. You mom can walk around SoG in peace while your toddler walks around safely in a less crowded resort.

(Check out Gaylord Palms military rate, it's lower than SoG depending on your pay grade. Gaylord Palms has been my kids #1 place to stay over the past few years. http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/mcogp-gaylord-palms-resort-and-convention-center/ Many off property resorts if you call directly will give you a military rate.)

 

[bound4wdw]

-Decently quick transportation as my son still naps so going back and forth would possibly be a necessity..we will probably go to MK more than other parks
-Things for my toddler to do at the hotel, as my spouse and I would like to leave our baby with my mom in the evenings while we go to parks more.
-Food within the resort (not sure if we will do meal plans yet)

We have stayed at both in the past year, and the buses at SOG are horrible to say the least. You have to plan your day around them, so after a couple of days we realized it is best to just got to Polynesian
(right across the street) and use the Disney transportation from there.
Pop has many activities throughout the day for toddlers, and movies by the pool every night, plenty to keep them busy. including a large play room right by check in with cartoons and activities.
As far as food there are a lot of choices at both places, but at the POP its all in one place. SOG has a lot more upscale options, but most toddlers don't care about that.
I will say the rooms at SOG are much, much,much better than POP. So if space is important SOG is better than POP.
Hope this helps you a little.

 

[LoveToTravel2001]

I love SoG. It's a beautiful resort, and quiet. The buses are on a schedule and if you know that, you can plan. I've never had the bus be too full and have to wait for the next bus. You can often wait for buses for other resorts and then the bus is full or standing room only. If you bring a stroller or rent one and have it delivered, it's a walk to the Poly but one we did often and the kiddo would fall asleep on the quiet walk back. My parents could entertain a small child at SoG all day but would not like the crowds at Pop. Also, the rooms at SoG are a little bigger. Food is ok - nothing to write home about but then I'm sure Pop is no better.
There is a huge All Star cheer competition - The Summit - May 3 & 4. (As of last weekend, I'm going with my daughter.) The package deals are for the All Stars but I'm sure there will be some over flow to resorts but not to SoG.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[compshu]

If you plan on spending most of your park days in the MK or even EPCOT, I would go with SoG. I haven't stayed at Pop yet, but Shades has huge rooms, and a short walk to the Poly for the monorail. We left about half an hour before MK opened and made it with plenty of time for the welcome show. The best part was when the park closed, and the monorail line was all the way down the ramp, the bus lot was packed, we just caught a ferry to the Poly and walked back to our resort. There might not be as much for kids to do at the resort, but they do try to add activities from time to time. We didn't spend enough time at the resort for that to be an issue for us. We like Shades for the location, the military rates, and the size of the room (huge). Best advice I can give: figure out what is most important to you, whether that is time is takes to get to the parks, food options, spending time at the resort, or whatever you value most and then look at what each resort offers along those lines. Everyone will have their opinion as to which is best, but only you can decide what is best for your family. Either way, you're going to Disney World, Oorah!

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

We have stayed at both. Although it is true that the rooms are bigger at SOG, we prefer POP over SOG as long as the prices are close. Here is why...........

At POP you get free parking at all the parks, good bus service (especially to MK---where you get the shortest walk possible), nice food court, all bus stops are covered in the event of rain.

At SOG you have to pay for parking at all parks except MK, the bus service requires a transfer at the TTC in order to go to MK, you have to pay to park at DHS, EP, and AK. The food choice and quality is poor. Some of the bus stops are exposed to the sun and therefore you may get hot or wet while you stand and wait for the bus.

As far as I know, you can not do FP+ 60 days out if you are at SOG.

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

Hi everyone! I am new here and of course having the dilemma of where to stay for our upcoming DW trip the first week of May. We are a military family so we can stay at Shades of Green (Its next to Poly) but I also have reservations currently at Pop. The price difference is only $45 total so I'm not sure where to stay! My son will only be 21 months at the time we visit, but these are the things important to me:

-Decently quick transportation as my son still naps so going back and forth would possibly be a necessity..we will probably go to MK more than other parks
-Things for my toddler to do at the hotel, as my spouse and I would like to leave our baby with my mom in the evenings while we go to parks more.
-Food within the resort (not sure if we will do meal plans yet)

I know SOG does not have Disney theming, magic bands, disney dining plans, etc. That really doesn't bother me (but maybe it should??) I just want the commute times to be as short as possible to avoid toddler meltdowns. I like that Pop has more for my son to do on site, but it seems to be out of the way of everything from what I have read? help!!

I have stayed at both and I would pick SOG with a cheap car. I would say a car for POP also. SOG has rooms almost double the size as POP and a larger fridge and microwave. The table seating is more comfortable as are the beds. The bathroom is double in size so a huge plus with a tot. The location of SOG is that of a deluxe so much better than POP. If you don't want to rent a cheap car then take a taxi from SOG to the Poly just a few dollars and use the Poly transportation. That is what we did when we didn't want to do the walk.

As for POP my kids love that resort, however, they were older kids around 12 years old. You have a tot and SOG is so beautiful and peaceful compared to the loud busy POP. Maybe POP when your son is older. I think for now you will enjoy SOG the best.

 

[LoveToTravel2001]

If the first week of May is the 3 & 4, the Summit cheer comp used all the All Star resorts and Pop last year (I just looked it up). Then overflow goes to CBR. Translation - very busy at Pop from about May 1-5. Translation- potential to be very busy, very loud, food court, buses, pool - very crowded. When we left AS Sports one night to go to Epcot, we had to wait almost an hour for a bus because the first two were full. When I went last year during an All Star comp (UCA) in March, the All Star pools were packed when we were there, the lines at the food courts I told were incredibly long (some athletes said they ran out of certain foods, though we did not experience it), and of course you have thousands of cheerleaders running around. While in general, very well behaved (most program gyms do not tolerate poor behavior), they are having fun and loud. We were staying at SoG because neither my daughter or I wanted to be 'in the thick of things'. Best decision I ever made.

 

[McMonsters]

I've yet to stay at either but was deciding between the two for our May trip with my girls 2 & 4. We have visited both in the past just to look around. I decided on SOG for us. It's less sensory overload for the little ones and we have had to deal with that in the past, especially when they were under 2. Disney knocks my kids out and coming back to a louder resort be it noise or decorations isn't going to be easier. Plus if the kids fall asleep in the stroller midday or in the evening you don't have to remove them to hop the mono to the poly and walk to SOG versus the bus where you have to fold it up. Its not a long walk and looked relaxing after a day of park fun.

 

[gilesmt]

Another vote for SoG, and all the reasons mentioned above and a few that have not been. SoG's new pool will be open by May, which will have more for little ones, and the other pool does have a toddler pool. The walk to poly is shorter than anyone says, because you walk out front of SoG and get the gold cart down to the end of rode, walk across and you are at the poly, the walk to monorail is just minutes, have a cell phone like everyone does, call for the golf cart to be there for you when you get off monorail and heading back by the time you walk over to the end of poly you will see the golf cart waiting for you. So take the poly bus from all parks and do this. Or you can if scheduled like service men are the schedule is right on and if you know it you will always know when to be ther for the bus. And they are never crowded, ever.

The food at SoG is lots better over the last few years, nothing to write home about, but neither is any of Disney regular food. The have kids at heart, breakfast have kids choices and the buffet always has fun little kids activities, they get a chefs hat and get to make there own pizza, or other master piece, kids of all ages like it. Sorry not for adults.

For a more quiet place to eat there is a place behind the second pool that is quiet for mom and toddler to go when ou go with wife, my granddaughter liked this place the best, sandwiches, fries, burgers, nachos, pizzas and such. There is a kids playground.

The beds are queens rather than doubles at the pop. And they have good mattresses, rather than motel 6 mattresses. There are indoor hallways, so the toddler can run up and down there, at the pop they are outside hallways.

No taxes.
No crowds.
No rough housing.
Think military base, orderly but friendly.
Fast easy check in, little to no wait.
Great prices.
Close to MK.
Good options for food at normal prices, not over priced. (Not great, but ok)
Golf carts.
Parking is only $5, but no resort fees. Cheap military car rentals in lobby.
Cheap refillable cups, and only $1 refills.

I could think of more but this is enough to make a choice. We went may last two years, it was great.

 

[gilesmt]

One last thing.

Your son will be overstimulated by Disney, so as your criteria states you want no meltdowns. I think a few hours in Disney with a 30 minute to bus, drive, hotel and walk would be a lot, but to have to walk past all those stimulating theming statues on the way to the hotel room, to me that would rustle my kids up and I would never get them to sleep. SoG will be a large hotel, only one statue of Mickey that you might miss if not looking for it and since you will be walking inside halls he won't see the pool or playground walking to the room. Much less likely a melt down after being over stimulated at the park.

 

[Mrsjvb]

-Decently quick transportation as my son still naps so going back and forth would possibly be a necessity..we will probably go to MK more than other parks
-Things for my toddler to do at the hotel, as my spouse and I would like to leave our baby with my mom in the evenings while we go to parks more.
-Food within the resort (not sure if we will do meal plans yet)

From SoG you can walk to TTC or Poly in about ten minutes to grab a monorail.( and vice versa) HOWEVER.. double check as the monorail could be DOWN from 11-7 daily due to maintenance. the busses run once an hour from each park. the bus to/from TTC maybe every half an hour.

there is little to nothing for young children as SoG other than the small playground and the remote controlled boats/ jeeps.

food options basically suck royally at SoG other than the breakfast buffet.

We stopped staying there years ago because for the same price( we are the top tier cost wise) we can stay at a Moderate with WAY better all around options.

if your number one priority is the ability to get back to the resort in under an hour then do not do SoG. and even going Pop or any other option, that will be more miss than hit.

 

[gilesmt]

Oh, how did I forget the absolute best reason to stay at SoG, and everyone else forgo this also. For your wife and mother, treat them to a massage by Johny. It is half the price than any place else. He is excellent and after three days of walking and your wife and nana are tired and sore, you will win them over by giving them a message by Johny. ( he is the best, there are others at the spa but Johny is the best, if he is still there. Honestly we do 2 weeks when we go and we get a massage every three days, and when done nothing hurts at all for three more days). No it is not for your son, but you or wife or nana will need one to enjoy your vacation more.