Shades of Green VS..

[honey11dog]

You purchase the Stars and Stripes tickets at SOG ticket office. They cannot be purchased ahead of time. You need to show them a room key, as they cannot be purchased unless you are actually staying at SOG.

 

[honey11dog]

Thank you so very much!! I feel much more informed...when paying this amount money I feel better knowing the facts apose to walking in blind!!


Where can I get more info on the Stars and Stripes length of stay tickets?


micmacmissy - God speed to your Husband.

If you have any questions you need to call SOG. The website has them listed in the ticket price area. I called the other day to get more info and the lady told me that they can only be purchased by those staying at SOG. You need to show a military ID and a room key.

 

[wildzootv]

Thank you!!! We were about to purchase our tickets here at our military base - didn't know a thing about the stars and strips one!!! (((hugs)))

 

[buzzmom3]

I'll vote for Shades of Green. We normally go and stay at All Star but this January we took my Dad and stayed at SOG. The resort is beautiful and so close to the MK! I was afraid my DS would miss the Disney theming but he wants to stay at SOG the next time we go back.

 

[honey11dog]

Thank you!!! We were about to purchase our tickets here at our military base - didn't know a thing about the stars and strips one!!! (((hugs)))

I did the same thing in 2006. I didn't know anything about the Stars and Stripes. The tickets we bought had Park hopper and water park options. On waterpark days we couldn't go to the fireworks b/c we didn't want to waste a park day and we ran out of options after 2 visits to the waterparks and 1 to Disney Quest. My kids wanted to go back to Disney Quest, but we had no more options and it would have been crazy to purchase individual tickets. I can't wait for the flexibility of going where we want when we want and without worrying about whether we have enough days left. HAVE A GREAT TIME AT SOG AND DISNEY!

 

[Tonya2426]

You purchase the Stars and Stripes tickets at SOG ticket office. They cannot be purchased ahead of time. You need to show them a room key, as they cannot be purchased unless you are actually staying at SOG.

You can actually purchase Stars and Stripes tickets if you are staying at any of the Disney Resorts - not just SOG. We were there 2 weeks ago and stayed at SSR and drove over to SOG to buy the Stars and Stripes tickets. Just tell the guard at the gate you are want to buy tickets and they give you an hour parking pass. You do have to show your military ID and your key to the kingdom card.

 

[Bevin]

And as someone pointed out before, you won't find healthy men sitting on the SOG busses while women and children stand . . .

Ahh, yes, my one pet peeve, especially when there is a very obviously pregnant lady standing along with an obviously sick child.

Anyway, the meal plan at SOG was actually pretty convenient for us since the kids liked the variety, and since it was a buffett, we could sit down and eat pretty quickly and get going to the parks. The room was just wonderful, nice, big and comfortable. You can't go wrong with SOG.

 

[tinkandpan]

I have stayed at SOG a handful of times and have always found it to be very clean, quiet and nice large sized rooms. For the price- you honestly can't beat it. We usually stay at the monorail resorts, so that was a change for us. We had a car so we didn't rely on the bus system but have heard good things about it. I do think the food is pretty horrific. WE ate from the take out breakfast and that was fine (cereal and such - super cheap) but the other restaurants didn't do it for us. We hit evergreens for lunch one day and it was acceptable but once was enough. Same with the buffet. Also- the Mangiano's or whatever their Italian restaurant is was really bad-. I guess my point would be the rooms are great, but the food is lacking. I do love having the access to the PX right there for drinks and stuff. Overall, I think it is a great resort- it is a little disney free but....

 

[wildzootv]

Thanks guys. I feel better about our decision and who knows if we will have the 20% off opportunity again but had reservations about the meal plan you had to purchase with it. It seems like it's hit and miss with people. Because we can purchase our tickets cheaper via military or there at the sog we can't purchase the disney dining plan... if I figured it out right.

lol and I had to laugh at myself when I realized that although the Stars and Stripes are a fantastic deal - not so in the winter months when the water parks are closed. I was so siked and then was 'oh doh'. lol.......

I can't thank ya'll enough for chatting this through with me.

 

[honey11dog]

You can actually purchase Stars and Stripes tickets if you are staying at any of the Disney Resorts - not just SOG. We were there 2 weeks ago and stayed at SSR and drove over to SOG to buy the Stars and Stripes tickets. Just tell the guard at the gate you are want to buy tickets and they give you an hour parking pass. You do have to show your military ID and your key to the kingdom card.

Are you sure that you didn't buy Disney tickets from SOG at the discounted military rate? I know that you can do that even if you are staying at another resort as long as you present a military ID. The lady I spoke to at SOG ticket office told me in order to get the Stars and Stripes length of stay you must be staying at SOG. These tickets are specifically tied to the number of days you are staying at SOG and you have to present a SOG room key in order to purchase.

 

[hildarumpole]

This from the SOG website regarding the purchase of Disney tickets:

"Magic Your Way Stars and Stripes Tickets are available only for guests who are staying at Shades of Green Resort or who are staying at a Walt Disney World Resort or staying at a Resort located on Walt Disney World Resort. A Military Identification Card or Department of Defense Identification Card and resort I.D. must be presented at time of puchase. Tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable. Prices and entitlements are subject to change without notice. Original Shades of Green tickets can only be upgraded. Any tickets reprinted at the WDW parks can not be upgraded. "

 

[weirdpaintballr]

Ok... My sister, her husband, and I stayed at Shades of Green in November of 2006 and we were happy with the size of the room. It was a really good deal, but it was not what my sister and I are used to with Disney resorts. The transportation was decent....except for a few minor problems that we encountered.

1. The bus from MGM back to SOG was very late one night. We waited for over an hour to be picked up. Many people were calling the front desk asking about the hold up---they had no idea what was going on. Several times we saw one of the SOG buses pull into the parking lot at MGM (far from the guest pick-up area) and park for several minutes, then leave. We couldn't figure out what in the world was going on. Eventually the front desk was able to get in contact with the company that operates the buses and get them to get that driver to actually pick us up.

2. One of the drivers clearly didn't need to be driving a bus--let alone any vehicle. At the TTC guest pick-up area he hit the concrete barriers twice--first pulling in to pick us up and then while backing out. That was slightly concerning. Half of the time this man didn't seem to be in there or know what he was supposed to be doing. (Same driver as above. )


Overall the resort was good---big room, pretty, and very cost effective. However, I greatly prefer the reliability of the Disney buses over SOG's buses. If you prefer to spend less money, SOG is a good choice. Also, we only ate breakfast there once, and it was okay, but nothing to shout about.

 

[honey11dog]

This from the SOG website regarding the purchase of Disney tickets:

"Magic Your Way Stars and Stripes Tickets are available only for guests who are staying at Shades of Green Resort or who are staying at a Walt Disney World Resort or staying at a Resort located on Walt Disney World Resort. A Military Identification Card or Department of Defense Identification Card and resort I.D. must be presented at time of puchase. Tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable. Prices and entitlements are subject to change without notice. Original Shades of Green tickets can only be upgraded. Any tickets reprinted at the WDW parks can not be upgraded. "

I am glad to hear that you can purchase them even at another Disney hotel. I was hoping that was true!

 

[Tonya2426]

Are you sure that you didn't buy Disney tickets from SOG at the discounted military rate? I know that you can do that even if you are staying at another resort as long as you present a military ID. The lady I spoke to at SOG ticket office told me in order to get the Stars and Stripes length of stay you must be staying at SOG. These tickets are specifically tied to the number of days you are staying at SOG and you have to present a SOG room key in order to purchase.

No, they were Stars and Stripes tickets.


Copied from the Shades of Green website:

"Magic Your Way Stars and Stripes Tickets are available only for guests who are staying at Shades of Green Resort or who are staying at a Walt Disney World Resort or staying at a Resort located on Walt Disney World Resort. A Military Identification Card or Department of Defense Identification Card and resort I.D. must be presented at time of puchase. Tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable. Prices and entitlements are subject to change without notice. Original Shades of Green tickets can only be upgraded. Any tickets reprinted at the WDW parks can not be upgraded. Important note: While Stars and Stripes tickets may not be purchased by guests not staying at Shades of Green or another WDW Resort, guests staying at Shades of Green or another WDW Resort may still purchase regular WDW tickets. Please review both sets of ticket options to make your best choice."

 

[Tonya2426]

Someone beat me to the post - guess I didn't read far enough!!

 

[wildzootv]

weridpaintballr - you made an excellent point - gotta keep the hotel number on hand!! I never thought of that. What a smart idea!!

 

[caseywirth]

I'll be honest - I chickened out and changed my reservation from Shades of Green to Coronado when the Free Dining promotion was going on. I did not think the SoG dining plan was worth it - we would not want to trek back to the resort to eat dinner each night, and I didn't read very complimentary things here on the DIS about the meals there anyway. I also read at least one thread that said that the bus service was less than stellar (at some point this summer one bus was out of service and it made for long waits).

What I did was work out how much our vacation at SoG would cost, including an estimate for food. At my dh's rank, 6 nights would run $618, which I thought was great. Then, I started figuring meals. I had already booked character meals at Hollywood & Vine and Chef Mickey's, and dinner at Le Cellier. Even making allowances for eating some breakfasts in the room and skipping lunches if we ate the big breakfast at SoG buffet, I still came up with spending at least $500 on food/snacks, for a total of $1118, plus we'd have to spend $70 in parking fees. For the same total, I booked Coronado for the same length of stay and got the free dining promotion. We'll get more sit-down meals at our choice of places (including 2 more character meals) and have the counter-service meal each day. I thought it a better deal for us.

I'm sure we'll stay at SoG at some point in the future when our kids are older or if DH and I can manage to get away for a no-kids trip. Having little ones, I was less willing to be frustrated with the bus service.

Good luck with your decision!

Where would you have to pay 70.00 in parking fees? Staying at SOG, gets you in all the parks free if you are driving your own car.

 

[princesspiglet]

Where would you have to pay 70.00 in parking fees? Staying at SOG, gets you in all the parks free if you are driving your own car.

I think she is referring to parking at SOG. It is $5 per day. But like you said, parking at the parks is free.

 

[caseywirth]

That still would only be 30.00 for six nights not 70.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

My error. I was thinking the parking at Shades was $10/day not $5. I was also unsure of whether the fees were incurred by the number of days or nights and we will be there 7 days, 6 nights, so I was allowing for $10/day.