Shades of green - yay or nay

[gavsgirl]

We have a trip scheduled for December. We have always stayed on Disney property. That being said, my husband told me to look into shades of green and when I saw the prices my mouth dropped. I can do the whole trip for a quarter of what we were going to spend on just the hotel. I'm just concerned about how much we would be losing in overall experience to save a substantial amount of money. I would love to hear pros and cons. Especially if anyone has done a Disney resort vs shades of green. Do you lose the Disney Magic feel? I'm all for saving a buck (we are looking into getting a pool this summer so the extra savings would definitely help) but I don't want to feel like the trip wasn't up to par just to save the cash. Thanks in advance!

-Kristen

 

[angryduck71]

I have done a couple resorts at Disney (Contemporary, Port Orleans). I love Shades. The rooms are MUCH bigger. You're RIGHT THERE. You can walk across to Poly to catch the Monorail. The ONLY problem is you can't do the fastpasses until 30 days instead of 60. And, you have to pay for parking at the resort ($5/day) and at the parks IF you drive (and, you don't get the ME, but that just doesn't bother me at all). SO worth it. Also, keep your eye out for deals -- it can even BE CHEAPER. I am a civilian DOD employee. I just saved ANOTHER $16/night for military appreciation in May. I really can't say enough nice things about Shades.

 

[firstwdw]

We are trying SOG for our next trip and really looking forward to it! The buses were a nightmare on our last Disney stay so looking forward to a set bus schedule from SOG or the option to walk to monorail if we choose. From reading reviews, it looks like a lot of SOG has been recently renovated including the two pools, kiddie splash area and restaurants.

 

[Farro]

Hated it, sorry!
This was back in 2000 so perhaps it's better now. In fairness, we stayed at Beach Club for our first 3 nights (won a trip through McDonalds!!!).
Micky had two more months of inactive duty Marines to qualify for the military discount so we added SOG to our free trip.
When we switched to SOG, it was like someone turned off a light switch! I thought it was dated, dark and dreary. Yes they do have their own bus, which was fine. We spent most nights hanging on Poly beach!

I absolutely realize I will be in the minority with this opinion, but thought I'd share it.

 

[crazylady]

We really liked Shades. The location is fabulous and the facility/amenities are very nice. If I was choosing between a value or moderate and Shades, I would choose Shades. But I would choose a Deluxe over Shades if budget was no object. That said, I do think you lose some of the Disney "magic" there. They have Disney touches but I didn't feel immersed like I do at the Disney hotels. I am totally OK with that. It is so much quieter and more relaxing than the Disney resorts.

Also, don't forget to budget your transportation to/from the airport to Shades in your budget

 

[jac1976]

We liked SOG a lot, and my husband would be happy to stay there every time, but I do feel like I miss out on some of the Disney magic by staying there and will book a Disney hotel if we can afford it. I also like the convenience of Disney Magical Express from the airport and using my magic band to charge to the room.

 

[LMP❤️Disney]

We love Shades and it's proximity to the monorail. The prices can't be beat for the amount of room you get. We were there a few weeks ago in September. Due to a monthly special, we payed $89 per night and had two free adult breakfast everyday. I had made two ADR for breakfast, so we actually didn't use all the free food! There's less Disney theming but the calmness overrides that for me. We love being able to come back from the parks and really relax, the noise level is unbelievably less than other resorts. If money isn't any option, I'd stay at a Deluxe over Shades but they money we save on the hotel allows us to do many more activities and meals. I'm so grateful that this is an option for military families.

 

[ellie05]

We have never stayed at SOG we have been there a few times to pick up tickets the most recent one earlier this month. I think it depends what category you qualify to make it a good deal or not. I think SOG is better than a value. Comparable to a moderate because what you gain in size you loose in magic and a big one magical express. It is not as good as Disney deluxe the decor is meh.

We have booked it various times as always end up cancelling. Because of DH rank it is usually not that great of a deal for us if at all. After adding the cost of transportation to the airport we would have ended up paying more for SOG than CSR.

 

[kandb]

Who qualifies for SOG? Is it military only? My dh is a NYC firefighter marshall and has gone to FBI school since he is in charge of the shooting range.

 

[Schilltastic4]

We have reservations at shades in December too! We've not stayed there since the 90s but the price this time is over a thousand less because we do 2 rooms at Pop usually. I'm a little leery about the lack of overt theming BUT with the savings we're doing an illuminations cruise and some other fun stuff. And the beds are bigger than pop! And we will have a 3rd sleeping spot should the kids not want to sleep together each night.

 

[over50visits]

Not as garishly themed as the more expensive "value" Disney resorts, not as elegant as the tremendously more expensive deluxe resorts. My bias is that I am spending the night there, going into the parks during the day. The rooms are amazingly huge. The resort is well kept, quiet, has a beautiful lobby, food prices that are reasonable (as compared with Disney restaurants). It is a jewel, and the camaraderie with other military members is something you can feel. We enjoy the walk to the monorail at the Poly a lot. The busses are there for you, but we have almost always taken the walk. This resort is so great for the lower ranks in the military who cannot afford staying at Disney resorts, but it is also great for those higher ranks who could afford the more expensive Disney resorts but feel they are too expensive for a place to sleep. Shades of Green should be proud of the quality of their resort and the service they provide to those who did serve.

 

[crazylady]

One thing that really struck me at Shades was how polite everyone was! There was lots of "yes, Mam's" and door holding. You can definitely see the military influence there.

 

[wilkeliza]

Who qualifies for SOG? Is it military only? My dh is a NYC firefighter marshall and has gone to FBI school since he is in charge of the shooting range.

It is Military only from my understanding.

 

[VAfamily1998]

Who qualifies for SOG? Is it military only? My dh is a NYC firefighter marshall and has gone to FBI school since he is in charge of the shooting range.

http://www.shadesofgreen.org/eligibility.htm

 

[over50visits]

Who qualifies for SOG? Is it military only? My dh is a NYC firefighter marshall and has gone to FBI school since he is in charge of the shooting range.

Mostly military and family members only. Some others can use it, such as DOD civilian employees, as well as former military (separated veterans) from time to time. VAfamily's link is the official word.

 

[Texas Mickey]

We have stayed both and although SOG is very nice resort we prefer a Disney resort. We prefer 60 day FP selection vs 30 day. Magical express vs having to arrange our own transportation from MCO. Disney buses vs the SOG buses. Magicbands. We get a lot more Disney feel to our trips when staying 100% Disney. It just depends on want you want from your vacation. Either way you can't go wrong.

 

[Imagineer5]

I stayed in May and have another reservation for December. When money is no object, or I'm able to get a good deal by renting DVC points 11 months in advance and can get my pick of places, I prefer Deluxe. But for the price, these two trips and I'm sure more on the horizon are at Shades. The walkability to the Poly/TTC/Monorails is a HUGE plus - I always rent a car so that isn't an "extra" expense besides the parking fee at Shades (which IMO is ridiculous). I don't eat at Shades and prefer to stick to Disney for everything - but the pools are great for all ages and the rooms are HUGE. I am looking forward to having that space on our upcoming trip where I'll have a small living area to put the baby in a pack n play.

Moral of the story, when I have the $$ to spend, I choose Deluxe any day. When I'm trying to budget in a few trips (thanks, APs!) then this is a fantastic option.

 

[Corbinator]

My sister stayed there about 5 years ago when she was married to an airman, and she thought it was a great value for the price. Pretty room, peaceful property, nice option that is different enough from the others to make it unique.

 

[bdcp]

Hated it, sorry!
This was back in 2000 so perhaps it's better now. In fairness, we stayed at Beach Club for our first 3 nights (won a trip through McDonalds!!!).
Micky had two more months of inactive duty Marines to qualify for the military discount so we added SOG to our free trip.
When we switched to SOG, it was like someone turned off a light switch! I thought it was dated, dark and dreary. Yes they do have their own bus, which was fine. We spent most nights hanging on Poly beach!

I absolutely realize I will be in the minority with this opinion, but thought I'd share it.

Our first stay at SOG was in 1998 and the second was in 2005. It was purchased by the DOD and renovated in 2004 and doubled in size. It recently underwent more renovations. I never felt it was "dark and dreary". We love the atmosphere of being around others who have served. It is much more open and bright now, but that has nothing to do with why we stay there. Our first trip there in '98 was with our two sons who were 12 and 14 at the time and both had a blast. One slept in the second bed and our youngest slept on the pull out sofa. You really need to check out the pictures of what it looks like now. It's the most relaxing place we've ever stayed. The buses run on a strict schedule so you know when they are coming. We do walk to the poly to catch buses or to the TTC a lot of the time, but you never know when a WDW bus is coming for where you want to go. The rooms are large and the pools are very nice especially after the renovation. We just made reservations for Nov 2017 and can't wait to go back. DH is a retired 0-6 which means we pay the highest rate, but tell me where else we can get that size of room in an interior hallway hotel on WDW property for $155/night? We eat breakfast there every morning and are looking forward to having Evergreen's back. We usually go in the evening for a drink and occasionally grab a meal there if we're not hitting up a park that day. I want to go and just stay there for a couple of weeks, but we're doing a b2b on Oasis of the seas and then staying at SOG for 5 nights on our next trip. I don't want to use all my leave at one time.

 

[Pipkin]

We love SOG. We planned late for a Christmas week trip and had to book at a moderate. As the 30 mark approached, when guests have to cancel or loose their deposit, I called daily. We were able to get 5 consecutive nights and I am more than thrilled to relinquish the PO rooms. Do I love it as much as the GF, Y and B or Poly? No, but then I'm paying $149 per night and no tax.