Shades of Green

[love2driveinct]

Hi, I'm new to this board, but already starting to appreciate all of the great people and valuable information. Thank you to everyone for a great forum.

I looked around but did not see any info on SOG. Surely there must be some members who have stayed there. I'd especially appreciate feedback from folks who have stayed at SOG and also at other WDW resorts.

I realize that the big disadvantage of SOG is not being able to take advantage of a disney meal plan. But other than that??

 

[traviesojmt]

Welcome to the Boards. You will find lots of us who have stayed at Shades of Green. If we fail to answer any of your questions, just ask.
We have stayed at the SOG and will be staying there again in June. I really worked the numbers this trip and for our family, it was cheaper to stay at SOG and pay for our own meals. We aren't skimping either. We will be eating at least 1 table service meal per day. I have to add that we haven't eaten at the restaurants at SOG. We always eat at the parks or other resorts.
The thing to remember is that SOG is considered a deluxe resort. The rooms are huge. We did a split stay between SOG and Animal Kingdom Lodge and the rooms at SOG were way bigger.
Here are some big positives:
1. Bigger rooms
2. Surrounded by military community.
3. It is an easy walk to the Poly and the monorail. We used this quite a bit. I will say that we did not have any problems with the SOG transportation when we used it though. They run on a specific schedule.
4. Deluxe accommodations at a value price.

The negatives are all relative. They bother some and don't bother others. You can't use Magical Express if you stay at Shades of Green. This isn't a factor for us because we either drive or rent a car when we fly. If you don't want to rent a car, you can use a service for around $100. I know that some are put off by lack of Disney themeing at SOG. Again, this never bothered us.
As far as the Dining plan goes, we have used it in the past. With all of the recent changes, we were not planning on using it again this year anyway. I am a crazy planner and I did a spreadsheet of all of our options. In the end, it was cheaper for us to stay at SOG.
If you go to the accommodations section of www.allearsnet.com, you can see pictures of SOG. If you have specific questions, just ask.

 

[JB2K]

Shades of Green info can be found around the board (albeit, sporadicially).

IMO, here's what seperates Shades of Green from the rest of Disney.

Ultimately, you are the one who has to decide where you want to stay

PROS

- Convenient to the Polynesian/MK Monorail Resort loop/Epcot.
- The AAFES store @ SoG has the things you need/Disney souvies at "familiar" prices.
- Several in-hotel dining options.
- SoG sells tickets for all Central FL attractions at a discounted, tax-free -price (better than AAA discounts!).
- While not "themed", it does have a generally classy decor (and a Mickey-shaped pool!).
- Largest rooms on Disney (Deluxe rooms for only a little more than what you would pay for POP during Value season).
- No hotel/resort taxes!


CONS

- No Magical Express.
- No Disney Dining plans.
- No "magic" (interpretation, no heavy theming).

Hope this helps...

 

[Barbday62]

Ive stayed at Contemporary once, Beach Club twice and Shades of Green twice. I prefer Beach CLub only because of the pool and location but I dont like the price there. Shades is awesome and it was like being at a lodge type place on a golf course. We too used the Poly transportation most of the time. If shades was over by Beach Club I would only use it, lol. I like ti that much. (I have only stayed both times in the new section so cant compare that part of it.)

 

[ElmerTinaRh]

We stayed at SOG last May and loved it. We will be staying again this May. Yes, there isn't much Disney magic, but I really didn't mind, I was in Disney and that was what counted. We took my 3yr old granddaughter and she loved it. We ate at the buffet a couple of nights. Each night they have a different theme. I think the most it cost was $18/person. We also used their transportation and it wasn't bad. We used the walkway between the Poly and SOG plenty of times to hop on the monorail. I read somewhere on these boards that you had to watch out for the alligators while using the path, so we had some fun with our granddaughter with that one. As mentioned before they charge no tax on the discounted tickets or in their store, which was a help. Our room was very clean and we had no complaints about the service. Here are a couple of pictures that I took last year:

I hope this helped and I'm sure you will have a great vacation wherever you decide to stay.

 

[love2driveinct]

... who have answered my post! I really appreciate it.

It does seem like such a good deal, one that we can't pass up. Especially since we potentially have a party of 6, and there are few other resorts that can accomodate us without getting 2 rooms, and that drives the price way up. SOG has those great family suite rooms that will fit all of us.

Glad to hear that you have all had good experiences. I do realize that there isn't a lot of Disney "magic" onsite, but like one poster said, you get plenty of that everywhere else. I do like the idea that it's more of a lodge feeling, like coming "home" after a long day of amusement parks, instead of a resort that looks like an amusement park itself.

Thank you again, and please feel free to offer any other tips & suggestions! Like if any particular dining experiences are better than others, whether they sell bottled water at the little shop, etc.

Cari, a USMCR wife

 

[abolanwoski]

As you can see from my sig, we use SOG a lot! I don't find any of the aforementioned cons to actually be cons - here's my (completely unbiased ) take
1. No Magical Express - if you've ever used this service, it's not so magical. Cheap, yes, magical no. For what I save staying at SOG, I hire a town car and ride to and from in style on my schedule, at my convenience.

2. No DDP - again, compared to deluxe resorts, which is what this is, I save about $2700 for a week (this includes discount park tickets and room) based on the Disney on line package prices. That's a lot of good food for a family of three. I couldn't eat this much if I tried (and I have )

3. No heavy theming - I don't really understand this. I've never stayed at the values which I understand have lots of crazy theme stuff around. But, at GF and BC they have an overall theme that has not much to do with Disney itself (occassional hidden mickey's aside) SOG is very similar in that it's a classy subdued and pleasant decor. The only thing I slightly miss is the Mickey wake up calls.

If money was no object, I would probably stay at GF because I have little ones and like to be on the monorail. Prior to them, it would have been BC because EPCOT is my fav and I like to walk. (see what kids reduce you to ) But money is an object and SOG is a fantastic bargain and just as nice a hotel as GF and BC.

PM me if you have specific questions. Have fun!

 

[love2driveinct]

I worried a little that by not doing a Disney Land & Sea Package, things would be a ton more complicated. Right now we are planning a 3-night cruise after our stay at the park. Obviously with a Disney package, they take care of your luggage & all the transfers, and it sounds like things move pretty smoothly.

Is there anything specific I should know about doing it on my own? I've heard that check-in for the cruise is wayyyy easier if you do the L&S pkg. Are there any other tips to making it easier? Like get there super-early or something?

Oh BTW, can someone please tell me what the Magical Express is? I'm clueless!!

Cari,
who went to WDW in 1973, 1981 (10th anniv), and 1986, & doesn't know how to do this as an adult, lol

 

[LadyZolt]

"Magical Express" is the bus Disney uses to pick you up at the airport, return you to the airport, get you to the port, etc.

We just did a 4-day cruise followed by 4-days at SOG in December. It took me about 60 seconds to check in at the cruise terminal -- just fill out the online stuff at the Disney Cruise web site, print out the ones it says to print out, sign them and take them with you. Have your passports in hand with your paperwork, and it's a breeze. They will send you the Bahamas form in the mail before you leave, but if you don't get it, there are plenty of them in the cruise terminal, so you can fill them out there, too. It really isn't hard at all! We did a Land/Sea in 2006 -- Beach Club then 4-night cruise, and it was easy to check in at the Beach Club and have it done with, but then you get on the bus to the cruise terminal with everyone else who is going from Disney World and frankly, getting through security took longer than arriving on our own because there were more people. When you get there, you will drop your luggage off with a porter outside, then walk into the terminal with just your carry-ons, ID, and paperwork.

We rented a car, but there are other options, like getting a limo or town car, so you'll have to decide what's best for you. My DH just likes to drive -- gives him more control, he thinks. LOL!

The "pro" to doing Land/Sea with Disney is that they check your paperwork and stuff when you check into the hotel, so if you forgot your passport or something, you still have a couple days to have it FedExed from home or whatever. But really, if you pack carefully and go over all the information online and that they send you, it's just as easy to check in at the cruise terminal. I thought it would be a hassle and was pleasantly surprised that it was a breeze. Literally 60 seconds. I handed her all the stuff -- signed forms, filled out Bahamas form, passports -- and that was it. She made up our key cards and gave us a boarding number. Couldn't be easier!

Whatever you decide, have a wonderful time!!

-Dorothy (LadyZolt)

 

[ntsammy5]

SOG is very quiet and is a great place to stay. The AAFES doe sell bottled water and a lot more. They have a great exercise facility, two pools and a hot tub. We've stayed at SOG 7 times and at most of the WDW Deluxe resorts and all of the Values -- never at a moderate though. SOG is as good as any of them and better than many IMHO.

 

[lovemesomedisney]

We LOVE SOG!! We are probably going to go back to staying there this fall again because it is such an awesome deal. You get alot for your money! The only thing is that you are not eligible to use Magical express to get you to your resort. So you will have to find another way there. I like the fact that the bus schedule is posted so you know what time they leave for the parks. They also have a great buffet everyday that is very reasonably priced.

 

[bdcp]

There are two or three recent threads on SOG. It's pretty unanimous by everyone that stays there that it's a unique experience. It's quiet, the rooms are large and the rapport between all the guests is wonderful. We're going to stay there for the third time in Nov.

 

[bigAWL]

About the Land/Sea package, we will be doing the Land then Sea combo on our own and staying at SOG in May/June. It's my first time, so I can't tell you what it is like, but it can be a bit of a conundrum to plan.

I'm planning to hire a van to pick us up at the airport to take us to SOG, then we'll rent a car (I believe Hertz has a desk located right there at SOG) to drive to the port where we will stay the night before the cruise. Dropping off the car and getting to the port can be tricky: I plan to drop off the bags and family at the terminal and then drop off the car and ride a shuttle back to the terminal. After the cruise, I'll need to rent a car again to drive back to the airport. (Or you can hire another van to get you to and from the port, but like someone else said, I like to be in control, and we might want to drive around a bit). Another option is to keep the rental car troughout the trip, but then it gets really expensive with extra rental days and parking.

The costs can add up. And I'll need a bigger-than-standard car to fit my family of 5 plus suitcases, so it's not a cheap rental. I'm estimating about $350 just for this transportation (not including gas). For some, maybe going through Disney and getting Magical Express transportation (and less hassle than arranging your own transportation) is worth the extra cost of the Land/Sea package.

Actually... if you transportation costs take into consideration... is it more expensive? Maybe depending on your accomodation choice it could be cheaper to go through Disney. But if you consider SOG a "Deluxe" resort, as many on this board do based on location, room size, interior entry, etc., then a Land/Sea with stay at the Poly is certainly more expensive - isn't it?

 

[Sleepy]

3. No heavy theming - I don't really understand this. I've never stayed at the values which I understand have lots of crazy theme stuff around. But, at GF and BC they have an overall theme that has not much to do with Disney itself (occassional hidden mickey's aside) SOG is very similar in that it's a classy subdued and pleasant decor. The only thing I slightly miss is the Mickey wake up calls.

This is also what I don't get about people's description of "Disney" theming. I have been to the deluxes (visits) and have seen pictures of the room decor and honestly, I don't see anything different there than what I see at SOG. Maybe the decor inside is a bit "higher class" (still having nothing to do with Disney), which I can understand since you pay 3 times more there than SOG.
How can someone say POLY has more Disney feel than SOG when they seem pretty much the same to me overall.....it's all about landscaping. There is nothing Disney about shrubs and flowers.

 

[froggy flo]

Can you stay at SOG if you are not in the army neither a US citizen? If so, where do you book your stay from?

 

[Sleepy]

Can you stay at SOG if you are not in the army neither a US citizen? If so, where do you book your stay from?

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

This is the entire list of people who are eligible to stay at SOG. If you fit one of the catagories, call the hotel to book a room. They will ask specific questions at time of reservation to make sure you qualify and tell you what you need to bring in order to check-in. If, after going over the list, you are still not sure if you qualify, just call the hotel and ask.

 

[Mrsjvb]

we won't stay anywhere else. partially becuase we are cheap, and you can't beat the prices, but mostly becuase it's a LOT more relaxed after a hard days of park hopping. I don't want my hotel to be as loud or hyped as my day in the parks. I want to unwind, take a chill pill and relax at the bar. Preferably with a slice of their key lime pie....

 

[Sleepy]

I want to unwind, take a chill pill and relax at the bar.

It is amazing that even the lobby is quiet enough to unwind and relax.