Shades of Green

[PrincessKara22]

Hi Guys,

It's been a while! My family is going down to Florida for two weeks on Saturday and we finally convinced my uncle (who was totally against it) to take a side trip to Disney!

He's eligible for Shades of Green so we're staying there for one night. Our trip is just magic kingdom for two days but I'll take what I can get!

Anyway, my question is about shades of green. I've never even SEEN it! But mostly, can you really walk to the Poly from SOG? Those of you that have stayed there did you like it? What are the buses like?

Thanks for all of your help! So excited to be unexpectedly back at Disney in two weeks!

 

[Skatermom23]

SOG is awesome and a really good value! The walk to the Poly is not far at all. If you have small kiddos, then you might try and hop a ride on the golf cart that rides back and forth. For me, the quick access to the monorail was the best ever! SOG is great for quick, cheap breakfast foods and snacks. The rooms are huge and most of the views are great. I never had a problem with the buses. You do have to pay attention to the schedule (imagine...) but overall, the property is a great value!

 

[PrincessKara22]

Thanks for responding! I'm excited and glad to hear that at least one person has had a good experience. Does it still feel like a Disney resort?

Also, thanks for the golf cart tip! My mom has arthritis and with all the magic kingdom walking we might just hop on one!

 

[pieface]

I stayed there when it was the Disney Inn. It is a wonderful hotel quieter than a lot of the resort. It's quite a hike from the hotel to the poly I am sure they have a bus or other transport. In fact I have seen shades of green buses. I am a retired Maryland state trooper and I am very happy they provided the hotel to veterans. You guys deserve it and I wish you the best of luck and have a great time. America's best.

 

[Skatermom23]

You won't find Disney everywhere. Go in with that expectation. Honestly, though we never missed it. By the time we got back to the hotel we were too tired to worry about the"feel" of the resort. I am a bit of a hotel snob and I find SOG to be clean, huge, the grounds are beautiful and the food is cheap.

After 6 trips to SOG, we are taking an anniversary trip and staying at the YC. I am still sick over the price difference. We won't have kids and don't plan to spend much time at Magic Kingdom, so for this trip we thought to do something different. It remains to be seen if a Deluxe Disney is worth 3 times the money?

 

[PrincessKara22]

You won't find Disney everywhere. Go in with that expectation. Honestly, though we never missed it. By the time we got back to the hotel we were too tired to worry about the"feel" of the resort. I am a bit of a hotel snob and I find SOG to be clean, huge, the grounds are beautiful and the food is cheap.

After 6 trips to SOG, we are taking an anniversary trip and staying at the YC. I am still sick over the price difference. We won't have kids and don't plan to spend much time at Magic Kingdom, so for this trip we thought to do something different. It remains to be seen if a Deluxe Disney is worth 3 times the money?

The Beach Club is my favorite resort and you'll at least love the pool there if nothing else. I think I'll be happy to just be there

 

[LindyN]

Just there last week.
First of all it is NOT Disney so don't expect to get your room cards early and head off to a park. You'll need to go back after 3pm to get your room and probably have to stand in line.

To me, SoG is a lot of lines... lines for room assignments. lines for tickets... lines for food... BUT I was in the military and that's just part of it.

Its not too far to the Polynesian and generally I use transportation from there, or hop in my rental car and drive around.

Self parking charge of $5/night (which I have no problems paying.)

That being said, I will stay there and am going back because of price and location. Mattresses aren't exactly plush and overstuffed but they're quite adequate. Bring your own toiletries because what you get may not be something that you want to use. I did have decent toiletries last week, but in January the soap was along the line of Mr. Bubble.

Military MWR resorts must support themselves and because of our rank its often less costly for me to book a Disney moderate. But SoG is on my list when I can't get into Disney at a discount.

 

[Bagheera23608]

I stayed there in '09. The rooms were very nice, large with balconies on the ground floor. It has a hot tub! ("Can I get a hot tub??") It doesn't have Disney everywhere or any noticeable "theming" like other resorts. It's a very nice hotel, but it's not Disney hotel, if you catch what I'm saying. We had a room on the golf course and it was lovely to see the deer, etc on the course. It was a quiet resort. I can't complain, but it's not my first choice, lol.

 

[WDW 3]

Just there last week.
First of all it is NOT Disney so don't expect to get your room cards early and head off to a park. You'll need to go back after 3pm to get your room and probably have to stand in line.

To me, SoG is a lot of lines... lines for room assignments. lines for tickets... lines for food... BUT I was in the military and that's just part of it.

Its not too far to the Polynesian and generally I use transportation from there, or hop in my rental car and drive around.

Self parking charge of $5/night (which I have no problems paying.)

That being said, I will stay there and am going back because of price and location. Mattresses aren't exactly plush and overstuffed but they're quite adequate. Bring your own toiletries because what you get may not be something that you want to use. I did have decent toiletries last week, but in January the soap was along the line of Mr. Bubble.

Military MWR resorts must support themselves and because of our rank its often less costly for me to book a Disney moderate. But SoG is on my list when I can't get into Disney at a discount.

I have to disagree a little. Last two times we arrived about 12:30pm and checked in no waiting. The front desk had our park tickets so no stop at the ticket office. We left our luggage with the bell staff and headed off to the Parks and lunch. We stopped back for our room keys later at our convenience. We really never waited for anything but a bus and the schedule is so prompt that with a little planning you really don't wait much. As you said we walked to the Poly.

 

[PrincessKara22]

I have to disagree a little. Last two times we arrived about 12:30pm and checked in no waiting. The front desk had our park tickets so no stop at the ticket office. We left our luggage with the bell staff and headed off to the Parks and lunch. We stopped back for our room keys later at our convenience. We really never waited for anything but a bus and the schedule is so prompt that with a little planning you really don't wait much. As you said we walked to the Poly.

Thanks for all the advice everyone! I hope we don't have to wait around too much as we only have the two days (and it's my uncle's first ever trip to Disney!) but I guess its just the luck of the draw!

I'll let you all know how it goes!

 

[Ariel on Land]

We haven't been there since 2008, but we had a very pleasant experience-- don't remember any waiting for anything other than the Bx/Aafes type shop they had was closed the day we got there, but that's it. I think one person was ahead of us in line for tickets, but is that really a line??? eh... no big deal IMO.

Anyways, the rooms were HUGE, as was the bathroom. No, it's not "Disney" but it was very nice, and the location can't be beat except by the 3 monorail resorts. I actually suspect that will be our resort of choice once our kids become "adults" according to disney. I don't see us getting the twins the adult version of the DDP until they hit the "eat everything in sight" age.

But for one night, I'm positive you'll enjoy it. Have fun!!!

 

[LindyN]

SoG seems to have a firm check in and rooms are not given out until after 3pm. So yes, you can check in... but you may not get your room. That means putting your bags somewhere (car or Bell Services) and then returning.

A Disney hotel gives you the room key and texts you with the room number. No need to return to another line. DH stood in line for 45 minutes waiting for the room assignment.

Just not a guest-centered process, but it is what it is and that's part of the tradeoffs to stay there.

I will still stay there but expect to wait in a line somewhere for something. I've probably had 10 stays there in the last several years and its never been any different.

 

[gilesmt]

I am one of those that must have missed the lines, we have been twice and going again for 2 weeks in May. I have never had to stand in line to check in. As a matter of fact, lines yes you are at Disney, when we went to POR. I waited over an hour to check in at 2 am, and had to go back the next morning and do it again because we never really was checked in. They just felt bad for the baby and gave us a room, so another 45 minutes. At dlh in DL we waited an hour to check in and there was no one in front of us. At gch in DL we took at least 45 minutes to check in, and the room was occupied by another guest. At PPH in DL we took well over two hours for the drunk CM to check us in at 10 pm and yes she was drunk, you could smell it, and two things we had to go back the next day to get connecting rooms and the room keys never worked, we had to keep finding maids to open the doors for us.

At SoG, we walked in, they checked I'd, we paid and we had our keys both times, less than 10 minutes. We never waited in line to get our tickets, we got them right away, now you can preorder them. We never waited in line for breakfast or dinner when we ate there and we found it okay food.

The pool is shaped like Mickey, the only Mickey shaped pool in Disney.and there is a statue of Mickey. And the store has Mickey stuff but the rooms don't.but the hotel is beautiful and yes you can walk to poly in less than 7 minutes at a slow pace, maybe 10 if you have kids, then catch the monorail, or the bus goes to ttc ever 20 minutes.

Have a great vacation.

 

[Skatermom23]

There have never been any lines for us at SOG. Well, maybe the breakfast snack bar counter, if you count that. Even that went quickly. I have checked in early and only once was my room not ready. I could have switched rooms but I wanted a different location. I just left the car in the parking garage with all my luggage and got the key later on. Again, no lines. Have a great trip!

 

[WDW 3]

There have never been any lines for us at SOG. Well, maybe the breakfast snack bar counter, if you count that. Even that went quickly. I have checked in early and only once was my room not ready. I could have switched rooms but I wanted a different location. I just left the car in the parking garage with all my luggage and got the key later on. Again, no lines. Have a great trip!

If they have a room available you will get you room assigned and keys when you arrive even if it's before 3:00. LindyN must just be unlucky
I do like the Disney system of giving you keys and texting you with your room number but for us we still have to get our luggage from the Bell station so it doesn't matter if we have to stop for keys too.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

I'm sure you'll enjoy Shades of Green. We didn't love it when we stayed in 2009, but we had a room that had not been renovated yet and was very very worn and did not have a nice view. We didn't have a good experience with the buses, either. I'm glad the option exists but we don't plan to return. We really did miss the Disney atmosphere of the other resorts.

 

[bdcp]

Just there last week.
First of all it is NOT Disney so don't expect to get your room cards early and head off to a park. You'll need to go back after 3pm to get your room and probably have to stand in line.

To me, SoG is a lot of lines... lines for room assignments. lines for tickets... lines for food... BUT I was in the military and that's just part of it.

Its not too far to the Polynesian and generally I use transportation from there, or hop in my rental car and drive around.

Self parking charge of $5/night (which I have no problems paying.)

That being said, I will stay there and am going back because of price and location. Mattresses aren't exactly plush and overstuffed but they're quite adequate. Bring your own toiletries because what you get may not be something that you want to use. I did have decent toiletries last week, but in January the soap was along the line of Mr. Bubble.

Military MWR resorts must support themselves and because of our rank its often less costly for me to book a Disney moderate. But SoG is on my list when I can't get into Disney at a discount.

Out of our 4 times staying at SOG, we have only had to wait for a room one time which was no big deal, we just went on with our day. We always go prepared to not check in early and get our tickets and go from there. We just leave our luggage in our car and grab what we need. The other three times we were able to check in around 11 am. Beds aren't overly comfortable.

 

[Skatermom23]

This thread popped back up today and I wanted to add a few comments. We just completed our anniversary trip at the Yacht Club and had a fabulous time being on the Epcot side. HOWEVER, I would not hesitate at all to return to SOG. If you are looking for a deluxe hotel on the monorail, you just can't beat the price. We paid $1000 more for 6 nights at the Yacht Club and I don't feel we got a better hotel for it, just a different one. I can think of a lot of things that money could have paid for. I hope everyone enjoys their SOG stay and rest easy knowing that the hotel is fantastic!

 

[caseywirth]

SOG is a deluxe resort, the rooms are the largest on property at 480 sq feet. I have never had to wait, or if I did just a few minutes for anything. It's a great value and a very pretty resort. The busses are great, just need to know the scheldule.

 

[poohangel]

Do you have to pay for parking at the parks if staying at shades of Green? What about magic bands?