SOG or POFQ?

[Stitch Inside]

Which would you choose? I know very little about SOG, but my Dad's a Retired Marine (Semper Fi). Parents will be going for first time since 1972. We're AP Holders. Being E-9, Dad's rate is $97/Night. Will AP rate at POFQ be better than that? Also, how hard is it to get into SOG? Does it book up way in advance? We're going 1st week of May. Is it too late to get into SOG? Does Top have to be there to check my family in? We were planning to be there 2 days earlier than the Parents.
Any info much appreciated.
Thanks,
Confused Military Brat

 

[antbritt]

I have never stayed at the POFQ, but I have stayed at the SOG. SOG is a very nice resort the rooms are quite large( form what I hear they are larger then most of Disneys resorts Especially the Moderates or Values) .
Below is a link to thier website where you can check availability and actually make reservations.
It does state on the website that the Eligible member must be present for the entire stay. So I belieive you would not be able to check in without your father. This is stated under the room rate page.

SOG take reservations 366 days in advance and depending on the time of year ( peak or not) it typically sells out very quickly.
Good Luck and have fun

 

[antbritt]

http://www.armymwr.com/shades/sog1.html

sorry I forgot the link

 

[Sleepy]

So I belieive you would not be able to check in without your father.

You are correct. Someone holding a military ID card will need to be present at time of check-in. Maybe consider staying at a value resort those 2 days before your parents arrive. You will not be sorry to stay at SOG. It is a lovely resort.

 

[suevee]

Yes, make your reservations at SoG now. Even though some people feel it doesn't have a "Disney" feel, there is a common military experience that all the guests share that would probable make your dad really comfortable. With only approximately 600 rooms it is also a smaller resort, so the amenities do not get as crowded. Also it is beautiful, great location, large rooms, reduced golf fees, free gym, lower food costs...
Just a great deal.

 

[Stitch Inside]

So I belieive you would not be able to check in without your father. This is stated under the room rate page.

What if they get an "Overflow Rate" at POFQ or say the Poly? Would he still need to be there?

 

[TSirgey]

We are staying at SOG in April/May and we are very excited. It is our first time staying there. I have done a ton of research on the resort and everything I hear is great! The resort has the biggest rooms and it was recently expanded and enhanced. For the money, it is certainly a deal! I have looked and looked and have not found a better deal for our money. We booked almost a year in advance. I would give them a call and see what the availability is for your trip. Good luck!!

 

[MAGGIED]

We will be making our first stay to the SOG in April - however I did visit the hotel the other day while on a spur of the moment trip to see my dad in Tampa. It is very nice - big - much larger than I thought. The rooms are very spacious. We have three rooms booked for April - 2 under my nephew who is active duty AF and one under my husband who is also active duty. Since my nephew and the other party will be there before us I asked if they could check us in - NO - the military member whose name the room is under has to be there to show ID card - I don't know if they would take a dependant ID card or not - but the folks at the desk were very helpful and if you call them they might be able to answer it for you - the toll free number is 1-888-593-2242 - or direct line is 407-824-3400. I would guess that means that you could not stay there without your dad being there with you - unless you have an ID card and they accept that. Good luck - if I could figure out how to post the photos I took of the hotel I will - I am not that technology advanced - might need to wait for the kids to come home!!! lol

 

[4mykids]

They are very serious about the member being present at check-in. I would stay at the SoG in a heartbeat! We have stayed at both SoG and POFQ. POFQ is our favorite moderate, but the SoG is a deluxe. The rooms are the largest on the property and it is well-kept.

Keep in mind when comparing prices that there is no tax at the SoG. That can really add up.

I would go ahead and book now. If you need to change you can do so up to 30 days prior to arrival. (Or at least that used to be the policy.)

As far as the Disney feel, it was the old Disney Inn. It has a Mickey head-shaped pool. It is nestled between to gorgeous golf courses with deer that roam at night. It is beautiful!

I tried to get an overflow rate. The SoG must be booked solid before they will get one for you. While in the past these rates have been excellent, they were quoting me rack rates a few weeks ago. I mentioned that these rates were not what they used to be. They said it all depends on "the contract". Not sure what that meant, but it wasn't helping me!

POFQ AP rates for value season were $79/night plus tax. I believe in May they are usually around $100-ish. There is an AP Discount list on this site. It gives the rates (or history of the rates).

Also, the bus transportation was very good. Food was cheaper as were sundries and the bar. And, did I mention, NO tax!

You would not be disappointed in the SoG! It is fabulous!

 

[crazyforgoofy]

First, let me say we loved our stay at SOG last year. The room was spacious, very clean and overlooked the golf course. The service was so-so but the new wing had just opened and they were training staff. I've heard they have all those problems solved now. The grounds are lovely and the food was good enough and cheaper than Disney.

Now here comes the BUT - the pools don't have slides or the spouting water things that some of the Disney resorts have. They're perfectly fine but just a bit "boring" for children. Isabella's first Disney stay in 2002 was at PO-FQ and it's her dream resort at present. She and I are going back in May and she's begging me to stay at PO-FQ for a couple of days so she can slide down the serpent tongue slide and play in the perfect-depth-for-her pool. We've decided to split our stay between PO-FQ and POP Century but I'd go back to SOG in a heartbeat.

 

[Sleepy]

the military member whose name the room is under has to be there to show ID card - I don't know if they would take a dependant ID card or not -

Anyone with a military ID who is a dependant of the person the room is reserved under is allowed to check in. I, being the spouse, am allowed to check in to the hotel without my husband present (I am also allowed to make the reservations over the phone or internet). He never has to show up at the hotel during the entire stay.

Editing to add......In order for a non-military ID holding person to get WDW park tickets at SOG, they would need the military ID holding person to purchase those tickets for them. Something to consider if you arrive a few days early and plan on those SOG tickets.

 

[antbritt]

I tried to get an overflow rate. The SoG must be booked solid before they will get one for you. While in the past these rates have been excellent, they were quoting me rack rates a few weeks ago. I mentioned that these rates were not what they used to be. They said it all depends on "the contract". Not sure what that meant, but it wasn't helping me!

The SOG must be full to get overflow rates. I am staying there in March and I wanted 2 extra days a while ago and they had nothng available so they gave me an overflow rate of 121 for the POR. But then the other day I tried to get another room since my DS has decided to join me and they quoted me 169 for POR. I asked the person on the phone why that is and she said that the new contract they have with Disney is only for a certain number of Overflow rooms at a discounted rate and after that it becomes Rack rate!
I did not change my reservation I am hoping for a cancellation. SOG used to take a wait list but they no longer do that also.

I must say though that I stayed at SOg last year while they were not quite finished with the renovation , It is a great resort. As everyone has said and well more than worth the less tehn 100 bucks a night!
I believe that the shop there also takes the Military star card if you have one.
Mary

 

[MAGGIED]

Anyone with a military ID who is a dependant of the person the room is reserved under is allowed to check in. I, being the spouse, am allowed to check in to the hotel without my husband present (I am also allowed to make the reservations over the phone or internet). He never has to show up at the hotel during the entire stay.

Editing to add......In order for a non-military ID holding person to get WDW park tickets at SOG, they would need the military ID holding person to purchase those tickets for them. Something to consider if you arrive a few days early and plan on those SOG tickets.

Sleepy - I made a quick trip down to visit my dad in Tampa and went over to see the SOG in person (becasue I had not before) and I was able to use my dependant ID card to buy the tickets for not only my family, but my sister and her husband who are staying in a different room and for my father and his fiance - and the CM gave my dad the florida discount on his annual pass. No active duty military member with us - maybe it depends on who is on duty???

 

[cjsmom5]

My dad is retired military also. In the past we have been able to get the AP rate at the POFQ cheaper than the rate he can get at SOG. This last year we went over to SOG and ate, looked around. It is a very nice resort. Rooms ARE bigger than most disney ... and it was just rennovated. Everything is nice and new....

But, if you are wanting the Disney feel ... it isn't here. The pool area and theme are similar to a resort, a very nice resort, but a typical resort hotel. We found the food to be about the same as the Disney hotels...nothing spectacular...although we just ate at the snackbar by the golf course. The bus transporation was where we really noticed the difference. While one does run often, it goes to the transportation center and from there you make the shift to Disney transportation. We prefer Disney. And, since we could get the rate at the POFQ cheaper than he could get his rate, it was a better deal for all of us to stay at POFQ. My DS6 much perferred the atmosphere at POFQ over SOG ... and commented on it after we visited when he found out Grandpa could stay there.

 

[bdcp]

We've stayed at CBR and later SOG (before renovations) and from my experience, you don't really miss the disney "magic" since you're innundated in it all day long at the parks and basically only sleep in the room. The best of all was the size of SOG. There weren't people everywhere, busses were never overfull and no lines for food. The SOG atmosphere was like a big family since we all had something in common (military, dod connections) and we loved it. There are lots of children at SOG and the rooms are much bigger. Two queens and a pull out. CBR had two doubles, period. The rooms at SOG what you'd get at a Deluxe for 3-4 times more. SOG used to be the Disney Inn before it was sold to the DOD. It's run as totally independent of the gov't. No subsidies, totally self sufficient. The pools were never crowded while we were there. The breakfast buffet, while it doesn't have Mickey waffles, was very good with typical breakfast food for less than $8 pp. Overall it's a great value and I've seen mostly great reviews. We're going back in Nov. We made our reservations this past Nov.

We found the transportation to be great, and very reliable. It does not just go to the TTC. There is a separate bus that goes to the water parks and MGM also. Plus you can walk to the Polynesian or the TTC easily and catch transportation from there. We did that a lot.

 

[suevee]

"Sleepy - I made a quick trip down to visit my dad in Tampa and went over to see the SOG in person (becasue I had not before) and I was able to use my dependant ID card to buy the tickets for not only my family, but my sister and her husband who are staying in a different room and for my father and his fiance - and the CM gave my dad the florida discount on his annual pass. No active duty military member with us - maybe it depends on who is on duty???"

Anyone with a military ID can purchase tickets, products, or reserve rooms. It does not have to be the active duty person. It can be a dependant. So since you had your dependant ID card you are eligible for all of the SoG amenities.

 

[disney4us2002]

We've specifically requested SoG late to get overflow rates. It has worked for us (Poly over Christmas for $179) but I don't think we'd do it for anything except the deluxes. For the difference in room size I'd prefer Shades over POR or any values.

Also, if you're near a base try the MWR for tickets. We found the Pentagon tickets were a full $20 cheaper for each 7-day hopper and the MWR's don't charge tax either. The Stars and Stripes is only available at Shades though.

 

[dck12ga]

We just got back from SOG yesterday!! i am not millitary and I was able to buy the park tickets on my credit card. I do not know if it was because our sponser was in line before me or what?? I was never asked about my resort ID when purchasing anything. We loved the resort and would stay there again if we could!

 

[ChrislovesMinnie]

Port Orleans French Quarters is your best bet and best choice. You won't be sorry. That place is WONDERFUL!!!!!

 

[Sleepy]

We just got back from SOG yesterday!! i am not millitary and I was able to buy the park tickets on my credit card. I do not know if it was because our sponser was in line before me or what?? I was never asked about my resort ID when purchasing anything. We loved the resort and would stay there again if we could!

You are correct. When we went to SOG a few years ago (hubby and I being the ones with the military IDs), my brother was allowed to use his credit card to pay for his room stay and was also able to use his credit card to pay for his tickets, but my husband or I had to be present. As far as I know, the resort ID is only (or was) used for proving you stay at SOG and that you are allowed to use the SOG transportation (I was made to go back to my room for my resort ID even though I had my military ID...I almost missed the bus). At that time, military IDs were still required to purchase anything from the gift shop/AAFES. Has that changed?