Shades of Green charging for Parking

[penni4963]

Dear Future Guest:

We know you are looking forward to your upcoming visit to Shades of Green. This letter is to notify you of a recent change to a Shades of Green policy. It is our responsibility to ensure the safety and security of our guests and the vehicles parked on our property.

Shades of Green will implement a nominal parking fee for our guests and visitors. Effective April 1, 2005, the following parking fees will apply:

Self Parking

$3.00 per day

Valet Service

$3.00 per day (parking fee) plus $5.00 usage fee*

* Valet usage fee allows unlimited valet (in and out) for 1 calendar day.

If you will be parking a vehicle at Shades of Green during your stay, you will be charged a fee per day to do so. Please understand, providing the best possible service and maintaining the highest standards of security for our guests is our main objective.

We hope you enjoy your stay at Shades of Green and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Kindest regards,

The Shades of Green Staff<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
​

 

[Tim G]

IMO a good thing yes??
No more looking for- /walking to your car...
for 3 bucks, it's good value...

 

[Laura]

So you have to pay $3 just to run in and get some theme park tickets? Oh well. I'm just glad to have the option of using them for discounts.

 

[Woody13]

Shades of Green is not owned by Walt Disney World. It is operated by the DoD so you need to take it up with the federal government. They have a new 600 space indoor parking garage. Somebody has to pay for that expense. Better you than the U.S. tax payers! :lol:

 

[Tim G]

Shades of Green is not owned by Walt Disney World. It is operated by the DoD so you need to take it up with the federal government. They have a new 600 space indoor parking garage. Somebody has to pay for that expense. Better you than the U.S. tax payers! :lol:

LL You're right...

 

[dr_teeth90210]

At least your not paying the $7 self parking fee which the Swan and Dolphin recently added.

 

[s25843]

$3 a day is Nothing.

Some NYC hotels charge $50 a day with no in/out options...

 

[Invero]

At least your not paying the $7 self parking fee which the Swan and Dolphin recently added.

Or the $14 for valet...

 

[PixiePower]

Shades of Green is a self supporting operation. No federal money ie taxpayer money is used to fund it. It is a hit when it has been free up until now. Many of our service members who are away from their families putting their lives on the line every day to fight for all of our freedoms ...including the freedom of speech that allows this board....have very little money available for family vacations. Those few weeks a year they get to reconnect with their families are precious. So please...do not say that it is fair to pass along this cost...it is fine to have to pay for parking but to increase it that much right away along with an increase in room fees not that long agao degrades the benefit from the servicemembers. We all need to be looking for wayd to help our servicemembers ...not bash them or the benefits they deserve.

Do not judge until you walk in their boots. There is little glory and little money in being a warfighter but a deeply held belief in upholding all that is good in our country. They deserve a break to play with theor kids at isney...the kids have been without a parent and sometimes two for a very long time.

This post is not intended to start a debate ....just please look at the issue a little differently.

 

[ACE]

Shades of Green is a self supporting operation. No federal money ie taxpayer money is used to fund it. It is a hit when it has been free up until now. Many of our service members who are away from their families putting their lives on the line every day to fight for all of our freedoms ...including the freedom of speech that allows this board....have very little money available for family vacations. Those few weeks a year they get to reconnect with their families are precious. So please...do not say that it is fair to pass along this cost...it is fine to have to pay for parking but to increase it that much right away along with an increase in room fees not that long agao degrades the benefit from the servicemembers. We all need to be looking for wayd to help our servicemembers ...not bash them or the benefits they deserve.

Do not judge until you walk in their boots. There is little glory and little money in being a warfighter but a deeply held belief in upholding all that is good in our country. They deserve a break to play with theor kids at isney...the kids have been without a parent and sometimes two for a very long time.

This post is not intended to start a debate ....just please look at the issue a little differently.

I agree 100% Couldn't have said it better. Believe me when folks start staying at the Disney resorts because of the way SOG are treating them, maybe SOG will rethink the way they treat guests.

ACE

 

[Woody13]

I agree 100% Couldn't have said it better. Believe me when folks start staying at the Disney resorts because of the way SOG are treating them, maybe SOG will rethink the way they treat guests.

ACE

All the people in the military that I know prefer to stay at the All-Stars or POP because they get a far better deal.

 

[Gail Hayden]

Shades of Green is a self supporting operation. No federal money ie taxpayer money is used to fund it. It is a hit when it has been free up until now. Many of our service members who are away from their families putting their lives on the line every day to fight for all of our freedoms ...including the freedom of speech that allows this board....have very little money available for family vacations. Those few weeks a year they get to reconnect with their families are precious. So please...do not say that it is fair to pass along this cost...it is fine to have to pay for parking but to increase it that much right away along with an increase in room fees not that long agao degrades the benefit from the servicemembers. We all need to be looking for wayd to help our servicemembers ...not bash them or the benefits they deserve.

Do not judge until you walk in their boots. There is little glory and little money in being a warfighter but a deeply held belief in upholding all that is good in our country. They deserve a break to play with theor kids at isney...the kids have been without a parent and sometimes two for a very long time.

This post is not intended to start a debate ....just please look at the issue a little differently.

I completely understand and agree with most of what you are saying, BUT...if the government does not support it, who is expected to pay for it? It is, unfortunately, like any resort anywhere. When improvements are made, the guests end up paying for it. This is the "history" of SOG. Shades of Green (SoG) is an Armed Forces Recreation Center located on the WDW property. It was originally owned by WDW and called the "Golf Resort" and later the "Disney Inn". It was leased by the Department of Defense in 1994 and renamed to SoG. SoG is totally self supporting and operates from non-appropriated funds (no cost to the taxpayer). Profits generated are used for improvements to the hotel, property and services for the guest. The resort underwent a total renovation that was completed in 2004. As I said, someone has to pay for it.
As to a benefit, I am not sure it qualifies as a bennie. I look at it as an opportunity for service members and their families to have a semi affordable vacation. While service people are not well paid and do put their lives on the line during war(and often in peace), it was a choice they willingly made as was the choice the spouses willingly made. I thank God daily for those who made the choice. I am not judging anyone and I have, indeed, walked in those "boots", as an Officers wife. Not a lot of fun, but a choice made willingly by both of us. We did, by the way, expect to pay for recreational services provided by the Army.

 

[DisneyJill]

I have personally always found it surprising that Disney doesn't charge for parking. I work at a full service hotel in downtown Indianapolis where self parking is $9 a day and valet is $14, with no in and out privelages. This is small potatoes compared to downtown Chicago...$35 for self, etc...and more in larger cities as was stated above. Disney's valet rate of $6 is a steal of a deal compared to other hotels that I have seen. :wave:

 

[Woody13]

I have personally always found it surprising that Disney doesn't charge for parking. I work at a full service hotel in downtown Indianapolis where self parking is $9 a day and valet is $14, with no in and out privelages. This is small potatoes compared to downtown Chicago...$35 for self, etc...and more in larger cities as was stated above. Disney's valet rate of $6 is a steal of a deal compared to other hotels that I have seen. :wave:

That is one of the many reasons why Walt & Roy decided not to build WDW in Chicago, New York, Washington D.C. and all those other "rat race" places. I'm not sure why the DoD decided the SoG needed a 600 space indoor parking garage but let's not doubt the wisdom of the U.S. government. :wave:

 

[Gail Hayden]

That is one of the many reasons why Walt & Roy decided not to build WDW in Chicago, New York, Washington D.C. and all those other "rat race" places. I'm not sure why the DoD decided the SoG needed a 600 space indoor parking garage but let's not doubt the wisdom of the U.S. government. :wave:

Perhaps to provide indoor parking to protect the cars from a snowstorm. That would fit into their normal pattern of thinking.

 

[sophiesmom]

Shades of Green is not owned by Walt Disney World. It is operated by the DoD so you need to take it up with the federal government. They have a new 600 space indoor parking garage. Somebody has to pay for that expense. Better you than the U.S. tax payers! :lol:

Really is that how you feel? Why don't you leave your family and children for months at a time, and put yourself in harms way to serve your country. Nice comment!!!!! You really could have left off the last 2 sentences.

 

[Debbie]

Perhaps to provide indoor parking to protect the cars from a snowstorm. That would fit into their normal pattern of thinking.

:lol: Ain't that the truth! But seriously, how many rooms does Shades of Green have now since the renovation? I think it's great that military personnel have a nice place to stay with their families at rates that *should* co-relate to their rank.

 

[Raven66]

Really is that how you feel? Why don't you leave your family and children for months at a time, and put yourself in harms way to serve your country. Nice comment!!!!! You really could have left off the last 2 sentences.

Ummmmmmmm, I think he was kidding, hence the little laughing head. But I could be wrong, it has been known to happen before! Not often. Maybe once or twice. :lookaroun

 

[PixiePower]

Yes, those that patronize SoG do support it since it is self sustaining. The renovations need to be paid for somehow. Military members and their families have no problems paying their own way and do expect to pay for recreation. They have all chosen the life style as have their families. For officer and sr enlisted families the change is small enough to not really show up on the radar for them. Those families quite often stay at value and or moderates for the same price or less. Young enlisted families are another story. It is often hard for them to survive on what they are paid and every extra dollar that goes into the hotel bill makes it harder for them to have fun in the parks...one less Mickey ice cream for their child. And they can usually stay at SoG for less then a value.
They are the ones that concern me.

All I am saying is that it is a big jump all at once and especially when you do not have to pay at any Disney owned resorts to self park. Valet parking is not needed but if you drive in you have to park. And the parking there is very inconveient from one half of the hotel. Not an easy feat with small ones.

This would not be an issue really if the management of SoG was improving areas of service. It has been declining steadily and many service members have not been happy with their stay. Its a shame all the way around. A Disney vacation is suppossed to be fun!

 

[Laura]

All the people in the military that I know prefer to stay at the All-Stars or POP because they get a far better deal.

I don't believe it.

There are no "deals" at Shades of Green. You pay a certain rate based on rank. $76 per night for a standard room for E-1 through E-5. Shades of Green is comparable to a Deluxe Disney resort, but at the cost of a value resort.

So what's the better deal - paying $70 something a night to squeeze like sardines into a value resort or paying $70 something a night to get a gigantic room at Shades of Green? I don't see how a value resort could possibly be a better deal.

I also wanted to comment on this statement

Many of our service members who are away from their families putting their lives on the line every day to fight for all of our freedoms ...including the freedom of speech that allows this board....have very little money available for family vacations.

A little off topic, but I don't think that statement applies to much of the military anymore. They've raised pay rates quite a bit in the last few years. When I got married in 1999 my husband was an E-3, we lived in base housing and hardly made any money. We lived on Ramen Noodles for the most part, once we had to take out a $100 loan from Navy Relief to buy groceries. But things have changed a lot since then. An E-1 out of boot camp living in base housing is now making over $1,500 a month (keep in mind - no rent, no electric, no water bills). If that person is deployed to Iraq they are making over $2,000 a month tax free (without having to pay water, electric, or rent). Remember an E-1 is usually a 17 or 18 year old kid. Most guys are not E-1's for very long, after leaving boot camp most have made it to E-3 within a couple years. An E-3 living in base housing makes about $1814 per month, living out of base housing makes about $2,400 per month. Add another $625 and make his income tax free if he's in Iraq. My husband will be an E-6 this Fall, if he were to get sent to Iraq we'd make about $4,300 a month tax free.

I think 6 years ago I would agree that the military gets paid crap for what they do, but things have improved a TON in the last several years. If a guy gets deployed to Iraq for 6 months and the wife sets aside all the danger pay, hazardous duty pay, and seperation pay while he's gone, that will be enough to fund a pretty awesome Disney vacation when he gets back! I am so glad that those putting their lives on the line are finally getting paid decently for it!