Shades of Green *HELP*

[DisneyDayDreamer]

My boyfriend and I are planning to head to Disney during my Spring Break of 2k14. He is currently serving in the National Guard and is eligible to stay at the Shades of Green hotel. It would only be us two going for a week. I am looking primarily for reviews and personal experiences.

 

[sgtmgd]

Here's my take on Shades of Green..I truly and deeply appreciate everything Disney does for the military..I retired after 23 years and still work for the DOD and Disney has made life much easier on me with all the discounts and such. Shades of green is not my favorite however..dont get me wrong there is nothing "wrong" with it..except its IMO a typical military type resort...it doesnt "exude" Disney to me..and quite frankly while at disney the last thing I want to see is another "AAFES" sign and more military folks..Shades of Green is very affordable as it's based soley on rank..the less rank the cheaper it is..BUT with 40% off other "DISNEY" resorts Id at least check on some of the Moderates like Port Orleans French Quarter/Riverside...the Coronado..to name a couple or based on your situation the Values and or Deluxe's. If I stay at Shades of Green it is only one night and that is always the day I arrive in hte bubble (When we drive) and that is simply to lay our heads down for the night and get up early to check into whatever Disney property we are staying at for our vacation. I reiterate there is really nothing wrong with Shades of Green...it just isnt "Disney" enough for my taste.

 

[NeedMoreMickey]

Stayed at SoG a couple of times and have to agree with sgtmgd about not "Disney" enough. The location is nice you can get a bus to the parks or walk over to Poly or GF and get the monorail. The one thing I didn't like is SoG is not part of the Magical Express from the airport so if you are flying remember to add in the cost of transportation and parking (think $15 a day) when you are making you vacation budget.

 

[sgtmgd]

Stayed at SoG a couple of times and have to agree with sgtmgd about not "Disney" enough. The location is nice you can get a bus to the parks or walk over to Poly or GF and get the monorail. The one thing I didn't like is SoG is not part of the Magical Express from the airport so if you are flying remember to add in the cost of transportation and parking (think $15 a day) when you are making you vacation budget.

Didnt know about the Magical Express not being offered..good to know

 

[zurgandfriend]

Here's my take on Shades of Green..I truly and deeply appreciate everything Disney does for the military..I retired after 23 years and still work for the DOD and Disney has made life much easier on me with all the discounts and such. Shades of green is not my favorite however..dont get me wrong there is nothing "wrong" with it..except its IMO a typical military type resort...it doesnt "exude" Disney to me..and quite frankly while at disney the last thing I want to see is another "AAFES" sign and more military folks..Shades of Green is very affordable as it's based soley on rank..the less rank the cheaper it is..BUT with 40% off other "DISNEY" resorts Id at least check on some of the Moderates like Port Orleans French Quarter/Riverside...the Coronado..to name a couple or based on your situation the Values and or Deluxe's. If I stay at Shades of Green it is only one night and that is always the day I arrive in hte bubble (When we drive) and that is simply to lay our heads down for the night and get up early to check into whatever Disney property we are staying at for our vacation. I reiterate there is really nothing wrong with Shades of Green...it just isnt "Disney" enough for my taste.

Sgtmgd you hit it the nail on the head, I'm retired Army 27 years and SoG is great, the payment by your rank is fantatic but... we just don't get the "Disney" feel the few times we have been there. We never stayed but as it is an option for a Disney vacation we checked it you and just did not get the Disney vibe.

 

[RedDad]

We stayed there last August with my bro-in-law who is USAF, and it was such a fantastic deal I can't really complain about anything. Cheapest we have ever done WDW! I agree that the resort itself doesn't "feel" like a Disney resort, but you can't beat the price, location and rooms, which are the biggest on property. It's right next to the Poly, and the rooms are as nice as any moderate (and even some deluxe) Disney resorts. The onsite food is not great, and you have to pay for parking at the parks, but the bus service was very good throughout our trip.

If you spend most of your time in the parks and just need a place to sleep, it's a great option. I usually say that about the value resorts, but I'd take SOG over any Disney value hotel for sure.

 

[DsnySodec]

I stayed there once with my wife when we first got married in 2007. I was surprised at house nice it is. However, I agree with sgtmgd. It doesn't feel disney enough for me as well. Also the bus schedule was very slow. If you are just looking for a cheaper fare per night to rest your head with ok food go for it, there is nothing wrong with staying there. I will say if you want to purchase certain thing take a trip over there, tickets, toiletries, ect...

 

[aRiv]

As others have already stated, it isn't very "Disney" but this does not bother me nor my family. We're the type of people who just need the resort to sleep for a few hours, get up, get ready, and go. We might grab breakfast but that's the most we'll do. We hardly spend time at the resort so it really doesn't bother us or take away from our trip. Yes, it'd be nice to stay somewhere with amazing theming, but for the price my mom gets it's just worth the stay at SoG. We don't bother with the busses since the walk to the Poly monorail is not far at all.
Good luck choosing!

 

[CheshireCat12]

We stayed in 2008 and it was very nice! We did eat at the Breakfast Buffet area one morning, it was pretty good. Bus service to/from the parks was good, maybe every 20-30 min. though.
I get what people say about it lacking the Disney feel, it's not themed out at all. But if you like a peaceful quiet stay and nice grounds, this is good. I liked the fountain in the main entry/stairwell area, it's like a waterfall. The AAFES store was small, the quick service cafe was quick and had a good amount of options. I think though that a lot of things have been changed since my stay.

Here's a real plus: You can walk to the Poly and eat at 'Ohana!!!!

 

[NeedMoreMickey]

I did forget to mention that you can buy park tickets here cheaper because no tax. All the local Uni, Sea World etc are available. We often book room only at a Disney resort then come over here for tickets

 

[sgtmgd]

We stayed in 2008 and it was very nice! We did eat at the Breakfast Buffet area one morning, it was pretty good. Bus service to/from the parks was good, maybe every 20-30 min. though.
I get what people say about it lacking the Disney feel, it's not themed out at all. But if you like a peaceful quiet stay and nice grounds, this is good. I liked the fountain in the main entry/stairwell area, it's like a waterfall. The AAFES store was small, the quick service cafe was quick and had a good amount of options. I think though that a lot of things have been changed since my stay.

Here's a real plus: You can walk to the Poly and eat at 'Ohana!!!!

Nope not much has changed..the Fountain main entry is nice..

 

[sgtmgd]

I did forget to mention that you can buy park tickets here cheaper because no tax. All the local Uni, Sea World etc are available. We often book room only at a Disney resort then come over here for tickets

You can also get the same tickets at any military base prior to going if that helps

 

[NeedMoreMickey]

You can also get the same tickets at any military base prior to going if that helps

My brother in-law works for DOD and he says the tickets we buy at SoG are not available at Ft. Meade, just have to go with what he says. A lot of times they were buying AP but now they are DVC so they get them through DVC.

 

[sgtmgd]

My brother in-law works for DOD and he says the tickets we buy at SoG are not available at Ft. Meade, just have to go with what he says. A lot of times they were buying AP but now they are DVC so they get them through DVC.

We are going in Sept for a week..I called SoG and they have the Salute tickets there of course..but our MWR office at Fort BRagg also sells the 4 day Salute tix...both have to be activated at the 1st park you attend.

 

[WDW 3]

Love SOG. Frankly we are fine with the lack of "Disney" at the end of the day. We enjoyed POFQ but will stay at Shades if possible. I love having halls. I know it's strange but I was always worried about snakes and other creepy, slithery things somehow getting in the room (ground floor outdoor access). DH did see a snake one morning going for coffee The AAFES just opened after an expansion and remodel and it looks nicer. You can get a cup of Starbucks coffee in the lobby (aslo a new change... moved and expanded Java Express) A lot of people complain about the buses but we appreciate the schedule. At FQ it was haphazzard which buses arrived and how full they were when they got there. If you don't like the SOG times you can always walk to the Poly or ride the more frequent TTC bus and take the buses from there.

 

[CheshireCat12]

Love SOG. Frankly we are fine with the lack of "Disney" at the end of the day. We enjoyed POFQ but will stay at Shades if possible. I love having halls. I know it's strange but I was always worried about snakes and other creepy, slithery things somehow getting in the room (ground floor outdoor access). DH did see a snake one morning going for coffee The AAFES just opened after an expansion and remodel and it looks nicer. You can get a cup of Starbucks coffee in the lobby (aslo a new change... moved and expanded Java Express) A lot of people complain about the buses but we appreciate the schedule. At FQ it was haphazzard which buses arrived and how full they were when they got there. If you don't like the SOG times you can always walk to the Poly or ride the more frequent TTC bus and take the buses from there.

How does the snake take his coffee- cream and sugar???

 

[mouse_luv]

Okay, my father is retired USAF and my family has stayed here multiple times since say 1990-ish (as far back as when it was the Disney Inn). I love the renovations they did on it and we have stayed about 4 times since the renovations, the last being in Aug of 2012. I love it there. I am sad that next time I go back I won't actually be staying there, but then again I'll be staying at an awesome Disney Deluxe DVC (so I wont be sad too long haha). Anyway, I dont have a problem w/the so called "lack of themeing." It's actually quite refreshing at the end of the day. I'm one of the biggest fans of Disney you will meet, but I just don't have a problem with not being overloaded with Disney themeing at the end of the day. The rooms are wonderful and some of, if not the largest on property.
You can buy your tickets on SOG property a lot cheaper and w/o taxes, just know that you have to have the tickets activated at the guest relations office of the park you first go to before they will work in the turnstiles.
As far as transportation. Know that to get there from the airport you either have to rent a car, have a town car service pick you up/drop you off on way back to airport when you leave, or if you are driving, that the parking is 5$ a day to park in the SOG garage. It's 15$ a day if you want to drive to the parks and not take a bus or other transportation.
We usually walk to the Polynesian and take the monorail or buses from there, You can also go to the front of the resort from 9am-5pm daily and ask the bellhops to take the "shady shuttle" it's a little golf cart that will drive you to the end of the property and then you just have to walk across the street to the Poly and hop the monorail.
As far as the Shades of Green buses, I've never really had a problem with them other than the fact that at the end of the night you have to know what time the last bus is from certain parks or you are pretty much stranded as monorails etc stop running. We normally didnt have an issue with hopping the SOG buses to the TTC to catch a bus to DHS. Just know that you have to take monorail to MK and EPCOT and then get back to TTC to catch the SOG bus. The one bus I will not get on is the direct AK or DTD buses from SOG because I think it only comes like once an hour or something. I would rather just go over to the Polynesian and catch their bus there.

I've eaten there before and never really had a problem although it's not the greatest food (at least not DISNEY quality). The pizzas and stuff are good at the Evergreen pool bar and grille for like after hours and stuff. (if you are going to go after dark make sure you walk there through the hotel and not on the outside paths, as when we were last there in Aug the staff told us NOT to go on outside paths at night bc of venomous snakes and gators lol).

Other than that, I can't think of anything else. If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a message in my inbox here.

 

[mousehockey37]

Just make sure you get the info on Shades of Green buses. They DO NOT run on the same schedule as the WDW buses. When I was there last August, this was the only part that was even somewhat stressful.

Experience example: DGF and I were at EPCOT for evening EMH and we went to the bus around 11pm. There was no bus directly to SoG from EPCOT, so we had to get a Disney bus back to the TTC and then catch the SoG bus. The issue was that the SoG bus stops running an hour after the last park closes, so as the people who had the double stroller, full of shopping items and maybe a kid, were arguing with the bus driver to have the stroller on the bus unfolded (which the bus driver did allow), the clock was ticking on getting back to the TTC to catch the last SoG bus of the night or it was going to be a dark walk past the Poly and up to SoG.

So if you were hoping to catch the "Kiss Goodnight" at the MK, you'll need to take your car over that night because the SoG buses will be long done with their routes.

 

[WDW 3]

If we know we are getting a bit late we take any bus from parks to any of the monorail resorts (hopefully the Poly), get to the Poly and walk. It's really a nice walk at night. We always fly, get a town car (so we never have a car) and it always seems to work!

 

[The Mom]

When this was the Disney Inn, my family stayed there frequently. The fact that it isn't too Disney made it attractive to us - we felt that we were getting away from the crowds for a while. And, as mentioned, the rooms are very large.

We would still be staying there if it was still available to us.