Shades of Green

[magicsmoke]

I have a family suite at SOG as we have 5 adults, one child and will be there for 6 days. The room there is huge and the price is so much lower for the same size and quality room in a Disney deluxe but we did also overlap book a value (POPC at lowest off season rate) resort for the last days to get the theme, magic bands and magic express to the airport for those that are leaving that day. (the rest have another week in the Keys for fishing) If it were just 2 or 3 for the trip we would have stayed on a 'real' Disney property

Ex-Navy, First went to WDW in 1976 after bootcamp. My last trip to the resort was in 1978 while stationed at Key West for a few years.

 

[princessmommy]

SOG is complicated for me, I spent 23 years on active duty, still working as a GS here on Fort Bragg..while I deeply appreciate what SOG stands for I simply dont want to see AAFES signs everywhere when Im on vacation..the theming just doesn't feel "Disney" enough for me personally..but it serves a great purpose for those that aren't as fortunate. We generally may stay there one night if we actually drive down vs flying but this only to bridge the gap that night until we check into whatever our main resort for that is going to be. Don't get me wrong its a beautiful resort its just not for me.

My hubby and I feel the exact same! While it is on Disney property, it isn't Disney enough to stay more than one night.

 

[WDW 3]

OMG - The resort is beautiful. We just spent another week there. I really don't understand the "Disney Feel" comments. It certainly doesn't scream base in any way. All Disney resorts have a gate to enter. The Aafes is one small location and is a great asset. Reasonable prices and no tax! Honestly we love getting back after all the Disney overload to the peaceful atmosphere!

 

[flynnibus]

OMG - The resort is beautiful. We just spent another week there. I really don't understand the "Disney Feel" comments. It certainly doesn't scream base in any way. All Disney resorts have a gate to enter. The Aafes is one small location and is a great asset. Reasonable prices and no tax! Honestly we love getting back after all the Disney overload to the peaceful atmosphere!

Some people want that Disney overlay 24/7 - which SoG certainly doesn't have. It's more like a traditional hotel with it's own decor instead of mickey ears slapped everywhere or trying to pretend to be some theme. SoG's theme is 'moderately contemporary hotel'

 

[magicsmoke]

OMG - The resort is beautiful. We just spent another week there. I really don't understand the "Disney Feel" comments. It certainly doesn't scream base in any way. All Disney resorts have a gate to enter. The Aafes is one small location and is a great asset. Reasonable prices and no tax! Honestly we love getting back after all the Disney overload to the peaceful atmosphere!

Completely agree, I'm looking forward to the change of atmosphere after a long day. I've booked value resort rooms for the first (AoA) and last (PoPC) days to take advantage of DME, get magic bands and to have a place where the young adults and child can hangout in total Disney while having a suite at SOG all week as the country club control center for us older adults to handle logistics at the bar.

 

[britdaw]

We stayed at SoG when we went in 2012. We loved the size of the rooms, but my husband hated it because of the AAFES stuff and the military feel to the place. My only issue was that our room didn't have a double vanity for getting ready... Otherwise I thought it was an amazing deal.

 

[SamandChel]

September and January any honorably discharged veteran can stay there. It's a nice resort but there's nothing Disney about it if u are going with family. Also prices aren't much lower than Disney resorts with discounts. It would be $135+ a night for veterans. Plus resort fees and park parking.

 

[flynnibus]

the fact you no longer get free park parking has been a serious bummer and hinders how we used to leverage SoG

 

[SamandChel]

@flynnibus Paying for the parking in the parks is $15/day I believe plus they charge you to use their parking garage which is $5 a day. Definitely hurts SoG.

That make the resorts cost $155/night There are numerous Disney resorts that can match this price or even beat it. And then you also get the Disney perks like buses that arrive multiple times an hour and getting dropped off at the front gate.

We are going to spend a couple nights at Shades of Green this month just because we are getting to Disney a couple days earlier before our Disney resort stay and I'm curious about the rennovations they just did. They try to sell ththemselves equal to a deluxe resort but I feel it's closer to a low end moderate resort.

Wish they bumped up the Disney and the amenities. Would definitely put it in the running to stay there more. The resort itself is really nice looking.

The other downside is if you stay longer than 7 days you can't do fastpasses for your entire trip since you will be maxed at 7 days. This will require you to use them and then make more. Kind of another downside

 

[magicsmoke]

I'm taking advantage of it as just a part of my vacation plan but the real reason for SOG is not for most of us, it's for the active armed forces to have a place that's secure for their families and structured so they feel comfortable after maybe being away from everything we take for granted for an extended time. It's not perfect but I think the place as a concept in making young military families happy is fantastic.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/shadesofgreenresort/sets/72157649603750267/

 

[SamandChel]

I agree that shades of green is much more comfortable for active duty returning from deployment but I have also experienced it being worse for people returning. It feels like a military facility,which it is, which can be good or bad. Its great to have and just depends on your situation. Just wish they could add some Disney.