Shades of Green

[DISNEYLOVERS5]

Can anyone tell me what it is like?

[pox24]

Very nice, quiet and laid back. I go there on golfing weekends with my golfing group a couple times a year. My son who is a staff sargeant in the Army sponsors us for the military rate each time we go. They renovated the resort a couple of years ago and its beautiful. New pro shop. For a family time its equally nice and very convenient to the MK, Poly GF and CR.

[wdwfansince75]

Stayed there three times since the renovations and expansion. The rooms are larger than the Contemporary rooms, and well furnished. Two queen sized beds, and 1 day bed, large enough for a teen, or a small adult. Housekeeping was good, although they work to their schedule, not yours....

Grounds are neat and well groomed....you are between the Palm and Magnolia golf courses. Expect frequent visits from wild turkeys, and other birds, including Ibises and even Sand Hill Cranes. Even saw deer there one day.....sorry, no giraffes.

Resturants are nothing to write home about, although Evergreens, the fast food location, is as good as most resort CS's, and significantly lower in price. We used room service several times, once for a late dinner, and once for breakfast.....enjoyed both the food, and the price.

Rooms and furnishings are similar to deluxes, at a much reduced price. Transportation runs on a very tight schedule....we found that best solution was to take park transportation back to the TTC, and then catch the SoG bus, which runs about every 20 minutes until well after park closing.

The walk to Poly is very short....Most of the time, when going to MK, we walked to the Poly, and caught the monorail....for the return trip, we either took the monorail to the Poly and walked, or to the TTC, and took the bus. Our trips to AK and DHS were usually on the SoG bus going to the park, and Disney buses to the TTC, and SoG bus to the resort....usually was quicker.

The resort is definitely superior to all the WDW resorts, except the Deluxes, at the price of a value.

Recommend that you check out their website....shadesofgreen.org

[Mammabruski]

I agree with earlier posts, SOG is very nice, except for:
1. We must have stayed in a non-refurbished room, all the furniture was mismatched, worn and old.
2. The bed and pillows were very uncomfortable.
3. The carpet was wet in spots and kind of icky.
4. The ceilings in the hallway were very low drop ceilings. At 5'4" I could reach up and touch them.

Anyhow, these are my

[TINKERBELL_82]

For the $$ you can't beat it. It's literally right across the street from the Poly- you can walk there in about 5 minutes. The rooms are large and each one has a balcony, and sitting area with sofa, dining room table, and mini fridge.

They do a breakfast buffet in the morning that is very good and very reasonably priced.


The only downside is parking. You have to pay something around $10 a day to park a vehicle there, so be prepared if you're driving.

Other than that, its gravy!

[BronxTigger]

If you click on my name and go to my "homepage" I have an "album" of photos from Shades of Green (August 2006).

It is a nice resort, but it is not run by Disney and so it doesn't have an over the top theme. When we stayed there, the staff was not as friendly as most CMs, but the other families were ALL very respectful and we encountered NO rude guests!

The rooms are huge (about 450 sf) and they have interior corridors and each room has a balcony.

The pool is shaped like Mickey but it doesn't have any special features like spraying water or a slide.

Many people complain about the buses, but I actually found it nice that they stuck to a strict schedule. We knew what time we needed to be at the bus and we didn't have to wait for a bus for very long because we knew what time we needed to be there. We also knew if we had just missed it, and for those times we walked to the Poly. It is about a 5-15 minute walk and you do have to cross a street, but compared to all the walking you do at WDW it's not too bad.

Bottom line: I prefer the true Disney resorts for the atmosphere, the pools, and DME. However, for the $$, I'd stay there again.

EMH: yes
Package delivery: yes
DME: no
Keys tied to park tickets: no
Dining plan: no

[starflyer59]

Is it true that SOG guest have to pay just to park your car?

[wdwfansince75]

Yes, you do have to pay $5 per day to park car. In a parking garage, convenient to the hotel and room. There is valet parking available, at about the same price as the other resorts. Also, parking is free for SoG guests at the parks, and at the water parks.

There is no tax on the rooms, nor on the parking or tickets. Just include that in the calculations. Lets see....room at $119, no tax, plus parking...$124 per night.

[donnah77]

We love SOG and will probably be going back again next year. You can not beat the price, and you really aren't giving anything up for it. The rooms are huge, clean, comfortable. Love the fridge, separate sink area, and queen beds. Agree with PP - the pillows are a bit too squishy for me too.

The hotel is quiet, relaxing, pretty. I always request the Palm Building which is the new part in the front. Closer to the buses and a bit of a hike to the pool, therefore no pool traffic hiking by your door all day.

The grounds are very pretty with the golf courses, koi pond, kids activities, pools, and even the occasional alligator in the front pond.

The buffet is quite decent, we especially like the breakfast for $8 and go every day. The dinner salad bar has THE best blue cheese dressing - I swear I'm craving it now. Evergreens sports bar/restaurant is quite good, also has a take out window if you'd like to eat in your room or at the pool. The ice cream place is also good.

No tax - big benefit. No tax on rooms, park tickets, restaurants, the gift shop (a nicely stocked AAFES).

We love the buses. They have hourly schedules for AK & MGM, but run fairly continuously for TTC to MK & Epcot. Also the walk to Poly option is great. We had rented a car on our first visit having read negative bus reviews. Literally drove it to SOG and then back to MCO at the end of the week. Didn't use it at all and haven't rented since!

We have also had great luck with fellow hotel guests. Considerate and friendly. And I have to say the kids seem really well behaved - always just assumed that's something to do with military households LOL

If you have the opportunity to stay at SOG, I would highly recommend you take advantage of it. We love it!

[Crow]

great deal. much cheaper than Disney deluxe for as good a room or better.
the buffet isnt bad
stayed there twice
walk to Poly for the monorail or T&T center

[Marilyn Michetti]

I'll second everything that's been said. For the price, it can't be beat, and the grounds are the most peaceful anywhere on property.

As for the lack of theaming, that's a plus to most military - at least the active duty ones. What they crave most are quiet surroundings, and a break from sensory bombardment. Those of us that are retired, enjoy it even more. I LOVE Disney - we go once a year, but when it's time to go to unwind for the night, I want to share a pizza, sit in the hot tub, and watch the fireworks over the castle.

If you give SOG a try, you might never want to stay anywhere else.

[mudpuppysmom]

When my DH first told me to check into SOG for our trip after his deployment I was VERY skeptical about staying somewhere that had a military tie to it.....I think spartan accommodations when I think military. Nothing could be further from the truth here.....I have taken DS#1 alone a bunch of times since our initial stay and I feel totally comfortable coming and going there. One time we were on our way out to fly home and a very nice gentleman insisted on helping me with the bags we had......I said it was not necessary, but the wife said "just let him do it for you or he'll be offended".....he even helped me load the car! Everyone there is there for the same reason -- to unwind and relax. You get a head nod and a " 'mornin" out of other guests, that is about it. It is a very quiet place!!

Yeah, the buffet is not top of the line (as some people have complained), but it's not totally inedible!! I like the breakfast -- good and filling. Manginos is a nice Italian place and decent prices. Evergreens is a good place for grab and go after a day at the park.....I think a pizza is like $12 or something like that.....and, they'll deliver it to your room too!!

The people at the front desk aren't always the friendliest, but you get that anywhere these days!

Guest Services is quite helpful

AAFES store has basic stuff that you might have forgotten at home, plus some souvies too -- again as stated above, no tax.

The old rooms are a bit tired, but they are still clean. The new rooms are VERY nice and I'll say bigger than AKL rooms (we stayed there once too and had to park the stroller in front of the door, there was just no room for it anywhere else!).

The busses are the only thing I can pick on.....I'm not a bus person though!! DS and I have tried the busses and we just can't do it. We did catch the bus back from MK one night after MVMCP and it was JAMMMMMMM PACKED yet the driver waited until "time" to start the trip back to SOG.

I was a skeptic, but now have seen the light......I enjoy staying at SOG!!

Next trip in December I tried to convince my sister we should stay there.....but she is insisting on AKL...I'll take her to SOG and show her the light too!!

[pcoleman]

Ditto to what others have said. Don't forget you can have packages sent to the hotel for when you check in and also sent from the parks to the hotel. When I could not obtain an ADR to save my life they were able to get my family in and at the time we wanted. You will not be sorry.