Shades of Green

Well no, because you have to be Military or ex-military.

..no. My stepdad is retired AF and we tried to get reservations but they were like years out.

I have friends who have, and it's gotten high marks! I'll see if I can find out anything for you.

My sister-in-law and her family stayed there and did not have good things to say. She is generally pretty easy to please and she would not stay at SOG again.

We've stayed there 4 or 5 times and have been pleased with it. The caveat is that it is not a Disney hotel so you don't get the "Magic" of other resorts. The dining facilities are mediocre. But the cost can't be beat, the rooms are some of the biggest in WDW, the bus system is great and you are a 10-15 minute walk to the Polynesian/monorail/TTC - even less if the "Shady Shuttle" is outside (an oversize golf cart which will give you a ride down to the end of the property). It's worth noting that even though it's not technically a Disney resort, you DO still qualify for Extra Magic Hours. The mini mart has a great selection of items so you can stock the fridge in your room for breakfasts and snacks. I would highly recommend requesting a room in the newer wing, with the golf course views. That's where we've always stayed and I understand that the older rooms are smaller and more tired looking. They are on the pool side and we prefer to be away from the pool anyway since it can get noisy.

A big factor for us aside from cost was that we don't tend to spend a lot of time in our room so we didn't feel compelled to spend more just to be in a Disney hotel. Of course, we are now DVC owners so that's changed things a bit.

Thanks for the info MickeysMama & . Where is your home resort? We are DVC members also, SSR is home resort but we switch it up all the time where we stay. Any chance we get though, we stay at the Poly.

Hi Mickeysmama and welcome to WDWFG. I will echo mrhub and ask where is your DVC home resort, ours is SSR but like mrhub we try to mix it up whenever we can. Spend some time exploring our little corner of the web, and you will soon discover that we are a friendly and courteous bunch of Disney addicts. Also thanks for the info on SoG to be honest I have never even laid eyes on the resort.

I have reservations at POFQ for my cousin's weddings in July. I asked my aunt if she wants to share a room. She is eligible to stay at SoG and looked up the prices and it would save us both money. What to do???

Do any newer members of the forum have any experience here?

Pros? Cons?

I don't have any personal experience, but a friend of mine stayed there. She said it was nice, but lacked the theming of a Disney resort. She also said that Shades of Green is not eligible for the free magic bands. Something to consider.

I know that some of Becks' family stayed there for her wedding. I seem to recall her saying that it was nice enough but that she would stick with the Disney Resorts.

That's a con in my book.

I have five so I'm covered there. LOL

Thanks for the feedback. I'm putting together a pro / con list. Did they say how the transporation was to / from the resort to the parks? What about airport transportation?

How do the buses run? I do not recall seeing them often in the bus lanes....

I haven't seen many buses either. Then again, I haven't had to a reason to look for them before. I did find the current bus schedule.

- Every 20 minutes between resort and TTC (for MK and Epcot)
- Every hour between resort and the other parks and DTD

I remember Bekah driving over there to pick them up and cart them around a lot. Her mom got lost just getting to the resort too. It was kind of a mess from my memory. I'll text her and see if she has time to hop on the forums today.

That would be great. Any time this weekend is fine.

Jo Ann, I believe I also read somewhere the batteries in the Magic Bands only last 1 to 2 years...
just something to keep in mind if some of your bands are a bit older ....

Joanne,

I've stayed at SoG on probably 10 separate visits to Disney. I love staying at SoG. The prices are well below the Disney resort prices (and no taxes) and the rooms are the biggest (square footage) on the entire Disney property. The buses run every 20 minutes to Ticket and Transportation Center (take monorails from there to MK and Epcot) and every 30 minutes to Animal Kingdom & Hollywood Studios. I've never ever had to wait for a second bus, and in most instances it's 10 people or less getting on the bus when I'm getting on. The buses run one hour after the parks close and an hour before parks open (even on EMH)... And YES!!! They allow EMH if you're staying at SoG... Several restaurants, cafes and shopettes inside SoG, as well as a Starbucks... Prices at SoG are not Disney regulated (priced), so most everything is well below the cost of things at Disney to include souvenirs. They have two large heated pools and tennis courts and a golf course... I'd recommend SoG to anyone that has the opportunity to stay there. I'm booking my November F&W festival rooms there in a week or so. Room rates are discounted 35% right now for November... Also, an active or retired military member or DoD Civilian can book up to three extra rooms for friends and family. Only catch is you have to be there to check in the others, but not for checkout.. Discounted ticket prices as well.. Your sponsor can get you tickets at there travel office (SATO) on site in SOG.. We do this for our F&W festival traveling buddies and they save almost $200 on their Annual passes compared to the regular pricing..

If I'm not staying off site, I'm staying at SoG... You can't beat the prices and size of rooms.

Also, it has never been a problem getting rooms here. I've never had them booked when I've tried to make a reservation, even calling once the night before checking out (teary-eyed at Epcot watching Illuminations)to extend for another two days and it was early summer..

YOU CAN'T GO WRONG AT SHADES OF GREEN!!! JUST DO IT!!!

Joanne,

SoG uses Sunstate Limousine service for their airport shuttle service. It is NOT a free service, but we've used it for our last three F&W festival trips and found it to be efficient and comfortable. They meet you at baggage claim and carry your luggage to the van/towncar/limo and you're on your way and at SoG in less than 30 minutes.. EZ peezee!!! Round trip split with two couples was $60 a couple. Definitely beats driving and paying the daily parking fees. Reservations are required ahead of time..

SEE Other post for comments on buses to parks...

Joanne,

Only two cons I could think of and it's not really a con is: Disney theming minimal; and no 60 day FP reservation for staying here (at least during my last stay, I heard rumor this might change) like at other Disney resorts..

PROS: See my other post.. Too long to mention

I remember reading that also. Four of them are from last year so I should be ok.

Thank you Mike for the feedback.

After doing some thinking this weekend. I have decided to stick with POFQ for various reasons.

No problem... If you do ever decide to stay at SoG, e-mail me and I'll give you all the ins and outs of staying at SoG and some tips & tricks, I've learned over the years..

Enjoy, POFQ.... I get my fill of the FQ here in Louisiana

I stayed there when it was the Disney Golf Resort Hotel and then The Disney Inn - several times in fact as in the old days it was really difficult to get a reservation at the Polynesian so this is where we would stay when the Poly was fully booked. I seem to recall that you can walk to the Polynesian from SOG, or is my childhood memory playing tricks on me? Does anyone else remember the Golf/Disney Inn?

You can definitely walk it. I often would get off the monorail at poly and walk back to SOG at the end of the day, especially when MK is crowded. I've always known it as Shades of Green. We'll be staying there for the F&W festival this year.. Can't wait!!