Shades of Green vs Disney hotels

[Brittney Cornwell]

Hi! I am a DL regular and have never been to WDW. We have finally decided to stop waiting for DL to open and to book our first WDW trip in January. We are contemplating staying at Shades of Green vs staying at one of the Disney hotels. Is there any major pros/cons for either option? We can book 5 nights for $695 including tax to stay at Shades of Green. With all the COVID restrictions and changes, I don't know if its worth it to shell out a lot more money to stay at a Disney hotel. Thoughts? Is Shades of Green generally accesible to the parks? DL Is not spread out like this so I have no idea what its like there.

 

[olwyngdh]

One of the big drawbacks at Shades is that you have to get your own transportation from the airport and that can be expensive. The resort is beautiful (my daughter got married at the gazebo there) and the rooms are large but we probably won't stay there again. At my husband's rank it is cheaper for us to stay at Pop Century and we love that resort. Shades busses are pretty good--they are on a set schedule so you know what time you have to be at the bus stops. The bus drivers are good and make the ride fun. You also have the option of walking over to the Poly and taking the Monorail when it is running for MK and Epcot. If you have any questions that someone here or the website can't answer you can always call. Everyone I have talked to there has always been very helpful.

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

Shades is great in that you can walk to the Poly. True, the values can sometimes be cheaper than Shades of Green, since SoG is the same price throughout the year, while you can sometimes get discounts at the Disney resorts. Shades of Green rooms are big...there are 2 beds and a couch. It sleeps 5, while many Disney rooms have 4 as a max capacity. The biggest drawback to my family is the theming. It is a nice hotel, but you don't get the feeling of being transported to somewhere else, like in the moderates, or in your face Disney characters, like at the values. But we love the location.

 

[Cabius]

Shades of Green is a much cheaper option than Moderate/Deluxe hotels, and a much nicer experience than a Value. I’ve stayed there with my Dad (USN, retired) and we had a really great time.

Pros: HUGE rooms, relaxed vibe, good location (easy walk to the Poly, just a bit farther to the TTC, plus they have their own bus service), CHEAP - not just the rooms, but the shops, dining, etc. Gotta love a good Exchange!

Cons: no Magical Express, no charging to your room. Poly monorail station will be shut down, so you’ll have to walk farther to the TTC when going to MK.

I’d say it’s a good experience and a great value in normal times, but especially now.

 

[Leigh L]

Will you be renting a car? I think that might be an important consideration with so much shut down right now.

SOG is my family's (well at least 3 of us lol) preferred resort, even DD13 likes it best. Although, many of our trips have been split stays between SOG and a Disney resort (we almost always rent a car since that is cheaper for us, so transferring hotels is easy), so we get the best of both worlds.

In August, we stayed 3 nights in the Contemporary, a price-protected move from a resort that didn't open, and then moved to SOG for our last night after our flight was changed. It was our first stay at the Contemporary and it was nice and we LOVED the convenience of the ability to walk to MK, but we like SOG a little better. Between the two, for the price point alone, I'd take SOG hands down anytime, it's a beautiful resort. You can stay a week at SOG for less than what it costs to spend a few nights at the Contemporary. We love the SOG vibe too and the rooms are super clean, many have been renovated in recent years. The exchange is great! Staff super friendly. We used Bistro to Go for our meals while there in August (a couple of their normal places were closed) and it was very good.

Buses at SOG are very reliable and, as mentioned, the bus drivers are awesome. Not sure how the experience is during the pandemic with social distancing and if they are running more buses (or if they have the demand to?). Their buses don't run as frequently as Disney buses do.

One huge drawback for us, as mentioned by others above, is the lack of Magical Express. When I travel without DH (he sometimes doesn't come or has to leave earlier than me and the kids do), I tend to stay at a value (we've done AoA and ASMo) or Coronado for that portion of the trip because I don't want to do the driving from the airport. Another drawback is if you're renting a car, you do have to pay for theme park parking if staying at SOG which is $25 a day. If you rent a car, I believe the current parking rate at SOG was $11 (or it may be $13 now), compared with Disney's higher resort parking fees depending on which resort level you stay. I think those are currently $15 value, $20 moderate, and $25 deluxe?

 

[Cabius]

Oh, and I suppose it goes without saying that the rooms must be booked my an eligible service member, and that service member must physically stay at the resort as well - it’s a US military base, and not open to the general public.

I’ve stayed with my parents (as I said, my Dad is retired USN), but could not stay there unless my Dad is traveling with us.

I assume that you’ve seen that already - and thank you or your family member for your service if so!! - but just in case I thought I’d call that out.

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

Oh, and I suppose it goes without saying that the rooms must be booked my an eligible service member, and that service member must physically stay at the resort as well - it’s a US military base, and not open to the general public.

I’ve stayed with my parents (as I said, my Dad is retired USN), but could not stay there unless my Dad is traveling with us.

I assume that you’ve seen that already - and thank you or your family member for your service if so!! - but just in case I thought I’d call that out.

Good point. Something to mention if anyone is interested in a Shades of Green stay, the great thing about January is that, at least in some years, honorably discharged veterans can stay there in January and September, while usually you have to be either currently serving or retired. Just thought I would mention that. I was excited when they started expanding who could stay in January, because we often go for marathon weekend.

 

[olwyngdh]

Good point. Something to mention if anyone is interested in a Shades of Green stay, the great thing about January is that, at least in some years, honorably discharged veterans can stay there in January and September, while usually you have to be either currently serving or retired. Just thought I would mention that. I was excited when they started expanding who could stay in January, because we often go for marathon weekend.

Marathon Weekend was when my daughter got married there. January 2014. They were married Friday afternoon and ran the 1/2 Saturday morning.

 

[drummerwife]

Oh, and I suppose it goes without saying that the rooms must be booked my an eligible service member, and that service member must physically stay at the resort as well - it’s a US military base, and not open to the general public.

I’ve stayed with my parents (as I said, my Dad is retired USN), but could not stay there unless my Dad is traveling with us.

I assume that you’ve seen that already - and thank you or your family member for your service if so!! - but just in case I thought I’d call that out.

Dependent spouses (active or retired) can also book and sponsor rooms as long as they are staying at the resort. I know because I have done this in the past.

 

[Cabius]

Dependent spouses (active or retired) can also book and sponsor rooms as long as they are staying at the resort. I know because I have done this in the past.

Thanks for the clarification! Looks like all of the eligibility rules are detailed here: https://www.shadesofgreen.org/accommodations/eligibility

 

[crazylady]

We loved our stay at Shades. Personally I liked it because of the lack of themeing. Sometimes you just need a break of all things Disney at the end of the day. It also was less chaotic than the values.

If you are going soon though, check out the busing situation. Normally buses run 2x an hour and I don't think that would be enough with Covid protocols. I'd also not want to stay there with the Poly monorail stop closed. Have you found the Shades information thread?