SHADES OF GREEN at Walt Disney World Resort Information & Questions

[JenLT]

JenLT , if you have a magicband and your reservation is linked on your mde they just scan your band. If not you can go to front desk at Shades and ask for an extended hours card , they make one out for every person in room and you will show that with your bus pass.

Thank you!

 

[smitty0705]

I have a question about buying tickets through Shades (military promotional ticket). If the military member is staying with us at the resort but is not necessarily interested in going to the parks, is she required to get a ticket and go with us so our tickets work? If she is interested in going to the parks 1-2 days and not all the days the rest of the party will be going, can she buy her ticket to be fewer days than the rest of our party?

 

[ZellyB]

JenLT , if you have a magicband and your reservation is linked on your mde they just scan your band. If not you can go to front desk at Shades and ask for an extended hours card , they make one out for every person in room and you will show that with your bus pass.

Thanks for this! I had assumed you just showed them your Shades of Green ticket thing they give you which you what I've used in the past for Early Entry. Is that they same card you are talking about here or do you need a separate one for the Deluxe after hours.

I have a question about buying tickets through Shades (military promotional ticket). If the military member is staying with us at the resort but is not necessarily interested in going to the parks, is she required to get a ticket and go with us so our tickets work? If she is interested in going to the parks 1-2 days and not all the days the rest of the party will be going, can she buy her ticket to be fewer days than the rest of our party?

My understanding is that you cannot buy the tickets without the qualified member (military member or spouse) to also buy a ticket. As long as they purchase a ticket, once the tickets are activated, the military member doesn't have to actually go to the parks with you. She should be able to buy a ticket for fewer days I believe.

 

[livbeatles]

Thanks for this! I had assumed you just showed them your Shades of Green ticket thing they give you which you what I've used in the past for Early Entry. Is that they same card you are talking about here or do you need a separate one for the Deluxe after hours.

Not the original poster you're responding to, but I just checked out of Shades yesterday. There was no additional card given to us, just the usual resort ID that they've used for years and which you show to get on the bus, eat at the Garden Gallery, etc. We had ours with us and ready to show for the evening extended hours (as we've done in the past with the previous EMH), but our magicband worked fine to show we were at SOG and eligible. I did mention to the CM at the first ride as we approached her that we were at SOG--to see if she wanted to use our magicbands or resort ID--and she was fine with the magicband, but did note that it could sometimes glitch!

 

[ZellyB]

Not the original poster you're responding to, but I just checked out of Shades yesterday. There was no additional card given to us, just the usual resort ID that they've used for years and which you show to get on the bus, eat at the Garden Gallery, etc. We had ours with us and ready to show for the evening extended hours (as we've done in the past with the previous EMH), but our magicband worked fine to show we were at SOG and eligible. I did mention to the CM at the first ride as we approached her that we were at SOG--to see if she wanted to use our magicbands or resort ID--and she was fine with the magicband, but did note that it could sometimes glitch!

Thank you!

 

[01Sweetpea]

Just got back from our stay on 12/6 & 12/7 at SoG, and wanted to share our experience. On the trip was me - mom 50s, oldest son, military son & his military fiancé. This was a last minute trip for us, decided to go 7 weeks ago. I wanted book a junior suite, because it offered privacy for my son & his fiancé and it was cheaper then 2 rooms for 2 nights. Originally I couldn’t get the room I wanted, but after checking every day, several times a day, the suite opened up. So, if you’re looking for a specific room, book what you can, and keep checking in case the room you want opens up. Room availability is up to the minute, and not reloaded in the morning, so it helps to check different times during the day.

We were coming from Universal, and got to SoG at 8am, surprisingly our room was ready and we were able to check in and get our room keys. Huge room, queen bed (not pull-out) in the living room with a couch and dining table & chairs and separate bathroom and 2 queen beds and another full bath in the second bedroom. Bus schedule is posted and SoG transportation is very easy to use.

My son’s fiancé bought our tickets on base, so we did have to go to guest relations (we went the day before to Disney Springs) to get them activated. With The tickets she was issued I was able to book park reservations and then they were switched for actual disney tickets. We waited about 45 minutes From when we checked in until we were called in to meet with a cast member.

We were able to book Genie+ LLs at 7am. Internet is not the best in the rooms, saw multiple people in the lobby on the MDE app at 6:45am.

Parking was $15/day.

Bill is delivered to your room around 0400, and if it’s correct you can just leave, you need your room key to get out of the garage. Our bill was incorrect, went to the front desk, had the extra charged removed (no arguing, just took it off), and checked out.

Glad we booked at SoG vs on Disney property.

 

[brockash]

I have a question about buying tickets through Shades (military promotional ticket). If the military member is staying with us at the resort but is not necessarily interested in going to the parks, is she required to get a ticket and go with us so our tickets work? If she is interested in going to the parks 1-2 days and not all the days the rest of the party will be going, can she buy her ticket to be fewer days than the rest of our party?

The military member or spouse can buy the tix and then if not bought through Shades, will need to be there to activate the tix - this can be at Disney Springs, one of the guest services outside of the parks (not sure if Shades of Green can do it.) They do NOT have to go to the parks with you...you just need them to be there to activate the tix. As far as them getting a less park day rix, for Salute tix, the smallest amount of days they do is 4 day tix...however the military could do a 4 day basic tix for them and get the rest of the party a different salute tix (example 5 day hopper with water parks etc.)

 

[valerie160]

Does anyone have any current pictures of the palm suite? We are a larger family and i was able to grab it for our stay, but I can't find any video walk through or pics. I read a review that said the bedrooms don't have windows which concerns me. Thanks.

 

[01Sweetpea]

Does anyone have any current pictures of the palm suite? We are a larger family and i was able to grab it for our stay, but I can't find any video walk through or pics. I read a review that said the bedrooms don't have windows which concerns me. Thanks.

We just got back from 2 days in a junior suite in the Palm Wing, and the room was huge. There is a balcony off the living area and another off the second bedroom. These aren’t the best pictures, but you can see the corner of the bed in the first picture, there is also a full bathroom in the hallway going into the room. The second bedroom has another full bath where the sink is separate from the toilet & shower.

 

[valerie160]

We just got back from 2 days in a junior suite in the Palm Wing, and the room was huge. There is a balcony off the living area and another off the second bedroom. These aren’t the best pictures, but you can see the corner of the bed in the first picture, there is also a full bathroom in the hallway going into the room. The second bedroom has another full bath where the sink is separate from the toilet & shower.

Thanks for the pics. I keep checking for a junior suite daily- I think that would work really well for our family but all they had available for a bigger family when I booked was the big 10-person Palm Suite. I just cant find any info on this specific suite at all for some reason.

 

[01Sweetpea]

Thanks for the pics. I keep checking for a junior suite daily- I think that would work really well for our family but all they had available for a bigger family when I booked was the big 10-person Palm Suite. I just cant find any info on this specific suite at all for some reason.

Keep checking, and check thru out the day. When I originally booked I could only get one room for one of our dates, then another room opened, but it wasn’t the same type of room, so we were going to have to switch rooms, and then one afternoon the JS opened up For both dates. I booked the JS and then cancelled the other 2 rooms.

 

[bdcp]

We're here now. Checked in Sunday. Our room wasn't ready til about 230. Our DS and DDIL's room was ready at around noon. We were already in MK so just waited til we got back to get our keys. We're way in the back on the Palm Wing overlooking one of the golf courses. They put us next door to them with a connecting door. We didn't ask for either, but I'm guessing that's why our room wasnt' ready earlier. Full housekeeping service. GG is still not open for dinner. Parks are VERY crowded. BTW, we went to Epcot on Monday and the construction there makes a longer walk for some things. We also were there for early hours (1030-1100) and the first three things we tried to do, were down. Spaceship earth, Nemo, Figment. We finally just went to our 1130 Via Napoli lunch and did a few rides after. We actually caught Soarin with a 25 standby wait so we jumped on there after Living with the Land. I've been ablet ostand in those lines (knee issues). But, I have never seen so many scooters and large double strollers. The bus back door entrance is constantly blocked and a lot of people use both as battering rams in the parks. I have to be careful with my knee so I was constantly dodging poople walking looking down at their phones or rushing with a stroller to get somewhere. Oh, it's been raining off and on this am. In fact, right now, the sun is out and it's raining. Heading to GG for breakfast soon and then onto AK. I was able to snag Homecomin for 530 dinner today using touring plans.

 

[ZellyB]

We're here now. Checked in Sunday. Our room wasn't ready til about 230. Our DS and DDIL's room was ready at around noon. We were already in MK so just waited til we got back to get our keys. We're way in the back on the Palm Wing overlooking one of the golf courses. They put us next door to them with a connecting door. We didn't ask for either, but I'm guessing that's why our room wasnt' ready earlier. Full housekeeping service. GG is still not open for dinner. Parks are VERY crowded. BTW, we went to Epcot on Monday and the construction there makes a longer walk for some things. We also were there for early hours (1030-1100) and the first three things we tried to do, were down. Spaceship earth, Nemo, Figment. We finally just went to our 1130 Via Napoli lunch and did a few rides after. We actually caught Soarin with a 25 standby wait so we jumped on there after Living with the Land. I've been ablet ostand in those lines (knee issues). But, I have never seen so many scooters and large double strollers. The bus back door entrance is constantly blocked and a lot of people use both as battering rams in the parks. I have to be careful with my knee so I was constantly dodging poople walking looking down at their phones or rushing with a stroller to get somewhere. Oh, it's been raining off and on this am. In fact, right now, the sun is out and it's raining. Heading to GG for breakfast soon and then onto AK. I was able to snag Homecomin for 530 dinner today using touring plans.

Thanks for this update. Sorry it's so crowded and hope you still manage a great trip. Thanks for the update that GG is still not open for dinner. I didn't realize that and may need to modify some dining plans.

I've had a room way back in Palm on the golf course and while it can be a bit of a walk, I always liked the views and tranquility back there.

 

[bdcp]

Thanks for this update. Sorry it's so crowded and hope you still manage a great trip. Thanks for the update that GG is still not open for dinner. I didn't realize that and may need to modify some dining plans.

I've had a room way back in Palm on the golf course and while it can be a bit of a walk, I always liked the views and tranquility back there.

Oh, we've had rooms back here before but that was before my knee was injured. Walking was never a problem and we loved to walk to the Poly. Now I'm just happy to get around the parks. It is very quiet back here. We're in our room now after a morning trip to AK. Heading to DS in a while for our 530 Homecomin dinner. We ate in Mangino's one night and Evergreen's another. We have La Hacienda tomorrow night and we ate at Liberty Tree on Sunday. We basically eat breakfast (sometimes in GG) and one big meal, with snacking. We just got off two weeks of cruising also so don't need to eat a lot lol.

 

[bdcp]

We had a great trip and instead of dinner at La Hacienda on our last evening (16 Dec), we managed to get a 330 'Ohana ADR for my oldest DS birthday dinner. On our last day (16 Dec) we went to Epcot and ran into our DS and DDIL and rode a couple of rides with them. When we took the monorail back for our 'Ohana ADR, we got to the TTC and the resort monorails were down so we had to walk to the Poly. That was it for my knee. It was just a combination of things (overuse) and we took a cab from the poly back to SOG after dinner and DS and DDIL headed back to Epcot. The taxi driver wasn't really happy with that short of a ride, but DH gave him $20 for what was like a $6 fare. The next morning (Friday) we met up with our DS and DDIL at GG for breakfast. We then went our separate ways. We went to the auto train and they went to pick up their rental car and headed to their hotel just outside of Universal. They went to Universal on Saturday. We got home Sat by about 1 pm as we only live 45 min from the AT station. All in all it was a good trip. I walked a lot and now I know even though it can be uncomfortable and sometimes hurt, I can walk farther than I thought. Homecomin' dinner was just as good as last time 4 years ago. Going back to FL in Nov, but not WDW or SOG, just visiting some family, friends and cruising.

 

[M1k1m0u$3]

Anyone know if garden gallery at SOG has gluten free Mickey waffles? I know pretty much all the Disney resorts do, not sure about SOG.

 

[JCfan]

Hi! First visit to SOG in May. My husband and I are both vets and he's service-disabled so we're newly eligible. Any way, in the past, as annual passholders we've stayed in most of the moderate and deluxe hotels at WDW and find all of the various hotels seem to have their charms (and pluses and minuses)... This time, we ccould get in and really liked the value of the SOG. We understand that SOG doesn't have much (if any) Disney theming but are excited by the price point and by staying in the MK area. Now, my questions- what room or rooms should we ask for when we check in? Will they try to put us in a specific area because we are only two adults? I've read that wifi can be spotty in the rooms - is that true? Finally, any general suggestions for first timers to the SOG would be appreciated. Oh and yes, we plan to uber/lyft most of the time to the parks. TIA for your assistance!

 

[LvnDsny]

Hi! First visit to SOG in May. My husband and I are both vets and he's service-disabled so we're newly eligible. Any way, in the past, as annual passholders we've stayed in most of the moderate and deluxe hotels at WDW and find all of the various hotels seem to have their charms (and pluses and minuses)... This time, we ccould get in and really liked the value of the SOG. We understand that SOG doesn't have much (if any) Disney theming but are excited by the price point and by staying in the MK area. Now, my questions- what room or rooms should we ask for when we check in? Will they try to put us in a specific area because we are only two adults? I've read that wifi can be spotty in the rooms - is that true? Finally, any general suggestions for first timers to the SOG would be appreciated. Oh and yes, we plan to uber/lyft most of the time to the parks. TIA for your assistance!

The only real Disney theming is the stars and stripes themed Mickey in the lobby, but it is a great resort! We always request the Palm wing as we find it to be quieter, but it is further from the lobby so might want to consider that if distance is a concern. And we always request to not be placed at ground level. If you plan to sit out on the patio, the wild turkeys will come right up to you looking for food, and they are very persistent. And you have heard correctly, the WIFI is not the best, and takes a little work to get connected, but we haven't had too many issues once we get our devices to connect to it. Have fun, we have stayed at SOG several times and love it!

 

[JenLT]

Hi! First visit to SOG in May. ……. TIA for your assistance!

We will be staying for the first time in December. It looks like a very pretty resort. I have watched a couple of SOG walkthroughs on YouTube and it really helped me get a feel for the resort. I’m very excited about our stay there.
Also I saw that you can walk to the Polynesian and it takes about 10-15 mins. There is also a video of someone doing the walk and it looks like a relaxing walk. You can catch the monorail at the Poly, their boat to MK, or watch the Fireworks.

 

[brockash]

Hi! First visit to SOG in May. My husband and I are both vets and he's service-disabled so we're newly eligible. Any way, in the past, as annual passholders we've stayed in most of the moderate and deluxe hotels at WDW and find all of the various hotels seem to have their charms (and pluses and minuses)... This time, we ccould get in and really liked the value of the SOG. We understand that SOG doesn't have much (if any) Disney theming but are excited by the price point and by staying in the MK area. Now, my questions- what room or rooms should we ask for when we check in? Will they try to put us in a specific area because we are only two adults? I've read that wifi can be spotty in the rooms - is that true? Finally, any general suggestions for first timers to the SOG would be appreciated. Oh and yes, we plan to uber/lyft most of the time to the parks. TIA for your assistance!

We're here now as a first time, long time Disney resort stayer though. It is different. #1 thing I would say is just pretend like they don't havr any transportation and walk to poly for everything. I knew we wouldn't use their transportation for MK, Epcot or opening of any parks because they get you there so late, but holey cow...the bus service is terrible. DHS and AK share a bus...what a fun 40 min ride (on the optimistic side.) They also only come every half hr. DS only comes once an hr and drop/pick up is clear on the west side loop...we're more market place folks so such an inconvenience.

We also really dislike that you have to show a photo id and a lil piece of paper every time before boarding a bus. Who in their right mind would want to try to sneak on their inconvenient transportation.

Also still have to mask at SoG.

Walk to Poly is not bad and we can make it from our room (we unfortunately do not have a close room) to the Poly lobby in 10 mins, but definitely speed walking.

On the upside....rooms are spacious....have not visited the pools yet, but looked nice.

Service is definitely spotty. I can't even make a phone call in my room except at the balcony. Have verizon, don't usually have issues.

ETA: Another positive...prices at the Px are soooo much better than Disney prices.

We did go to the pool today and it was fine. Definitely didn't feel anything like a Disney pool, but a regular nicer hotel pool. Really disliked having the parking lot right there though. Something I never really thought about, but definitely prefer a more resort feel where you can't see and are not right up against a parking lot at the pool.

Miss mobile ordering and magicbands as well.