CaleCakes
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2016
Ah I see. Thank you for the information.
SHADES OF GREEN at Walt Disney World Resort Information & Questions
- Thread starter jusero
- Start date
Ah I see. Thank you for the information.
nesser1981
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2011
I was looking to purchase tickets from SOG for our upcoming trip, anyone have a trip planned already for late January/February 2023 and been able to make park reservations?
The system won't actually let you do it until you purchase tickets, and I'm assuming I'm going to come out cheaper getting them from SOG. Our last trip, I completely forgot about it and the time before it was our daughter's Make a WIsh trip.
The system won't actually let you do it until you purchase tickets, and I'm assuming I'm going to come out cheaper getting them from SOG. Our last trip, I completely forgot about it and the time before it was our daughter's Make a WIsh trip.
ZellyB
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2010
We used DAS on our last trip and didn't use Genie+. It worked well for us just to use DAS and then our two preselected rides with doing advanced registration. We were able to ride everything we wanted pretty easily while taking breaks in between rides with things like Philharmagic, CoP, etc. I'm the one eligible for DAS and really the only ride I couldn't ride that my teenage kids wanted to ride was Space Mountain, so I just paid for an ILL for that. Otherwise they did like Rockin' Rollercoaster at rope drop so they didn't have to wait long. It was cheaper than adding on G+.
ZellyB
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2010
SOG does not rent any type of mobility aids to my knowledge. You can rent ECV (scooters) or manual wheelchairs at the parks. There are several outside companies who rent mobility aids and deliver to Disney resorts as well. I find that to be the best way to get a device. We have used Gold Mobility in the past and they are great to work with. They will deliver and pick up from Bell Services at SOG.
Neverbeast
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2017
Can anyone explain how the check in works with multiple rooms? My step dad is sponsoring three rooms. He and my mom in one. My brothers family in one, and my family in the third. We will be coming from universal parks on check in day and wondering if we can all leave universal at whatever time works best for our own smaller family units or if we all need to go together the first time to check in with him there. I think what I’m confused about is some of the wording around needing resort ID passes etc. I *think* my brothers family will poop out at universal first and be ready to swim and chill, and my own little family will want to shut the parks down… just want to set expectations for all of us to be where we need to be to make check in smooth.
ZellyB
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2010
I'm not completely certain, but I think the military member (or spouse) has to be there for initial check-in. You may want to call to confirm since we've never attempted that, but I know every time we've checked in they've required to see my husband's ID at check-in.
Leigh L
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2019
This is my understanding as well. DH checked in for two rooms last year but we'd arrived together. I think he was required to be there though
Neverbeast
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2017
That’s what I suspected (unfortunately). Now… how to plan to keep him happy enough in Islands of Adventure for the rest of us to ride all the coasters? 
Hope someone can help me with this. My husband and I are scheduled to stay at SOG with one military son and family in a room and another military son and family in another room and my husband and I in a room sponsored by one of them. One family has five people and has purchased the discounted salute tickets already. The other has three family members so they purchased their tickets and our tickets. We just learned that the military son who purchased our tickets could possibly be going on short notice deployment soon. His spouse is debating on not going to Disney if he can’t go.
I know our other son can sponsor our room but any suggestions about our tickets? It’s possible the family who purchased them won’t be there at all now. And I’m not even sure if they are originally purchased by one military member, can they be activated by another? If they can, that’s only one of two that can be activated because they would be at their six limit. Or will disney have pity on us and go ahead and activate them regardless. Sorry if I’ve made this so confusing.
I know our other son can sponsor our room but any suggestions about our tickets? It’s possible the family who purchased them won’t be there at all now. And I’m not even sure if they are originally purchased by one military member, can they be activated by another? If they can, that’s only one of two that can be activated because they would be at their six limit. Or will disney have pity on us and go ahead and activate them regardless. Sorry if I’ve made this so confusing.
Leigh L
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2019
The Hagrid line will keep you there a bitThat’s what I suspected (unfortunately). Now… how to plan to keep him happy enough in Islands of Adventure for the rest of us to ride all the coasters?
Did
Did they purchase the lm through SOG? if so, the tix will already be activated so it won't matter. If they aren't activated and worse comes to worse; I'd have the military member activate his immediate family members and 1 of your tix at 1 time (@ Disney springs or something) and then have the military spouse go with just you to activate the other. - Yes, I think technically you aren't supposed to be able to do this however it worked nce for us that was done on accident so wortha try.
At SOG right now, will be checking out in the morning. Bus system just as bad as listed in previous posts. TTC bus is fine in that it happens every 20 minutes. Only delays are if it has to load scooters or traffic problems. Other bus is a pain. Our first day they ran different busses for AK and HS but all the other times we went the busses were combined and packed. My mother used a scooter so had to show up early or wouldn’t be able to get on. At least twice this was an issue. Breakfast dining plan has started back up again. Ok deal if want to eat every day at the resort but if you want to eat a quick breakfast one day or at a resort (we did a breakfast at Kona) you will end up losing money. The food is fine, nothing special and doesn’t change a lot day to day but plenty of options. Made to order omelettes and pancakes.
Wifi stinks. Constantly drops you. Need to accept the monitoring disclaimer multiple times a day. More detailed report when get home.
Ps forgot to mention bus dropoff location for Disney Springs is horrible. Depending on what security is open can involve a real long walk from other side of Cirque to far side of Orange garage.
Wifi stinks. Constantly drops you. Need to accept the monitoring disclaimer multiple times a day. More detailed report when get home.
Ps forgot to mention bus dropoff location for Disney Springs is horrible. Depending on what security is open can involve a real long walk from other side of Cirque to far side of Orange garage.
No they both purchased through their base ticket offices. Thank you for the tip tho!! Greatly appreciated!
BigBlueWho
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Dec 6, 2013
Is anyone there now? Can you confirm if they have Jimmy Dean type breakfast sandwiches at the exchange, and if so, the price?
ZellyB
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2010
We've stayed at Shades for numerous race weekends. They have race transportation from Shades just like the Disney owned resorts. As I recall the busses for the races are shared with Poly and GF. No reason to walk to Poly.
Neverbeast
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2017
Dumb question- Does Shades have 1st visit buttons?
No. Disney has them in the park. Guest Services at each of the parks or Disney Springs. You can also usually get them at whatever the closest gift shop to the entrance is. We got ours at the Emporium at MK. We got the "We are Celebrating" buttons.
Time for a little more detailed report on SoG. I think this is either our 3rd or 4th time staying there.
Check-in.
We got there around 11:00 and our rooms were not ready yet. They gave us our Ids and we checked all our luggage in with bell services. No problems with that at all. We then caught the bus to Disney Springs since we had late lunch reservations. When we returned from our trip to Disney Springs our rooms were ready.
Transportation.
This was the biggest issue with SoG the entire trip. Except for the TTC bus, all the other busses are a pain. As most people know since the busses aren't official Disney busses you can't get as close to the entrances as you can with a Disney bus. At MK/Epcot that means a trip to TTC instead of directly to the MK/Epcot. At the other parks it usually means a farther away spot then the Disney busses. Not horrible for HS, AK it is pretty far for a hot day. Disney Springs is the worst. The bus stop is on the other side of Cirque. When we went on Day 1, the nearest security entrance to Disney Springs was within the Orange Garage on the far side of the garage. It was a very long walk. When we left there was a show at Cirque so they did have a security checkpoint there but you can't guarantee it will be open at certain times.
Another day we went to Disney Springs and we just happened to have been at Wilderness Lodge visiting family at that location and it was a much more convenient trip to Disney Springs from there.
The other issue is that they combine busses to AK and HS. Our first day to HS they didn't combine busses, which made things more convenient but the rest of the week they did. This meant VERY crowded buses, standing room only during any popular times to the park and occasionally if you weren't there early you didn't get on at all. Unlike Disney busses if you miss a buss you don't just wait 5-10 minutes you have to wait at least a half hour (except for the TTC bus.) It also meant that you had to take the time to visit the other park when either going to or coming from the park which meant much longer bus rides.
The other issue we had was that my mother used an ECV. The only issue we had is that they can only take a maximum of two ECVs/wheelchairs per bus. They "suggested" that you be there 15 minutes early. At least one time my mother was close to bus arrival time getting there and was in line before the bus showed up but was unable to get on the bus because they didn't notice she was in line (the driver and the person monitoring the line were to busy talking to notice her) and they started boarding the bus without letting her on so she had to wait for the next bus even though she was the only ECV/wheelchair in line.
Be ready to show both your hotel id and photo id EVERY time you get on the bus and most of the times when the bus goes through the security gate at the resort. Last time we were at SoG the secondary Id show at the security gate only happened late night, this time we rarely didn't have to show our Id at both locations.
Rooms
Rooms are fine. We had a room in the Magnolia Wing overlooking the pool. The rooms are basic rooms that need a little updating. The drop ceiling in our bathroom looked a little gross. Standard rooms at SoG are much larger then standard rooms you get anywhere else on property so a family of 4 "adults" (2 adults/2 teens) can easily fit in the same room. The sofa bed is just a fold out single bed, so 5 adults would be pushing it.
Breakfast Meal Plan
Within a couple weeks of our trip they had brought back the breakfast meal plan. My father decided to add that onto our reservation. The food is ok, nothing special, not bad. There are plenty of options but the options don't really change to much day to day. They do have both a made to order omelet bar and a made to order pancake bar. Since you have to pay for it the entire length of your stay if you are planning on eating there every day it is a good deal, but if you plan on eating at say a park or having a quick breakfast one or more days it isn't really worth it since you will still be paying for that in your room cost. We ate one day at Kona so missing that one day at SoG probably ate up the cost of what we saved just purchasing the buffet on our own. Try not to get there at busy times because check-in seems to take a long time to deal with either paying or the meal plan and getting your table. Tip is not included in the breakfast meal plan.
Evergreens was pretty good for a relaxing drink or quick bite. Nice prices compared to Disney prices. Felt it odd that the bar shut down at 11:00 p.m. every day. Usually that was when it seemed to get popular due to people making their way back from the parks. Sometimes things could get pretty busy when the bartenders had to work both the "to go" line and the inside line. Food was just average but priced pretty good.
Only other issue we had was a problem with the laundry. She needed two washers and two dryers. The second washer she used didn't work right. It had issues reading the credit cards (all machines only take credit cards) and getting help wasn't easy. Also since the detergent dispenser was broken she had issues getting more detergent and since she was using a liquid detergent she couldn't transfer what she put in the machine to a new machine. We ended up having to go to the other wing to get more detergent. The front desk was finally able to give us a laundry card to use to make up for what she spent.
Good trip all in all. Whether I stay here again will depend on whether my father can continue to come down with us (since he is our sponsor) and what Disney and/or DVC rental offers are available.
One thing to note, if they make ANY changes to your reservation you need to re-enter your reservation number in the My Disney Experience Program and you have to use it via the online interface, not just the App. We had to do this three times. Once for the initial time, again when it turned out they made a mistake with the proper number of adults/youth in our rooms and a third time when we added on the breakfast meal plan.
Check-in.
We got there around 11:00 and our rooms were not ready yet. They gave us our Ids and we checked all our luggage in with bell services. No problems with that at all. We then caught the bus to Disney Springs since we had late lunch reservations. When we returned from our trip to Disney Springs our rooms were ready.
Transportation.
This was the biggest issue with SoG the entire trip. Except for the TTC bus, all the other busses are a pain. As most people know since the busses aren't official Disney busses you can't get as close to the entrances as you can with a Disney bus. At MK/Epcot that means a trip to TTC instead of directly to the MK/Epcot. At the other parks it usually means a farther away spot then the Disney busses. Not horrible for HS, AK it is pretty far for a hot day. Disney Springs is the worst. The bus stop is on the other side of Cirque. When we went on Day 1, the nearest security entrance to Disney Springs was within the Orange Garage on the far side of the garage. It was a very long walk. When we left there was a show at Cirque so they did have a security checkpoint there but you can't guarantee it will be open at certain times.
Another day we went to Disney Springs and we just happened to have been at Wilderness Lodge visiting family at that location and it was a much more convenient trip to Disney Springs from there.
The other issue is that they combine busses to AK and HS. Our first day to HS they didn't combine busses, which made things more convenient but the rest of the week they did. This meant VERY crowded buses, standing room only during any popular times to the park and occasionally if you weren't there early you didn't get on at all. Unlike Disney busses if you miss a buss you don't just wait 5-10 minutes you have to wait at least a half hour (except for the TTC bus.) It also meant that you had to take the time to visit the other park when either going to or coming from the park which meant much longer bus rides.
The other issue we had was that my mother used an ECV. The only issue we had is that they can only take a maximum of two ECVs/wheelchairs per bus. They "suggested" that you be there 15 minutes early. At least one time my mother was close to bus arrival time getting there and was in line before the bus showed up but was unable to get on the bus because they didn't notice she was in line (the driver and the person monitoring the line were to busy talking to notice her) and they started boarding the bus without letting her on so she had to wait for the next bus even though she was the only ECV/wheelchair in line.
Be ready to show both your hotel id and photo id EVERY time you get on the bus and most of the times when the bus goes through the security gate at the resort. Last time we were at SoG the secondary Id show at the security gate only happened late night, this time we rarely didn't have to show our Id at both locations.
Rooms
Rooms are fine. We had a room in the Magnolia Wing overlooking the pool. The rooms are basic rooms that need a little updating. The drop ceiling in our bathroom looked a little gross. Standard rooms at SoG are much larger then standard rooms you get anywhere else on property so a family of 4 "adults" (2 adults/2 teens) can easily fit in the same room. The sofa bed is just a fold out single bed, so 5 adults would be pushing it.
Breakfast Meal Plan
Within a couple weeks of our trip they had brought back the breakfast meal plan. My father decided to add that onto our reservation. The food is ok, nothing special, not bad. There are plenty of options but the options don't really change to much day to day. They do have both a made to order omelet bar and a made to order pancake bar. Since you have to pay for it the entire length of your stay if you are planning on eating there every day it is a good deal, but if you plan on eating at say a park or having a quick breakfast one or more days it isn't really worth it since you will still be paying for that in your room cost. We ate one day at Kona so missing that one day at SoG probably ate up the cost of what we saved just purchasing the buffet on our own. Try not to get there at busy times because check-in seems to take a long time to deal with either paying or the meal plan and getting your table. Tip is not included in the breakfast meal plan.
Evergreens was pretty good for a relaxing drink or quick bite. Nice prices compared to Disney prices. Felt it odd that the bar shut down at 11:00 p.m. every day. Usually that was when it seemed to get popular due to people making their way back from the parks. Sometimes things could get pretty busy when the bartenders had to work both the "to go" line and the inside line. Food was just average but priced pretty good.
Only other issue we had was a problem with the laundry. She needed two washers and two dryers. The second washer she used didn't work right. It had issues reading the credit cards (all machines only take credit cards) and getting help wasn't easy. Also since the detergent dispenser was broken she had issues getting more detergent and since she was using a liquid detergent she couldn't transfer what she put in the machine to a new machine. We ended up having to go to the other wing to get more detergent. The front desk was finally able to give us a laundry card to use to make up for what she spent.
Good trip all in all. Whether I stay here again will depend on whether my father can continue to come down with us (since he is our sponsor) and what Disney and/or DVC rental offers are available.
One thing to note, if they make ANY changes to your reservation you need to re-enter your reservation number in the My Disney Experience Program and you have to use it via the online interface, not just the App. We had to do this three times. Once for the initial time, again when it turned out they made a mistake with the proper number of adults/youth in our rooms and a third time when we added on the breakfast meal plan.
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