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Walt Disney World

Shades of Green

Shades of Green is one of three on-property resorts that is not operated by the Walt Disney Company. The resort was originally built and operated by Disney (opening in 1973 as The Golf Resort) but was leased in 1994 by the Department of Defense to be run as a Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) hotel. In 1996 they purchased the hotel outright and the name was changed to Shades of Green.

As an MWR hotel, only qualifying military and Department of Defense personnel can reserve rooms. Though not run by Disney the service remains top-notch.

General Information - Hide Section
  • Address: 1950 W. Magnolia Palm Dr., Lake Buena Vista, FL, 32830
  • Resort Phone #: 407-824-3400
  • Resort Fax #: 407-824-3460
  • Reservation #: 888-593-2242
  • Date Opened: 1973
  • Resort Category: Moderate
  • Room Information
  • # of Buildings: 1 building
  • # of Rooms: 586 rooms
  • Room Rates: MMR resort pricing operates differently than most hotels in that the price goes up as does the guest's rank. Rates start at $80 for E-1 through E-5 and go up to $109 for others. Junior suites cost $225 regardless of rank and full suites are $250.
  • Services Information
  • Concierge Service: No
  • Valet Parking: No
  • Room Service:
  • Internet: No
  • Laundry: There are two self-service laundry rooms on the first floor. A laundry service is also available.
  • Pools and swimming: The resort has two swimming pools, one of which is in the shape of Mickey Mouse's head.
  • Gym and Exercise: A full gym is provided with equipment, free weights, and aerobic space.
  • Spa: No
  • Turndown service: No
  • Smoking:
  • Owner's Locker
  • MousePlanet partner Owner's Locker provides a highly useful service for repeat Walt Disney World visitors. It will allow you to to store a large amount of your "only-in-Florida" belongings on-site between your visits. Owner's Locker will deliver your locker to your resort early on the morning of your arrival and pick it up the day that you leave. Your locker will stay in climate-controlled storage until you return on your next visit. Owner's Locker delivers to resorts throughout the Orlando area, not just to Walt Disney World. Some of the many things that Owner's Lockers have been used to store are full-sized liquid containers to avoid the TSA hassle, clothing, holiday decorations for annual visits, pool playthings, and more. Visit their site and check them out for yourself, or order now!
  • Transportation Information
  • On foot: Walking from Shades of Green to other destinations is discouraged.
  • Bus: Shades of Green does not use the regular free bus service, instead operating its own. There are two routes. Bus A goes to the Ticket & Transportation Center at Magic Kingdom and Bus B goes to Animal Kingdom, the Blizzard Beach water park, and Disney's Hollywood Studios. From these points you can connect to other destinations using the Walt Disney World busses.
  • Monorail: No
  • Ferries: No
 
Dining - Hide Section
  • Evergreens— A typical sportsbar with the emphasis on historical memorabilia rather than contemporary. Sandwiches, pizzas, and salads are served along with standard bar appetizers.
  • Garden Galley— A dinner buffet is available and changes daily on a weekly cycle. A regular menu is also available with the standard variety of an American food restaurant.
  • Magino's— Fine Italian cuisine in a casual dining environment.
Entertainment and Shows - Hide Section
  • Shades of Green has a video arcade, but otherwise Shades of Green does not offer much in the way of active entertainment. It is conveniently located to several of the Walt Disney gold courses.
Stores and Shopping - Hide Section
  • Lobby Gift Shop— An Army, Air Force Exchange System run gift shop (requires military ID) with general sundries and discounted Disney souvenirs.
  • Made in the Shade Shoppe— Resort themed clothing and souvenirs.
  • Pro Shop— Disney operates this golf pro shop.
Reader Reviews - Hide Section

The following are recent reviews for the Shades of Green from our Reader Review system. Click the Show All Reviews link to see every review for this location. To browse all reviews in the system, please see this page.

Average Reviewer Rating: 4.3 out of 54.3 out of 54.3 out of 54.3 out of 54.3 out of 5
Number of Shades of Green Reviews: 12
Show All Reviews
5.0/5.05.0/5.05.0/5.05.0/5.05.0/5.0   Oct 17 - 24, 2008
Reviewer: Mouse Fan Grand Forks, ND     September 04, 2009
I gotta tell you I have to disagree with negative comments on the transportation system. If you ask me we have it better than other on-site properties. We have a private dedicated bus system and at our disposal for use AND all of the transportation Disney operates. It has frustrated me when staying as SOG that people complain about waiting for a bus. Goodness, hop on any bus going to a monorail resort or the TTC to get to SOG or walk to the Poly and use the buses there or the monorail to get to the parks or DTD. It is really nice to have a bus that only caters to SOG guests. We don't have to stop at other resorts before arriving at our destination.
We were unable to secure rooms at SOG for our November trip and will be staying at Port Orleans. We know that we will be wishing we had more transportation options. Maybe we can figure something out!
 
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful
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5.0/5.05.0/5.05.0/5.05.0/5.05.0/5.0   March 21-26
Reviewer: funmama North Carolina     March 29, 2008
We recently went to Disney World and stayed one night in an all stars resort which is one of the chepast disney hotels. We spent the rest of our vacation at SOG. We paid about $40 more a night to stay at the All star resort than at SOG.
We had 2 rooms poolside on bottom floor. The rooms were very clean and spacious. We had a patio outside our room and it seemed everyday we had had a visit from the wildlife. One day was a duck and her babies. another was a possum. another was wild turkeys.
I was originally nervous about staying at SOG because I didnt want to stay at a "military resort" but it didnt have a military feel at all. It felt like a high class resort.
The only complaint I had about the resort was the transportation. Since SOG is not a "disney resort" it does not run on the Disney tranportation system as the other resorts do. Instead you have to get ont he SOG bus system which is much slower. For most parks you have to wait for a bus to take you to Disneys transportation center which isnt very far away but. once you get there you find your monorail bus or ferry to where you want to go. Often once you get there you have to monorail somewhere to catch a bus to somewhere else..It can be a real pain.
Even with the poor transportaion system I would stay at SOG again.. It was a very nice hotel and well worth it. Of course it doesnt hurt that its very economical as well.
 
15 out of 16 people found this review helpful
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5.0/5.05.0/5.05.0/5.05.0/5.05.0/5.0   Dec 2006
Reviewer: cat323 Buffalo, NY     March 16, 2008
We first stated staying at SOG when it first opened back in 1994, we have been back everyother yr since, we absolutely LOVE it there. The first time back was right after they reopened and it was a little confusing at first trying to find where everything was and how to get to it, but after the first couple days we were fine. The rooms are so big and now that our kids are a lot older we always ask for view of the golf courses, with a balcony, we had a ground floor once and we had a "visitor" the pool views seem to be a little noisy for us now also. We really enjoy the restaurants, esp. the express cafe, so nice to be able to grab something quick before hopping on one of the buses. Transportation is always right on time and the staff is so very friendly. The pool areas are very clean and the water always the perfect temp and the jacuzzi was always available. We pay the E-7 rank and to me it is soooo worth it. Love being able to walk to the Polynesian and hop on the monorail if we want to or go rent one of the mouse boats and cruise around the lagoon and see some wild life as we walk over! I just wish it could have more of a Disney atmosphere, they do have a very large Mickey in the foyer which comes in handy for pictures, but I do understand they really cant bring too much Disney inside since it isnt owned by WDW. I am thrilled there is such a great resort for our military men/women/families..........keep up the great job!!!Our last stay was Dec 06 and it was beautifully decorated, hated to leave! We are coming back in a few weeks, May of 08, just hubby and I for our 22nd wedding anniversary!!
 
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful
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