My family and I have been to Shades of Green at Walt Disney World resort five times now, and there is no place on the property I would rather stay. You'd have to pay at least twice as much to get comparable accommodations at one of the Disney resorts.

The resort has been remodeled and now boasts over 500 rooms. That being said, however, you still need to make your reservations at least six months in advance. They book up to a year in advance, so if you're thinking about visiting Walt Disney World during peak season (Easter week, summer months, or Christmas/New Years) you should book as far in advance as possible. Every military member can book up to three rooms, and each room has 2 queen-size beds and a sofa/hide-a-bed, so Shades of Green is pretty family-friendly.

The rooms are some of the largest on Disney property and have all been remodeled. They're very tastefully decorated and clean. The staff does an excellent job of keeping the rooms, the common areas, and the grounds of the resort clean and inviting. One advantage to Shades of Green is the cost of dining and shopping at the convenience store -- eating and buying souvenirs in the theme parks can get very expensive very quickly, but Shades of Green offers buffets, a bar and grill, a coffee stand serving Starbucks Coffee, a sandwich and pastry shop on the bottom level, and a full-service restaurant that all provide good (not great, but good) food at lower prices. The convenience stores have most of the things you would need like drinks, snacks, health/beauty aids, and souvenirs (both Disney and military) at good prices. Plus, no tax!

I was very surprised to read some of the negative reviews, and I would like to address some of the negative comments that were made:

(1) One reviewer indicated the food at the bar and grill was terrible, and that it took 2 hours to get their food in the Italian restaurant. We have eaten at all the restaurants at Shades of Green and have NEVER had a bad meal, nor have we ever had bad/slow service.

(2) A couple of reviewers complained about the staff, particularly when making reservations, checking in, or checking out. For starters, you can book online (and it's much easier than calling in). Secondly, not once have I ever encountered any employee at Shades of Green that was not friendly, courteous, or helpful.

(3) One reviewer complained that the buses that run from Shades of Green to Disney-MGM Studios or The Animal Kingdom run once an hour. This is true. However, the buses to the Disney Transportation and Ticket Center run every 10 minutes, so you have the option of taking a bus to the TTC and then hopping a Disney bus to any theme park or resort. Same drill for the return trip, just in reverse. The bus drivers for the Disney buses don't check, and since you're staying on Disney property you're entitled to use any mode of Disney transportation.

(4) One reviewer complained that the schedules are all done in military time...HEL-LOOOOOOOO!!! This is a resort for military personnel! Talk about a nit-picky gripe! If you're married to a military man/woman and you don't know military time, that's your fault.

TIP: The walk from Shades of Green to The Polynesian Resort is not very far, so if you're planning to go to The Magic Kingdom you may be better off walking to The Polynesian and jumping on the monorail. Besides, The Polynesian Resort has its own coffee and pastry stand and a couple of very nice restaurants you may want to check out.

BOTTOM LINE: When you consider the advantages of being on Disney property and having spacious accommodations that are some of the least expensive on Disney property, Shades of Green can't be beat.

Stayed at SOG for 6 nights, and everything was wonderful. Everyone was very friendly. Loved our first floor room, soooo quiet. A few feet away from the pool. I found everything there, from food to buses superb!! Can't wait to go back!!

We have stayed here about five times now in the past year and as always we think the price is right for a Magic Kingdom Resort. We love having a balcony and the rooms are quiet compared to the Value and Moderate Disney Resorts. We were staying on the 3rd floor overlooking the golf course close to the quiet pool. As always we love the covered parking for our car and that there is plenty to do on the resort. We actually used the pool for the first time and love the salt water pool. The water was even warm for our night cool off swim after the hot night at Epcot. The pool has towels that you can sign out and no life guard. I would not recommend a room overlooking the pool because it got pretty loud outside at 11 pm. They have a security guard that comes around to make sure people are not drinking alcohol in the pool or glass bottles in the pool. The security guard actually had to calm some drunk men down and tell them no drinking in the pool, so I think they might have some cameras around the pool. The snack bar was open during the day for drinks and fast food items. You can always bring your own food and drinks to the pool (just make sure you don't use glass items).
The room was fine, but this time our bed was very hard. The first time that we were not happy with our bed. The bathroom was also smaller then what we have had in the past (booked the same room). One vanity and the bathroom was all in one where the other rooms we had had had the two sink vanity outside the bathroom.
Refrigerator, blow dryer, coffee maker, two chaired table, pull out sofa bed, iron & iron board and plenty of space in the room.
We walked to the Polynesian to catch the monorail to Magic Kingdom and Epcot and you can also catch the bus to Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney for the TTC area. We did catch the bus back to the resort one night from the TTC area and the bus was on time, but was very crowded. Lots of people were complaining about it, but I have stayed at other Disney Resorts and they pack you in like cattle, so it did not really bother us. I think sometimes people just like to complain.
We already booked our trips for Thanksgiving and New Years at the Shade of Green. We like the size of the rooms and hope to get a comfortable bed next time.

This was our first trip to Disney World and apon arrival, we were like WoW! The breakfast-dinner package was absolutely great. The people were nice! The rooms were clean! We stayed pool side to that wonderful heated pool! Spa services are cheap! The shuttle service was very nice and reliable!!! This place is a must stay for military families! It's not a 5 star hotel, but they definately try!!