Shades of Green (Part 2 - Reservations & Rooms) About This Page:

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By Betsy & Eric Walton, Guest Columnists

The Armed Forces Recreation Center at Shades of Green is located on the grounds at Walt Disney World. This resort provides deluxe resort accommodations at value resort prices. It also provides anyone staying there with the same benefits as guests at any of the Disney-owned properties. Once you have determined that you are eligible to stay at Shades of Green, the next step is to see if you can manage to reserve a room at this busy resort.

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The popularity of Shades of Green means that it is often filled to ninety percent capacity. For this reason, it is necessary that anyone who wants to stay at the resort do some advance planning. Reservations at Shades of Green should be made as soon as you begin planning your Disney trip. Each room reserved requires a deposit of one night's stay. Note that the deposit is for each room not each reservation, so if you are reserving multiple rooms for sponsored guests the money required can rapidly add up. Additionally, keep in mind that Shades of Green has a thirty-day notice cancellation policy. If you cancel you reservations less than thirty days before your visit, you lose your room deposit for each room.

Reservations at Shades of Green can be made up to 53 weeks in advance, though as a practical matter, it is not necessary to do so, even during peak or holiday season. Usually, you can wait until nine months before your trip to make reservations during these seasons. You can wait still longer during the less visited times, ranging from six months during the regular season to as little as two to three weeks during the value season. There is one important exception to this rule: due to the limited number of Family Suites at Shades of Green (there are only eleven suites in the entire hotel), these rooms are almost always booked up months in advance during any season. If you would like to stay in these rooms, contact Shades of Green as soon as possible to reserve them.

If Shades of Green is booked up when you call, ask to be placed on a room wait list. It is not unusual for those on the wait list to eventually get rooms at the resort. This is because potential Shades of Green guests often make reservations that they are unable to keep for one reason or another. Facing the possibility of deposit forfeiture, these guests end up canceling their rooms thirty to forty-five days before their arrival date. Shades of Green then begins calling those on the wait list to see if they are still interested in staying at the resort. If the wait listed person still wants the available room, Shades of Green provides them with the reservation. If not, the resort moves down the wait list to the next person. It is possible for someone to be called only a few days before your scheduled visit. Thus, if you want to take advantage of the wait list, any vacation plans you make need to be very flexible, as you may need to cancel them on very short notice.

Whether you request the wait list or not, you should inquire as to whether Shades of Green can make an overflow reservation at one of the other resorts on Disney property. You may specify what type of Disney resort (value, moderate or deluxe) at which you would like your overflow reservations to be made. Although you may request a specific resort (like Port Orleans or All-Star Sports), it is not guaranteed that you will be placed at that particular resort. The only guarantee is that you will be placed at the type of resort you request. Another drawback to these overflow reservations is the pricing. While Shades of Green guests do get a discount on the regular Disney room rate, it may be possible to find greater room savings by booking the same room through another method.

Shades of Green reservations can be made by calling 1-888-593-2242 or on the Shades of Green website. If you use the website (which is the preferred method) and discover that the resort does not have any rooms available, you may make an overflow request for a room elsewhere on Disney property. Shades of Green will process your request in about a week and contact you either by email or telephone with additional information.

Now that you know the details of how to make a room reservation at Shades of Green, what types of rooms are available to reserve? The resort has both standard rooms and Family Suites to choose from; all of which have been recently renovated. Standard rooms are large by Walt Disney World Resort standards, at over 400 square feet. All standard rooms contain two queen-sized beds and a single sleeper sofa. Each room also comes with a seating area with a table and two comfortable chairs and also contains a refrigerator, in-room safe, iron and ironing board. Even with all the above amenities, the large size of the room means that there is still ample room for guests to move about.

In addition to the standard rooms, Shades of Green offers two types of Family Suites: the six-person Family Suite and the eight-person Family Suite. Both types of Family Suites contain a Master Bedroom with a king-sized bed and full bathroom. Each suite also contains a living area with two queen-sized sofa beds and a dining area with table and chairs. Another full-sized bathroom is located off this living area. All suites also contain the standard refrigerator, in-room safe, iron and ironing board. The major difference between the two types of suites is the addition of a fold-down Murphy Bed in the eight-person suite.

The bathrooms in a standard Shades of Green room are typical of those found in most Disney deluxe resorts. Each contains a large vanity area with two sinks, separated from a combination bath/shower and toilet area. In addition to the normal amenities, the vanity area also contains a 4-cup coffeemaker and hairdryer for guest use. Shades of Green does have some unique features in the bathroom, however. Unlike most resorts, Shades of Green does not provide individual packages of soap, shampoo, conditioner or the like. Instead, the bath area contains pump dispensers for such items, so you won't be stocking up on any free soap or shampoo while staying at this resort. Also, Shades of Green only provides one packet of coffee per day for the coffeemaker. If you require more to get going in the morning, you may need to bring or buy additional packets.

The resort rooms available at Shades of Green are impressive by anyone's standards. If you meet the eligibility requirements and do the proper advanced planning to get a reservation at the resort, you will be amply rewarded with the accommodations you acquired. If you want to see photos of the available rooms at Shades of Green or learn more about the resort's other amenities, including their five restaurants, ticket center or Shades of Green-provided transportation, go to http://www.shadesofgreen.org/home.html or call 1-888-593-2242 for more information.

[hyprmut]

Wow, almost word for word what I've read in other places. But my question goes unanswered.

Can I only book through SOG, MWR or other military sources or can I work through a travel agent? I am restricted to using a civilian travel agent who, as far as I know has no military connections.

[DopeyGirl]

[ QUOTE ]
Can I only book through SOG, MWR or other military sources or can I work through a travel agent? I am restricted to using a civilian travel agent who, as far as I know has no military connections.

[/ QUOTE ]

I would think that the agent should be able to make the reservation for you as long as they have all of the necessary info (sponsor's SSN, etc).

HOWEVER, just to be sure, I would give SOG a call and ask them directly, as they will be able to tell you FOR SURE what their policies are!

Hope this helps!

[hyprmut]

Thanks! Once I have a little more info (ie voucher in hand) I will give SOG a call. Staying there may not be the most cost effective way of doing things but I want to look into it. This may be a once-in-a-lifetime trip and I want to make the most of it