I don't know why I have never left my review for Shades of Green.
Anyways . . .
My family loves Shades of Green. It is affordable for all ranks and paygrades PLUS there are no resort fees or taxes tacked on the the room rate . . . how can you NOT love that?!
We enjoy getting a bite to eat (or having a drink
) at Evergreens and the Express Cafe is VERY convenient for breakfast on the go in the mornings on the way to the parks. The "gift shop" is a nice amenity should you need to utilize it (although we rarely do). We are also
very pleased with the ticket prices at SOG as they are often much cheaper than if we were to buy them from the MWR office on base.
We love the fact that SOG has its own bus system and that it is in close enough proximity to the Polynesian should we want/need to take a Disney bus around property. We have found the SOG buses to be very efficient and run on a fairly steady schedule. We have very rarely had to wait more than about 20 minutes for a bus to any park.
All in all, we very much appreciate the fact that Shades of Green is there for us military families and look forward to our next stay there in June of 2009!
ETA (8/3/09): Having just returned from a 2 week long stay at SOG this past June/July, I need to add and update a couple of things.
As usual, we had a wonderful time and great service. We avoided Garden Gallery buffet like the plague and heard from several people staying there at that time that the buffet was just as bad as it has always been.
We ate at Mangino's several times, for both lunch and dinner, and had excellent meals and service every time. We also grabbed quick breakfasts at the Express Cafe and Java Cafe and found both to be excellent as well.
As far as the Evergreens situation goes . . . it is not closed, technically. While it is closed in the capacity that it once was, as a sports bar, it is still open as a snack bar of sorts. Anymore it is used as a snack bar for pool-goers and a place where golfers can stop through for a quick snack and a drink. There is still a full bar there and a ton of video games and pinball machines in the arcade. A few of the more popular menu items from Evergreens (including the pizza delivery/pickup) were merged with the Mangino's menu. Those items are available for lunch and dinner . . . Mangino's offers their more hearty meals (steak, pasta, etc) only at dinner.
We used the services of the photographers who are stationed in the lobby. They got a great shot of us with the patriotic Mickey Mouse in the lobby. A great thing about their service is that you have your photo(s) taken, pay for them then can go off and enjoy your time at the parks or what have you . . . they will deliver your photos right to your room when they are ready!
Our room was very spacious and VERY comfortable. Typically, I do the "I'm too exceited to sleep!" thing at WDW because the beds always seem so uncomfortable, but slept pretty well this time!
We are a category 2 rate, so we paid $117/night for the room . . . but there is no way (short of being overbooked and having to be put elsewhere) that we could find a room this nice and with that size for that cheap on property (or off property, really).
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