The hardest part about choosing what Disney Resort to visit during your vacation is that there are so many amazing options to choose from!
Disney has a wide variety of hotels and rooms, fit for every family or party’s needs. Whether you’re sprawling around at a suite at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort or kicking back in your themed room at Disney’s Art of Animation, each hotel has something unique to offer. Yet, there is another less well-known and exclusive resort that special guests can stay at during their Disney World trip!
And, we’re giving you a full tour of Disney’s Shades of Green Resort so you can take a sneak peek inside!
If you’ve never heard of Disney’s Shades of Green, it’s an Armed Forces Recreation Center Resort that is exclusive to military-affiliated guests. The website states that the eligibility requirements for an AFRC Resort are that they are members of the U.S. Armed Forces, a family member, or another authorized user.
The AFRC has also added veterans who are Purple Heart recipients, veterans who are former Prisoners of War (POWs), all veterans with VA-documented service-connected disability ratings, and the Primary Family Caregivers of eligible veterans to the list of people who can stay at Shades of Green.
The room rates at Shades of Green are different from other Disney Resorts since they are determined by your rank in the military. Referring to a Standard Room, you can see that you pay more the higher up in rank the member or member who is sponsoring your stay happens to be.
Shades of Green originally opened as the Disney Golf Resort in December of 1973, attached to the Palm and Magnolia golf courses. The name was changed to The Disney Inn in February of 1986 to try to appeal to a wider guest base and new rooms were added with a Snow White theme. At that time, the resort was still fairly small, with only 288 guest rooms.
In the early 1990s, Army officials wanted to open a new Armed Forces Recreation Center, and Orlando was the most popular location choice. They struck up a deal with Disney to lease The Disney Inn, and after negotiations were completed, Shades of Green opened on February 1st, 1994.
The name Shades of Green was chosen in reference to the various green uniforms worn by the military at that time. It also was a nod to the two golf courses, or “greens,” that the resort sits between. It was a perfect choice!
The resort became so successful that MWR decided to purchase it in 1996. In 2002, Shades of Green closed for 2 years to add 298 guest rooms and double the number of guests they were able to accommodate. During that renovation, more meeting spaces, activities, and amenities were added to the property.
Shades of Green is widely recognized as having some of the most spacious rooms on Disney property, which is one of the many reasons why guests love it. Today, we’re stopping by the resort to check it out and show you around!
When you first enter the property, a gate guard will be there to greet you, check your identification, and take your temperature before you enter the property.
When you reach your first stop sign, you’ll find the Magnolia and Oak Trail golf courses to your right, the main entrance, and drop-off area straight ahead, and the parking garage to your left. Fun fact: each level in the garage is named after a branch of military — Navy, Army, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard!
The bus stop is underneath the guest drop-off area, where guests may either go down the stairs of the open-air garden entrance or by elevator to reach it.
The ground level has a small area with tables, a TV, and restrooms that lead out to the bus loading area, as well as an Express Cafe (but it is currently closed at the moment).
However, the lobby is actually on the second floor of the main building. You’ll be able to visit the registration area here and check-in for your stay at Shades of Green!
Guests are greeted by a Patriotic Mickey Statue when they first enter (lookin’ good, pal!)…
…with lots of seating areas and a fireplace to sit and relax by while you wait for your room to be ready.
There’s also a Java Cafe so you can grab a cup of coffee or treat to go!
If you walk just past Java Cafe, you can also find the Exchange store (that’s tax-free!) and the Attractions Ticketing Sales office.
A lounge area is around the corner for guests to use as well.
The lobby opens up into a large outdoor patio area that gives you a sweeping view of the property’s grounds. Isn’t she gorgeous?
As you’re standing on the patio, you’ll find “I AM” painted in yellow on the wall. This is in honor of the 2016 Invictus Games that were held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports! The Invictus Games are an international sporting competition founded by Prince Harry where armed forces members who were wounded, injured, or sick during their service are eligible to participate. Many of the athletes stayed on the property when the games were hosted in Orlando in 2016, so Shades of Green continues to commemorate the occasion.
When you’ve come back inside the lobby, you’ll notice that Java Cafe has a set of stairs next to it that will take you down to the ground level and the exit to the main grounds. The ground level has the Garden Gallery, which is currently closed and being used as a Bistro To Go, and Mangino’s, which is only open during certain hours.
The Fitness Center can be found towards the left of this exit…
…while guests can also visit the Magnolia Wing, tennis courts, and the Mill Pond Pool area.
The Mill Pond Pool area has the Evergreens Bar & Grill, an arcade, restrooms, a variety of games that guests can ask Cast Members to play…
…a Mickey-shaped pool, splash pad, and playground for guests of all ages.
The Magnolia Pool close by is located next to the Magnolia golf course and Chip ‘n Dale’s Deli. The U-shaped pool has zero entry on both sides, so you can walk straight into the water!
Although the golf pro shop on-site isn’t associated with the Shades of Green, they do offer military discounts!
This resort was a lot of fun to explore!
Shades of Green Resort can be a great option for military families as it receives the same benefits as other Disney hotels with exclusive perks. And, who wouldn’t want to see that gorgeous view from the patio during their stay? 😉 We’ll be sure to give you a look at everything new we find at the other Disney Resorts soon!
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Have you ever stayed at Disney’s Shades of Green Resort? Let us know in the comments below!
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My husband and I have stayed at Shades twice. I don’t think it was mentioned but one of the pools is salt water. Both times we stayed we did not find the dining options to be up to par with the exception of the takeaway deli counter. Bus service to the parks was on par with Disney but not crowded ever like Disney transport.
You do not get all the perks of a Disney hotel though, that is a misleading comment. You do not get Magical Express and will need to arrange your own transportation to and from the airport. That cost my family an additional $150 about ten years ago.
At that time you did get extra magic hours. You were given a card that you were supposed to show anyone who challenged you in the parks. I’m not sure how that would work today with magic bands. We did get hasseled once or twice with a cast member calling a supervisor on us because he thought we were lying. Hopefully they have a better system now.
It is also a pleasant five minute stroll to the Polynesian to eat, shop or use the monorail.
As others have said, the rooms are large, even larger than the DVC studio rooms we have been occupying since we bought in.
For the price, staying at Shades is a steal. If we hadn’t bought DVC we would have exclusively stayed there. Now with all the changes Disney has made to on resort stays, I have been considering just renting my points out and staying at Shades again. Without ME, magic bands and easy extra magic hours Shades of Green beats out the Disney resorts(even the DVC ones) hands down.
We have been pleased with our prior stays. The rooms are big, and we found it to be quiet. The location is west of the Poly, and a 1/4+ mile walk takes you to the monorail station at the Poly (or just a bit further to the TTC). One of the best features is the attraction ticket sales desk, and eligible patrons can get their tickets even if they are not staying at SoG. They have tickets to many central Florida attractions, including WDW and Universal. I have found they have the very best deals, and you can even order your tickets ahead of time. After confirming eligibility, you can fax/email your order.
In general, eligibility is open to current and RETIRED military (including Coast Guard) members and their families (active duty and reservists), disabled veterans, and current and RETIRED Department of Defense civilians. There are several other categories, too. [note – I capitalized RETIRED to differentiate it from being “separated” after just a few years]. The eligibility requirements are listed on their website https://www.shadesofgreen.org/about-shades-green/eligibility. There is usually a deeply discounted ticket offer for active duty military only. The very best deal for all eligible folks is called the Stars and Stripes ticket, which is a length of stay (for all eligible “on property” resorts) plus park hopper, plus water parks/more.
If you can take advantage of SoG, I highly recommend it, whether to stay or just for the attraction ticket services.
They also let members who did not retire from the military, but have a DD214, to stay as well.
Usually during January and September, not year round.
“Salute to our Veterans
Through the Shades of Green “Salute to Our Veterans” program, all military veterans who have received an honorable discharge have an opportunity to vacation at Shades of Green during January and September. Reservations are subject to availability.
Proof of honorable discharge is required with a copy of a current DD-214 form. Rooms booked with this special promotion will pay the Category 3 rate starting at $179. You may sponsor up to three rooms if you qualify for this promotion. Room rates are based on two adults occupying a standard room and four adults occupying the suites. Add $15 per additional adult ages 18 years or older.”
A lot of these pictures are old. The rooms have been renovated as well as other areas of the resort. It’s a beautiful place to stay if you’re fortunate enough to do so!!
I was hoping so. These pics are what it looked like when we stayed there back in 2009! I’d hate to think they hadn’t been remodeled since then. My dad is a retired Navy officer and we decided to stay here with the whole family one year. The rooms are huge compared to most on property standard rooms. Really big bathrooms that felt like dressing rooms almost. The one thing that kinda stood out to me is that the Disney items they sold in their shop didn’t seem to be actual Disney quality stuff. It was more like the stuff you find at the discount stores all over Orlando. They must not be allowed to sell Disney licensed merch?