Shades of Green vs. Disney Resorts vs. Off Property

[Raya]

Good evening everyone! I'm trying to book a trip with my extended family. We will need 3 beds for adults (who can't sleep on pull out sofas) and single bed for a small kid (although it would be nice if he had a room with a door that could shut so the grown ups could talk). My first thought was to get a 2 or 3 bedroom suite/villa, but it turns out 3 separate rooms would be cheaper. (Note: we can't rent points because our reservations have to refundable/cancel-able.)

So if you were getting 3 rooms together, where would you go?

Someplace on site knowing adjoining/close rooms aren't guaranteed.

Shades of Green, where rooms next to one another (if not adjoining) won't be a problem but only has bus transportation to parks.

Someplace off property?

Any suggestions?

 

[dmband]

AoA has pull out beds unless you stay LM and in that case, I would go to a mod resort instead

 

[_19disnA]

We stayed at Shades of Green several years ago when it had a different name. Really nice resort and had great views of the golf course. Staying off-site will generally be less expensive and/or allow you to get a larger room for the same price. Many homes are also in the area available for rental so that is something else to consider. No one Disney hotel is closest to every park, so it mostly depends on your budget and which park(s) you plan to spend the most time.

Other then driving your own car, if you aren't within walking distance to the parks, you will generally take a bus unless you are staying on the monorail loop (Floridian, Polynesian, Contemporary) and going to Magic Kingdom. Monorail can also be used to get to Epcot whenever they restart that loop. Otherwise if spending most time at Epcot or Hollywood Studios, there are various hotel choices in that area.

 

[ryggmom]

If you don't mind a short walk, transportation at the Poly is accessible from SOG. We regularly took the boat from MK to the Poly, and grabbed Dole Whips to eat on the way back to SOG. The rooms at SOG are very large as well.

 

[Poohbeck]

If you don't mind a short walk, transportation at the Poly is accessible from SOG. We regularly took the boat from MK to the Poly, and grabbed Dole Whips to eat on the way back to SOG. The rooms at SOG are very large as well.

I agree. Our last trip, 10+ years ago, we rarely used the buses and just did the quick walk over to the Polynesian to get the monorail or to the TTC to catch a bus. They also had a person running a golf cart to shuttle folks - probably not doing that during COVID.

The SOG rooms are also pretty large. One year we took my parents with us and had adjoining rooms so once the kids went to bed we could still visit and be close. Enjoy the planning.

 

[Nabas]

Good evening everyone! I'm trying to book a trip with my extended family. We will need 3 beds for adults (who can't sleep on pull out sofas) and single bed for a small kid (although it would be nice if he had a room with a door that could shut so the grown ups could talk). My first thought was to get a 2 or 3 bedroom suite/villa, but it turns out 3 separate rooms would be cheaper. (Note: we can't rent points because our reservations have to refundable/cancel-able.)

So if you were getting 3 rooms together, where would you go?

Someplace on site knowing adjoining/close rooms aren't guaranteed.

Shades of Green, where rooms next to one another (if not adjoining) won't be a problem but only has bus transportation to parks.

Someplace off property?

Any suggestions?

Based on what you wrote, I assume you will not have a car with you and need to stay onsite.

If you can get it, Shades of Green probably is best. (But it tends to book up fast.)

Otherwise your least expensive option is going to be All Star Movies. Unfortunately, their suite costs more than 2 rooms. You potentially could get 2 connected rooms, but Disney won't guarantee this if there are 3 adults in your party. (They used to guarantee connecting rooms for us when it was just us and our children.)

 

[Raya]

Thanks for your help everyone! I ended up booking at Shades of Green. It'll be $100 more a night than a villa at Animal Kingdom, but it seems like the best answer.

 

[livbeatles]

Thanks for your help everyone! I ended up booking at Shades of Green. It'll be $100 more a night than a villa at Animal Kingdom, but it seems like the best answer.

A perk to SoG is definitely the flexibility, as you pay on departure (aside from the deposit). As an FYI, the sofa bed at Shades isn't a pull-out style bed, but rather the type where the base flips over and the sofa becomes a single bed. My dad sleeps on it (even when it was just the two of us and he could have had one of the standard beds for himself) because he really loves it/having something against his back.

 

[dmband]

Thanks for your help everyone! I ended up booking at Shades of Green. It'll be $100 more a night than a villa at Animal Kingdom, but it seems like the best answer.

Really?
I have never seen SOG be anywhere near as expensive as Deluxe Villas, let alone more.
it was always more of a Moderate price for us

I have to look at some dates for fun
EDIT - curious what you booked, my fun search shows SOG from $139 (5 people) to $319 (6)
AK Villa is $1092 (9)

 

[Raya]

Really?
I have never seen SOG be anywhere near as expensive as Deluxe Villas, let alone more.
it was always more of a Moderate price for us

I have to look at some dates for fun
EDIT - curious what you booked, my fun search shows SOG from $139 (5 people) to $319 (6)
AK Villa is $1092 (9)

I'm at tier 3, for 3 rooms. That's roughly $750 a night or 3000 total. Points rental shows a price of $2800 for the same time period for AK, 2 bedroom villa.

 

[Mrsjvb]

When we stay at SoG..we just take the walk over to Poly and use their transportation. I’d stay there before staying off site.

 

[jimmymc]

All Disney resorts offer rooms with 2 queen beds. If you're staying together, you can usually get rooms near each other, like in the same building or on the same floor.

 

[Raya]

All Disney resorts offer rooms with 2 queen beds. If you're staying together, you can usually get rooms near each other, like in the same building or on the same floor.

Really? I might be looking in the wrong places. I'm seeing Fort Wilderness cabins only have 1 double, 2 bunk beds, and a pull out couch bed. The AoA/value resorts seem to have one queen, one table that converts to a double and a couch twin or double. Even the Animal Kingdom 2 bedroom villas seem to sometimes come with 1 king and 1 queen, then a couch - not 4 queens as I would expect. Do you know if there's some place I can go to show which ones do have 2 queens per room? That would be super helpful.

 

[jimmymc]

Really? I might be looking in the wrong places. I'm seeing Fort Wilderness cabins only have 1 double, 2 bunk beds, and a pull out couch bed. The AoA/value resorts seem to have one queen, one table that converts to a double and a couch twin or double. Even the Animal Kingdom 2 bedroom villas seem to sometimes come with 1 king and 1 queen, then a couch - not 4 queens as I would expect. Do you know if there's some place I can go to show which ones do have 2 queens per room? That would be super helpful.

Fort Wilderness and the DVC studios are the exceptions, since studios only have the couch as a second bed. The table that folds down into a bed at AoA and the values is a real queen mattress that flips up into the wall, not a folding mattress like you'd find on a pull out couch. It feels the same as sleeping on the bed.

All the moderate and deluxe hotel rooms have two queen beds except the pirate rooms at CB, which are fulls.

 

[SoShiny]

I'm at tier 3, for 3 rooms. That's roughly $750 a night or 3000 total. Points rental shows a price of $2800 for the same time period for AK, 2 bedroom villa.

I think you might be mistaken on SoG room prices. Tier 3, after 10/01/21, for standard room is $194/night. Poolside is $204/night. There are no taxes/fees on SoG rooms.

Also, the Palm Suite and Magnolia Suite at SoG have 4 queen beds and are $519/$569 for Tier 3 after 10/01.

Rates for all SoG rooms are lower before 10/01.