Do you stay at a Disney resort? Why or Why Not?

[Len90]

Jacca, it's just my opinion, but the Swan/Dolphin just seem cold and non-Disney to me. When I go to Disney I love the theming of their resorts. To me, the Swan/Dolphin lack that. We also use the Magical Express, so to us that matters. Nothing wrong with our opinions, that's what makes the world go round.

I'll second that statement as it fits my feelings perfectly. Is it nit-picking... maybe. You could also call it being over observant and trying to take in everything. I know I am the most critical when looking at things in Disney, but this one came pretty quickly to me. I do also feel a coldness to the Swan/Dolphin. They just seem a bit too business for me.

[BayLakeTowers]

The Swan and Dolphin are aimed at conventions. I think it's supposed to feel business like, but disney-ish. I attended a four-day conference there some years back. My company was too cheap to have me stay on property though. We stayed accross the street from Downtown Disney.
If I ever go for a trip we always stay on property. I've stayed at All Star Movies, Riverside (ehem, Dixie Landings), AK Lodge and Bay Lake Towers.

[BayLakeTowers]

Has anyone stayed at Shades of Green? I had never even heard of it until a retired Army friend told me that's where they always stay. It's specifically for military and retired military. I thought that was pretty cool, but I never see any buses for it. How do they get to the parks from the hotel?

[boilerbabe]

Has anyone stayed at Shades of Green? I had never even heard of it until a retired Army friend told me that's where they always stay. It's specifically for military and retired military. I thought that was pretty cool, but I never see any buses for it. How do they get to the parks from the hotel?

That's a good question, I don't know how they go to/from parks?!?! And I'd be interested to know if anyone has ever stayed here too! I've never seen any pictures for it on the web site, unless I just didn't look hard enough?!

[Mousekedude]

Mouseoholic told me all about Shades of Green a while back (figures... she knows everything... ), but I've never known anyone who actually stayed there. It would be interesting to know if we have any military personnel here on the boards who could tell us all about it. Anyone....?

[wewantsdaredhead]

I have stayed at the Shades of Green. My brother got married there in 1999 at a Wedding Chapel out behind it somewhere.
I have pictures of the chapel and the wedding, etc, but not much of the actual hotel. We were both in the Navy, and he was active duty at the time.
I remember it being very looooooooong. After you checked in it felt like you walked a mile inside the hotel to our room//let's just say it was far!
It had lots to do--a few pools I believe and other activities. The WDW buses ran there.
The rooms were pretty spacious by Disney standards (well, anywhere I've ever stayed). One of the best parts was due to the fact that my brother was active duty at that time--we got discounted tickets!

[Mousekedude]

Cool... so, sounds like almost any other Disney resort!

[wewantsdaredhead]

Cool... so, sounds like almost any other Disney resort!

Yup! With maybe a few more military uniforms milling around...

[Amy]

Has anyone stayed at Shades of Green? I had never even heard of it until a retired Army friend told me that's where they always stay. It's specifically for military and retired military. I thought that was pretty cool, but I never see any buses for it. How do they get to the parks from the hotel?

I remember seeing buses that were marked Shades of Green...so I think they use the WDW buses just like any other resort.
I would be curious what sort of amenities are granted to the military members though...for instance what sort of discount they get on rooms, and passes...

[disneylizzy]

So, about the Swan & Dolphin. We haven't stayed there but we've gone inside and walked around. They are very nice hotels, maybe not as "themey" as other wdw hotels (b/c whats the theme there really?) but lovely nontheless.

I would consider staying @ Swan/Dolphin b/c they're so close to Epcot & DHS, but if I could get a comparable rate at Yacht & Beach or the Boardwalk (which you probably could) I'd rather stay there to take advantage of the disney resort benefits. The fact that Swan/Dolphin charge for parking and you can't do the dining plan there are obstacles for me. However you can get EMH if you stay there.

Swan/Dolphin are part of the Starwood chain (Sheraton, Westin, W, St. Regis, etc.), so if you have points through Starwood, you can redeem them at these properties. I think that's one thing that makes them very attractive to a lot of people.

Also, I found this about the $10 resort charge -

7. How much does the Resort Service Package cost and what does it include?
The Resort Service Package is $10 + tax per day and inludes all of the following:

Up to 60 minutes free local telephone calls, toll free and credit card access calls
(.10 cents per minute after 60 minutes)
20 minutes of domestic long distance per day
Unlimited access to the resort’s health club facilities
In room high-speed Internet access
2 bottles of water daily

I was thinking, and this might be crazy, but I know that all Westin, W and Sheraton hotels allow dogs. I wonder if this is the case for the Swan/Dolphin? That would be interesting to know.

[Amy]

...Swan/Dolphin are part of the Starwood chain (Sheraton, Westin, W, St. Regis, etc.), so if you have points through Starwood, you can redeem them at these properties. I think that's one thing that makes them very attractive to a lot of people.

That would make these hotels attractive if you had points to use.

Also, I found this about the $10 resort charge -
7. How much does the Resort Service Package cost and what does it include?
The Resort Service Package is $10 + tax per day and inludes all of the following:
Up to 60 minutes free local telephone calls, toll free and credit card access calls
(.10 cents per minute after 60 minutes)
20 minutes of domestic long distance per day
Unlimited access to the resort’s health club facilities
In room high-speed Internet access
2 bottles of water daily

2 bottles of water, that is probably worth about $4 in the parks, and high speed internet in the room - big plus

I was thinking, and this might be crazy, but I know that all Westin, W and Sheraton hotels allow dogs. I wonder if this is the case for the Swan/Dolphin? That would be interesting to know.

And if you could keep pets there, that would draw a lot of people in as well. I bet they don't allow pets though since they are catering more to the business clientele

[figmentaholic]

If you are staying on property, and you have 5 or 6 people and a car, you REALLY need to stay at the Wilderness cabins. They are AWESOME.

[Len90]

The shades of green does have their own buses. They are Nova LFS's marked specifically for Shades of Green. They do not have any WDW Transport logos on them at all. They are white and green buses.

[theBIGyowski]

The shades of green does have their own buses. They are Nova LFS's marked specifically for Shades of Green. They do not have any WDW Transport logos on them at all. They are white and green buses.

That is correct.

I stayed at Shades of Green a for the WDW Marathon in 2008. The resort is HUGE and it does take a very long time to get from the front desk to your room. Also...I believe there is just one loading and unloading spot for the park buses...so you might end up walking a good bit to get there. The good part though is that it is inside. It started out as a deluxe resort which is why it is so nice and the rooms are so big...and why the rooms open to halls instead of outside like the moderates and values. I loved the fact that the rooms and bathrooms were huge and it was a relatively quiet resort. I never got to see the pool or anything because it was January and I was tired from the race.

I will say that it was nice being that close to the Poly...so we could just walk from our resort to the Poly...and then catch the monorail from there to MK or just walk another 5 minutes to the TTC and get anywhere we wanted. Again...it was January so the weather wasn't hot and a 15-20 minute walk outside was very nice...especially walking through the lush grounds of the Poly.

My fiance's step-dad is a part of the Active Reserves and will actually be deployed early 2011. I need to check and see if we can stay at WDW for the much lower price while he is away or if he definitely has to be there. They have special R&R rates for soldiers when their tours are over and they come back...but not sure if they have anything special for families of soldiers who are still overseas.

[Amy]

Let us know how that works out on the prices for family ~ and hopefully your step-dad won't have to deploy in 2011...but if he does, may he return home safely!