Disney Military Discount Information - By Military - For Military
Shades of Green the military owned and operated resort on Walt Disney World property in Orlando Florida has just announces the closure and remodeling of their Magnolia “Quiet” Pool.
Last summer when I interviewed the Shades of Green Sales and Catering Manager she said they were planning to start the pool remodel in the fall of 2012, but this project has been delayed until now.
Shades Concept Art For The New Magnolia Pool
This week I was in Central Florida and had the opportunity to drop by Shades of Green to check out what’s going on.
Last year Shades of Green announced a modernization project with which they were going to update many of their facilities.
So, during a quick trip through the resort here’s what I saw.
AAFES Moved Down The Hall
Tight Quarters at the AAFES Store
The AAFES store has been closed for remodeling and has been relocated to across from the ticket sales office. This location is much smaller than what the store previously occupied. So selections will be somewhat limited for the time being. But once the remodeling is done I expect to see a much bigger store with a lot more variety. The store hours are from seven in the morning until nine at night.
UPDATE Courtesy of MDT reader Brian: The AAFES re-opening will probably not happen by Memorial Day as expected but should happen in June or early July.
The videogame arcade located by Evergreens, Shades of Green sports bar, has already been remodeled. They have a whole new compliment of larger more high-tech video games for the kids to play. But the size of the arcade is been reduced, one of the rooms that the arcade was located in has now been given over to dining space for Evergreens.
Remote Control Boats Gone
Shades used to have coin operated remote control boats and four-wheel-drive vehicles for the kids to play with, but these are long gone. First the four-wheel-drive switch relocated by evergreens disappeared and recently the boats located right outside of Mangino’s have disappeared as well. These used to be a big hit with the kids, But were holdover from when the resort actually belong to Disney World and I imagine Shades had a hard time keeping them running.
Great New Lobby
Last month Shades finished their lobby renovation and it looks really great! It’s a little more spacious feeling that it used to be.
I pop in there every couple of months just to check on what’s been happening and I haven’t seen any evidence yet of the pool renovations that they talked about during my exclusive interview with Shades of Green last year.
That’s all the happenings at shades of green as of this week. After I was done at Shades I popped over to the Magic Kingdom and it was very crowded so I just grab some of that great Magic Kingdom popcorn and left.
Stay tuned I’ll be back down that way in April and will report on anything that’s going on at Shades of Green the military own and operated resort on Walt Disney World property.
UDATE: The Magnolia Pool closed for renovation1 April 2013.
Evergreen’s Arcade
The Armed Forces Recreation Centers offer a great discount program, The Survivors’ Family Program. A program for those who have suffered the loss of a sponsor who was on Active Duty.
The AFVC resorts participating in this program are the Shades of Green Resort at Walt Disney World in Florida and The Hale Koa Hotel in Hawaii.
This program offers 50 percent discount from normal room rates based upon the applicable category for a maximum of 14 nights. The discount will apply to additional occupants and up to three sponsored rooms (maximum four rooms).
The Survivor Program guest using the program can take advantage of this special for one stay within a 365 day period.
Eligible Personnel Include
Welcome to the second part of my exclusive interview with the Shades Of Green Staff. Shades of Green is the military owned and operated resort on WDW property, one of the many Armed Forces Recreation Centers worldwide.
If you missed part one you can find it here.
In part two we will discuss discounts and innovation.
MDT: A great feature that Shades of Green offered in the past was the Overflow Rates at Disney Resorts when Shades was booked. I used this quite a few times myself. With the advent of the Armed Forces Salute’s 30%-40% room discounts the 20% overflow rate has been rendered obsolete.
Is this benefit still an option for Shades guests, in the event that AFS rates are used up at Disney resorts and that Shades is booked?
Once the AFS ends I know many, including myself will hope that it is still available.
Shades of Green: Absolutely! Our reservations team will accommodate all reservations possible at Shades of Green. But should we not be able to meet the need, we can help confirm a reservation for you at a nearby resort at the most competitive rate available.
On a recent trip to Walt Disney World I stopped by Shades of Green, the military owned and operated resort on WDW property. I was able to have a chat with Deidra the Sales and Catering Manager for Shades.
She was kind enough to field some questions for me. As you might imagine I had quite a few so I’ll be breaking this interview into two parts.
My questions touched on many areas and I also asked a few that I often hear from you the reader.
So, on to the interview:
MDT: The big topic on everyone’s mind right now is whether Disney will continue the popular Armed Forces Salute. I know the steeply discounted Disney resort rates have presented challenges to Shades of Green. I’ve watched over the last couple of years as Shades has tried many different discounts/packages.
Should Disney renew the Armed Forces Salute, where do you see Shades of Green discounts going?
Shades of Green: In the future, Shades of Green will still continue to offer a quality stay to our guests comparable to those of the surrounding area. With standard rates going up in the surrounding areas, Shades of Green guests can expect to see less aggressive discounting. However, the discounts that are offered will be in the style of “early rewards”. For instance we are currently offering a 50% discount in January, but as we move closer to the winter we may see that become 20%. Over the next year, it will definitely pay to plan ahead! With the expansion of the Magic Kingdom there will continue to be major draws to the area, and hopefully we will see the continuation of the AFS ticket so that our military families can enjoy the new attractions at a discount.
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