Shades of Green Walt Disney World’s Military Resort Room Rates

Shades of Green room rates are based on your military pay grade or status—not on when you visit.

That makes Shades of Green pricing very different from Disney-owned resorts.

Disney Resort prices can change dramatically based on the season, day of the week, demand, and room type. Shades of Green sets its regular room rates by fiscal year and rate category.

Within that fiscal year, the regular rate stays the same whether you visit during a slower period or one of the busiest weeks of the year.

Shades of Green does offer occasional room specials, but the underlying published rate does not rise and fall with Disney’s seasonal pricing.

That predictability is one of the resort’s biggest financial advantages.

Current Shades of Green Room Rates

Shades of Green uses the federal fiscal year for its room rates.

That means new rates take effect each October 1, not January 1.

If your trip crosses October 1, pay particular attention to which fiscal-year rates apply to your stay.

FY26 Shades of Green Room Rates

October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026

FY27 Shades of Green Room Rates

October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027

Guestroom rates are subject to change without notice.

Which Shades of Green Rate Category Applies to You?

For Standard and Poolside Rooms, your nightly rate depends on your pay grade or status.

The suites are easier: each suite has one price regardless of rate category.

Category 1

Category 1 includes:

• E-1 through E-6
• Cadets

This is the lowest room-rate category and is one of the ways Shades of Green keeps a Walt Disney World vacation more affordable for junior military families.

Category 2

Category 2 includes:

• E-7 through E-9
• O-1 through O-3
• WO-1 through CW-3
• Widows
• Medal of Honor recipients
• 100% disabled veterans who meet the required identification rules

Category 3

Category 3 includes:

• O-4 through O-10
• CW-4 and CW-5
• Active and retired DoD civilians
• Eligible foreign military
• Eligible DoD contractors
• Other eligible veterans and guests who fall under the current Category 3 rules

Your eligibility to stay at Shades of Green and your rate category are related, but they are not exactly the same question.

For the complete eligibility rules, see our Shades of Green Eligibility Guide.

Sponsored Rooms Do Not Always Pay the Sponsor’s Rate

This is one of the easiest parts of Shades of Green pricing to misunderstand.

Eligible guests can sponsor rooms for family or friends who would not otherwise be eligible to stay at Shades of Green.

Most sponsored rooms are charged the Category 3 rate.

There is an important exception:

Guests sponsored by Active-Duty military personnel receive the same rate category as the Active-Duty sponsor.

That means an E-5 on Active Duty sponsoring a room does not automatically force that sponsored room into Category 3.

The sponsored room receives the E-5 sponsor’s Category 1 rate.

A retiree sponsoring a room, on the other hand, should expect the sponsored room to be charged at Category 3.

There are additional rules governing sponsorship, check-in, dates, and the sponsor’s responsibility for the guests.

See Sponsoring Guests at Shades of Green for the complete explanation.

What Else Can Change Your Actual Shades of Green Room Cost?

The rate table gives you the base nightly room price.

A few other charges can affect what you actually spend.

Additional Adults

Standard and Poolside Room rates are based on two adults.

Suite rates include up to four adults.

Each additional adult is $15 per night, up to the occupancy limit of the room.

Children under age 18 who use the existing room bedding incur no additional charge.

Parking

Overnight guests who park a vehicle at Shades of Green pay $17 per night, per vehicle.

That matters when comparing Shades of Green with another resort, if you plan to drive.

Room-Charging Hold

Shades of Green places a $25-per-day hold on the credit card used for room-charging privileges.

That is a hold, not an additional $25-per-day resort fee.

Special Offers

Although the regular Shades of Green room rates remain constant during the fiscal year, the resort regularly releases special offers for selected dates.

Those offers can reduce the effective rate below the amounts shown in the tables above.

See our Shades of Green Discounts, Specials, and Packages page for current offers.

Why Shades of Green Pricing Is So Different From Disney Resort Pricing

Disney-owned Resorts use dynamic pricing.

A specific Disney room can cost substantially more during a holiday, weekend, or high-demand period than it does during a slower week.

Shades of Green does not work that way.

Your regular Shades of Green rate is based on room type, rate category, and fiscal year—not the popularity of your travel dates.

That can make Shades of Green particularly valuable during expensive Walt Disney World travel periods.

It also means the comparison can change from trip to trip.

During a lower-priced Disney period with a strong military room discount, a Disney Resort can sometimes be more competitive or even cheaper.

During expensive holiday or peak periods, the flat Shades of Green rate can become considerably more valuable.

For a deeper comparison, see How Does Shades of Green Compare to Disney in Price?

Booking, Cancellation, and Change Rules

You can make a Shades of Green room reservation up to 365 days before your arrival date.

That does not mean you need to wait for a fiscal year’s rates to be published before reserving.

If you know you want Shades of Green—especially during a popular period or if you need a suite—booking early gives you the best chance at the room type you want.

Cancellation

You may cancel your room reservation up to 14 days before the start of the reservation without penalty.

If you cancel within 14 days of arrival, Shades of Green charges one night’s stay per reserved room.

Early Departure

If you shorten your stay after check-in, Shades of Green charges a one-night early-departure fee per reserved room.

This is especially worth remembering for military families whose leave or travel plans can change.

Sold-Out Dates

If the room type or dates you want are unavailable, contact Shades of Green.

The resort can try to alert you if inventory opens and may also have access to special overflow rates at nearby hotels.

Even eligible guests staying elsewhere can still use Shades of Green dining, shopping, and the spa.

Standard and Poolside Rooms

Standard and Poolside Rooms are the two regular guest-room categories at Shades of Green.

Both sleep up to five people plus a crib and are essentially the same room.

The difference is location.

A Poolside Room gives you a first-floor patio that overlooks the Magnolia Pool and costs more than a Standard Room.

For FY26, the Poolside premium is:

• Category 1: $13 per night
• Categories 2 and 3: $20 per night

Beginning October 1, 2026, the FY27 Poolside premium becomes:

• Category 1: $18 per night
• Categories 2 and 3: $20 per night

For the full room differences, photos, layouts, and planning advice, see:

• Shades of Green Standard Rooms
• Shades of Green Poolside Rooms

Shades of Green Suites

The suite rates are not based on pay grade.

Everyone pays the same published rate for the selected suite type.

That makes the decision less about your military category and more about whether the additional space is worth the substantial jump in price.

Current suite types include:

• Junior Family Suite
• Garden Suite
• Family Suite
• Palm Suite
• Magnolia Suite

The suite increases have also been much larger than the historical increases Shades of Green once applied to its regular guest rooms.

For the full suite information, photos, layouts, and planning advice, see: Shades of Green’s Suites

Shades of Green Room Rates Have Been Rising Much Faster

For much of Shades of Green’s history, annual room-rate increases were small.

There were years with no increase at all, and increases of only a few dollars per night were common.

That changed dramatically in the 2020s.

I think the recent increases have become excessive.

The resort remains a very good value for many eligible families, but that does not mean every price increase deserves a pass simply because Shades of Green is a military resort.

The regular-room increases in recent years have included:

• FY27: $5–$10 for Standard and Poolside Rooms
• FY26: $5–$23
• FY25: $5–$20
• FY24: $10–$11
• FY23: $9–$20
• FY22: $15
• FY21: $15
• FY20: $5
• FY19: $4
• FY18: $6
• FY17: $11
• FY16: $3
• FY15: $2
• FY14: $0
• FY13: $0
• FY12: $0
• FY11: $0
• FY10: $0
• FY09: $4
• FY08: $9
• FY07: $4
• FY06: $4
• FY05: $0
• FY04: $2
• FY03 #2: $1
• FY03: $3
• FY02: $0

Suites have seen even larger increases.

From FY26 to FY27 alone, suite prices rise another $20 to $30 per night depending on suite type.

That is a very different pricing pattern from the early years of the resort.

Parking Is Another Cost I Watch Closely

Shades of Green’s parking garage was added during the major 2002–2004 resort expansion.

Parking was initially free after the resort reopened, but Shades of Green began charging in 2006.

The current overnight parking rate is $17 per night.

Historically:

• June 2022 – $17
• November 2021 – $15
• January 2020 – $13
• July 2019 – $11
• February 2018 – $9
• January 2017 – $7
• April 2006 – $5

MDT’s position remains that disproportionately increasing the cost for guests who drive is the wrong way to solve broader resort budget pressures.

I would rather see small costs spread across the room base than repeatedly shifted toward one group of guests.

How Military Families Rate the Rooms

Our Shades of Green reader surveys have consistently shown strong satisfaction with the guest rooms.

The current ratings on this page are:

• Overall Room Satisfaction: 4.52
• Cleanliness of Room: 4.69
• Room Size and Layout: 4.86
• Quietness of Room: 4.40
• Comfort of Beds and Pillows: 4.52

Room size and layout remain one of Shades of Green’s biggest strengths.

See the full Shades of Green reader survey for all ratings and guest comments.

Steve Says

The first thing I would look at is not simply whether Shades of Green is “cheap.”

I would look at your rate category, your room type, and the Disney Resort alternatives for your exact dates.

A Category 1 family staying during Christmas week can get tremendous value from Shades of Green.

A Category 3 family traveling during a lower-priced Disney period with a strong military room discount may have a much closer decision.

Shades of Green’s pricing is predictable, but it is not static forever. Every October begins a new fiscal-year rate schedule, and those increases have become much larger in recent years.

Bottom Line

Shades of Green still offers the most unusual hotel pricing system at Walt Disney World.

Your rate is based primarily on military pay grade or status and room type, not whether you arrive on a Tuesday in September or Christmas week.

For FY26, Standard Rooms range from $184 to $257 and Poolside Rooms from $197 to $277.

Beginning October 1, 2026, FY27 rates increase to $189 to $267 for Standard Rooms and $207 to $287 for Poolside Rooms.

The bigger planning question is not simply, “What is the Shades of Green rate?”

It is:

What will Shades of Green cost my family for these dates, in my category, compared with my realistic Disney Resort alternatives?

That is the comparison that tells you whether Shades of Green is the best value for your trip.

Related Shades of Green Planning

• Shades of Green Resort Overview
• Shades of Green Eligibility
• Shades of Green Discounts, Specials, and Packages
• How Does Shades of Green Compare to Disney in Price?
• Military Members Rate Shades of Green

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