Sponsoring Guests at Shades of Green

Eligible Shades of Green guests can sponsor rooms for family and friends who could not otherwise stay at the military resort.

This is one of the most useful—and sometimes misunderstood—benefits of staying at Shades of Green.

You do not have to limit your Walt Disney World vacation group to people who are independently eligible for the resort.

An eligible Shades of Green guest can sponsor rooms for family members or friends who would not otherwise qualify to stay there.

That can make Shades of Green especially useful for:

• Multi-generational family trips
• Family reunions
• Vacations with non-military relatives
• Trips with close family friends
• Weddings and other group gatherings

There are limits and responsibilities, however, and the sponsored-room rate does not always match the sponsor’s own room rate.

How Many Rooms Can You Sponsor at Shades of Green?

Each eligible sponsor can reserve up to three rooms total under their name.

That means:

• Your own room
• Plus up to two additional sponsored rooms

A dependent spouse can also sponsor up to three rooms under their own eligibility.

When both the eligible member and spouse are sponsoring rooms, the family can potentially reserve up to six rooms total.

The sponsor must be a registered Shades of Green guest during the sponsored stay.

For the complete rules on who qualifies to stay at the resort independently, see our Shades of Green Eligibility Guide.

Who Can You Sponsor?

You can sponsor people who would not otherwise be eligible to book Shades of Green themselves.

That can include:

• Parents and grandparents
• Adult children
• Siblings
• In-laws
• Other relatives
• Friends

The important distinction is that they are staying under your Shades of Green sponsorship.

You remain responsible for meeting the sponsorship requirements.

What Rate Do Sponsored Rooms Pay?

This is one of the most important sponsorship rules.

Most sponsored guest rooms are charged at the Category 3 room rate.

There is an important exception for Active-Duty military sponsors.

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

For example, if an Active-Duty E-5 sponsors a room, that sponsored room receives the Category 1 rate.

A retiree sponsoring a room should expect the sponsored room to be charged at the Category 3 rate.

That distinction can make a meaningful difference in the total cost of a large family trip.

For the current Category 1, 2, and 3 prices, see our Shades of Green Room Rates page.

The Sponsor Must Be Staying at Shades of Green

Sponsorship is not a way to simply book Shades of Green rooms for someone else while you stay somewhere different or do not travel at all.

The sponsor must be a registered Shades of Green guest.

Sponsored reservations must also fit within the sponsor’s stay:

• The sponsored guest may check in on the same day as the sponsor or later
• The sponsored guest must check out on or before the sponsor’s departure date

The sponsor is also responsible for the sponsored guests and their compliance with resort rules.

Military sponsors should not reserve sponsored rooms under their name for other people who are independently eligible to book Shades of Green themselves.

The Sponsor Must Be Present at Sponsored Guest Check-In

This is another important operational rule.

A sponsored guest cannot check in without the sponsor present.

The sponsor must accompany the sponsored guest at check-in so that Shades of Green can verify the sponsorship and issue the guest’s Resort ID.

Once that process is complete, however, the sponsored guest does not need the sponsor constantly accompanying them around the resort.

That is an important distinction.

What Is a Shades of Green Resort ID?

After check-in, adult registered guests receive a Shades of Green Resort ID.

For sponsored guests, that Resort ID becomes their proof that they are legitimately staying at the military resort.

Sponsored guests should carry:

• Their Shades of Green Resort ID
• A government-issued photo ID

The Resort ID allows them to access the resort and use the services available to registered Shades of Green guests.

Sponsored Guests Can Enter Shades of Green Without You After Check-In

Shades of Green is a controlled-access military resort.

Guests arriving through the resort’s security gate must show appropriate identification.

An independently eligible military guest normally shows the applicable military or DoD identification.

A sponsored guest shows their Shades of Green Resort ID along with photo identification.

Once your sponsored guests have checked in and received their Resort IDs, they can enter the resort without you being present.

They do not need the sponsor to accompany them every time they return to the hotel.

Sponsored Guests Can Use Shades of Green Transportation

Sponsored guests staying at the resort can use the Shades of Green transportation system just like other registered resort guests.

They do not need the sponsor riding the bus with them.

That makes sponsorship practical for larger groups that do not necessarily want to stay together every minute of the vacation.

One family might leave for Magic Kingdom while another spends the morning at the resort, and the sponsored guests can still use Shades of Green transportation independently.

The sponsored guest must show their Shades of Green Resort ID along with government-issued photo identification to use Shades of Green’s transportation.

What Shades of Green Amenities Can Sponsored Guests Use?

Sponsored guests staying at Shades of Green are registered resort guests.

They can use all of the resort’s amenities during their stay, including:

• Shades of Green restaurants
• AAFES General Store
• Magnolia Spa
• Shades of Green pools
• Fitness Center
• Shades of Green transportation

The only restriction is that sponsored individuals may not purchase alcohol or cigarettes in the Exchange.

Can Sponsored Guests Buy Discounted Theme Park Tickets?

Yes—but this requires more explanation than simply saying “sponsored guests can buy tickets.”

Shades of Green’s Attraction Ticket Office sells several different kinds of tickets, and each product has its own eligibility and use rules.

The sponsor must accompany sponsored guests when purchasing attraction tickets through Shades of Green.

For ordinary military-discounted attraction tickets, the eligible military guest can purchase tickets for the sponsored party according to the applicable ticket rules.

Military promotional products are different.

Being a sponsored Shades of Green guest does not independently qualify someone for a Disney Armed Forces Salute ticket or a Universal Military Freedom Pass, as these require a military ID for use.

For current ticket rules, see our Shades of Green Ticket Office Guide.

Your Spouse Can Stay at Shades of Green Without You

This is different from sponsoring a civilian guest.

If the eligible member cannot travel, a spouse with a valid dependent military ID can stay at Shades of Green without the member being present.

The spouse is not merely a sponsored guest in that situation.

They are using their own recognized dependent eligibility to check in.

That distinction can become especially useful for military families whose leave, deployment, TDY, or other military obligations change unexpectedly.

Do Sponsored Guests Need You With Them During the Vacation?

No.

Your presence is critical at certain points, particularly:

• Sponsored guest check-in
• Attraction-ticket purchases requiring the sponsor

But after check-in, your sponsored guests can generally function as registered Shades of Green guests on their own.

They can:

• Enter the resort with their Resort ID and photo ID
• Use Shades of Green buses
• Use the pools
• Visit resort restaurants
• Shop (with the restrictions mentioned above)
• Use other guest amenities

That makes the program much more practical than it would be if everyone had to remain physically with the military sponsor throughout the trip.
Steve Says

For a large family vacation, sponsorship can be one of Shades of Green’s best benefits.

It lets you bring parents, grandparents, adult children, or friends into the resort even though they could not book Shades of Green on their own.

But I would plan the arrival day carefully.

The important moment is check-in.

Do not have a sponsored family member arrive hours before you and expect them to get their room without you. They will not be able to.

If they do arrive before you, due to scheduling, that does not mean they need to sit around waiting.

They can check their luggage with Shades of Green Bell Services and treat the extra time as an arrival day. They could have lunch at one of the Shades of Green restaurants, visit the AAFES General Store, or spend some time exploring the resort while they wait for you to arrive.

They could also head elsewhere for a few hours. Disney Springs can make an easy arrival-day destination, or they could explore some of the free and low-cost things to do at Walt Disney World Resorts without using a park ticket.

The point is that an early arrival does not have to become several wasted hours in the lobby. Let them check the luggage, enjoy the beginning of their vacation, and meet back at Shades of Green once you arrive.

Then you can complete the sponsored guest check-in, and once everyone has their Resort ID, the group has much more freedom to split up and use the resort independently.

Bottom Line

The Shades of Green sponsorship program makes it possible to bring non-eligible family and friends into Walt Disney World’s military resort as registered overnight guests.

Each eligible sponsor can reserve up to three rooms total, and a dependent spouse can also sponsor up to three rooms.

The sponsor must be staying at Shades of Green and must be present when sponsored guests check in.

After check-in, sponsored guests receive a Resort ID and can enter the resort, use transportation, and enjoy resort amenities without the sponsor constantly accompanying them.

The biggest pricing rule to remember is:

Most sponsored rooms pay Category 3 rates, while guests sponsored by Active-Duty military personnel receive the Active-Duty sponsor’s rate category.

That is the rule I would use when estimating whether Shades of Green sponsorship makes financial sense for your group.

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