Shades of Green, the Armed Forces Recreation Center at Walt Disney World offers free bus transportation to and from destinations on WDW property.
This is a great convenience for those staying there.
(Updates Oct 2019)
Unauthorized Riders
The reason for the ID check is Unauthorized riders.
Unfortunately, in years past there were those who took advantage of free daytime parking lot parking at Shades of Green in order to skip the pricey WDW parking fees at the theme park lots.
These people would drive to Shades of Green and tell the security guard they were there to buy tickets from the ticket office, or that they were visiting one of the golf courses. Then they’d then park in the lot and take the Shades of Green bus to one of the theme parks.
This became a problem for Shades of Green’s paying guests due to the volume of unauthorized people on the buses. This extended waits for those guests that the buses were intended for.
To combat this Shades of Green instituted a dual ID policy in order to ride their buses.
Shades of Green’s Buses – Note the 100% ID check on the window
ID’s Required to Ride Shades of Green’s Bus Fleet:
- Shades of Green Resort ID
- Military ID, Photo ID for sponsored guests
You must show your resort ID card and Military ID card before boarding the bus. You can use 1 resort ID for up to 5 guests staying in the same room. If you are not the sponsor, your guest will be required to show their resort ID and photo ID. All guests 18 and up must show a valid military or state issued photo ID.
Kids ages 15-17 are only required to show their resort ID. No ID is required for kids age 14 or under.
2019 update
Shades of Green had taken further steps by instituting an hourly parking fee and a new walking security gate.
When you check in you will be issued a paper Resort ID for everyone in your party, which is valid for your length of stay. Make sure you have these with you when heading out for the day!
See How Shades of Green Bus System is rated by other Military Guests
Shades of Green Bus Routes and Schedule
Shades of Green Resort Bus Stop
Shades of Green Theme Park Bus Stops
This article was written by Steve Bell, founder of Military Disney Tips.
Steve is a retired U.S. military member who has been visiting the Disney Parks since 1971 and writing about Disney military discounts and vacations for the military community for over 18 years.
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