Shades of Green

Shades of Green is a United States Department of Defense-owned resort located in the city of Bay Lake, Florida, near Walt Disney World. It is an Armed Forces Recreation Center (AFRC) resort and therefore a part of the military's Morale, Welfare, and Recreation program (MWR). It is one of three AFRC's located in the United States. It is self-supporting and operates from non-appropriated funds and all profits are put back into it.
==Resort details==
The resort is located near the Magic Kingdom, just southwest of Disney's Polynesian Resort. It is not, however, on the monorail loop that services the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Transportation around Walt Disney World is provided exclusively by a separate fleet of buses which shuttle guests to and from the Transportation and Ticket Center, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Downtown Disney, Disney's Typhoon Lagoon, and Disney's Blizzard Beach.
The resort does not have a pervasive theme like all the other Disney resorts, and the general decor is that of a modern country club. Exposed roof beams and arches of hewn stone give the resort an American Craftsman feel. The main staircase encircles a two story rock formation with waterfalls flowing through it. The resort located in a wooded setting complete with waterfalls and tropical gardens. It has 586 guest rooms, most of which are standard guest rooms with floor space.
The standard room offered at the resort is larger than the standard rooms throughout Walt Disney World. It also has 11 suites that can accommodate up to 8 people. It has two lighted tennis courts, two heated swimming pools, a children's pool, a hot tub, a fitness center, an arcade, and laundry facilities.
There is also over banquet space with audio-visual equipment, and a staff to host events. Because the resort is owned and operated by the U.S. Military, merchandise sold within it is exempt from sales tax, and rooms are exempt from hotel tax. The lease requires that the resort must meet Disney standards.
The resort was designed to provide a vacation spot for the nation's service members and their families. It is a retreat for military personnel of all ranks, their families, and their guests. It offers discounted prices for hotel rooms and discounts on theme park tickets. Its motto is Serving Those Who Serve. Specific eligibility must be met before making a reservation. As guests enter the lobby, there are five service flags framing an immense rock formation with five waterfalls, each a tribute to the five branches of military service. Rising above the setting is a larger American Flag and a smaller POW/MIA flag.
===History===
The resort originally opened as a Disney-owned resort known as The Golf Resort which opened in December 1973 with 151 rooms. It was located in the middle of the Palm and Magnolia golf courses. It was built of wood and volcanic rock in the style of a country club. The core building opened in 1971 as a two story clubhouse for the golf courses and did not actually have guest rooms. Guest wings were added in 1973 due to the need for overnight accommodations. Every room felt like a suite with at least.
The resort's full-service Pro Shop offered an instructional program called the "Golf Studio," which was conducted by professionals for players of any age and playing level. The resort provided a restful atmosphere with pleasant views from the guest rooms. It was known for the Magnolia Room restaurant with its signature dessert, French Fried Ice Cream. It, later the Trophy Room, served breakfast, lunch and dinner in a large, open room complete with a high-timbered ceiling with live entertainment.
Entertainment was usually provided by a guitar playing and singing duo called Amos and Charles. Their shows were a combination of soft rock, bluegrass, country, and folk music. The Players Lounge was a large windowed lounge that overlooked the Magnolia Golf Course. Recreation included two lighted tennis courts and a pool, now the Magnolia Pool, which had three water spouting columns in the shallow portion. There were also two putting greens.
The resort only had an occupancy rate of 60% to 75% most of the year while Disney's Polynesian Resort and Disney's Contemporary Resort had an occupancy rate at almost 100%. One of the major problems with it was the location. It was out of the monorail loop; almost a quarter of a mile away from the nearest monorail station, the Polynesian.
Most travel agents and tourists did not really consider the resort to really be a "Disney" one. It was expanded and renamed The Disney Inn in February 1986 to try to appeal to more than golfers. It received an additional 150 rooms with a new Snow White theme and Sleepy logo. It was still small for Disney standards. It described itself to have a rustic charm of a quiet country inn. Rooms were decorated in a bright and airy feel. The sitting area had pale green paint and oak table and chairs with a chandelier and a pull out couch.
The rooms were painted in a light tan and had an oak armoire and oak headboards. The beds had floral quilts and there was a small reading chair in the corner. Some dining options included "The Garden Gallery", which is still in operation, with a bright and airy setting, which provided a nice spot for relaxed dining and offered American cuisine.
A snack bar named "The Diamond Mine;" and the "Sand Trap", a poolside bar were two other dining options. Recreation included the Diamond Mine Arcade, swimming in the two pools, jogging, playing tennis on one of the two courts, and playing golf on either the Palm or Magnolia courses. Rates from the early 1990s for the resort ranged from $195.00 a night for two queen beds and a sleeper sofa to $500.00 for suites.
By the early 1990s, Army officials decided it was time to build a resort in the continental United States. Orlando was the top choice in a market survey of soldiers. On February 1, 1994, the US Department of Defense leased the resort and the land it sits on with a 100 year lease to use for the MWR program and limited it to eligible guests. In 1996 it was purchased outright, for $43 million, due to the high success of the resort although Disney still owns the land it sits on.
The resort was renamed Shades of Green, which refers to the colors of the different uniforms. Since then, it has been running at or near 100% capacity. While all services have different colored Class A uniforms, all war-fighting ones have some shade of green. The resort previously had a small cafe located near the lobby called Cafe Belle and a lounge called the Back Porch. It was completely remodeled and expanded from 2002 to 2004. KBJ Architects was the main architect of the expansion.
During the renovation, guests could stay at Disney's Contemporary Resort at Shades of Green daily rates. The goal was to create an even better resort that included more guest room options, meeting space, additional fine dining, and more guest amenities. It remodeled the guest rooms in the Magnolia Wing, doubled the number of guest rooms, added ten family suites, additional dining options, meeting facilities, a fitness center, and a multi-level 500 space parking garage.
Eagles Lounge, which served lite fare and drinks, closed in 2008.
===Guest rooms===
Guest rooms are located in the two wings of the resort, the Magnolia and Palm. Each standard one is the largest standard size rooms at Walt Disney World and has two queen size beds and a single sofa one. There is also a sitting area that includes a table and chairs. The bathrooms are large and include double sinks with granite counter tops and a separate room for the toilet and shower.
Each room has a large closet, dressers, a night stand, a color television, and either a patio or private balcony with two chairs and a table that overlooks either the pool, the courtyard gardens, or the golf courses. Other amenities include a coffee maker, refrigerator, in-room safe, hair dryer, iron and ironing board, in room movies, and Internet access.
Suites include a separate bedroom with a king size bed and full bath, a living area with two queen size sofa beds, and an additional full bath. Room rates are based on pay grade. The maximum amount of rooms that can be reserved by one person is three. Rooms are comparable to those of Deluxe Disney resorts.
===Dining and shopping===
*Mangino's - Formerly the resort's fine dining option. In early 2009 it was reorganized to account for the closing of The Evergreens Sports Bar and Grill. This resulted in the open-style kitchen being closed, flat-panel televisions tuned to the "Speed" and "ESPN" channels installed over the Tuscany-inspired wall decorations, and most of the Northern Italian dishes on the menu being replaced with typical sports bar fare.
*The Garden Gallery - A full service family restaurant with themed buffets include a selection of international cuisine and a fresh fruit, soup, and salad bar.
*Express Cafe - The counter service restaurant includes breakfast sandwiches, pastries, snacks, fresh coffee, tea, and more. It is located next to the Bus Area.
*Java Cafe - A small cart that serves Starbucks coffee and assorted pastry items.
*America, The Ice Cream Parlor - An ice cream shop with a 1950s feel. Songs play on an authentic Wurlitzer jukebox. There are a variety of flavors of handmade ice cream made on site.
*AAFES - A small convenience store with products including soda, snacks, film, postcards, t-shirts, sunglasses, and toiletries. Magazines, books, and newspapers are also available, in addition to beer, wine, and tobacco products.
*East Meets West - The official Armed Forces Recreation Center gift shop selling souvenirs from the resort and other AFRCs around the globe. There is a selection of jewelry, art, pottery, clothing, and gifts.
===Fitness facilities===
*Fitness Center - It is open from 0700-2200 for guests' exclusive use. It is located on the first floor near Mangino's. A jogging path runs to Disney's Polynesian Resort and Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.
*Tennis Courts - Two hard surface, lighted ones are located on the property and open 24 hours.
*Swimming Pools - There are has two recreational ones. The Magnolia ones gives guests the ability to swim laps or use the hot tub. There is also the Magnolia Pool Bar which serves grilled hot dogs, sausages, hamburgers, and quick snacks and drinks. The Millpond one is in the shape of a Mickey Mouse silhouette. There is also a children's wading pool located adjacent to the playground. The Millpond Pool Pavilion provides towel service. Both pools have areas for sun chairs, tables, and umbrellas.
===Banquet and meeting facilities===
The Magnolia Ballroom can accommodate up to 350 guests for conferences, meetings, wedding receptions, banquets, and themed events. It can be subdivided into four equal sections for smaller groups. There are also several breakout rooms with various layouts. There are five boardrooms located on the fifth floor of the Palm Wing.
===Remember the Fun walkway===
It is a unique tribute to the guests' experience at the resort. The brick walkway is located in the center of the property near the gazebo and displays the names and messages of different guests. Bricks can be purchased at the East Meets West Gift Shop for $75. Personalized cards are sent to the recipients.
==Eligible guests==
Because the resort is an AFRC one, it is not open to the general public. Reservations may only be made by active-duty and retired members of the Uniformed Services, current Reserve and National Guard members, and civilian employees of the Department of Defense. People who do not meet these eligibility requirements may stay there so long as they are on vacation with a sponsor who is an eligible person.
"Salute To Our Veterans" is a new program that started in 2010, which is designed to give all military veterans who have received an honorable discharge (verified by current DD-214) the opportunity to stay at the resort during the months of January and September.
Room rates are based on rank and/or pay grade. They are adjusted on a sliding scale, with prices increasing with rank and pay grade.
==Walt Disney World privileges==
Guests have full transportation to all theme parks and attractions. The resort is considered a Disney-owned one for purposes of Extra Magic Hours/Early Entry Hour at the theme parks. Room charging off the property is not available. Guests are not eligible for the Disney Dining Plan. It does not participate in the Magical Express program which transfers guests and luggage directly from Orlando International Airport to Walt Disney World, skipping baggage claim.
Eligible guests may purchase discounted admission tickets for the theme parks and other Orlando-area attractions at the resort's Attraction and Ticket Sales Office which is located on the lobby level. A Military Identification Card or a Department of Defense Identification Card must be presented at the time of purchase. These tickets may be used by any person, the only restriction is that the purchaser be one of the eligible persons listed above.
==Golf==
The resort is surrounded by two PGA Championship Golf Courses, the Palm and Magnolia, as well as the Oak Trail. The Palm was designed by Joe Lee and features sparkling lakes and tropical sand in a landscape populated by palm trees. The Magnolia was also designed by Joe Lee and is named for an abundance of magnolias surrounded by manicured links. Both have a driving range and putting green.
The Oak Trail (originally named Wee Links) is home to a nine-hole, par-36 junior course. It was designed with holes ranging from 132 to 517 yards. The Clubhouse for the three courses is located next to the resort and was built during the 2002-2004 renovation in the same style as the resort. The Champions Room shows a tribute to every winner of the Children's Miracle Network Classic. The Clubhouse provides new men's and woman's locker rooms.
The Clubhouse also has The Pro Shop which sells a selection of golf merchandise. All three courses are only a few feet from the the resort. Golf views can be seen from many guest rooms. Military rates are available for qualified guests.
==External links==
*Shades of Green official site
*Armed Forces Recreation Centers
*Shades of Green Information
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