other resort
Shades of Green
The short answer
The US military's own resort, on Disney land beside the Polynesian. Rooms are over 480 square feet — bigger than any Disney deluxe — and rates are set by pay grade, from about $179 a night. It carries deluxe-level early entry and Extended Evening Hours. You must be eligible to book it.
How you get to the parks
- Busto every park, from every resort
- Wheelchair or ECVhow each bus, monorail, Skyliner and boat boards
Routes as Disney publishes them, read Sep 2026.
How long it really takes to get to each park
We haven’t timed this resort yet. A door-to-gate time goes here once we have walked the route with a stopwatch at least five times — a single reading hides the variation that actually makes people miss a breakfast reservation. How we measure.
What it costs
Who it’s right for
Eligible military families, for whom this is the cheapest way to a deluxe-sized room on Disney property by a wide margin. Larger families, since most rooms sleep five and are bigger than any Disney deluxe. Magic Kingdom trips, given the walk to the Polynesian's monorail. Golfers, with two courses at the door. And anyone who would sooner spend the difference on tickets and food.
Who it’s wrong for
Anyone not eligible — this is not bookable by the general public, and no discount or workaround changes that. Guests who want theming, character meals or a signature restaurant. Anyone who will rely on the in-house buses instead of the Polynesian walk. And EPCOT or Hollywood Studios-weighted trips, where the transport disadvantage compounds.
Is it worth the money?
For anyone eligible, this is the best value at Walt Disney World and nothing else is close. A room over 480 square feet — larger than the Grand Floridian's — from about $179 a night, with early theme park entry and Extended Evening Hours at deluxe level, is a combination Disney does not sell at any price.
The cost is real but narrow. There is no theming, no character dining, no monorail station, and the resort runs its own buses instead of Disney's. Park parking is $35 a day if you drive.
The walk to the Polynesian is what makes it work: five to ten minutes to a monorail station, 'Ohana and Trader Sam's. Guests who use that walk describe a deluxe-adjacent stay at a third of the price. Guests who rely on the in-house buses describe a longer day.
It is also the one resort on this site most people cannot book. Eligibility covers active and retired US military including the National Guard, current active Reservists, the Coast Guard, the Space Force, the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service and NOAA, plus Medal of Honor and Purple Heart recipients, former prisoners of war, disabled veterans, DoD civilians and their families.
What the rooms are actually like
Rooms are over 480 square feet, which makes them larger than the standard room at every Disney-owned resort — the Grand Floridian averages about 400, the Polynesian 415, the Contemporary 394. Most sleep five, and many have two queen beds plus a daybed and a balcony or patio.
There are 583 standard rooms and 11 suites. The fittings are comfortable without being luxurious and the theming is essentially none; this is a well-run hotel, not an immersive resort. For the money and the space, most guests consider that a fair exchange.
Sleeps up to 5, not counting infants — the table below says which room that takes.
Which room should you request?
On Disney land between the Polynesian Village Resort and the Magnolia and Palm golf courses, a short walk from the Polynesian and about a mile from the Transportation and Ticket Center. It is quiet, low-rise and green, surrounded by fairways.
The transport is the weak point. Shades of Green runs its own buses to the parks instead of using Disney's, and there is no monorail station. Many guests walk to the Polynesian and pick up the monorail there, which is the trick worth knowing. Self-parking in the garage is $17 a day; Disney theme park parking is $35 a day if you drive to a gate.
What are the pools like?
- Mill Pond Pool
- Magnolia Pool — quiet pool
What has changed recently?
Rates run on the federal fiscal year, not Disney's calendar — FY26 pricing took effect on 1 October 2025 and holds to 30 September 2026, which is why quotes here do not line up with Disney's seasons. The resort opened as the Golf Resort in December 1973, became The Disney Inn in 1986, and was bought by the Department of Defense and renamed Shades of Green on 1 February 1994, after the colours of US military uniforms.
Working from here
excellent
Underrated for it. Rooms over 480 square feet with a desk and a balcony, a quiet resort with no atrium crowds, and a food court and coffee shop that keep long hours. Wifi is included, as it is not at some non-Disney hotels on property. What you lose is somewhere interesting to work from; this is a functional hotel, and the nearest change of scene is the walk to the Polynesian.
Common questions
- Who can stay at Shades of Green?
- Active and retired US military including the National Guard, current active Reservists, the Coast Guard, the Space Force, and the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service and NOAA — plus Medal of Honor recipients, Purple Heart recipients, former prisoners of war, disabled veterans, Department of Defense civilians, and their families. It is not open to the general public.
- How much does Shades of Green cost?
- Standard rooms run roughly $179 to $257 a night in fiscal 2026, and suites $479 to $877. Rates are set by pay grade or DoD status, not by season, in three categories. Pricing runs on the federal fiscal year — 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026 — which is why it does not line up with Disney's own seasons.
- Do Shades of Green guests get early theme park entry?
- Yes, and Extended Evening Hours as well, at the level Disney deluxe resort guests get. That combination — deluxe-level park benefits at roughly a third of deluxe prices, in a larger room — is what makes this the strongest value on Disney property for anyone eligible.
- How do you get to the parks from Shades of Green?
- The resort runs its own buses instead of Disney's, and there is no monorail station. The move most experienced guests make is to walk five to ten minutes to the Polynesian and take the monorail from there, which is faster for Magic Kingdom and the Transportation and Ticket Center. Garage parking is $17 a day and Disney theme park parking is $35.
- Is Shades of Green a Disney hotel?
- No. The Department of Defense owns the resort and the Armed Forces Recreation Centers run it as part of the military's Morale, Welfare and Recreation programme; Disney owns the land underneath. It opened as Disney's Golf Resort in 1973, became The Disney Inn in 1986, and was sold and renamed on 1 February 1994.
What it looks like
Illustration, not a photograph of this resort — a real one is on our shot list.
Sources
- Shades of Green — official site, Walt Disney World benefits and ticket information — official source · checked
- Military Disney Tips — Shades of Green FY2026 room rates by category (standard rooms $179-$257, suites $479-$877, fiscal-year pricing from 1 October 2025) — reported by · checked
- Military Disney Tips — is Shades of Green cheaper than a Disney military discount in 2026 (early entry and Extended Evening Hours at deluxe level, $17 garage parking, $35 theme park parking) — reported by · checked
- Wikipedia — Shades of Green (opened as the Golf Resort December 1973, The Disney Inn 1986, Shades of Green 1 February 1994; DoD ownership with Disney retaining the land; 583 rooms and 11 suites; rooms over 480 sq ft; eligibility) — aggregated, cross-checked · checked
- Poppin' Smoke — Disney World for military travellers (firsthand guidance on using Shades of Green and the Polynesian walk) — Melissa was there · checked
- MouseSavers — 2026 Walt Disney World room rates and season dates — reported by · checked