Hi Allison!
Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! Mine is a Military Family too, and I am so grateful for all of the different ways Disney shows support for those who currently do or have in the past served our country.
The only eligibility requirements for Disney's amazing
U.S. Military promotional theme park tickets as well as
Military rates at Disney's Resort Hotels is that the service member be either Active Duty, a current Reservist or a 20 year (or more!) retiree in any of the following: U.S. Military, U.S. Coast Guard, the National Guard, the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service (PHS), and Commissioned Corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The price of these tickets and the room rates are the same for all who qualify, regardless of rank or time in service.
However,
Shades of Green, which is a privately run Armed Forces Recreation Center located on Walt Disney World Resort property across from Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, does offer a sliding scale in their room rates based on rank. They even offer special non-retired Veteran rates a few times a year!
While you're planning your Disney Days, definitely work in about 20 minutes to catch the daily
Flag Retreat at Magic Kingdom Park. The Disney band plays each branches fight song, the Dapper Dans sing patriotic songs, and there's even time where guests who served are recognized for their service.
I hope this has helped a bit, Allison, and please feel free to reach out to us with any more Disney Parks Planning questions you might have. We'll See You Real Soon!
~Kristen