Welcome, Jasmine!
It’s so nice to connect with a fellow Guest from Virginia, and one with military connections as well. Thank you or your family member for their service which qualifies you to stay at the wonderful
Shades of Green Resort! My husband is an Army Veteran and Department of Defense (DoD) Civilian, so we are also
eligible to stay at Shades of Green, and I have recent experience there to share with you to hopefully help you prepare for your visit later this summer. It’s a
fantastic time to visit the
Walt Disney World Resort and I’m excited for your family to have this special escape together!
Shades of Green is an Armed Forces Recreation Center (AFRC) located on the Walt Disney World Resort property. You are correct in that
MagicBands (or MagicBand+) will not be able to charge purchases to your room nor open the resort room door the way this technology works at the Disney Resort Collection hotels. However, I’m pleased to share that you can still maximize the magic during your stay using My Disney Experience, both during the planning stage and especially while on site during your vacation. Your MagicBands will still access the rest of your vacation entitlements, like theme park tickets, dining reservations, Individual Lightning Lane purchases, and all the great features of
Disney Genie Service. This fun wearable tech interacts with the nighttime spectacular shows as well, making for an enhanced experience as you enjoy these shows together.
If you’d rather not purchase a MagicBand, you can
access all these features through either Disney MagicMobile Service or by requesting a Key to the World Card at Guest Services. The same technology will prevail, in that you cannot use your MagicMobile Pass or Key to the World Card to open your Shades of Green resort room but still access all the other great features of My Disney Experience.
Staying at Shades of Green, you are also eligible to make your dining reservations 60 days in advance of your stay for the full length of your vacation. You will also be able to enjoy
Early Theme Park Entry, having a head start into the parks before Guests staying off property.
I encourage you to download the
My Disney Experience App in advance of your trip so that you can explore all the wonderfully helpful features and see how aspects of your vacation that apply to the theme parks will be enhanced and better managed through this tool. It really does lessen the stress when you are familiar with the tool in advance, and then helps you to be more efficient with your park touring and get the most out of your trip while at the Walt Disney World Resort.
Please let me know if you’d like to continue our conversation and chat about specific features or detailed planning using your My Disney Experience, Jasmine. You can
ask me a question directly by clicking on “get an answer from this panelist” on my biography page. Or, you may always submit additional planning questions as you did this one and gain a new perspective from another panelist - we're a team, and always here to help!
With gratitude,
Amy