The Disney World Hotel That Charges Based On Your Pay Grade

The 50th anniversary celebration at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida is fully underway, with its theme parks seeing new experiences such as Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, and the return of the Festival of Fantasy parade. 

For military families, a Disney vacation can bring such joy and relief to Guests that are often separated through deployments and training, with the Military Salute Tickets providing amazing savings.

But many military members are not aware of the special hotel on Walt Disney World property that charges Guests based on their pay grade!

The Walt Disney Company loves the military. Eligible active duty and retired U.S. military personnel can enjoy special military discounts for both Disney Resort Hotel stays and Park tickets, including exclusive rates at select Walt Disney World Resort hotels for stays most nights through December 16, 2022, and the amazingly affordable Military Salute Tickets.

For the Resort discounts, the minimum stay is 1 night and the maximum stay is 14 nights. The number of rooms for the offer is limited, so you’ll want to hurry and make your booking as soon as you get the chance!

Valid Military I.D. must be presented, of course, upon check-in and the military member or their spouse must stay in the hotel room. This offer does exclude The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, The Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort, and Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort.

But there’s one other option for Guests in the United States Armed Forces wishing to stay on property at the Walt Disney World Resort in Central Florida – Shades of Green Resort, the military-only Disney Resort.

This beautiful hotel is located in the Magic Kingdom Resort area, close to the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, and has nearly 600 rooms.

The Military Hotel is owned and operated by the Department of Defense, and has some of the largest standard Guest rooms at Walt Disney World – over 480 square feet in fact! It is one of five Armed Forces Recreation Centers (AFRC) Resorts and a part of the military’s Morale, Welfare, and Recreation program (MWR).

Shades of Green also has two heated pools located in the original Magnolia Wing of the Disney Resort: the zero-entry Magnolia Pool and Mill Pond Pool, featuring water slides and formed in the shape of Mickey Mouse himself.

Guests at Shades of Green can also access Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme parks as part of Walt Disney World’s Early Entry and Extended Evening Hours programs. This matches the benefits enjoyed by Guests staying at Deluxe or Deluxe Villa Resorts at Walt Disney World.

The best thing about Shades of Green, though, is its price structure. Shades has just three room rate categories, which are based upon pay grade.

The more junior military members (E1 to E-6) pay significantly less per night (starting from $154 based on room type), while more senior members pay more (around $184-$194) (FY21 Rates).

Shades of Green’s hotel rates are constant year-round, with members of the United States Air Force, Navy, Marines, Army, and other military units all getting to enjoy fair prices based on their income.

The three categories are:

• Category 1 – E-1 through E-6 and Cadets
• Category 2 – E-7 through E-9, O-1 thru O-3, WO-1 to CW-3, Widows, Medal of Honor Recipients, and 100% Disabled Veterans
• Category 3 – O-4 through O-10, CW-4, CW-5, Active and Retired DoD Civilians, Foreign Military assigned to a U.S. Military installation only, DoD Contractors assigned to a U.S. Military installation only. Veterans who are Purple Heart recipients, Veterans who are former prisoners of war, All Veterans with service-connected disabilities, Individuals approved and designated as the Primary Family Caregivers of eligible Veterans under the VA Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers.

On top of their great rates, Shades of Green also offers some discounts during the slower times of the year, although with today’s crowd climate, we’re not sure when these “slower” periods are.

The Disney Military Resort Hotel also has a  Ticket Sales Office, where eligible Guests may purchase Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets as well as all other varieties of Disney World tickets, plus tickets for other local attractions like Universal Studios Orlando and SeaWorld Orlando.

The Shades of Green Resort is a convenient and affordable way for our valued military members to stay on-site at Walt Disney World and offers a room rate system that enables those on different pay grades to spend what they can afford. Located near the Magic Kingdom and Bay Lake on Disney property, the hotel is in a fantastic position for Disney Park fun and Disney Springs magic.

Just make sure to book early, as this hotel proves popular with Guests way ahead of time!