Are you ready for this?? I started my planning looking for a week at SoG the week before Memorial Day. They were booked at the time (now I know that they are actually closed for renovations/expansion after April 1st, i believe). I asked for an overflow rate at WL, and got $149/night (Woods View). I was pretty impressed, based on the normal rates.
Well, then I started digging into this board, plus a few others, and decided to go offsite. More bang for my buck. I got a week at the Radisson Resort Parkway, military rate, of $64/night. Again, pretty good deal. You have to be careful, though, because sometimes the latest internet rates are nearly as good.
Earlier this week, someone mentioned condo rentals through MWR. I did some research, and I came up with
http://www.afvclub.com (Armed Forces Vacation Club). They do two things...First, they offer condo and resort units on a Space-A basis. They also have a discount travel club, much like the Entertainment club. The condo rentals are free, the travel club costs something like $40/year. The BEST part about the condo rentals is the PRICE.
From their website:
The Armed Forces Vacation Club (AFVC) is a "Space Available" program that offers Department of Defense affiliated personnel the opportunity to take affordable condominium vacations at resorts around the world for only $234 per unit per week. The AFVC makes this possible by utilizing "excess" inventory at condominium timeshare resorts. "Excess" inventory consists of condominium units that resort owners do not use, which generally means off-season or short-notice travel. If you enjoy off-season activities in popular locations without the hassle of high-season prices, crowds, and lines or if you can travel on 10 days notice or less, the AFVC offers an incredible vacation value.
WOW!! $234 for 7 nights . Practically every property they list is $234. The only exceptions are some of the places in Cancun, because they hit you with an All-Inclusive fee of nearly $1000 or more on top of the $234.
Anyway, I have ditched all of my other reservations to take a 2-bedroom villa for 7 nights at the Hilton Grand Vacation Club at Sea World. (
http://www.hgvc.com) Unbelievable!! It looks even better than the Vistana Villages. You have to pay the $234 up front on the first call - they create an account for you and take your first reservation. After that, you can do the ressies on the Internet.
I looked around on the web for negative reports about the AFVC, but none could be found (testing the 'too good to be true' mantra). I also checked the reports on the HGVC on this board, and everyone loved it.
If you are eligible (see website for full details), this is an incredible opportunity. I will be writing a lengthy trip report about my entire planning experience and trip experience when I get back.
Thanks to everyone for their great tips!
BigJohnG
We are going Spring Break, and I called the day that phone line was set up, and were still only offered mods. and up. We are staying at CBR at 93.24/night, including tax. However, since the free passes are only good for 7 days, that rate is only good for 6 nights. We are spending the next 3 nights at an off-site Universal hotel (Universal Fairfield Marriot) for $191 (including tax) for 3 nights. This includes complimentary breakfast each morning, and one CityWalk meal/or water park tickets for the four of us. We plan to eat our meal at HRC, and after subtracting the cost of the meal, that makes it seem pretty darn cheap. 
As far as overflow rooms at the SOG, I checked into that and they aren't as good as the Armed Forces salute rates for the week we are going ($89 All stars, $109 mods, didn't ask about deluxes). Staying at SOG is pretty much out of the question unless you book a year in advance. Our SOG rate would be $89, so $93.24 for the mods is comparable, even though we're a lot farther from the MK. Hope this helps some, and no matter where you stay I'm sure you'll have a great time. 
