WDW Refillable resort mugs

[elvistelth]

We use the same mugs we bought at the All Star Sports in 1999 each time we stay at a WDW resort. No one has ever said a word to us about it. Am I unusually cheap or does anyone else do this too? I'm not really interested in your moral opinion of this practice but feel free to unload on me if it is absolutely necessary.

[Sonny Eclipse]

I bought some last year and have used them this year so you are not alone, although I haven't been doing it as long.

[Sorria]

Yep, we have mugs from the Port Orleans Resorts that we have been using for just about as long too. The only time we haven't used the mugs is when the Year Of A Million Dreams started and then they started doing the YOAMD mugs and quit doing the other ones. So we bought a couple of those mugs and now reuse those until they go back to the other ones.

[Spodie]

I got my first refillable mug at the All Star Music last year and this year, we stayed there again for a night before checking into the Boardwalk. When I saw that the mugs were the same, I wished I would have brought mine to get the drinks. Needless to say, on our next trip in December, I will be bringing mine! And now that elvistelth says that they've used theirs since '99, I will probably continue to bring my YOAMD mugs.

Also, I agree with you elvistelth. Disney does so much advertising for Coca Cola and I wouldn't be surprised if Coke gives them the product extremely discounted or even for free. Either way, I'm sure the mark-up on each cup of Coke they sell, after you take into consideration the cup, lid, shipping costs, etc., is still astronomical. I use the mugs to put Coke in when I'm at home and it won't even hold an entire can of it, so it's not like you're taking a ton of it. That justification helps me sleep better at night

[elvistelth]

Cool! I'm glad I'm not alone. Thanks for sharing your posts.
My kids love the free hot chocolate!

[Disney05]

Wow, I didn't know people do this. Something to think about on our next trip. I wonder what they would say if a cm saw it?

[HauntedGabe]

I wonder what they would say if a cm saw it?

And this is why I could never. I'd be mortified and worse I'd feel so guilty if my children were stopped by a cm or a manager. But that is me.

The moderate hotels now have coffee makers in room w/coffee and small Disney disposable cups supplied for free. I've seen families take these cups from their rooms and go to the fountains in the food courts. Disney must build into the prices a small percentage of folks who take this type of option and pass the cost onto the current guests. As long as the majority of guests stick to the honor system I'm sure they will continue to sell the refillable mugs and provide free in room coffee.

Pecos Bills in the MK also has a similar problem. The CM's joke about the guests that come in for a Disney "Free Lunch". They have a wonderful toppings bar. Guests come in and create a vegetarian meal for free.

I think it will come down to how many take this option. Like anything, if it is no longer profitable to Disney or if it becomes a hassle to enforce, it will be gone over night.

[StarsNStripes]

Just an FYI....Coke provides its products free of charge to Disney

[HauntedGabe]

Just an FYI....Coke provides its products free of charge to Disney

Technically on some products. This urban legend that has grown, actually started at Disneyland. Coke was free if served in Coke cups purchased from Coke-Cola.

It is a favorite in Disney Tell All books, like Disney Lies, Legends.

[NC_WDW_Daddy]

The mugs are one thing... last year, my wife took a 20oz Diet Coke bottle that we had bought from a vendor and refilled it at the Electric Umbrella. I woudl never have the nerve to try something like that, but there she was with soda pouring out of the top of the bottle. I think the mugs used year to year is not as bad. For the price you spend on them and the price increases each year, I don't think the company is taking a "hit" on the soda dispensed.

[thokecin]

We just got YOAMD mugs this year at AS Movies and this thread just convinced me to take them back next time (if we don't do the dining plan and get the included mugs).

[elvistelth]

Can anyone top mugs from 1999? They're pretty faded but you can still see the designs on them. I don't try to hide it when I refill it and the people who work around the drink station couldn't seem to care less. They never even looked at me funny. I could probably use a beer stein if I wanted to.
I think the thing that helps is there are so many designs for the mugs from each separate resort. They are constantly changing the graphics and colors so how could someone possibly be expected to be the "drink nazi" while simultaneously trying to do their actual job of cleaning or re-stocking?

[HauntedGabe]

When I'm down there soon I'll be interested to see how this worked out.

Found on another forum, WDW Magic, dated November 9th, 2008



From Mouse Planet.com

Disney has added a new UPC bar coding system to the self-serve refill stations that, for the first time, controls a previously unenforced policy. Although the refillable mug program has always been advertised as available during an actual length of stay that allows guests to refill their mugs during their trip, in reality, guests often brought their mugs back on subsequent trips to refill them free of charge. With the UPC code tied to a guest's hotel reservation, this new system closes this loophole altogether. That is, once your stay has ended, your mug is no longer refillable. Those mugs you bought on previous visits won't work next time you vacation at WDW.\


I can't imagine how this works.

[Disney05]

Maybe you will have to waive your key to the world in front of the drink station, something like a speed pass? If your stay is still valid the drink dispenses?

[disneydame2004]

they had this at Typhoon Lagoon this summer. There is a UPC code on a sticker on the side of the mug. When we paid for the mug, they scanned the code, which I guess "activated" it for the day. Then whenever we went to a refill station, we had to scan the UPC before the machine would dispense any soda. The scanners are just like those "price check" stations in retail stores, where you can scan the UPC on the tag to find out the current price of the item. At Typhoon Lagoon, the mugs were only good for one day. They say right on the side "Not refillable in our Parks or Resorts."

I wonder if they will actually be as sophisticated as tying the mug to your exact length of stay, or if they will figure most people don't stay longer than 30 days and the UPC will be valid for that long.