Soft Drinks Included?!

[JimS4210]

I just had a thought - why doesn't Disney just increase room rates by $10 - $15 per person and include the drink fountains at the resorts just like they do on the cruises?

That way, everyone would be paying for their own fountain drinks rather than those of us buying mugs or dining plans paying for the drinks for the other non-buyers!

Where would this end? Talk about a slippery slope! Why not just add an extra $30 to each room and give us "free" valet parking? Or add $50 and give us "free" continental breakfast?

No thanks, I'll pay for what I use, not subsidize someone else's sugar addiction...

Jim

 

[HHSTigerFan]

No thanks, I'll pay for what I use, not subsidize someone else's sugar addiction...

Jim

You are subsidizing other things you don't use as well, just doesn't seem that way because its not itemized..

 

[Wendy&Grumpy]

I'm not sure what the difference is between adding $15 to a resort stay and offering unlimited drinks, or allowing those who want unlimited drinks to buy a mug for $15 and get them. Concievably a party could purchase one mug and use that for everyone. The only difference would be that with the first situation, everyone is paying, whether they want the drinks or not.

The difference is that the folks who are now helping themselves to free drinks would be paying - just like those of us who already pay by getting the mugs.

I'm guessing the difference to folks who are already paying would be that they wouldn't be paying as much.

Disney is clearly losing money due to the folks who help themselves without paying, or they wouldn't be trying out options to prevent it.

It just seems they could provide all the "free" drinks one wanted simply by tacking a few dollars per night onto the room rates.

I'd be happy to pay $20 or $30 more per stay and have "free" drinks - that's less than I pay now for 4 mugs.

 

[smitch425]

The difference is that the folks who are now helping themselves to free drinks would be paying - just like those of us who already pay by getting the mugs.

I'm guessing the difference to folks who are already paying would be that they wouldn't be paying as much.

Disney is clearly losing money due to the folks who help themselves without paying, or they wouldn't be trying out options to prevent it.

It just seems they could provide all the "free" drinks one wanted simply by tacking a few dollars per night onto the room rates.

I'd be happy to pay $20 or $30 more per stay and have "free" drinks - that's less than I pay now for 4 mugs.

Yes, YOU would be happy, but the people who do not use the drink machines wouldn't be. And from your suggestion in your opening post, you would be paying $40-$60 for 4 people, not $20-$30.

Disney is working on a system that will stop the cheaters and still allow those who are not interested to opt out. In my opinion, that is the absolute BEST way to approach the issue.

 

[si-am]

I think there are lots of things offered at Disney resorts that people don't use: arcades, fitness centers, even pools for some people. I don't think raising rates and giving everyone a mug would really be much different. Heck, they're going to raise the rates anyway at some point!

I think it's a good idea but also don't believe it will ever happen.

 

[Wendy&Grumpy]

Yes, YOU would be happy, but the people who do not use the drink machines wouldn't be. And from your suggestion in your opening post, you would be paying $40-$60 for 4 people, not $20-$30.

Disney is working on a system that will stop the cheaters and still allow those who are not interested to opt out. In my opinion, that is the absolute BEST way to approach the issue.

Question for you (and any others who don't drink soft drinks, coffee, tea, lemonade, etc.) do/would you feel like you are being cheated or subsidizing others on a cruise where beverages are included in the price?

 

[patsal]

The difference is that the folks who are now helping themselves to free drinks would be paying - just like those of us who already pay by getting the mugs.

I'm guessing the difference to folks who are already paying would be that they wouldn't be paying as much.

Disney is clearly losing money due to the folks who help themselves without paying, or they wouldn't be trying out options to prevent it.

It just seems they could provide all the "free" drinks one wanted simply by tacking a few dollars per night onto the room rates.

I'd be happy to pay $20 or $30 more per stay and have "free" drinks - that's less than I pay now for 4 mugs.

That $20 to $30 would be a waste for me as I don't drink soda or Disney "coffee". I buy DD a mug, she does her thing we are all happy, but forcing a beverage user fee onto everyone when the beverages cannot be accessed anywhere but the resort is absurd.

 

[patsal]

Question for you (and any others who don't drink soft drinks, coffee, tea, lemonade, etc.) do/would you feel like you are being cheated or subsidizing others on a cruise where beverages are included in the price?

Disney is the only cruise line with free soda. No, to answer your question, all soft drinks in the dining room are free as well as juice and milk so I feel like that is fine.

 

[bumbershoot]

And folks who don't drink soda probably still drink coffee, tea, or lemonade.

Nope. Nescafe isn't coffee (I'm with patsal and would have put quotations around coffee for Disney purposes) so I don't drink what they provide, I don't drink their tea, and if they actually made lemonade I'd probably drink it, but their version is pretty much lemon-flavored soda, so no, I don't drink those things.

You are subsidizing other things you don't use as well, just doesn't seem that way because its not itemized..

Yes, of course, it's how we live in a civilized society. Some of our taxes go to pay for roads I will never drive down in my life. I'm good with that. But something like subsidizing soda? Nah. No interest in doing that.

I'd be happy to pay $20 or $30 more per stay and have "free" drinks - that's less than I pay now for 4 mugs.

It would work for you, because you're already paying for these things. It woudln't work for me. Let's assume you are a vegetarian. You pay for the food you like. Now someone came in and said "everyone steals burgers, let's subsidize burgers". You probably wouldn't like that. It's not something that is useful to you at all. If you have a say, you'll say NO.

Question for you (and any others who don't drink soft drinks, coffee, tea, lemonade, etc.) do/would you feel like you are being cheated or subsidizing others on a cruise where beverages are included in the price?

There are many things on a cruise that I'm not going to partake in, so no, it doesn't bother me. If soda bothered me, I'd be bothered by *lobster* being served "for free". While having lobsters served at all bugs me (longtime vegetarian who has never had lobster in my life b/c it grosses me out beyond belief and did so even while otherwise an omnivore), I don't let the money part of it bug me, because if I did so I'd slowly lose my mind, LOL. Plus, it'll let MIL have a little fun, food-wise, on the 3-night we're doing in Feb. (but it didn't bother me even on RCCL, that our fare was helping give others lobsters)



BUT you're the one that brought up soda, and I get to respond to that, and so I say NO to adding a cost so others get free soda.


And may I recommend not paying so much attention to the vessels that others are using? While I'm waiting to get a water refill in my cup at the drink station, I don't pay one bit of attention to what others are doing in that respect, and I feel my life is pretty good b/c of that. I really recommend it. You are doing what is right, and just be happy with that.

 

[TDC Nala]

The difference is that the folks who are now helping themselves to free drinks would be paying - just like those of us who already pay by getting the mugs.

Disney could take care of this by policing the soda fountain. You don't have the proper mug, or a cup from the food court, you're limited to water (by the way, you CAN get water in whatever you choose to get it in). They choose not to do it. Doesn't mean guests should pay for their lack of enforcement. The RFID chip test aside, Disney apparently isn't concerned enough about it to enforce.

And it's not necessary for you to buy four mugs. You can decide to buy only two and trade off, or you can decide to buy none. And the cruise is not a good comparison. The Walt Disney Resort with 24 resort hotels is not comparable to a cruise ship that holds fewer people than two of those hotels.

I know this is just a "I wish everybody had to pay $20, so I wouldn't have to pay $50" but that can be applied to a lot of things we have to decide we want individually. I suppose this adds to the general popularity of totally all-inclusive resorts (which WDW is not - a cruise is closer to all-inclusive but a cruise is a much smaller and more captive audience).

 

[larryz]

The RFID chip test aside, Disney apparently isn't concerned enough about it to enforce.

I wonder if this will be an option with the new FastPass+ system... unlimited drinks tied to your KTTW/wristband...?

 

[Upatnoon]

I just had a thought - why doesn't Disney just increase room rates by $10 - $15 per person and include the drink fountains at the resorts just like they do on the cruises?

That way, everyone would be paying for their own fountain drinks rather than those of us buying mugs or dining plans paying for the drinks for the other non-buyers!

Don't worry, the Disney Imagineers are busy coming up with way to raise prices.

 

[IMGONNABE40!]

Interesting, but did you know that Disney DOES NOT pay for fountain drinks?

This. And even if they did, the actual cost of what goes on your cup is mere pennies. I have heard that when buying a fountain drink at a fast food place, the cup is more expensive than the contents. I would also guess that the $15 mug costs about a dollar to manufacture...maybe less. My guess is that Disney makes enough profit on the mugs to subsidize the entire drink service at a resort. The cost involved to pay CM's to police the drink area is likely more than the cost of lost drinks.

 

[goofy4tink]

Oh, no, no! Not per night, just over the course of a stay! I'm sure Disney has some complex formula for figuring out what an added $10 per guest per stay would break down to in terms of room nights!



The soda dispensers are already available to anyone who wants. Just ask the hundreds of us who have stood waiting with our paid mugs while others fill up whatever they have handy and there's no CM's around.

I'm guessing if Disney did the math and included drinks, those of us who actually pay for our mugs would end up ahead.



In that case, we should all get free drinks, not just those of us who choose not to pay for them!!!

Here's the thing...I, too, have stood there, watching someone fill a thermos, or a non-Disney mug/cup at the soda area. And yes, it really irks me. I pay for my mug..why should others get free, what I had to pay for?? I hear ya.
BUT....I don't much care what, if anything, Disney is paying for it's soda. Don't care. It's called profit. I'm sure that Disney isn't paying anywhere close to the $35 per tee shirt it's selling, but we don't expect Disney to sell it at their cost. It's a business. You don't want to pay for what Disney pays little to nothing for?? Fine, don't drink the soda.

I'm sure that at some point, all the soda machines will be RFID enhanced. That will solve a lot of issues. Well, other than the folks that want to gulp down that first cup and then have to wait 5 mins to get another one!!!

I like paying for what I want to buy. I do it on airlines, I do it when booking my WDW stay. I don't want all the little extra things that I'm not going to use. Arcade vouchers? Nope. Free mini-golf? Nope. Just let me pay for what I want to use. I don't want an all inclusive room rate.

 

[Wendy&Grumpy]

BUT you're the one that brought up soda, and I get to respond to that, and so I say NO to adding a cost so others get free soda.

The point isn't to add a cost so that others get free soda. It's to ensure that those currently getting free soda are paying for it.

And may I recommend not paying so much attention to the vessels that others are using? While I'm waiting to get a water refill in my cup at the drink station, I don't pay one bit of attention to what others are doing in that respect, and I feel my life is pretty good b/c of that. I really recommend it. You are doing what is right, and just be happy with that.

Personally, I've rarely noticed it. What I do notice is the rants and raves on here about it.

 

[Wendy&Grumpy]

And it's not necessary for you to buy four mugs. You can decide to buy only two and trade off, or you can decide to buy none.

Really? Is mug-sharing condoned? I thought the rules were that one mug can be used by one person only?

 

[carrie1626]

ANY drink would have to be included to make everyone happy. That's not cost effective.

Soda is NOT a #1 choice for alot of families.

 

[TDC Nala]

It's to ensure that those currently getting free soda are paying for it.

It also ensures that the majority who are NOT getting free soda are paying for it.

 

[donaldlovesdaisy]

We buy the mugs every trip not for unlimited soda because usually it is filled with un sweet tea and water but because they are fun to have and my kids love to have them. Probably not worth what we spend on them and sharing would probably make financial sense but it is vacation so who cares. I cannot be bothered once I get to WDW killing myself to try and save pennies. I try for the best deals before I leave and once I am there I am done.

 

[1Jackpot]

The soda dispensers are already available to anyone who wants. Just ask the hundreds of us who have stood waiting with our paid mugs while others fill up whatever they have handy and there's no CM's around.QUOTE]

Not everyone is aware of the strict "mug" rules. I always brought my old mugs to use on our trips. Not because I was trying to save money, but it just seemed silly to keep rebuying mugs when my previous ones were in perfectly good shape to use. I had never paid attention and not one CM ever said anything to us when we used our older mugs. I guess I was naive and never really though about it.

Not until I joined this board did I realize how serious the members here took the mugs rules. (even dedicating an entire sticky thread to it!)