10 Refills Each Day!

[disneyfav4ever]

We purchase mugs each visit - always more economical than buying drinks each time at the resort. When comparing prices, I think you need to compare your cost not Disney's as that is what we have to pay. If I was to worry about Disney's cost, I wouldn't buy anything. What kind of vacation would that be??

i always have figured it out to be my cost as well. 2 drinks a day x $2 a drink x 10 days is $20, and that's the minimum I'd drink.

 

[Pirate Me]

We always get the refillable mugs at Disney. It's definitely a great deal when your other option is to wait in line and buy a cup every time you want soda.

 

[Kaler131]

I am sitting here at home drinking outta my refillable mug right now (that I got last month)!! I LOVE my mugs!! I still have mugs from 8 years ago...the grahics are really faded but I still love using them!!

 

[princessCKL]

I am one of the people that you see carrying my refillable mug attached to my park bag. The reason is that I like to have a drink while waiting for the bus and I like to refill it on the way to the room when I return for breaks or when I return at the end of an evening in the parks.

 

[carmie3377]

We purchase mugs each visit - always more economical than buying drinks each time at the resort. When comparing prices, I think you need to compare your cost not Disney's as that is what we have to pay. If I was to worry about Disney's cost, I wouldn't buy anything. What kind of vacation would that be??

I agree. Disney is going to make a profit so I don't compare what it cost them, but what it would cost me to purchase the drinks. If I go for one week and purchase one soft drink a day at the food court (which I'm sure at a minimum), I would spend more than what one mug cost me. Plus, I wouldn't have the souvenir when I returned home. I use mine from last year all the time. With a bit of ice, it holds one can of soft drink just fine. Great for on the go and every time I use it, it gives me a smile thinking of my favorite place. Mine has been through the dishwasher countless times and still looks like it did when I bought it.

Think about soft drinks at fast food places. I was returning home from the grocery store when I stopped at Sonic for a bite to eat. Since I had soft drinks in my car, I just ordered a large cup of ice. Guess what, it wouldn't even hold a 12 oz soft drink! So, if I had purchased the drink instead of the ice, I would have spent about $2 for about 10 oz of soft drink. Does that stop me from ordering soft drinks when I go out knowing that that 10 oz cost them about .10? If I have soft drinks in the car or heading home it sure does. But at Disney, we fly in and it's not that easy bringing soft drinks and I can't justify an order to garden grocer for just soft drinks. So, the mugs work great for me

 

[carmie3377]

oops, double post

 

[carmie3377]

i always have figured it out to be my cost as well. 2 drinks a day x $2 a drink x 10 days is $20, and that's the minimum I'd drink.

Actually that's $40 at a minimum. Even a better deal for you

Not trying to point out a typo, just trying to show what a good deal it really can be

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Actually that's $40 at a minimum. Even a better deal for you

Not trying to point out a typo, just trying to show what a good deal it really can be

Duh!

It is a great savings though. I know I spend a fortune in the parks on bottles of Diet Coke.

 

[M-I-C-K-E-Y]

I can't recall where I read this, but someone once said or posted that their father was an early McDonalds franchise owner. He had stated that McDonalds existed (at one time) simply as a way to sell Coca Cola products. The profit was that huge for them. Imagine that, a time when the burgers and fries were simply "dressing" to sell that high-profit soda!

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

You are only supposed to use the mug at the resort where you purchased it. We were in CBR right next to the Food Court and pool so we used ours quite a bit! I've seen people carrying their around the parks though but they won't be refilled...hotels are a different story. I'm not sure how Disney could enforce not using them at different resorts since they are the same mugs. I didn't want to lug around a mug all day with me and I'm not sure why other people would want to carry that all day in the parks!

I have read somewhere on these boards in one of the numberous mug threads that if you are doing a split stay you may consider that as "length of stay" and use it at your new resort. I sure as heck am not going to buy a new one exactly the same as the last one, just because Disney has gone generic on them. I have two from every resort we have stayed at in the past 5 years. I also read that you can actually use it at other resorts during your stay, but I am not sure about this. It may not be allowed, but no one will stop you because they all look the same now. Must not be a big concern to Disney any more.


As far as Disney breaking even, losing money, I don't think it's possible. Unless someone would actually buy 12 or however many drinks per day at the resort, it's still unlikely because Disney gets the Coke products virtually free.

 

[ehrn]

I was going to buy one in May but it rained so much and we were not very close to the food court@ Pop, so it ended up not being worth it at all. Not that I would ever drink enough to get anything over on Disney, lol, but to me it's just part of the experience. I usually get a 6pack of Diet Dr Pepper at Wal-Mart anyway, so I could easily live w/o it. Last Sept my dad and brother got into a conversation w/some CM's @ POR and they ended up giving them each a free mug--I never have that kind of luck.
Enjoyed the OP's cost analysis!

 

[aggielawyer]

Disney, as a corporation, exists to make money--and there's nothing wrong with that. They wouldn't do the mugs if they didn't make money off of them. I can choose whether I want to buy one. I do, becuase I think it's a good deal for me. I have no problem with them making $10+ off that purchase. And I'm certainly not going to chug sodas all day to try to get the value out of it--I already need to lose enough weight as it is!

 

[P.I. Squirrel]

Disney, as a corporation, exists to make money--and there's nothing wrong with that. They wouldn't do the mugs if they didn't make money off of them. I can choose whether I want to buy one. I do, becuase I think it's a good deal for me. I have no problem with them making $10+ off that purchase. And I'm certainly not going to chug sodas all day to try to get the value out of it--I already need to lose enough weight as it is!

Good point.

The rhetorical question I have for everybody is: You spend thousands at Disney on a vacation, and the mug is all you question about it's worth?

We use several different methods to cut our costs for our trip, and the mugs are one thing we do without, since we've stocked up on groceries in our room, (with free ice, I might add).

 

[Modeltrf]

I have read somewhere on these boards in one of the numberous mug threads that if you are doing a split stay you may consider that as "length of stay" and use it at your new resort. I sure as heck am not going to buy a new one exactly the same as the last one, just because Disney has gone generic on them. I have two from every resort we have stayed at in the past 5 years. I also read that you can actually use it at other resorts during your stay, but I am not sure about this. It may not be allowed, but no one will stop you because they all look the same now. Must not be a big concern to Disney any more.


As far as Disney breaking even, losing money, I don't think it's possible. Unless someone would actually buy 12 or however many drinks per day at the resort, it's still unlikely because Disney gets the Coke products virtually free.

Several years ago I asked a CM if I needed to buy another set of mugs as I was moving from the CR to the Poly. She told me it was considered length of stay and there was no need to purchase another set.

I post this with great concern...for we all know how reliable CMs are. And we also know how easy it is to start a refillable mug debate.

I promise I will not engage in any discussion regarding the reliability of the CMs or Disney's policy on refillable mugs. I am only a messenger of my experience.

 

[WantToGoNow]

WDW isn't the only place that marks up soda - every fast food restaurant in America does the same thing. The way I look at it is if I go in and buy 1 cup of soda, I pay $2.29. I can buy the mug for $13+ and use it the entire 9 days - I come out way ahead.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

IAccording to a few websites, the true cost of 12 ounces of syrup, water, CO2 and ice is about 13 cents.

Disney DOES NOT pay for syrup, so recalulate.

 

[M-I-C-K-E-Y]

Disney DOES NOT pay for syrup, so recalulate.

Seriously? I'd love to know the story behind that one!!

 

[TRICKY_TINK]

oh hear the story you shall I'm sure. It envolves free Coke and free advertising.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Seriously? I'd love to know the story behind that one!!

1) Sponsors give their products to WDW, or pay cash.
2) Examples:
. . . coke fountain drinks are free to WDW
. . . coke in bottles are given to WDW for the bottle charge (I think 5-cents)
. . . all the park maps are printed and paid for by Kodak
. . . all the Nescafe coffee is free to WDW
. . . sponsors (eg. Test Track) pay $millions per year for operations & maint

 

[DisneyHolidayFan]

1) Sponsors give their products to WDW, or pay cash.
2) Examples:
. . . coke fountain drinks are free to WDW
. . . coke in bottles are given to WDW for the bottle charge (I think 5-cents)
. . . all the park maps are printed and paid for by Kodak
. . . all the Nescafe coffee is free to WDW
. . . sponsors (eg. Test Track) pay $millions per year for operations & maint

Where did you get this information??