All Star Mugs: now for length of stay only

[bootc3]

Has this gone into effect? Has anyone had firsthand experience yet? Until then I think I will withhold judgement.

 

[ajblbv]

Originally posted by Tigger73
I really can't believe that so many people are getting upset over a silly mug. We're all willing to spend thousands of dollars on our vacations, yet get bent out of shape over a $10 item. Here's a suggestion, use your old mug as a bank for loose change. By the time your ready for vacation, you'll have your $10...

There are so many things to worry about, I wouldn't let this be one of them....

If you would pay close attention the majority of us are upset over the waiting in line portion and accept paying 10 dollars per trip.

 

[dcedwards]

This could be horrible as far as waiting in line. Would definitely take some of the advantage away from buying one. That is for sure. My suggestion is that people write to Disney and let them know about this policy and the concerns. Perhaps if they get bombarded by emails they may rethink the new policy. Just a thought. The email is easy to use, especially for those of us on these boards.

 

[dcedwards]

I just emailed them. As many others have said, it isn't the cost that concerns me. It is the additional workload this will put on Disney employees as well as the additional wait time for me to get a refill. One of the advantages of the mug, for us, is that we can pop in, without standing in line, and simply refill them. Take this advantage away and I will bring my own pop and use their ice in my old mugs. Besides, I typically buy a couple new mugs every trip anyways so the price doesn't matter that much.

Here is the email that I use:

wdw.guest.communications@wda.disney.com

Email them and let them explain. Seems to me the amount of "unhappiness" this policy would generate from customers tired of waiting in lines, especially during peak seasons, would outweigh any financial gain they could experience. Besides, pop costs about .02 cents per 8 ounce serving. And, those mugs might hold that much but not much more once you put ice in them. Doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Plus, I would imagine that a lot of their business is one time trips and not "frequent Disners" but I might be wrong.

 

[Glenn]

Heres another thing that no one has mentioned. Whats going to happen when someone looking to eat walks into a food court & sees veeeaaary long lines caused by the new refill policy. Will it cause them to mumble. If their driving cause them to eat off site? How much time will it add it you want to really eat. Why not issue a new mug every yr good for a yr. Another collectable for us that go every couple of yrs but rewards folks that visit several times a yr cheaply.

 

[Deb & Bill]

There is no problem in filling your refillable mug at Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach. You can either get it filled at the food stands and they check the sticker OR you refill at the unattended soft drink machine. You wave you sticker over the "eye" and then you fill your mug. NO PROBLEM. No long lines. EASY. And you don't need a cast member standing there to check or scan the mugs. As long as you keep filling the mug, and don't stop the pressure on the bar.... Just like getting a refill at McDonalds, only you have to scan it to fill it.

And if the right to refill spreads to the parks with the same unattended drink machines at various locations, it will use fewer people to sell the drinks, plus sell more mug or stickers.

"If you would pay close attention the majority of us are upset over the waiting in line portion and accept paying 10 dollars per trip."

That's not how I read it. I keep seeing the "I was told I could use it for a lifetime" Lenght of stay, folks, length of stay.

 

[gepetto]

Originally posted by dcedwards
Besides, pop costs about .02 cents per 8 ounce serving. And, those mugs might hold that much but not much more once you put ice in them.

I'm sure it costs that much at Burger King too but they don't charge .02 cents either.

 

[Kitten516]

I really like the one mug per year idea. We go for lots of quick weekends, and the one mug per year would be nice. Having to spend 10$ per weekend per mug (2 of us) would keep us from doing the refillable mugs. 20$ worth of drinks would fill up my whole car. The 10$ is not a big deal if it is a week or 2, but the one night stays or 2 night stays (for a long weekend) just don't add up. Oh well Disney will do what is best for them no matter what we think.

 

[aalan]

it may seem small and insignificant, but this is yet another money-grubbing scheme by a company that is forgetting the way to treat guests, ESPECIALLY guests that spend a lot of $$$ year after year. this is my email i sent to diz-ney:

dear sirs:

i'm really sorry to hear that you are "losing" so much money on soda that you are considering
a barcode program on the resort/refillable mugs...i really think you should think carefully
about this decision. everyone knows that in the food business, it's "sell lots of small cokes w/
lotsa ice." this is pure profit. but dizney is not in the food business, they are supposed to be in
the MAGIC business! its NOT a great deal to stay on grounds, especially at peak times. but
most people, especially the true dis fans who come back year after year, dont mind paying a
little extra to stay on grounds. to them (myself included) its worth it. we spend more than we
have to at the hotels and hotel restaurants. while staying there isnt the most economical, the
refillable mugs were (hopefully will still be) a GOOD deal. i know people abuse it, but you
dont think folks will abuse the new sticker plan? how hard is it going to be to scan a mug and
put your own 64 ounce 7/11 plastic mug under the tap? can you SEE the long lines of upset
people just wanting another cup of coffee or refill of soda? are you guys really THINKING?
or are you going to keep chipping away at things like early entry and refillable mugs to the
point that fewer and fewer people stay on grounds? look, i realize its a business, but if you
keep taking away the little things that may SEEM insignificant, its gonna add up to one big
negative. and myself, along with thousands of other potential guests, will spend their
entertainment dollars somewhere else. so PLEASE, just stop and consider this one!

 

[Geoff_M]

After reading all of this fuss over Disney finally enforcing their long time official policy of "One mug, one resort, one visit" it wouldn't suprise me if they'd can the whole refillable mug program and tell everyone to go back to paying for each cup.

Since some of you were told by some food court CMs that they were "good for life" and verbal contracts are legally binding, why doesn't someone file a class action lawsuit?!?!?!

 

[WolfpackFan]

Originally posted by Geoff_M
After reading all of this fuss over Disney finally enforcing their long time official policy of "One mug, one resort, one visit" it wouldn't suprise me if they'd can the whole refillable mug program and tell everyone to go back to paying for each cup.

Since some of you were told by some food court CMs that they were "good for life" and verbal contracts are legally binding, why doesn't someone file a class action lawsuit?!?!?!

The thing is, when I'm at WDW and a CM tells me something, I usually take it as being Disney policy. I don't go and contact upper management to make sure that what the CM told me is in actual fact true. Especially for something as insignificant as a soft drink. I along with many others, have no problem buying a new set of mugs everytime we go down. But please, don't make me stand in a long line to get my morning cup of coffee or make me stand in line to get a cold Coke after being in the hot parks all day. There are some things I can put up with and some I can't and this is one of those things I can't. If Disney is going to make it inconvenient to use the mugs, then I'll just bring my own soft drinks in an ice chest and forgo the refillable mugs completely.

 

[DMRick]

I keep reading about long lines. Why, if they go to a upc reader, would the lines be longer than they are sometimes now? You go up to it, wave the cup and fill it. It just might make everything go faster, if people won't be filling their large thermos's now.
I don't have a problem buying a sticker or a mug..however, I also was one of those who thought people misunderstood when told the mug was good for a lifetime. Til my last trip. I clearly, (and discussed it with the CM) heard the CM tell the people in line in front of me, not only tell the gal her 5 mugs she was purchasing was good for a lifetime, but at other resorts. I don't think it's the line, or the $10 each..I think it's because, in spite of the sign (not everyone sees the sign) CM's ARE saying it's good for a lifetime (this was beginning of May). The CM was not happy with me, when I questioned why she was telling people that. She clearly told me that was the policy. So why wouldn't people be upset if in fact the "policy" told to them was incorrect. Yes, I know what the sign says, and the answer you get form Disney if you e-mail them...but most people see CM's as being the "official" word when they are actually purchasing their mugs..and don't think they should go off and e-mail Disney before purchasing..to be sure the CM is correct..they assume she knows of what she speaks. I spent $50 on my new mugs, and I wasn't thrilled hearing her say you could use mugs from other resorts. I could have spent that $50 elsewhere in Disney.

 

[jsmla]

"That's not how I read it. I keep seeing the "I was told I could use it for a lifetime" Lenght of stay, folks, length of stay."

That was me. I am absolutely positive I was told this because I am extremely tight and asked not once but several times before I purchased mugs and on subsequent visits before we re-used them. (This was at the All Stary Music.) The mugs aren't a big deal with us and we've already gotten our $10 worth but I hope they've gotten their story straight. Things do change suddenly in the world.

 

[Geoff_M]

But please, don't make me stand in a long line to get my morning cup of coffee or make me stand in line to get a cold Coke after being in the hot parks all day.

And based on what people have reported on seeing in the waterparks, where such systems are already in use, your fears of long line are not likely to materialize.

The thing is, when I'm at WDW and a CM tells me something, I usually take it as being Disney policy.

And that's a fair assumption. But whether it's CM taking things into their own hands becuase they realize they don't have the means to police the pop machines, or bad training, that shouldn't require WDW to change their policy.

If Disney is going to make it inconvenient to use the mugs...

Walk up to the dispenser, wave my mug across the scanner, a green light comes on, I fill my mug. I can live with that. I think part of the problem was that the coke machines were a little "too" easy to use.

 

[Kaitysmom]

The water park deal is considerably less appealing than a mug that you can use for your entire stay. I think more people bought the mugs at the resorts than at a waterpark - especially if they were good for a lifetime. I am sure that the new system will cause problems - be it lines, people that don't know how to scan their mugs thereby causing lines, etc. People will probably try to cheat the system by buying one mug and filling others, etc. Does anyone know if people do that at the waterparks? I won't bother with the mugs now because we stay at FW and it is far less convenient to use them there.

 

[Geoff_M]

The water park deal is considerably less appealing than a mug that you can use for your entire stay.

There's no indication that the stickers at the resorts will be daily stickers. I think it's safe to say the stickers will be for your length of stay. Show 'em, or have them swipe, your room key and you get a sticker that expires on your check-out date.

I am sure that the new system will cause problems - be it lines, people that don't know how to scan their mugs thereby causing lines, etc.

If the people in the waterparks can figure it out, the people in the resorts will too. Why don't we all wait and see if it's a problem before we start bombarding WDW with nasty-grams?!?!?

People will probably try to cheat the system by buying one mug and filling others, etc.

The people that make such access control scanning systems routinely use "lock outs" to deter mis-use. It wouldn't surprise me if your sticker is "locked out" from reuse for a short period after it is succesfully used. A lock-out of 2 minutes could make a cheater wait 8 minutes to fill 5 mugs using one sticker. But this is pure speculation on my part. Whatever they use, it'll do a better job of preventing abuse then the current system, that's for sure!

 

[MiaSRN62]

***** It wouldn't surprise me if your sticker is "locked out" from reuse for a short period after it is succesfully used. A lock-out of 2 minutes would make a cheater wait 8 minutes to fill 5 mugs using one sticker. ********

I don't know, but this all seems like a royal pain. I can't tell you how many times my kids spilled/dropped stuff. So you mean if your child fills up his mug, then maybe spills/drops it, we have to wait 8 minutes and get back in line again ? I can see alot of potential problems happening with this system. I'm another one who, back in 1998 was told while purchasing 6 mugs from Dixie Landings that they were "good for all future stays at Dixie Landings". So now they can just take back that statement ? Doesn't make for happy guests...........

 

[Kaitysmom]

I don't see my comments as nasty grams for pete's sake! I guess you haven't seen it, but I am continually amazed at how the simplest things confuse some people. Just watch people struggling with Fast Passes or putting their tickets through at the gate!

What I meant about the water parks vs. resorts is just what you restated. The water parks are only for a day so far less people will take advantage of using them than people staying at the resorts.

I think the whole reason some of us are upset is that we are disappointed that we are losing a perk we used to have. I am not the only one who was told that the mugs were good forever. Whether the CMs made a mistake or not, or they have changed their policy, it doesn't matter. That particular perk is gone.

 

[StormAlongBay]

When was the last time anyone saw a crowd of "Water Park" people crowd around their drink dispenser trying to get their morning coffee?

 

[Geoff_M]

So you mean if your child fills up his mug, then maybe spills/drops it, we have to wait 8 minutes and get back in line again ?

No. If ("IF", I say) they implement my idea, then you'd have to wait a maximum of 2 minutes. My example was for someone trying to cheat the system by filling five mugs after purchasing one sticker. In your example the wait to refill the spilled mug would be less than 2 minutes because probably 1 minute of the 2 will pass from the time you fill your first mug until the time you fill your last.

I don't see my comments as nasty grams for pete's sake!

That was a general comment based on the outrage and gnashing of teeth I've seen here combined with the encouragement to vent those feelings towards WDW's e-mail inbox.

The water parks are only for a day so far less people will take advantage of using them than people staying at the resorts.

I guess I don't see they relivance here. WDW will more than likely maintain the needed users to dispenser ratios at both locations. It sounds like the scanner will add all of two seconds to each fill. If there's a line, people in back will take note of what the people up front are doing in order to get their Coke. There will be signage with directions, etc. etc. I don't see this gumming up the works. If it does, I'm sure Disney will adapt the situation to make it work... add more dispensers, clearer directions, pictorial directions, etc. etc.

I am not the only one who was told that the mugs were good forever. Whether the CMs made a mistake or not, or they have changed their policy, it doesn't matter.

I can understand some people being upset. But it would be more appropriate to complain to Disney about the lack of proper training and monitoring of what a large number of their CM's were telling people.

How many people here that are now upset haven't read any of the past "mug debate" threads and seen the cut-n-paste replies from WDW that clearly stated their mug policy???

DMRick and I had a good go at this topic a couple months ago. And as stated above, he did the right thing by calling the CM on the carpet when it was clear that they were giving out bad information.