Change in Refillable Mug Program?

[gary in florida]

Right on DVCDAVE!

 

[Jhalkias]

Thanks Dave, for saying something that needed to be said. I once was taken to task in the same way for ASKING if the mugs on the cruise line followed the same policy - refillable forever.

I'll wait until someone confirms this before we take or leave behind our Beach Club mugs with us in December!

 

[PamOKW]

Okay -- Let's wait and hear what the new policy is.

I apologize to those who are offended by my comments. It seemed reasonable to me that the refills were trip by trip. I was never told nor ever received any official notification that wasn't the case. It just seemed unreasonable to me to expect one $8-$10 purchase to be good for free drinks for a lifetime and I never saw that in writing. However, it sounds like that may have been what people were told at All-Star and elsewhere. I have never stayed at All-Star so I'm not familiar with the policy there. I can see where that looked to be a good deal.

We were also told that we could request additional towels and soaps when we bought at the Vacation Club. Some members abused this system and we now have to pay additional fees. It sounds like some purchasers of the mugs abused that system and Disney may be working on a way to limit the program. Unfortunately, everyone is caught up in the change, not just the abusers.

 

[Muushka]

Thanks PamOKW. I always enjoy reading your posts because you are a fair person.

For us, it is not the $$ for the soda. We bring our own (husband will NOT drink Diet Coke) sugar free sodas. It was the fun of stopping down at the Roaring Forks withs our special mugs (even if they were already full!). Occasionally I would get a cup of coffee, but I could easily brew some in the room. I guess it just dissapoints me when they take something away that we really get a kick out of. Little by little, they keep chipping away..........

 

[Terry S]

PamOKW. I agree that it doesn't sound resonable to get drink refills for life for $10. But, the first time I purchased a mug was at BC, the CM at Beaches and Creme told me that they were refillable for life, at the resturants at Beach Club and Yacht Club. I must have sounded really stupid because, as you say that didn't sound right for $10 so I then asked "are you saying if I bring this cup back on my next trip, I can still get refills"? She looked at me like I was stupid and said "that is what refills for life means". I noticed later the mugs were also available in the room honor bar and they had a sticker on the outside wrap that said "Lifetime Refills".

I was at AKL this past April and I saw the mugs at the register of the Food Court so I picked one up and said these are refillable for life right? She said, "yes, they are refillable for life". I even confirmed this later while there was a CM standing by the drink machine and the person in front of me was filling up an All Stars Mug, so I loudly asked "These are refillible for life at this resort only right? She said yes, they are refillable for life only at the resort you purchase them at", and never said anything to the person in front of me.

I agree wholeheartedly with OhioMinne, when I was getting really annoyed with all the people filling mugs that were not from the resort they were at, my husband said to me, Disney is not going to say anything to upset them, why are you getting upset?

 

[Deb & Bill]

Man, am I really angry. We bought the mugs at OKW and we have to pay to refill them. Ain't that a deal? Where's my free refill? Lifetime at that? I have lifetime "pay about $1.25 per refill". What a bummer. [Sarcasm mode off]

We have mugs from the Polynesian, Port Orleans (before the merge), Disney Wonder and they all were refillable only for the length of stay.

We have a Typhoon Lagoon mug that we purchase the sticker for each time we go to TL or BB. It costs about $4 or $5 per day. Not a big deal.

 

[PamOKW]

I guess we must have "extra-special" Coke at OKW. Sounds like we were the only ones not getting free refills.

 

[disrailfan]

Hey, PAMOKW, we found this odd too that OKW did not have free refills. We were told though that it was OKW was the only DVC only resort. See all other resorts have non-DVC housing along with the DVC part so they have shared areas for food and drinks alacart.

This past week we were at VWL and we bought 4 mugs 1 for myself and 1 for DW and 1 each for our DD's. We used them everyday so I would say we still came out ahead. I would say that we would even come out ahead if they were to charge us $5 per our LOS to get free refills, just as long as I don't have to buy new mugs. Since the mugs have the Coca Cola logo on them, even though small, I suspect that WDW didn't pay a dime for them.

 

[DebbieB]

According to wdwig, the mug price is $4.95 at OKW vs $9.99 at other resorts. I guess the figure with the DVC setup, people will refill less at OKW, so they charge less for the mug and then charge for each refill.

Last December, I wanted a new mug for work and I saw one I liked at MGM Backlot Express, it was like $3.95 with the drink included (no refills).

http://www.wdwig.com/mugs.htm

 

[KNWVIKING]

If Disney does get Coke for free,then selling a cheap mug for $10.00 with a lifetime refill incentive not only makes sense,it's a cash cow for Disney.Coke loves the idea people are drinking their product for a "lifetime".It's a win-win-win scenerio.

Where the resorts have the drink islands,it's even a better deal for Disney as they don't have to staff it.

Ohiominnie: I agree with your logic about Disney not standing up and taking cheaters to task,but that will now work to my advantage.We own 3 sets of mugs at three resorts. We were told lifetime. I will continue to get refills until someone trys to stop me,then it's going to get very interesting.

Lastly, I agree with the last few posts: We don't know what Disneys policy is. Let's wait and see.

 

[ralphd]

Somehow I cannot believe Coca Cola and the mug manufactuers are giving product to Disney to sell to guests.
Disney's sales volume will give it the same purchasing power as any Coke customer. If they give product to Disney, then McDonalds will also receive free product. Looks like Coke will be bankrupt soon.
Agree with Pam- wait for the annoucement before everyone gets excited.

ralphd

 

[DebbieB]

From what I understand, it's an "exchange" deal. Coke gives the product free in exchange for advertising rights by Disney. So for example, instead of Disney paying coke $1,000,000 for the soda and Coke paying Disney $1,000,000 for the advertisement rights, they call it even. I heard the bottled water company has the same deal. It definitely is a cash cow for Disney or any food establishment, soda is cheap and they sell it for a big profit.

 

[manning]

I have been following this issue on all boards. I think my issue and others is more the problem of lines. If Disney can come up with a 16 oz mug and have a life time program. I would gladly pay $50-60 dollars for it. Just keep me out of a long line. Had enough of those years back in the army. Maybe there could be two programs, one for length of stay and one for (sic) lifers. Also separate scanning machines.

Like DVC it would be fun figuring out your brake even point. LOL.
for me I think five years out.

 

[Peter Johnson]

All of the other issues aside (and we just bought VWL mugs 2 weeks ago), as an IT geek I wouldn't think Disney would want unmanned scanning stations. We do a lot of barcoding and scanning, and the maintenance and supplies consume a lot of time, effort and money. I have to believe it would be cheaper for Disney to keep the old program going than to enforce it this way.

Just my $0.02, which won't pay for printing even one barcode sticker for one mug

 

[PamOKW]

I'm just wondering why the mug program is so important to DVC'ers? Having drinks in the room seems a lot more convenient than having to go out for refills all the time. I understand people who are upset because they won't get the full use they were promised. But, other than that, what is the appeal of the mug program for a DVC'er?

 

[ralphd]

Peter, I agree with you that if they intend to set up an automated scanning system, the base cost of the system plus the maintenance, will probably exceed the cost of the existing free refill system.
Debbie, there may be an agreement to offset some of the Coke product against the Coke Marketing Dept. The agreement would not be open ended and would involve the local Coke Bottler getting a payment from Coke USA for a set amount (or a percentage) of the Disney Coke product sales.

Coke does not publish the details of their contracts because the info will create problems with other customers and open the books to arch rival Pepsi.

ralphd

 

[mikek]

Need to clarify my previous post about someone who i wrongly stated hadnt paid for a soda in 7 years- let me rephrase that- Disney missed seven years of sales on that customer.

First i will agree with many who have asserted that Coke probably gives them free syrup. I have a freind who is a higher up at a the big fast food chain- in fact Coke can wind up paying them - basically you do pay for the syrup but than coke 'rebates' you based upon your volume- even to the point of you making money on them. I believe coke does it basically do keep pepsi's name to a minimum - but i dont really KNOW for sure (ever notice the only major establishments that have pepsi are the places pepsi used to won?).

Anyhow- syrup aside there are other costs- like water, carbon dioxide and electruicity for the machine and ice - to make a fountain beverage. Even at a pizza place that buys it syrup - the syrup is probably only like a third of the cost. (Oh and for the record a 32 oz fountain soda probably only costs the vendor like twenty cents- thats how a big gulp is $.99- yet 7-11 is still raking in the dough)

For those of you that say its free to disney- for the sake of your arguments lets say all the other costs are free too- so than what does it cost disney? Simple- it costs them the lost sale. You could probably fill up that darn mug 1 or 200 times before they actually lose real money on it BUT they arent getting you're 2$ for a soda everytime you fill up, or even your $10 for a mug each different visit. They have a billion bean counters and they figured that all those lost sales add up- the handfull of people that this straw breaks the camels back with who arent spending a couple hundred a night on a room are most likely dwarfed by the amount of money they stand to make in selling soda's.

Back to the fast food chain- biggest money makers are soda and fries- so much so that if you took those 2 away and didn't replace 'em -there would be NO profit and they would be out of business. Thats alot of profit for Disney to be ignoring.

Do I like it? Maybe not, but them's the facts.

 

[Beachangel]

I still don't get the free-soda-for life-for-ten-dollars obession. I've got mugs, and more mugs....never did I think it was an entitlement to pack my mug for next time and the next and the next..........

 

[gary in florida]

I still don't get the free-soda-for life-for-ten-dollars obession. I've got mugs, and more mugs....never did I think it was an entitlement to pack my mug for next time and the next and the next..........

The obession is that when your told that you can purchase something, then return and use in again and again, then someone changes their mind, that's a problem.

For someone who lives close to Disney, that goes for 3-4 nights, it pays to pack my mug.

It's much better than having to pack 12 packs of soda.

 

[KNWVIKING]

Pam...

If I'm sitting by the feature pool at WL, is it faster for me to wonder over to Roaring Forks or back to my studio.Same applies to BWV and soon BCV. I don't spend my vacation in my room.
And while this thread is mostly DVC members griping, I imagine non-DVC members staying at AS or Moderate resorts probably will be affected more then we are.