Disney to Limit Refillable Mug use

[Maelstrom_]

My understanding is that they are much more basic than that -- they won't be linked to room stays or dining plans. They'll all have the same chip with the same activation life -- I don't know what it is, but it would be longer than any Disney stay... like 30 days.

Once activation, it'll be good for that pre-set period -- ie 30 days -- no matter how long or short your trip is.

I would think it would be more cost efficient to do it that way too. So I'm hoping that's how it works!

 

[iteachlit]

This is just a pilot. While it may be open now could easily become much more restrictive in the future. If the mugs are activated for 30 days, how long will it be before we see a mug exchange thread?

 

[sweetdana]

I support this with an *

* I love split stays, I usually split 4 days in a studio and 4 nights in a 1 bedroom. Sometimes I add a day earlier or later based on air fare. I nearly always use mugs.. I do not think requiring me to buy 3 of them cause I added a 74$ AP disc onto my stay is fair. As well I do love DDP, so the last trip I qualified for 3 diff mugs, due to doing DDP then none than DDp.. I did not go and get 3 sets of 3 mugs.. as I called this abuse.. Is this what they are hoping for? Seems so ungreen and uncost effective really?


My * is they should be good for 14 days at any resort, even if you split stay and even if you stop by the QS at CR cause you had dinner at CM and want it to go.. and and skip the 5 min rule. If someone buys 1 mug for all there party, shame on them.. but let it go you will catch 95% of the pop takers with just the chip, they cannot bring back old mugs.. but annoying those that paid is a whole nother bag of potato chips.

 

[Reddog1134]

The slavering Disney beancounters are chasing their tails because somebody got an unauthorized coke product which costs Disney $ 0.00. You DO remember that Disney pays $0.00 for coke syrup products....all they must do is sell them in Coke cups and it's all written off to advertisiing at Coke.

I've always found this to be unrealistic. If someone has proof that Disney gets Coke syrup for free, I would love to see it.

 

[ThurlFan]

I've always found this to be unrealistic. If someone has proof that Disney gets Coke syrup for free, I would love to see it.

To say nothing of the fact that the cost of the syrup isn't what they're trying to recapture in the first place

 

[john398]

I've always found this to be unrealistic. If someone has proof that Disney gets Coke syrup for free, I would love to see it.

I saw it on this site
http://disneylies.com/legends/disneyland.html

However I am not sure I belive everything there

 

[DisneyFan409]

I understand that businesses need to make profit, I get that but does Disney really need to go to this extent? The FOUNTAIN drinks are GIVEN to Disney for advertisement so I've heard. When you go into the parks and need that drink and you pay $3.00 for a 20 ounce bottle of soda, you don't think they are making enough profit on that alone? On average a gas station charges about $1.50 for a 20 ounce so where is the logic on charging $3.00? Most guests do not bring in their mugs to the parks and I am guilty of paying my ridiculous $3.00 charge because I love my coke When I fill up my mug, I will chug it and fill it up again before I sit down to eat. I think that it is just a big waste to use so much money on this technology for something that really doesn't seem to hurt the profits that much. Is it worth upsetting guests who are paying over $100.00 to get in to a park, waiting in lines, buying souviniers, buying food, and don't forget those $3.00 20 ouncers!
PS: at one point the "old mugs" with the resorts on them were sold as LIFETIME mugs...... just an FYI

 

[john398]

LOL I just use a snack credit for the 20 oz

 

[DisneyFan409]

And is there gonna be a system in place if you fill up with the wrong soda or get a cup of water because the syrup is out????? I'm sure Disney has this figured out because they are Disney but just seems like a lot of work......

 

[john398]

Oh I just thought what about coffee and the cream....hmmmm

 

[Reddog1134]

I saw it on this site
http://disneylies.com/legends/disneyland.html

However I am not sure I belive everything there

You do realize that everything on that website is a joke, right? I can't tell if you were also joking.

I understand that businesses need to make profit, I get that but does Disney really need to go to this extent? The FOUNTAIN drinks are GIVEN to Disney for advertisement so I've heard. When you go into the parks and need that drink and you pay $3.00 for a 20 ounce bottle of soda, you don't think they are making enough profit on that alone? On average a gas station charges about $1.50 for a 20 ounce so where is the logic on charging $3.00? Most guests do not bring in their mugs to the parks and I am guilty of paying my ridiculous $3.00 charge because I love my coke When I fill up my mug, I will chug it and fill it up again before I sit down to eat. I think that it is just a big waste to use so much money on this technology for something that really doesn't seem to hurt the profits that much. Is it worth upsetting guests who are paying over $100.00 to get in to a park, waiting in lines, buying souviniers, buying food, and don't forget those $3.00 20 ouncers!
PS: at one point the "old mugs" with the resorts on them were sold as LIFETIME mugs...... just an FYI

It's not that they are losing money on Coke. It's that they are losing money on mug sales.

And is there gonna be a system in place if you fill up with the wrong soda or get a cup of water because the syrup is out????? I'm sure Disney has this figured out because they are Disney but just seems like a lot of work......

It's been said that your mug remains "active" for 70 seconds which should give you plenty of time to fill your mug twice if you need to.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

wow...we're really torn on this one...aren't we?

Well...here's a few proposed factoids that i contend remain true - no matter which side of the great coke debate you're on:

1. The prices are skyrocketing in what has been confirmed by every economist still drawing breath as a global economic recession...pure and simple. And they are attempting to maintain 2005 phony profits with 2011 REAL money...and that is ridiculous.

2. They are showing their thanks to the frequent customers that they have spent 30 years courting by SQUEEZING them on every avenue possible.

3. The coke costs them nothing...yeah, i've seen that number and its a joke. It's practically a sponsorship deal for coke when you consider the volume that disney slings at 2.00 and up a shot.

4. Perhaps if they had continued to maintain RESORT SPECIFIC MUGS and updated them annually...this one would not even be an issue. I know as the consumer i would like a resort logo mug with a frequently updated design - because it i could use it at home and associate it with a specific set of memories at a hotel with my kids. THAT has value...not the mass produced crap they've sold me over the last 5 years. Dr Frankenstein shares some of the blame here. Viva la China!! When is Disneyland Beijing being announced, Bobby?

5. It just looks CHEAP!!!! there! cheap cheap cheap cheap cheap cheap. I don't abuse the mugs...but if you are telling me that the average consumer has to pay the forever escalating costs of food at WDW and the diminished return in terms of quality and quantity...and they then go after your Sprite Zero - then I would be inclined to tell them to shove it in that scenario.

CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP!!!!!

But i have three solutions:

1. Increase the upfront cost...which is pure profit because the mugs are cheap, the drinks are practically free, and the employees cost about as much as the mug...per shift.
2. Can it altogether.
3. Return to the original program before The Merry Accountants took over and allow for visual recognition of what the correct mug is in about 95% of the cases.

how dat?

 

[chiefee1]

the truth is that cms need to be more active in stopping this! if they call-out people using old mugs and filling large containers that would be a pleasure to see.(my way would involve stun guns and billy clubs!
i don't think it is fair to someone who follows the rules to have to be put through the gauntlet just to keep people from stealing pop! it is not all disney or coke being cheap. nobody ever puts the blame on all these cheap customers. you can spend thousands on a disney vacation, but god forbid you ever pay $18 a mug for unlimited drinks the duration of your stay!

sorry if i offended any tight wads out there

 

[lockedoutlogic]

the truth is that cms need to be more active in stopping this! if they call-out people using old mugs and filling large containers that would be a pleasure to see.(my way would involve stun guns and billy clubs!
i don't think it is fair to someone who follows the rules to have to be put through the gauntlet just to keep people from stealing pop! it is not all disney or coke being cheap. nobody ever puts the blame on all these cheap customers. you can spend thousands on a disney vacation, but god forbid you ever pay $18 a mug for unlimited drinks the duration of your stay!

sorry if i offended any tight wads out there

Though I don't advocate abuse of the system...

Do you really want rank n file employees engaging in confrontations (verbal) at the soda fountains over soft drink use?
Do you realize how negatively that would impact the ambience and satisfaction there?
Do you realize how that contradicts every policy they're ever written for conduct at their parks?

Be careful what you wish for...the Walt Disney co has shifted the objective over the last 30 years away from their core practices toward profit goals...that has brought some good results as well as the bad ones...
But I believe they are nearing a critical juncture in how they operate - a moment of critical mass....
I believe the choice is coming between the Brand and the Accounting, and it will be "all in" either way...
Let's hope the right choice is made...not just about the mugs

 

[poober25]

I have only stayed on-site one time in my trips as adult, and we did buy the refillable mug then. I did not find it to be a particularly good value, as we really only used it for breakfast and maybe end of the day. I would totally support Disney using the RFID chips and making the mugs good for everywhere on the property. They could have different "tiers" of pricing and make them reusable on subsequent stays with this technology. ie--the cups could be activated for different lengths of time for different prices...1 day, 1 week, 2 weeks, 6 months, 1 yr. whatever. They could also be reactivated for a slightly lower fee at a later day, factoring in the original cost of the mugs.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I have only stayed on-site one time in my trips as adult, and we did buy the refillable mug then. I did not find it to be a particularly good value, as we really only used it for breakfast and maybe end of the day. I would totally support Disney using the RFID chips and making the mugs good for everywhere on the property. They could have different "tiers" of pricing and make them reusable on subsequent stays with this technology. ie--the cups could be activated for different lengths of time for different prices...1 day, 1 week, 2 weeks, 6 months, 1 yr. whatever. They could also be reactivated for a slightly lower fee at a later day, factoring in the original cost of the mugs.

well...now you got me thinking about an entirely new issue...and i like this one actually...

The ability to activate and re-activate mugs for future use would be a fantastic idea. And extending their use to the parks would be something i would absolutely shell out for...

I do like that idea.

But i wonder why the fountains at Typhoon and Blizzard haven't made it into the resorts long ago at this point. There must be some sort of logistical issue that has made it impractical - or they would have done it already. That would make me skeptical that any new system...no matter what manufacturer or technology...would make it a glitch-ridden logistical nightmare...which has been know to plague disney in the past.

 

[eyeshadow]

Though I don't advocate abuse of the system...

Do you really want rank n file employees engaging in confrontations (verbal) at the soda fountains over soft drink use?
Do you realize how negatively that would impact the ambience and satisfaction there?
Do you realize how that contradicts every policy they're ever written for conduct at their parks?

Be careful what you wish for...the Walt Disney co has shifted the objective over the last 30 years away from their core practices toward profit goals...that has brought some good results as well as the bad ones...
But I believe they are nearing a critical juncture in how they operate - a moment of critical mass....
I believe the choice is coming between the Brand and the Accounting, and it will be "all in" either way...
Let's hope the right choice is made...not just about the mugs

Sure sounds like you advocate abuse of the system. It will impact the ambience & satisfaction there? Yes, for those breaking the rules, and that is their own fault.

 

[chiefee1]

Though I don't advocate abuse of the system...

Do you really want rank n file employees engaging in confrontations (verbal) at the soda fountains over soft drink use?
Do you realize how negatively that would impact the ambience and satisfaction there?
Do you realize how that contradicts every policy they're ever written for conduct at their parks?

Be careful what you wish for...the Walt Disney co has shifted the objective over the last 30 years away from their core practices toward profit goals...that has brought some good results as well as the bad ones...
But I believe they are nearing a critical juncture in how they operate - a moment of critical mass....
I believe the choice is coming between the Brand and the Accounting, and it will be "all in" either way...
Let's hope the right choice is made...not just about the mugs

i wish we could have the old days back maybe 30 years ago when the average person had more pride, this utopian philosophy would have succeeded! now people have been raised with a "take, take,..... gimme, gimme" attitude! thus contradicting disneys "customer first" attitude!!!!! people want to milk the system!
the only ones who would be unhappy are the ones stealing soda. it would only take a few confrontations most people would stop. that is why they do it........they know no one will say anything! my stay would be enhanced to see people get called out!!!

i believe all companies are reaching this point!!!! most of them are making the same mistake you are eluding to: "All in"......why does it have to be that way! why don't they find an equilibrium between service and money? sorry i like that graphic.

 

[chiefee1]

Sure sounds like you advocate abuse of the system. It will impact the ambience & satisfaction there? yes, for the those breaking the rules.

well put!!!!!!

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Sure sounds like you advocate abuse of the system. It will impact the ambience & satisfaction there? Yes, for those breaking the rules, and that is their own fault.

That's funny....

Or perhaps, if you read it again, it says that 'verbal confrontations' would ruin the ambience and experience...

Sorry for the confusion. I suppose somebody would think that filling mugs was ambience...but not me