Disney to Limit Refillable Mug use

[nytimez]

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.

Wow. Second time in this thread someone has been accused of being a soda stealer for simply expressing an opinion of the mugs.

A bit of an overreaction, perhaps?

I think MOST people (not you) would agree that waiting to get soda behind someone arguing with a CM about soda is not ideal and doesn't mean that a person who would prefer not to witness that on vacation advocates "abusing the system."

 

[chiefee1]

 

[eyeshadow]

Wow. Second time in this thread someone has been accused of being a soda stealer for simply expressing an opinion of the mugs.

A bit of an overreaction, perhaps?

I think MOST people (not you) would agree that waiting to get soda behind someone arguing with a CM about soda is not ideal and doesn't mean that a person who would prefer not to witness that on vacation advocates "abusing the system."

A bit of an overreaction, perhaps?

I think MOST people (not you) would agree that waiting to get soda behind someone arguing with a CM about soda is not ideal and doesn't mean that a person who would prefer not to witness that on vacation advocates "abusing the system."[/QUOTE]

It's funny how getting upset at people taking advantage of the system means that I am am overreacting, but if that is the case so be it. Maybe we should all turn away when people do the wrong thing because it is so harmful to our emotional psyche to witness someone getting told that they are in the wrong. If witnessing that puts someone in a bad mood during their vacation I'd hate to see what else dampens your spirits. But then again I am not MOST people. I can simply walk around someone arguing and not have it break my fragile emotional state. Lol.

 

[nytimez]

It's funny how getting upset at people taking advantage of the system means that I am am overreacting, but if that is the case so be it. Maybe we should all turn away when people do the wrong thing because it is so harmful to our emotional psyche to witness someone getting told that they are in the wrong. If witnessing that puts someone in a bad mood during their vacation I'd hate to see what else dampens your spirits. But then again I am not MOST people. I can simply walk around someone arguing and not have it break my fragile emotional state. Lol.

That's the spirit. Take a brave stand against resort soda thieves. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere... and it starts in the Pop Century food court.

 

[eyeshadow]

Now that's the spirit! You got it! Amen!

 

[eyeshadow]

Maybe I could get a job as a soda policewoman...Lol

 

[chiefee1]

Perhaps a person of depreciated morals, who would sit there and argue with a cm when they are clearly in the wrong would ruin the Disney ambiance for me, but only for a moment! Then I would enjoy the show! Certainly would not ruin it for the whole trip! I truly pity anybody who would let it! I would rather see that than them scrapping the whole program. Chips would be a logistical nightmare. Can you say soda traffic jam? Guess that would ruin your atmosphere too! Lets just sacrifice all of our civil liberties so we don't ruin your ambiance! If someone cuts in front of you in line will you say something? I hope not you will ruin MY ambiance.

 

[racefanof88]

Any time I need a good laugh I am sure to find it on the Dis.
If Disney had to support a diet Coke habit like mine, for every guest at even one resort, Coke would make them pay for the syrup for sure........

Now for my .02. I have enough Disney mugs in my cabinet to close down a landfill, and after many trips buying the mugs, I decided it was just a huge waste of money for us. We always have an ice chest full of ice cold drinks in our room. We usually grab a muffin for breakfast and eat in the room, lunch in the park or off property, then dinner is usually pizza delivered or go through a drive through on the way back to the room. We rarely eat at the food court so buying the mug is a big waste of money. When we do eat at a food court it is usually for breakfast and my DS gets milk, and my DH and I get a paper cup for our drinks. While I can see that Disney is wanting to cut down on the abuse of folks reusing old mugs, I don't see that putting restrictions on those buying new mugs is going to increase the sales of new mugs.

There will always be people who get over on any system no matter the technology. I would gladly buy someone a Coke so as NOT to see a CM and guest arguing over a Dr. Pepper refill. Can you imagine the lawsuits citing emotional distress?

 

[carlton the bear]

That's the spirit. Take a brave stand against resort soda thieves. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere... and it starts in the Pop Century food court.

Here is what WDW should do with soda thieves:
1 ) First Offence - You are forced to spend 8 hours straight on Stich's Great Escape
2 ) Second Offence - You are foced to stand on Main Street and sing "It's A Small World" 500 times
3 ) Third Offence - You are banned from WDW for life
4 ) Fourth Offence - You are charged by the Florida DA with stealing 12c of soda and face 25 years to life in jail. You are however granted 2 requests which are that you want Jose Baez to be your lawyer, and you want the same jury as in the Casey Anthony trial.

 

[chiefee1]

Any time I need a good laugh I am sure to find it on the Dis.
If Disney had to support a diet Coke habit like mine, for every guest at even one resort, Coke would make them pay for the syrup for sure........

Now for my .02. I have enough Disney mugs in my cabinet to close down a landfill, and after many trips buying the mugs, I decided it was just a huge waste of money for us. We always have an ice chest full of ice cold drinks in our room. We usually grab a muffin for breakfast and eat in the room, lunch in the park or off property, then dinner is usually pizza delivered or go through a drive through on the way back to the room. We rarely eat at the food court so buying the mug is a big waste of money. When we do eat at a food court it is usually for breakfast and my DS gets milk, and my DH and I get a paper cup for our drinks. While I can see that Disney is wanting to cut down on the abuse of folks reusing old mugs, I don't see that putting restrictions on those buying new mugs is going to increase the sales of new mugs.

There will always be people who get over on any system no matter the technology. I would gladly buy someone a Coke so as NOT to see a CM and guest arguing over a Dr. Pepper refill. Can you imagine the lawsuits citing emotional distress?

see........ that's where a sticker system would come in to play. bring your old mug and get a sticker at a cheaper rate. they are testing a new system at all stars that uses chips. this also puts a time limit on refills! 5min between! if cms started to at least call out the degenerates filling up huge containers, a majority of people would stop! as for the cooler thing, not everyone can drive to disney! boy....sure hope you are at my resort.....you can buy$3.50 cokes for everyone!

 

[eyeshadow]

Thanks for the good laughs. It's nice to see most people don't take themselves too seriously at least I hope that's the case; I know I sure don't. It's Disney and refillable mugs- nobody's excepting anyone to get arrested, but hey if you are going to turn away maybe I'll bring some gallon jugs in October. Let me know when you'll all be there as well so me and my party of 10 can cut in front of you all on Splash Mountain Just kidding. I would never do "such a thing" Lol.

 

[Zuzu03]

Here is what WDW should do with soda thieves:
1 ) First Offence - You are forced to spend 8 hours straight on Stich's Great Escape
2 ) Second Offence - You are foced to stand on Main Street and sing "It's A Small World" 500 times
3 ) Third Offence - You are banned from WDW for life
4 ) Fourth Offence - You are charged by the Florida DA with stealing 12c of soda and face 25 years to life in jail. You are however granted 2 requests which are that you want Jose Baez to be your lawyer, and you want the same jury as in the Casey Anthony trial.

 

[eyeshadow]

What does everyone think of the sticker idea? I think it is interesting.

I kind of wish they would keep the current system which is why I have no problem with CM's getting more agressive with those filling up big gulps, etc. I don't want to be inconvienced because of someone not doing what they are supposed to be doing. However, I realize that calling out someone could ruin Disney's idea of keeping everyone happy and positive. However, I think once people saw the CM there watching, the abuse would happen less and less. I'm sure you would still have your occasional person getting into an altrication, but I feel it would not be as common as one may think if they had the CM's there keeping an eye on things.

It is not that I feel this is a huge injustice and people need to be blacklisted, or put in the middle of mainstreet so we can all heckle them Lol. It is a petty situation, but my concern is that I just do not want those who are following the rules to be inconvienced by a new chip system which very well may have glitches, etc. Also, I want to be able to guzzle one down and refill right away. But it's not the end of the world and I am sure that if there are glitches they will be worked out which is why they are only testing this system first. I'm starting to think all this is for nothing because in the end it will be all peachy.

 

[tjkraz]

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.

The reason it is being revisited is because the 2012 dining plans include a refillable mug for all participants. A lot more people will be using the mugs so Disney is looking at reasonable ways to implement portion control.

As described, the system seems like it should work quite well and eliminate the Cast Member confrontations. Time will tell, I suppose. I understand this is just a test so the RFID technology could easily be removed/replaced/updated before a solution is rolled-out to the other 20+ resorts.

Never bought a refillable mug but it seems to me that they are a pretty good deal. I know of other amusement parks who charge an up-front fee comparable to Disney's and then charge a modest refill fee as well. And those aren't the type of places where one is inclined to spend an entire week on vacation.

Ultimately we are all playing in Disney's sandbox. I wouldn't fill an ineligible mug any more than I would walk out of a gift shop without paying for a t-shirt or buy a child's ticket for my 10 year old. How much Disney pays for the shirt, park operations or water & syrup is irrelevant. YMMV.

 

[TheTrickyTwister]

I never even considered bringing back my cup to use as a refillable mug on the next trip. And I wouldn't!

I believe that I get great value in this product and I'm happy to purchase another refillable mug on the next trip. Having a chip and possible time delays, is not a problem for me or my partner. I really don't see what the fuss is about, over here, in the UK, to buy a 500ml bottle of Coca Cola is £1.08. So paying for the refill mug in Disney World is a bargain for us.

 

[nytimez]

What does everyone think of the sticker idea? I think it is interesting.

I kind of wish they would keep the current system which is why I have no problem with CM's getting more agressive with those filling up big gulps, etc. I don't want to be inconvienced because of someone not doing what they are supposed to be doing. However, I realize that calling out someone could ruin Disney's idea of keeping everyone happy and positive. However, I think once people saw the CM there watching, the abuse would happen less and less. I'm sure you would still have your occasional person getting into an altrication, but I feel it would not be as common as one may think if they had the CM's there keeping an eye on things.

It is not that I feel this is a huge injustice and people need to be blacklisted, or put in the middle of mainstreet so we can all heckle them Lol. It is a petty situation, but my concern is that I just do not want those who are following the rules to be inconvienced by a new chip system which very well may have glitches, etc. Also, I want to be able to guzzle one down and refill right away. But it's not the end of the world and I am sure that if there are glitches they will be worked out which is why they are only testing this system first. I'm starting to think all this is for nothing because in the end it will be all peachy.

Disney already has fewer CMs doing more things than ever before. They are not going to hire staff to patrol the soda fountain to check for stickers on mugs.

 

[eyeshadow]

Disney already has fewer CMs doing more things than ever before. They are not going to hire staff to patrol the soda fountain to check for stickers on mugs.

True. I suppose if they had to hire more CMs for soda patrol the money spent on the CM's would be more money lost then what the circumstances are now.

 

[chiefee1]

True. I suppose if they had to hire more CMs for soda patrol the money spent on the CM's would be more money lost then what the circumstances are now.

but there are enough cms roaming around they shouldn't need to hire anyone to police the drink station!

 

[lockedoutlogic]

but there are enough cms roaming around they shouldn't need to hire anyone to police the drink station!

there are alot of incorrect statements, bad implications, and lack of understanding in this particular battle-thread...

...This is another one, no offense to the specific poster here.

Disney has streamlined and eliminated every single employee that could be consider a "backup, just in case, or additional help" at this point.

Labor cost reduction has been a 20 year goal. I'm not necessarily berating them for that in itself...but it is NOT - in fact - inline with Disney's self promoted "traditions" and operationg proceedures regarding guest relations on their properties. There is an ideological contradiction there.

As there is when it is suggested that Disney Nametagged Employees should be the soda police. The traditional policy is to avoid confrontation and contradiction with paying customers at all times possible. And it would be very possible in this case. That is the reality of how TWDC has and claims should still operate.

So hey, i've been called a soda thief here...which isn't nearly sharp enough to puncture my thick skin. And my side of the argument has been largely ignored...again - it happens, i a BIG BOY.

But dropping the restraint for a second...i respectfully submit my resume:

I worked as both and hourly and salaried managerial CM in a department where revenue management was part of hour responsibility. I was underpaid on all fronts during my employeement there relative to the operation and my contributions. Then i left for the "real world" and then paid Disney for a wedding, a timeshare, tens of thousands of dollars in food, entertainment, and merchandise charges. I commited to DVC before age 30...not exactly a standard occurance. I continue to visit constantly and spend my money on disney product both at WDW and its sister parks and at home for my kids...

So my point is - I guess - don't call or imply people to be theives or rule breakers when you have no idea what you're talking about. I support the stock price and have NEVER taken advantage of anything they have offered...not one bit.
And in fact, i spent the major of my employment fixing problems, whether they warranted the accomodations or not...

And why would i fix problems with unbelievable stories or no fault circumstances? Because THAT is what Disney was built on...fix the problem, preserve the smile, it's more than a monetary operation.

So yeah, i think confrontations at drink fountains are utterly unacceptible. That is not allowed nor ever should be. The entire place is an illusion built with a purpose...to take the reality out of your travel. To put you into a place where mom and dad don't fight...and your not being picked on at school...and grandpa didn't just get cancer...and your not dreading being at work for a few days.
And they make SOME money along the way.

That's how it was designed...because it wasn't done by Bob Iger...and though i don't expect things not to evolve...that doesn't mean the good parts can't be maintained.

now you got me worked up ...but here's the morale of the story: Disney should really be ashamed of their pricing policies, reductions, service decisions, and nickel and diming over the last 4 years in particular...and this particular policy of drink policing is more of the same.

I assure you. But don't worry: my opinion won't affect the stock price or the dividend....or toy story 8 or pirates 16

 

[eyeshadow]

there are alot of incorrect statements, bad implications, and lack of understanding in this particular battle-thread...

...This is another one, no offense to the specific poster here.

Disney has streamlined and eliminated every single employee that could be consider a "backup, just in case, or additional help" at this point.

Labor cost reduction has been a 20 year goal. I'm not necessarily berating them for that in itself...but it is NOT - in fact - inline with Disney's self promoted "traditions" and operationg proceedures regarding guest relations on their properties. There is an ideological contradiction there.

As there is when it is suggested that Disney Nametagged Employees should be the soda police. The traditional policy is to avoid confrontation and contradiction with paying customers at all times possible. And it would be very possible in this case. That is the reality of how TWDC has and claims should still operate.

So hey, i've been called a soda thief here...which isn't nearly sharp enough to puncture my thick skin. And my side of the argument has been largely ignored...again - it happens, i a BIG BOY.

But dropping the restraint for a second...i respectfully submit my resume:

I worked as both and hourly and salaried managerial CM in a department where revenue management was part of hour responsibility. I was underpaid on all fronts during my employeement there relative to the operation and my contributions. Then i left for the "real world" and then paid Disney for a wedding, a timeshare, tens of thousands of dollars in food, entertainment, and merchandise charges. I commited to DVC before age 30...not exactly a standard occurance. I continue to visit constantly and spend my money on disney product both at WDW and its sister parks and at home for my kids...

So my point is - I guess - don't call or imply people to be theives or rule breakers when you have no idea what you're talking about. I support the stock price and have NEVER taken advantage of anything they have offered...not one bit.
And in fact, i spent the major of my employment fixing problems, whether they warranted the accomodations or not...

And why would i fix problems with unbelievable stories or no fault circumstances? Because THAT is what Disney was built on...fix the problem, preserve the smile, it's more than a monetary operation.

So yeah, i think confrontations at drink fountains are utterly unacceptible. That is not allowed nor ever should be. The entire place is an illusion built with a purpose...to take the reality out of your travel. To put you into a place where mom and dad don't fight...and your not being picked on at school...and grandpa didn't just get cancer...and your not dreading being at work for a few days.
And they make SOME money along the way.

That's how it was designed...because it wasn't done by Bob Iger...and though i don't expect things not to evolve...that doesn't mean the good parts can't be maintained.

now you got me worked up ...but here's the morale of the story: Disney should really be ashamed of their pricing policies, reductions, service decisions, and nickel and diming over the last 4 years in particular...and this particular policy of drink policing is more of the same.

I assure you. But don't worry: my opinion won't affect the stock price or the dividend....or toy story 8 or pirates 16

Will you answer a question for me? And please don't think I am being sarcastic because I am not. You opened my eyes to the way of Disney thinking; that your are correct in saying, I did not understand. I apologize for accusing you of abusing the system. At that time I could not understand why anyone not abusing the system would not want people that were, to be confronted. You wrote it in an great way for all to understand. Although, I'm not going to lie I still wouldn't mind seeing it, but that's the devil in me...Lol. But as you said that is not Disney.

Anyway on to my question: Do you think this new mug policy is deviating from the traditional Disney mindset or vision as you described? Do you think they should just keep things as they are because it does in a sense seem like they are nickel and diming this mug issue. I don't know what to think anymore.