new blog: Disney Testing New Resort Mug Technology

[aspen37]

I'm interested to see how this plays out. I only buy the mugs if I need a new coffee mug at home. I will only use the mug once or maybe twice at WDW.
Heck while on DCL the only time I have a soda is with a meal and it's free. The rest of the time I drink water.

I think that Disney should just do a soda card like other cruise lines do. The chip could be imbedded in your Key To The World card and it could be noted on your Key To The World card that you have the soda program too. This way you could get soda at any Disney soda dispenser. If you have a meal show your card and get a soda. They could still sell mugs, but at a better price point. Disney could make out big time doing it this way if the syrup is free.

 

[safetymom]

The new "chipped" mugs have the same design as the other mugs. They are kept behind the counter at the checkouts. The handle and lid colors are orange, green, purple.

 

[MamaJessie]

I guess when you start adding up the cost of drinks for a family of 4 at a resort without a mug you quickly realize the $14 mug refill per person maybe a better deal. If that's included in a dining plan you really start thinking twice about the dining plan. Then again, if you get a drink with your dining plan meal the mug may not make as much sense either. The mug would only be used when you didn't have a meal at the resort. You're right. It probably wouldn't drive anyone to the regular dining plan, but maybe the QS plan.

Shhh...<whispers>
Let's say you had a favorite mug you used to bring to WDW every trip and suddenly it stopped working. You now had to purchase a new one for a family of 4. $14 X 4 = $56 + tax. The quick service plan may look a bit more attractive. Just sayin.

When i read first read your comment this morning I thought justifying the DDP with a mug was a little far fetched. But the more I thought about how I make my lists with pros and cons and budgets and itemizing... that would actually factor in. So good point.

Perhaps those complaining about waiting between giant mugs of soda because they are hot and thirsty could try, you know, drinking something that actually quenches thirst, like water, instead of things that don't help at all, like sugary soda (or alcohol)... just a thought.

Uh ok. I'll pass your advice along to my husband. He probably won't listen though

You have your issues confused. They are not "losing" $60. They are losing maybe a buck...the cost of the soda. The cost of the mug is sunk cost...done and gone. If you want to phrase this appropriately, they are "losing" the opportunity to rip off their customers for another $55.

I agree. They are never down the $60.

 

[SoScary'09]

......

 

[BrizMarc]

How much soda do people need? If you need more than one mug every hour then you have a problem. I think this is a great idea and for people complaining they will get thirsty? Water and ice wont have a waiting period.

 

[Auditor]

You have your issues confused. They are not "losing" $60. They are losing maybe a buck...the cost of the soda. The cost of the mug is sunk cost...done and gone. If you want to phrase this appropriately, they are "losing" the opportunity to rip off their customers for another $55.

My question is, how many people really do this? The vast majority of visitors are like my family...they go maybe once every 5 or 10 years. The most frequent guests...locals...wouldn't be using the resort. I cannot believe that, at the cost of this technology, the issue is a few mugs.

Here's my guess...families buy a large cup of soda and because it is so incredibly overpriced, they share it. Maybe they even keep it and bring it back during their trip. If so, then Disney is breaking even or maybe losing a few cents on the soda. Still, how often does this happen? I've never seen it.

In reply to the bolded (mine)...I have to disagree. If a family of 4 brings back mugs from a prior trip instead of buying new mugs, then Disney is indeed losing $60 in revenue. This is not talking about Disney's cost of the mug or the soda itself. Lost revenue is lost money - regardless of the cost of the item(s) in question.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

If they're going to use chips instead of mugs, they can cut costs and be more green by eliminating the mugs entirely.

I'm sure this was their end plan - being environmentally friendly and saving their guests a few bucks.

I don't see how not using mugs would be more enviromentally friendly, since if people started using a new cup each time they got a drink, that would produce a lot of cups. The mugs on the other hand, I get one each trip, and I've never thrown them away, and reuse them at home.

 

[dalt01]

too funnythe dreaded "refillable mug thread" has now morphed into the "high tech refillable mug thread"........ahhhhhhhh yes, a rose by any other name........

 

[jeanigor]

I have always found them terribly inconvenient. I much prefer spending the money and buying pop (soda) and keeping it in the fridge in the room. Seeing as how on a normal day I easily put away 4L of fluids, that's a lot of walking back and forth to the refill station.

 

[BriarRosie]

I'm interested to see how this plays out. I only buy the mugs if I need a new coffee mug at home. I will only use the mug once or maybe twice at WDW.
Heck while on DCL the only time I have a soda is with a meal and it's free. The rest of the time I drink water.

I think that Disney should just do a soda card like other cruise lines do. The chip could be imbedded in your Key To The World card and it could be noted on your Key To The World card that you have the soda program too. This way you could get soda at any Disney soda dispenser. If you have a meal show your card and get a soda. They could still sell mugs, but at a better price point. Disney could make out big time doing it this way if the syrup is free.

I remember thinking about something like this when I first read about the bar code readers they had at the drink stations at the water parks. I thought it would end the Great Mug Debate if Disney allowed you to bring back your mug, but sold refillable drink code scan devices in some form.

 

[dalt01]

I'm interested to see how this plays out. I only buy the mugs if I need a new coffee mug at home. I will only use the mug once or maybe twice at WDW.
Heck while on DCL the only time I have a soda is with a meal and it's free. The rest of the time I drink water.

I think that Disney should just do a soda card like other cruise lines do. The chip could be imbedded in your Key To The World card and it could be noted on your Key To The World card that you have the soda program too. This way you could get soda at any Disney soda dispenser. If you have a meal show your card and get a soda. They could still sell mugs, but at a better price point. Disney could make out big time doing it this way if the syrup is free.

I remember thinking about something like this when I first read about the bar code readers they had at the drink stations at the water parks. I thought it would end the Great Mug Debate if Disney allowed you to bring back your mug, but sold refillable drink code scan devices in some form.

YUP.....the dining plan......OR........the dining plan with soda option......bring your own container or buy ours, good for length of stay AND use it anywhere, resort or parks......i would pay extra for that

 

[Moira222]

when I read this I had to stop and check the posting date...I thought someone had re posted the April 1 post!

YUP.....the dining plan......OR........the dining plan with soda option......bring your own container or buy ours, good for length of stay AND use it anywhere, resort or parks......i would pay extra for that

It would be nice be able to refill the drinks at the parks, too. Last trip we carried our mugs to park & refilled with water & used iced tea/drink mixes.

I am wondering about the "wait time" - I have been known to guzzle a cup of iced tea and refill right away, and my DD likes to mix her flavors at the soda fountain. wonder how that would work?

Because the "refillable mug" debate exists outside of the DISboards, I would make the assumption that it IS a cost issue for Disney - or should I say a money issue. If they were not losing money in relation to this, why would they spend money to resolve it? there is a significant cost to a company just to go this far into testing sample products, so there must be a loss there.

Finally I think that perhaps because the new DPs all include refillable mugs, perhaps Disney anticipates that whole refillable mug debate to grow in enough volume to also make it a bigger issue.

ok one last thought: like many other situations, if people followed the rules in the first place, extra ridiculous measures like memory chips in a cup would not be needed. so if you re-use your mug year after year, well, this is all your fault.

 

[PeterPan09]

when I read this I had to stop and check the posting date...I thought someone had re posted the April 1 post!



It would be nice be able to refill the drinks at the parks, too. Last trip we carried our mugs to park & refilled with water & used iced tea/drink mixes.

I am wondering about the "wait time" - I have been known to guzzle a cup of iced tea and refill right away, and my DD likes to mix her flavors at the soda fountain. wonder how that would work?

Because the "refillable mug" debate exists outside of the DISboards, I would make the assumption that it IS a cost issue for Disney - or should I say a money issue. If they were not losing money in relation to this, why would they spend money to resolve it? there is a significant cost to a company just to go this far into testing sample products, so there must be a loss there.

Finally I think that perhaps because the new DPs all include refillable mugs, perhaps Disney anticipates that whole refillable mug debate to grow in enough volume to also make it a bigger issue.

ok one last thought: like many other situations, if people followed the rules in the first place, extra ridiculous measures like memory chips in a cup would not be needed. so if you re-use your mug year after year, well, this is all your fault.

I think you may just have hit it right on the head.

 

[SueM in MN]

when I read this I had to stop and check the posting date...I thought someone had re posted the April 1 post!



It would be nice be able to refill the drinks at the parks, too. Last trip we carried our mugs to park & refilled with water & used iced tea/drink mixes.

I am wondering about the "wait time" - I have been known to guzzle a cup of iced tea and refill right away, and my DD likes to mix her flavors at the soda fountain. wonder how that would work?

Because the "refillable mug" debate exists outside of the DISboards, I would make the assumption that it IS a cost issue for Disney - or should I say a money issue. If they were not losing money in relation to this, why would they spend money to resolve it? there is a significant cost to a company just to go this far into testing sample products, so there must be a loss there.

Finally I think that perhaps because the new DPs all include refillable mugs, perhaps Disney anticipates that whole refillable mug debate to grow in enough volume to also make it a bigger issue.

ok one last thought: like many other situations, if people followed the rules in the first place, extra ridiculous measures like memory chips in a cup would not be needed. so if you re-use your mug year after year, well, this is all your fault.

It will also get rid of the people filling up their gas station "Big Gulp" cups!

 

[mytripsandraces]

The new "chipped" mugs have the same design as the other mugs. They are kept behind the counter at the checkouts. The handle and lid colors are orange, green, purple.

Oooh - I want a purple lid! I only drink Dr Pepper, so I use my refillable mug for water (hot or cold), but, even so, I'm with safetymom - it's about time! I do hope they make it possible for people to buy the chips, though, so I can buy a mug a year and new chips each visit.

 

[jpeka65844]

I have always found them terribly inconvenient. I much prefer spending the money and buying pop (soda) and keeping it in the fridge in the room. Seeing as how on a normal day I easily put away 4L of fluids, that's a lot of walking back and forth to the refill station.

We bought mugs on one trip and vowed never to do it again. Now, if they let you use them in the park....then we'd talk.

 

[LMO429]

I have always found them terribly inconvenient. I much prefer spending the money and buying pop (soda) and keeping it in the fridge in the room. Seeing as how on a normal day I easily put away 4L of fluids, that's a lot of walking back and forth to the refill station.

I'm another one that totally agrees with you..got a resort mug back in 2006, filled it with soda 1 time the entire length of our stay..but i still use it for coffee every morning..its the nice year of a million dreams one! wish i bought more of them actually

 

[k5jm]

I'm another one that totally agrees with you..got a resort mug back in 2006, filled it with soda 1 time the entire length of our stay..but i still use it for coffee every morning..its the nice year of a million dreams one! wish i bought more of them actually

We have 1 mug from 2007. On the other hand, I have 4 of the refillable mugs from the Dolphin. I will drink twice the value of the cup in coffee from the Dolphin.

 

[disprincessatheart]

I am curious to see how this all turns out. Dh and I were at pop two weeks ago and saw a lot of old mugs. We took our mugs with us to the parks because we had a stroller that had enough room to put them in the basket for the day, allowing us to have drinks in line for the bus and to get drinks to bring to our room at night since we didn't pay for a fridge. (plus our room was kinda far from the bus stop to go all the way back to leave our mugs ) one evening I was "lucky" enough to wait behind a woman who filled 7, yes 7 mugs, to take back to her room. 2 of the 7 were this year's design, the rest were a mix of old mugs and stainless travel mugs.... After she filled them all, a man came over and carried a couple with his coffee (in another old mug) while she managed about 5 herself. they must have been REALLY thirsty!

 

[JenniBugInPink]

when I read this I had to stop and check the posting date...I thought someone had re posted the April 1 post!<snip>I am wondering about the "wait time" - I have been known to guzzle a cup of iced tea and refill right away, and my DD likes to mix her flavors at the soda fountain. wonder how that would work? <snip>ok one last thought: like many other situations, if people followed the rules in the first place, extra ridiculous measures like memory chips in a cup would not be needed. so if you re-use your mug year after year, well, this is all your fault.

I was just sure that this was leftover from April, and I, too, checked the date several times. I could not believe it was real. Went through the comments on the blog for ages waiting for the admission that it was a hoax. Was certain it's a hoax. Is it a hoax??

Anyway. As someone who has severe Sjogren's (which basically means I don't make my own spit or tears, to the point that I have difficulty speaking and swallowing without having a beverage in hand ALL THE TIME - it also causes fatigue and joint/muscle issues, and other stuff, but that's another story...), the beverage issue is close to my heart! I have more Disney mugs that I know what to do with cause so far we've always had some form of the Dining Plan and no, I don't bring my old mugs back cause I've never needed to or wanted to. I'm a chronic rule follower, LOL.

It would kill me if there was a time limit on refills, cause I drink a lot for obvious reasons, sometimes very quickly especially when it's hot. I wish the dadgummed mugs were bigger. Our home resort is AKL, and it's a long way from the room to the Mara, ya' know? It would be nice if those little buggers held more. I guess that might be a reason to bring old mugs, huh? Still, I wouldn't do that. I just fill my little mug, and buy drinks and move on. Just sayin...