No more unlimited refills on resort mugs?

[d1gitman]

Didn't read the entire thread yet so forgive me if this was already asked but:

Did you offer to pay for just the coffee? And why would you think that would be OK if using last year's mug? Did you offer to purchase a new mug? You were not following the rules. You were beating the system. It doesn't matter if you went to one cashier or 100 cashiers, you were still only offering to pay for the coffee. Did you point out that you were using an old mug? Betcha didn't.

 

[larryz]

Why any person who is simply a customer should care about other customers actions is beyond me.

Does my family reuse mugs? No, but at the same time I have no skin in Disney making a profit if someone else does reuse.

I disagree with your contention that you have no "skin" in Disney profits, because if they perceive that people are misusing a service (like refillable mugs) they'll take steps to prevent it which will incur costs to them and inconvenience to you. Take the RFID-chipped mugs as an example.

Guess how they recover those costs? Right -- they raise ticket and menu prices and hotel rates every year (sometimes twice a year!).

So, yeah, you have "skin" in whether or not Disney guests are trying to rip them off. You might not care, but it's costing you in the end.

 

[sswally]

A friend just bragged to me the other day about how she saved a few bucks and bought her mugs off ebay. I wonder if they will work when she gets there in October. I checked ebay and there are lots of people that tell you to buy their used mugs and you can use them to refill at any resort at any time. I saw one that also was selling an old mug and said, "I saw many, many people using these for refills without issue". Wow!

 

[juliebug1997]

A friend just bragged to me the other day about how she saved a few bucks and bought her mugs off ebay. I wonder if they will work when she gets there in October. I checked ebay and there are lots of people that tell you to buy their used mugs and you can use them to refill at any resort at any time. I saw one that also was selling an old mug and said, "I saw many, many people using these for refills without issue". Wow!

Well, if they don't read the interwebz or aren't on DIS, they'll get a nice little surprise when they try to use them.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

They must have stopped that policy in 1997 because that is when we bought our first refillable mugs at the Polynesian and they were only good for the length of that trip at the Polynesian. Signs were posted over the stack of mugs and the refill station.

This must be an urban legend because I have never seen any other post on these boards claiming that they saw what you claim. There have been hundreds of posts however from people buying mugs in your exact time frame who were told that they were good for life. As rules for Disney would be resort wide and not Polynesian specific, it doesn't make sense for the signage you say existed to be at that hotel only.

 

[juliebug1997]

This must be an urban legend because I have never seen any other post on these boards claiming that they saw what you claim. There have been hundreds of posts however from people buying mugs in your exact time frame who were told that they were good for life. As rules for Disney would be resort wide and not Polynesian specific, it doesn't make sense for the signage you say existed to be at that hotel only.

When we checked in at POR on the 2nd, the CM told us they were only good for our resort (which we already knew). When we were waiting for the DME to go back to the airport, I heard a CM telling the customer that they could use them at any of the resorts. We heard two different things just at our resort. Granted, no signage, but....

I will say that this trip, we saw lots of different mugs. And, while I didn't take it with me from resort to resort, I don't see why you couldn't use them at the other resorts if you were leaving MK for lunch or something. Lastly, I'm hoping that it's something that can be reused from trip to trip. We now have three sets of mugs from our last trip alone. I like them but I don't need that many. DH will become as attached to them as he did the cracked Sprint cup that I threw away that had a chip in it that he just after he started working. There was no reasoning with him on that one!

 

[Wadecool]

When we checked in at POR on the 2nd, the CM told us they were only good for our resort (which we already knew). When we were waiting for the DME to go back to the airport, I heard a CM telling the customer that they could use them at any of the resorts. We heard two different things just at our resort. Granted, no signage, but....

I will say that this trip, we saw lots of different mugs. And, while I didn't take it with me from resort to resort, I don't see why you couldn't use them at the other resorts if you were leaving MK for lunch or something. Lastly, I'm hoping that it's something that can be reused from trip to trip. We now have three sets of mugs from our last trip alone. I like them but I don't need that many. DH will become as attached to them as he did the cracked Sprint cup that I threw away that had a chip in it that he just after he started working. There was no reasoning with him on that one!

I have to take your DH's side on this one! I have several old coffee mugs from college that aren't in the best shape and every time we have a yard sale, DW tries to sneak them into the rest of the merchandise. I keep telling her these cups may be old, but they've got character.

 

[juliebug1997]

I have to take your DH's side on this one! I have several old coffee mugs from college that aren't in the best shape and every time we have a yard sale, DW tries to sneak them into the rest of the merchandise. I keep telling her these cups may be old, but they've got character.

LOL. I finally got him to let me throw it out by showing him the three others he still had. We've got a space issue and I also told him that, if we packed the others up, they could be saved for posterity when Sprint goes out of business (has this already happened?). So now, they are in a box in the garage.

 

[DisDeac]

I don't know if someone has already mentioned this, if so carry on.

Our first trip with our daughter to a Disney resort was around '93 or '94, we stayed at Caribbean Beach. Unless my memory is all wrong when we checked into the room on the table between the beds there was a stack of refillable mugs and note about using the mugs at the food court for drinks and refills. There were several different colors for the mugs and the 3 of us each picked our favorite- loved the black one- and when we first used it at the food court we were charged for it.

In retrospect just seems strange- 4 or 5 mugs just sitting in the room when you check in and basically the honor system you just don't pack them in your suitcase and tell Disney never saw any mugs and just use them in the food court without paying for them. Honor system to the nth degree.

And for what it's worth we bought mugs probably half a dozen times in mid to late 90s and don't every remember being told they were good forever, don't know what others were told at the time.
DisDeac

 

[minniebride]

I suspect that the mug will work for the duration of your trip no matter if you stay at the same resort the entire time or resort hop.

Not sure how they would do this unless you alert the CM who checks you into each resort and they are able to scan something in.

Split-stays are not all on one reservation. Each hotel is a separate reservation.

 

[IluvKingLouis]

hmmm....I'm not crazy about the idea of not being able to refill within five minutes. I often get an ice tea, grab some food to go for family back in the rooms and then top off my mug.

Now, it would be nice if I could return with older mugs and pay to have a chip somehow activated on them. We are drowning in these mugs,...and I have often wished I could re-use them. Not to cheat Disney, but so I'd not be accumulating so many of these.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

Not sure how they would do this unless you alert the CM who checks you into each resort and they are able to scan something in.

Split-stays are not all on one reservation. Each hotel is a separate reservation.

You are assuming the chip will be resort specific. Since there are more than one filling station at some resorts I think that'll be a bigger hassle. Honestly, if they extend the technology to the park CS stations I bet they'll charge more fir the mug and people will happily pay. It could be an added perk if staying onsite.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

hmmm....I'm not crazy about the idea of not being able to refill within five minutes. I often get an ice tea, grab some food to go for family back in the rooms and then top off my mug.

Now, it would be nice if I could return with older mugs and pay to have a chip somehow activated on them. We are drowning in these mugs,...and I have often wished I could re-use them. Not to cheat Disney, but so I'd not be accumulating so many of these.

The chips are stickers so I can see this as a possibility at a slight discount.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

You are assuming the chip will be resort specific. Since there are more than one filling station at some resorts I think that'll be a bigger hassle. Honestly, if they extend the technology to the park CS stations I bet they'll charge more fir the mug and people will happily pay. It could be an added perk if staying onsite.

The only Quick Service locations in the parks where guests get drinks themselves and can get refills is at Sunshine Seasons and Electric Umbrella in Epcot, along with Backlot Express in Hollywood Studios. So since it's a total of three locations and at the other ones the Cast Members get the drinks for you and that means no free refills, I doubt the Quick Service locations in the parks will add this technoligy.

As for the extra filling stations at the resorts I got to wonder if the Boardwalk will have this? The locations where you can get refills is at the Boardwalk Bakery, Boardwalk Pizza Window, Boardwalk Joes and Seashore Sweets. Well the guests show the Cast Member their mug and they get a drink of their choice in a paper cup, because the Cast Members can not physically refill the mugs for the guests. Since they don't have self service drink stations I can't see how this will work over there.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

Thanks for that clarification, I guess it's not convenient unless they added the refill stations to CS locations. Now I wonder why so many wish they were refillable in the parks too???

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Thanks for that clarification, I guess it's not convenient unless they added the refill stations to CS locations. Now I wonder why so many wish they were refillable in the parks too???

Even if all the other Quick Service locations in the theme parks had self sereve drink stations the only thing guests use to get drinks is paper cups, which they need to purchase from the location they are eating at. So because we can't use the mugs at the theme parks it's not a big deal since everyone will stick with the paper cups.

Now even if they did add this technoligy to the parks then what happens to the Quick Service locations at Downtown Disney? The major difference over there is that their Quick Service locations such as Earl of Sandwich and others are not owned by WDW. Plus their drink stations are self serve, although their paper cups have the logo of the location you are eating at. So can WDW enforce them to add this technoligy if they asked them?

 

[Deb & Bill]

This must be an urban legend because I have never seen any other post on these boards claiming that they saw what you claim. There have been hundreds of posts however from people buying mugs in your exact time frame who were told that they were good for life. As rules for Disney would be resort wide and not Polynesian specific, it doesn't make sense for the signage you say existed to be at that hotel only.

Ya know, it sounds like you are calling me a liar. I don't think that is appropriate on the DIS. I know what I saw.

DisDeac, when we stayed at the GF in Sugarload, we had a few mugs in our room as well. But they were a part of the honor bar, so if they were gone from the honor bar, we were charged for them.

 

[safetymom]

The chips are stickers so I can see this as a possibility at a slight discount.

The mugs in trial at All Star Sports are not stickers. The chip is imbedded in the mug.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Ya know, it sounds like you are calling me a liar. I don't think that is appropriate on the DIS. I know what I saw.

No, I am not calling you a liar, I am expressing an opinion. If doing a search on Dis indicates that no one else has ever seen what you saw at the Polynesian, then I am stating my opinion based on the facts on these boards. Again there are hundreds of posts from people who when they bought the mugs were told that they were good for life at the resort where they were purchased. Are they liars too?

 

[wcpamotm]

The only Quick Service locations in the parks where guests get drinks themselves and can get refills is at Sunshine Seasons and Electric Umbrella in Epcot, along with Backlot Express in Hollywood Studios. So since it's a total of three locations and at the other ones the Cast Members get the drinks for you and that means no free refills, I doubt the Quick Service locations in the parks will add this technoligy.

True as of now, but if this catches on at the resorts, I can definitely see retrofitting other CS restaurants with them, and I would consider it good news.

What's in it for us? Free refills, obviously, like I get at home at most of the fast food restaurants around me. Or the chips could be programmed for 1 or 2 refills in a finite period, and that would be fine with me.

What's in it for Disney? No more guests' complaints about drinks getting watered down while waiting to be ordered. Quicker service at the counter, and possibly reduced labor costs.