Refillable Mug Question

[robmary]

We are going to WL at the end of next week. Can we use the refillable mugs we have from our last visit there or do we need to purchase new ones? Our last visit to WL was in 2000. I know they can only be used at the resort where you purchase them. This would save a good $22.00.

Thanks for responding.

 

[bridgettesmom]

OH,NO!!! Hi, robmary and welcome to the board.A word of warning ,The refillable mug question brings up a lot of controversy here.Some people have been told "oficially" that is only good for your length of stay,others have been told that they are good forever.You will get many different and interesting responses.I suggest just ask at your resort.

You have been warned.


Ok,Ready,Aim,Fire!!!

 

[Geoff_M]

robmary,

To answer your questions... The design has not changed. However, Disney's policy is that the mugs are only good for the stay when they were purchased. Before you start wondering, your question is a common one and there's no harm in asking.

It's not just "some people" that have been told. Here's the sign (taken in June 2003) that posted at the entrance to Roaring Forks. There's another sign posted over the drink dispenser reminding people that they are only good for the current stay:

"The Great Mug Debate" often erupts here and takes on the tone of a heated theological debate. Let's summarize the differing views that always form in every Mug debate thread in the last several years... Maybe we can save a lot of people a lot of typing.

1) The Official Policy Group
The official policy, anytime anyone writes WDW, is "one mug, one resort (excluding sisters), one visit". Signs are also appearing in food courts around WDW that state this. Members of this group (me included), know that in practice food court CMs rarely enforce this policy and often contradict this policy* when asked about it by guests (sometimes even when the official policy is posted on a sign only a few feet away). They feel the CMs simply have thrown in the towel and don't have the resources to police the soft drink lines. This is why you may see someone using a 7-11 "Big Gulp" cup unmolested by CMs who witness the obvious abuse.

This group adheres to... the official policy.

* Update: A recent DIS poster added a new one... A CM told her mom that ANY Disney mug was OK to use at her resort.

2) The "But the CM told me..." Group
This group was told by a CM when they purchased their mugs that the mugs were (pick one or both):
a) Good for life.
b) Good at any resort.
They feel that official policy, or not, what the CM told them is what matters. They say either WDW unfairly changed the rules on them after they bought the mugs, or they wouldn't have bought the mugs if the CM hadn't given them bad information. They generally feel like a "wronged" party in the debates when people cut-n-paste the responses from WDW, and advocate continued use of their old mugs until actively prevented from doing so by CMs. The fact that most of them have long since recouped the costs of their mugs in savings from free re-fills doesn't impact their feelings.

Whether or not the current official policy is a change from the past is another side debate. Some recall the policy has been consistent, but enforcement has steadily dropped off, others claim the original policy was "for life".

3) The "I give WDW a ton of my hard earned money" Group
This group, the smallest of the three, feels that it's no skin off of Disney's back if they reuse the mugs again, and again... policy or not. They cite things like the high prices of everything at WDW, the internet rumor that Coke gives WDW syrup for free, etc. etc. as their basis for their actions. They may also borrow mugs from friends, or buy them off of eBay, or use their Big Gulp mugs for their trips to WDW.


I will also add: As for those that think that the policy has changed in recent years and what a CM told them a couple of years ago was the policy at that time, I've been active on this board from 1999 (under another ID) and from that time forward its been consistently reported from WDW when asked, that the policy is "one mug, one resort, one visit."

 

[packy]

Not quite true. Went to a resort in '00 then went back to the same resort in '01. We brought two mugs with us and the first day at the counter we asked if we could use them again and the answer was 'Yes'. Ironically, they had changed the design, different shape and colors from the ones we had but it didn't matter. We were allowed to use the mugs the entire week. My suggestion is that you bring your mugs and ask. The sign you saw in the previous post is to explain to people why they might be paying $13.00 for a souvenir mug - not a Disney policy on future vists. I asked the same question when I first saw them in my room. Also, don't take the mugs in your room as you will be charged a room service fee (15%-20%) over the cost. Buy them at the snack bar (we made that mistake once).

 

[billybaruch1]

What they said!

Also, you may be criticized for not being "warm and fuzzy" if you answer another poster's question about what "everyone else does" with a lecture about doing the right thing. Unless you've been apprised of the history of this issue it's very likely that any decision at which you arrive will be not applicable to many others. And even then it's up in the air!

Thanks to Geoff_M (misspelling on "me inclued") and everyone else who recognized in a prior thread I was only posting based on information available to me. I still have never read anything anywhere, except here, that mugs are not "one mug, one resort, one visit." If your experience differs, just let your conscience be your guide. No problem.

 

[Geoff_M]

Packy,

You could have just said "I'm a #2" and saved your self some effort.

The sign you saw in the previous post is to explain to people why they might be paying $13.00 for a souvenir mug - not a Disney policy on future vists.

I think that's a wishful interpretation. If this sign is merely an advertisement to entice people to buy the mugs, then why'd they see fit to post the current stay signage above the dispenser for people filling their already purchased mugs to see? (I wish I'd have gotten a photo of that too, but we didn't go into Roaring Forks.)

 

[robinb]

I'm a #2 .

 

[packy]

Geoff_M

Just telling you like it was. If I wanted to sell souvenir cups for $13 for a $.20 drink (refillable), I would place it over the soda machine too! Marketing 101.

 

[Geoff_M]

billybaruch1,

Thanks for the typo catch....


Robinb,

That's the spirit!

Packy,

You missed it. I remember that there was "current stay" verbage on the sign on the front of the dispenser. It didn't say "current and future stays". It was consistent with the "current stay" signs that others have seen in other food courts. The sign was in a style that it appeared to be an informational notice to those using the dispenser and not an advertising sign.


We own a set of WL mugs, but we didn't make them back. They're one more thing to try and cram into the suitcase. We've taken to stopping at the Wal-mart on the way from the airport and get the soft drinks we like for a whole lot less money than the mugs. Plus we don't have to run down to the snack bar to get a refill and have to worry about if they're still open.

 

[robinb]

Geoff_M,

Thanks for making answering the question so darn easy! I leave my Big Gulp at home, though. It doesn't fit in the rental car cup holder.

 

[billybaruch1]

Originally posted by Geoff_M
Robinb,

That's the spirit!

Could this be the dawn of a new age of peace and prosperity? Can we all really get along?

 

[Disneymoon04]

I guess I don't fit in any of those categories.

I say bring the mug and find out when you get there. If the CM tells you it's ok - then go for it. If they tell you no, just buy a new mug or pass it... I certainly wouldn't sneak around with an old mug trying to get refills.

Companies veer from official policies all the time for the sake of customer service, so it's very possible they will let you use it.

 

[baloo722]

If you notice, nowhere on the sign does it say "one mug, one resort, one visit."

wow, this is the friendliest this debate has ever been! I think that there is no problem with it. we don't even bring mugs or buy the. we have a plug in cooler ($100 at wal-mart & worth every penny) that we use when not at DVC which we pack with things to save us $$$$$$$.

 

[Geoff_M]

baloo722,

You're right, this sign isn't a legal disclaimer that details the WDW refillable mug policy. But, as I've said, there was a smaller sign posted on the dispenser that I recall used the "current stay" language. Also, if Packy's guess is correct about the sign outside Roaring Forks, then they've missed a big marketing oppertunity by not also stating that the mugs were also good on future visits.

I agree 100% on the "bring your own". For one thing, my family isn't big on Coke products and I'm a Dr. Pepper nut.


Disneymoon04,

No, I'd say you're a solid #2. It doesn't require that you sneak. True, companies do depart from policy from time to time... but it would seem a bit odd to approve of employees telling the customers one thing while there's signage within plain view that contradicts them.

 

[Eeyore1954]

Originally posted by Geoff_M
True, companies do depart from policy from time to time... but it would seem a bit odd to approve of employees telling the customers one thing while there's signage within plain view that contradicts them.

Maybe it's because it's called Disney "magic"?

 

[Disneymoon04]

Originally posted by Geoff_M
No, I'd say you're a solid #2. It doesn't require that you sneak. True, companies do depart from policy from time to time... but it would seem a bit odd to approve of employees telling the customers one thing while there's signage within plain view that contradicts them.

"They generally feel like a "wronged" party in the debates...and advocate continued use of their old mugs until actively prevented from doing so by CMs. "... I'd say that's sneaking around. But anyway, I assure you coming from the world of retail that regardless of what signage is around, if it looks like a complaint or arguement is coming they will usually at least try to meet you halfway. Not necessarily just to be nice, but because statistics show a happy customer spends more $$$!

 

[Debbie]

Oh, goodie! My weekly pick-me-up.

Robmary, I'm a #2, too! Thanks Robin for the laugh! We use our refill mugs all the time, but that Typhoon Lagoon mug is SO big, it won't go in the darn car, either!

 

[Geoff_M]

Eeyore1954,

If Disney guest relations would stop telling people they can't be re-used, and they'd remove the signs from the food courts and snack bars, I'd agree with you that the ability to reuse the mugs would be a lot like discovering the paint brushes on TSI.


Disneymoon04,

Generally doesn't mean always. By actively, I mean a CM must utter "no" either when they see you re-using a mug or when asked by you if it's OK to re-use one.

I fully understand the advantages of bending policy in the name of customer satisfaction... on a case-by-case basis. But, it doesn't make sense to tell your employees to openingly ingore a policy in a blanket manner.

 

[SAWYERMAW1]

I notice that the sign says for your entire visit but the verbage doesn't limit the use to that visit only. And, as I've stated before, when we were relocated to the Beach Club from POFQ, I told the relocation cast member that I would not be able to use my mugs from POFQ. Instead of telling me they were intended for one visit only, she said she would make sure that I had complimentary Beach Club mugs waiting in my room at check-in. We had two rooms and there were 7 new Beach Club mugs waiting for us at no charge.

 

[honeymo78]

I agree with Sawyermaw and others that the signs posted, not that I've seen them all since I've never gotten a mug, are, from a lawyer's point of view, open to more than one reasonable interpretation. Certainly one could read them as allow use only for the current stay but also it may be worded that way to clarify that free refills means not just today or not just a specific quantity but the entire time you are at the Resort. If Disney's true intention was to prevent use of the mugs for more than just one stay (and I'm not saying that isn't their intent, I just don't know), there are much better and less ambiguous ways to advertise this and avoid all confusion.

That said, I do not have a mug and probably will never get a mug - I only drink water regularly and prefer to bring my own empty bottle and fill up at fountains, etc as I go.