Refillable mugs at BLT

[Julylady]

Hi All:

We will be staying at BLT in August. I am considering whether or not to purchase refillable mugs. My understanding is that you can have them refilled at the Quick Serve location on 4th floor Contemporary and at the Cove Pool Bar. I have seen pictures of the refill unit at the pool and it looked like it was a self serve? Can any one confirm?

My first instinct is that it will be too much of a "hassle" to have our mugs refilled and I should just pass on this trip.

Any advice?

Donna

 

[Starshine]

I have seen pictures of the refill unit at the pool and it looked like it was a self serve? Can any one confirm?

My first instinct is that it will be too much of a "hassle" to have our mugs refilled and I should just pass on this trip.

Any advice?

Donna

We were just there in May, and yes, the refill unit at the pool is self-serve. We found it quicker to just run over to the Contempo Cafe (the quick service on the 4th floor you mentioned) and fill them there.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Don't forget at the Contempo Cafe they have two drink stations however one of them is closed at 10:00 PM and the other one is closed at 12:00 AM, which is when they close for the night.

 

[walkdmc]

My advice: Don't bother if you're staying at BLT. After two resort stays where I bought the refillable mugs I've discovered unless I'm close to the refill station, I don't get my money's worth. I was at the Poly, far from the refill station and probably used the mug twice. Then, at BLT, I was far from the pool and the Contemporary so the mugs were filled once. That said, we stayed in a 2 BR with a full kitchen and had cases of water delivered to the resort. So, we had little motivation to fill the mugs.

 

[HotdogDncrs]

I think it depends on what your eating habits are. We had mugs in March, and used them to get coffee when we had breakfast at Contempo, and cool drinks at lunch or dinner. We also kept them on us, so when we would come off the monorail at night, we could grab a drink for the walk back to the room. We didn't do the dining plan, chose to go for TIW instead, so not having to purchase drinks with meals and snacks paid off for us. Also, if you plan on spending time at the pool, it is very convenient to have your mugs with you - especially in the August heat!

Enjoy your trip

 

[Julylady]

OP here. Thanks for the feedback. I think we will wait until we arrive and see how close we are to a refill station before making our decision.

Donna

 

[iloveokw]

We were just there for two nights...glad we didn't buy the mugs because the refill station at BLT didn't open until 11 every a.m. and closed when the bar did....not very convenient to have to go over to the Contemporary. I would just buy some water and soda to have in your room.

 

[Sandisw]

I think it depends on what your eating habits are. We had mugs in March, and used them to get coffee when we had breakfast at Contempo, and cool drinks at lunch or dinner. We also kept them on us, so when we would come off the monorail at night, we could grab a drink for the walk back to the room. We didn't do the dining plan, chose to go for TIW instead, so not having to purchase drinks with meals and snacks paid off for us. Also, if you plan on spending time at the pool, it is very convenient to have your mugs with you - especially in the August heat!

Enjoy your trip

This is what we do. I would always walk down in the AM to get a coffee before heading to the parks and always fill it up on the way back to the room. I didn't find it very far at all, less then 5 minutes from our BLT room (which was almost at the farthest end of the hall from the walkway).

 

[YourEveryDayAdam]

This is what we do. I would always walk down in the AM to get a coffee before heading to the parks and always fill it up on the way back to the room. I didn't find it very far at all, less then 5 minutes from our BLT room (which was almost at the farthest end of the hall from the walkway).

Agreed.

On my trip, I was on the top floor. I was on the dining plan, but when I ate breakfast at the contempo cafe, i'd grab a muffin or pastry with my snack credit and use my mug for something to drink. The couple times I ate with my counter service for lunch/dinner, i'd use my "drink" with my meal for a bottle of water and bring my mug for soda. I'd then just take the bottle of water with me to the parks.

I'd fill it up on the way to the monorail and on the way back. Also, when I took my dip in the pool during my mid-afternoon break. It was a 10-night trip. Filled it up about 3-4 times a day. I made very good use out of it.

I wouldn't get it if I were staying at OKW or SSR and had to walk across the resort to get it, but the walk from my room at BLT to the Contempo cafe was very easy. Not much more than the distance between the walk from my room to the pool.

 

[gk90]

Agreed.

the walk from my room at BLT to the Contempo cafe was very easy. Not much more than the distance between the walk from my room to the pool.

So if we wanted a room not far from Contempo cafe what kind of request could we make?

 

[disneynutz]

For the price of 3 mugs, you can rent a car and go grocery shopping. We find the refill station locations inconvenient and the mugs too small.

Bill

 

[Deb & Bill]

For the price of 3 mugs, you can rent a car and go grocery shopping. We find the refill station locations inconvenient and the mugs too small.

Bill

Years ago when we stayed at the Contemporary (before they started construction on BLT), the Food and Fun Center was on the first floor of the CR and you could run in from the pool, refill your mug and head right back to the pool. But now, you have to take the elevator or escalator up to the fourth floor and it just isn't worth it.

Like Bill says, just fill your refrigerator with your favorites.

 

[Sandisw]

Years ago when we stayed at the Contemporary (before they started construction on BLT), the Food and Fun Center was on the first floor of the CR and you could run in from the pool, refill your mug and head right back to the pool. But now, you have to take the elevator or escalator up to the fourth floor and it just isn't worth it.

Like Bill says, just fill your refrigerator with your favorites.

There is a refill station at the BLT pool so anyone hanging out there can get refills easily. Last summer, in the August heat, it was nice having the mug while I was done there in the mid afternoon.

 

[sarahk0204]

We have stayed at BLT twice in the summer. The mugs were quite handy for the pool. You could always just buy one to share and see how it goes. Last year we bought 2 for the 4 of us. We generally had 1 filled with pop for the adults and one with lemonade for the kids. This year, we ended up with one for each of us, as we used them more.

That said, before DVC when we stayed at FW cabins, we never bought mugs. The BLT options for refilling mugs are much more convenient than those at FW.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I don't think BLT is any less convenient than any other location for the refillable mugs and is probably more convenient than several other resorts such as OKW and SSR. And if you are way out in a wing at BWV or AKV it's much more of a hike than anywhere at BLT - especially since you can just take an elevator down to the pool and fill up there.

 

[jstarcze]

I buy the mugs mainly because I want another Disney mug, especially when the new ones are available. There have been trips where I didn't buy the mug, but if I want a new mug I buy it and don't worry if I get enough refills. The cost is comparable if I was buying a mug in one of the Disney stores. So for me its more like I'm buying a souvenir. Of course I don't have kids. so I'm not paying a lot of cash to buy a mug for each member of the family. That would probably make me less likely to buy one if it wasn't convenient to access the refill stations.

 

[JWG]

We never do the mugs if the intent is truly the beverage (pop, water, coffee). We find it both cheaper and more convenient to purchase 2 liters for our room. I haven't found a convenient drink station at a DVC resort yet.

The last thing I want to do at 10pm after getting back to my room is leave again for a 15 minute pop run when I can poor it right into a glass from our fridge.

 

[moericus]

Starting in 2012, you get a resort mug with all of the dining plans. Something to consider if you like using the dining plans...

 

[dr&momto2boys]

I don't think BLT is any less convenient than any other location for the refillable mugs and is probably more convenient than several other resorts such as OKW and SSR. And if you are way out in a wing at BWV or AKV it's much more of a hike than anywhere at BLT - especially since you can just take an elevator down to the pool and fill up there.

Those are my thoughts too. (But soda and coffee aren't a big deal to me. I only use my mug at the pool and if we eat at the Contempo. In my case I wouldn't buy a mug--they just come with the DxDDP so I've used them. I've just noticed it's relatively convenient at BLT compared to where we were at BWV ans some others.)

 

[DenLo]

So if we wanted a room not far from Contempo cafe what kind of request could we make?

Ask for a room near the south elevator. However, I would prefer to ask for a view versus trying to save me a five minute walk. That's all it is from one end of BLT to the other, five minutes maybe 8 if you walk slower, plus the 4 minutes across the skybridge to the Contempo cafe.

I have to admit I agree with the others about not bothering with buying the mugs because it was more trouble carrying the mugs around than just buying a drink when I wanted one.