OK, Disney. We’ve got a problem here. This is probably something the bigwigs in headquarters wouldn’t realize, but we’re on the ground reporting from Disney World every day, so we notice all kinds of things at the parks and resorts. The problem we’re talking about today stems from the Disney hotel food courts.Â
Food court
You know those handy Resort Refillable Mugs you can buy and use throughout your trip? They’re great — in theory — except for this one tiny problem.
For context, Disney World hotels offer Resort Refillable Mugs for you to purchase and use for FREE refills throughout your vacation. They are 16 oz. insulated coffee mugs, typically sold at Disney hotels in the primary Counter Service location. You are entitled to unlimited free refills on fountain drinks, coffee, and tea from participating beverage locations at Disney resorts for your length of stay — up to 14 days.
The latest design
So, what’s the problem? Allow us to lay out a scenario for you. Say you’re traveling with a family of five, and everyone in the group wants a mug. Well, depending on the availability, you may end up buying two of the same exact mugs. Since the only real differentiating factor with these mugs is the color of the lid, it can be hard to tell them apart — especially if you have two of the same color.
Do you see the problem?
Oh, and you might want to keep a close eye on your mug when you’re dining at the food court or in the parks. You are probably one of a dozen other people around you using the same mug. Like we said, they’re hard to tell apart. Especially if you set it down.
Refillable Resort Mug Display
Back when Magic Kingdom was celebrating its 50th Anniversary, pretty much ALL the mugs looked exactly the same. You had TWO options — blue or yellow. So, good luck telling those guys apart! See our point?
50th refillable mug
The good news is we have a solution! Well, actually, we have two solutions. The first (more economical but also more boring) option is to pack a Sharpie and put your initials on the bottom of the cup. Simple — but unless you think to bring a marker, you might be out of luck.
Resort Refillable Mug
Now, solution number two is our personal favorite. Over on Amazon, you can buy these drink markers (a.k.a. “wine charms”) and attach them to the handles of your refillable mugs!
©Amazon
This makes it much easier to tell which mug belongs to each person in your group. Plus, they’re just so darn CUTE! You can get a set of 16 on Amazon.
But we have one more problem we need to discuss, and this one concerns our hotel rooms. If you’re staying in a room without a kitchen, the only sink in your room is probably a bathroom sink. And those sinks don’t make it very easy to wash your refillable mug. There isn’t any dish soap, for starters!
These sinks aren’t very mug-friendly!
Now, to be fair, Disney does offer bigger sinks at most food courts or pool bars. But if your hotel room is far from the food court, you may be in for a long walk.
Drink Station at Drop Off Pool Bar
In the grand scheme of things, these may not be the world’s biggest problems. But if you’re planning a trip to Disney World, it might be nice to keep these kinds of things in the back of your mind so you can be prepared! Maybe you buy a pack of drink charms for your mugs. Maybe you toss a bottle of dish soap in your luggage. We’re here to experience ALL kinds of Disney problems — big and small — so you don’t have to!Â
Refillable Resort Mugs
In the meantime, we’re always on the lookout for the latest Disney news, so stay tuned for more.
The Refillable Mug RULE Everyone Forgets in Disney World
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I always travel to WDW with a sharpie and a small bottle of dish soap . . . For the above mentioned “problems”!
Great content as always!
I wish Disney would let us reactivate the RFID for multiple trips. It’s extremely wasteful and very bad for the environment to have to keep buying cups. I don’t mind paying again to use the cup–I just don’t want to buy another cup.
I love the idea of attaching drink markers to the handles of the refillable mugs. There are only four people in my family, so that is something that never would have crossed my mind. Thank you!
Hi Megan! They will actually allow you to reactivate the chip in your refillable mug. We asked Cast Members not long ago and they said it’s going to be the same price as if you purchase a brand new mug, but they will do that for you if you’re wanting to cut down on waste.
Well this is a new and exciting development. They really should “advertise” this more. Will they reactivate any prior mug or only the current design? I was there a couple of weeks ago and could have brought 100th Anniversary mugs with me.
The CM we spoke with seemed to believe that as long as the RFID chip is still capable of being reactivated, it wouldn’t matter which cup it was, but at the same time, it appears some people have commented that they are being told they have to purchase a new mug so it may really depend on the CM you speak to and if the process changes between now and then. The other CM who said you couldn’t do that may have been under the impression that you have to buy a new mug, when in reality it’s just that you have to pay full-price to have it reactivated. They don’t encourage the reactivation, but they should be able to do it as long as the RFID chip is good (and I’m not sure how long those actually last.)
So excited to hear about the RFID deactivation. It really is wasteful!
Thanks so much for all the wonderful information.
We had 6 people. After we purchased our mugs, we switched our lids around so 2 of the lids would be a contrasting color from the handle. Everyone knew their color combo. Worked fine for us.
We should remember that Sea World Orlando has NINE COASTERS, while Uni’s new park will “only” have four. So, if it is trying gmto attract a younger crowd than WDW, Uni should be more worried about it’s nearest neighbor!
Used to get these for free with on site hotel stay. Even then I wasnt that crazy about them. LONG walk to get them refilled and they don’t hold that much. And for me personally, I have one cup of coffee then it is water the rest of the day! So we bring our own refillable water bottles.
Another variation: fill the mug with coffee at the end of the day, and pop it in the fridge overnight. Fresh iced coffee in the morning without the extra walk.