We are all for finding ways to save money during your vacation to Disney World!
You may be a fan of getting a refillable popcorn bucket to get a discount on your next fill-up! Or you may like getting a resort refillable mug! While these are great perks, and the money you save on refills can add up, we have regretted purchasing the refillable mug.
If you are staying at a Disney World hotel, you may notice a sign for a refillable mug. These mugs are known as either Rapid Refill Mugs or refillable mug and are $21.99 each. These mugs are good to use during the length of stay (up to 14 days), and you can refill your mug over and over again at any drink refill station at ANY of the resorts. While this may seem like a great deal, there are some things that people do not think about when they purchase the mug. Here are five times that our team has regretted getting the refillable mug.
When We Stay at Certain Resorts
Not all Disney World resorts are equally spaced out. Some are so spread out that the resort has multiple bus stops.Â
For example, resorts like Caribbean Beach, Old Key West, Coronado Springs, Fort Wilderness, Saratoga Springs, and the Treehouse Villas at Saratoga Springs are extremely spread out.
This means that you will either have to walk or take a bus over to the main quick service area of your resort to refill your mug. This can be a pain, especially in the morning when you are trying to get ready to start your day, as well as in the evening when you just want to rest.Â
If you or someone in your family is dedicated to always going to refill drinks, even if it is a hike to get there, then the refillable mug may be for you. In our experience, if we stay at a resort that is spread out, we skip on getting a refillable mug since it can be a hassle to go back and forth for refills.Â
When We Only Go to the Parks
As we mentioned before, the refillable mug can only be refilled at resorts. Your mug will work at your resort, as well as others on property, but it will not work anywhere in the parks.
If you want to bring your mug filled up to the park, you totally can! You just will not be able to refill it until you are back at a resort.
This can be disappointing, and some people do not always read the sign to know that the mugs cannot be refilled in the park.
If you and your party plan to not have many resort days and instead spend your time in the park, we say the refillable mug is a skip. If refills started to be allowed in the park, then maybe the mug would be worth it. For us, we would rather not deal with carrying a mug that cannot be used when we are in the parks.
When We Don’t Love the Drink Options
The resort refillable mug allows you to get refills on soda (Coke products), coffee, and tea at the resorts. Some resorts like the Grand Floridian have Coke Freestyle machines, giving you more drink options.
Some of our team skip the refillable mug because they do not like the coffee and tea options that are offered.Â
If you are the type of person where the resort coffee just won’t cut it for you, then we recommend skipping on the mug. If you are going to spend money at Starbucks or Joffery’s to start off your morning, we think it is better that you save your money and do not also buy the mug.Â
If you are a fan of resort coffee or Gold Peak Tea, then the refillable mug might be perfect for you! For us, we know we are going to be buying other caffeinated drinks, so we don’t always see the value in getting the refillable mug.
We Don’t Want to Deal with Dishes
You are on vacation! The last thing you want to have to think of doing is cleaning. If you get a refillable mug, you might find yourself on dish duty multiple times a day. The drink stations usually have a small sink for you to rinse out your mug, but sometimes, it does not get the job done. Or you could wash it in the sink at your resort.
If each member of your party has a mug, that is a lot of dishes to deal with. Plus, if you forget to wash them, you might get a taste of the soda you had the evening before with your morning coffee.
For us, we do not want to have to deal with dishes and it is a big reason why we have regretted getting a refillable mug.
Buying Multiple Mugs
If you and your party each want a mug, it can get expensive. The refillable mug only has value based on how much you use it.Â
If someone in your party loves soda and will go get refills, then it might be worth it to them. If someone in your party mainly drinks water and does not care for soda, then getting a mug would not be worth it for them.
If there are people in your party who would not get much use out of them, we say only buy the mug for the people who will use it.Â
Regardless of how much you use your refillable mug, you get to go home with a souvenir, as the cup is yours to keep. But for us, these five times have taught us that the mug is not always worth the money.Â
Looking for other ways to save money on your Disney World Vacation? Check out this video!
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As long as I’m staying at least 2 nights, I can get my money’s worth out of a refillable mug. I usually fill it before heading to the parks, and then if I don’t finish my drink at lunch or dinner, I have that mug I can pour it into to take with me. Cast members will usually let you take it into attractions because it has a cover. I do wish you could fill them at the parks as well, and I wish you could bring it back on your next trip and re-activate it for a lower price than buying a new one. I already have so many mugs at home that sometimes I’ll leave the mug behind when my trip is over.
If Disney were interested in fulfilling some of its stated commitments to waste reduction, they would not only allow the mugs to be refilled on parks, they would give you the option of an RFID sticker that you could add to your own preferred beverage mug or container.
I’ll be never forget riding it’s a small world and seeing a Dasani water bottle floating past our boat. I know that some of the beverage situation in the parks has been locked in by long term contracts with Coca-Cola, and prepackaged items are logistically easier in many situations.
But man, as someone who visited Epcot as a child and thought “This place is the future,” Disney’s pivot away from pushing technology forward is just disappointing.
I thought they were entirely too small
Yes I do get a mug when I stay at art of animation
Lower prices. U know they will be lost. R they spillproof how many ounces. Y cant they be used at the resorts like properties. R u out pricing people from attending. I don’t do rides family does why can’t there be a non rider price. I see shows maybe but not really.
I stayed at Carribean Beach last year and was surprised how easy it is to refill mugs due to the stations out by each building area so make sure to check the resort map for fill spots when deciding.