Many people aren’t aware of how helpful a resort refillable mug can be in helping you save money on your Disney World vacation, but that’s where we come in!
Resort Refillable Mug
However, we’ve also got to admit that resort refillable mugs may not be the best choice for everyone out there, and some may end up spending money on something they end up not using often. That’s why it’s so important to know exactly how you can use them, WHERE you can use them, and how to make the most of one on each vacation. If you’re planning on grabbing one on a trip later this year, these are the five rules you need to know that Disney World is really enforcing.
They Can Only Be Used During Your Trip
When you purchase a resort refillable mug for your trip, you’ll only be able to use it throughout the duration of THAT trip to get the free refills. That means that if you bought it on your trip in April, you won’t be able to get free refills on your next trip, no matter how close it is.
Disney World Resort Refillable Mug
Now, you can bring the cup back to use as a fun cup around the resort, or as a water bottle in a way, but the technology embedded in both the cups themselves and the free refill stations will recognize that the trip you bought the cup on has come to an end, and won’t work for you. It’s pretty wild tech, when you think about it!
No Refills in The Parks
A lot of people don’t know this, and unfortunately, find out the hard way — you can refill your resort refillable mug at your hotel, or at other hotels if you’re hopping around for the day, because the technology inside the cup recognizes your stay at different hotels, but you won’t be able to fill it for free in the parks.
Disney Refillable Mugs
If you’re staying at Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort, but hop over to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa for a dining reservation, or just to check it out, you can grab a free refill while you’re there! This is a great perk, but lots of people are disappointed to find that the free refills rule doesn’t extend to the parks. What we recommend doing is filling up your mug at the beginning of the day with the drink of your choice, then refilling it again when you get back, that way you’re making the most use of it you can.
If You Don’t Drink Specialty Drinks, It’s Not Worth It
We say all the time that staying hydrated in Disney World is extremely important at all times of year, and that’s VERY true. However, you can get free cups of water and even refill your water bottle with ice and water around Disney World for free at select quick service locations, so getting a resort refillable mug when you’re someone who usually only drinks water isn’t likely going to be a great choice.
Self-service Beverage Station
If you’re going to grab one of these, we recommend making it the time in your life where you indulge in ALL the soda, lemonade, coffee, tea, etc., so you can really make the most of your purchase. Otherwise, we feel you’ll likely regret your decision.
You’ll Get One With Your Disney Dining Plan
If you’ve decided to purchase the Disney Dining Plan for your vacation, there will be no need to purchase a resort refillable mug, because you’ll get one for every member of your group who has the dining plan! This is a great deal, but again, you’ll want to make sure you’re really getting the most use out of it as possible to really make the cost worth it.
Pricing Sign for Rapid Fill Refillable Mugs
Since the refillable mugs usually cost about $23 each, and a fountain drink at the resorts typically costs between $3-$4, you’ll want to make sure you fill it about seven times to make use of it. If you’re filling it every morning and night, that’s only 3.5 days!
If You Love The Design, Grab It!
With all that being said, you often won’t find the same design that’s on the resort refillable mugs in the parks, so if you really love the one you see, we do suggest grabbing it, even if you’re planning to just use it back at home. We’re always keeping our eyes peeled for new designs, so when we spot one, we’ll let you know!
Disney World Resort Refillable Mug
Looking for someone to help you on your Disney World vacation, including where to stay, how many days to go, and if the Disney Dining Plan is right for you? Check out our friends at Small World Vacations!
Whether or not a resort refillable mug is great for you and your party is totally up to you, but if you choose to snag one on your next vacation, we hope you love it. As always, stay tuned to DFB for all the latest Disney news, tips, tricks, and more!
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I understand that they will not put soda in your cup at the parks. But would they give you the free icing water and put it in your cup?
You can get a free cup of ice water and then put it in your own cup if you want to.
For those of us that visit frequently it would be nice if Disney could build the technology to reload a cup rather than require guests to purchase new ones.
Disney does have the technology to reload the cup. We often stay longer than 2 weeks at a time so they just reactivate when it expires. Sometimes we’ve had to show the original receipt, sometimes not. However, I would like them to do it on a subsequent trip at a lower cost than paying for a new cup. It’s not very eco friendly and even, say $2 less would make me happy. I like to feel like I’ve had a bargain.
We have been going for DECADES! Disney should become Eco conscious and allow you to reuse your mug (with payment) on another trip like the popcorn buckets). Plus I do not need 100+ mugs. Also, they should look into a refillable PARK mug (like their competitor). People would buy those up!!!
Mug is worth it, even if you just get one beverage in the morning and one upon returning to your resort at night. A bottle of soda is going to cost at least $4.50 from your resort’s sundries shop, so 5 drinks covers the mug.