Resort Hotel Drinking Mugs

[jlpeaches255]

The official policy is usually posted somewhere. I think I saw it right next to the check out area in the resort food court. The current policy, I believe, is that the mugs are for length of stay and at your home resort only. But no one is able to police the drink stations so I have seen people use very old mugs or just anything else to fill up. I have also seen people use them at the parks and again no one is really watching that I have seen. Let me play Devil's advocate for a moment. Today's family for the most part are addicted to soda (Myself included) For people to come in with their mugs from three years ago, or to fill up at the parks is a loss to Disney. The bar code system may seem extreme but the honor system does not work. Even adding the year to the mugs would help but that would let AP holders have a year of free refills. If they went to a system like that you can be sure the price would go up. If you don't drink much soda or coffee it is not worth it for you.
We got the free quick service dining plan this year so we got 4 mugs with that. We lost two....which were replaced by a very kind cast member. My friends threw one of theirs out accidentally and it was also kindly replaced at no charge. I also brought mine to the park everyday. I did not fill it up at any drink stations but the sodas that come with a quick service meal can be HUGE and after we ate I would pour whatever I had not finished into my mug so it was easier to carry and stayed cold longer. I do wish that the mugs could be resort specific but then again, I refilled at my friends resort when we went to visit them without any guilt because there was no way for them to know where I bought my generic mug.

Side note: Although I go through about a 2 liter of Diet Coke in a day, I am also a hypocrite and my kids do not drink any soda!

[NaCler]

I'm torn on this one as I don't think Disney is losing ANY money on this whatsoever. If they were, they would have corrected it by now as these mugs have been sold for a LONG time. Right now I think they are selling for $13-14 per mug. That's a lot of soda. Plus, I doubt Disney even pays for the soda that is dispensed. If they do it is probably a nominal fee. I'm pretty sure that soda companies pay to have their brand contracted as the "official soda of Disney." So Disney is getting paid at both ends.

If you just stopped by a local grocery store or even one of the Hess marts that are on property, you will pay much less than that per 2-liter. Many of the resorts, moderates and above, have refrigerators and all have ice machines with free ice.

I know... it's convenience...

jlpeaches255 - I understand. My wife and I love soda but we also don't let our kids have it very much. We figure that if we don't let them get hooked on it early in life, then maybe they won't care about it later.

[Wizzard419]

They probably have to pay for their beverage service, they may get a discount for the volume and exclucivity since it's coke and not some no-name upstart.

In terms of losing money, that's kind of a tough one. I remember from some paper that I requested a while back, the biggest profit for fast food is in the beverage as it's cheap to produce and mostly shelf stable so loss due to expiration is not as frequent. The part they break even on is the actual food, the less shelf stable it is the closer to the break-even point the price is (in terms of sales vs discarded product).

[Jacca5660]

They probably have to pay for their beverage service, they may get a discount for the volume and exclucivity since it's coke and not some no-name upstart.

In terms of losing money, that's kind of a tough one. I remember from some paper that I requested a while back, the biggest profit for fast food is in the beverage as it's cheap to produce and mostly shelf stable so loss due to expiration is not as frequent. The part they break even on is the actual food, the less shelf stable it is the closer to the break-even point the price is (in terms of sales vs discarded product).

All depends on what type of food. Fast food, Italian, and Mexican have VERY high profit margins. I just don't see Disney losing money on food! Disney's tax write offs are most likely as high as their profit margins. They make money either way you look at it.

[Wizzard419]

Oh, they most likely minimalize the losses since you can see it in the food they choose to serve, which is why the bulk of the quick serve items in the park are frozen or shelf-stable.

[lwhite]

Does anyone remember the neon mugs sold at the Caribbean Beach Resort years ago? We ended up buying a bunch of them that year because they came in several different colors. We still have a couple of them in the cupboard. . .though they are faded, they still remind me of how cool they all were.

[Jacca5660]

We have a few years of MNSSHP mugs. They glow in the dark.

[Amy]

We have a few years of MNSSHP mugs. They glow in the dark.

I love things that glow in the dark! That would be worth going for that reason alone

[Debbiedeb]

They didn't have the barcode in July 2010 at the Wilderness Lodge, but they did have the barcode system set up in Typhoon Lagoon.

[nicklesm17]

still saw people using the old port orleans mugs at french qaurter. what a nostalgic welcomed sight compared to the "new" generic 2010 mug. the staff never said anything to the users of these old mugs, and personally i'm glad. they remind me of an old concert shirt at the new tour, it makes you happy just to see them... "you were here when?..., ya i remenber that". i really hope they don't ever start this barcode nonsense, if only for that added moment. to me, it's like people decorating their room windows for the holiday's, it just adds to the experience for everyone.

[bobbafett]

I like the older mugs too. Love my Wilderness Lodge Mug!

I forget what source I read this, but Disney doesn’t pay for the Coke products for WDW, They are the sole supplier of beverage in WDW and with that Coke gets the "free" advertising, which is worth more cost then the product itself. I believe Kodak is the same.
Don’t forget it all started with a mouse but corporate sponsorship helped builds the parks!

[NaCler]

I highly doubt that they will ever start doing bar codes. Apparently they tried it at Typhoon Lagoon a while ago. That testing must have lead to poor resorts or I think that Disney would have already switched to bar codes all over the property. The fact that you see old mugs means that those people are coming back to the parks. Yes, that person may have bought that mug for $8.00 several years ago and are saving money now on drinks. BUT, they came back to spend their money on resort stays and tickets to get in the parks. Disney is still in the green (or black) on this one. I think the only way they could lose money on this is if a local with an annual pass purchased a mug, then made frequent visits to a resort to fill up on soda. Since that is highly unlikely (right, MadEye??) I think Disney will continue with status quo.

Or, maybe Disney is fully aware (and I'm SURE they are because they see it everyday) of people returning with old mugs and getting free soda BUT they want those people to feel like they are gaining an advantage on Disney??? Hmmm... interesting thought...

[Wizzard419]

They probably would view adding the scanners as a means of increasing earnings/lowering costs since many people would buy new mugs each time since they would want a bottomless container of soda and their previous container no longer functions. If they show up and their mug doesn't work anymore they have only a few options; buy a new mug each time, buy drinks one at a time, or switch to drinking fountains. Even if the guest is mad that they brought their plastic mug back for 10 years straight, they probably aren't angry enough to not buy another mug.

[Blackie Pueblo]

This is a touche subject. From a business sense, I see how Disney would say, hey it's stealing if you use your old cups. So I can see why they would use the bar code system... but it just feels really weird. It almost seems like a prison system or control system.

But I really have a hard time believing that if people are doing this Disney is losing money. I think the mugs should be looked at it as almost a gift for the price of meals, and staying in the resorts.

"To all who come to this happy place...welcome!"
--Walter Elias Disney

[Wizzard419]

I would imagine the entire system came about when a manager or higher up saw guests using the old mugs and thought that there would be good money in needing them to replace the mug.