The topic of refillable mugs. I have been putting this post off for a long time. It is so frustrating and trip specific. So, let’s just start with what they are.

WDW Resorts have a program in which you purchase a RFID chip mug for about $20 from either the quick service restaurant or gift shop. It is a plastic mug that holds just shy of 15oz of hot or cold beverages. Each resort has locations to fill your mugs up at – typically the quick service restaurant and moderates/ deluxes will likely have another station near the activities pool. You will find coffee, hot chocolate, iced tea, along with a variety of Coca Cola fountain drinks.

Once the chip is activated, mugs are good for the entire length of your stay, even if you do a split stay (staying at 2+ Disney resorts in the same vacation) or if you resort hop (Animal Kingdom Lodge and POFQ are two of our favorites!). They do not work at any of the parks, which is very important to note when making plans.

So let’s just jump in to some of the questions:

Did you get it free with the dining plan? If you did, then awesome! Skip down a bit…

Do you drink a ton of pop/ coffee/ tea? If you don’t, you might do better with just bringing a water bottle. In all honesty, if you are a thirsty person, you really should bring a water bottle anyway. 14.7 oz is not that much, especially once you add ice into your cup!

Are you going to be spending most of your time in the parks? If so, it probably isn’t worth your money to purchase a cup you would rarely use.

Are you already ordering food from a delivery service and will have space in your fridge to keep beverages cold? Even through a more expensive grocery delivery company, you can really stock up on drinks at $20/ person. You can even bring these beverages into the parks with you (as long as they are non-alcoholic).

Are you planning on going to the quick service frequently? How far away will your room be? If you are in a preferred room right near the drink station, you will probably get more use out it that if you are a 10 minute walk away.

Does your resort have Coke Freestyles? If it does, yesssssss! Grand Floridian, Caribbean Beach, Yacht Club, Beach Club, and Port Orleans French Quarter all have them! Even if you don’t stay at one of these, don’t forget your mug when you resort hop on over!

For the price of around $20 once taxes are added in, it’s not a terribly priced Disney souvenir. Once home, they are dishwasher and microwave safe (both appliances will fry the chip, so don’t go microwaving your cup at Disney).

This mug may be my next one! I do love my Nemo.

We brought our mugs along to POFQ and enjoyed some Coke Freestyle along with our beignets.

Caribbean Beach Coke Freestyle. Thankfully, it was just down the hall from us.

Soda fountain at the Caribbean Beach pool. It gets a bit sticky here. You can just barely see the cup wash sink to the left. Note, you won’t find dish soap anywhere. Bring your own.

Drink station at All Star Movies. There are 4 sets of fountains.

There are so many things to think about and there is really no right answer. In the future, we likely won’t decide until the first day we are there. We will get the lay of the land, judge distance, judge the feel of the vacation, the weather will probably also come in to play (nobody wants to walk 10 minutes round trip in steamy rain to drink watery pop).

What are your thoughts? Do you love your mug? Do you use it all the time at home? Does it sit in your cupboard untouched? Do you gift it to a friend? Have you donated it to a thrift store? Inquiring minds, people! Inquiring minds.

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If you would like more help planning your Disney vacation, contact our friend Audra, a travel agent with Travelmation LLC, which is an Authorized Disney Travel Planner. She can help you plan the vacation of your dreams at no cost to you!

Audraryder@travelmation.net
616-808-9011
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