Refillable Mugs: Everything you ever wanted to know but were afraid to ask...again

By Jennifer H Walker
Updated: August, 2009

So you're heading down to The World, staying on-site, and you want the skinny on the refillable mugs everyone keeps talking about? Well, let me walk you through the ins and outs of mug purchases and uses at the Walt Disney World Resorts.

Where and How Much?
First of all, the mugs can be purchased in the food court of most resorts (some resorts do not have a food court and mugs are available at alternate locations) at the price of $12.99 ($13.84 with tax). Each resort used to have their own design, but since 2006 Walt Disney World introduced a standard WDW-wide mug design. The mugs are available with red, yellow or black lids/handles. The security tag holding the lid onto the mug will be clipped off at the check-out stand by a Cast Member. Once you've purchased your mug(s) you can head over to the beverage station(s) and look for a sink to rinse out any storage debris and dust that may have accumulated before your purchase. Once "neat and pretty" you can then fill your mug(s) with any of the offerings at the beverage station.

Some rooms (those with the mini-bar level of accommodations) may have the mugs in the room but you will only be charged if they are used. They are not free (perish the thought!).

Resort Locations to purchase refillable mugs are below:

• All Star Movies Resort: World Premiere Food Court
• All Star Music Resort: Intermission Food Court
• All Star Sports Resort: End Zone Food Court
• Animal Kingdom Lodge: Mara
• Beach Club Resort: Beaches and Cream Soda Shop and Hurricane Hannah's Grill
• Boardwalk Inn: Leaping Horse Libations, Seashore Sweets and BoardWalk Bakery
• Caribbean Beach Resort: Old Port Royale
• Contemporary Resort: Contempo Cafe
• Coronado Springs Resort: Pepper Market, Siesta Poolside
• Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground: Trail's End Restaurant, Meadow's Pool
• Grand Floridian Resort & Spa : Gasparilla Grill and Games
• Old Key West: Goods-to-Go, Turtle Shack
• Polynesian Resort: Captain Cook's Snack Company
• Pop Century Resort: Everything Pop
• Port Orleans Resort: Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory (French Quarter) and Riverside Mill (Riverside)
• Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa: Artist's Palette, The Rocks and Backstretch Pool Bars
• Wilderness Lodge: Roaring Forks
• Yacht Club Resort: Beaches and Cream Soda Shop and Hurricane Hannah's Grill

What is it Good For?
The beverage stations are filled to the brim with Coca-Cola products (you will not find any Pepsi products for sale on Disney property-it's a matter of sponsorship) which you may imbibe to your hearts content. Also available are coffee and tea, as well as hot chocolate. You may refill your mug(s) at your resort(s) as many times as you want during the vacation on which the mug was purchased.

What is it Not Good For?
The Resort mugs will not get you milk or fruit juice from any food court, nor will it work for alcoholic beverages at the pool bars or in the sit-down restaurants if your Resort has one. The new resort-wide mugs are good for the length of your vacation. The mugs are not usable during future visits to Walt Disney World. Their refillable status expires when you head home. The mugs are not refillable in the parks.

But What About?
No. Just because you might see someone using a mug that has a different design or completely different Resort logo filling up at your resort and not getting reprimanded by a Cast Member does not mean that its any more correct to do so yourself. You wouldn't steal a bottle of soda from a convenience store, would you? Okay then, let's move on.

Is There Any Difference between the Capacity of the Mugs?
In the past, there were two mug styles: one was tall and skinny with a smaller base that fit in most vehicle cup-holders and the other was a tad shorter but much squattier and appeared bigger. Believe it or not they both held the same amount (14oz). At the present, there is only one style mug. It is a bit taller than the previous mugs were and about the as big "around" as the bottom of the old "cup-holder" shaped mugs. Once back home, these work great if you routinely take drinks in your car!

Is It Worth It?
Ah, the eternal question. There is a certain amount of personal preference involved, but then again there are some empirical statistics that may make a difference as well.

First of all, how long are you staying at Walt Disney World? The longer your stay, the more economical the mug becomes as it evens out at around 6-8 trips to the refill stand. The same goes for the soda machines near the rooms. Be ready for some sticker shock if you think you'll just drink from them, since they are $2.50 a piece last time I was there (price updated July 2007).

Drink a lot of coffee? My husband is a serious coffee drinker and even in the resorts with the little 4-cup coffee pot in the room, that's just enough to knock the edge off for him. What I would do each morning is make that little pot to tide him over while I took both of our mugs (I'm not a big coffee drinker) and filled them for him. By the time I came back he was ready for more coffee, and the little pot plus both mugs was usually enough to get him ready to go. In the Values, where no coffee pot is available in the room, this is even more important for the don't-speak-to-me-before-I've-had-my-coffee types.

How about adding a little Magic to your daily grind? Here's where sentiment meets practicality: How many pins do you buy at $8-$12 each and put away until your next vacation? How many plush dolls? How much crystal? If you're anything like me you happily spend souvenir money on things that end up just in a display case, on a shelf, or packed away for your vacation and love those little items beyond reason. I'm with you, I love souvenirs. But I also like being able to put my money to work for me, and no I'm not talking about investing in stocks (not that I have anything against it)-I just want to be able to use the things I buy. That's why the mugs are a good deal, even at home, since you can use them in a very practical way, every day. They are pretty rough and tumble, dishwasher safe, and very portable, which makes them a usable souvenir and, unlike a t-shirt, one that you're unlikely to grow out of.

Not fond of that idea? Why not pick up some candy in the gift shop or other small items, pack them into the mug and present the filled mug to someone who didn't get to make the trip. Maybe your house/pet-sitter or the person who covered your clients at work. No one will care that it's a used mug (as long as you clean it first!) but they will love your thoughtfulness!

For even more money saving food and beverage tips, visit our Dining Tips page.

Updated August 24, 2009