UPDATE: In the days since this post first published, many of our readers have reported that the new price of the Refillable Mugs has rolled out to several more Disney Resorts in addition to the original locations named in this post.
Heads up, all! A few select Disney World Resorts have rolled out an updated pricing structure for the Rapid Fill Mugs — refillable mugs that provide guests the option to purchase one mug and reuse it for fountain and other drink station beverages throughout their vacation for a pre-designated amount of time.
The price for a Rapid Fill Mug has been $17.99 for length of stay, with lower pricing options available for 1, 2, and 3 day visits since the Rapid Fill drink program debuted in August 2013. And it remains in effect at several Disney resorts currently.
BUT…at Pop Century, the All Star Resorts, and Port Orleans – Riverside, the price is currently $16.49 plus tax for length of stay.
However, the 1, 2, and 3 day options are not currently available to guests, so essentially
it costs $16.49 plus tax for guests to purchase the Rapid-Fill Mugs, no matter the length of their trip.
At this time, it is unknown whether any other Resorts have — or will — follow suit, and if so, in what time frame.
If you are a current or recent Disney World Resort guest and have noticed any pricing structure changes to the refillable mugs at your resort, we’d be interested to hear about your experience (and we hope you have or had a great vacation, while you’re at it!).
What do you think having one pricing option for the Rapid Fill Mugs? Please let us know with comment!
Heather says
Soda is so inexpensive, that it is ridiculous to charge such a high amount. We drink water at the resort.
Antoinette Lussier says
Would love to have it at Disneyland in California….it would be a nice choice with the per day price. I know we would use it and I love that it is not too huge to carry around.
Catie says
just stayed at wilderness lodge may 29-31 and there was only one option for the refillable mugs. Length of stay for I believe $16.49.
TD says
We just left WDW, with a split stay at Saratoga Springs and Beach Club Villas. The only mug option offered was a 14 day mug for 16.49 plus tax. Even though our stay ended after 4 days, the mugs were good thru June 12.
Maureen says
We’re staying at Riverside the night before our cruise, guess a new mug is out for us.
Dana says
It would be amazing if Disney would allow refills of these souvenir welcome cups at the theme parks for an additional charge. Also, it would be excellent if there was a water bottle refill station with ice & ice cold water at the parks, as the room temperature or warmer water fountains at the park are extremely inconvenient. I would pay extra for this, as a pregnant mom with small children as well staying cool & hydrated is absolutely imperative!
Thank you!
Bob says
We stayed at the Villa’s at Grand Floridian from 5/15-5/20. The new pricing was already in effect. I’m fine with the prices as I get my fills worth. I just wish they would change the mug design more frequently as with a family of 6 we have multiple of the same color and design.
Theresa Koenigsknecht says
We purchased mugs back when you bought them and the mugs were good every time you stayed at a Disney Resort. What a surprise to find out when we stayed at the Carribbean Resort (where we have stayed 9 times before) 3 weeks ago, the mugs could not be used. They gave us complimentary mugs this time, but warned us that would not happen next time. Way to go Disney in honoring your product agreement.,
Heather says
At Sea World Orlando they have a refillable mug that you can purchase for say $8 or $9 and as an annual passholder you can bring that mug back again and again and only pay $0.99 for each refill. Even if the mug was initially $19 at Disney, passholders would still do it!! Soda, water and juice from the fountain are so inexpensive and would also cut back on the amount of plastic bottles being thrown away or… even more likely… littered around the parks. Disney is the most expensive park to get into and people are still spending money on souvenirs and food. So why not throw us a small bone and make drinks a little more reasonable.
Pat says
Our cost of soft drinks are outrageous compared to what you pay for soft drinks.
We know your real cost
Sarah says
Do you know whether if you take your mugs from a previous vacation back to WDW for your next vacation they can be re-programmed/reactivated so you don’t have to use a brand new mug each time?
Marsha says
I agree that it would be nice to add an option to use these in the park.
Dana, you can get free ice water at any counter service location.
Kelly says
We took our mugs back to All Star Sports in January and was able to get a discounted price of $8.99 plus tax for 5 days.
Kaley says
Eh. My daughter and I both got these with our dinning plan when we stayed at all star music last month. My daughter didnt use hers at all because she doesnt drink pop. I used mine twice for coffee and forgot about it the second time because I was waiting for it too cool down and then we left for the parks. It would be a nice extra perk to use these in the parks. But since all of our meals came with a drink we didn’t even have to use them for meals that we ate at the resort. If I had to pay even $10 for one I wouldn’t bother.
Courtney says
Love them! Just wish they would change the cup design a little more frequently. Or allow a discount if you bring back your cup.
Mary Ann Rant says
Really wish the mugs could be used over again on other trips. Could just charge to have them activated again. We go every year or every other and really how many souvenir mugs does one need?
Suzanne says
Currently staying at Animal Kingdom and mugs at The Mara are $16.49 for length of stay.
Adam says
We actually just got back from Riverside and experienced this first hand. I was confused intially at checkout because she didn’t ask me how long I wanted them for. The cashier told me it was length of stay, assuming 2 weeks (can’t remember exactly). What was odd was that when we put our cups on the machine they had different dates show up. In fact my in laws who bought theirs same day at a different time actually had theirs expire after 6 days. They were leaving on that 7th day try so they didn’t complain or ask questions, but it was very weird all around. Looks like there are some kinks to be worked out.
Laura says
I just hate that the mugs are so small. I would refill one at least twice to make it through a meal. Saw them in Feb at Art of Music and passed since they were too small.
Galloping Gourmond says
I do weekend short stays so the mugs are never a good purchase for me. They don’t work well for breakfast unless I’m going back to the hotel room, which is not something I’m willing to do when I usually have such a long walk. By the time I get back at night the food courts are often closed.
Galloping Gourmond says
@Heather – Coke offers them at a very steep discount due to the volume and the international visibility of the parks. So if your normal establishment makes 80% on soda Disney makes even more. I’d bet around 95%. That’s why they can give so many mugs away as part of the Dining Plan.
@Sarah – no, you have to get a new mug. Here is the DFB FAQ on the RR mugs: http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/disney-refillable-mugs/
Cartier says
If they held more soda, juice…etc and you were able to refill them at the parks then the price would be worth it. I couldn’t see myself purchasing them outside of the dining plan.
mealtrip says
I think I’ll wait for the $64 annual mug.
Rachel says
We stayed at All star sports at the beginning of May and it was one set price…we stayed 4 nights and thought it was a great deal. The parks don’t give you a hard time about bringing them into the park so we make the most of having them!!
Michelle Ratcliff says
it would be great to have a mug for annual pass holders that could be refilled in the parks. We use that option at Seaworld and Universal a lot and don’t mind carrying them and collecting them over the years. It really cuts down on the waste! I agree there need to be better water options at the parks as well. The fountains are too hot!!
Chris V says
We are currently staying at the Contemporary and their price is $16.49!
penny says
I went to the parks last month with my 2 daughters. I loved the mugs and used them often. I do not want to carry them around the parks all day so we would leave them in our room. It is great that the dining plan meals came with drinks. We would go to any food place and ask for a cup of ice water if needed.
Winnie says
The mugs are very pricey and too much soda is no good for you. We only use our refillable mug for tea, coffee etc, as we drink water the rest of the day.
Jenni says
i like the mugs. Although with the steep price of each mug if it weren’t for the dinning package we would not get them. I would like for the cost to stay the same and be able to use them wherever in the parks and all resorts and downtown. With as much as Disney charges per mug that’s probably close to the cost of one bag of syrup. And when you divide how many cups it takes to fill up in one bag of syrup than Disney is making a killing just like the rest of their things. Disney needs to remember that this is a family establishment and some families have to save up for a long time in order to come. They should look at ways to really pass savings along to families especially ones with 5+! There is 7 of us and we always have to take my sister or mom along to help split all of us up since we can’t afford to dine together or room together. Disney should really look into changing some of their costs for bigger families.
John says
The mugs are ok, but what they really need to improve on at the All Stars are the microwave ovens. I am pretty sure they have only one of the original Amana Radar Ranges per resort. There’s always a line of people waiting to use the aged piece of junk. For $1,000 Disney could replace it with a half dozen or so modern Microwaves. I understand they encourage visitors to buy from the food courts, but waiting a half hour to reheat some pizza bought the night before at the food court?
Yvonne says
We are AP. I was told by a CM (at POP) we could bring our mug back at any time we were staying on property and they would activate our mug for that length of stay. We would not have to continue to purchase new mugs.
Shannon says
Everyone knows that you can use older version mugs for coffee and water, right? I don’t know if it’s the official rule, but plenty of cast members have seen my family do it on multiple trips and have never said anything to us. If anything, they smile and nod.
I have an AP, am a Disney fanatic, at the World every few months, and am still bitter that they did this whole price restructuring with the refillable mugs. Like someone else mentioned, soda is so cheap that Disney couldn’t have been losing money on the way it was structured before: buy a mug for $10 (or whatever the price became over the years) and then reuse it your entire stay, and your next stay, and your next stay, into perpetuity. I’m sure that for every person that “overused” their beverage allotment, there were people (like myself) that mainly stuck to water. That’s why I feel no remorse using our mugs from 10 years ago to get coffee and/or water. We spend plenty of money on Disney every year (I’d be embarrassed to know the real $ amount) and don’t regret it one bit, but this whole rapid refill mug thing is the one thing at Disney that makes me feel like they’re taking advantage of guests. Ah well, I love you anyway, WDW.
Kate says
I will say that while the price is steep the mugs themselves are epic (in my experience). I’ve dropped mine, tipped it, carried it in my purse, had a small child accidentally kick it over and stomp it, and nothing has ever spilled. So if you’re an avid travel-mug user it’s well worth it!
Otherwise if you’re just in it for the soda, I wouldn’t truly bother unless you’re there 5+ nights and know you’ll be using it consistently. Being able to use them in the parks would be amazing and make it worth the price though!
mkbeckyc says
I bought a mug yesterday at Port Orleans French Quarter and the new pricing structure is in effect. I paid $16.49 per mug and my mugs are refillable through the 16th (2 days after I check out).
Sandra says
Dana, any CS in the parks will be glad to give you free ice water upon request. You can then put it into your water bottle if you like.
Kaley, we take the bottled drinks that come with our resort meals to the parks with us instead of buying drinks there or using snack credits for water or Coke. We also stash a few in the room cooler for late night snacking, and since we drive, any leftovers are enjoyed on the ride home.
Shannon, the rule really is that you cannot use mugs from past trips or other containers. That is one reason why they went to chipped mugs. People not paying for what they are drinking does drive up the cost for everyone else, no matter how cheap one believes the soda, etc. to be for Disney. Yes, the coffee station is not chipped, but I sympathize with the CMs for not wanting to get into a tussle with a potentially mean guest. I work in a professional public service position so I unfortunately know all about being threatened by people who don’t get things their way. There used to be a permanent mug offered many years ago, but from other lists I’ve heard that with the chipped machines, there was no update offered to those who had purchased them. 🙁
We get our mugs as part of our dining plan, but we also used to buy them back when they were only $9.95. Even at $16.49, because we eat one or more meals per day at our resort food court, we get our money’s worth over a week’s stay. I wish they had a bit more variety in the soft drinks, but having hot tea, coffee, cold tea and sodas as much as we like is a convenience and a cost-saver for us, especially now that you can take them to any resort beverage station for refills.
Joe says
Just came back from the Grand Floridian, they had the one price $16.49 for the length of stay! This is well worth it between coffee and all the sodas! As a frequent visitor we take advantage of this excellent value
Melanie says
Like others and myself have said, DVC, annual and seasonal pass holders should get theirs free regardless of purchasing the dining plan. We are so overloaded with all these mugs its ridiculous.
tg says
It should be noted that length of stay isn’t tied to the actual length of your trip, but 2 weeks or some similar time frame. Which means it may not civet your whole stay if you are lucky enough to be there for an extended amount of time.
Also we don’t need s new mug for every visit so I wish we could just “recharge” a mug er already have :-\
tg says
It should be noted that length of stay isn’t tied to the actual length of your trip, but 2 weeks or some similar time frame. Which means it may not cover your whole stay if you are lucky enough to be there for an extended amount of time. Not so thrilled with the change though for our shorter trips. Or if you needed to add a day to your “length of stay”.
Also we don’t need s new mug for every visit so I wish we could just “recharge” a mug we already have :-\
Jon says
@Maureen
If you are just staying for one night, just pay per drink. Paper cups are around $3 and allow three refills in one hour. This works out much cheaper than a mug for short stays.
@Kaley
If you are on the dining plan and eating at the resort food court, get a bottled drink with your meal. That way you can use the mug to drink at the food court and save the bottle to take into the park later, or put it in the fridge for breakfast.
jane dew says
We always stay in a Disney resort for between 15-17 days so we don’t ever get ‘length of stay’ refills. I hope this complete length of stay offer is extended to all resorts (Beach club this year in December) as it doesn’t seem fair we should have to pay for an extra few days when we’ve paid a king’s ramsom to stay in Disney World.
Allison Carmichael says
I bought a mug at Coronado Springs on May 22 for $16.49. It posted on the drink screen it was good through 6/6, but I left on 5/30. I did not use it as often as I thought I would.
I got a mug in March at AKL and the Mara was so close, I filled it many times over the weekend.
I don’t know if I would get the mug again when I am so far from a refill station.
diane says
One mug of coke in scotland costs3 dollars so cant complain about disney prices it wud b good to use them for refills in the parks even if a choice of more expensive cup we return to all stars in sept usually visit every year and luv it
Tim S says
Arrived at PO Riverside April 27 and the price was indeed $16.49.
Barbara says
Does anyone know if the mug is still included if you purchase the dining plan. Last year it was included
Gretchen says
We are also annual passholders and although the new pricing structure actually is beneficial for our family (its a bit cheaper as we always bought the length of stay option), we too didn’t feel that we were really getting our money’s worth. My husband and I only used the mugs in the morning for coffee and our kids would only use them in the afternoon for a soda by the pool when we were at the resort. We now only purchase two mugs. That way my husband and I have a mug for coffee in the morning and each of our kids use the mugs for a drink by the pool. (Our kids did complain that their soda tasted a bit like coffee though so we started bringing old mugs from previous trips to transfer our coffees into!)
I do however, agree with the suggestion that the mugs should work in the parks. We, by far, spend most of our time at the parks and this is where the mugs would be most beneficial!
Wendy says
I’ve seen a few comments here that people have brought their old microchipped mugs from a previous trip and a CM has reactivated them for a reduced price (someone mentioned $8.99 plus tax). Is this true? I have so many mugs, I don’t want anymore- I’d rather recycle!
I’d like to add to the comment ‘the soda is so cheap for them anyway’. Yes, you are correct. However, the soda needs to cover the labor costs of maintaining the soda stations. In the morning, there usually is at least one cast member constantly making coffee, refilling cream/ sugar, etc. and a second cast member cleaning up after people. I just came home from Aulani and was appalled by people’s behavior. People would leave their empty sugar packets on the counter within 10 inches of the counter top trash can! Yes, I know Disney makes money on soda cups, refillable mugs, etc. They should…they’re a corporation and not a charity.
David says
I would also like to know about “recharging” our mugs from our last trip for $8.99. Can anyone confirm that this is their policy now? I’m worried that the chip won’t recharge after going through the dishwasher?
Lisa says
I remember Disney has sold these refillable mugs for this high price before. It was before they started using the rapid refill chips though. But it would be nice if Disney hotels had a drink station available or open all night. By the time most people get back from the parks at night the food courts are always closed! So I have to pay $3.00 after 11.00pm from a machine if I want a soda ! Or get in my car and drive 2 miles down the road to find a store! Its not right that I have to pay $17.00 for a refill mug for length of stay, when I can’t get to a refill station when I WANT because they’re closed! Ithought the pay by day option was a great idea. Most people can afford that, plus its nice to have a choice.
Other than that, I love the mugs! 🙂 I do wish they’d change design once a year! Or more than they do now anyway!
Barbara says
I do remember years ago when the mugs first came out it was $12 for the length of stay. Now we purchase the meal plan & it is included, but if they stopped including it I honestly would not purchase the mug. We hardly use them , you get two drinks with your breakfast on the meal plan & that is the only meal we eat at the hotel. I don’t like to carry the mug around the park. It’s great for my friend that has 3 little kids to carry around the park , she just throws it in her stroller but as 3 adults, no one wants to carry it & I only bring a tiny bag with me to carry my sunglasses & camera. Maybe they want to consider making it available to refill in the parks I think people would pay even more that $17 for that option