In just the past few years, Walt Disney World began installing refillable bottle stations (officially called hydration stations) in its Parks and Resorts. To date there aren’t many, but with the many pushes Disney is making to be more eco-conscious (see their controversial plastic plans here!), we expect more will be installed in the future. And lots of readers have expressed interest in these stations, so we’re here with answers for all of your refillable bottle station questions!
Refillable Water Bottle Station
What are refillable bottle stations?
These are water fountains specifically designed to refill bottles. Whether you bring your own water bottle into the Parks or want to reuse a water bottle you bought in your Park travels, these refillable bottle stations make it possible to refill your bottles without having to do that comical and unfruitful bottle tilt at a typical water fountain.
Where can I find these wonders of bottle filling technology?
Presently we’ve confirmed only eight refillable bottle stations, but it feels like there’s more being added on the regular. Some of the earliest were spotted in the queues of Nav’i River Journey and Flight of Passage in Animal Kingdom’s Pandora. These are accessible only to those waiting in line. We’ve also spotted a station at the Hollywood Studios bus stop and Skyliner restrooms. Inside Hollywood Studios, the new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge also has a refillable water bottle station.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Water Bottle Refill Station
Readers have noted that there’s one at the Kidani Village bus stop at Animal Kingdom Lodge, while Cosmic Ray’s in Magic Kingdom, the Odyssey building at Epcot as well as at the new restrooms which just opened between Future World and World Showcase also have one. At present, these hydration stations are not noted on Guide Maps.
Refillable Water Bottle Station at Epcot’s New Restrooms
How do they work?
Refillable bottle stations are designed to send a single stream of water into the mouth of your water bottle without touching the bottle. There’s an outline of a bottle in the filling station that has a sensor. This sensor recognizes when you hold or place a bottle in front of it. Once the sensor senses a bottle is in place, it will automatically send that stream of water into the bottle. As long as you’ve aligned the bottle correctly, it should fill quickly without splashing.
Refillable Water Bottle Station
What if I like ice cold water?
We have found that the water in the refillable stations is cool (but not cold). So if you’re fine with slightly-cooler-than-lukewarm water, you’re set to go. If you prefer freezing cold water, you may want to find a nearby quick service location that will give you a (free) cup of ice that you can dump into your bottle if it has a wide enough mouth. But hey — in zillion degree weather in Orlando, just about any water is better than no water.
Flight of Passage Refillable Water Bottle Station
Do I need a bottle with a filter?
The refillable bottle stations do filter the water that is dispensed into bottles. However, in our experience, the water still has that distinctive central Florida taste. So if you can’t stomach that iconic flavor, you’ll want to bring a filtered bottle that helps eliminate it or bring along flavor packets for your water (which you can buy at any grocery store and bring along with you, or order from a grocery delivery service).
Why would I use one of these?
For starters, they typically refill a bottle efficiently and without wasting as much water as the tip-a-bottle-in-a-water-fountain approach. They also don’t have quite as much danger of someone’s mouth just having touched the spout as water fountains do. But also, the refillable bottle stations keep a tally of how many plastic bottles have been saved by utilizing the refill station, and that’s a great thing for the environment.
Refillable Water Bottle Station at Cosmic Ray’s
We’ll keep an eye on this developing situation and update if any additional information comes to light. But in the meantime, if it works for you, jump on the refillable bottle station craze!
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Will you use these refillable bottle stations?
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Thank you for this informative post.
We have one of these at my workplace. They are fantastic and I hope to see more of them at Disney World. Thanks for the heads up.
I will 4 sure hope Epcot gets some too!!
I see the pic that you have had the bottle fill count at 961. I filled last night and the count now is over 22,000. I’m interested to see what the count is when I am back each time. ? Cheap entertainment
Yes, I will. It would be better if they could only dispense icy cold water however.
One of these was installed at my workplace and really was well-used. Very simple device – just put your bottle where indicated and it automatically fills. Save lots of plastic bottles from going into the landfill. While the water tends to be the same temperature as the room, it is perfectly drinkable. Chilling would be nice but that would mean needing to add some kind of cooling mechanism which would raise the bulk and cost, and likely limit where they could be installed.
Erin, amazing number!
We were able to use these in June when we visited Disney.. they are not and should not be ice cold because in the heat of Orlando if you drink it ice cold it can throw you into shock and even cause death ?!
Be wise stay hydrated not over cooled!
I saw one in the Odyssey building when I was there in June. They are the best.
Will definitely use! Hated that I was given a glass of water instead of staff taking time to fill my bottle when I would ask for water.
We saw these in Animal Kingdom while waiting in the River Ride que. Definitely a plus, considering water is expensive – and a waste of a snack credit.
Plus, the water from the fountains around WDW tastes butt-awful.
I’m not sure why these aren’t everywhere on property. It would save a lot of manpower for ice waters at QS locations and is easier than waiting in line for the free water.
Thanks, Lindsey!
@Sandy says
It’s not because the cast members don’t want to take the time to fill your bottle, it’s because they are not allowed to do so due to health regulations. They cannot introduce non-“sterile” articles into the “sterile” serving area.
I feel like these will have a much bigger impact on plastic reduction than the straw thing (getting rid of straws are fine, but comparatively speaking, water bottles use a ton more plastic). We’re starting to see these all over our here in Seattle and it seems like a lot more people carry reusable water bottles.
Lana,
I wasn’t complaining about Disney supplying the water for guests. I’ve filled up my water bottle from the water fountains many of times. They do what they can do.
Love this, hope more keep popping up. Out here at SFO they actually no longer going to sell bottled water and have these all over the airport. So if coming out to SF make sure to bring your reusable water bottler or you will be purchasing one at the airport.
FYI there are also 2 in Star Wars Lamd! One at Smugglers Run amd 1 in the land elsewhere.
Star Wars galaxies edge has them in Disney’s Hollywood Studios Florida. I used one near the restrooms across from Black Spire Outfitters. The H2O tastes better than from the fountain right next to it.
(Save Money / Save the Environment / Stay Hydrated)
Win, Win, and Win.
I bring a semi frozen G2 Gatorade and keep refilling it with ice and water. It has a large enough opening for the ice from restaurants. I also carry a few individual flavor packets for when the available water tastes too bad.
I stay cool and hydrated in the Florida sun, and save a ton. I visit one or more parks each week to get the most value from my Annual Pass, and I never pay for drinks.
Thanks, Dr. Confido!
Do you know the maximum height your bottle can be to fit in order to refill?
Nothing is CA yet??
Hi thanns for the info to start but does anyone know if its Florida tap water or filtered water not trying to sound stuck up i have a sulfur allergy and Florida water has alot of sulfur in it
We have these at my elementary school too! Surprisingly have held up over years of use so these were a good investment by Disney. Someone keep posting those numbers on the count! That will be fun to watch! Doc you got me jealous with how much you can go to Disney! Then again, I’ve got Dollywood in my backyard so I can’t complain! These refill stations do have a filter that needs changing periodically that helps with the taste of the water. Yeti water bottles will keep ice from your resort all day, but shockingly, so will LUKE!!! I’m talking about the Skywalker $30 metallic looking drink cup they sell at AoA or Pop or other resorts. We didn’t want to risk dropping it and scratching or denting it, so we left it in the car on a 90 degree day and it STILL had ice in it when we returned to the car later that evening!!! Coffee is kept scalding hot just like when it was first dispensed. Best souvenir we bought!
I had heard about these, but didn’t know their locations. I was stunned to see one halfway through the queue to the Pandora ride. Why would they limit access like that? I am extremely disappointed and hope that they rectify this with more accessible locations soon.
Jude, it is unfortunate that Animal Kingdom so far only has the two refill stations in the Pandora ride queues. Those are very helpful for folks standing in the lines for long periods of time, but no one else can access them. I keep hoping Disney will add a lot more refill stations throughout the Parks, so we’ll keep our eyes peeled.