I’m a coffee drinker, and a morning just doesn’t START for me unless I have that hot cup of Joe to get my blood pumping. It doesn’t even have to be particularly great coffee, which is good, as not many people would consider the stuff you get in the food courts to be “good” coffee. For me, it just has to be caffeinated.

Disney's Refillable Resort Mugs

And the cost of couple of cups a day can really add up! Luckily, Disney offers a refillable mug program to guests staying at one of its resorts.

The History of the Refillable Resort Mug program

The Disney World resorts have been offering refillable mugs in the food courts for years and years. The first one in my collection dates back to 2002 when I went to The World as an adult, but they’ve been around for a lot longer than that.

The mugs were originally themed to the resorts themselves. The Port Orleans mugs were purple and green with the Fab 5 dressed as members of a jazz band, the Animal Kingdom Lodge’s mugs at The Mara were orange and red and had animals playing with Mickey and friends, The Beach Club had a beachy theme, and so on….

Then in late 2006, Disney World went to a “universal” design for all resorts.

The first "universal" resort mug design

At first, many of us thought it was just something they were doing for the Year of a Million Dreams campaign, and that they go back to the resort-specific mugs. But when the YoaMD and its sister campaign ended after 2007, the red “Celebrate” themed mugs popped up at all resorts, followed by the current “resort pool” mug theme that appeared in 2011.

The current modus operandi seems to be that they release a new mug design every two years. They usually begin appearing as an individual resort runs out of the previous themed mug stock – which seems to take until about February.

Will we see resort-specific mugs ever again?

Personally,  I would seriously doubt that. From a cost perspective, it makes better sense to use a “universal” design because it means they can do larger orders from the manufacturer, which results in less cost per mug. Plus, they don’t have to maintain multiple designs in their warehouses, worry about inventory management or stocking, and all that transportation around to the resorts.

All of those things bring down the cost/raise their profits considerably with the universal design — even though many guests clamor for the resort-specific ones to come back.

But what *are* the refillable mugs?

They are plastic, insulated mugs that hold about 16 ounces of fluid. They are designed to fit in most cars drink holders, have a variety of handle/lid colors, and hold up well to repeated use — even surviving many years of abuse in a dishwasher.

You can pick them up at your Disney resort’s food court – usually near the cashier stations. Once paid for, the cashier will remove the security catch so they can be used at the beverage islands for fill-ups.

If you are on the Disney Dining Plan in 2012, you will receive a mug for each person in your reservation aged 3 and over. Just go to the food court and present your Keys to the Kingdom resort room keycard and the cashier will get you your mugs.

What drinks are on offer?

Disney World is a “Coke Country,” which means they have an exclusive deal with the Coca-Cola Company to offer their sodas. That includes Coke, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Sprite, Powerade, Barq’s Root Beer, Dr. Pepper, Minute Maid fruit drinks, Hi-C, and others.

Coffee (and creamer), hot tea, and hot chocolate are also available with the refillable mug program.

In the resort food courts, look for the soda fountains.

All-Star Music beverage island

What drinks aren’t included?

Orange juice, milk and other specialty drinks are not included in the refillable mug program. Those beverages can be found for purchase in the grab-n-go section of the food court.

How many times can I use my mug?

As many times as you want – but only during the vacation in which you purchased the mug.

The Disney Refillable Resort Mugs are no longer “lifetime” mugs. In fact the Disney policy is printed right on the mugs themselves.

Refills available at no additional charge at Resort Beverage Island located in the resort that this mug was purchased through the end of your resort stay.

Do people follow this policy?

Though many, many people do follow the policy, there are those who are not “overburdened with ethics.”

We’ve all seen them – the people who bring in any random container and fill them up with “free” soda, and no amount of my giving them the stink eye seems to deter them.

However, a new program being tested at the All-Star Sports resort may bring an end to this problem. With RFID chips in the mugs themselves, a new dispenser will lock out unauthorized containers, as well as track the check-out date of the mug’s owner so that the mug cannot be used after midnight on the day they leave the resort.

Learn more about it here: Disney World Refillable Mug System Experiment

What about a vacation where I stay in two resorts?

The whole split stay issue is a grey area, about which even Disney’s front-line employees seem unclear. The language of the current policy seems to say you can’t use it at both resorts through a split stay, but some Cast Members (even management-level CMs) tell you a different story.

If and when they roll out the RFID mugs to other resorts, it will become more clear as we learn what guests on a split stay discover about their ability to use the mugs at two resorts.

What about using them at sister resorts?

If you are staying at a resort that is paired with another resort (like the three All-Star resorts, the two Port Orleans Resorts, or the Yacht Club/Beach Club), you may use the mugs at the sister resort(s) paired with your home resort. So, I could be staying at Port Orleans French Quarter and use my mug at PO Riverside.

Disney Food Blog's picture of the current mugs

Are they good in the theme parks or water parks?

No. You cannot refill the mugs at any beverage dispenser but the ones in your resort’s food court.

But you’re welcome to take the mugs with you! Fill them from the water fountains, or from left-over drinks at meals (as, being insulated, they do keep drinks from getting too warm too quickly.) Just keep in mind that they are not water-tight, and may leak if tipped over.

Lots of folks like to take their mug with them on the bus in the morning (though I’ve had the occasional bus driver remind me that I’m not allowed to actually drink from it while on the bus,) and it’s nice to have it with you when you drag your exhausted body back to the resort late that night. A quick fill-up might be just what you need to recoup some energy back in the room.

Are they a good value?

Like all things, that depends on you. If you’re a big soda/coffee drinker and are staying at that resort for a few days, then probably yes. If you don’t like the beverages included in the program, then probably not.

As I always say: do the math.

At between $2.00 and $2.50 per drink (which is refillable for that meal, even with the paper cups), you need to determine if will you puchase enough drinks to match the cost of the mug? With the current price of the refillable mug at about $15 with tax, you’d have to consume just 7-8 drinks in order to make the mug purchase a “wash” — and you’d come away with a nice souvenir that you can use for years to come.

Any other questions, just ask!