Rapid Refill Mug: Worth it or a Waste?

Disney offers a really nice perk to those staying on Property. A souvenir mug that's not only solid quality but will stand up to many times in the dishwasher and many tumbles onto the floor without any fading, cracks or marks. 

Anyone staying at an on property resort can buy one of these refillable mugs, but those who purchased the Disney Dining Plan get to have the mug included at no extra cost. If you want to learn more about the Disney Dining Plan, click right here to read my post about it. 

What is this mug?

The refillable Disney mug lets you fill up your mug as often as you want, with whatever you want in the food court area of your resort, or any other for the length of your stay. There is a RFID chip in the bottom of it, that allows the owner to fill it up. There is a small time delay between fill ups. If you tried to use a different cup, say a regular sports bottle without the RFID chip in it, the machine won't dispense the beverage.


What can you fill it up with?

Disney has Coke products, and you'll generally find the same things on tap that you would most any fast food place, Sprite, Coke, Diet Coke, Hi-C, lemonade, root beer, etc. You can also get tea from their tea machine, which usually has four different kinds available, sweetened, unsweetened, white citrus or green. If you like hot drinks, it's all you can drink hot tea, hot coffee or hot chocolate. You will not find juice or milk available to fill in the mug. There are also mug wash spots near the drink dispensers so if you want to fill your mug with orange soda, the last few drops from your morning coffee won't make it taste strange.


How much does this cost?


The mug, and it's unlimited refills costs $17.99 for the length of your stay.


Where can I fill this up at?

At your resort, or any other Disney resort if you feel like carrying it around. You cannot fill it up within the Parks though. If you want to fill it up in the morning and drink it at the bus stop, be prepared to carry it with you until you get back to your room.


How does this work? 

After you have selected the color mug that you want, (usually available are red, green, blue, yellow and purple) take it to the cashier and he or she will activate it. Go over to the drink station and follow the instructions on the digital pad. (Basically setting the cup down, waiting a few seconds, then pushing the button to dispense the beverage choice) 


Why is this right for me?

This might be right for you if

1. You are getting it for free on the Disney Dining Plan
2. You prefer to drink something other than water several times a day
3. You want to take home a mug as a souvenir of your trip
4. You plan to hang around your resort for at least a few hours each day to make use of the mug

Why should I skip this?

You might not want to buy the mug if

1. You prefer to drink water
2. You aren’t going to be at a Disney resort but for a day or two
3. You don't want the hassle of walking to the food court each time you want a refill
   
   
   

Can I have an example of the savings if I bought this?

If the average person bought only three drinks a day, let's say a morning coffee ($2.79), an afternoon soda ($3.29) and an evening tea ($3.29), based on food court prices it would come to $9.37. On a 3 day stay that equals $28.11. The mug is more than paid for, and it's cheaper to have the drinks, plus the mug to take home as a run reminder of your vacation. 

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I'm on the fence as to if I should get this. 

In our opinion, it's completely worth it for the mug since just three drinks in it a day and it's paid for by day two, but I know there are people who don't drink anything other than water, so you'll need to figure out what works best for you. There is always the option of just buying one or two mugs for a family, if some are soda/tea/coffee drinkers and some are not.


What about you? Have you ever gotten the Refillable Mugs before? Do you like them or is it not a good buy for your family?