New Refillable Mug Design for 2014

Yippee, there's a new Disney mug design for 2014!  The husband and I were just talking about refillable mugs the other day.  We knew that the refillable mugs for our next trip would be Rapid Fill mugs with RFID chips for our next trip.  What we didn't know was whether or not the mugs would be the same design we've had for the last few trips, or a new design.  Now we know.  New design!

These new mugs come in 4 different lid/handle colors:  purple, blue, yellow, and orange.  The design is the same for all of the mugs.  I already know which colors will be picked by our family members!

The new mugs require an activation--for the Rapid Fill system--click here to read more.  For guests with Dining Plans, the refillable mugs are included.  Otherwise, guests pay based on the length of stay and/or how long they want to refill their mug.

The mugs can be found in food courts at Walt Disney World Resorts, when supplies of current mugs diminish.  And, for now, refilling is only at resort food courts; not the them parks.

These new mugs will come home with us after our trip and join the other Disney mugs that are used regularly.  We keep them filled with water and in the refrigerator for a magical, cold drink of water any time.  While microwaving is prohibited, we do wash them in the dishwasher.

What color will you pick?

"Rapid Fill" For Mugs Coming to Disney Resorts

Yesterday, the Walt Disney World Resort announced a new “tiered” refillable mug program called “Rapid Fill” that will begin this month at All Star Resorts and then expand to all other Disney Resorts.

The new program allows the RFID chip embedded into the mugs to be programmed to allow refills for guests for various lengths of time, depending on the length of stay.  The RFID chip in the mug will then deactivate itself at the end of the purchase period.

The pricing is based on calendar days:

• $8.99 for 1 day
• $11.99 for 2 days
• $14.99 for 3 days
• $17.99 for length of stay

The soda refill machines will then be equipped with LCD screens that tell guests how many more days of refills are left on their refillable mugs. 

Mugs from previous trips will be useless, as new mugs (which can have the RFID chip activated) will need to be purchased for each trip.

The new mugs, with activated RFID chips will be included in some Dining Plans.

Okay, we have been hearing this was coming for some time and now it is here.  What I don’t understand is the selling point of “now your refillable mugs can be used at any resort.”  This is not new!  The previous refillable mugs could also be used at any resort food court!  Didn’t people try this?  We explored both the Contemporary Resort and Wilderness Lodge and just happened to have our mugs with us.  It was great to take a break at the Contemporary with a snack and drinks from our refillable mugs.  The Monorail and EPCOT resorts better watch out as guests from nearby Magic Kingdom and EPCOT are going to throng to their food courts for free refills!  Probably not, but if this “refill your mug at any resort” is an advertising bullet for this new program, it is certainly a possibility.

We have been long time fans of the refillable mugs—purchasing some at Caribbean Beach many moons ago, you know, when the mugs had the resort logos.  We continued to bring them back—even to Port Orleans Riverside.  Yes, I know you aren’t supposed to do this. 

Then, when refillable mugs became part of the Dining Plan, our collection of refillable mugs has grown considerably, as we obtained 3 new mugs with each trip.  Looks like that tradition will continue with the new Rapid Fill program.

What I could get behind is a program that allows refills at the various theme parks, water parks, and Downtown Disney.  Couldn’t Disney’s extensive recycling program get behind that type of program?  Buy your mug and fill it throughout the entire Walt Disney World Resort, which is what I think the Disney wordsmiths are trying to convey with the “fill your mug at any resort” which is misleading. 

What about mugs for Annual Passholders?  Their mugs could be activated for the entire year of their pass! 

Rapid Fill most likely won’t affect us this trip and we will carry on as usual.  I am curious about the roll-out though, as I anticipate some kinks in the normally well oiled Disney machine.  And, in the meantime, may your cup. . . er, mug, runeth over.

Walt Disney World Resort Refillable Mugs

Guests at Walt Disney World Resorts can purchase refillable mugs at the resort’s food court.  These mugs can then be used and refilled throughout the resort stay.

There are beverage dispensers in each resort food court for refilling the mugs. Know that the mugs can only be refilled at the resort, not the parks.




Both Disney waterparks, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon, offer their own refillable mugs.



The cost of the mugs is between $13 and $15 including tax. Depending on the length of your stay and how many times you might refill your mug, the cost/savings ratio will vary.



The official policy is that the refillable mug can only be used during the stay in which you purchased the mug.

Refillable mugs used to be purchased with various Disney resort logos. Now, the refillable mugs have a universal design and are the same no matter the resort. Some Disney guests collect the various refillable mugs with the resort logos or universal designs from years past.




If guests add on the Quick Service Dining Plan or the Deluxe Dining Plan, refillable mugs come as part of the plan.



Our mileage using the refillable mugs has been great, as we like to refill them each evening and put them in the refrigerator in our resort room. As I need a bit of a cold caffeine fix in the morning, I have one waiting for me in the refrigerator. The husband and the boy also enjoy the various sodas and fruit punch.