Why Hasn’t Disney World Solved This Refillable Mug PROBLEM Yet?

Refillable mugs are a great way to save a little cash at Disney World, but they also have quite a few flaws. 

For $21.99, you can purchase a Rapid Fill Mug at your Disney World Resort. This mug grants you unlimited refills on soda, tea, and coffee during your vacation. This is a sweet deal for those who plan on spending time around the resorts, as it can save you money on buying individual drinks, but these mugs are not as great as they might seem. 

$21.99 not only gets you the drinks but also includes the price of your mug, meaning you get an added souvenir to take home with you after your trip. The mug is valid for up to 14 days during your entire stay. 

The Rules About Refillable Mugs in Disney World

So what happens if you are taking an extended vacation at Disney World past the 14-day mark? Well, unfortunately, you have to purchase a brand-new mug, which seems a little wasteful. The mugs and the paper cups for drinks have RFID chips at the bottom of the cup/mug. This chip tracks your refills and allows you to fill your mug. It is pretty much your proof of purchase to make the soda machine work.

So once you are past 14 days, your mug will no longer be able to be refilled, and you will need to purchase a new mug. The RFID chip cannot be reactivated. We think it would be a great idea for Disney to allow the existing mugs to be reactivated to avoid wasting another mug. 

It would also be a nice feature to be able to reactivate your mug using the My Disney Experience app instead of having to go purchase a new mug.

There is an exception to this rule. If you are staying at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort, which is located about two hours from Disney World, your mug does not have a limit. For example, when we purchased a Rapid Fill Mug at Vero Beach over the summer, we were given a window of four weeks instead of two. Although unlikely, if you stay at the resort for more than four weeks, you can extend your refill time. 

This is, unfortunately, just another flaw in the Rapid Fill system that people don’t always realize. Another issue people tend to run into with these mugs is that they cannot be refilled in the parks. They can, however, be refilled at any Disney World resort, even if you are not staying at the resort. These mugs are also bulky, and if you refill your mug before heading to the parks, you will have to deal with carrying the sticky mug around with you all day. 

To add to the list of cons, depending on your resort, refill stations can be far from your room, which means that you will have to walk back and forth to and from the refill station multiple times a day to get your money’s worth.

While buying a Rapid Fill Mug marks the start of many people’s vacations at Disney World, we wish that Disney would come up with a way to extend the lives of these mugs instead of needing to get a new one once the 14-day window is up.

FINALLY! There’s a Refillable Mug Inside a Disney World Park

Are you team Refillable Mug? Let us know in the comments!