DDP and refillable mugs...

[akalittleeva]

Just wondering how many people doing the DDP still buy the refillable mug for your resort? I suppose you could save your drinks that come with your meal for another time, just wondering if it would be worthwhile - not big coffee drinkers and only planning a couple meals at resort, but might be nice to use for some evenings and pool times as well - how much do they cost now?

 

[bicker]

Refillable mugs aren't refillable at full-service restaurants anyway, so I wouldn't really feel any correlation between the Dining Plan and the refillable mugs.

 

[formernyer]

There is a correlation because some people buy a lot of their CS meals at the resort and those meals come with a drink.

During my trip last month we purchased the mug for drinks in the morning and night at the resort. We were only there for 4 days/3 nights so we didn't expect to get our money's worth out of it...it was more of a souvenier for the kids. We refilled it about 8 - 10 times while we were there. We ordered a few random breakfasts at the resort food court using CS credits that were saved from sharing. We used the refillable mug during those meals and got 22oz refrigerated powerades and nesquiks with the DDP credits (which we took home at the end of the trip).

The mug was $11.99. An no, it wasn't worth it in terms of refills for the week even though drinks were $2.00 each. If we didn't have the mug, we would have used the cheap canned cokes in my car. For short trips like mine, the mug is really only "worth" it if you want it as a souvenier (or if you spend a LOT of time at the resort).

 

[beattyfamily]

We were on the DDP last Sept/Oct and still bought the mug. Those counter service and snack credits go fast and we still needed a lot more drinks. We used the mug quite a bit in the AM for breakfast and PM for a drink while resting in our room.

The snacks we mostly used for ice cream and rice crispy treats.

I also enjoy having the mug (if I don't already have one for that resort) as a resort souvenir.

 

[bicker]

There is a correlation because some people buy a lot of their CS meals at the resort and those meals come with a drink.

I said "I wouldn't really feel any correlation..." YMMV.

I don't think the refillable mugs are worth it for me regardless of the Dining Plan. I can make coffee in my room (with better coffee grounds), and keep the refrigerator filled with sodas, and save myself the bother of going to the refilling station.

 

[formernyer]

I can make coffee in my room (with better coffee grounds), and keep the refrigerator filled with sodas, and save myself the bother of going to the refilling station.

I agree with you to an extent. I made my own coffee because I refuse to drink Nescafe. I also had my car stocked with sodas. It's definitely the cheaper way. Things change a little bit with kids though. For my kids, it was actually exciting to take the walk to the food court and get to choose a different beverage every time. I'm not sure why, since it's no different than refilling at McDonalds, but something about being on vacation made everything exciting to them.

If the mug was not a great souvenier I wouldn't have done it, but the mug itself made the difference.

On second thought, in a way I guess it actually did pay for itself. If we didn't have the refillable mug we would have had to drink the beverages that came with our CS meals instead of taking them home. Since we had the mug, we took home one big Nesquik and five 22oz Powerades (which my son used during baseball practices/games).

 

[Pedler]

We used them with the DDP over a seven night stay primarily for drinks in the morning and occasionally for drinks in the afternoon. We were there in August so carbonated drinks were not tops on our list. We ended up getting bottled water with most of our CS meals and a bunch of our snack credits.

I wish I could have made coffee in our room like the previous posters. Unfortunately I get up at least a half hour before the rest of the family so turning on the coffee maker and making noise in the room at that hour wasn't a real option. The real kicker was that I am used to my home espresso machine and having to switch to the nescafe at WDW was quite an adjustment.

 

[bicker]

That's one of the best advantages of the 1BR villa... I can make coffee, watch television (with the closed-captioning on, sound off), etc., in the living room, while my wife is still asleep in the bedroom.

 

[pezpam]

I do. DD and I tend to drink a lot, especially when it's hot. With the mugs, we can drink as much as we like during meals we have at the resort - and we do wind up either eating several times during our visits and passing through the food court on the way to/from our room a few times each day. Using the mug for meals, we get a bottle of water or soda and take that to the park to have when we get hot. If we need more, it's probably too hot to eat much, so we can use the snack credit to get another drink. If we don't, we can use the credit for something to eat.

It'll be worth it for some, not for others. Whatever.

 

[kcashner]

In part it depends on how long you are staying. The mugs are $12. If you stay 6 days, that is basically one drink per day (yes, I realize that the mugs hold less than the 21 ounce cups, but you can refill them). For a shorter stay, it might not be a worthwhile.

Another factor is your room location in relation to the drink station. For our December stay, we walked right past the marketplace on the way to our rooms. We refilled frequently. Also, when we ate at Beaches & Cream our drinks were not charged as we had the mugs (weren't on DDP for that stay). Kids could get drinks at the pool also (yes, they swam in December....I didn't). At Saratoga, we will not go past the drink station between the bus stop and our unit, so we may not refill so often. However, given my fluid habits we will still more than get our use out of them. That way, snack credits can be used on something else!

For us, they are a great thing. I drink a lot of iced tea, and would get a couple mugs per day.

 

[akalittleeva]

Thanks for all the replies - I never really thought of the length of stay thing - we will be there 9 days, so we probably will get our money's worth - ds is old enough now that I can get him to do the running if need be to refill - never thought of that, either. We're at POP and planning on spending a couple afternoon's by the pool. I don't think the price has gone up much or at all since we were there a couple years back - I'll probably get a couple - one for each of the kids and share them - I think that is what I did last time...

One more quick question...is it just for the fountain drinks...what does that include - juice by chance?

 

[bicker]

Not containers or boxes of juice, no. Sometimes, they have lemonade or some other fruity-type drink in the fountain, and that would be included with the refillable mugs.

 

[beattyfamily]

From my last stay, I remember sodas (and any juice or iced tea or lemonaide that was in the soda machine), coffee, tea and hot chocolate and as of 12/05 frozen coke was available at the Contemporary which we love!!

 

[formernyer]

AFAIK the only resort that still includes frozen drinks with the refillable mug is POP. They have coke or blue raspberry flavors.

Other choices include:
coke
diet coke
sprite
minutemaid orange soda
minutemaid lemonade
lipton iced tea (sweetened)
blue powerade
fresh brewed unsweetened iced tea
hot tea (including herbals)
hot chocolate
fake coffee (nescafe) - avoid this like the plague! bring your own coffee from home!

 

[littlele]

Sorry if this is slightly OT, but I am now deathly afraid to drink the coffee in my room (Nescafe? who wouldn't be).

If I bring my own grounds, what kind of fliter am I going to need? Thanks for the help!

 

[bicker]

Most of the regular hotel rooms that have coffee makers in them use the 4-cup Mr. Coffee (flat bottomed) type.

 

[Priorityonecb]

We are on the dining plan, and will be purchasing mugs. We'll fill those up with breakfast...and use water bottles from breakfast to start our days in the parks. We'll also fill them while sitting at the pools in the afternoons (frozen cokes from POP by the pool...love it!). We will probably fill them in the evenings as well for one last drink before bed. I think it's a good investment...and a great souvenier as well!

 

[formernyer]

Most of the regular hotel rooms that have coffee makers in them use the 4-cup Mr. Coffee (flat bottomed) type.

None of the Value resorts come with coffee makers (except possibly the new ASMu suites...not even sure about that one).

If you stay at a Value Resort, bring a coffee maker from home.

Some people who only drink a cup or two a day can deal with Nescafe and they won't really know the difference, but if you are a "real" coffee drinker consider yourself warned.

 

[littlele]

We will be POFQ, so we can make our own coffee. But now I am wondering if I should just go with the coffee in the food court. Is that any better? I guess we're 'real' coffee drinkers. We live in the northwest after all! Does that qualify us? That, and if I buy coffee in the grocery store (Millstone, etc) my husband can always tell that I bought the 'gross stuff'.

So I'm back to the OP question.....should I deal with bringing the stuff to make coffee in my room or just get the mugs and trek down to the food court every am?

 

[bicker]

Bring your own coffee.