Blown Away + Cup Question

[mamakimberly]

We got annual passes this weekend for Universal. We had Disney passes until February and our 7 & 9 year old daughters really loved Disney, but felt like they were too old for princessy stuff. My older daughter especially wanted more adventurous rides.

I'd heard such bad reviews about Universal, so my expectations were very low.

Oh. My. We were BLOWN away by Universal. We didn't have enough time at USF to do it justice and will have to return one night this week for a few more hours to look around.

But Spiderman! Oh my! The graphics!!! And then FJ! Just wow! We were able to ride FJ 5 times in less than an hour (thank you Single Rider line!). We loved everything at IOA except the pathetic Pteronadon Flyers.

At USF we loved what little we did (T2, Simpsons, and MIB).

There's no point to all of that other than wow, it was all so much better than I expected!

My question is about the cups. If we were to buy a plastic mug at one of the stores (not the blue meal deal ones) can we get the cheap refills on drinks all year? I think the red ones are kind of ugly and I'd rather get something cuter in the stores.

Thanks!

 

[getmemickey]

I don't have an answer about the cup sorry:/
But it's great to hear about your experience at US! It will be our
First time and I was worried about the forbidden journey being too scary for
My DS 8.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

I believe the rule on the refillable cups is that they are only supposed to be used on the day your purchase them. However, I see people refilling mugs from years ago without any team member saying a word. Unlike Disney where you fill the mug yourself at a resort at Universal you actually hand it to someone at the counter and they do it. So I feel that if there was an issue they wouldn't be filling mugs from years past.

 

[GLaDOS]

First of all, I'm glad you enjoyed Universal. The bad reviews you heard are most likely from disgruntled Disney fans who believe nothing can be as good as their precious parks. In reality, both resorts are world class attractions and do different things right.

My question is about the cups. If we were to buy a plastic mug at one of the stores (not the blue meal deal ones) can we get the cheap refills on drinks all year? I think the red ones are kind of ugly and I'd rather get something cuter in the stores.

The best way to do what you're looking for is to go to the Hog's Head or Three Broomsticks in WWoHP and buy a butter beer mug. It's in the 7-9 dollar range (includes a full cup of butterbeer!:slurp and can be used for refils anywhere in the parks for 89 cents.

 

[Timekeeper]

Employees are not (and have not) enforcing the "same day of purchase" rule by requiring display of proof of purchase of refillable mugs. That might change, one day, but for now you are free to use a meal mug (blue or red) or the numerous character mugs (that are usually much more bulky, heavy, and oddly shaped). So if you prefer a Sponge Bob mug, go for it. You'll just have to remember to bring it back to the parks with you on each subsequent visit.

Note: Sometimes (depending on the person) the security personnel doing the bag checks in the transportation hub will not allow unsealed (opened) beverages from outside into the park areas. This is a bit silly, however, considering that there are multiple vending machines in the parking garages and a refreshment stand 50 feet from the security check point. So plenty of guests respond, "But I just purchased this," to which security will typically allow entry.

But empty - refillable - mugs are never a problem, and neither are sealed (non-alcoholic) beverages.