No more free drinks at All Star Sports Resort

[flynnibus]

I would suppose I could buy a mug and then use it to fill all my other mugs? Or simply hold it close to the dispenser while I fill my other mugs?

the range of pickup has to be very small (remember, it's a drink station filling multiple drinks at the same time).

 

[RSoxNo1]

http://www.eddieoneverything.com/de...-pop-like-coke-actually-cost-a-restaurant.php
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070513073921AAm2i2Q

When you are dealing with the volume Disney is, the price just goes down and down and down. If I can make it for $.25, Disney can make it for half that, at the very least.

Unless it's an animatronic. If you can make it for $500K, Disney can make it for $3 million.

 

[flavious27]

He stated that it wasn't that cheap - that it didn't cost 'pennies'. I was showing him he was wrong.

7 cents vs 17 cents vs 27 cents only means something when you times it by a few millions, but disney is still making plenty of bank.

 

[flavious27]

I've been told that the test only includes soda. Coffee and tea are currently not part of the test.

Well forget that then, the people filling up non-disney mega mugs with coffee is what I have a problem with.

 

[WI DISNEY FAN]

I thought if you purchased a mug at one of the All Stars (Movies, Music, or Sports) you could refill it at any of the All Star resorts during your stay.

I thought it was the same way for French Quater and Riverside. Am I incorrect. If I purchase a mug at Music I may only use it at Music and not also Movies???

I thought the Allstars were considered one resort for refills

 

[peter11435]

I would suppose I could buy a mug and then use it to fill all my other mugs? Or simply hold it close to the dispenser while I fill my other mugs?

Give it time! Sadly, people will figure out how to out smart it. Sometimes the simplest of solutions "fix" the most complex contraptions.

You would only be able to fill one mug and then you would have to wait 5 minutes between each additional mug.

 

[Kamikaze]

I thought if you purchased a mug at one of the All Stars (Movies, Music, or Sports) you could refill it at any of the All Star resorts during your stay.

I thought it was the same way for French Quater and Riverside. Am I incorrect. If I purchase a mug at Music I may only use it at Music and not also Movies???

I thought the Allstars were considered one resort for refills

They are. This system is currently only in place at Sports, so you would have to buy it at Sports to be able to use it there, but you would have no problem using it at Music and Movies. If you purchased the mug at Music or Movies, it would not work at Sports. No idea if there if they have some sort of 'override' available, but they must, as RFID has to have a failure rate, even it its one in ten thousand.

You would only be able to fill one mug and then you would have to wait 5 minutes between each additional mug.

According to one of the videos on ValidFill's site, when the timer starts, you have what looks to be about 20 seconds to do whatever you want to do, so you can mix and max flavors, top off, etc. So in theory you could fill as much as possible in those 20 seconds.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

According to one of the videos on ValidFill's site, when the timer starts, you have what looks to be about 20 seconds to do whatever you want to do, so you can mix and max flavors, top off, etc. So in theory you could fill as much as possible in those 20 seconds.

I see a new Disney internet meme... fill, chug and fill again in 20 seconds or less!

 

[Kamikaze]

I see a new Disney internet meme... fill, chug and fill again in 20 seconds or less!

Already been doing that for years.

 

[flynnibus]

According to one of the videos on ValidFill's site, when the timer starts, you have what looks to be about 20 seconds to do whatever you want to do, so you can mix and max flavors, top off, etc. So in theory you could fill as much as possible in those 20 seconds.

The system tracks how much is dispensed.. so it's not 'unlimited' in 20 seconds. The timer is just to let you start/stop/switch once a fill has started.. it still tracks how much was dispensed and limits it.

This was seen in Denise's video of the test as well.. where the system limited how much it dispensed to her cup based on volume, not time.

 

[markc]

I still only see part of the equation in those posts you put up. The math is flawed to begin with because it does not begin to take into account any overhead costs associated with a fountain machine aside from syrup. CO2 costs are "minimal", Then there is the cost to lease the machines themselves, the cost of water, the cost of drink accessories(straws, cups, tops) the cost of "waste", the cost of clean up, the cost of electricity. These costs add up. Each one individually may be really small, but when you add them all up you start to tack pennies onto your cost.

The math is just as flawed in your equation as the way you calculate it shows you have never had any experience in the food service industry to know the true costs.

Disney owns most of these machines (albeit they were handed to them for free) - no leases involved. The exception being are those machines at the water parks that use the barcode validation system (and the all-stars RFID validation). Those did involve them putting in a slight investment, but that's out of scope for the discussion we're having on the regular machines. The overhead for these is so tiny, it makes the syrup look expensive. All those costs you listed add up to a big whopping 0.0001 per drink for Disney. Based on disney's infrastructure, utilities have always been minimal. And remember - water is free. Not literally - but as they offer it free to all guests, it cant be used in the equation to determine what the cost is to offer a carbonated drink (and it isn't included in the cost internally when they budget it, according to some pricing analysts that I know over there).

Literally, soda is an afterthought for disney. The ONLY reason it was being used to stop abuse at the All-Stars is because the value resorts are where the most problems are. And no, its not because of the re-use of old mugs - but rather the use of water bottles, old cups, random mugs...etc. Disney does not care or have any concern about guests re-using old resort mugs from past visits. It's the other use that has them worried, which are rampant at the All-Stars due to all the tour groups/cheer groups/teen groups that go there, un supervised.

The costs to start up this RFID isnt cheap - and its very unlikely we'll see it spread through the rest of the resort. Each RFID chip comes at a cost of $0.24 per cup. Add that up, and you'll see why its not a cost Disney wants to incur property wide. When they pay $0.01 per drink - its an investment you only want to apply in extreme situations. Rest assured, I dont think we'll see the Yacht and Beach Club or the Contemporary with these machines anytime in the near future.

 

[unkadug]

^

Marc...all my research shows a significantly lower cost per cup.


i.e.: http://www.rfidjournal.com/faq/20/85

 

[Hakunamatata]

The math is just as flawed in your equation as the way you calculate it shows you have never had any experience in the food service industry to know the true costs.

Disney owns most of these machines (albeit they were handed to them for free) - no leases involved. The exception being are those machines at the water parks that use the barcode validation system (and the all-stars RFID validation). Those did involve them putting in a slight investment, but that's out of scope for the discussion we're having on the regular machines. The overhead for these is so tiny, it makes the syrup look expensive. All those costs you listed add up to a big whopping 0.0001 per drink for Disney. Based on disney's infrastructure, utilities have always been minimal. And remember - water is free. Not literally - but as they offer it free to all guests, it cant be used in the equation to determine what the cost is to offer a carbonated drink (and it isn't included in the cost internally when they budget it, according to some pricing analysts that I know over there).

Literally, soda is an afterthought for disney. The ONLY reason it was being used to stop abuse at the All-Stars is because the value resorts are where the most problems are. And no, its not because of the re-use of old mugs - but rather the use of water bottles, old cups, random mugs...etc. Disney does not care or have any concern about guests re-using old resort mugs from past visits. It's the other use that has them worried, which are rampant at the All-Stars due to all the tour groups/cheer groups/teen groups that go there, un supervised.

The costs to start up this RFID isnt cheap - and its very unlikely we'll see it spread through the rest of the resort. Each RFID chip comes at a cost of $0.24 per cup. Add that up, and you'll see why its not a cost Disney wants to incur property wide. When they pay $0.01 per drink - its an investment you only want to apply in extreme situations. Rest assured, I dont think we'll see the Yacht and Beach Club or the Contemporary with these machines anytime in the near future.

Makes sense.

 

[CaptainJackNO]

The math is just as flawed in your equation as the way you calculate it shows you have never had any experience in the food service industry to know the true costs.

Disney owns most of these machines (albeit they were handed to them for free) - no leases involved. The exception being are those machines at the water parks that use the barcode validation system (and the all-stars RFID validation). Those did involve them putting in a slight investment, but that's out of scope for the discussion we're having on the regular machines. The overhead for these is so tiny, it makes the syrup look expensive. All those costs you listed add up to a big whopping 0.0001 per drink for Disney. Based on disney's infrastructure, utilities have always been minimal. And remember - water is free. Not literally - but as they offer it free to all guests, it cant be used in the equation to determine what the cost is to offer a carbonated drink (and it isn't included in the cost internally when they budget it, according to some pricing analysts that I know over there).

Literally, soda is an afterthought for disney. The ONLY reason it was being used to stop abuse at the All-Stars is because the value resorts are where the most problems are. And no, its not because of the re-use of old mugs - but rather the use of water bottles, old cups, random mugs...etc. Disney does not care or have any concern about guests re-using old resort mugs from past visits. It's the other use that has them worried, which are rampant at the All-Stars due to all the tour groups/cheer groups/teen groups that go there, un supervised.

The costs to start up this RFID isnt cheap - and its very unlikely we'll see it spread through the rest of the resort. Each RFID chip comes at a cost of $0.24 per cup. Add that up, and you'll see why its not a cost Disney wants to incur property wide. When they pay $0.01 per drink - its an investment you only want to apply in extreme situations. Rest assured, I dont think we'll see the Yacht and Beach Club or the Contemporary with these machines anytime in the near future.

You know, I didn't even think about the people using non-disney cups and mugs. That is stealing, for pete's sake. And, now I see why this is necessary. Now that I think about it, the last time we stayed at an all-star, I did see people, adults included, doing this very thing. As someone who pays for their drinks and does not steal, now I am glad that they have this system. No one should be able to do such a thing.

 

[yelena's aunt]

Gonna bump this thread as I just returned from AllStar Sports. They have removed the smart cups and machines from the food court, as a cast member told me, because it was just too confusing for everyone involved (really sarcastic comment withheld from post). Apparently they came and went within a few months (I was there in October and used the machines, returned February and they were gone).

 

[Master Yoda]

Gonna bump this thread as I just returned from AllStar Sports. They have removed the smart cups and machines from the food court, as a cast member told me, because it was just too confusing for everyone involved (really sarcastic comment withheld from post). Apparently they came and went within a few months (I was there in October and used the machines, returned February and they were gone).

I can't say that I am all that surprised. They seemed to make what could have been a very simple system very complicated.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

I was thinking recently that the test must not have proved successful or worthwhile for them. I feel that had it worked in a way they wanted we would have already seen these machines property wide. However, after months of testing (they were still there in Dec when I stayed at the resort) I guess they just couldn't make it work the way they wanted.

 

[patricia27]

The math is just as flawed in your equation as the way you calculate it shows you have never had any experience in the food service industry to know the true costs.

Disney owns most of these machines (albeit they were handed to them for free) - no leases involved. The exception being are those machines at the water parks that use the barcode validation system (and the all-stars RFID validation). Those did involve them putting in a slight investment, but that's out of scope for the discussion we're having on the regular machines. The overhead for these is so tiny, it makes the syrup look expensive. All those costs you listed add up to a big whopping 0.0001 per drink for Disney. Based on disney's infrastructure, utilities have always been minimal. And remember - water is free. Not literally - but as they offer it free to all guests, it cant be used in the equation to determine what the cost is to offer a carbonated drink (and it isn't included in the cost internally when they budget it, according to some pricing analysts that I know over there).

Literally, soda is an afterthought for disney. The ONLY reason it was being used to stop abuse at the All-Stars is because the value resorts are where the most problems are. And no, its not because of the re-use of old mugs - but rather the use of water bottles, old cups, random mugs...etc. Disney does not care or have any concern about guests re-using old resort mugs from past visits. It's the other use that has them worried, which are rampant at the All-Stars due to all the tour groups/cheer groups/teen groups that go there, un supervised.

The costs to start up this RFID isnt cheap - and its very unlikely we'll see it spread through the rest of the resort. Each RFID chip comes at a cost of $0.24 per cup. Add that up, and you'll see why its not a cost Disney wants to incur property wide. When they pay $0.01 per drink - its an investment you only want to apply in extreme situations. Rest assured, I dont think we'll see the Yacht and Beach Club or the Contemporary with these machines anytime in the near future.

Using your own mug/cup is theft!!

 

[flynnibus]

I was thinking recently that the test must not have proved successful or worthwhile for them. I feel that had it worked in a way they wanted we would have already seen these machines property wide. However, after months of testing (they were still there in Dec when I stayed at the resort) I guess they just couldn't make it work the way they wanted.

Or simply they learned what they wanted.. and have taken the data back to rework the solution or figure out how to scale it, etc.

Either way, kind of hard for us to know from the outside. The barcode ones are still in the water parks aren't they?

 

[TheDisneyMagic]

Or simply they learned what they wanted.. and have taken the data back to rework the solution or figure out how to scale it, etc.

Either way, kind of hard for us to know from the outside. The barcode ones are still in the water parks aren't they?

Yes the ones in the water parks are still there.