Rapid Fill Mug Program Fails (at more ways than you might think)

[ford91exploder]

This whole thread makes me sad. I was kind of excited when I first heard about this plan. More than once have I come back from the parks, only to realize the QS was closed (most notably at CR when we were staying in the tower. I could see the glorious machines from outside my room, yet they were closed, and I was thirsty). Or as in the case at Poly, the drink machines were so far away that it wasn't half worth doing (this was before the mugs were included in DDP). I thought this was going to a great way to keep the drink machines open 24/7.

This time, we're not doing the DDP, and we won't get mugs on the side, either. Glad we have a full fridge to hold as much as we want to buy OUTSIDE the park for our consumption in our ONSITE resort. Disney's made the whole drink thing too hard.

Properly done like Royal Carribean does the drink stations could have been 24x7

 

[jaklgreen]

Just want to highlight the most important part of your comment.

Nickel and diming guests on soda, of all stupid things, will only cause them to nickel and dime you on say, hotels. Or park merchandise. On ride photos. Meet n greet photo packages. Park hopper passes. Fancy dinners, snacks to take back to the room, a few candy apples to take home on the plane, etc.

Cheapness shows. Everywhere. You can't have a dollar store and gussy it up to look like Macy's and then charge Macy's prices. At the end of the day, it's still a dollar store.

Do they seriously not realize that by doing something that seems so small and inconsequential, they are showing their true Disney Side? And by people like US not griping about it, we're allowing it to happen...

All tourist attractions "nickel and dime" people. We went on a dolphin hug and kiss excursion in Grand Cayman and they did not allow you to use your own camera but charged $70!!!!!! for 1 picture. But for some reason people get very very angry when they think Disney is charging too much. I travel a lot and I still think WDW is a decent value for what you get compared to most places.

 

[omurice]

So did RapidFill come up at the quarterly meeting today? How many hundreds of dollars in stolen soda were recouped by this brilliant, multi-million dollar scheme? Jaws will drop at the projected return on investment powerpoint slide for this one.

Edit - Apologies for my sarcasm but this policy, it could be printed in a business school textbook as the example for "penny wise and pound foolish".

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Sorry, your thread refill has not hit it's timer yet..

 

[ford91exploder]

So did RapidFill come up at the quarterly meeting today? How many hundreds of dollars in stolen soda were recouped by this brilliant, multi-million dollar scheme? Jaws will drop at the projected return on investment powerpoint slide for this one.

Edit - Apologies for my sarcasm but this policy, it could be printed in a business school textbook as the example for "penny wise and pound foolish".

The sad thing is if done CORRECTLY it could have been a plus for guests by placing RFID soda machines for 24x7 access. This would have stopped the soda theft problem and given the guests a nice plussing at the same time.

 

[dstrawn9889]

The sad thing is if done CORRECTLY it could have been a plus for guests by placing RFID soda machines for 24x7 access. This would have stopped the soda theft problem and given the guests a nice plussing at the same time.

until they figure out the freestyle back-door access code For purging and testing... either in the water or ginger ale section (think bubble order).

 

[ford91exploder]

until they figure out the freestyle back-door access code For purging and testing... either in the water or ginger ale section (think bubble order).

That can be locked out or changed, Just like the ATM operators who left the keypad maintenance mode accessible only a IDIOT leaves default maintenance mode passwords enabled unchanged from default.

Anyone using that code is actively committing theft, there is no confusion about whether mugs are good for life or stay that's using a proprietary code to gain access to services you have not paid for and is called 'theft of service'

 

[flynnibus]

Properly done like Royal Carribean does the drink stations could have been 24x7

Well.. the freestyle machines have nothing to do with that. The problem is simply where the soda fountains are placed vs what areas Disney wants to keep accessible. If that was a big deal.. they could just add a fountain somewhere else too.

And this isn't a problem at the values is it? The fountains are out in the seating area.. which AFAIK is accessible all the time, is it not?

 

[Weather_Lady]

The 'Dixie Landing' mugs are ALSO lifetime mugs from this email dredged from the archives
Here's the email below

Thank you for contacting us at Walt Disney World Guest Services.

My sincere apologies in misunderstanding the type of mug you were
referencing. The larger mugs that were sold approximately 10 years and
back, are indeed lifetime mugs. They have a red top, and handle and I
believe have Briar Fox, Briar Rabbit and Bear on them. I confirmed with
the Food and Beverage Team at Port Orleans Riverside Resort and they
were very enthusiastic that yes indeed you will be able to use these in
your future visit.
If for any reason you encounter any challenges while at the resort
please do not hesitate to contact my offices.

We look forward to your future visit and hope you have a magical time.

This Disney rep was able to confirm that the mug was a "lifetime" mug, but didn't know how correctly spell the names of Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear? ("Briar" is found only in Sleeping Beauty.)

 

[jlsHouston]

Anyone else find it amusing we're up to 27 pages for a thread about Disney's attempts to combat theft and fraud in its resort food courts?

This is my most favorite thread....I know we have gone off in the direction of lifetime mugs ...but I don't think we are so far off thread topic. The "who is getting free sodas and cheating" versus now my cup has to have a chip that if I don't put it on the thing corectly soda won't come out and when it does half the time it splashes everywhere and makes a mess....I'm so aggravated at this part of the new MM+ crap.

I hate the new RFID cups and the machines. I think I might hate it more than being limited to 3 FP+ per day.

 

[jlsHouston]

Same here on pins 5 years ago it was easy to spend $200+ per trip on pins so many high quality unique offerings could not buy them all, Today it's hard work to get to $40 bucks because the pins are all generic c--p, Might find 1-2 but maybe not.

You have to SPEND money to MAKE money, This is something Disney appears to have forgotten. The bean counter mentality focuses them on cost because it's the only variable they can control. A new pin design is a risk people might not buy it the beancounter thinks so it's never greenlit and only the 'proven' sellers remain and it's a domino effect.

Eek I still spend more on pins than any other merchandise when we visit But we just started collecting and trading a year ago...

 

[ford91exploder]

This Disney rep was able to confirm that the mug was a "lifetime" mug, but didn't know how correctly spell the names of Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear? ("Briar" is found only in Sleeping Beauty.)

As I've said before If I got a correctly spelled email from anyone other than my guide I'd think it was a fake, Most of the people who answer email for TWDC are in India and don't have a good grasp of idiom or US cultural history

 

[jlsHouston]

Well they don't exist at the deluxe resorts....

Wow...another reason for me to spend the $1000

 

[ford91exploder]

Well.. the freestyle machines have nothing to do with that. The problem is simply where the soda fountains are placed vs what areas Disney wants to keep accessible. If that was a big deal.. they could just add a fountain somewhere else too.

And this isn't a problem at the values is it? The fountains are out in the seating area.. which AFAIK is accessible all the time, is it not?

No it's not a problem in the values, My point was that with a little bit of pre-planning Disney could have used RFID mugs for a significant plussing from a guest standpoint. I hate the current system but it COULD have been fantastic and sold MORE soda.

They could have rolled out 24x7 fountains at the Values first where the rooms don't have fridges so there is more value to the guests having soda access.

 

[jlsHouston]

At the Beach Club they are up and running.

OMG I thought they turned them off at the Deluxes ???

 

[jlsHouston]

One thing I'll miss is staring at some CP punk as I fill my Dunkin' Donuts coffee refill mug and yelling, "Are you going to do anything about it? I'm the bestest cornerback in the league and if some weak college punk thinks they can keep me from free soda pop then you've got another thing coming!" Then, I would typically moon walk across the food court and make sure that my path took me by a refrigeration unit so that I could snag a yogurt and yell, "I'm taking my breakfast too!"

This is terrible!!!

 

[ford91exploder]

OMG I thought they turned them off at the Deluxes ???

I think whether they are on or off is determined by the masochism in the F&B manager's soul and how much of a corporate tool they are.

 

[jlsHouston]

I'm outraged by the RapidFill mugs, and I do not know why. I don't even buy soda most of the time at the resort. Why do I even care about this? I should be happy I can get free refills on coffee...
But it is outrageous. Soda theft was a real problem for WDW seriously? Makes me laugh and cry at the same time.

Why is this ridiculous issue even an issue at all? How could refills be a hot button issue in any way? Because we feel like we're nickel and dimed to death, maybe. Or because we think someone was getting something for nothing which caused this idiot program in the first place.
What a shameful waste of energy. My resolution this year is -- I'm not going to worry about "small stuff" like this...

YES YES YES..unfortunately it's the little things that make me crazy...give me a big issue I am fine, I can cope/accept/reason/resolve.

 

[flynnibus]

No it's not a problem in the values, My point was that with a little bit of pre-planning Disney could have used RFID mugs for a significant plussing from a guest standpoint. I hate the current system but it COULD have been fantastic and sold MORE soda.

They could have rolled out 24x7 fountains at the Values first where the rooms don't have fridges so there is more value to the guests having soda access.

They have the mini fridges

I don't know the story behind it... But there has to be a reason the freestyle coke machine rollout is so amenic. It's funny reading soda purists talk about the machine as if it's the antichrist because it uses a different mixing and ingredient system so they say it tastes aweful

I just like the soda fountains that have the flavor dispensers - so I can have a classic cherry coke

 

[ford91exploder]

They have the mini fridges

I don't know the story behind it... But there has to be a reason the freestyle coke machine rollout is so amenic. It's funny reading soda purists talk about the machine as if it's the antichrist because it uses a different mixing and ingredient system so they say it tastes aweful

I just like the soda fountains that have the flavor dispensers - so I can have a classic cherry coke

Actually a lot of the units DONT have the mini-fridges there was a MFG recall and Disney pulled all of them and has been replacing them at a glacial pace supposedly all the rooms will have them by the end of this year!.

Freestyle rollout is not anemic in the northeast, they are EVERYWHERE, I think they are not liked because they require more maintenance and setup than conventional machines @englanddg is probably most familiar with them

I also like the flavor dispensers