Reusable Coffee Cups at Swan & Dolphin

[HolleBolleGijs]

Random Q for y’all:

Something that’s bothered me for a while is that coffee locations at WDW won’t refill personal cups, because Safety. Which I 100% understand. It’s annoying, but I know Disney is pretty responsible with their waste.

Does anyone know if the Swan and Dolphin is as strict (specifically looking at Java Bar)? I’m staying there for the first time soon and trying to prepare myself, since I rarely purchase drinks in disposable cups

 

[HwdStudio]

They will not because of the health code. You can buy a refillable mug at Swan and Dolphin and use it at Java Bar. They arent like Disney’s. They don’t have a handle. It’s weird that they will refill those but not a personal mug but it is what it is.

 

[nickys]

I wonder if Starbucks will change their minds on this? Do they even have a say, I don’t know?

But given I can get a nice discount here in the U.K. almost anywhere now for a refillable mug, I assumed that would be a world wide policy for the bigger chains. “World wide but not at WDW”!

 

[HolleBolleGijs]

They will not because of the health code. You can buy a refillable mug at Swan and Dolphin and use it at Java Bar. They arent like Disney’s. They don’t have a handle. It’s weird that they will refill those but not a personal mug but it is what it is.

Well if they’ll refill the cups they sell, it’s probably not because of the health code. Also, plenty of companies in the area will refill in personal cups. My guess is it’s just them being overly cautious (like Disney-owned companies) to protect against liability.

I wonder if Starbucks will change their minds on this? Do they even have a say, I don’t know?

But given I can get a nice discount here in the U.K. almost anywhere now for a refillable mug, I assumed that would be a world wide policy for the bigger chains. “World wide but not at WDW”!

I feel like it’s a WDW decision, not a Starbucks decision, unfortunately. Although the locations at Disney Springs do fill personal cups, just not in the parks.

 

[nickys]

Well if they’ll refill the cups they sell, it’s probably not because of the health code. Also, plenty of companies in the area will refill in personal cups. My guess is it’s just them being overly cautious (like Disney-owned companies) to protect against liability.



I feel like it’s a WDW decision, not a Starbucks decision, unfortunately. Although the locations at Disney Springs do fill personal cups, just not in the parks.

Didn’t realise that about DS, good to know. Although probably unlikely I’ll bring mine with me, my boys seem to collect Starbucks cups - as my cupboards will testify to!

 

[HwdStudio]

It is actually loosely based on Health Code. I realize that isn’t what you want to hear. But of course it is really to sell refillable mugs. There is a certain liability taken with the refillable mugs but not mugs from home. If you are that concerned you can collect the disposable cups and recycle them yourself. As a former Starwood Executive I can tell you that the Swan and Dolphin hotels are just as environmentally conscious as Disney if not more so. We do have resorts worldwide and not just in Orlando and a few other cities.

 

[HolleBolleGijs]

It is actually loosely based on Health Code. I realize that isn’t what you want to hear. But of course it is really to sell refillable mugs. There is a certain liability taken with the refillable mugs but not mugs from home. If you are that concerned you can collect the disposable cups and recycle them yourself. As a former Starwood Executive I can tell you that the Swan and Dolphin hotels are just as environmentally conscious as Disney if not more so. We do have resorts worldwide and not just in Orlando and a few other cities.

Do you happen to know what the health code says? I’m genuinely curious; I was under the impression that as long as the kitchen is a separate facility (which it seems to be in this case), they are allowed to use personal cups. I could be wrong, I’m having trouble finding a reference at the moment.

If the Starbucks in Disney Springs allow it, then I have a hard time believing that it’s against the health code. Although knowing what the health code says would be helpful in understanding what you mean by “loosely based.”

Don’t mean to be combative, I just hear that excuse all the time from people who don’t actually know what the health code says (not saying you don’t), so I can get defensive.

(Just an aside, it’s not that I don’t trust them to recycle/dispose of things properly. There are a lot of problems with recycling as a process, and a lot of coffee cups aren’t actually recyclable. I prefer to eliminate those single-use items from my life as much as possible. In the parks, I know I don’t have much of a choice, and I was just curious if the same was true at the Swan and Dolphin.)

 

[larryz]

So, I wonder which is the more environmentally responsible: (a) serve a drink in someone's own cup, or (b) serve someone a drink in a paper/composite cup which will then be discarded as soon as the customer removes the top and pours it into their personal cup...

 

[HolleBolleGijs]

So, I wonder which is the more environmentally responsible: (a) serve a drink in someone's own cup, or (b) serve someone a drink in a paper/composite cup which will then be discarded as soon as the customer removes the top and pours it into their personal cup...

Not sure what your point is? That’s not my intention at all.

 

[larryz]

So, if your drink is served in a recyclable cup, you intend to drink it out of that cup?

 

[HolleBolleGijs]

So, if your drink is served in a recyclable cup, you intend to drink it out of that cup?

In this case, I’d forego the drink altogether.

If I was served a drink in a disposable cup (which I tend to avoid by having a water bottle on me), I would of course drink it out of that cup. It’s not about what I drink from, but the trash that’s produced. It would be silly to transfer it into my own cup.

I know I sound super petty, but it’s important that we be more mindful of the items we use for a minute and then throw “away” forever. In many cases, these are super easy to avoid.

 

[larryz]

In this case, I’d forego the drink altogether.

If I was served a drink in a disposable cup (which I tend to avoid by having a water bottle on me), I would of course drink it out of that cup. It’s not about what I drink from, but the trash that’s produced. It would be silly to transfer it into my own cup.

I know I sound super petty, but it’s important that we be more mindful of the items we use for a minute and then throw “away” forever. In many cases, these are super easy to avoid.

Oh. Well, then... never mind.

 

[danyoung56]

Have you seen the condition of some people's personal cups? I have an uncle who brings his own cup everywhere, and that thing is just GROSS! I'm sure Disney just decided to eliminate the whole issue of what cup is clean enough, and just prohibited the whole thing.

 

[HollyAD]

Do you happen to know what the health code says? I’m genuinely curious; I was under the impression that as long as the kitchen is a separate facility (which it seems to be in this case), they are allowed to use personal cups. I could be wrong, I’m having trouble finding a reference at the moment.

If the Starbucks in Disney Springs allow it, then I have a hard time believing that it’s against the health code. Although knowing what the health code says would be helpful in understanding what you mean by “loosely based.”

Don’t mean to be combative, I just hear that excuse all the time from people who don’t actually know what the health code says (not saying you don’t), so I can get defensive.

(Just an aside, it’s not that I don’t trust them to recycle/dispose of things properly. There are a lot of problems with recycling as a process, and a lot of coffee cups aren’t actually recyclable. I prefer to eliminate those single-use items from my life as much as possible. In the parks, I know I don’t have much of a choice, and I was just curious if the same was true at the Swan and Dolphin.)

I have always found it comical that Disney pushes the refillable "rapid refill" mugs (or whatever they are calling the unlimited mugs at resorts now days). It is my professional opinion that these are just as dirty as using your own mug. They get stuffed under strollers, into bags, clipped onto backpacks, and most hit the ground at least ten times a day. There are "mug washes" which is just barely running lukewarm water. This does not actually clean or in anyway sanitize them. I got chewed out on here for suggesting refillable mugs on Disney cruises because the waste from the single serve cups was outrageous on the cruise line. Cups were literally flying everywhere on deck. Yes, it could be a health code thing....but the refillable $19 refillable mugs are just as dirty yet allowed.

 

[WDWMPrincess]

As far as Disney not allowing people to refill their personal mugs and bottles from provided water dispensers or doing it for them I am all for it. Through my work in the past I have seen some things.

Most people understand basic hygiene and make certain not to touch their potentially bacteria-laden item to the dispenser. There is always that one person though. Or their water bottle is tall and they fill it until the water inside is touching the dispenser like backwash isn't a thing.


Back when I was a kid working fast food I've also had the rather awful experience of opening a coffee mug someone gave me for a refill to find it contained some pretty nasty spoiled milk drink of some sort. Way better to just people a disposable cup and let them sort it out from there themselves.