News Walt Disney World to eliminate self-service paper straws and plastic lids

[DisneyFanatic12]

If they really cared about the environment, they'd sell refillable mugs that can be brought back and reactivated indefiently with the freestyle machines in the parks like Universal does rather than selling bottles of soda and water everywhere.

Wonder why they haven't gone that route, yet?

Or they’d at least make some discount for reactivating a resort mug… it’s crazy to me that there is zero benefit to reactivating a mug, because who is going to haul old mugs for their vacation if it provides zero benefit?

 

[Splash4eva]

Your post was about walking around without a lid. That's what I answered. Otherwise.

Fair

 

[MrPromey]

Maybe. Or people complain about everything.

And some people like to repeatedly try to argue/debate/dismiss what other people are unhappy about rather than just move on to another thread.

Which is to say, it takes all kinds to make up a forum, right?

 

[Splash4eva]

I’ve done it with blue and green milk multiple times and not had any issues. The cups they come in are small and sturdy, however.

Good luck doing it w soda cups…

 

[MrPromey]

Don’t get me started on ice! I’ll never understand why Americans are content to pay for a soft drink and receive less than half their money’s worth.

That's why free refills are the norm over here most places!

 

[MrPromey]

Or they’d at least make some discount for reactivating a resort mug… it’s crazy to me that there is zero benefit to reactivating a mug, because who is going to haul old mugs for their vacation if it provides zero benefit?

That's true. The other guys down the street knock a few bucks off when you reactivate theirs in the parks.

 

[DisneyFanatic12]

Don’t get me started on ice! I’ll never understand why Americans are content to pay for a soft drink and receive less than half their money’s worth.

If the drink isn’t refillable, then I ALWAYS go the no ice route. BUT, most soft drinks are refillable in the US, so adding ice is not a disadvantage value wise. Might make you have to walk to the soda machine to refill it more though!

 

[JIMINYCR]

I hated those paper straws. I brought my own straws in with me and responsibly threw them away when finished with my drink.
Dis answer is no answer to the problem but dang , it sounds great, plays well with the over the top enviros and makes them feel like they are doing something to save the planet. Great PR and what savings they will have.
Now lets get rid of all cups as well and all bring sippy cups into the parks with us. No straw, no lid, no cup … problem solved. Set up washing stations for us to wash out our empty sippy cups.

 

[MrPromey]

Don’t get me started on ice! I’ll never understand why Americans are content to pay for a soft drink and receive less than half their money’s worth.

If the drink isn’t refillable, then I ALWAYS go the no ice route. BUT, most soft drinks are refillable in the US, so adding ice is not a disadvantage value wise. Might make you have to walk to the soda machine to refill it more though!

To be fair to LittleBuford, we're a little bit unique over here when it comes to the free refill thing being common and I remember when it wasn't that way in every restaurant, here.

As a kid, there were places where I was allowed to get refills and other places where my drink was always ordered with a glass of water to accompany it and I was encouraged to drink heavily from the water glass - as many refills as I wanted but from the water, only!

 

[erasure fan1]

How do you know they are pretending?

See all the examples already posted. Balloons, bags, 20oz bottles... For good measure I'll throw in the speedway at MK. Eliminating straws is the least of their environmental issues.

 

[dreday3]

And some people like to repeatedly try to argue/debate/dismiss what other people are unhappy about rather than just move on to another thread.

Which is to say, it takes all kinds to make up a forum, right?

I mean, if you're actually going to get upset with me about it, I can stop posting. Just thought it was funny people were ignoring that you don't actually have to walk around without a lid. Maybe they didn't click the article.

Have a great night MrPromey!

 

[comics101]

I started bringing my own plastic, disposable straws from to the park when Disney eliminated their use. Looking like I’m going to be buying my own paper cups and plastic lids as well…I’ve got the room for it.

 

[MrPromey]

I mean, if you're actually going to get upset with me about it, I can stop posting. Just thought it was funny people were ignoring that you don't actually have to walk around without a lid. Maybe they didn't click the article.

Have a great night MrPromey!

I'm not upset with you at all.

I'm not even saying you need to stop.

In fact, in my own way, I can be just as guilty.

It's just funny to me that you're using the same energy to tell people they shouldn't complain as the people complaining.

I was just pointing that out.

I'm a bit of a sometimes.

As for the thing with asking - it's one of those things that a lot of people see for what it actually is and that's what they're annoyed about.

When I was a kid and worked at McDs, we had ketchup packets available in the lobby and we were supposed to ask everyone who got fries in drive-through if they wanted ketchup at the pickup window. This was a company-wide thing, both corporate and franchise, at least here in the US.

They talked about it in training videos.

It was a customer service move because most people did want it but wouldn't always think to ask for it in the moment and of course, you know how much it sucks to get someplace with your food and realize you don't have something.

As a brand, McDs wanted to avoid that negative experience for their customers.

At some point, someone decided the cost savings in not offering it to people who didn't think to ask offset the customer service benefit to offering it and they stopped doing that.

Making people have to ask makes them less likely to use it and if you've ever been through a drive-through and asked for ketchup where they practically launch the bag out the window at you half the time, they kind of look at you for a second like it's a major request and then shuffle around almost like they don't even know where it is and sort of act like you're being a hassle.

In the case of Disney, for the price guests are paying for everything, many here recognize this as the same passive-aggressive cost saving policy it's really meant to be and that's what a lot of people are miffed about.

 

[el_super]

See all the examples already posted. Balloons, bags, 20oz bottles...

Yeah but again, those can be recycled where plastic straws and lids cannot.

For good measure I'll throw in the speedway at MK. Eliminating straws is the least of their environmental issues.

Yes, there are still environmental issues. Pyrotechnics being a big one too. Saying they want to reduce landfill waste isn't invalidated though, just because they still run ferries. They can still be improving and acknowledge they have more work to do. Both things can be true.

 

[plutofan15]

First world problems for everyone complaining about this. As someone mentioned earlier, this will have no affect on my life whatsoever.

 

[MrPromey]

Yeah but again, those can be recycled where plastic straws and lids cannot.

I was unaware there was a recycling program out there for balloons.

Can you provide a link?

We have a birthday party coming up and that would be helpful.

TIA!

 

[erasure fan1]

Yeah but again, those can be recycled where plastic straws and lids cannot.

Ok, then why offer them at all? If everyone just asks for them, they haven't accomplished anything.

 

[MrPromey]

First world problems for everyone complaining about this. As someone mentioned earlier, this will have affect on my life whatsoever.

First world problems - just like anything any of us don't like at a Disney theme park, right?

@Tony at least wasn't trying to overtly shame anyone unhappy about this when he said it wouldn't impact him.

Personally, if I really thought this had anything to do with the environment, I'd be all for it but it's interesting how when they make changes like this it always coincidentally seems to save them money as what I'm sure is a totally unintended byproduct, too.

If there were a more obvious mix of places where they were making changes that did cost them and we were seeing articles about that, I think it would be a lot easier to accept that some changes will also save them money and balance out but it never seems to work that way.

I'm just tired of Disney (among others) using the environment as a convenient excuse to cut costs.

It's the literal opposite of "putting your money where your mouth is".

Anyway, I trust the money more than their PR.

 

[The Mom]

Fair enough. I think my feelings on the matter stem in large part from my being British. In the UK (at least when and where I grew up), straws came pretty much only with those juice drinks in cartons and at McDonald’s. Otherwise, you just drank your drink straight from the glass or cup, even as a child.

How much ice was in the cup?

 

[LittleBuford]

How much ice was in the cup?