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

[DisneyNeighbor]

At a recent visit to DL, I ordered a milkshake at Flo's, in which the paper straw quickly disintegrated (it was a bulky one to boot). I went through 3 of them to finish the milkshake, so I'd argue I generated more waste than if I'd been given a plastic straw at the outset.

I have cases of plastic straws for just this reason!

 

[The Mom]

Most Brits use teabags, and not the posh kind. An ordinary, inexpensive British teabag will yield a perfectly delicious cup of tea.

The problem with hot “English Breakfast”-style tea in the US is twofold: it doesn’t always taste right (Lipton’s, though weak, is often the closest and best approximation), and the teabag is added to the water after it’s already begun to drop in temperature. For a proper cuppa, you need to poor freshly boiled water immediately over the teabag. You’ll never get the full flavour otherwise.

I use a tea ball (sometimes sold as a spice infuser) filled with loose tea when at home. I rarely order tea at restaurants because it just isn't very good most of the time.

If I use a teabag, I also put it into the cup and then add boiling water. I didn't start drinking coffee until I after I was married, but had tea all of the time. I couldn't visit one of my aunt's without her making a pot of tea with a couple of "biscuits" on a plate. I also drank iced tea - but only during the summer.

 

[jaklgreen]

Most Brits use teabags, and not the posh kind. An ordinary, inexpensive British teabag will yield a perfectly delicious cup of tea.

The problem with hot “English Breakfast”-style tea in the US is twofold: it doesn’t always taste right (Lipton’s, though weak, is often the closest and best approximation), and the teabag is added to the water after it’s already begun to drop in temperature. For a proper cuppa, you need to poor freshly boiled water immediately over the teabag. You’ll never get the full flavour otherwise.

Lipton is the cheapest crap tea that you can possibly buy. It is not even tea leaves in the bag, it is the dust that they sweep up off of the floor. I grew up drinking hot tea and I like all tea. Hot, cold, with milk, doesn't matter. Quality makes a huge difference. Personally, I think that Oolong is the best tea. I have been to the UK and I don't think that the tea tasted anything like Lipton tea.

 

[networkpro]

Good to know

I have a countertop kettle (they do make them with US plugs, believe it or not) so I feel like I’m on the right track!

 

[flynnibus]

What about guests carrying a cup or two per group around everywhere bothers you?

Every other major theme park and Amusement Park with high attendance does this.

Because I want a service that actually favors guests vs dumping the problem on them. If I'm paying premium dollars I want premium service.... not be told 'carry these 5 mugs around with you all day'. Yes, you do it at amusement parks everywhere.. and it sucks.

 

[celluloid]

Because I want a service that actually favors guests vs dumping the problem on them. If I'm paying premium dollars I want premium service.... not be told 'carry these 5 mugs around with you all day'. Yes, you do it at amusement parks everywhere.. and it sucks.

Cedar Fair parks have an option that describes a better service of what you are describing. They have a Paper Cup option for unlimited refill based purchases by day or season.

I don't know if I would call it just a burden that is passed onto the guest/consumer. You also get a savings compared to buying a bottled drink or single lidless cup at a time.

I can bring a cup I bought from Universal near ten years ago. And get refills for my family for like 10 bucks a day. Two drinks at Disney and I am over that. It would be even easier at Disney parks as their rides are mostly bag friendly in ride vehicles.

At Sea World or Sea World Entertainment owned parks like Busch Gardens, I can bring a cup that I bought over a two decades ago and they will honor a busch or sea world cup at their parks for a 1.40 a refill.

It is not like it is a negative for a consumer. It is no more trouble than having to pull out a Cell Phone to enjoy my day. But everyone is different. It would be far less of a burden than carrying around lidless drinks in the parks or bottled drinks that serve no purpose but to refill with water or throw away that cost three times as much.

You said you don't want other guests to do so. What you meant was you don't want that for you.

Disney does this already with popcorn buckets. There is no reason other than greed of the money that Soda is sold at that they won't do this for mugs.

 

[flynnibus]

It is not like it is a negative for a consumer. It is no more trouble than having to pull out a Cell Phone to enjoy my day.

A cell phone fits in my pocket. a 32oz cup does not. A cell phone doesn't really need cleaning between uses... a 32oz cup does.

But everyone is different. It would be far less of a burden than carrying around lidless drinks in the parks or bottled drinks that serve no purpose but to refill with water or throw away that cost three times as much.

Logical fallacy here.. Just because anyone can agree user brought cups is 'less bad' that lidless cups doesn't people need dismiss their issues with user brought cups.

Here's my option... I order a drink... Disney gives me that drink in a sturdy hard cup. When I'm done... I give Disney that cup back. I'm free of any burden. Next time I need a drink... process repeats.

You said you don't want other guests to do so. What you meant was you don't want that for you.

I don't think it's a stretch to assume if you ask people "Would you like to carry these cups around with you all day as you go through the Magic Kingdom if you didn't have to?" that most people would say NO.

 

[celluloid]

I don't think it's a stretch to assume if you ask people "Would you like to carry these cups around with you all day as you go through the Magic Kingdom if you didn't have to?" that most people would say NO.

That's like a yoga level stretch.
As a dad of a family that typically has a bookbag of random things and pushing a stroller with carrying undernet, a 32 ounce cup that we can fill throughout our day that gives our entire family unit fun drinks at our reasonable leisure vs waiting in line paying 5 bucks after tax for each drink or ten bucks each time giving us a 40 buck value or saving us 30 to 40 for those who got soft drinks throughout the day is going to be a big yes, you are wrong here.

Otherwise, the other theme parks would not do it.

Disney is just fine selling their drinks 5 bucks after tax per soda, in paper cup or plastic bottle because they know people will pay it.

Here's my option... I order a drink... Disney gives me that drink in a sturdy hard cup. When I'm done... I give Disney that cup back. I'm free of any burden. Next time I need a drink... process repeats.

The fact that you want to have a hard cup that you give back to be washed is a staffing nightmare and actually more environmentally costly for the masses than a waxed paper cup would be. So bad idea from cost, logistics and environmentally right there. Some people would be using two or three cups a day easily in that described cycle. And some would walk right out the parks with them or throw that hard plastic in a trash bin rather than find a place to return it. There is no solution in your wish.

 

[LittleBuford]

Lipton is the cheapest crap tea that you can possibly buy. It is not even tea leaves in the bag, it is the dust that they sweep up off of the floor. I grew up drinking hot tea and I like all tea. Hot, cold, with milk, doesn't matter. Quality makes a huge difference. Personally, I think that Oolong is the best tea. I have been to the UK and I don't think that the tea tasted anything like Lipton tea.

As someone who drinks at least three cups of tea a day (made with teabags I bring from the UK), I respectfully disagree. Lipton’s isn’t great, and it’s a bit too weak, but it’s a decent substitute when the options are limited.

To be clear, I’m talking about the kind of tea that is treated as the default in the UK—what we simply call “tea”—rather than other varieties like Oolong, which are good too but very much their own thing.

 

[nickys]

Most Brits use teabags, and not the posh kind. An ordinary, inexpensive British teabag will yield a perfectly delicious cup of tea.

The problem with hot “English Breakfast”-style tea in the US is twofold: it doesn’t always taste right (Lipton’s, though weak, is often the closest and best approximation), and the teabag is added to the water after it’s already begun to drop in temperature. For a proper cuppa, you need to poor freshly boiled water immediately over the teabag. You’ll never get the full flavour otherwise.

Yes, this ^^^^^

The coffee machines are also useless at making tea because the water often isn’t hot enough.

 

[flynnibus]

The fact that you want to have a hard cup that you give back to be washed is a staffing nightmare and actually more environmentally costly for the masses than a waxed paper cup would be. So bad idea from cost, logistics and environmentally right there. Some people would be using two or three cups a day easily in that described cycle. And some would walk right out the parks with them or throw that hard plastic in a trash bin rather than find a place to return it. There is no solution in your wish.

Wow… it’s like you haven’t read any of my posts before replying. I’m not wasting my time if you can’t bother reading

 

[celluloid]

Wow… it’s like you haven’t read any of my posts before replying. I’m not wasting my time if you can’t bother reading

Ok! It sure seems precious!

When you figure out how to make sense of them, let us know.

 

[rct247]

I imagine more of this sort of thing is on its way to the parks over the next 7 years as they try to meet their 2030 goals.

I've heard from some friends that are Cast that have heard that plastic utensils could be on their way out for both Cast break rooms and Guest dinning. There could be cutbacks on paper give aways, stickers, balloons, and merchandise bags. We've already started to also see the transformation of merchandise packaging.

It'll be interesting if they can pull it off.

 

[John park hopper]

A little FYI on tea grown in the colonies:

In the late 1700s, tea bushes, also known as Camellia Sinensis, first arrived in the United States from China. Several attempts were made in South Carolina over the next 150 years to propagate and produce tea for consumption, but none were successful. Not until 1888, when Dr. Charles Shepard founded the Pinehurst Tea Plantation in Summerville, South Carolina did American grown tea become a reality. In Summerville, Dr. Shepard created award winning teas until his death in 1915. After his passing, the Pinehurst Tea Plantation closed and Dr. Shepard's tea plants grew wild for the next forty five years.

In 1963, a 127 acre potato farm located on Wadmalaw Island in the Lowcountry of South Carolina was purchased and Shepard's tea plants were transplanted from Pinehurst to the farm. For the next 24 years research was conducted on this experimental farm. In 1987, William Barclay Hall purchased the land. Hall, a third-generation tea taster who received his formal training during a four-year tea apprenticeship in London, England, converted the research and development farm to a commercial operation. Thanks to Hall's vision the Charleston Tea Garden was founded. During his seventeen year tenure, his original "American Classic" tea became the first tea ever to be made with 100% tea grown in America. For almost thirty years, American Classic has been immensely popular with tea lovers in the Carolinas.

Makes great Ice Tea---well known here in Charleston SC

 

[jaklgreen]

That's like a yoga level stretch.
As a dad of a family that typically has a bookbag of random things and pushing a stroller with carrying undernet, a 32 ounce cup that we can fill throughout our day that gives our entire family unit fun drinks at our reasonable leisure vs waiting in line paying 5 bucks after tax for each drink or ten bucks each time giving us a 40 buck value or saving us 30 to 40 for those who got soft drinks throughout the day is going to be a big yes, you are wrong here.

Otherwise, the other theme parks would not do it.

Disney is just fine selling their drinks 5 bucks after tax per soda, in paper cup or plastic bottle because they know people will pay it.



The fact that you want to have a hard cup that you give back to be washed is a staffing nightmare and actually more environmentally costly for the masses than a waxed paper cup would be. So bad idea from cost, logistics and environmentally right there. Some people would be using two or three cups a day easily in that described cycle. And some would walk right out the parks with them or throw that hard plastic in a trash bin rather than find a place to return it. There is no solution in your wish.

Just wait until your kids are older and you are no longer a pack mule. You will absolutely feel different about it when you no longer have that stroller to hold all of your stuff.

 

[celluloid]

Just wait until your kids are older and you are no longer a pack mule. You will absolutely feel different about it when you no longer have that stroller to hold all of your stuff.

That is fine, but by then a person would also not be a person stressing as much about 5 bucks a drink.

There are also plenty of people with no kids who don't mind carrying around cups for refill deals (looks every other major theme park and event doing it)

 

[jaklgreen]

As someone who drinks at least three cups of tea a day (made with teabags I bring from the UK), I respectfully disagree. Lipton’s isn’t great, and it’s a bit too weak, but it’s a decent substitute when the options are limited.

To be clear, I’m talking about the kind of tea that is treated as the default in the UK—what we simply call “tea”—rather than other varieties like Oolong, which are good too but very much their own thing.

I drink regular tea often. But I will go to my grave knowing that Lipton is the cheapest, nastiest tea that you can get anywhere. There is a reason why it is so cheap.

 

[jaklgreen]

That is fine, but by then a person would also not be a person stressing as much about 5 bucks a drink.

There are also plenty of people with no kids who don't mind carrying around cups for refill deals (looks every other major theme park and event doing it)

LOL Clearly you have not had to put your kids through college yet if you think that you will have more money when they are older. You are in for a bit of a shock. Carry your cup if you want, as you said, plenty do. Put plenty more do not want to have to deal with carrying around a nasty cup all day. Who in their right mind would want to use the same cup all day, in the heat, when you can not properly wash it in between uses? Using it for water is one thing, but putting anything with sugar in the cups is going to turn it nasty.

 

[celluloid]

LOL Clearly you have not had to put your kids through college yet if you think that you will have more money when they are older. You are in for a bit of a shock. Carry your cup if you want, as you said, plenty do. Put plenty more do not want to have to deal with carrying around a nasty cup all day. Who in their right mind would want to use the same cup all day, in the heat, when you can not properly wash it in between uses? Using it for water is one thing, but putting anything with sugar in the cups is going to turn it nasty.

I have plenty of money now, I just enjoy saving it. My kids so far have gotten scholarships. Which is a nice bonus.

Plenty of people like the souvenir cups. This is already done at the hotels at Disney. You are painting a thing that does not exist.

The last logic is just funny. It is no different than carrying around a bottled sugar filled drink, which Disney readily sells. Or the popcorn bucket novelty of the month filled with salty buttery popcorn. Two hours and three soft drinks for a family or couple already sells most soda drinkers and most theme park people's standaards at a current going rate of about 15 dollars per cup and ten dollars for a day when they bring it back. Three drinks in it downed in a couple hours is not that nasty. Locals and tourists love it. People wash them at home or at their hotel the same way they would anything else. It is not a crazy thing.

The people who do not care for it, have their drinks in paper cups. Parks who offer both win. Just like popcorn buckets and popcorn from cardboard. It is not a either or situation.


All this is funny, as I don't drink soda regularly enough to justify it often anymore, maybe the prices help that.

At Tokyo Disney it was all 2 dollars a bottle from a vending machine and at Universal, I have gotten a few HHN cups over the years, where thousands of people nightly without any kids, carry them (and the alcoholic ones) around.

 

[Marionnette]

That is fine, but by then a person would also not be a person stressing as much about 5 bucks a drink.

Spoken like someone who has yet to wake up one day and realize that college tuition payments are just a few years away. By the time that your youngest is out of the stroller at Disney (what is the age threshold now? 9? 10?), your oldest will probably be closing in on their high school years. Then after the baby's college costs are in the review mirror, it's time to get serious about retirement.

Do you know when someone stops stressing about $5 sodas? I'm 63, I'll let you know when I reach that point.