Disney World is in a war for guests with Universal Orlando, but with Epic Universe opening this summer, Universal seems to have won the battle. But Disney World isn’t going down without a fight, bringing back multiple summer discounts and giving away free food throughout 2026.
Disney has even gone so far as to bring back some pre-COVID perks for guests staying at a Walt Disney World Resort Hotel, including free luggage transfer to Orlando International Airport. But that perk is incredibly limited; for now, it only impacts guests at certain resorts who are flying on Southwestern Airlines.
Guests were hoping for the return of Disney’s Magical Express, but like Splash Mountain, it is gone and never coming back.
So, while Disney World is in the giving mood and thinking of ways to compete with Universal, there’s a relatively cheap perk that Disney could make available to certain guests that would garner massive amounts of goodwill. It’s already a perk that guests staying at Univeral Orlando Resort receive.
When you sign up for a Disney Dining Plan, a free refillable mug comes with your plan. The mug is good for use at your resort hotel and only for the length of your stay. To ensure you cannot use it beyond your stay, Disney inserted a chip into the mug, which only lets you refill after a two-minute waiting period.
However, this mug cannot be used inside the Disney World Parks. Universal offers the same type of mug, but it can be used throughout the parks at any refilling station.
Disney World can and should extend this perk to park guests. Realistically, it’s a minimal price to pay for something that would make guests incredibly happy, especially during those hot Florida summers.
The argument against this is…well, Disney doesn’t really have one. Guests can get free water or use their mug at any of Disney World’s refillable water stations, but good luck finding one of those.
The refillable mugs cost $22.99; for Disney, the cost of a 12-oz soda refill is probably pennies. The thought that someone will drink $23 worth of soda during a Disney trip is laughable.
So, why not copy Universal and give guests this small perk? It’s not the Magical Express or a free Magic Band, but it’s something tangible that guests can say they got for free from Disney. And when was the last time they said that?
Would you like to see Disney allow guests to refill their resort mugs inside the parks? Let us know in the comments.
The post Disney World Needs To Steal This Cheap Guest Perk From Universal Immediately appeared first on Inside the Magic.
