Originally Posted By dshyates I just find it funny that we have been hearing about this RFID/ NextGen stuff and about how it is going to kick up the vacation experience to the next level. And this is the first implementation of said tech. If this is the next level of a vacation experience, I am vary afraid of the future of vacationing. Maybe I will just go to HolidayWorld where they give everyone free soda and sunscreen.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan If people over indulging in extra soda pop is truly impacting the bottom line so badly, a rather low tech solution would simply be to get rid of all the self-service soda fountains. Sell the collectible plastic drinking mug with two stickers on it, each redeemable for one fill up. That isn't as cool as embedding a chip that shuts off the soda machine for people, but it directly solves the problem. I haven't ever witnessed people going crazy at the soda dispenser, or filling up water bottles and all that, but I'm sure it happens. Hire a few more people to dispense sodas and that'll eliminate the abuse (not to mention make things more sanitary.)
Originally Posted By ChiMike That's too simple. That's too much of a personal approach towards the guests, and for that matter the CMs. Far better to allow a computer database to control the distribution of sugar water on a rationed basis.
Originally Posted By dshyates And what about these chips, how much is a chipped paper cup gonna cost and are they recyclable?
Originally Posted By Bolna Not a fan of chips today (meaning the technical variety, not the potato ones). Yesterday my state of the art (i.e. some kind of chip technology) office door lock decided to not talk to the key anymore - which resulted in me standing in the hallway for one hour while the maintanence guys literally had to break into my office. I guess any chip problem with the soda machine could be resolved more easily, but I still would prefer the method of preventing soda theft by just stationing a CM there who would tell people that they need to purchase a cup or a mug to get soda...
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 I think it's time to do away with the mugs totally. They are not sanitary (or the people using them). The bars are always dirty and sticky. And all you have to do is look at hallway carpeting in the resorts to see how they affect the cleanliness there. I enjoy having them and never paying for soda ;-) ... but really the whole thing is simply more effort than it's worth.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom Does this mean that older mugs will command a higher price on ebay?
Originally Posted By CDF1 From post 46: "I think it's time to do away with the mugs totally. They are not sanitary (or the people using them). The bars are always dirty and sticky. And all you have to do is look at hallway carpeting in the resorts to see how they affect the cleanliness there. I enjoy having them and never paying for soda ;-) ... but really the whole thing is simply more effort than it's worth." Why not just offer a punch card or coupons for discounted beverages at the resorts? At least then there would not be the problem with open containers or persons running around with potentially unsanitary and unclean containers.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer One of the many things that I can't even find the effort to post on. Apathy is the new emotion for Disney, sadly. Other things ( and places!) to persue!
Originally Posted By Disney Joy ROFL This is sooooo funny. I must add to my list of attractions to stop by ASS to watch the mug refills. )
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom Why? You can watch the many clips on youtube till your hearts' content.
Originally Posted By figment1986 <<I think it's time to do away with the mugs totally. They are not sanitary (or the people using them). The bars are always dirty and sticky. And all you have to do is look at hallway carpeting in the resorts to see how they affect the cleanliness there.>> I'm not completely against this idea, realistically self serve fountains seem to have issues by themselves. side note, seems that company got a contract with coke for the freestyle machines... wonder if Disney is tempted to look at it now since they are already at universal who has an attendant stationed to help guests and make sure the soda was paid for.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Just when you thought the NextGen project couldn't get any more superflous, they've found another way to spend lots of money to fix a problem that hardly exists! There are a couple different places saying that this program will be rolled out resort-wide in the coming months. It really makes you wonder how bad the problem was, if they're willing to spend this much money and effort to 'fix' it. Under the name "Rapid Fill" (RFID...RF...clever), new mugs and paper cups will have chips in them, limiting refils once every 5 minutes. The mugs will be priced depending on the length of your visit, with the 4+ day option around $18; no word on how long a paper cup is valid. I can only assume that this will greatly slow down the process of filling your cup, especially during the morning rush when the soda fountains are already a bottleneck Hopefully the end result isn't as tacky and corporate-feeling as all this sounds. I have my doubts. <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.talkdisney.com/forums/disney-front-page-news/50568-rapid-fill-mugs-coming-walt-disney-world-hotels.html#.UdxLxlOGFgl">http://www.talkdisney.com/foru...LxlOGFgl</a> <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://dvcnews.com/index.php/other-resources/walt-disney-world/dining/2327-qrapid-fillq-mug-program-coming-to-resorts">http://dvcnews.com/index.php/o...-resorts</a>
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub Will they have security guards& cameras monitoring the RapidFill stations OR just alarms to alert the RFpolice? This makes me glad i never used the mugs...and am training myself to avoid caffeine. I guess you will have to pay even more for the water park option. All of these changes and technology sounds stressful. One use every five minutes..if it reads my chip can I use anything to fill er up...like a really bigger cup? Will I have to be careful when I wash my RFID chip mug Can it be deactivated accidentally? Who knew ordering a drink could be fraught with so much legalities...will I have to sign a legal disclaimer that I understand the terms of contract with the purchase and agree that i have read and understand the fine print? Anything else I need to know in case I am asked? And finally can you still just get plain water and ice at the refill stations? Actually one more ? I have noticed that most of these free refill offers at most chain locations have really poor quality soft drinks mainly made of the cheaper seltzer water, I guess. Weren't these companies making enough profit while offering bad tasting cheap product?
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Per the FAQ in one of the links above, the mugs won't be diswasher safe, so I assume that means that the chip can be disabled accidentally. Granted, most guests (non-DVC at least) don't have a dishwasher in their hotel room, and they shouldn't be bringing the mug back from a previous trip, so it shouldn't be an issue, but it's something to be aware of I would assume that ice and water are separate from this system, as they're free at any counter service or table service location. I don't know the specifics in Florida, but in some states (CA? AZ?) it's illegal for a restaurant to charge for a glass of water As for the quality of the soda, I believe that Disney's longterm relationship with Coke ensures that they maintain quality standards. However, all accounts I've read show that soda really only costs a restaurant about 5-10 cents per cup, so there's a huge profit margin in it for Disney (even with good soda), and likely the reasoning behind this new system Also, it sounds like the regular old paper cups will also be outfitted with RFIDs, and be monitored that way. From what I've read, it sounds like each cup will have a 4 drink maximum within an hour. Personally, I think that 4 drinks is plenty, but the hour window seems a little tight. If I'm lounging by the pool or having a long drawn-out (hopefully relaxing) lunch, it's safe to assume that I could easily take over an hour. I think a 2 hour or 90 minute window would be much better, while still realistically allowing the cups to time out. No word yet if the mugs will have a limit beyond the 5 minute rule (ie 4 drink per hour max)
Originally Posted By sjhym333 While I am not sure how much abuse is actually happening, I can't blame Disney for doing this. After all, why should a person who hasn't paid for a drink get one for free? And if your drinking a soda in under 5 minutes you may want to rethink your lifestyle a little.
