A new offer from Walt Disney World Resort has been announced for this fall! 

You can get a FREE dining plan when you purchase a non-discounted 5-night/6-day Walt Disney Travel Company package that includes a room at a select Disney Resort hotel and a ticket with a park hopper option. Book through September 29, 2019 for arrivals most nights:

• September 1-18, 2019
• November 17-27, 2019
• December 8-23, 2019

When you stay at a Deluxe Resort, you'll get the Disney Dining Plan:

• one counter service meal, one table service meal and two snacks, per guest, per night of your stay
• Rapid Refill mug

When you stay at a Value or Moderate Resort, you'll get the Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan:

• two counter service meals and two snacks, per guest, per night of your stay
• Rapid Refill mug​

Offer Terms & Conditions:

• The number of rooms allocated for this offer is limited. 
• Length of stay requirements may apply. 
• Everyone in the same room must be on the same package. 
• Ticket valid for admission beginning date of check-in and must be used by the date of check-out or within 9 days of check-in, whichever period is longer. 
• Minimum 4-night length of stay. Minimum 4-day Theme Park Tickets with Park Hopper or Park Hopper Plus option.
• Visit disneydestinationstickets.com/usage for more details. 
• Cannot be combined with any other discount or promotion. 
• Advance reservations required. 
• Offer excludes the following room types: campsites, 3-bedroom Grand Villas, Cabins at Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort—The Little Mermaidstandard rooms. 
• Dining plan excludes gratuities. 
• Some Table-Service restaurants may have limited or no availability at time of package purchase. 
• Children ages 3–9 must order from children’s menu, if available.

I see a lot of questions floating around in Disney-themed Facebook groups about the rapid refill mugs that guests can use at Walt Disney World Resort. I usually spend some time chatting with my clients about how the mugs work, and I even carry one around with me when I get together with folks to plan their vacation, so I can show it to them and they'll know exactly what to expect! I thought it would be handy to have this set of frequently asked questions and answers all about Disney's rapid refill mugs for folks to look at before their trip to Walt Disney World. If you find this helpful, please feel free to share with your other family members or friends who are traveling with you, or in the Disney Facebook groups where you hang out!

What exactly are these plastic Disney mugs I keep seeing and hearing about?

A rapid refill mug is a refillable mug that each guest can use during their stay at Walt Disney World. 

How much do the rapid refill mugs cost?

The rapid refill mugs are included with any Disney dining plan for guests age 3 and up. However, they can also be purchased separately upon arrival at your Disney resort hotel to be used during your stay. The cost varies from year to year, but as of the time of writing this article, the mugs cost $18.99 USD plus sales tax, per guest, for use throughout your resort stay.

Where do I get my rapid refill mug?

After you've checked into your Disney resort hotel, you can visit the quick service dining location to pick up your rapid refill mug. If your vacation package includes a dining plan, then your mug is already paid for, and you will simply scan your Magic Band at check-out when you've selected your mug in order to activate it. I usually suggest each family member choose a different colour lid so that you can easily keep track of whose mug is whose!

Where can I refill my rapid refill mug?

Your rapid refill mug can be filled at any refill station at any Walt Disney World resort hotel. This includes hotels where you aren't a guest, as long as it is being used during your stay. For example, you might be a guest at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, but having a meal at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. You can still fill your mug at the Grand Floridian even though your reservation is held at Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Are there places where I can't refill my mug?

Yes. Your rapid refill mug is not refillable at the Disney theme parks or at Disney's water parks. 

How secure are the lids on the rapid refill mugs?

The lids go on pretty tightly, but there is a hole in the lid for drinking, so the mug is not air-tight. If you put it in a bag or backpack with liquid inside, there's a pretty good chance it will leak. The hole is large enough for a standard-sized straw.

What design will be on my rapid refill mug?

The design on the mugs changes from time to time.

Can I use a mug from a past vacation the next time I visit Walt Disney World?

No. The mug contains an RFID chip that will only allow the refill station to add drinks to the cup during your specific stay.

Can I take my mug home with me?

Of course! We use our rapid refill mugs all the time. They're really handy for taking coffee out of the house, or just for kids to drink from. It's always been really helpful to have a cup with a lid on it for children in the house, and these are no exception. Plus, it's a fun reminder of your time at Walt Disney World, and a little bit of Disney always brings a smile to the faces in our home.

Have you visited Walt Disney World and used a rapid refill mug? How did you enjoy using it? Please share in the comments below!

​Ready to plan your family's Walt Disney World vacation? Reach out! I would be happy to help!

This morning I received a thoughtful e-mail from one of my clients who shared with me some vintage Disney tickets she had found while going through her mother's old photo albums. The tickets are from her family's visit to Walt Disney World in Florida in 1987.

At that time, paper tickets were issued regularly.

Epcot Center had only been open for a couple of years, Disney's Hollywood Studios wasn't open yet, and Disney's Animal Kingdom was still many years away from opening.

There were only a handful of resorts to choose from, including Disney's Contemporary Resort and Disney's Polynesian Village Resort. Soon after these tickets were issued, Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort and Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa would open their doors in 1988.

Visiting Walt Disney World in the 1980's was a very different kind of event than it is today! Seeing these vintage Disney tickets almost makes me long for simpler times (or at least a time machine).

Check them out!

These are Walt Disney World 4-Day Worldpassport Tickets, allowing the ticket holder access to both Magic Kingdom and Epcot (then known as Epcot Center) for four days. I've also seen these available in 2-, 3- and 5-day versions.

On the back of the Worldpassport tickets, you can see the price for a child was just $60 including tax! I especially found it interesting that you would have a good old fashioned hand-stamp if you planned to leave and re-enter the parks. 

And here is the ticket for parking a vehicle at Magic Kingdom. Can you believe the price was just $2.00 a day? Pricing to park your vehicle at the parks is now $25.00 per day! I also like how Disney merely suggests not leaving pets in the vehicle, with a recommendation for the Kennel Club, which still exists today.

In some ways, it's a shame that we don't still have the same kind of paper tickets that used to be available. Now we have MagicBands and My Disney Experience! 

I also love these 15th Birthday Celebration tickets. I had to do a little bit of digging around online to find the history behind these. According to the website "Walt Dated World", Disney issued these special prize tickets to guests coming through the gates at Walt Disney World to celebrate their 15th birthday. Every fifteen seconds, they would award a prize to a guest! Prizes were items such as buttons, visors and even park tickets. You can see a winning ticket by visiting the Walt Dated World website link above.

Do you have vintage Disney tickets in an old photo album? Maybe seeing the vintage Disney tickets posted on this site, RetroWDW, will jog your memory! If you have memories of your vintage Disney tickets, I'd love to hear about them in the comments. ​