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View Full Version : Solo Trip Report Sept 8-17 @ All star sports



frozman
09-17-2011, 10:28 PM
I just want to give a basic rundown of what I've experienced over the last week:
Stayed at All Star Sports, hotel was crowded, but as my room faced a wooded area this was only an issue at the food court and bus stop.
Speaking of the food court, those new soda dispensers cause a lot of confusion. For those who haven't experieced this yet, I can tell you that if you had a refillable mug you were allowed (1) refil per 2:30 minutes for 2 weeks from the date of purchase, which after a long hot day at the magic kingdom just didn't cut it. A small screen will display how much longer your refills are avaiable for. If you are refilling too soon, the screen will say "Next refill in 1 minute 37 seconds". I don't know the details on a regualar soda purchase, but I saw someone trying to get a refill with one and the screen said his next refill would be in 4+ minutes. A lot of people don't notice the screen and are like :confused:

Not going to go into the deep details of the parks, but let me tell you the maximum waits I saw for some of the major rides:
Rock N Roller Coaster: 60 minutes (ouch)
Space mountain: 40 minutes, however, this remained around 10-20 during the first 4 hours or so of park opening, and fast passes remained 40 minutes out throughout the day, meaning you could essentially get two rides for the price of one :)
Splash Mountain: 60 minutes (ouch again)
Big Thunder: 30 minutes, was a walk on here and there though
Soarin: 45 minutes
Test Track: 45 minutes
Midway Mania: 60 minutes, however fast passes, which on this ride seem to have a reputaiton of selling out within a couple hours of park opening on busy days, were avaiable for almost half the day.

fun visit, but much more crowded than I had expected (and hoped)

faline
09-18-2011, 03:15 PM
Thanks for the report. I was wondering how the new soda dispensers were working out.

MinnieMommie
09-18-2011, 08:50 PM
Thanks for the report. Sorry about the wait times but glad you were able to get on the rides you wanted. Very interesting about the refillable mug dispensing. Hope they make some changes to this and the wait time is eliminated, :mickey:

frozman
09-18-2011, 10:09 PM
I think my bigger gripe had to be all the people going :confused: thinking they were doing something wrong and holding up the line for people that were actually able to get refills. Maybe there could be some sort of a notice, or the CM selling you your drink cup could tell you "you get one refill every 4 minutes for the next 30 minutes".
Truth be told, if I hadn't seen a post here on intercot about this new system, I would have just expected a normal soda fountain like the one at my local McDonald's. Having the heads up reaaaaaaaalllllllllllllly helped me.

Joannelet
09-18-2011, 10:22 PM
Wow that is busy! Glad you got to go on what you wanted though! I too was wondering how the new soda system was working out. Interesting. Thanks for the report!

DisneyorBust
09-19-2011, 05:27 AM
Thanks for the report. I really appreciate the information, especially in regards to the dispensing system.

MississippiDisneyFreak
09-19-2011, 10:04 AM
So the unlimited refills aren't really unlimited...yeah my son can drink a lot when hot and thirsty. I've seen him empty a glass in seconds and refill twice before cooling down...don't think we'll purchase one this trip:(

minnie04
09-19-2011, 11:51 AM
I just have a question?? Is this a sticker they place on the cup you buy? I was thinking maybe they could let you use older mugs if it’s a sticker ya know. I have a ton of them at home and we just keep buying more when we go. If they would charge me the same as new mug and place a sticker on my old one that would be helpful...And NO I don’t take my old ones with me and try to cheat the system :ack:

January-2007
09-19-2011, 01:50 PM
Thanks for the report.

frozman
09-22-2011, 07:19 PM
I just have a question?? Is this a sticker they place on the cup you buy? I was thinking maybe they could let you use older mugs if it’s a sticker ya know. I have a ton of them at home and we just keep buying more when we go. If they would charge me the same as new mug and place a sticker on my old one that would be helpful...And NO I don’t take my old ones with me and try to cheat the system :ack:

No, it's some sort of small chip built into the mug somewhere, you don't even notice it.


So the unlimited refills aren't really unlimited...yeah my son can drink a lot when hot and thirsty. I've seen him empty a glass in seconds and refill twice before cooling down...don't think we'll purchase one this trip:(

From what I gathered on this trip, it looks like the mugs get you your next refill in half the time as a traditional soda purchase:
Souviner Mug= 2.5 minutes per refill
Regular Soda Cup= (I think) 5 minutes per refill
So it does do you some good

Katzateer
09-24-2011, 01:18 PM
Glad you had a good trip.

I didn't notice the screen on the drink machines and I didn't have any problems with refills but I would fill up first with coffee then refill with ice and tea. By the time I was done with my coffee didn't have problems with a refill of the tea.

The mugs do not look any different and the cashiers don't say anything about them being different than in the past.