25. Refillable Cups: A Complete Guide to Freestyle, Hotel Mugs & Souvenir Sippers | Universal Orlando

Confused about Universal Orlando’s refillable cups? You’re not alone! Between Coca-Cola Freestyle® cups, hotel refill mugs, and souvenir sippers, it’s easy to get turned around on what works where.

In this episode of Unlocking Universal, I’m breaking down all three drink programs — including where you can buy them, how refills work, and which ones are actually worth it. You’ll also learn a hydration hack you probably didn’t know (and it’s free!).

Whether you want to save money, stay cool, or just avoid Florida’s infamous “theme park dehydration,” this guide will help you sip smarter on your next trip to Universal Orlando Resort.

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🌟 As a senior travel consultant and trainer with The Magic For Less Travel, a top U-Preferred agency, I specialize in Universal Orlando vacations—When you're ready to go from dreaming to doing, I'm here for you. My services are free, my excitement is contagious, and your countdown to Epic could start faster than a VelociCoaster launch.

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Transcript

The sun's barely up, but the Florida heat is already wrapping you like a damp towel. You've breezed through photo validation, scored your first ride of the day, and now your group's thirsty. Real thirsty. You spot that familiar red and black machine across the plaza, pulsing like a soda powered beacon of hope.

But wait, which cup did you buy again and why won't it scan here? At Universal Orlando, not all cups are created equal. Some are total money savers, one's only for the hotels, and one will, let's just say it's more about looking fun than saving you anything. Don't worry though. I've got you.

 Welcome back to Unlocking Universal, your Key to all things Universal Orlando and beyond. Now here's your guide and unfair Advantage Holli. 

Before we get started, I have an update to last week's situation where a guest wanted advice, but I had no way of contacting her. I am so happy to report that. A [00:01:00] TL 96 40 emailed me after she stopped laughing, of course. 

In unrelated news, if you are in the Atlanta area, you may wanna check out Six Flags Fright Fest. This year. There's an amazing band performing at the event. I just cannot let you miss this. They're called Nightshades and I am totally blown away and obsessed.

I'm gonna put a link to their promo video in the show notes, and you can thank me later.

Today we are unlocking one of the most misunderstood and occasionally frustrating little parts of a Universal Orlando vacation, the Refillable Cup programs. You heard me right? That's programs with an S on the end.

Whether you're staying onsite or off hopping between parks or planning your very first visit, these cups can be a great value, but only if you know which one to get and where to use it. By the end of this episode, you're gonna know exactly how all three programs work, how to avoid the dreaded 'no refills here' moment, and have a few insider tips that'll [00:02:00] make them work even harder for you.

So grab your favorite cup. I've got mine. Let's fill it up and get right into it.

As I mentioned, Universal Orlando actually has three completely separate refillable drink programs, each with its own vessels, if you will, and each plays by its own distinct rules.

First up is the Coca-Cola Freestyle souvenir cup, and it's for use in the parks. Here's what you need to know. The Freestyle cups work at all of the Coca-Cola Freestyle machines in all four of the theme parks, Universal Studios, Florida Islands of Adventure, Volcano Bay, Epic Universe, plus the Coke Icon cart in CityWalk.

ICEE refills are included, so look out for the stands and the kiosks where you see ICEEs are being sold and you're all set to go. Once you activate the cup, you can pour a new drink every 10 minutes for the rest of the day, and you can reactivate the same cup on future park days or future park trips for less than the original price, about a third [00:03:00] less.

So which cups are included in this program? Well, these are the big hard sided plastic cups that you see with the handle on top of the lid. These are the ones that you see people carrying around most often.

They can be purchased at any kiosk and quick service locations throughout all of the parks, and at the Coke Icon cart in CityWalk.

Sometimes there are even several versions floating around at any particular time, especially during special events like Jaw's 50th anniversary, Halloween Horror Nights, Mardi Gras, the Holidays, et cetera.

In addition to this well-known cup, you can also opt for the more Tervis type tumblers. They're more often found in the shops, though I have seen a few at the beverage kiosks occasionally. But your best bet is to look in the shops for them. They're gonna cost more because they're larger. They're a higher quality, you know?

But these are the ones that you're gonna carry around after the trip. I mean, unless you're like me and you carry your Jaws cup pretty much everywhere .

But overall, they are [00:04:00] much higher quality and they're better insulated too. The first time you activate it, you're gonna have to go to a manned kiosk so the Team Member there can activate it. But after that, you can self-serve your way to hydrated bliss.

This is one of my favorite features, by the way. You don't have to stand in line to be served every time you fill your Freestyle cup, whether it's the Tervis style or the traditional style.

You may encounter a line at the Freestyle machine maybe, but it's gonna move super fast and you're not gonna be needing to wait to be served by a Team Member.

So here's a pro tip that I swear by and personally use the heck out of. You can pop into the quick service or fast casual locations scattered throughout the parks, and you're gonna have little to no line at all, and you get a little AC break in the process. That is a win-win in my book, especially in the Florida summer.

One thing that you really want to note with the Freestyle program is that because of licensing restrictions, you're not gonna find any of the Freestyle machines in either the Wizarding World of [00:05:00] Harry Potter or Springfield USA. So you're gonna wanna top that cup off before heading into those areas.

We know how they work, but how much do they cost? The regular park Freestyle cups are $19, if you buy one. If you buy two, they're gonna be $17 a piece. If you buy between three and six, they're only $15 a piece. And then when you go to reactivate them on subsequent days, it's just 12 bucks.

It's a total deal, in my opinion. I mean, if you're talking about spending the entire day in the park or night, if it's Halloween Horror Nights, you've gotta stay hydrated. And this is a really simple, easy, convenient, cost-effective way to do that. Now if you're gonna opt with the Freestyle Tumbler, that one's upwards of $30 or more, depending on the style.

And those are really more of a collectible. You're gonna use it and then take it home and use it more. I think for in the parks, you really want the one with the handle.

The second refillable program is the Classic Refillable Souvenir Mugs. These are also for use in the parks with a [00:06:00] little asterisk that we'll talk about. Now, keep in mind, this is a totally different program from the Freestyle cups.

And here's how this one works. You're gonna buy the cup of your choice and your first fill is included in the price of that cup.

After your first fill, you're gonna pay a small fee each time for soda refills. Right now it's a dollar 69 plus tax. I believe. Let me know if you see anything different. I don't really buy these cups, so I kind of check every once in a while. And prices may vary, but just to give you an idea. It's a very reasonable amount when you compare that to buying a single serve Coke. If you walk up to a kiosk, it's gonna run you five bucks, no joke. 

That soda refill discounted price is going to be available at kiosks and stands in the parks and, and here's where that asterisk comes in. You can also get it at any walkup concession stand in CityWalk. So the Hot Dog Hall of Fame or the Red Oven Pizza Bakery, anything like that. You can walk up, get your dollar 69 refill, and you're on your way.

Now, other than [00:07:00] soda, some other drinks like slushies and ICEEs are also gonna be discounted, but they're not all gonna be the same price. It might be a little different, but you are going to get it as a discount.

Just keep in mind that these mugs do not work at the Coca-Cola Freestyle machines other than for ice and water, which is available free at all times.

 So which cups are included in this program? This is where you're gonna find your more novelty cups. The character sippers, if you wanna drink outta Bart Simpson's head, or a Minion or Jurassic Park dinosaurs, things like that, your metal souvenir mugs and steins. A lot of times you're gonna find those in the shops.

And also this includes the Butterbeer Souvenir Cups. You're gonna find these at the food and beverage stands throughout the parks. They're gonna vary by the stand. But here's where it sometimes gets confusing, so stay with me.

It's important to note that if you buy a Butterbeer mug on its own or as an upgrade to your Butterbeer purchase, that mug absolutely qualifies you [00:08:00] for the refill price. But that refill price is for the soda taps . Even though you may have been served a Butterbeer in it, you cannot get a discounted Butterbeer refilled into it.

Now, if you purchase it full of a Butterbeer to begin with and then you go back. And get a quote unquote refill. It's gonna cost you less than the first time, but that's because you're not paying the price of the mug. It's gonna be a full nine bucks for that Butterbeer.

So how much do these cups cost?

Well, this one's a little difficult to compare to the traditional Freestyle ones because there's a much bigger variety of cups to choose from and they're constantly kind of cycling through and adding new ones, and some are gone after a while, stuff like that.

But I would plan on spending a minimum of $11 and then they go up from there. Just to keep in mind, the nicer the cup, the more it's gonna run you. But that just makes sense.

Our third refillable beverage program is the Hotel Freestyle mug, and [00:09:00] this is for the onsite hotels. If you're staying at a Universal Orlando hotel, you'll see these at the food courts, you're gonna see stacks of them at the food courts, and each have their own specific ones for their hotel, although you can use them at any of the 11 hotels.

The hotel Freestyle cups are much smaller than the park Freestyle cups, and they have a snap-on lid with a side handle. If you have ever stayed at Walt Disney World, these are almost identical to the ones used at Walt Disney World Resort Hotels. It's Important to keep in mind that these are Freestyle cups, but they will only work at the Freestyle machines at the hotels.

 Well, why is that? 

Universal Orlando Resort has a partnership with Loews Hotels. All of their hotels are actually operated by Loews. Universal Orlando employees and Lowe's employees involved.

So that's why there are different refillable programs for the parks and then for the hotels. Now the hotel refillable program is great if you're spending time at the pool because there are [00:10:00] Freestyle machines right by the pools. For the room,

 in my opinion, it's not as big of a benefit. We are local, so we bring our drinks with us to stock the beverage cooler. It's just not worth it, in my opinion, to traipse all the way down to the lobby or the pool areas for that small drink amount, it's 16 ounces and that's before you add ice in it.

It's not worth it to me. I still buy them because they're very, very cute and collectible. But I would recommend that you maybe bring or have drinks delivered to keep in your hotel room. It's so much more convenient.

You can have them delivered by a bunch of different local stores. You can use your Walmart Plus or Target plus memberships. You can even have Amazon delivered to you at the hotel. And like I said, I still buy the cups, especially the Halloween ones at Cabana Bay. They are so cute and they change them like from year to year. I mean, are you really a resort fan if you don't have like one shelf in your kitchen just full of cups that you really don't use.

[00:11:00] If you're a visual learner like me and all of this is seeming to melt together, no worries. You can just grab the Free Refillable Cheat Sheet that I made for you. The link is in the show notes.

I just find that this is one of those . Small things that can be kind of a big pain in the butt.

But this is the kind of pain in the butt that we can easily rectify. I told you I entertain myself.

So what are some tips and real world advice that I can give you? Well, first of all, it's gonna be to match your cup to your plan. If you're gonna be in the parks a lot for large periods of time, I say absolutely go with the Freestyle cups because those are gonna be your best bang for your buck.

They're easy to carry. You know when you go to get on a ride and you have to put your cup in a locker. It's no big deal to dump it out because you know you can just get it refilled when you get back off. You're not ever gonna be wasting anything. If you're over at Epic Universe actually going on Monsters Unchained, your cup will fit upright and so you don't have to dump it out there.

If you're gonna have a pool day, absolutely go for the hotel Freestyle mugs. [00:12:00] And yes, you can have both if you're a trip calls for it or you just like to collect them because that's okay too. And this is a no judgment zone.

Be aware of the reactivation policies because they can save you money for the park freestyle cups reactivating. It is cheaper than buying a new one and it pays for itself in just a couple of refills.

And the hotel Freestyle cups, if you pay for the activation for the length of your stay, it's just a little over 20 bucks. And that's pretty good too, even if you don't end up using it a lot other than when you're at the pool. It's a really fun souvenir.

Now this one, this is a really, really big one, and this is not so obvious.

I want you to keep your receipts when you first purchase the cup. If you're in the park and you have a Freestyle cup and you reactivate it, keep that receipt.

Because if your cups RFID chip in the bottom stops working, your receipt is proof that you have activation for that day, and they will absolutely take care of you right away. Oh, that's another thing too. If you happen to break your lid, if you drop it or your handle breaks, they're gonna replace that for you free [00:13:00] anyway. You don't need a receipt for that.

And my final real world advice has nothing to do with paying for any of these cups. I just want you to know that even if you never buy a cup, you can get free ice and cold filtered water from any of the Freestyle machines in all of the parks or hotels. You don't have to wait in long lines to be handed a five ounce cup like you do at some parks. And because of the Freestyle machines having excellent filters, it doesn't have that Florida water taste that some of y'all really complain about.

So there's no excuse to not be on top of your hydration. I don't want to hear it because this is really serious business down here, and I want you safe, healthy, because you can't have a great trip if you're not.

The bottom line is once you know which cup goes where, the whole refillable thing at Universal becomes super easy. It's wicked convenient, and it can save you money if you go in with a strategy that fits your plan best.

Speaking of planning, if you are planning a trip and you want help choosing the right cup or figuring out where it fits into your bigger park strategy, I'd love to help you do that. [00:14:00] You can reach me at my links in the show notes or find me on Instagram at Unlocking _ Universal.

And if you've got a Universal question you want answered in a future episode, send it my way.

Until next time, stay cool and remember. Friends, don't let friends pay full price to stay 

hydrated.

 Thanks for hanging out with us. Now, get out here and go do something nice for someone.