That's not Coke. I mean, Coke provides the technology to enable it, maybe. But Universal Orlando is the one responsible for requesting and implementing the feature. Though I wasn't aware of any use for paper cups... Last time I visited, it was only for the free refill periods of souvenir cups. You pay for refills for the entire day, and it enables your chip to then use those machines all day. The alternative was that you carry around the dated receipt and get refills from vendors. So overall it was a UX win; the economics are all the same, but users get better service.
Cruise lines were the first place I saw this used, years before UO implemented it. They would have a couple FreeStyle machines scattered around the ship, that would work with the cup they would give you when you bought the beverages package. Again, overall a UX win, because they had the same packages before, but you would have to go to one of the bars or whatever to use it.
EDIT: I also feel like saying that in both instances, the machines would still happily dispense plain water. So that's a nice thing.
I encountered this system at a Disney resort hotel a long time ago.
The explanation I read back then was that they used to sell souvenir mugs with free refills for the duration of the stay. But guests would come back the next year with their mugs and abuse the system by taking more refills without paying for another visit.
So the RFID mug system enables the dispenser for the time duration of the guest visit (day, week, whatever). But now that means the dispenser also has to able to fill paper cups with single servings since the dispenser can't tell what is under the nozzle - a mug or a one-shot cup.
So now the paper cups have RFID in them and that's how we got to where we are.
If you've visited a Disney park recently, you'll understand that the cost of entry is a mere fraction of the money they expect to extract from you during your stay.
I'm not qualified at all to say this, but I'd say the park ticket is a loss leader.
The entire park is a shopping mall now. Mobile product carts and gift shops around every turn - not just at the exits anymore. The RFID MagicBands exist to eliminate any hesitation in purchasing something. The FastPasses were built to keep you walking around and buying stuff instead of waiting in a line for an hour. The hotels are full of upsells and overmarketed dining plans (if they saved you money, why would they be selling it?). I could go on and on.
I know some people going on a Disney trip soon. The cost and regimentation was staggering to me when described. You have to schedule everything. And it is all expensive as heck.
I'd rather spend that money on flying to Europe or somewhere else.
I live with schedules every day at work. I go on vacation to get away from schedules...
My favorite thing to do is to just go to a forest preserve or other park and just walk around looking at the trees and the clouds.
Interesting. My experience at UO was that the only place where you could get paper cups, the dispensers were behind the counter. So there was no need for the open dispensers to accept anything other than a validated chip. And same on the cruise ship; if you didn't have a beverage package, you go to a vendor to get a drink. (And if you did have a package, but just not your cup, they would see it on your ship ID.)
Change designs on Jan 1st. Grandfather the old mugs until Feb 1st. If you somehow have a guest staying for 5 consecutive weeks, deliver the new mugs to their hotel room sometime during their stay.
At least that‘s what I do when I‘m going out dancing I buy one drink and the rest of the night it‘s tap water for me. In a theme park I probably could bring my water bottle.
Yeah, and from any drinking fountain or food place if you ask.
The reasoning I heard was that people using it for water were also wasting a ton of ice and the machines would run out faster than they could be replenished. It did use to be common to see mountains of dumped ice in the dispenser so I do kinda believe it.
Ideally the park should be installing those water bottle fountains.
Cruise lines were the first place I saw this used, years before UO implemented it. They would have a couple FreeStyle machines scattered around the ship, that would work with the cup they would give you when you bought the beverages package. Again, overall a UX win, because they had the same packages before, but you would have to go to one of the bars or whatever to use it.
EDIT: I also feel like saying that in both instances, the machines would still happily dispense plain water. So that's a nice thing.