Coke Freestyle at Universal Orlando
There is a new refillable cup program at Universal, and it is ready to quench your thirst in over 100 different ways…
The Coke Freestyle program, like the classic souvenir cup program described above, is quite simple on the outset. But again, once we start digging into the details, it gets a little sticky. So let’s talk about exactly what Coke Freestyle is, how Universal’s refill program works, and how it compares to the classic souvenir cup program.
THE BASICS
First, what is Coke Freestyle? Basically what Coke has done is create a super soda fountain machine, stocked full of dozens of drink products, reduced the nozzles down to a single dispenser, and given you full control to fill up your cup as you please.
The machines are a breeze to use: put your cup in place, push back if you want ice, then make your drink selections using the touchscreen, and work your magic devising the perfect drink combination to fuel your theme park adventures.
The Coke Freestyle refill program is also quite simple on its face. You pay $10.99 plus tax for the cup, and that entitles you to unlimited free refills at any Coke Freestyle station at either theme park for the day.
REFILL LOCATIONS
Currently there are seven Coke Freestyle stations at Universal:
USF – Classic Monsters Cafe (quick-service restaurant and Meal Deal location in Production Central)
USF – Louie’s Italian Restaurant (quick-service restaurant and Meal Deal location in New York)
USF – Richter’s Burger Co. (quick-service restaurant and Meal Deal location in San Fransisco)
IOA – Comic Strip Cafe (quick-service restaurant and Meal Deal location in Toon Lagoon)
IOA – The Burger Digs (quick-service restaurant and Meal Deal location in Jurassic Park)
IOA – Circus McGurkus Cafe Stoo-pendous (quick-service restaurant and Meal Deal location in Seuss Landing)
IOA – Oasis Cooler (stand-alone beverage kiosk in Lost Continent)
I’m sure you’re wondering exactly what you can dispense from one of these Coke Freestyle machines. Well, believe it or not, there are simply too many options to list here, but you can learn about it all on the Coke Freestyle website.
Now that you know the basics for the Coke Freestyle program at Universal Orlando, you may already have identified some differences between it and the classic souvenir cup refillable program. Let’s get to the questions…
I can really only use the Coke Freestyle cup for the day? How does Universal know when I bought it?
Unlike the classic souvenir cups, which can be used indefinitely, the Coke Freestyle cups can only be used the day you purchase them. Universal is able to track this because each cup has an RFID chip inside it. The first time you use your cup, the Coke Freestyle machines register it for use that day. If you return days later with the same cup, the machine will read the chip, see that it is expired, and it will not dispense what you desire.
For those who want to get technical, here’s a little more info: The Coke Freestyle cups are actually good for 24 hours after you first activate them in one of the machines. So it is possible to use them over the span of two days, just as long as you don’t try to get a refill after 24 hours.
When you fill your cup, you can see how much time you have left.
Keep in mind that the machine only shows your time left when it is actually dispensing a drink into your cup.
Are refills really free?
Yes, they are. Unlike the classic souvenir cup program, in which you pay 95 cents with tax for a refill, with the Coke Freestyle cups you get unlimited refills at no additional charge. Better yet, you don’t have to wait for a Universal team member to fill the cup — you can just walk up to any Coke Freestyle station and do it yourself!
If refills are free, why would I ever want to purchase the classic souvenir cup?
The trade off is that you only get 24 hours of refills with the Coke Freestyle cup. And, you only have seven locations to choose from. If you get the classic souvenir cup, you may have to pay 95 cents per refill, but you can use it at 50+ locations throughout both parks and CityWalk, including the full-service restaurants, and you can use it multiple days (or years, until Universal changes the policy).
And that, my friends, describes the major decision you must make between the programs. With Coke Freestyle, you don’t have to pay for refills and you get to use their groovy machines to blend the perfect drink. But you’re limited to 24 hours and seven locations. With the classic souvenir cup program, you’ll need to pay for refills, but you can get those discounted refills virtually anywhere inside the parks and CityWalk, and you can use the cups forever (again, until Universal changes the policy).
Still have more questions? Let’s do this…
I don’t care about the “freestyle” part — I just want my Diet Coke straight — should I skip Coke Freestyle?
Just because you have a Freestyle cup doesn’t mean you need to get all crazy with your drinks. You can use the machine however you’d like. So if that means you just want to drink one product, not mixed with any others, you are “free” to do so. The advantages and disadvantages explained above remain the same.
Since I refill my Freestyle cup myself, can I just buy one and fill my friends’ plastic cups all day long?
Nope… or at least, not conveniently. The machines track when you fill your cup, and once your refill is done you have to wait five minutes before you can use any of the machines again.
Once the five minutes is up, you can get another free refill — so if your group is willing to wait five minutes a time for refills, then I suppose you could share. But I don’t know how long you’ll really want to be hanging out in the restaurants.
How does the Meal Deal fit into all of this? What happened to the blue cups?
When the Coke Freestyle program was introduced, Universal discontinued the Meal Deal cup program. However, it is important to understand that the Coke Freestyle cups did not exactly replace the blue Meal Deal cups. The major difference between the two programs is that you do not have to purchase Universal’s Meal Deal to get a Coke Freestyle cup. Anyone who just wants a few gallons of Coke product all mixed together can get the Freestyle cup. Of course, if you want to use the Freestyle cup and the Meal Deal, you can do that too — you just need to purchase each separately. Or you can use the classic souvenir cup and the Meal Deal — again, you just need to purchase each separately. Or you can use the Meal Deal by itself and not purchase any refillable cups.