WDW Drinks for Cheap!
Jun 07 '00
Several people have written in praise of the refillable beverage cups, commenting on how much money you can save by not buying a new soda every time you are thirsty. This is true, but you can save money and time with a wonderful, inexpensive little device sold throughout the Disney Parks: water bottle straps.
These straps look like a lanyard with a lasso at the end. They are available at several of the walk-up fast food places and on rolling carts selling plastic bottles of water or soda. The straps cost three bucks and, unless you lose it, you’ll only need one your entire life: Just toss it in your luggage and bring it back on your next trip to Mouseland. You can save even more money by bringing your own bottles of water (or buying some at an Orlando grocery after you arrive) and storing them in a mini-fridge or cooler in your room.
Using the straps is easy: Simply slip the neck of your bottle into the lasso, tighten it up, and sling that sucker over your neck. You’ve got a portable drink you can carry all over the park (even onto the rides, where your drink bottle will stay securely on your person!) and your hands are still free to hold onto your kids, take pictures, or point to landmarks and say, “I’ll meet you right here in 15 minutes.”
And, for the obsessive collector, each park has a different strap. The Magic Kingdom straps are red and black with the Mickey silhouette; the Epcot straps have the flags of nations; the Animal Kingdom straps are green with a silhouetted parade of creatures. The MGM straps are the most colorful, with many Disney characters shown in a “film strip” design. Go ahead. Collect the whole set. Get one for every mood. (I know that violates the spirit of saving money, but if you've just got to have the whole set of something, being able to do so for $12 isn't bad!)
The great advantage of the straps over the refillable cups, though, is that you can refill a water bottle at any water fountain in the parks. It’s totally free and you don’t have to waste precious touring time standing in line at a food counter.
One downside to the straps: I wish they were a few inches longer. My wife (who is not as tall as myself) can easily sling her strap over one shoulder and under the opposite arm (sort of like a purse) so that it rides on her hip. I’m 6’2”, though, so the strap rides higher on me and, in that position, I find it impossible to get a drink without taking the whole thing off. The alternative, which I usually opt for, is to just loop the strap around my neck and let it dangle down and ride against my stomach. It’s not as comfortable, but it’s a small trade off for the convenience.
As an added bonus (and money saver), the drink straps can double as a lanyard for your trading pins.
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Epinions.com ID:
MouseHead
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Member: Mike
Location: Indiana
Reviews written: 18
Trusted by: 13 members
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