[Edwardo]

If actually purchase it if I didn't have to buy and lug around that bottle.

[RollerBee]

Now we know why Carowinds cut more trees down.

I will also note that the plastic cups say hand wash only, and not to put them in a dishwasher.
Wasteful, I would rather buy the plastic souvenir cup then toss out a paper cup every 90 minutes or so in the middle of summer.

[carolinaman]

You're right, it would create a lot more trash.

[pproteinc]

^^ I agree with you Roller but at the same time we all know people do not read. I've been in guest services or even standing in line at different food spots hearing people talk about how they need a new cup because it warped in the dishwasher or left it in the car during those extremely hot days in the summer. I'm on the fence about too. I do kind of like to collect them. I have one for every year since 2007.

[CCookieMonster]

My prediction(that I didn't tell anyone) was correct. Carowinds opens on March 25, 2017. (It was a little obvious after this year, though.) Will the hours of the park ever be extended 20 midnight during the daily summer operation because that would be kind of nice?

[FamousAmos]

I'm half and half on this decision. But maybe I'll have my own answer, haha.

Yes, I would love for the souvenir cups to be done away with. It is definitely a hassle at the rides with bins. For example at Vortex, it was very hard to get people to place their cups outside of the bin. People just toss stuff in them and cause the cups to spill, thus making a mess for us to clean up. Which would happen at least 4 times each day.

However, I also understand the appeal of wanting to have one in the first place. You can have it with you, carry it around, and fill it when needed.

I may have to agree with getting rid of them.
But then again, if lockers are put at all of the major rides, then we wouldn't have to worry about them spilling. That would be wonderful.

[Edwardo]

Even if they go to an all season drink plan that doesn't require the bottles, that doesn't mean they won't still sell the bottles. Just that the bottle won't be required.

I'd be more likely to buy the plan without the bottle requirement myself. Trash be darned.

[coasterbruh]

Now we know why Carowinds cut more trees down.

I will also note that the plastic cups say hand wash only, and not to put them in a dishwasher.
Wasteful, I would rather buy the plastic souvenir cup then toss out a paper cup every 90 minutes or so in the middle of summer.

Well it doesn't apply to you. You're not a season pass holder anyway.

And honestly, how much more trash are we talking about here?

[RollerBee]

Now we know why Carowinds cut more trees down.

I will also note that the plastic cups say hand wash only, and not to put them in a dishwasher.
Wasteful, I would rather buy the plastic souvenir cup then toss out a paper cup every 90 minutes or so in the middle of summer.

Well it doesn't apply to you. You're not a season pass holder anyway.

I did not renew for 2016, but I do intend on renewing for 2017; I still carry around my expired Season Passes in case I need the info to renew it in the Spring.

So yes the change would apply to me because if I renew my season passes, I would be purchasing one of the two cup options.

As to how much trash, depending on the weather my family goes through anywhere from 1 refill a day to 6 a day. We purchase one cup a year and share it among 3 people. The smaller the cup, the more refills we would consume.

Last season since we weren't Season Pass holders, we ate in the park twice and brought four drinks instead of the souvenir cup. Between meals, we drank the free cups of water instead of soda, with the small cups of water we each took one atleast three times during the day. So that is 9 small cups and four of the paper cups for a total of 13 pieces of trash instead of one refillable cup.

However I noticed over the years that many families carry multiple Souvenir cups.

[Edwardo]

And honestly, how much more trash are we talking about here?

A negligible amount. Because the park isn't going to offer something that creates a lot of waste because waste=less profit and less profit is not the goal.

[Jonathan]

There is a solution to the cup question that is the best of both worlds and it's silly that no one over here has adopted it that I'm aware of. I first saw it at Tivoli Gardens: http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-p ... ivoli.html

But at the famous Copenhagen amusement park Tivoli (one of the world's very first in-city large scale permanent parks) there's no trace of plastic cups on the grounds or even in the bins, and that's not because of overzealous maintenance staff - it's due to Tivoli's plastic cup deposit and return system that gets an approximately 80 percent return rate. When purchasing a beer or soft drink at any of the numerous concessions in the park, an extra 5 Danish kroner (US$1) is added to price, and the thick polystyrene cup can be dropped off at one of a dozen on-site recycling kiosks, which refunds the money. The system has been in place for nearly a decade, and studies are showing that with a 5-time reuse (cups are washed off-site and average five to nine uses) the cups score better in life-cycle analysis than disposables and at a break-even cost to the concessions. Seems like a proven technology whose time, with oil at near $120 a barrel, surely must be here.

This way waste is eliminated but you can also choose to take home a souvenir if you want to keep the cup (which I did).

[Edwardo]

I actually have thought of that and don't understand why more parks don't do something similar. Not only that but it's a fact that when you put selerate trash bins out for food and recycling, people will actually use the bins to recycle.

[carolinaman]

I see on the website that they have a Burrito Cafe. I looked on Facebook and seen in the comments that it will take the place of Carowinds Cafe.

[coasterbruh]

Great way to let the world know you buy one cup for three people roller. Stay classy.

And less we forget holiday world and Alabama adventure with their free drinks all day. No souvenir cups, all disposable. Do they have a problem with waste?

[uscbandfan]

... and didn't it say there would be limitations as to how often you get a free drink?

If so, you can't go back every 30 minutes and get another one. (You can already get a free kiddie cup of water every 5 minutes if you want to. It's a lot less trash-generating than that.) And paper will degrade and decompose in my lifetime.

I'm all for it. I can't stand carrying around stuff and having to worry about a locker anyway.