New Starbucks Been There Disney World Mugs
Starbucks has released its new “Been There” series of mugs for Walt Disney World, with designs for Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. In this post, we visit each of the coffee shops selling the cups, share photos, and offer thoughts as compared to the previous “You Are Here” series of Disney Starbucks mugs.
I’ve been slowly warming to the whole Starbucks mug trend. In our Fountain View Starbucks Review from a couple of years ago, I remarked that while I like the mug designs, I’m not into the Starbucks co-branding. I have nothing against Starbucks and am certainly not one of those people jumping aboard the “it’s hip to hate Starbucks because it’s popular” I just don’t really want the logo on my mugs.
My issue is more about the idea of traveling to cool places and bringing back a Starbucks souvenir, of all things, rather than bringing back something unique and original. Whether true or not, that sends a message about how you experienced that place, within the comfort zone of the ubiquitous Starbucks chain.
With Walt Disney World, this is obviously less of an issue. It’s simply a matter of merchandise from one corporate behemoth or the other…or both. However, when we’ve traveled elsewhere in the past, I’ve found myself eyeing these Starbucks mugs but often passing because I’m preoccupied with the impression.
More recently, we’ve bought them anyway. In a lot of places, souvenir mugs are not exactly the pinnacle of graphic design. Many are downright hideous. By contrast, the Starbucks mugs generally have clean, attractive, and clever styles. So, while I may not want to send the ‘message’ to people that I visited Starbucks instead of a local coffee shop in Japan via my mug, the alternatives are often kitschy and hideous.
As someone who enjoys collecting things, there’s also that element at play. Now that we’ve purchased a few due to lack of better options, we suddenly want more of the Starbucks mugs…from everywhere we go. Naturally, this led me down an online rabbit hole “researching” these mugs and trying to find past designs.
To my surprise, Starbucks has done various lines of mugs since 1994, with several series and tons of designs before the popular “You Are Here” mugs debuted a few years ago. I’ll spare you a full essay on what I learned, but here’s the ‘jumping off’ point that led me to several other places…and eBay. (Sarah, if you’re reading this…just kidding!)
Anyway, the new “Been There” Starbucks line debuted last June and has slowly been replacing the “You Are Here” mugs in cities and places throughout the world. In April 2019, these debuted at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Here’s a park by park look at the new designs…
First up is Magic Kingdom, which replaces the previous Tomorrowland-centric You Are Here mug. As you can see, the approach here is more broad, with every land in the park represented instead of a single land. Details include a Hitchhiking Ghost, Dumbo, Astro Orbiter, it’s a small world, Cinderella Castle, Dole Whip, Premium Mickey Ice Cream Bars, and more.
Personally, I appreciate the ‘deep cuts’ like Sammy, the raccoon who lives in Henry’s hat from Country Bear Jamboree. It’s nice to see things like this from a third party, especially when Disney’s own merchandise team doesn’t seem to know whether Expedition Everest is in California or Florida.
Next up, Epcot. There have been several good Starbucks and Disney collaborations for Epcot, and we featured a few of them in the aforementioned Fountain View post. Still, it seems like the most talked about and coveted Epcot mug is the initial blunder featuring monorail purple.
This new mug highlights iconic EPCOT attractions such as the original Journey into Imagination, Spaceship Earth, Kitchen Kabaret, and the “21st Century Begins Today” tagline. The color choices evoking Figment are also a nice touch. We haven’t purchased any of these mugs yet, but this will be the one we get, if we buy any.
While Star Tour is present (twice), conspicuously absent from the Disney’s Hollywood Studios mug is Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. It’ll be interesting to see how quickly a follow-up to this mug is released.
As with the You Are Here collection, the new Been There mugs come with a sturdy Pin Drop Collection box that’s cobranded with the Disney Parks logo and the line’s slogan: “Take your favorite places and spaces with you.”
Finally, we have Animal Kingdom’s mug, with imagery representative of that park’s attractions and entertainment, with the exception of Pandora – World of Avatar.
Note that the new Been There mugs are $19.99, as compared to $16.99 for the You Are Here Starbucks mugs at Walt Disney World. It’s also worth noting that, at least for the time being, you can still purchase the You Are Here mugs on ShopDisney–we assume that won’t be the case for long, so move quickly if you want the previous You Are Here WDW designs!
Overall, the new Been There Starbucks mugs are generally nice. I’m not totally sold on the art style yet as compared to the You Are Here mugs, but that could just be a matter of familiarity. I do really like the new Epcot mug, and love that Starbucks continues to harken back to the EPCOT Center incarnation of the park. Either there’s a fan on the Starbucks design team, or they know what sells among fans.
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Your Thoughts
What do you think of the new Starbucks Been There mugs? Do you prefer these or the You Are Here mugs? Have a favorite amongst the bunch? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Hmm I really like these. Are these a thing you can only buy in the Starbucks at the parks? Or are they available online? Could only see online shopping details about the You Are Here mugs, and a quick Google didn’t yield much.
I (surprisingly) found myself to be a fan of the ceramic travel mug I purchased in MK last September. I dont believe it was part of this new line but I found it more appealing and practical than the other mugs I found around the park. Mugs are my go to souvenir and I was disappointed last year that many I looked at for certain rides (I’m looking at you haunted Mansion) were the same as the few years past or were just impractical for coffee consumption. I generally don’t like mainstream brands to show up on my souvenir but I didn’t mind it in this case at all!
I love the new designs! I was not into the previous You Are Here designs at all — never bought any of those mugs. I bought all four of these new park mugs on my trip to Disney last week!!
I LOVE the new designs. I thought the old Epcot design was quite ugly, and all the other parks were sold out when we were there at Christmas, so I’m excited!!!!
I have little hands and the handles are perfect for me. I always seem to find an older version of the mugs at the outlet store when we visit Disney and I got another one this time for $3 🙂 Coming from Canada these mugs actually work out to be almost $27 with the exchange which is kind of crazy. So instead i’ll opt to get a starbucks gift card with certain point companies and then the mugs (and drinks at Disney) are free! I like the new designs, they’re fun and cute.
I do love their image choices, but so far I just don’t like the style. Maybe the new style will grow on me, or maybe my wallet will get a break and my kitchen cupboard won’t end up collapsing from the weight of a growing mug collection.
I believe I have over 70 YAH mugs….and I continue to collect when traveling abroad, as they haven’t discontinued that series except in US/Canada. I don’t mind the new BTS, but I’m just not interested in starting over. It’s been a chore to collect all those mugs! I don’t understand why they can’t have both series running concurrently….I suspect it’s a financial decision, but I miss the YAH collection.
As someone who has 60+ YAH mugs (darn that Fantasyland one), I am not a fan of BTS as a whole. Most of the mugs in the series look childishly drawn and half-way designed. Most are primarily blue or red with very little coloring. YAH were brightly colored and designed well. I liked how the different lands of the parks had different mugs as well. While some of the new Disney mugs have a few good ideas, I still feel like it’s trying to recopy the original YAH with the same colors.
I have been collecting Starbucks mugs for years, and have some from all over the world. I think they are a good quality mug. Last year, I purchased the WDW mugs and I love them. I plan on getting the Been There series as well. The change in design is what sets them apart.
We have the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios “You Are Here” mugs. I decided to pass on the Epcot mug, and I’m glad I did because I like the new design much better. As for Animal Kingdom, I have one of those giant tree of life mugs that hold around 5 gallons of coffee, so I’m good. Back to the Starbucks mugs, I appreciate their size (because we are TIRED in the morning and need lots of coffee) and their “stackability” in the cabinet. On an emotional level, yes, it brings me joy to drink my morning coffee out of my Disney/Starbucks mug. Why not combine 2 of my favorite things?
Admittedly, I’m a mug snob. We end up with (free) mugs from all kinds of places due to DH’s job, and they usually get sent to the thrift store pretty quickly because IMO they’re garbage. My favorite mug is a $4 solid colored mug from Kohl’s due to the design and handle shape. I’ve bought several of them over the years… it’s just my go-to.
However, I decided to collect the YAH mugs from Disney, even though they aren’t the ideal size/shape. I love having a piece of Disney (or really anywhere special we vacation) I can see/use every single day without being totally obnoxious about it. I typically use one for my afternoon tea, when I’m sitting down working and don’t have to carry the mug around much. So the handle, while not the best, isn’t as much of an issue, and neither are the thin sides that allow your hand to catch on fire until the liquid cools to a chuggable temperature. One thing I particularly appreciate about the Starbucks mugs is that the size/shape is consistent throughout the YAH/Been There mugs, making them easy to store and stack. That is a HUGE bonus for me. I have loved my other Disney-themed mugs, but they have not held up as well, are difficult to store because of odd sizes and shapes, and don’t have any better handles. I haven’t yet decided if I will get the new Been There mugs since I have the full YAH collection… I’m not sure I have enough space for them all.
I hadn’t noticed that, but now that you point it out, looking back at the pictures, you’re right. That’s an awful design for the handles. To me they look more like the handles are designed for hanging/display than for using.
Yep. Handle design is horrible once a beverage is in there. I can’t recommend anybody purchase them unless they just plan to display them or collect them. Waste of good money, IMO.
Does anyone know if these designs are also available in the smaller, “ornament” mugs offered in the “You Are Here” series?
I drink my coffee from my beloved YAH mugs every morning. It’s the only way to start the day. Although I’m not a huge fan of the new designs, I appreciate that they represent more of each Park than previous mugs. For my two cents, the handle is perfect. It’s large enough to allow more than 2 cramped fingers to cradle your cup.
Well I’m glad I have the old version…but I do agree with the person who dislikes the handles. They definitely are uncomfortable. Doesn’t stop me from drinking out of mine every day though! I just sip and think “ow, my hand.” 🙂
I wish they would re-design the handles. The u shape tends to cause the mug to want to tip away from your hand as opposed to a traditional ear shaped handle where you hand settles high on the handle, balancing the contents better. We have a series from our visit and never use them cause of the handle design. Just not comfortable to drink beverages out of them.
I’m a fan of these mugs because they remind me of a fun trip and they last in the dishwasher! I can’t tell you how many WDW mugs I’ve destroyed by running them through the dishwasher. The adorable but cheap decals/decoration always peels off. I’m not wasting my $$ on those anymore.
Do they accept the 20% DVC or Annual Pass discount?
Yes they do!
Prior to reading this article I could care less about the starbucks mugs. Now that my curiosity got peaked (thanks Tom ), I searched on ebay for the Epcot purple monorail one. I don’t get it. The mug has purple coloring, but the monorail is grey. What am I missing?
The first iteration of the mug was pulled within days – it had a purple monorail which of course was the monorail involved with the tragic crash where a young cast member / monorail pilot died. The new print included the grey strip on the monorail.
I got the Epcot one when I was there last week and would have picked up the MK one too, but for some reason they only had the old Tomorrowland version available.
the far more important question is if the muppets are on the hollywood studios mug?
also an important question- why do people pay a premium for these mugs on ebay?
As a YAH mug collector for the last several years it’s been very hard to “switch” to the BT mugs. Alas, they got me with Disney ones. I have every Disney YAH including the coveting purple monorail. Looks like I’ll be getting some more…