Longers
Well-Known Member
No they didn't offer any explanation of why the rooms didn't have them - just told us they were nearly all in at French quarter!
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Refrigerators being temporarily removed from all rooms
- Thread starter nepalostparks
- Start date
englanddg
One Little Spark...
They were installing the new units in POFQ when I was there in August.
JerseyDad
Well-Known Member
...the 'explanation' regarding the removal of the ones they initially installed last year were:
- They were not really fridges ...and didn't cool properly
- Were not meant to be installed in cabinets since they need lots of ventilation
- Since they didn't get adequate venting ...they may overheat and be a fire hazard.
- Hence ...the reason given was "Manufacturers Defect" ...and Disney is playing it safe by disconnecting / removing them". The truth being that someone didn't do there homework before buying something like 25,000 of them. Can you say "OOPS" in a Mickey voice?
BoarderPhreak
Well-Known Member
Sounds like Peltier cooled devices, rather than the traditional units with actual coolant.
"Oops" is right!
No fridge? No rental. Simple as that (for me anyway).
"Oops" is right!
No fridge? No rental. Simple as that (for me anyway).
Cesar R M
Well-Known Member
are the lack of fridges really a deal breaker for you?
BoarderPhreak
Well-Known Member
Sure. There are plenty of other rooms (or resorts). Doesn't mean I won't go to WDW...
Weather_Lady
Well-Known Member
They would be a dealbreaker for me, too, frankly. Everybody's different.
Cesar R M
Well-Known Member
understood.. I just find it funny; as I never used the hotel fridges.... ever (in my whole life.. believe it or not! hah)..
JerseyDad
Well-Known Member
....exactly what they were. They were 'superconductor coolers' made by Avanti ...and when it didn't cool my beers last August (2012) ...I complained to the concierge desk at POP ...and they said ...(and I quote!), "well they really aren't refrigerators ..they are more like coolers".
....well then they shouldn't have advertised them as fridges!! There's no way in he!! I'd put perishables (or med's) in one of those.....
....I brought a styrofoam cooler this past August ....and it helped ME keep my beer / soda cold. My travel distance to the ice machine wasn't too bad ...but ...for the increased room rates ...and other short-comings that were present at POP when we were there this past August ...I was not happy in the least having to fill it and drain it every day.
BoarderPhreak
Well-Known Member
Interesting. If you look at the candidates on the Avanti Products site, you come up with the Model SHP1701B - SUPERCONDUCTOR Refrigerator which clearly states, "Free standing installation only. Proper ventilation is required to maintain satisfactory cooling and overall performance." The manual expands on these points:
• This refrigerator uses superconductor heat-pipe refrigeration technology (no compressor).
• This appliance is designed to be free standing only, and should not be recessed or built-in (Fully recessed).
• Allow 5 inches of space between the back and sides of the refrigerator, which allows the proper air circulation to cool the heat sink.
• To ensure proper ventilation for your refrigerator, the front of the unit must be completely unobstructed. Choose a well-ventilated area with temperatures above 60° F (16° C) and below 90° F (32° C).
JerseyDad
Well-Known Member
Interesting. If you look at the candidates on the Avanti Products site, you come up with the Model SHP1701B - SUPERCONDUCTOR Refrigerator which clearly states, "Free standing installation only. Proper ventilation is required to maintain satisfactory cooling and overall performance." The manual expands on these points:
• This refrigerator uses superconductor heat-pipe refrigeration technology (no compressor).
• This appliance is designed to be free standing only, and should not be recessed or built-in (Fully recessed).
• Allow 5 inches of space between the back and sides of the refrigerator, which allows the proper air circulation to cool the heat sink.
• To ensure proper ventilation for your refrigerator, the front of the unit must be completely unobstructed. Choose a well-ventilated area with temperatures above 60° F (16° C) and below 90° F (32° C).
....absolutely correct!!! .....all conditions / directives that I think I may have referred to in some other post about the whole fridge fiasco
....and if you look at the guidelines for the In Cabinet Installations
....none were followed / adhered to ...and it came back to bite the Mouse in the posterior.
G00fyDad
Well-Known Member
I agree. I've used them, but if I don't have one I make the best of it. I find it odd how for year Disney did not have fridges in the values, and once they do put them in and then have to remove them for a few months people lose it and start talking about how Disney is ripping them off. LOL The fridges were not there at all up until a few years ago. Now that things have gone back, temporarily, to the way they were people are talking about it being a deal breaker.
I was a little irritated that the fridges were in the rooms until about 2 months before our trip and then they got yanked out, but I made do with a foam cooler and filled it with ice each evening. In the morning our drinks were cold, and the drinks that were left inside were still ice cold in the evening when we got back to the room. I could see it being a deal breaker if the shower did not work, no hot water, even an uncomfortable bed. But an absent fridge? 
JerseyDad
Well-Known Member
I agree. I've used them, but if I don't have one I make the best of it. I find it odd how for year Disney did not have fridges in the values, and once they do put them in and then have to remove them for a few months people lose it and start talking about how Disney is ripping them off. LOL The fridges were not there at all up until a few years ago. Now that things have gone back, temporarily, to the way they were people are talking about it being a deal breaker.
....well ...yes ...to some it's an insignificant issue ...and to others ...not so. Though I am not one of the travelers that chooses to stock their room with a week's worth of food ....some do. Some have to count every dollar that they have to "make" the WDW trip and making it a doable vacation. To some ...it's necessary to expend only $5 dollars per morning to feed their family of 4 before heading off to a park ....instead of going to the food court and dropping at least $25 bucks. (do that for breakfast + lunch for a family of 4 ...for a 7 day trip ...and the savings can be substantial. Heck ...I bring my own beer ...and save AT LEAST $100 over the length of our stay!)
....we did the cooler thing this past trip ...it 'worked' ...but was a pain in the butt. (the cooler leaked a little too ...until I lined it with plastic bags).
....what's the greatest 'irritation' is the way Disney dealt with it. The fridges were added last year as a standard amenity ...and the rates went up. There are those that will argue they were going up anyway ...and the fridge didn't factor into the rate hike. (to that I say B.S.). Nevertheless the fridges were listed....and people planned their trips 'around' them (in the cases where food was planned to be kept in the room). The added irritation was how WDW removed the fridge from the website list of amenities after they had offered a $15/night credit ...then took the stance that "it's not listed ..so you don't get to complain or get a credit". They tried to pull that with us in August at check-in ...and started to ask us "when did you book the stay" ...in an attempt to wiggle out of the credit if you booked "after the fridge problem was made known ...no credit"!! They lost on that one ...because my wife was ed off at the CM at check-in who was filled with 'attitude' ...and that was a BAD thing for them to do.
G00fyDad
Well-Known Member
Very well put. I accept that rationale. I had not thought of it like that.
G00fyDad
Well-Known Member
It was an adjustment for us going from moderates to values, but we have never had a fridge in a value so not having this last time was no big deal. I hope it is fixed when we go again in 2015, but at their current lackadaisical pace.... I doubt it.
Cesar R M
Well-Known Member
that is an interesting definition from you.A "dealbreaker" doesn't mean that someone will opt not go to WDW. Nor does it mean that someone will not choose a particular resort. However, one can ask for a different room that does have a fridge - that was my point. Of course, if you don't care about a fridge in the first place, then it doesn't matter either way...
I always have seen the "deal-breaker" as something that prevents or just sways you to DON'T GO to certain resort.
sort of "This Resort as this XXX problem, thus its a dealbreaker for me and I wont go unless they can fix it!"
BoarderPhreak
Well-Known Member
Yeah, who knows, LOL... It could be a while. They originally projected what, four months? We're going on five and it's still in progress. 25k is a lot of fridges...
Well, if you can get another room to your satisfaction at the resort of your choice - sure, why not? I don't think they're taking the fridges out of an entire resort at once... That'd be hard to pull off with occupancy. But worse comes to worse, and if a fridge is that important, pick another resort. Disney charges enough for the rooms - a fridge isn't too much to ask for.
Cesar R M
Well-Known Member
Well, but like I said in my case, I do not care about fridges.. so they're not a "deal breaker".Yeah, who knows, LOL... It could be a while. They originally projected what, four months? We're going on five and it's still in progress. 25k is a lot of fridges...
Well, if you can get another room to your satisfaction at the resort of your choice - sure, why not? I don't think they're taking the fridges out of an entire resort at once... That'd be hard to pull off with occupancy. But worse comes to worse, and if a fridge is that important, pick another resort. Disney charges enough for the rooms - a fridge isn't too much to ask for.
regardless if there is a fridge or not, I would go to any resort. I can find other issues that would be a deal breaker for me.