Disappointed in Member Relations

[carlbarry]

Understood but what needs to be frozen? Nothing listed in your list needs to be frozen.

Having something thawed and not cooking it right away does that make it no longer kosher? Sorry if this is a dumb question I dont have a clue.

I only bring it up as DVC seems keen on removing those old style of fridges from the resorts as time passes.

I'm sorry, I was trying to clarify my situation. Breakfast I need milk, cereal, orange juice. Not a problem. Lunch I always eat a peanut butter sandwich. Not a problem.
Dinner is the problem. I bring from home, for example, (cooked) chicken, (cooked) meatballs, (prepared) chow mein, bourekas, franks 'n' blanks, cold cuts, etc. Cold cuts aren't a problem only refrigerated for 10 days. Chicken, meatballs . . . I'm not fussy, but I think frozen is safer.
Thawing food does not make it non-kosher, as you suspect . . . would have been a real problem with Moses walking us around in the desert for 40 years!
By the way, Disney does have available kosher meals, airplane style. They have hamburger, salmon, chicken tenders, pizza, occasionally something else. In the parks, only hamburger, chicken tenders, pizza. Unfortunately, the only one that is reliably edible is the chicken tenders. And 10 or more nights of that would be kind of boring, as well as inconvenient to obtain.

 

[kristenrice]

I have done that at hotels and motels. But the reason I bought DVC is for the luxury experience they advertise, not to have to drag in buckets of ice.
Thank you for the good wishes.

This is an interesting point as I also recall that DVC was advertised and sold as a "home away from home" resort. I understand that amenities can change, but at what point does it become a material change to what we purchased? I mean, if I was sold something that was intended to replace my "home" (i.e. it's now my "vacation home"), shouldn't some of the basic amenities of a home be included? What would happen if they suddenly decided to remove all of the washer/dryers out of the 1/2BR's and make the space into a closet? Just because the studio is a smaller space, and the refrigerator/freezer was little does not mean that guests did not make use of it during their vacation. I often used that freezer space for a box of frozen sausage and frozen waffles for breakfasts. While I can make the adjustments, I am not comfortable with the fact that DVD can seemingly just remove amenities at will which were advertised and sold to me as part of my purchase of a "home away from home" resort. I'm not talking about theme park access, valet parking, or discounts. I understand the concept of "I prepaid for a room", but is it really JUST the room? Can they really remove the beds, appliances, and furnishings at a whim without consequence?

 

[Sandisw]

This is an interesting point as I also recall that DVC was advertised and sold as a "home away from home" resort. I understand that amenities can change, but at what point does it become a material change to what we purchased? I mean, if I was sold something that was intended to replace my "home" (i.e. it's now my "vacation home"), shouldn't some of the basic amenities of a home be included? What would happen if they suddenly decided to remove all of the washer/dryers out of the 1/2BR's and make the space into a closet? Just because the studio is a smaller space, and the refrigerator/freezer was little does not mean that guests did not make use of it during their vacation. I often used that freezer space for a box of frozen sausage and frozen waffles for breakfasts. While I can make the adjustments, I am not comfortable with the fact that DVD can seemingly just remove amenities at will which were advertised and sold to me as part of my purchase of a "home away from home" resort. I'm not talking about theme park access, valet parking, or discounts. I understand the concept of "I prepaid for a room", but is it really JUST the room? Can they really remove the beds, appliances, and furnishings at a whim without consequence?

IIRC, the contract simply defines that a studio will have a refrigerator with no mention of the freezer section.

It does say the washer and dryer will be there for the larger units so that would be something difficult to remove without saying it was a material change.

ETA. I do not see any language regarding washer and dryer.

So, in this case, as long as the studio has something that can keep things cold, I don’t see it as something that is against the contract language.

This doesn’t mean people should not express their concern about the change.

 

[carlbarry]

IIRC, the contract simply defines that a studio will have a refrigerator with no mention of the freezer section.

It does say the washer and dryer will be there for the larger units so that would be something difficult to remove without saying it was a material change.

ETA. I do not see any language regarding washer and dryer.

So, in this case, as long as the studio has something that can keep things cold, I don’t see it as something that is against the contract language.

This doesn’t mean people should not express their concern about the change.

Not having recently read the contracts, I can't say for sure, but as a long term lawyer, I can't imagine that they don't give DVC great flexibility as to what they can change. Even AKL warns that the animals can be removed.

 

[Sandisw]

Not having recently read the contracts, I can't say for sure, but as a long term lawyer, I can't imagine that they don't give DVC great flexibility as to what they can change. Even AKL warns that the animals can be removed.

I was simply sharing what it says in response to someone asking about whether they could remove things.

How it withstand a legal challenge, no idea.

 

[wdw4rfam]

I can relate totally. I have a child with autism that eats frozen pancakes every morning. No reasoning or explanation will work- gotta have those pancakes every morning. I can order from grocery to get the pancakes but the lack of freezer now did have me worried. But we decided to just put them In the fridge- they are pancakes so wasn’t too worried. They thawed in a day and we stay 10 days. They were fine though. I would definitely not let meat thaw and eat it 10 days later. Someone did since than tell me if you pack stuff in ice in a container and then put in fridge it will mimic freezer better. I don’t know if you have a lot it probably wouldn’t fit. This is tough.

 

[carlbarry]

I can relate totally. I have a child with autism that eats frozen pancakes every morning. No reasoning or explanation will work- gotta have those pancakes every morning. I can order from grocery to get the pancakes but the lack of freezer now did have me worried. But we decided to just put them In the fridge- they are pancakes so wasn’t too worried. They thawed in a day and we stay 10 days. They were fine though. I would definitely not let meat thaw and eat it 10 days later. Someone did since than tell me if you pack stuff in ice in a container and then put in fridge it will mimic freezer better. I don’t know if you have a lot it probably wouldn’t fit. This is tough.

As I stated earlier, I was fairly successful turning down the thermostat and pushing the food to the back coils, and placing ice in front. Then they removed the thermostat knobs, so the temperature couldn't be turned down! That's when I contacted Member Services back in 2019.

 

[carlbarry]

I was simply sharing what it says in response to someone asking about whether they could remove things.

How it withstand a legal challenge, no idea.

I understood it as such, sharing. I wasn't giving a legal opinion, just saying I'm sure Disney protected themselves in the contracts.

 

[Sandisw]

I understood it as such, sharing. I wasn't giving a legal opinion, just saying I'm sure Disney protected themselves in the contracts.

Got it! I read it the opposite way!

 

[DisneyRobbie]

Not sure what the impetus is for removing freezers other than money. Is there some low emissions thing where they get more favorable CO2 scores by removing the freezer? Or is there something more nefarious at play - by removing the freezer, folks who previously brought frozen foods will now have to purchase more meals at Disney restaurants?

 

[DonMacGregor]

Not sure what the impetus is for removing freezers other than money. Is there some low emissions thing where they get more favorable CO2 scores by removing the freezer? Or is there something more nefarious at play - by removing the freezer, folks who previously brought frozen foods will now have to purchase more meals at Disney restaurants?

Not sure about Disney's motivation, but many hotel chains are removing them due to the defrost potential and water damage in the hotel rooms. Mini fridges with freezer compartments can frost over easily and when they are unplugged, turned down, left open, etc. they can and will defrost and spill melted water onto the surrounding floor and finishes. The potential to frost over is also much higher in very humid climates where there's potentially significantly more moisture in the air to cause frosting.

 

[carlbarry]

Not sure what the impetus is for removing freezers other than money. Is there some low emissions thing where they get more favorable CO2 scores by removing the freezer? Or is there something more nefarious at play - by removing the freezer, folks who previously brought frozen foods will now have to purchase more meals at Disney restaurants?

Many people have said to me, "They just want you to buy more food from them." I think the real reasons are: 1. units without freezers use fewer watts, and therefore they save a few cents each every day across thousands of units, and 2. the unit itself is cheaper without the freezer section.
I paused writing this to check on Walmart and Amazon to see the prices and compare with freezer and without. And the really weird thing is, there are NONE without a freezer section! So Disney must really have to look for those.

 

[kes601]

Many people have said to me, "They just want you to buy more food from them." I think the real reasons are: 1. units without freezers use fewer watts, and therefore they save a few cents each every day across thousands of units, and 2. the unit itself is cheaper without the freezer section.
I paused writing this to check on Walmart and Amazon to see the prices and compare with freezer and without. And the really weird thing is, there are NONE without a freezer section! So Disney must really have to look for those.

There are literally dozens on Amazon. Look up beverage cooler.

 

[carlbarry]

There are literally dozens on Amazon. Look up beverage cooler.

Yes, but that is not what DVC has in the Deluxe Studios. They have mini-fridges, which can maintain a lower temperature than the beverage coolers.

 

[kes601]

There are literally dozens on Amazon. Look up beverage cooler.

I'm 99% the new VGF resort studios have the beverage coolers (stayed there last summer) and I suspect the others will be replaced with them as refurbs happen since this is what they have at other Disney resorts. Also, the chat you posted with the CM mentioned they were being replaced w/beverage coolers (or fridges w/o freezers). So that is what I was referring to. It's been mentioned throughout the thread.

 

[RoseGold]

I think the real reasons are: 1. units without freezers use fewer watts, and therefore they save a few cents each every day across thousands of units, and 2. the unit itself is cheaper without the freezer section.

Freezers have ice that melts and creates water and damage. I totally get why they got rid of them. I could even live without the 1BR one

 

[tjkraz]

The freezer is such an asset. My wife likes to freeze bottled water for trips to the park and a box of waffles is an easy breakfast for days. A box of Uncrustables and frozen GoGurt goes a long way with the kids.

But man, mini-fridges are just so terrible. We used to travel a lot for our kids club sports. I can't tell you how many times we'd wake up with fruit or vegetables frozen (in the refrigerated compartment) and inedible. Some hotels would seemingly have policy of having staff turn the dial to lowest setting, which then takes forever to cool down properly. Some would have a freezer compartment that was so caked with ice that you could barely squeeze anything in.

While the fridge / freezer units are useful to guests, I'm sure they are a constant irritant to Disney resort staff who have to deal with guest complaints about spoiled food, leaks, noise, etc. And when people are at WDW, they expect "Disney Magic" to fix any problem that arises. "You need to replace my watermelon that was frozen by your faulty mini fridge." Easier said than done. I honestly don't know what the best solution is.

 

[DonMacGregor]

Freezers have ice that melts and creates water and damage. I totally get why they got rid of them. I could even live without the 1BR one

We agree on something. Hell must have frozen over with one of those mini fridges...

 

[DonMacGregor]

We used to let staff keep a mini fridge in their personal office space (some admins even had them in their cubicles), for waters, sodas, their lunch, whatever. After enough Monday morning phone calls to have SERVPRO dry out someone's carpet, banker's boxes etc. or on occasion replace damaged furniture, we decided to order the biggest fridge/freezer combo we could find for each of our offices and actually built out a staff kitchen in two that didn't have them. All costing less than more carpet and drywall replacement.

 

[carlbarry]

Not sure about Disney's motivation, but many hotel chains are removing them due to the defrost potential and water damage in the hotel rooms. Mini fridges with freezer compartments can frost over easily and when they are unplugged, turned down, left open, etc. they can and will defrost and spill melted water onto the surrounding floor and finishes. The potential to frost over is also much higher in very humid climates where there's potentially significantly more moisture in the air to cause frosting.

True. When I was brought a mini fridge with a freezer section at Boulder Ridge in September for a 5 day stay, I unplugged it before leaving (it was put in a corner of the room, not the kitchenette). I had to put towels in it to absorb the melting frost.