Plastic Cutlery in Studios - Why?

[Jillpie]

Because there is no dishwasher in a studio. They need to be certain that the cutlery can be sterilized if it is going to be reused.

But they manage to sterilize the coffee mugs, and glasses. Why can't they do the same for a few spoons, forks and knives. It would make life so much easier! Personally, I HAVE to have a real spoon to eat cereal. So I pack one from home, along with a Mickey cereal bowl. And just manually wash them every morning after use. No biggie. I hate all that plasticware!!

One thing tho, does anyone love the DVC sponges as much as me? I loved them so much that I asked for an extra one from mousekeeping one day and she handed me a bunch to take home!

 

[Hunclemarco]

Horray for Owners Locker!
Not sure we'd need the utensils since we mainly stay in 2 Bedroom units, but we may on ocassion stay in a studio. ....mental check... also need to bring the salt and pepper.

 

[fla4fun]

We don't have a dishwasher at home, just a bowl of very hot soapy water, wash up brush and rubber gloves....I consider our things to be sterilised and clean enough to use again lol!!

For home use, yes. But there are different standards that are supposed to be applied when you are providing dishes and flatware to paying customers. So I can understand it in a way.

I drive, so I bring most of my own supplies anyway. I'd rather have my own paper plates and plastic flatware than use some that have been lying around for who knows how long (and the plates aren't even sealed ). When I stay in the larger villas, I always run the dishes through a wash before using them.

I totally understand about trying to cut cheese though. I usually bring pre-sliced or shredded cheese with me, just so I dont have to deal with it (regardless of the villa size).

 

[bobbiwoz]

I usually bring a pen knife and a cutting board because we also like cheese, and I also cut up fruit and have a fruit salad in the refrigerator.

Once we took the Hilton time share tour and I was jealous for a bit because the studios there have real dishes, silverware and a diswasher. What they don't have is location. Location wins out for us.

Bobbi

 

[Chuck S]

But they manage to sterilize the coffee mugs, and glasses. Why can't they do the same for a few spoons, forks and knives. It would make life so much easier! Personally, I HAVE to have a real spoon to eat cereal. So I pack one from home, along with a Mickey cereal bowl. And just manually wash them every morning after use. No biggie. I hate all that plasticware!!

One thing tho, does anyone love the DVC sponges as much as me? I loved them so much that I asked for an extra one from mousekeeping one day and she handed me a bunch to take home!

Notice that the plastic ware is individually wrapped at the factory, how much employee time would that take for real flatware after sterilization? Plus buying the little wraps themselves would probably cost as much, if not more, than the pre-wrapped plastic ware.

 

[Chris and Pooh]

I totally understand about trying to cut cheese though. I usually bring pre-sliced or shredded cheese with me, just so I dont have to deal with it (regardless of the villa size).

Unfortunately if you are flying into the States no dairy products can be brought into the country.

Because there is no dishwasher in a studio. They need to be certain that the cutlery can be sterilized if it is going to be reused.

From a lot of posts the comment of sterilisation comes up (I agree that that is of prime importance), therefore I summise that the cleaning of cultlery and plates is done by house keeping in larger rooms in the rooms own dishwasher.
But dishwashers do not sterilise!
Quotation from Wikipedia
"Dishwashers often only use hot tap water or heat the water to between 49 and 60 °C (120 and 140 °F), and thus provide temperatures that could promote bacterial growth. That is to say, they do not effectively sterilize utensils. Some dishwashers do actually heat water up to 74 °C (165 °F) or higher; those often are specifically described as having sterilization modes of some sort.

Note that dishwashers remove food traces from the utensils by a combination of mechanical action (the action of water hitting the plates and cutlery) and the action of detergents and enzymes on fats and proteins. This removal of food particles thus removes one of the factors required for bacterial growth (food), it clearly explains why items with cracks and crevices should either be washed by hand or disposed of: if the water cannot get to the area needing cleaning, the warm, moist, dark conditions in the dishwasher can actually promote bacterial growth." Therefore for sterile cleaning, an autoclave or something similar is required where temperatures are high enough to kill bacteria

Further questions

• How are cups and glasses cleaned in the Studios?
• If towels etc are brought from a central location to replace existing items, why not cutlery etc where guaranteed cleaning can take place?

 

[DenLo]

Besides, mousekeeping takes the cutlery out of the dishwasher and puts them in the drawer and even if the dishwasher does heat the water to a higher temperature and sterilizes them; they just got contaminated! (Even if the mousekeeper wore gloves, what else did those gloves touch?)

Mousekeeping could take cutlery to the same place they take cups and glasses for cleaning.

The more I think about this thread, the more I think, why not provide cutlery too?

 

[hakepb]

It is nearly impossible to open a pack of cheese with a plastic knife let alone slice the cheese.

.. reminds me of he time we bought a pint of Haagen-Daas at the Jambo store, got back to the studio and amused ourselves watching the plastic spoon bend insead of scooping any ice cream. It would of been nice to have a cup of ice cream on our balcony that night

 

[zackiedawg]

If you really want a lesson in futility, try putting butter in that cold little fridge, then the next morning, toast an English Muffin, pull out the butter and unwrap your plastic knife, and make an attempt to butter the muffin. I've done that (actually...I didn't do it - I couldn't cut butter slices - instead knocking off huge glacial chunks, and placing them atop the muffin where they wouldn't spread at all, just ripping the muffin to shreds). I started putting the butter outside on the balcony before heading to the shower and changing, so that the butter would be soft and melty before I made my toast.

Nowadays, I always bring a real knife.

Oh, and for those staying in any of the DVCs...I'll throw this reminder out there because it's the thing I most often forget: paper coffee filters. Don't forget the coffee filters if you're a coffee drinker! I hate when I go to make coffee, and realize I've forgotten them - sitting at home is a stack of paper basket-style filters that have no other purpose than for DVC (they don't fit my home coffee maker)...yet there I am down at the general store buying more overpriced filters from Disney because I need my coffee!

 

[kt-scarlett]

My friend stays in a studio at OKW for extended periods of time, usually 2 to 3 weeks at a time. She calls housekeeping for real flatware, plates and bowls which are all delivered to her, with the admonishment that SHE is responsible for keeping them clean during her stay..

 

[twinklebug]

I look upon my DVC Studios as an extremely glorified camper. It has all the amenities I need and more for a week or so: including a small but not tiny fridge, toaster, microwave, and coffeemaker. It's up to me to bring what I want to eat off of - their paper plates and bowls are nice to have if I've forgotten my supplies, but who wants to eat 1/4 c cereal at a time LOL.

If I want to go beyond the glorified camping experience I can double the points spent and upgrade to the 1 br units, jacuzzi tub, Full fridge, stove, full compliment of silverware and dishes. Its up to me. I see the value in both. With only one contract at my fingertips, for now I'm a point miser and will continue to camp Disney style

Do I mind that disney provides paper plates and plastic to the studios? At first yes I did, but now I see the value in bringing my own from home (the heavy weight plastic bowls & plates I bought in DTD and are a nice reminder of trips experienced & to come)

 

[Jillpie]

If I recall, about a year ago, we all united and sent member services emails to get the real coffee mugs and glasses back in the studios. How much employee time, I mean seriously, would it take to throw a couple of spoons and knives in the dishwasher along with the mugs? So why aren't we fighting for this. I say let's do it. I think it's reasonable to have at least two of each, 2 spoons, 2 knives, 2 forks. What do you say, should we all send emails, together again?

 

[bobbiwoz]

My friend stays in a studio at OKW for extended periods of time, usually 2 to 3 weeks at a time. She calls housekeeping for real flatware, plates and bowls which are all delivered to her, with the admonishment that SHE is responsible for keeping them clean during her stay..

The fact that they are available is good news for those who want/need them. That's what would keep me from joining a campaign to get them available for everyone. I imagine that they would "disappear" from the studios as fast as they are replenished, either taken or thrown away. I didn't feel that would happen to the real glasses and mugs.

Bobbi

 

[Chris and Pooh]

If I recall, about a year ago, we all united and sent member services emails to get the real coffee mugs and glasses back in the studios. How much employee time, I mean seriously, would it take to throw a couple of spoons and knives in the dishwasher along with the mugs? So why aren't we fighting for this. I say let's do it. I think it's reasonable to have at least two of each, 2 spoons, 2 knives, 2 forks. What do you say, should we all send emails, together again?

Already emailed this morning

 

[Chris and Pooh]

The fact that they are available is good news for those who want/need them. That's what would keep me from joining a campaign to get them available for everyone. I imagine that they would "disappear" from the studios as fast as they are replenished, either taken or thrown away. I didn't feel that would happen to the real glasses and mugs.

Bobbi

I was not aware of people taking them fro 1br and 2br units why would they do so in studios?

 

[zackiedawg]

I was not aware of people taking them fro 1br and 2br units why would they do so in studios?

It's that 'studio' class of folk...can't trust them as far as you can throw them. Eat with their hands, wipe their mouths on their sleeves, keep their car on blocks out in the parking lot, hang their unmentionables on the balcony to dry. That would never happen with the superior class of people who get the 1 and 2 bedroom villas - respectful, proper folk who know which fork to use.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I stay in studios and I think "disposable" is an idea attached to the silverware, just my thoughts. Also, you can get them if you want/need them. The idea that really bothered my about the styrofoam was that you could not get real mugs and glasses if you were staying in a studio. I would be fine, happyif you can get the real things. Try for a smallish diswasher and real dishes while you're at it. IF HGV club can do it, pay the dues for it, so can we?! Maybe?!

Bobbi

 

[Chris and Pooh]

It's that 'studio' class of folk...can't trust them as far as you can throw them. Eat with their hands, wipe their mouths on their sleeves, keep their car on blocks out in the parking lot, hang their unmentionables on the balcony to dry. That would never happen with the superior class of people who get the 1 and 2 bedroom villas - respectful, proper folk who know which fork to use.

LOL

 

[twinklebug]

It's that 'studio' class of folk...can't trust them as far as you can throw them. Eat with their hands, wipe their mouths on their sleeves, keep their car on blocks out in the parking lot, hang their unmentionables on the balcony to dry. That would never happen with the superior class of people who get the 1 and 2 bedroom villas - respectful, proper folk who know which fork to use.

Oops, You saw that huh?

In my defense, a group, presumably from another studio, was using all the driers for their drunken/naked activities. I forgot my bottle of capt'n morgan back in the room so I didn't have the "cost of admission". next time...

 

[Chuck S]

Besides, mousekeeping takes the cutlery out of the dishwasher and puts them in the drawer and even if the dishwasher does heat the water to a higher temperature and sterilizes them; they just got contaminated! (Even if the mousekeeper wore gloves, what else did those gloves touch?)

Mousekeeping could take cutlery to the same place they take cups and glasses for cleaning.

The more I think about this thread, the more I think, why not provide cutlery too?

Commercial high speed glassware sterilizers are not made for cutlery. and again, the plasticware is individualy wrapped at the factory, to do so with cutlery would be much more expensive, the paper wraps and employee time to do it is cost prohibitive compared to plastic ware. And, the studios were shown in the models with plastic ware and paper plates/bowls, but were shown with ceramic mugs and glass drinking glasses, thus removing the glassware long term really wasn't an option as it changed substantially what was represented, the cutlery does not, and would be an unnecessary expense to our dues to purchase, clean and maintain.