Questions...coolers,snacks,fridges...

[dixielander]

Hi,
We are a family of five, sharing two rooms at POR in May.

I'd like to save money by having lunch and breakfast items in our room. I'd appreciate any good ideas, and good ways to keep things cold.

Are the refrigerators worth it? I'd only get one for one room

Can you buy bagged ice at the POR convenience store?

(I don't have a plug in type cooler, and my husband says that they are very small anyway). Has anyone used one that is large in size?

Also, if I take a cooler and check it with my luggage, how can I seal it so that It doesn't fly open in transit??

Thanks to anyone who can help me out!

 

[tcfdick]

I have a large (I believe it's a 42 qt.) Coleman plug-in type cooler. It is about the size of a small refrigerator and it worked great last year. It kept everything cold and I had no problem with it. It will easily hold a gallon of milk and several cans of soda plus other items like jelly and fruit. The refrigerator you rent is the size of a dorm room one. Mine is not much smaller than the one you can rent. When I looked into the cost of renting compared to buying my own, I definitely came out ahead $$$ wise.

You can check the cooler in with your luggage. To secure it, you could use duct tape. It will keep it closed and still allow for security to check inside of it and then close it back up. Mine closes securely without using tape and I never had it open up on its own.

You don't need to buy ice because they have ice machines for your use for free. They are conveniently located throughout each resort.

 

[georgina]

I brought a soft-sided, collapsible cooler in my luggage. It worked well for us. I think we tagged it, stuffed it with dirty laundry, and checked it as baggage on the way home (it closes with a zipper).