Studio Mini-Fridge

[carlbarry]

I just completed a split stay.
At Kidani Village, my studio mini-fridge actual had two external doors. The top one was a dedicated freezer!
When I got to Copper Creek, the thermostat dial had been removed. Coincidentally, a maintenance man showed up to replace a light bulb shortly after my arrival.
I asked him about the missing dial. I explained I bring most of my own food, for religious dietary reasons, and it's important to keep the food frozen so it doesn't go bad.
He told me that Disney has been removing the knobs because people turn the temperature all the way down, and then the next occupants wind up with frozen food. He also told me that with the regular refrigerators with sliding controls, they have been putting in screws to limit how low they can be turned down.
He was nice enough to bring me a knob. I turned the temperature all the way down, and what do you know--NOTHING froze, not even food pressed up against the cooling coils.
I also own a Wyndham timeshare, and as miserable as they are, they do not cobble the refrigerator thermostat.

 

[DVC Jen]

This does not surprise me at all. Last June we stayed at BRV and our frig (full size) was not cooling at all. We had a weeks worth of groceries in it since we were doing some cooking in our room. We turned it down all the way and it still wouldn't cool. Eventually someone came (around midnight) and she messed with it - not sure what exactly she did but it started to cool.

 

[hakepb]

Unfortunately, Disney decided to standardize studio and cash room refrigerators after their major (cash room only) cooler recall problem (they weren’t refrigerant-based coolers)

It seems any time an older DVC studio refrigerator/freezer dies or gets a renovation, it’s replaced by a cooling-only one.

 

[jo-jo]

I just completed a split stay.
At Kidani Village, my studio mini-fridge actual had two external doors. The top one was a dedicated freezer!
eshare, and as miserable as they are, they do not cobble the refrigerator thermostat.

Would you happen to have a picture? I can't picture a mini fridge with two doors.

I miss not having a freezer in the studio. We would always bring a frozen water bottle to the parks. Even with a freezer, it would take maybe two days to freeze a bottle, but it did happen.

 

[carlbarry]

Would you happen to have a picture? I can't picture a mini fridge with two doors.

.

Shucks, I should have taken a close-up and noted the model number, too.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Our Boardwalk studio frig was missing it’s knob. As long as things were sufficiently cool, we were OK. From there we went to the Poly, and I really did not notice, again, things got cold enough.

 

[4luv2cdisney]

My husband thinks I'm crazy because I bring a fridge thermometer on vacation. Lol .But it's quite unsafe to have fridges that aren't kept below 40 degrees. You can't tell what the temp is without a thermometer.

If you get to a room with a full size fridge that is not at proper temp like @DVC Jen , it can take hours to cool it down even if it's working properly. You should not be storing food in there in the meantime. This
poses a serious health risk.

We stock any perishable food the day aFTER arrival so that I've had time to ensure proper temp setting and that it's maintaining it.

 

[jo-jo]

Shucks, I should have taken a close-up and noted the model number, too.View attachment 380953

Thank you. I've never seen a fridge like that. Hope every DVC gets one like that.

 

[jo-jo]

My husband thinks I'm crazy because I bring a fridge thermometer on vacation. Lol .But it's quite unsafe to have fridges that aren't kept below 40 degrees. You can't tell what the temp is without a thermometer.

If you get to a room with a full size fridge that is not at proper temp like @DVC Jen , it can take hours to cool it down even if it's working properly. You should not be storing food in there in the meantime. This
poses a serious health risk.

We stock any perishable food the day aFTER arrival so that I've had time to ensure proper temp setting and that it's maintaining it.

We only had a studio, so tiny fridge, but after several hours it didn't seem cold. We had just gotten our order from amazon, so I took two gallon ziplock bags filled them with ice from ice machine and stuck them in just to be safe. Put the perishables right on the bags. Later that night the fridge felt cold and was fine for the rest of the week.

 

[carlbarry]

Thank you. I've never seen a fridge like that. Hope every DVC gets one like that.

I'm guessing that that is a legacy refrigerator, and we'll never see it again. On the other hand, I plan to write to guest services and tell them that that is the type I'd really like in all the rooms.

 

[carlbarry]

We only had a studio, so tiny fridge, but after several hours it didn't seem cold. We had just gotten our order from amazon, so I took two gallon ziplock bags filled them with ice from ice machine and stuck them in just to be safe. Put the perishables right on the bags. Later that night the fridge felt cold and was fine for the rest of the week.

I did that last time I stayed at OKW.
Still, the refrigerator wasn't getting cold. I put in my watch, which has an electronic thermometer, and it read quite high, but I don't remember the exact reading--maybe 45 degrees or so.
I went to concierge and complained. I was sent a brand new refrigerator, but same model. The CM who delivered it said the result would be the same.
He was right. Jammed with ice, it still didn't get cold.
And then I had a thought. I pulled out the unit and looked at the schematic. Then I saw that it seemed like the temperature sensor was right where my ice bag was touching. In other words, the sensor was detecting the 32 degree ice, and was not running the compressor!
So I moved the ice away from the "ceiling" of the unit, and it got colder. Not cold enough, but enough to keep food safely.
My point is: be careful how you place the ice!

 

[meekey7197]

This does not surprise me at all. Last June we stayed at BRV and our frig (full size) was not cooling at all. We had a weeks worth of groceries in it since we were doing some cooking in our room. We turned it down all the way and it still wouldn't cool. Eventually someone came (around midnight) and she messed with it - not sure what exactly she did but it started to cool.

Happened to us in September at BCV. They ended up replacing the whole unit.

 

[Chuck S]

I've seen those little two door models at Home Depot. I think they are a fairly new item.

 

[jmkjr72]

I do resort maintenance not for Disney but another time share company. I will say our biggest issue with the fridges no matter what size in our unit 50% of the time when it’s not cooling it’s over loaded blocking air flow or with items put in warm 40% of the time the guest turned the knob the wrong way and making it top warm 5% of the time they turned it so cold it froze up. So I can see removing or locking the temp in place

 

[DenLo]

We had a mini fridge freeze a can of diet soda. That was unwelcome 2:00 AM alarm. What a mess to clean up too.

I am disappointed that they are removing the knobs. We should have the right to determine how cold we want the fridge. We pay for the fridge after all.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We had a mini fridge freeze a can of diet soda. That was unwelcome 2:00 AM alarm. What a mess to clean up too.

I am disappointed that they are removing the knobs. We should have the right to determine how cold we want the fridge. We pay for the fridge after all.

But a too cold refrigerator destroys the refrigerator and it winds up being replaced. They should set it and remove the knob.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

We had a mini fridge freeze a can of diet soda. That was unwelcome 2:00 AM alarm. What a mess to clean up too.

I am disappointed that they are removing the knobs. We should have the right to determine how cold we want the fridge. We pay for the fridge after all.

I agree. Trying to control the guests use of the fridge temp is just too controlling.

But a too cold refrigerator destroys the refrigerator and it winds up being replaced. They should set it and remove the knob.

? Never heard of that. Poor maintenance on a refrigerator and lack of air flow and things like that can destroy one but I've never heard that having it set to it's coldest does that. If it's a setting then it shouldn't destroy the unit.

 

[Matty B13]

I think the only way setting a refrigerator to the coldest setting could kill it, would be if the conditioner was completely clogged with dust bunnies or other debris and overheated because it was running so often.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I think the only way setting a refrigerator to the coldest setting could kill it, would be if the conditioner was completely clogged with dust bunnies or other debris and overheated because it was running so often.

DH operated restaurants for years and we had a couple ourselves. That was it - maintenance - and getting staff to do it consistently even when it was part of their job. We had a good friend who lived a pretty nice lifestyle - nice houses, cars etc. and all he did was fix refrigeration. He said 90% of the things he got to fix could have been prevented with proper cleaning.

And that reminds me that the other day I was thinking it had been awhile since we cleaned our own fridge. Gotta make a reminder.

 

[heynowirv]

We have stayed in Studios and 1 Bdrms and never had a problem. our last trip was 8/17. Our next trip is 4/19 and we're staying in a SSR studio.It will be interesting to see what min-fridge we get.