WDW official response conerning in room cooking

[mike2u]

I'm on a tight budget with a family of five and were are going to Disney in Mid August and plan to bring a portable Frig. For what i would pay to rent the Frig from Disney for the week i already saved in purchasing this frig. It also works in the car so we can keep the drinks and snacks cold on the ride down. I don't see a problem with a portable frig, but appliances like grills, toaster ovens, microwaves is a little extreme i think.

 

[barb45]

I was in a hotel that had a fire from some idiot leaving a towel too close to the coffee maker. We were up one floor and down the hall and didn't know what happened until the next day (very scary). Even scarier was that my daughter and her husband were spending their wedding night very close to that room. The thought of how tragic that night could have been makes me sick.

On the other hand, I laughed at the iron idea!! Reminded me of the time we were in the garage at Atlanta Motor Speedway and my husband melted the cheese on his sandwich with a heat gun in between practice sessions.

 

[jgates]

Even though it is going against what Disney is saying, the micros/fridges don't really bother me at all. The other electrical appliances make me a little nervous though.

The last 2 hotels we stayed at where I requested a fridge for my insulin, the microwave was part of the unit on top - so each time we were actually provided both without charge.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by Purrrrfecta
I am not trying to be the devil's advocate here, but why is it that other hotels offer microwaves and mini friges, and Disney says it is against their policy?

I am not talking about the stinch of hot dogs and kraut or anything. I just me the fire hazard etc.

Because Disney is not set up like other hotels. They don't have the permits other hotels do. They are probably not wired for those extra appliances. They are, and you can get, able to have mini fridges in the room. And.....it is their policy. They don't have to go with other hotels' or resorts' policies.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

The last 2 hotels we stayed at where I requested a fridge for my insulin, the microwave was part of the unit on top - so each time we were actually provided both without charge.

Was this at Disney?

 

[crisi]

The fire code is probably arond things like crock pots, toaster ovens and grills. All these things are pretty serious fire hazzards. It probably does not address fridges and microwaves - unless from an electrical load standpoint (Disney's older hotels weren't wired for everyone to have a fridge and a laptop and a microwave and a coffee maker).

Disney's policy may then extend fire code further to microwaves and fridges not supplied by Disney. This may be from an electrical standpoint. It may be from a wear and tear standpoint (mini fridges are heavy and going to ding up their walls), it may be for profit (they'd probably like to encourage you to eat their food), because they don't like dealing with complaints from neighbors about the smell, or maybe just cause they can.

Although the spirit of the original message is clear, it isn't terribly specific (I am not arguing for bringing your toaster oven), and its possible that Disney would have a bigger problem with some appliances than others.

 

[MermaidsMom]

Ewww, sauerkraut in a hotel room? Where do you clean all of this up? In the bathroom sink? Ewww!

 

[ducklite]

Originally posted by Purrrrfecta
I am not trying to be the devil's advocate here, but why is it that other hotels offer microwaves and mini friges, and Disney says it is against their policy?

I am not talking about the stinch of hot dogs and kraut or anything. I just me the fire hazard etc.

Disney DOES offer the chance to rent a minifridge. The policy seems to be against people bringing their own, which could draw to much power for the outlet it's plugged into, thus creating the hazard of an electrical fire or tripping a breaker.

As far as the microwaves, the places that offer them have them "built in". Thus they are approved for use by the local fire marshall, situated on a heat resistant surface, etc. There is no appropriate place in most WDW hotels for the, other than those which come equipped with them.

Anne

 

[my3kids]

I really don't see those small coolers that plug into the car and into the wall sockets as being a problem. I can't image anyone would ever question those. They seem to be as common place around here as camcorders for vacationing families. It would be nice to have cold drinks in the car for a long drive and be able to use it at the destination also. Especially with babies, that sure would be safer than hoping ice keeps the baby food a the safe, cold temperature.

That said, I can not imagine taking a crock pot or electric wok to cook in a room. My goodness, me the queen of bargain hunting wouldn't have even considered that one. People really set up kitchens in hotel rooms??? I think I'm glad I'm doing the concierge thing next time. I'd rather smell what they have cooked up for us than saurerkraut from the next balcony over. Eewww.

 

[carone0318]

Originally posted by Purrrrfecta
I am not trying to be the devil's advocate here, but why is it that other hotels offer microwaves and mini friges, and Disney says it is against their policy?

I am not talking about the stinch of hot dogs and kraut or anything. I just me the fire hazard etc.

I know many have mentioned fire codes and such, but another reason why Disney might say it is against their policy is because they want you to eat in their restaurants. The "other hotels" that do offer the microwave and fridge, well that is all that they have to entice you. If that is what one is interested in then they should stay at those other hotels. Disney is not a cheap vacation. Yeah, through these boards, you can find some deals, but in the end it is still more expensive than many other trips that most families plan. It's Disney's resorts and they can make the rules. I think that the fire codes and stuff although also true, is just the "PC" answer that protects their bottom line. There is a pretty hefty profit to be made with their food and drink. Rules are made to followed, not broken. Unfortunately there are many who get a rush out of seeing how far they can bend the rules. Hopefully with this thread the guessing will be out and many can see the rules that Disney established and should follow.

 

[crisi]

And more than that, cooking in your room costs them more than just lost profit. It increases maintenance costs. Florida has a bug problem, food in rooms makes it more difficult to manage. They don't want mice. They don't want spilled BBQ sauce on the carpet that would require cleaning or anyone to spill their mini ravoli on the bedspread. The smell of sauerkraut is going to cause guest complaints to the front desk from the neighbors - which is something they use to measure customer satisfaction.

 

[madison66]

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[timonnpumba]

I would have to agree, the sauerkraut in the crock pot is going a bit to far. The smell would just be horrible! I can see using the coolers and adding the ice for drinks, etc but cooking in the room is to much. If you need to cook, why can't you use the microwaves or toaster ovens in the food courts? Maybe all the resorts don't have them in their food courts but I know the All Star Resorts do. I saw people using them in the morning to heat things up that they bought from home and in the evening using the microwaves to make those microwaveable pizzas, and popcorn, etc.

 

[Purrrrfecta]

Originally posted by ducklite
Disney DOES offer the chance to rent a minifridge. The policy seems to be against people bringing their own, which could draw to much power for the outlet it's plugged into, thus creating the hazard of an electrical fire or tripping a breaker.

As far as the microwaves, the places that offer them have them "built in". Thus they are approved for use by the local fire marshall, situated on a heat resistant surface, etc. There is no appropriate place in most WDW hotels for the, other than those which come equipped with them.

Anne

Thanks, Anne
That is what I was trying to understand.