Is it possible to ask for a mini-fridge at the Pop? NOT a beverage cooler like what's in the room.

[kwdw]

It will keep milk and cheese cold enough to not spoil. I’ve even kept deli lunch meat for a few days, mayonnaise, and hard boiled eggs in it just fine. Now, I’ve never tried to keep the same container of a creamer product for 12 days, so I can’t speak to that. But I’ve done that for 6 days and the creamer has been fine.

They are quite small and hence, you can’t plan on keeping several larger containers in it all at once. Small single serve shelf stable milks would be great because you could cool just a couple of the smaller ones at a time. I agree they are disgusting warm. But Hershey, Horizon, and Nestle all make shelf stable chocolate milk that, I think, are good properly chilled. I also sometime dump them over ice as let’s face it, many of us drink iced coffee drinks with milk. A half gallon of milk will lay down on a shelf, but that’s going to fill most of a shelf.

You can also buy individual single serve creamers that are shelf stable. Before the All Stars had coolers, I would bring these in my suitcase with me. If you prefer plain, Mini Moos are unflavored and unsweetened.

If you do want to get a lot of food, I will second the idea to have the grocery delivery include a styrofoam cooler. If you do that, bring with you or buy some good quality Ziploc bags to keep things dry as ice melts. Bagging things also helps with containing food smells in your hotel room. Or bag the ice. I would carry the ice bucket and a bag with me when I went to the ice machine so I could get an ice bucket and a gallon bag full of ice at the same time.

I’ve been very creative with hotel room dining without a refrigerator over the years, so really, just keep strategizing and I think you’ll be pleased. Your first post implied you’ll be there 12 days. For that long, I might investigate if you can order a real hard plastic cooler for 20-30 dollars to be delivered to the resort.

If you plan a lot of dining in your room, definitely bring some small bags for trash from home so you can empty your trash each morning and dump it in a resort trash can. Even when housekeeping is regular, a hotel room can get smelly really fast.

 

[piccolopat]

Do you use a grabbing tool at home? Those can help reach down and into the fridge without bending.

 

[PalmettoPath]

We have used the cooler and had no issues with keeping milk cold. Sometimes they are pushed back too far into the cabinet and do not have adequate air flow around the unit. We move it forward slightly so air can circulate. It won't keep ice cream solid or get drinks ice cold, however beverages, creamers, etc should be fine.

Same with us. From a cool factor, the beverage coolers are fine by us for dairy. It's just the configuration inside that requires some creative thought for storing groceries.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

So I just now learned that the fridges have all been ripped out and replaced by beverage coolers that won't keep milk fresh and have no door slots, just a clear glass door. Is there any way to ask for a real mini-fridge? I'm severely disabled, there is no way I can bend myself in half and then reach deep inside the little cooler. I need the shelf or slot on the door in order to get at anything in there. Or is it possible for a CM to move the cooler out of its cubby and sit it on top of the dresser? Are they attached to the cubbies?

Since I'm assuming the answer here is "no, you're out of luck, too bad for you" does anyone have any ideas here? I don't have room to pack an actual ice cooler and I'm not sure there's even a place to keep one in the room -- I can't bend to get things from the floor. I've always been willing to pay so much for Disney because they can accommodate my disability and I'm safe while traveling alone, but I'd feel incredibly rude calling the front desk several times a day, at 6am and in the middle of the night to get things in and out from the useless beverage cooler. Will it even keep cream fresh for 12 days? How about chocolate milk? Cheese and fruit?

Would it be possible to ask for a whole bunch of the small ice bucket things and just line up half a dozen of those on the dresser and keep them full of ice? Anyone have a better idea?

The beverage coolers keep milk fresh just fine. You have been misinformed.

 

[Best Aunt]

The beverage coolers keep milk fresh just fine. You have been misinformed.

Well @Captain America, you know this is a controversial issue because you have posted in at least one of the threads which specifically discuss beverage cooler versus mini fridge LOL
https://www.disboards.com/threads/a-rose-or-beverage-cooler-by-any-other-name.3869797/

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Well @Captain America, you know this is a controversial issue because you have posted in at least one of the threads which specifically discuss beverage cooler versus mini fridge LOL
https://www.disboards.com/threads/a-rose-or-beverage-cooler-by-any-other-name.3869797/

Yes, I feel a compulsion to correct misinformation when I see it.

 

[MinnieMSue]

I have also had no issue with the current fridge keeping milk and other items cold enough. They don’t seem very heavy so I imagine they should have no issue moving it up onto the counter. But of course I have not tried to do so. Hopefully OP can get the info he needs. As a side note having the fridge outside the cabinet would also help it cool by allowing more air around it.
I used to have the email of the pop general manager but no longer do. Maybe someone in the pop thread has the info so OP can email them directly. (I was also given a direct phone number and very much regret losing that piece of awesome info)

 

[chaoslobster]

They are quite small and hence, you can’t plan on keeping several larger containers in it all at once. Small single serve shelf stable milks would be great because you could cool just a couple of the smaller ones at a time. I agree they are disgusting warm. But Hershey, Horizon, and Nestle all make shelf stable chocolate milk that, I think, are good properly chilled.

You can also buy individual single serve creamers that are shelf stable. Before the All Stars had coolers, I would bring these in my suitcase with me. If you prefer plain, Mini Moos are unflavored and unsweetened.

We will have to agree to politely disagree here, lol. Shelf-stable milk is absolutely disgusting, warm or cold. It has this distinct "cooked" taste to it that reminds me of those chocolate nutritional drinks like Ensure, which are also disgusting. I've tried the Nestle brand since that's what I usually drink, and we ended up with a case of it in the house for months. Nobody would drink it. My 3 yr old niece wouldn't drink it. I somehow doubt the other brands are better, because you can't heat milk to that temperature and not change the flavor dramatically.

If I have to, I'll just buy Nesquik onsite from the food court every day. It's another extra expense I wanted to avoid, but unfortunately being as disabled as I am often means you pay a lot more just for everyday experiences. That's just how it is, no point whining about it.

I'm not willing to compromise on the cream, though. I don't function well pre-coffee and shelf-stable "creamer product" is just as nasty as the milk. CoffeeMate is not even a dairy product! It's better than powdered creamer if there's no choice, but I should be able to keep a carton of single cream in the ice bucket at the very least. In years past, I used my refillable mug to get some cream from the coffee station at the food court every night and brought it back to my room, kept it in the ice bucket while I slept, and used it in my coffee the next morning. It's inconvenient but I'll do it if I have to.

Do you use a grabbing tool at home? Those can help reach down and into the fridge without bending.

Nope. My hands and fingers don't have the mobility or the strength for those tools; I can't even squeeze the grip hard enough to close it, let alone close it while it's grabbing around something. That's why this is such a pain in the rear. I was so dependent on using the mini-fridge door to keep stuff.

 

[Denise W]

I think the beverage cooler is placed in the same location as the mini fridge used to go. So if you had the mini fridge, how would you retrieve things if you can’t reach them in the beverage cooler?

 

[SirDuff]

I think the beverage cooler is placed in the same location as the mini fridge used to go. So if you had the mini fridge, how would you retrieve things if you can’t reach them in the beverage cooler?

I was thinking that issue doesn’t seem to be locating and inability to reach, the issue is that it isn’t a fridge. Which has nothing to do with disability.

 

[Marionnette]

I think the beverage cooler is placed in the same location as the mini fridge used to go. So if you had the mini fridge, how would you retrieve things if you can’t reach them in the beverage cooler?

I think the OP already explained why. They place their items on the door of a mini fridge and can retrieve them without the need to bend. A beverage cooler does not have shelves on the door. Getting anything out if a beverage cooler would require bending or stooping.

 

[chicagodisneyguy]

Does anyone have a photo of the beverage coolers? I don't think I've been in a room yet that has had one. I'm normally in DVC units so not sure if they've been placed in those units.

 

[Mle8308]

Does anyone have a photo of the beverage coolers? I don't think I've been in a room yet that has had one. I'm normally in DVC units so not sure if they've been placed in those units.

See the previous page, post #8. They are similar, except there is a glass door instead of a solid one, so no shelves on the door.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Does anyone have a photo of the beverage coolers? I don't think I've been in a room yet that has had one. I'm normally in DVC units so not sure if they've been placed in those units.

Many now have these little stickers on them, presumably in reaction to guest complaints about temperature.

 

[chaoslobster]

I think the OP already explained why. They place their items on the door of a mini fridge and can retrieve them without the need to bend. A beverage cooler does not have shelves on the door. Getting anything out if a beverage cooler would require bending or stooping.

Yes, thank you. I've explained it a couple times so far in this thread, but here it goes again:
The mini-fridge had space on the door to keep things, which I could reach just by bending at the waist and reaching directly downwards. If it was a bad day I could drag a chair over to the fridge and sit on it before opening the door so I didn't have to bend.

The cooler requires me to both bend down and then reach horizontally to get at the inside while stooped over, which isn't something I can do. My wrists are 100% fused and my elbows are partially bent inwards, so I can't rotate my arm at all. I might be able to tap the inside top of the cooler but I couldn't twist my wrist around to grasp anything from the shelves. Picking things up often requires both hands anyway since my fingers are clawed inwards and I can't open my hand enough to wrap it around anything thicker than a couple inches wide. I have to trap stuff like soda cans between both wrists to lift it up.

 

[Baldy]

Nobody on the phone will ever admit they can tweak the pressure on the room door, either, but they can and they will if you ask in person since it's a clear fire hazard when a guest can't exit the room.

I had no idea they could do this. Luckily I don’t travel alone or I would have to call someone come let me out of my room every morning. Sometimes I can’t even get in on my own.
As far as the cooler goes, they must be an alternative for people with medication.(Please report back if you get an answer)

 

[Baldy]

Just had another thought.
If you are stuck with just the cooler, maybe you could put the milk in a bag (the reusable kind with longer handles that are a little stiff). Let the handle part hang out over the edge of the shelf. When you need milk, you can reach straight down and grab the handles to pull the bag out. To put it back, swing the bag a bit to get the milk back on the shelf.

I hope that makes sense and that it works for you. I have (different) issues with my arms and fingers so I often end up doing things like that.

 

[chaoslobster]

I had no idea they could do this. Luckily I don’t travel alone or I would have to call someone come let me out of my room every morning. Sometimes I can’t even get in on my own.
As far as the cooler goes, they must be an alternative for people with medication.(Please report back if you get an answer)

Yup! The door itself is not heavy at all, it's very lightweight. It only seems heavy because the spring that makes it close automatically is tightened to an absolutely insane degree. Maintenance can come by with a screwdriver and adjust it until the door is easy to push open. In years past they were willing to remove the screw entirely so the door no longer closed by itself, but on my last trip they suddenly told me that's not allowed (even though it had been for a decade). It was convenient to not have to drag a chair over to prop the door, but I understand that they don't want to take the chance of some idiot leaving a door open and spending 8 hours blasting the AC out into the courtyard. As long as I can physically open the door on my own, I'm good, but it means having that spring adjusted. I'm 5'0" and like 95 lbs soaking wet, and I don't even close to normal musculature. There is no way I'm getting that door to budge as-is.

 

[Beth Ward]

So I just now learned that the fridges have all been ripped out and replaced by beverage coolers that won't keep milk fresh and have no door slots, just a clear glass door. Is there any way to ask for a real mini-fridge? I'm severely disabled, there is no way I can bend myself in half and then reach deep inside the little cooler. I need the shelf or slot on the door in order to get at anything in there. Or is it possible for a CM to move the cooler out of its cubby and sit it on top of the dresser? Are they attached to the cubbies?

Since I'm assuming the answer here is "no, you're out of luck, too bad for you" does anyone have any ideas here? I don't have room to pack an actual ice cooler and I'm not sure there's even a place to keep one in the room -- I can't bend to get things from the floor. I've always been willing to pay so much for Disney because they can accommodate my disability and I'm safe while traveling alone, but I'd feel incredibly rude calling the front desk several times a day, at 6am and in the middle of the night to get things in and out from the useless beverage cooler. Will it even keep cream fresh for 12 days? How about chocolate milk? Cheese and fruit?

Would it be possible to ask for a whole bunch of the small ice bucket things and just line up half a dozen of those on the dresser and keep them full of ice? Anyone have a better idea?

My (disabled) husband and I stayed at POP in February, 2022 and our milk and coffee creamer stayed cold all week.

 

[Beth Ward]

So I just now learned that the fridges have all been ripped out and replaced by beverage coolers that won't keep milk fresh and have no door slots, just a clear glass door. Is there any way to ask for a real mini-fridge? I'm severely disabled, there is no way I can bend myself in half and then reach deep inside the little cooler. I need the shelf or slot on the door in order to get at anything in there. Or is it possible for a CM to move the cooler out of its cubby and sit it on top of the dresser? Are they attached to the cubbies?

Since I'm assuming the answer here is "no, you're out of luck, too bad for you" does anyone have any ideas here? I don't have room to pack an actual ice cooler and I'm not sure there's even a place to keep one in the room -- I can't bend to get things from the floor. I've always been willing to pay so much for Disney because they can accommodate my disability and I'm safe while traveling alone, but I'd feel incredibly rude calling the front desk several times a day, at 6am and in the middle of the night to get things in and out from the useless beverage cooler. Will it even keep cream fresh for 12 days? How about chocolate milk? Cheese and fruit?

Would it be possible to ask for a whole bunch of the small ice bucket things and just line up half a dozen of those on the dresser and keep them full of ice? Anyone have a better idea?

We stayed at POP in Feb 2022 and our milk and coffee creamer stayed cold all week. I know this doesn't help with the bending down/reaching in issue, but it's plenty cold.