Coolers replacing mini fridges??

[Ampurp85]

8 minutes ago, VillainsGin said:

Now im interested in getting into this rabbit hole.

if a cooler has cords or is battery operate its using electricity to maintain a certain temperature ideally keeping items consistently cooled would it be considered a fridge?

my definition of a cooler would be a cordless box essentially not able to keep consistent temperature for long, only serves the purposes of prolonging items for perhaps a few more hours?

once it can be powered it changes classifications? I feel like wording here is important since royal caribbean can confuse a lot of guest who do not understand their definition/technicalities of a fridge vs cooler

So, a mini fridge would have adjustable temps that can get lower than a cooler designated temp of roughly 40 degrees. Coolers can keep something consistently cool if they have the proper ambient temperature, hence why putting ice works. But they aren't designed to get cold or have proper freezing properties. A mini fridge would have these properties, it has to have compressor-based system to be considered a fridge. Coolers can keep things, and are designed to, cool for days. The problem is the definition of cool, milk and certain things have to be kept under the standard temp not normally reached by coolers. It is easier to say mini fridge, than cooler as Royal and many cruise lines don't expect for you to need to keep anything too cold. 

[Sea Squirrel]

13 hours ago, VillainsGin said:

Maybe I can shed some light on this, I was chit chatting with our cabin attendant about this too!

Not just Navigator OTS but many other smaller ships are slowly transitioning out of compact/mini refrigerators to coolers (no refrigeration) in their efforts to optimize operating cost on smaller ships. (Since the pandemic)

If you take a look at the sticker attached to the front panel door you can request for an actual mini-fridge if you require one for medical purposes BUTTTT you can also ask them for one even if you have no medical conditions.

Ive requested a mini-fridge and notify them I did not have any medical needs for one, they checked to make sure they had spares, sent a attendant to install it while we were out of the cabin. The attendant stated there was a storage room stacked to the ceiling with mini-fridges and there is more than enough for anyone who requested during the sailing.

All the oasis and quantum class ships I've been on have mini-fridges so far but several of the small ships similar to navigator has replaced them with traditional coolers.

Those coolers purpose is to extend the coolness of food and beverage for maybe a few hours but definitely not recommended for longer periods of time to avoid bacteria and spoilage.

They have mini-fridges prioritized for medical needs guest first but they have a lot of spares, don't be afraid to ask and let them know you have no medical purposes but would like one if available!

This is a pro tip, thanks. We asked for an actual cooler/ice chest with ice in July. It was waiting for us when we arrived, attendant changed ice daily. It was much better than the fridge cooler. I’m not sure if it was a fluke that we got it but we’ll ask if there are any unused med fridges in the future. Thanks for your post. 

[CanHardlyWait]

The medical refrigerator is much smaller than a mini refrigerator. It's like the storage area in an arm rest between driver and passenger seat. You couldn't fit 2 cans of coke in one. Holds 4 to 6 viles of trulicity or insulin.

[Xaa]

8 hours ago, VillainsGin said:

Now im interested in getting into this rabbit hole.

if a cooler has cords or is battery operate its using electricity to maintain a certain temperature ideally keeping items consistently cooled would it be considered a fridge?

my definition of a cooler would be a cordless box essentially not able to keep consistent temperature for long, only serves the purposes of prolonging items for perhaps a few more hours?

once it can be powered it changes classifications? I feel like wording here is important since royal caribbean can confuse a lot of guest who do not understand their definition/technicalities of a fridge vs cooler

They are all corded on all ships.  What you've been seeing is what we are referring to as coolers just because they are not refrigerators.  They have no coolant but provide a chilling effect using thermoelectric cooling.  They can get into the 40's usually 45-50, but they won't usually chill into the 30's.  Put your milk in there at your own risk.

[ScottD]

1 hour ago, Xaa said:

They are all corded on all ships.  What you've been seeing is what we are referring to as coolers just because they are not refrigerators.  They have no coolant but provide a chilling effect using thermoelectric cooling.  They can get into the 40's usually 45-50, but they won't usually chill into the 30's.  Put your milk in there at your own risk.

this right here.  The boxes in the rooms now are all coolers, they plug in because something, usually a metal plate, gets cold and that is what chills the "cooler".  A refrigerator will have coolant that runs through coils in the back and blows out cold air. These thing do not blow out air, no compressors, they essentially have a cold hunk of metal inside and that acts as the cooling system. 

[tingtang]

On 8/24/2023 at 8:12 AM, CruiseMsclDad said:

That is a T-Shirt waiting to be printed!

Ben Franklin beat us to it.   

Except he said water.