Your Cruise Cabin's 'Refrigerator' Isn't Really A Fridge. Here's How To Make It Colder.

When stepping into your cruise cabin, whether you've chosen an interior cruise ship cabin or one with a balcony view, you might notice a compact cooling unit tucked beneath the counter or beside the dresser. While it resembles a mini-fridge, it's important to recognize that it might actually not be a refrigerator at all. Many cruise lines equip their cabins with coolers rather than traditional refrigerators. Understanding this difference can help you better manage your expectations and ensure your important items, like medications or food, remain safe during your voyage.​ 

What you need to know before you cruise is why a "mini fridge" isn't actually a fridge at all. Traditional refrigerators utilize compressor-based cooling systems, allowing them to maintain temperatures around 40°Fahrenheit or lower. A chemical refrigerant or coolant allows heat from the fridge to be absorbed, thus maintaining a more steady and consistent low temperature.

In contrast, many cruise ship cabins feature thermoelectric coolers. These are designed to keep beverages and items cool, but not at the consistently low temperatures achieved by standard fridges. As stated by a Cruise Critic member, "It's not a refrigerator. It's a cooler."

The main reasons cruise lines tend to favor coolers over true mini-fridges are energy efficiency and environmental considerations. Thermoelectric coolers consume less power than compressor-based refrigerators, which aligns with most cruise lines' efforts to reduce energy consumption. Additionally, these coolers are lighter, produce less noise, and are more efficient in the smaller space of a cruise ship cabin.​

Many passengers have bemoaned that cabin coolers often don't chill items as effectively as expected. This less-than-ideal cooling can be attributed to several factors. First, these coolers are often enclosed within cabinetry, which restricts airflow and doesn't allow for the dissipation of heat generated during the cooling process.

Additionally, thermoelectric coolers typically reduce the internal temperature to about 30°Fahrenheit below the room temperature. In a cabin with a steady temperature of 72°Fahrenheit, the cooler might only achieve temperatures around 42°Fahrenheit. That temperature may work fine for some items, but for anything perishable, 42°Fahrenheit isn't cold enough.

If you find your cabin cooler isn't meeting your needs, there are tips you can try to improve things. Make sure the cooler has adequate ventilation. If it's housed within a cabinet, prop the cabinet door open to promote better airflow. A Reddit user suggests, "Pull it as far forward in the cabinet as you can to create air flow behind it. Then you will want to prop your cabinet door open with something." Placing a sealed bag of ice or reusable ice packs inside the cooler can help lower its internal temperature. A member of a Royal Caribbean First Time Cruisers Facebook group suggested, "Put a bucket of ice in it [the cooler] and it will help keep things colder."

If you have specific medical or dietary needs requiring consistent refrigeration, you can request a refrigerator in advance. Many cruise lines provide a standard refrigerator upon request for such purposes, but make sure you put in that request as early as possible. Another Reddit user shares, "You can also take a small collapsible cooler and use ice to keep cool."

Check with your cruise line to see what is and isn't allowed on board in terms of coolers. You'll want to do this before you set sail so there are no surprises like forgetting you packed a popular tech toy banned from cruises and being forced to leave a high value item at the port (or have it confiscated by security).