Microwave-Convection Combo Oven Gone at HRA – Just Microwave Now

I’m back from my annual trip to HRA. My unit had its appliances replaced in the past year. They changed out the fridge, dishwasher, and over-the-range oven. That formerly Microwave-Convection Combo Oven has been replaced with a simple Microwave only model. Looked and worked fine. We never figured out how to do anything in that convection mode, so this change didn’t impact us.

I believe these replacement were part of a resort-wide update, so I think all units will eventually get the new appliances.

Grrrr. No more cookies.

Cheap toaster oven .... or get a heat lamp!:ignore:

Do you think this will happen in Hawaii and Mexico?

That is my one complaint with Harborside - no oven and no BBQ grills and now no convection ovens. I just learned how to use a convection oven at another timeshare last month, too. I think it is an Atlantis plot to force us out to dinner every night. We're going to HSA for Thanksgiving. I guess I won't be microwaving a turkey!

suzannesimon said:

That is my one complaint with Harborside - no oven and no BBQ grills and now no convection ovens. I just learned how to use a convection oven at another timeshare last month, too. I think it is an Atlantis plot to force us out to dinner every night. We're going to HSA for Thanksgiving. I guess I won't be microwaving a turkey!

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We went to HRA last Thanksgiving and enjoyed the challenge. I was anointed the cooktop master and ended up braising the turkey. It had to be done in halves due to the size of the pots, but it came out delicious.

At another timeshare in Phoenix, they had only a cooktop and a microwave. My husband ended up grilling the biscuits in an aluminum tent. I bet you could do the same with cookies.

It's just super annoying. At least with the convection oven, you could brown a pork chop or bake a cookie. We still ate out at Atlantis 4 out of the 7 nights. Now it will have to be carefully orchestrated stovetop meals or eating out in Atlantis. Actually, the next time I go, I will probably just get breakfast stuff and lunchmeat and do the following: Johnny Rockets, Carmine's (and then its leftovers the next night), the BBQ place (and then its leftovers the next night), Pizza night, and then on the last night, "clean out the fridge night" - i.e. sandwiches. Then that's 7 nights and we're done.

I really think they were removed to further guarantee we had to use the restaurants. I used a convection at my Hyatt timeshare earlier this month and it worked so well I was beginning to think it would work at HRA. The Hyatt also had grills. Do you know if we can ship packages ahead of time and have them hold them for our arrival? I actually might ship an electric roaster or electric grill to rebel!

suzannesimon said:

I really think they were removed to further guarantee we had to use the restaurants.

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I do not doubt that. Not having a grill or an oven really does diminish the use of a timeshare, which is a shame. Part of the reason I love timeshares is that it allows me to cook some meals in house.

And it's not likely I'll eat out more. Instead, I'll tailor my meals around what I have available. Another poster actually packs his George Foreman grill when he goes to Hilton Hawaiian Village, because they don't have grills. I wouldn't go that far, but it has taught me to be creative, such as cooking biscuits on the grill.

suzannesimon said:

Do you know if we can ship packages ahead of time and have them hold them for our arrival? I actually might ship an electric roaster or electric grill to rebel!

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Yes, you can ship things to the resort ahead of time. People often do this with golf clubs and scuba gear. Check out Luggage Forward and see what the price would be. http://www.luggageforward.com/?cbd=E2VNC3GQC6TK

FYI, another poster brought a crockpot to a resort in NYC and had it confiscated by management because they claimed it was a fire hazard.

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=196767&highlight=crock+pot

alexadeparis said:

At least with the convection oven, you could brown a pork chop or bake a cookie.

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You're supposed to bake cookies? We just eat the dough!

BradC said:

You're supposed to bake cookies? We just eat the dough!

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Well I guess we shall resort to that at Atlantis from now on! For the record, at least 50% of the cookie dough usually makes it to the oven in my house.

LisaRex said:

I do not doubt that. Not having a grill or an oven really does diminish the use of a timeshare, which is a shame. Part of the reason I love timeshares is that it allows me to cook some meals in house.

And it's not likely I'll eat out more. Instead, I'll tailor my meals around what I have available. Another poster actually packs his George Foreman grill when he goes to Hilton Hawaiian Village, because they don't have grills. I wouldn't go that far, but it has taught me to be creative, such as cooking biscuits on the grill.



Yes, you can ship things to the resort ahead of time. People often do this with golf clubs and scuba gear. Check out Luggage Forward and see what the price would be. http://www.luggageforward.com/?cbd=E2VNC3GQC6TK

FYI, another poster brought a crockpot to a resort in NYC and had it confiscated by management because they claimed it was a fire hazard.

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=196767&highlight=crock+pot

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A fair concern. A faulty one killed a family in Brooklyn a few weeks ago.

One way not to have the crockpot hazard would be to install grills or ovens.

SMHarman said:

A fair concern. A faulty one killed a family in Brooklyn a few weeks ago.

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I'll bet all my SPs that there are far more fires caused by stove tops than crock pots.

LisaRex said:

FYI, another poster brought a crockpot to a resort in NYC and had it confiscated by management because they claimed it was a fire hazard.

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=196767&highlight=crock+pot

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LOL - that was me.

Somehow, I doubt that would happen at HRA. They don't even come into the unit during your stay, do they? (It's been too long, and I can't remember.)

If we ever make it back there, we'll probably bring a crock pot. FYI, here's our extreme meal planning from our previous trip to HRA.

We heated up Easter ham in a crock pot at a resort without an oven.

There's still at least a two-burner stovetop in all the units, correct?

LisaRex said:

I'll bet all my SPs that there are far more fires caused by stove tops than crock pots.

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Stove tops are usually supervised when switched on.

Though you are likely correct and the property damage cost is greater the loss of life is probably lower.

I have not heard of anyone at HRA dieing by stovetop.

The web is a great thing:

http://www.nfpa.org/safety-information/for-consumers/causes/cooking

Cooking fires by the numbers

Based on 2007-2011 annual averages:

Unattended cooking was by far the leading contributing factor in these fires.
Two-thirds (67%) of home cooking fires started with the ignition of food or other cooking materials.
Clothing was the item first ignited in less than 1% of these fires, but these incidents accounted for 15% of the cooking fire deaths.
Ranges accounted for the largest share (57%) of home cooking fire incidents. Ovens accounted for 16%.
More than half (55%) of reported non-fatal home cooking fire injuries occurred when the victims tried to fight the fire themselves.
Frying poses the greatest risk of fire.
Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires.

Couldn't find any stats at all on just crockpots in searches. Seems the biggest hazard is leaving something flammable near it but it rarely causes fires because it's not hot enough, certainly no hotter than a curling iron or clothes iron. And I'd like to see them try to ban those devices from hotels.

I did find this on the crock pot safety site:

"Just to be double sure, we got a very official all-clear from Lt. Anthony Mancuso, New York’s director of fire safety education. “There’s no problem with those items,” he says. “The main thing is, it should be a UL [Underwriters Laboratories]-approved product. Sometimes it’s a label, or it could be printed into the base.”

http://nypost.com/2009/02/04/crock-pot-safety-tips/

To be clear, HRA hasn't banned them. That happened in NYC at a different resort in a different chain. And even if they are safe, I personally ain't lugging a crock pot around.

Wasn't Aretha Frankllin thrown out of a NY hotel for using an electric frying pan? She said she wasn't about to pay that kind of money for eggs anywhere no matter how much money she made.:rofl::rofl:

I was just reading the HRA newsletter that HRA sent out, and it says that the new appliances are still convection/microwave combos. I think I also saw a post on TripAdvisor where somebody said they used the convection feature.

I looked closely at the appliance in my unit and I'm pretty sure it was just microwave. But I might be wrong and/or my unit had a non-standard replacement. I'm sorry if I stirred things up for no reason.

2-3 years ago when we went, it seemed to function more like a microwave. It might have been a convection microwave, but I think that's different than the convection oven we normally think about.

Just read your menu planning and suitcase full of groceries when you went to Harborside. We have 4 adults, so we usually cook in our villa for the most part.

Do you think this suitcase full of food strategy is allowed for going into Mexico? I remember last year, when we went through customs in Cancun, they asked if my carry-on had any food in it and I said no, but they looked anyway. The food in Cancun was fairly cheap anyway, so this is probably not even a valid question, but it would be nice to take a few things I could not find there locally.

Just read your menu planning and suitcase full of groceries when you went to Harborside. We have 4 adults, so we usually cook in our villa for the most part.

Do you think this suitcase full of food strategy is allowed for going into Mexico? I remember last year when we went through customs in Cancun, they asked if my carry-on had any food in it. I said no, but they looked anyway. The food in Cancun was fairly cheap, so this is probably not even a valid question. But it would be nice to take a few things I could not find there locally.