Cancelling Owners Locker ?

[Anal Annie]

Even MY reluctant DH has come around to see the Owners Locker light! Now that we own DVC and go 2 or 3 times per year it almost became a no-brainer for us as soon as Air Tran started charging $15 per checked bag. Not to mention how all the airlines now weigh each checked bag. Used to be you could slip thru a couple Lbs over but no more. Last summer we had 1 bag that weighed 50.6 & the skycap told me to either take something out or he was charging me $25!! Obviously I took something out but then I had to stuff it somewhere else. Oh and that 3 oz rule! Has anybody here found a 3 oz hair mousse?? That is one product I can't find in travel size...

I can see how if the OP is only going once every other year how it might be harder to justify tho... Maybe her answer is to go more often!?

 

[Sid74]

Thank you again for all the replies.

I have just managed to get DH to say that he would be prepared to keep the Locker if the items being kept in it were worth the same as the cost of the yearly fee. However, I don't think he believes that I can find anything that will meet that condition.

So come on people, what could I possibly need that would be worth $99 a year?

I have been thinking about a sheet set, an airbed,( but DH is convinced that the kids won't be coming with us in 2 years so we won't need one, yeah right, lol,) possibly a crockpot or electric skillet/ hotplate for when we are in a studio, spare socks, first aid kit and beach towels.
But then I lose him with the suncream and sun hats, laundry products, deodorant etc. list, as he thinks it only adds up to a few dollars and isn't worth keeping.

John - is it possible for me to get my Locker delivered and try to fill it to DH satisfaction, but still be able to cancel it if he remains unconvinced?
I wouldn't want the money for the Locker back at all, as I would then insist on taking my Locker home, in the luggage, and filling it to show him that when we do get to go every year it would be something that we just had to have.

Annie - I would love to visit more often, if I could just sort out the economy and get DH a fantastically well paid job.

 

[Tara]

Thank you again for all the replies.

I have just managed to get DH to say that he would be prepared to keep the Locker if the items being kept in it were worth the same as the cost of the yearly fee. However, I don't think he believes that I can find anything that will meet that condition.

So come on people, what could I possibly need that would be worth $99 a year?

I have been thinking about a sheet set, an airbed,( but DH is convinced that the kids won't be coming with us in 2 years so we won't need one, yeah right, lol,) possibly a crockpot or electric skillet/ hotplate for when we are in a studio, spare socks, first aid kit and beach towels.
But then I lose him with the suncream and sun hats, laundry products, deodorant etc. list, as he thinks it only adds up to a few dollars and isn't worth keeping.

Is the "worth" the retail value of the items you buy, or the retail value of what they'd be if you bought them there OR the money you save by having them? The cost of a skillet might be $20, but if you can make pancakes instead of buying them at a restaurant or quick service, how much do you save? How much do you save with a bottle of detergent (or even better, the new Purex laundry sheets that take up so little space!) versus buying detergent out of the machines at the resort, or buying a bottle and having a lot go to waste? And if he thinks that stuff only adds up to a few dollars, he hasn't been shopping lately! You might want to show him the price of sunscreen and other itemas--and how much they cost at Disney - a 1-load size of Tide is $1.75, 2 Bounce sheets are $1.75 - I don't know what sunscreen costs, but it's more than at a regular store.

Or better yet, have him make a list of all the things you need to pack (then fix it if needed) and have him gather up all the "supplies." Ask him how much that time is worth, as well as the time needed to unpack it and put it away.

Oh and that 3 oz rule! Has anybody here found a 3 oz hair mousse?? That is one product I can't find in travel size...

Sure. I was able to find it all the time when I used it. Walgreens or CVS always seem to have it. Minimus also has it. http://www.minimus.biz/detail.aspx?ID=7894

(not that you need it now, I assume)

 

[goofy4tink]

Between grocery delivery services, and OL, I think DVCers have the best of all worlds!!! We can store some of those nice electronic things...crocpots, skillets..in our locker and save a ton of money on food. It's so simple to dump a bunch of stuff into a crocpot before heading off to the park, then return to a nice, inexpensive meal. same thing with the skillet..so easy to cook up some grilled stuff or pancakes for breakfast. No need to get a full kitchen.
I also put some heavier plastic type dishes/bowls in my OL..as well as some regular flatware. That way I don't have to use plastic and paper in the studio.
Laundry detergent is a no brainer, as is softener. You leave bottles of shampoo/conditioner, sunscreen there.
It may not save a ton of money in some cases....dishes/flatware..but it does make living in a studio so much nicer. And the money saved on food in the parks is incredible. Yes, you have to pay for groceries but they are so much cheaper than park/resort food.

Man...I love my OL. I'm not really sure what I would do without it.

 

[Anal Annie]

Tara - thanks for the link for the mousse...I don't typically shop online for a $2 item that I then have to pay shipping for...I have always purchased all of my travel size products at either Target or Wal-Mart and neither of those carry it. ANYWAY, no, I don't need it anymore bcuz when I made my OL box I just put in my Pantene one that I was using at home that was about 1/2 empty - so I should be good for a long time to come.

Anwyay, Sid...I have a list of about 120 diff. items that I have in our OL. It is just soooo nice not to have to even THINK about having to pack all of this stuff. It's not that any one item has a big value to it. It's all just STUFF.

I packed everything from Q-tips & Band-aids & Neosporin to my Olay Body Wash to a can of air freshner (for those mornings when DH beats me to the bathroom). I stored one mini-umbrella for each of us as well as 1 heavy duty poncho per person & a supply of the little cheapy disposable ones (when we KNOW it's going to rain we use the heavy ones & when we THINK IT MIGHT we just throw the cheapy ones into our backpack 'cuz they take up less space). Speaking of backpack - I left a string backpack and 2 diff. pool / beach bags (but no towels - we just use Disney's). I know, you're saying TWO beach bags? One is a really big one that we take to the water parks & one is a smaller tote that is good for just running down to the pool for a quickie dip. Ummm, also left some booze & plastic cups to use for making mixed drinks to take to the pool as well as a collapsible cooler and 2 "blue ice" things. Wine glasses, straws, can & bottle huggies (or cozies). We take the cooler with the blue ice things to the pools & water parks and an ice cube tray ('cuz we stay in studios so no ice maker). Slippers - my feet get cold...flip flops (one pair for each of us) and eyeglass straps.

Ummm, let me think....scissors, paper clips, rubber bands, packing tape, glue ('cuz ya never know - and in 2 trips with the OL I have used all of those "weird" items except the glue). A set of 3 sharp knives of various sizes (no knives provided in studios ya know). Also - paper plates & some storage containers for leftovers or cereal. (You only get 4 paper plates & 4 paper bowls in a studio). Extra plastic silverware (again, you only get 4 in a studio). Of course there ARE the sunscreens & OTC meds & toiletries....coffee filters & coffee scoop....salt & pepper & sugar packets.

Anyway, our locker is completely FULL. I have to sit on the lid while DH puts the plastic straps & lock on it. If we could go more often than 2-3 times per year I think now I could talk DH into a second locker to store clothes in so we REALLY wouldn't hardly have to pack. (Don't get excited John - we can only go 2 or 3 times per year!!) But we saw someone getting multiple lockers delivered when we were at BCV last month & DH was like WOW!! What a concept! No luggage! Maybe one day we'll be "snow birds" and we'll do that!!


(PS) Hi goofy4tink!! Remember, we met at the OL wine evening last month!?

 

[Tara]

Tara - thanks for the link for the mousse...I don't typically shop online for a $2 item that I then have to pay shipping for...I have always purchased all of my travel size products at either Target or Wal-Mart and neither of those carry it.

Well, I'm not suggesting that - a lot of people do stock up on travel sizes there rather than buying one item at a time. I'd assume someone who travels more than once a year could easily buy enough items to make the shipping worthwhile. But I will say that larger chain drugstores often have travel items that discount stores don't and they're worth checking. At least, for those who have to pack toiletries. I wish I could say I don't remember what that's like, but I travel a lot for work and there's no Owner's Locker waiting for me at the Marriott in Pittsburgh.

 

[goofy4tink]

Tara - thanks for the link for the mousse...I don't typically shop online for a $2 item that I then have to pay shipping for...I have always purchased all of my travel size products at either Target or Wal-Mart and neither of those carry it. ANYWAY, no, I don't need it anymore bcuz when I made my OL box I just put in my Pantene one that I was using at home that was about 1/2 empty - so I should be good for a long time to come.

Anwyay, Sid...I have a list of about 120 diff. items that I have in our OL. It is just soooo nice not to have to even THINK about having to pack all of this stuff. It's not that any one item has a big value to it. It's all just STUFF.

I packed everything from Q-tips & Band-aids & Neosporin to my Olay Body Wash to a can of air freshner (for those mornings when DH beats me to the bathroom). I stored one mini-umbrella for each of us as well as 1 heavy duty poncho per person & a supply of the little cheapy disposable ones (when we KNOW it's going to rain we use the heavy ones & when we THINK IT MIGHT we just throw the cheapy ones into our backpack 'cuz they take up less space). Speaking of backpack - I left a string backpack and 2 diff. pool / beach bags (but no towels - we just use Disney's). I know, you're saying TWO beach bags? One is a really big one that we take to the water parks & one is a smaller tote that is good for just running down to the pool for a quickie dip. Ummm, also left some booze & plastic cups to use for making mixed drinks to take to the pool as well as a collapsible cooler and 2 "blue ice" things. Wine glasses, straws, can & bottle huggies (or cozies). We take the cooler with the blue ice things to the pools & water parks and an ice cube tray ('cuz we stay in studios so no ice maker). Slippers - my feet get cold...flip flops (one pair for each of us) and eyeglass straps.

Ummm, let me think....scissors, paper clips, rubber bands, packing tape, glue ('cuz ya never know - and in 2 trips with the OL I have used all of those "weird" items except the glue). A set of 3 sharp knives of various sizes (no knives provided in studios ya know). Also - paper plates & some storage containers for leftovers or cereal. (You only get 4 paper plates & 4 paper bowls in a studio). Extra plastic silverware (again, you only get 4 in a studio). Of course there ARE the sunscreens & OTC meds & toiletries....coffee filters & coffee scoop....salt & pepper & sugar packets.

Anyway, our locker is completely FULL. I have to sit on the lid while DH puts the plastic straps & lock on it. If we could go more often than 2-3 times per year I think now I could talk DH into a second locker to store clothes in so we REALLY wouldn't hardly have to pack. (Don't get excited John - we can only go 2 or 3 times per year!!) But we saw someone getting multiple lockers delivered when we were at BCV last month & DH was like WOW!! What a concept! No luggage! Maybe one day we'll be "snow birds" and we'll do that!!


(PS) Hi goofy4tink!! Remember, we met at the OL wine evening last month!?

back. Yes, I do remember!! I always wonder what happens to those nice people I get to meet at John's fun evenings. Good to see you again.

I have used minimus several times. It has been a lifesaver, especially for my dh who likes to travel with carryon only for business. I have been able to find pretty much anything he needed there.
And it is nice to have extras here at home, just in case. There have actually been a few times that I have used carryon only, for a very short trip where I haven't had my OL delivered. But I do like having something other than that plastic and paper stuff they give you in a studio.

 

[jamstew]

Has anybody here found a 3 oz hair mousse?? That is one product I can't find in travel size...

Yes, I actually found my favorite brand, Biolage. I think it was actually at the grocery store, but it was in the regular hair product section, not the trial sizes. Aveda makes a powdered styling product that activates with water, but it's pricey.

 

[Tara]

Yes, I actually found my favorite brand, Biolage. I think it was actually at the grocery store, but it was in the regular hair product section, not the trial sizes. Aveda makes a powdered styling product that activates with water, but it's pricey.

Oh yeah! I just remembered there's a beauty supply store in our mall that has travel sizes of a lot of salon/specialty brands! I'd love to have a powdered product like Aveda makes, but that particular one is, IIRC, a volumizer, which is the last thing I need! <-no, not scared, just demonstrating my hair on volumizer

 

[LeCras]

So come on people, what could I possibly need that would be worth $99 a year?

Stick some booze in it.

There, problem solved!

Charlotte

 

[honeymo78]

I think I'm going to need to convince DH that we need an OL, but probably not until next year. We only have 1 disney trip in the next 12 months, however after that, we have 2 trips a year on the planning board (we're hitting up Jamaica again next year before we start planning a family). There are so many things I basically keep in the luggage so I'm sure I don't forget to pack them because one of us can't seem to live without it. I'd love to not travel with a pillow as well. I'd be willing to sacrifice one from the bed to live in the OL. Once we have kids, I figure I'll need all the luggage space I can get and the yearly fee will feel like nothing compared to carting all that random but essential stuff back and forth.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

But then I lose him with the suncream and sun hats, laundry products, deodorant etc. list, as he thinks it only adds up to a few dollars and isn't worth keeping.

John - is it possible for me to get my Locker delivered and try to fill it to DH satisfaction, but still be able to cancel it if he remains unconvinced?
I wouldn't want the money for the Locker back at all, as I would then insist on taking my Locker home, in the luggage, and filling it to show him that when we do get to go every year it would be something that we just had to have.

We haven't used the OL locker yet but as I recall and I believe John mentioned above it has a 100% money back guarantee for 1 year. You should be able to get it on this trip, do your shopping, show your DH just how much suncreen does cost , and get all your money back at the end of the trip if he still isn't convinced. Seems like nothing to lose so why not give it a try?

 

[jdvm]

well, no risk trial means no risk. We're perfectly comfortable with someone signing up for Owner's Locker and changing their minds for any reason in the first year. And if that's during the first Visit, it really isn't a problem.

A couple of times, I've met with prospective OL Members at a resort to show them what a Locker looks like and I'm more than happy to do that again.

A cute story I heard from some Members at an EPCOT Wine Evening may make sense...this couple packed separately for their WDW trips. After they had packed their luggage, they met in the living room at home, opened both pieces up and made a pile in the middle of things that could be left in Orlando and not hauled back and forth. You know the rest of the story...now they take one piece of luggage.

I'm always a bit amazed at the argument that the value of the things you might store would never equal the cost of Owner's Locker. Our member will tell you that if up the cost of everything in a Locker and it's not difficult at all to be far in excess of $99. I tested the concept out before we started the business and the value of things in my "Florida Box" as we called it was over $400 and that was quite a few years ago.

I also like to point out that the real beauty of Owner's locker is that it allows you to have on hand things you'd NEVER ship, haul back and forth or buy and throw away. Things you might like to have on hand but have never really considered...a spare laptop, a vase for flowers, a Brita water pitcher and ice cube trays, special glasses and plates, a coffee maker, etc., etc.

Lastly, let's be honest. No one really NEEDS an Owner's Locker. You've come to WDW for quite a while and had a very good time without it. So this isn't a case of right and wrong. You'll continue to have a great time in Orlando whether you have one or not.

But I'm willing to bet that once you try it, you'll find that it transforms the way you vacation in ways you can't quantify by adding up the cost of what you might store or comparing luggage fees.

Apologies for the long post!
j

 

[jamstew]

It definitely transforms the way you travel. I love only having to pack clothes and medications and knowing that everything else I need is there, plus a lot of other good stuff that's may not be necessary but is really nice to have. I realized just how much I appreciated my OL when I went to Vegas and had to pack everything for the first time in a while. It was a real PITA.

I have two lockers, one for my solo trips when I stay in a studio, and one with all the laundry & kitchen stuff and things that are needed in larger units when my kids & grandkids go. Although they won't utilize it more than once every 2 years, the cost is worth it to me to make things easier for them. Just traveling with little ones is hard enough without having to worry about packing everything but the kitchen sink.

If I were to add up the cost of everything I have in two lockers, I'd be willing to bet it would be at least $500.

 

[SamSam]

I wouldn't even want to add up what the cost is for everything in our Lockers.
Our basic locker is full of the usual stuff...toiletries, ponchos, umbrellas, first aide products, hand mixer, coffee filters, etc. I would estimate $200.00 of products & items. Our second locker (new) is our traveling office (yes, we work half days on our longer trips) keyboards for our laptops, monitors (our business is heavy into graphics, so these are really nice), router, printer...$$$$.
OL is invaluable to us. Being able to take our business with us, allows us to stay for longer periods. Best of both worlds for us.

 

[Tara]

It definitely transforms the way you travel. I love only having to pack clothes and medications and knowing that everything else I need is there, plus a lot of other good stuff that's may not be necessary but is really nice to have. I realized just how much I appreciated my OL when I went to Vegas and had to pack everything for the first time in a while. It was a real PITA.

I have two lockers, one for my solo trips when I stay in a studio, and one with all the laundry & kitchen stuff and things that are needed in larger units when my kids & grandkids go. Although they won't utilize it more than once every 2 years, the cost is worth it to me to make things easier for them. Just traveling with little ones is hard enough without having to worry about packing everything but the kitchen sink.

If I were to add up the cost of everything I have in two lockers, I'd be willing to bet it would be at least $500.

ARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH! The board just ate my post! I was commenting that it was funny you mention this because I showed my sister a picture of all the stuff before I packed up my Lockers and she said "You must have $500 worth of stuff in there!" Then I realized it was probably more than that and made a list of some of the bigger items and what they cost (roughly in some cases). That came to $1200. I didn't list all the kitchen stuff, food stuff, fun stuff like our scrapbook, full set of Star Wars dvds, Imagineer guides and Hidden Mickey books, Disney Scene It game, etc.

I had been thinking about finding a refurbed netbook but told myself that was too excessive. Once I made the (now vaporized) list, I realized it wasn't so excessive after all.

At least I know John takes good care of all my stuff!!

 

[DenLo]

Once we have kids, I figure I'll need all the luggage space I can get and the yearly fee will feel like nothing compared to carting all that random but essential stuff back and forth.

And depending on the airline, paying extra for the checked luggage!

We usually drive to Orlando from the Houston area. Since we are retired and do many road trips I can't justify an OL for just WDW. We have put together items just for our road trips, so if we had an OL we'd need three of everything (home, OL and road trips). Can't see us doing that. But if we flew, I would definitely consider an OL. Or for that matter if we had kids that travel with us it would be a definite yes, sign me up!

 

[Cerigirl]

We have one on order and I have thought twice about it - I know it makes a lot of sense, but at the moment, money is a prime factor in so many things....

We only go to WDW once a year and after this year I can see it being once every two years or longer, so is this really a viable option for us??