Owner Lockers.....a couple of questions please....

[edk35]

How many have tried them and decided it was not for them?? How many people are on the fence about trying them? Thanks

 

[snowwhitemom]

Love it Love it....thinking of getting a second one. We fly so it is so nice not to have to pack all that stuff every time we go to WDW. The team that operates it are second to none!!! They are so professional... nice and DEPENDABLE!!!!! I hope you have a great experience with them and dont forget they give us (DIS) a really great discount. Check out the web site for them and go to the forums and you will see how much everyone loves these guys.

 

[DisDaydreamer]

It doesn't work for us because we typicaly go to HHI or VB and we have our own car. Bump.

 

[SamSam]

I was on the fence about it for quite some time because I had trouble justifying the cost. I finally decided to try it because of their money back guarantee. I am so frugal sometimes that I squeak! That said, the value of having a box full of items to make our stay easier and more 'homelike' is worth every penny! Our OL is jampacked with the usual toiletries, umbrellas, ponchos, coffee filters, Brita faucet filter, etc., but it also holds framed pics of kids and grandkids, feather pillow, keyboards for our laptops, backpack, etc. that make our stay even more perfect.
OL is wonderful!

 

[Dodie]

This recent thread, although titled differently, turned into a robust discussion of the pros and cons:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1962201

 

[TLinden16]

I have to tell you, when Owner's Locker first came out, I didn't really think it was for me, since I am a single traveller. But, when I was offered a risk free trial, I figured I'd give it a try, and now I can't imagine not having it. It's really a wonderful service, and it makes making for a trip easy, and makes my suitcases very light.

I just got back from WDW two weeks ago, and here's what I have in my OL:

4 days worth of clothes
1 nightgown
1 lightweight polar fleece jacket
2 pairs of sneakers
1 pair of sandals
4 bottles of shampoo/conditioner (two of them nearly empty)
1 bottle of laundry detergent
1 toiletry bag with assorted toiletries
1 framed picture of my nieces and nephews
1 bottle of suntan lotion
1 umbrella
2 rain ponchos

I'm sure there is other stuff I'm forgetting. I'm really amazed by how much fits in there.

For most trips, I will now be able to get away with just a carry on, which is nice if you fly an airline that charges for your first piece of luggage.

One of the owners, John, told me at one point that most (or maybe even all) of the beta members signed up after the trial period ended. Most people I have talked to love it.

 

[Micca]

We're not even officially DVC owners yet, but we went ahead and signed up for a locker. I'm thinking anything we can do to lighten the load of stuff on the plane will make traveling easier.

Thanks for the inventory lists everyone is posting, it's giving us some great ideas.

 

[MinnieGirl33]

Add me to the list of those who were hesitant at first but I can't begin to tell you how much we LOVE our OL! We are Charter Members & contemplating a second locker.

I love the fact that I only have to pack clothes. The service is EXCELLENT. Depending on what airline you typically fly, when you add up the extra bag fees...

I had to travel for business earlier this month & was actually annoyed that I had to think about packing things that I otherwise wouldn't have had to because they're in my OL.

You know how people say once you stay in a 2BR it's really hard to go back to a studio... once you've experienced traveling with your OL...

 

[Pinnie]

Count me in as another very satisfied customer of OL. We usually go down to WDW about 4 - 5 times a year and it sure is nice just traveling with our carry ons. With the airlines now charging for checked luggage, it was a no brainer for us. As a matter of fact, we ended up getting another OL and now have 2!

In addition to the stuff others have posted, I used my OL as a "surprise honeymoon locker: for my son and daughter in law who were using our points at BCVs for their honeymoon. We were at WDW a few weeks before the wedding and we stuffed it with bride and groom mickey ears, some toasting glasses, a just married wedding ornament, some bride and groom flip flops and a variety of other stuff for them. I believe the owners had a description of it on their blog.

Well, now the "newlyweds" presented us with a granddaughter a few weeks ago, so I am already thinking about the stuff we will be leaving down there for her first visit soon!

I can't say enough about how much I appreciate this business and I wonder how I managed to live without it!

pinnnie

 

[Buckeye Fan]

How many have tried them and decided it was not for them?? How many people are on the fence about trying them? Thanks

I was completely on the fence. I even went out today and looked at the OL's website (AGAIN!!!), but decided against it.

We travel to FL once or twice per year. I was trying to think of what I would store, as things like sunscreen expire. With that said, I had thought of toothbrushes, laundry detergent, Bounce, shampoo, etc. For me, it came down to price. For $99, I can buy the things every trip and throw them away for the same price or less. I wouldn't do that, because that would be a waste, but it's just not that big of a deal for me to buy items when we're down there or pack them.

I'm sure they are great for some people, but just probably not for us right now.

 

[BlakeNJ]

I was completely on the fence. I even went out today and looked at the OL's website (AGAIN!!!), but decided against it.

We travel to FL once or twice per year. I was trying to think of what I would store, as things like sunscreen expire. With that said, I had thought of toothbrushes, laundry detergent, Bounce, shampoo, etc. For me, it came down to price. For $99, I can buy the things every trip and throw them away for the same price or less. I wouldn't do that, because that would be a waste, but it's just not that big of a deal for me to buy items when we're down there or pack them.

I'm sure they are great for some people, but just probably not for us right now.

These are my feeling as well and also why I am on the fence. I travel with kids so carryon luggage is not an option as we will always have checked bags. I thought of all the things I would store and most expire (meds) and toiletries really aren't a big deal for me to take along as I have travel size dispensers that I just refill before each trip. I'd love to read more posts to see if I am missing anything that would be worth storing but I've been thinking about this a lot and still can't justify the price--unless I split it with my BIL.

 

[MinnieGirl33]

I think a few things come into play.

If we only traveled to WDW once a year I might feel differently. We are a 3-4 visit per year family so for us it is fabulous!

Also, I think part of it is about mindset. Do you want to feel "at home" or do you like the "hotel" feel? We keep tons of little extras in our OL such as:

throw blanket for the livingroom sofa
fridge magnets to hang Community Hall, Park & Dining schedules
air mattress for those "Save-the-points-stay-in-a-studio-Saturday-nights" (boys hate to sleep in same bed)
Games, cards, etc.
Hats/visors/rain gear/backpack/passholder lanyards​

The possibilities are endless.

If you ever do decide it might be right for you let me assure you the service is exceptional.

 

[hockeyprincess]

I've been tossing around the idea....mentioned it to my husband, the very straight-to-the-point no-nonsense kind of guy... his first response was "Well if it will save on checked baggage fees it's TOTALLY worth it!" I was like, WOW is it really that easy? Yep I guess so...we will be getting our first locker in about 9 days!

Another thing that sticks in my mind about OL--last year we went on a cruise. After most of the drive to the airport (about a 2 hr drive) I realized OMG I left all of our toiletries HANGING on the bathroom door!!! (I had a little zipper hanging caddy that had everything in it) So guess what....when we got to FL we had to go re-buy everything I had left haning on the door. That would never happen, and those items would never take up precious space in our suitcases.

I plan to purchase everything and ship it down this week so we don't even have the extra in our suitcase this time going down. Can't wait!!

 

[fishermouse]

We're not even officially DVC owners yet, but we went ahead and signed up for a locker. I'm thinking anything we can do to lighten the load of stuff on the plane will make traveling easier.

Thanks for the inventory lists everyone is posting, it's giving us some great ideas.

OL will drop your locker at most area resorts, DVC owners may be a big portion of the clients but you can stay almost anywhere.

 

[MdmMim]

I was on the fence for quite awhile. But I decided to go with it--and I'm so glad I did. It makes packing and unpacking when I'm home so much easier. (I'm an old bat, so that luggage was becoming difficult to drag around.) I travel so much lighter these days.

I returned home a few days ago--and I always dread unpacking. But my Dec trip is coming up and I need to be ready. I opened the suitcase, took out some laundry and a few things I had purchased--and I was done! Everything else is in my OL.

My life has been made simpler.

 

[Yen Sid]

We love our locker, we go 2-3 times a year and it is nice buying fullsize stuff at home and having it there for many visits instead of bringing stuff every single trip. The thing i am waiting for is bigger lockers or the chance to leave the strollers there too, that would be really great.

 

[jdvm]

Well, here are my thoughts....

It may surprise you to hear me say that no one really "needs" an Owner's Locker. But it's true. I certainly traveled to WDW on numerous occasions without one and had a great time.

But I eventually got tired of buying and tossing unused items on every trip so I began testing a concept that eventually became Owner's Locker. First it was a way to keep from throwing away unused shampoo, liquor, etc. But then a funny thing began to happen. I began to store things I never really thought about having on hand when I was at WDW. And, that's the real beauty of OL. I was able to have on hand things I'd NEVER pack, ship or buy and throw away. Things that just made me feel more at home while i was here.

Let me share a couple of stories I heard at last week's EPCOT Wine Evening from two of our Members.

One fellow had reluctantly gone along with his wife's request to get a Locker. But, when he got to a liquor store, he bought a 1.75 liter bottle--something he'd never done before on vacation. The combination of knowing he got a good price and that he wouldn't have to make a liquor store run for several trips did it for him.

Another Member was a serious coffee drinker and told me how fantastic it was to grind beans and make a great cup with his cappuccino machine that he had bought to store in his Locker. Sitting on the balcony in the morning just got better for him!

Now these folks could easily have survived and thoroughly enjoyed themselves without a Locker but I think it provides a bit of insight as to how Owner's Locker makes sense for some people. Of course it's more convenient. But it allows you to enhance your time at WDW and that's when it really works.

John

 

[Tara]

These are my feeling as well and also why I am on the fence. I travel with kids so carryon luggage is not an option as we will always have checked bags. I thought of all the things I would store and most expire (meds) and toiletries really aren't a big deal for me to take along as I have travel size dispensers that I just refill before each trip. I'd love to read more posts to see if I am missing anything that would be worth storing but I've been thinking about this a lot and still can't justify the price--unless I split it with my BIL.

For me it's about convenience, comfort and conservation.

Convenience:
-no more constantly carrying things back and forth, like ponchos, pins/lanyards, mister fans, etc.
-no more storing the above items in the basement (I can now use that storage bin for something else)
-less TIME spent packing/unpacking in general
-less baggage to deal with to/from the airport (we never use Magical Express)

Comfort:
-we can have the items that make our stay feel more home-like without packing and planning each time (such as favorite pillowcases, a wireless router so we can upload pictures from the comfort of bed, etc.)

Conservation:
-Call me a tree-hugger, but I like the fact that we can put a Brita pitcher in our locker and never have to buy cases of bottled water again.
-We can pack full size toiletry items and save the waste created by the multiple travel sizes we might normally pack.

Clearly, it's a personal matter, but for us, Owner's Locker is definitely going to save us time and energy...and probably money in the long run.

 

[snappy]

Biggest plus for us was having our essentials delivered and picked from our room up thus avoiding us having to carry them either via suitcase or buy and haul in Orlando. We ended up not using much of our stuff as we just had a studio for our anniversary trip, but at least we had everthing we needed and DID NOT drag stuff through the airport we did not use, as we did before getting a locker.

Somehow having that locker waiting down there for us seems like a luxury.

What counts in my book is not $$$ saved or spent but the
but the value of being pampered. No wonder. . . one of the first things I thought of to go in the locker was the microwave Pampered Chef pot I use to make my grits in the morning. This southern gal needs her comfort food in the am, especially on vacation.

I don't endulge too much the rest of the year. Vacation is for the time for this.

I am wrestling with getting a second locker to divide out stuff between studio stays and 2 BR stays. I know we will be making multiple trips per year, using both villa arrangements.

BTW, we met John during our trip and he is a great guy.

 

[DaveH]

I would say for us 2 empty nesters the cost is more than we save. Now the reason we like it is that there is less for us to lug around. We normally fly. The last time we drove was about 7 years ago. There are things in our locker we would not bring with us. We actually buy a couple of thing while at Disney and left in the locker for making th room a little nicer for us. I can see it not being worth it for some and worth it for others just on price. Others like us say the extra cost is worth making travel easier. We rarely rent a car and use Magical Express to save money to spend on something else. So having laundry detergent and dryer sheets in the locker saves us from having to go buy some at the store or in the laundry room. We bought fitted sheets for the locker for the beds. We never took them with us. We have a Brita pitcher we would either have a smaller bottle or none, it is there now. A pitcher for ice tea. We have extra batteries for the camera These makes the trips nicer but not needed for us. This is a personal choice for us. Most folks here love their locker. I have read here and on the OL site about folks who have left older gaming systems for their kids or toys and such. Less to lug when traveling. There was a thread where a couple would buy something small and wrap it for them to open on the next trip. Sounds like fun. We love our locker. You need to do what is best for you. Good luck.