Owner's Locker.... Useful?

[Disney On The Bayou]

I have been considering purcahsing an Owner's Locker, but just can't justifiy the expense. Each time I total up what I would store in it, I come out cheaper to just purchase those items. We usually make 3-5 trips a year, which would cost between $150 and $200 per year with the Owner's Locker. We usually fly Southwest or fly ourselves so we don't have baggage fees. If we had to pay baggage fees like some of the other airlines I think it would be a no brainer, but since we don't, I'm not seeing the value. The only thing I could see maybe being worth it, is if they stored golf clubs.... Maybe that along with some clothing would be at least extra convienent....

What am I missing here? Give me some examples of things I haven't considered.... Thanks!

 

[Scott H]

For us it works very very well, we have two. I cook a bunch while at our DVC unit, so those little extra things are nice to have. Also keep clothes and other day to day things there like umbrellas, warm clothes, slippers, a flat griddle, pre wireless days we kept a router. Any extra liquids i.e. wine. Large coffee cups.

Works well for us. Yes I get free bags on UAL and we still use Owners Locker. Plus their service is the best.

 

[SamSam]

We love our Owners Locker's. We have one that is full of personal stuff, all those listed in the above post, as well as a Keurig mini coffee maker, umbrellas, ponchos, framed pics of our kids/grandkids (nice to have those home touches), binoculars (Kidani), feather pillow, really too much stuff to even list... makes packing, etc. so much easier.

Our second locker is our 'office', printer, flat screens for our laptops, keyboards...it is necessary for us to bring our business with us and work half days, so this is invaluable to us.

 

[Dizny Dad]

Three (3) days of underwear, shorts, shirts, thrown in a carry-on, and I'm on my way. Washers in the rooms make a lot of clothes unnecessary. All of my other needs are already there, like all the stuff listed above, Kuerig and all.

Plus it gives me bragging rights to tell others that don't have a clue (when asking me about my frequent visits to The World), "Oh, I keep stuff "on site".

 

[DVC-Don]

Very useful.. We had one for about 3 years until we bought our Florida house. No need now.

 

[Elise79]

Its not all about the money value although we estimate the contents of our lockers (we have 2) to be in the region of $1000 - it is the convenience factor.

we have the usual toiletries etc we also have enough clothes for me & DH for 5 days. It means I don't have to carry everything with me each time or make a hasty supermarket run on arrival.

We have things that make our stays more comfortable that I wouldn't buy or carry with us each time.

The latest addition is a small photo printer - DD loves the autograph books with the photo pages - each afternoon while having a break we print the photos from the characters she has seen that day

 

[jdvm]

Hi, on the bayou...

Your ongoing costs for a Locker would range from $149 per year if you come to WDW 3 times to $179 per year if you come 5 times or more.

I know it's tempting to look at Owner's Locker only in terms of luggage fees or the value of what you think you might store in one.

While these are certainly pieces to the puzzle, there are a lot of other things to take into consideration.

I like to say that what our Members keep in their Lockers (We never open Lockers...this is just what I hear) falls into three categories:

-your Disney stash that you keep in a box under the bed or in a drawer...the things you only use at WDW and constantly haul back and forth.

-the stuff you buy and throw away each trip. With a Locker, you get large bottles of shampoo, detergent, liquor, etc. so you get a better price and you don't have to buy these items each time you come to WDW.

-stuff you would never haul back and forth. This is the fun category and it differs for everyone. Here are just a few examples: a water filter pitcher so you don't have to buy bottled water. A fitted bottom sheet since, unless you sleep like a corpse, you wind up tangled up in the Disney sheets each morning. A vase for fresh flowers. A spare laptop or camera. A mini-keurig coffee maker. Spices and special kitchen utensils for cooking in your room. Make-up and shaving gear so you don't have to bring any of this stuff from home at all. This list can go on forever.

It doesn't take much imagination to see that the cost of items in a Locker can be a LOT.

But more important, I think, than airline luggage fees or the value of what you currently buy and leave behind are the hard to measure advantages of having a Locker: The elimination (or huge reduction) of the burden of packing AND unpacking. Having around you the things that make you feel more at home. Family pictures. A journal about your prior trips. Special champagne glasses, coffee mugs or plates. Being able to go to your Locker to get something rather than running to a shop when you need something you didn't pack.

Clearly Owner's Locker is not for everyone and no one really needs an Owner's Locker...just thought I'd share my thoughts...
j

 

[Kidanifan08]

We only come down once or twice a year and we have one. If I were only staying in Studios every visit, I probably would not do it. We usually stay for 7-10 nights in a 1 or 2BR villa, so it's nice to have the "extras" that the OL lets us have.

We have rain ponchos, large shampoo, Gin/Vodka/Bourbon, portable speakers, zip-lock bags, salt/pepper grinders, tin foil, shot glasses, cocktail tools, mini tool set, band-aids, batteries, chip clips, acrylic stemless wine glasses, curling iron, razors, glow-sticks, Brita filter, Tylenol, ibuprofen, Rolaids, coffee, candles, cutting board, mini-humidifier, night lights, power strip, sunscreen, dishwasher pods, Purell 3-in-1 and a few other things.

We would never be able to bring all of those things along if we didn't have OL. And yes . . . we have used all of the stuff in our locker over the past few trips. In fact, I just updated my inventory and noted the things we need to replenish for the next visit.

It's a little frivolous, but it is a nice convenience. Looking at what we spend on our Disney trips, this is a small added cost for something which really enhances our visits.

 

[MinnieGirl33]

You really have no idea how much you will come to appreciate your OL until you have one.

You'll never really know how much you LOVE your OL until you have to travel without it.

It's more than financial savings. It's service, convenience & a little bit of Magic.

 

[Micca]

I can't say enough good things about the OL. This concept is just a notch or two below innovations such as the microwave oven, the dvr, and iPod. Having your stuff waiting for you when you arrive make things seem so much more like home. We keep the usual stuff plus a couple of days worth of clothing such that our packing for our trips is now minimal. The customer service is outstanding.
The whole thing is so cool I wish I'd thought of it.

 

[dgaston]

We stay in studios most often, and I think we use the locker even more there than in 1 or 2 br. I have melamine plates and bowls, a George Foreman grill, Brita pitcher, sharp knife and cutting board, long sleeve shirts, ponchos, pool bags, beach towels, etc. I also love John and Brian's service, and also recommend Magic Strollers. The stroller was wonderful for Abby's first visit in November '11.

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

We happen to love ours, for all the reasons others have mentioned, but I do know that everyone is different.

Would it work for you to think of signing up as a one year experiment? You go often enough that a year should give you a good trial. If you don't like it, you can always just cancel when the year is up.

 

[Anal Annie]

I have been considering purcahsing an Owner's Locker, but just can't justifiy the expense. Each time I total up what I would store in it, I come out cheaper to just purchase those items. We usually make 3-5 trips a year, which would cost between $150 and $200 per year with the Owner's Locker. We usually fly Southwest or fly ourselves so we don't have baggage fees. If we had to pay baggage fees like some of the other airlines I think it would be a no brainer, but since we don't, I'm not seeing the value. The only thing I could see maybe being worth it, is if they stored golf clubs.... Maybe that along with some clothing would be at least extra convienent....

What am I missing here? Give me some examples of things I haven't considered.... Thanks!

Sometimes we manage to catch a good price on SW and sometimes not. They're not always the cheapest flight in town. Once we started flying in carry-ons and DH stopped being a pack mule he LOVED our big purple box! I think that took all of ONE TRIP to convince him! We also save several bucks each trip in tipping for bags since we usually just have carry-ons. We used to spend a lot on tips to porters & bell hops & drivers for all the bags we brought. And if we had to store them for a few hours it was even more.

Personally, I would think if you go that many times a year you would REALLY appreciate not having to pack all your stuff each time. (I hate packing - and even more than I hate packing I hate UNpacking!!) With an Owners Locker you cut out SOOO much stuff that you always take. The umbrellas, ponchos, FP lanyards, sunscreens, spray fan bottles, batteries, backpacks & collapsible coolers, beach / pool bags, toiletries, OTC meds, flip flops... I have extra items in ours that are nice but not necessary and I wouldn't bother bringing on a normal trip - like air freshner spray for the bathroom and a shave mirror for DH, a small sewing kit, packing tape, flashlights & candles...CAPTAIN MORGAN! We only use studios so I store paper plates, extra utensils, sharp knives & a scissor, microwavable storage bowls, wine glasses, plastic cups & straws (for taking drinks to the pool), can & bottle coozies (huggies), blue ice (for the cooler which we take to the pool & water parks).

I have about 120 assorted items in ours - I keep an inventory list with exp. dates on anything that may be dated so I know when I need to replace it. We don't rent cars and use DME so replacements can be brought on trips when we DO fly on an airline with free luggage. We're using Jet Blue in a couple of weeks which allows free checked bags so I will check 1 bag for the 3 of us and we'll restock all of the items that have to be put in checked luggage on that trip because in August we're flying on United and would have to pay for checked bags so we'll try to go in carry-ons for that trip. Since we're checking 1 bag this time I am thinking about bringing a twin air mattress for DS because he hates the sleep sofas. Our locker is STUFFED to the point that I have to sit on it for DH to lock it. But I might see about maybe taking something out (like a beach / pool bag & a backpack since we have a couple of each in it) and if I can get the air mattress in I may leave it there.

I am sooo thankful that I don't have to pack all this stuff for our 2 trips this year!! We skipped FL last year because we went to Europe and did a DCL Med cruise...BOY OH BOY did I miss our locker!! I had to start over again and pack from scratch! I admit that I was bummed that we paid our annual fee for the year and didn't get to use it. That sucked. But I'm still glad that it will be there waiting for us in 2 weeks with all of our Disney stuff!!

The last time we flew down in carry-ons only was for spring break 2 years ago & the CM that checked us in was like "Where's your luggage"? And I was like "This is it...just these 3 carry-ons." He was like "I NEVER see people come for this long (6 nights) with no checked luggage." It was one of those odd proud moments for me that we actually did that.

Think about it some more...you might be surprised just how much stuff you could leave there and not have to futz with each trip!!

 

[jelwallace]

Owners locker just makes my trips simple. I don't have to worry about packing all of the little stuff (toiletries, coloring books, swim goggles, backpack for the parks, scissors, pin lanyards and disney pins, etc...). I literally pack the clothes and we are off to Disney. I use magic express so I don't have access to a car to go shopping for the extras. I don't need to now because all of the extras are in the owners locker. I only go twice a year but owners locker makes those trips easier. It does cost money but for me it is money well spent.

 

[2binak]

I was stuck on the price too but DH finally convinced me to stop thinking about the price and think about all that luggage he had to drag through the airport

We used OL for the 1st time this past Fall and packing for our trip was soooooo much easier & less time consuming than it had been in the past. We also downsized from 2 suitcases to 1 - making DH a VERY happy man!!!!!! I just refined our packing list for our 2012 trip and wow - the list is sooooo much shorter than it has been in the past.

 

[ToddyLu]

So I spent $20,000 on a DVC time share and I want to enjoy it--$200 a year for the convienence it provides is awesome.

DVC has changed the way we vacation. We are now going down for two weeklong trips each year. DH needs a place to store his 100 green aliens (Toy Story) and his blanket (A.k.a. the Blanket of Power). He loves taking hte aliens out and placing them under the TV on the dresser. This is the start of his vacation. My thing with my locker is...

we are going for Halloween, sure would be nice to have decorations...oh those are in my locker.

Lets see I need a couple of bucks for the laundry detergent(we stay in studios)..ooooh in the locker! Dang I wish I had a large bottle of Shout to get out the stains from HDDR..in the locker

Man it would be nice to only take a small pack pack on the plane...yep, that happens cause everything is in the locker.

Dh thought I was nuts until he saw how great it was last year. Now we have two--mine is called "Duffy" (after a DIS members dog, who loves OL) and DH calls his "the Pooh box" because he likes Tigger.

It is the idea of luxury and your creature comforts already waiting on you when you arrive. At 43 I am ready for that. I want my studio villa, I want my cool drink out of the fridge, I want to see animals out the window and I want to unpack my goodies that are already there to start each trip.

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

For us it was just the convienence of not having to worry about "did I forget anything?" because I knew it was in my Owner's Locker. We kept all our bathroom supplies, scissors, water wings, iced coffee packets (LOVE WDW but coffee there sucks, had to bring Starbucks), mugs, sunscreen, baby wipes, night time pull ups for DD #2, Advil, allergy meds, etc. This year we won't be back to WDW for over 1 year so we canceled for the time being, but when we made 2 trips in one year, it made packing so much easier! We couldn't really leave the stuff in there over a year because some would be expired etc. They have great service though, very helpful and friendly over at Owner's Locker!

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

I'll echo what others have said. I went back on forth on getting our first locker -- that was when I was trying to make sense of it using a calculator. I can actually remember laughing out loud and asking who would pay that. After reading many, many DISboards posts about how great they were, I began to be swayed. I eventually made a leap of faith and just ordered one. I haven't looked back. There really is a convenience factor to having a locker that can't be quantified.

We're now up to two lockers. Ours are organized as our "essentials" locker that is delivered every trip, and our "extended stay" locker that we usually only have delivered for trips when we're in a villa with a kitchen. (We'll often take short trips to a studio for an extended weekend. We don't need everything for those short trips, and will save a delivery charge by just having the essentials locker delivered.

Join us. Experience the convenience of having a convenient place to store your stuff. And you also get to put a shiny purple icon in your signature.

Oooooooooooooooooooo. Shiny!

 

[DVCconvert]

We LOVE our OL!!!!...worth every cent! proably going to get a second!

 

[ToddyLu]

I'll echo what others have said. I went back on forth on getting our first locker -- that was when I was trying to make sense of it using a calculator. I can actually remember laughing out loud and asking who would pay that. After reading many, many DISboards posts about how great they were, I began to be swayed. I eventually made a leap of faith and just ordered one. I haven't looked back. There really is a convenience factor to having a locker that can't be quantified.

We're now up to two lockers. Ours are organized as our "essentials" locker that is delivered every trip, and our "extended stay" locker that we usually only have delivered for trips when we're in a villa with a kitchen. (We'll often take short trips to a studio for an extended weekend. We don't need everything for those short trips, and will save a delivery charge by just having the essentials locker delivered.

Join us. Experience the convenience of having a convenient place to store your stuff. And you also get to put a shiny purple icon in your signature.

Oooooooooooooooooooo. Shiny!

See, we have 100 of the aliens in Dh's OL and that is the way our dresser looks when we unpack it.