To Owner's Locker or Not - Does the cost make sense?

[hayesdvc]

We have been DVC owners for several years and have always have been curious about the benefits of having an Owner's Locker.

As flyers, being able to have a standard set of items delivered to us each visit we visit WDW makes sense.

What I have not been able to conclude is the cost of renting this service monthly versus treating the items that you would put in the locker as disposable.

For example, a crock pot is a very common item and appears would be the on the expensive side of the items stored.

Looking at the cost of common items put in the lockers, comparing the cost seems like the treating those items as disposable (Amazon Prime, etc) would be much cheaper than renting a locker if you visit once a year. With the additional delivery fee for more than one delivery and pickup per year I cannot make the math work if you have multiple visits to WDW annually either.

I know the convenience is unmatched with the Locker.

What else am I missing?

TIA

 

[ziravan]

We used it for 2 yrs and then cancelled.

Never had a problem with the service we just didn’t feel like we were getting value out of it. And we do typically go multiple times per year.

On the one hand, I don’t want to diss the business because I DO think it’s a great service for some. But. You asked for opinions. We did not get enough benefit to continue to use it. YMMV.

 

[npatellye]

We signed up in May with a 6 months free offer. We’ve managed to put enough in there that I don’t need to bring anything essential with me for our next trip. have clothes, spare sneakers, pajamas, socks, a swimsuit, hair product (darn curly hair) in there. My husband has his Disney shirts, a swimsuit, socks, etc. in there. We put in sunscreen, rain ponchos, hand sanitizer, face masks, toothbrushes, toothpaste, band aids, Tylenol, etc. All we really need to bring down is clothes and swimsuits for the kids (they’re now 8 and 6 so still growing like weeds), electronics, Magic Bands, wallets, and ourselves.

We will have it delivered to us in January for one visit from our mid-May beginning of year date. Then we won’t be back until November, which makes a single delivery in our next year.

Our plan is to try to fly with as little as possible now that our kids are getting a bit older. If we can get away with only checking two pieces of luggage, that’s a win for us right now.

If we cut down on checked bag fees from $240 to $120 round trip, then that $120 has paid for our year of the locker. As our kids get older, we want to get to a point where we can all travel to Disney with just a personal item and maybe a carryon.

 

[SarahWI]

We have had two owners lockers for some time. We always fly. We keep a nespresso coffee maker plus pods, special wine glasses/mugs that we only use at Disney, a monorail throw blanket, pool stuff (hat, bag), first aid stuff, cribbage board/cards, DVC pull overs, DVC polo shirts, extra toiletries, dishwasher pods, laundry sheets/pods, spare magic bands, and liquor (gin,vodka, rum, tequila all in 1.5 liter bottles).

totally worth it!

 

[808blessing]

Nice little luxury item! Not a must-do value item. Kinda fun tho! Less stuff to hunt down and pack, less unpacking when you return, no lugging & or stuffing inside nooks and crannies, not to mention find storage at home. Time is money. there is no justification other than I want it! and what else would you spend the money on? Also I love to try new things!
Finally, it actually might save me money because instead of buying a random $5 -10 item, I say oh no I’m using it on my owner’s locker so cuts down on my consumerism and feeds my minimalism habit in a curious way.

 

[davper]

We have had two owners lockers for some time. We always fly. We keep a nespresso coffee maker plus pods, special wine glasses/mugs that we only use at Disney, a monorail throw blanket, pool stuff (hat, bag), first aid stuff, cribbage board/cards, DVC pull overs, DVC polo shirts, extra toiletries, dishwasher pods, laundry sheets/pods, spare magic bands, and liquor (gin,vodka, rum, tequila all in 1.5 liter bottles).

totally worth it!

Ha, I missed your 1st statement that you had 2 lockers. And was thinking they must be larger than they look.

 

[SarahWI]

Ha, I missed your 1st statement that you had 2 lockers. And was thinking they must be larger than they look.

We had just one locker for the first year or two. Then added a second. Pre covid we would go to WDW for 8-10 days each year. The alcohol saves some money and the coffee maker, throw blanket, and the special stuff (mugs, etched wine glasses, etc) make us feel so much at home.

 

[LYSE]

Cost effective? - probably not for most

Simply convenient

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

We fly Southwest so for us it is not a cost savings since we don't pay for checked bags, but I am doing it for the convenience. With the luggage delivery gone and now that we have 2 kids, I need to condense packing and in reality I have more to pack then ever before. My goal is to get us down to 2 checked bags and 1 carryon. Then we can fit luggage in the rental car much easier and manage getting through the airport easier. We may even find that we need less luggage than that depending on how much we can fit in it (our first use is coming up in 1.5 weeks)

 

[philbrody]

We tried it once several years ago but cancelled since (at the time at least) Disney made traveling with luggage so easy. Between magical express, remote airline check in, and traveling on Southwest it was super easy to have an extra bag or two instead of the locker. Reconsidering now.....

 

[Brian Noble]

You probably aren't saving money with a locker. What you are saving is the hassle of (a) remembering to bring everything and replacing it or doing without, or (b) having things that realistically you wouldn't bother packing but are nice to have.

For example, my locker has a (small) Brita filter and a nonstick pan---the former because Orlando Water is a thing, and the latter because we like eggs in the morning and I don't want to have to be bothered with discovering the pan in the unit is scratched to h-e-double-toothpicks and asking for a replacement.

I know someone who keeps a shower head in theirs, and replaces the low-flow unit in the shower when they check in, putting it back when they check out. Someone else I know keeps framed pictures of family to put out.

 

[mgarbowski]

Though some can quantify that they save money net by using it, I don't think it makes sense to require it be justified on that basis. You either value the convenience it offers, or not. Even if it is a net cost, some things are worth paying for, but that doesn't mean it is worth it universally for everyone.

Besides the stuff that just saves bag space, we like being able to have things we couldn't fit in a bag or bring on an airplane:

Britta Water Filter Pitcher
Scissors
Sewing Kit
Swiss Army Knife

Also things that are not always part of a travel kit but nice to have:
Eyeglass Repair kit
Power Strips
Kitchen stuff: coffee filters, saran wrap, tin foil, etc, ziploc bags.

Everyone has their own list. I think on balance it is worth a shot for 1-2 years.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

We had three lockers and kept EVERYTHING in there.
I could go to the airport with the clothes on my back. I’m not sure just how convenient it was. Every trip we had to visit a Walmart to replace things such as tooth paste, detergent, etc. For clothes, I hated leaving dirty clothes in the locker. I would spend hours washing clothes on our last day. Again, not a great benefit of the locker.
When we stopped doing laundry in the room (see other thread), we cancelled our lockers.

 

[Best Aunt]

I have always been happy with mine. But due to my personal feelings about the Pandemic, I did not go to Disney World in 2020 and I will not go in 2021. So I'm paying for a lot of time that my stuff is just sitting in the warehouse. (That's on me, not a criticism of the company.)

 

[florep1]

We’ve had ours for awhile. I don’t think it saves us money. We go once a year so anything with an expiration date gets tossed. I just like having it. We’re staying offsite in August with family at Westgate villas. I’m contemplating whether we need it or not. The items I keep in there for the most part are items I may need that I won’t normally pack, but nice to have.

 

[jodifla]

We keep throwdown meals and alcohol in ours. We have had it for years. So when
We get to our room, we can immediately make ourselves cocktails and snacks. That came in really handy on our last trip with so many restaurants closed.

 

[drusba]

We technically have two lockers. However, one is not actually the purple box but instead to store a golf bag with golf clubs and golf shoes, which I use quite a bit when at WDW (and at courses other than WDW) and we typically go about three times a year. Not having to haul those around with any other baggage to and from a plane, to and from the resort, or pay airline baggage fees, is the ultimate in convenience for a golfer.

Other options are available like Ship Sticks, which will actually deliver to a Disney Golf course, but that would be more costly than Owners Locker, e.g., Ship Sticks charges about $40. (base rate, more for quicker delivery) to deliver, another $40 to take back, and Disney charges $5 a day for storage at the club house. Three trips a year that way would cost much more than having Owners Locker, which delivers directly to the resort, where you just need to have the resort put them in your car if you have a rental or in available transportation vehicle provided by the resort, which for no charge takes you to the course, and one later picks you up.

As to our purple box Owners Locker, I consider it a necessity and again the ultimate in convenience as it is delivered to the resort, which will bring it to your room. Things we keep in it include: a Bose speaker for connecting to iPhone or iPad for music in the room. All needed toiletries in small travel bags such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, razors, Jergen's or otherbody creams. suntan lotion, shaving items, deodorants, Advil, band-aids, and other first-aid items, preferred shampoos and conditioners, etc, Tide pods and Bounce softeners for washing clothes, dishwasher soaps, and Ziploc type kitchen storage bags. Canned coffee and filters. Ketchup and mustard packets kept in a Ziploc. Charging wires and plugs for all the iPhones and iPads. Crayons and coloring books for grandkids when they come. Pens, a pad, and two decks of cards. Needle and thread (sewing kit), scissors, scotch tape. Disney umbrellas and ponchos (some prefer one over the other).Some Disney hats. And then also some clothes, like socks, Disney shirts typically only worn at Disney, shorts, underwear, and light jackets (for the "colder' times).

In other words, the box is excellent for avoiding having to pack, or buy when you get there, every time you go, a lot of things you use on a daily basis, including many things you will not use up in just one trip..

 

[CarolynFH]

We’re in the second half of our first year and still evaluating. Sometimes we fly, in which case the locker is wonderful because we would have to pay for baggage and would need at least larger suitcases if not more of them to bring all the items. Most of the time we drive, and the locker is also a convenience then because it means less luggage to carry into the hotels on our multi-night drive. Also, we stay in offsite timeshares in Orlando, not just DVC, and we don’t always know what we’re going to find in an unfamiliar kitchen or bathroom! But whether we renew or not may depend on how many visits we think we’ll make to Orlando during that coming year.

 

[DonMacGregor]

We are So Cal owners, so we obviously fly every time. While taking an extra free checked suitcase with "stuff" (decent coffee maker and grinder, ponchos, first aid and toiletries, decent sized beach towels, etc.) is certainly doable and obviously costs less, at the end of the day when I add up what 2 annual trips to WDW actually cost me with everything accounted for, the price of an owners locker is a drop in the financial bucket. Plus, it makes sure that the stuff we always forget isn't forgotten (I GUARANTEE you there are at least 6 or 7 bottles of ibuprofen in our house right now).

 

[zavandor]

I have looked at it a few times and I'd love to make it work, to avoid paying for bag fees and take with me a large bag on an intercontinental flight every time. Unfortunately Universal doesn't allow pickups or deliveries at their hotels anymore and this is a deal breaker, as I always end a trip at Universal.