Hi, there, I am a beta tester for Owner's Locker, and plan to continue with using OL (Owner's Locker) when the testing phase expires.
I have to say, I prefer the idea of Owner's Locker to keeping stuff in an onsite storage facility. I have used the service twice this year, and am completely sold.
1) Convenience - I don't need to schlep these things myself when I visit. The locker is waiting for me at Bell Services (in the case of Disney resorts). Bell Services was very helpful getting the locker to our room at SSR this past February, as we did not have a car.
2) Flexibility - Use of the locker is not limited to an onsite Disney trip. They will deliver the locker to many many resorts in and around Orlando. We just visited the Vero Beach DVC, where they do not deliver at this time. Brian from OL was just terrific. He met us at the airport when we arrived to hand off the locker, and had even found an airport SmartCart to put it on, so that we had no trouble wheeling it out to our rental car. At our departure, he met us right at the airport to pick up the locker. He was even very flexible and accomodating when I mistakenly returned our rental car to the B side, and our flight was departing from the A side. Brian had been waiting for us at the A side car rental drop off. He was so nice when we figured out that we made a mistake and met us at the airline ticket counter.
3) Frugality - The cost of the service is well worth it. Yes, I suppose that the value of the items stored might be under $100, but if I make even two trips per year, I easily recoup the cost of items that I might have to buy and then either schlep on the airplane or ship. But the real value of OL is that you don't have to think about what you need for your vacation. You don't have to plan for it, you don't have to go shopping for it, and you don't have to worry about getting the stuff down to Florida. It's one less thing to worry about before leaving on vacation. I don't have to worry about packing shampoo in my checked luggage (since anything over 3 oz is not allowed in carry on) and then my luggage not showing up and me not having shampoo (or other toiletries). I don't have to worry about shipping a box, and worrying that the box will get lost or show up late. I don't have to spend valuable vacation time shopping for toiletries and sundries once I am in Florida.
4) I am heavily in favor of supporting small, local business. In addition to that, John and Brian are really, really nice. On the way to the airport from VB (and we had left extra early), we hit unbelievable traffic on I95 North right around Mile 182. After sitting for well over 20 minutes, we were worried that there was an accident that would delay us to the point of missing our plane, and we didn't know of an alternate route to get to the airport. We didn't know who to call for help, so we called Brian (he also needed to know we might be running a little late since he was meeting us at the airport to pick up the locker). He actually went online and looked at a traffic website for us, told us where there was an accident and that it might possibly be worth our while to divert to an alternate route. He gave us the directions, and then we went ahead and decided whether or not we wanted to take the detour. Ultimately, by the time we were finished talking with him and trying to make a decision, traffic started to break up (we had sat for 40 minutes), and we ended up going via our original route, but it was nice to know that we could call someone for help when we had an emergency.
5) We can pack less. Two benefits here: 1) DH doesn't have to kill himself carrying heavy things; 2) We don't need to worry about packing more than the 50 lb. limit in our checked baggage - which costs an arm and a leg if you do go over the limit.
I cannot emphasize enough how easy it is to plan a trip now that we have an OL. All we have to do is book a room and a flight and show up. This even makes a last minute trip extremely viable.
I am wishing huge success to John and Brian (mostly because they're great) but also because I will use the service for as long as they provide it! Don't make me go back to vacationing the other way!
The $100 or so a year for the service is just a cost I will include as part of our yearly vacation budget, like airfare or meals. It's sort of like maintenance dues. I'm paying a little bit extra so that I can feel like I'm really on vacation, and leave the hard work of chores at home. Some DVC'ers would never cook in their rooms because to them, it's not a vacation if they have to cook. Well, for me, it is equally wonderful not to have to worry about the items that I have now stored in the OL. Not only did we leave toiletries, but laundry detergent, an unopened bottle of wine we didn't drink, some Disney flip flops we bought at VB for DH that he wouldn't wear at home anyway, the Disney cap he bought at VB that he wouldn't wear at home, a string backpack that I wouldn't use at home but is great for the parks, and many other things that I can't even think of to list here. Using OL really does add to the "Welcome Home."
I've gotta run, now. If anyone has any questions about the service, please PM me.
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