Universal Has Started Charging $2 for Some Ride Lockers

[Tom Morrow]

No one is forcing anyone to use the lockers. Just be wise. Don’t bring your entire home with you. What can’t you live without for 8 hours when visiting a park? You can always leave it with a non-riding guest or place your items in a ***** pack (which are allowed into those rides). Let’s remember that only a small amount of rides at Universal have the no-loose-items rule too which is due for your safety. A few extra minutes while planning your day can easily remedy this.

You are forced to use the lockers on Hulk and Rockit. Asking people to not take their cell phone and car keys with them just to avoid using a mandatory locker is completely out of the question in 2018.. So... again... what is your response for if/when they start charging $1 for the small lockers that we are forced to use if we want to ride Hulk or Rockit? I mean we all know you're the forum's resident Universal apologist, Universal could release a new ride where it's just a giant 3D butt on a screen farting on you and you would find a way to say how it's better than Flight of Passage... but I need to know.

 

[Jon81uk]

No one is forcing anyone to use the lockers. Just be wise. Don’t bring your entire home with you. What can’t you live without for 8 hours when visiting a park? You can always leave it with a non-riding guest or place your items in a ***** pack (which are allowed into those rides). Let’s remember that only a small amount of rides at Universal have the no-loose-items rule too which is due for your safety. A few extra minutes while planning your day can easily remedy this.

You are forced to use the lockers on Rip Ride Rocket and the Hulk, they have metal detectors so you cannot take anything on the ride. I think almost everyone takes wallet, car key and cellphone to the park so you are forced to empty your pockets into a locker on those rides.

Also the smaller lockers won't hold a refillable mug without lying it down, so you better make sure your cup is empty unless you want a sticky cellphone!

 

[Santa Raccoon 77]

You are forced to use the lockers on Rip Ride Rocket and the Hulk, they have metal detectors so you cannot take anything on the ride. I think almost everyone takes wallet, car key and cellphone to the park so you are forced to empty your pockets into a locker on those rides.

Also the smaller lockers won't hold a refillable mug without lying it down, so you better make sure your cup is empty unless you want a sticky cellphone!

Don't be silly. It is all your fault for not having the chauffeur to drive you there (no keys in your pocket). And the butler to carry your drinks and wallet around and also hold your monocle and pocket watch when you wish to ride these rides. Very poor planning on your part sir

 

[RustySpork]

Don't be silly. It is all your fault for not having the chauffeur to drive you there (no keys in your pocket). And the butler to carry your drinks and wallet around and also hold your monocle and pocket watch when you wish to ride these rides. Very poor planning on your part sir

This is the most correct answer. If you're too poor for this, just go back to Disney World!

 

[raven]

You are forced to use the lockers on Hulk and Rockit. Asking people to not take their cell phone and car keys with them just to avoid using a mandatory locker is completely out of the question in 2018.. So... again... what is your response for if/when they start charging $1 for the small lockers that we are forced to use if we want to ride Hulk or Rockit? I mean we all know you're the forum's resident Universal apologist, Universal could release a new ride where it's just a giant 3D butt on a screen farting on you and you would find a way to say how it's better than Flight of Passage... but I need to know.

Keep drinking your eggnog.

 

[lebeau]

No one is forcing anyone to use the lockers. Just be wise. Don’t bring your entire home with you. What can’t you live without for 8 hours when visiting a park? You can always leave it with a non-riding guest or place your items in a ***** pack (which are allowed into those rides). Let’s remember that only a small amount of rides at Universal have the no-loose-items rule too which is due for your safety. A few extra minutes while planning your day can easily remedy this.

Yes, because everyone has a non-riding adult in their party. Someone who paid for park admission primarily for the purpose of watching everyone else's stuff while they ride. That's always an option for everyone.

Fannypacks aren't allowed on every ride which I am sure you know.

The new policy can be worked around, but it's not as easy as you're trying to make it sound. This policy puts the onus on the guest to figure out a solution.

My question is, why? In what way is this new system supposed to enhance the guest experience?

 

[RustySpork]

Yes, because everyone has a non-riding adult in their party. Someone who paid for park admission primarily for the purpose of watching everyone else's stuff while they ride. That's always an option for everyone.

Fannypacks aren't allowed on every ride which I am sure you know.

The new policy can be worked around, but it's not as easy as you're trying to make it sound. This policy puts the onus on the guest to figure out a solution.

My question is, why? In what way is this new system supposed to enhance the guest experience?

1. It encourages people to stay home.
2. It encourages people to leave more stuff at home.
3. The parks may be slightly less busy.
4.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Keep drinking your eggnog.

How did you know I was drunk when I wrote that?

But I still want to know: since it's within possibility that Universal will eventually start charging for all lockers, how will you feel about that if/when it happens?

 

[ToTBellHop]

No one is forcing anyone to use the lockers. Just be wise. Don’t bring your entire home with you. What can’t you live without for 8 hours when visiting a park? You can always leave it with a non-riding guest or place your items in a ***** pack (which are allowed into those rides). Let’s remember that only a small amount of rides at Universal have the no-loose-items rule too which is due for your safety. A few extra minutes while planning your day can easily remedy this.

Try traveling with young kids or in Orlando during the 6 months of the year where you need ponchos/change of socks daily or the 11 months of the year where you need sunscreen for your body and a separate sunscreen for your face.

Not every group has Grandma ready to ride nothing so the rest of the family can go on such intense thrill rides as Men in Black.

 

[righttrack]

Universal needs to build it's ride vehicles to hold something the size of an average woman's large purse per seat. Their locker policy is terrible. Not a fan at all. Not something I have ever had to worry about at WDW.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Rides with a locker policy:

USF:
Rockit
Mummy
Gringotts
Men in Black

IOA:
Hulk
Forbidden Journey
New Potter coaster (likely)

Optional: Dudley and Popeye (although unlike Kali River Rapids at Disney, these, of course, are not complimentary! Go figure.)

The fact that this list isn't really that big, yet the lockers are continuously one of UOR's biggest complaints, is a testament to how frustrating their locker setups are. UOR is also typically perceived as more price-gougey than Disney, a big reason for this being their expensive Express passes. I don't actually agree with this, yet I hear these complaints all the time. For theses reasons it just seems extremely inept and short-sighted of UOR to implement fees which will only further validate two of their most common complaints.

"It's for your safety!" - Don't use this as an excuse. We always knew it was for our safety and that's why they have been able to skirt by with their frustrating cramped locker setups and aggressive no loose article policies by offering the lockers as a complimentary service.

Another change that has not been discussed: previously, if you left items in a free locker beyond the allotted free period, you would be charged $3 by the hour. It is now $3 per half hour. This, combined with the replacement of the old, "one large size for everyone" lockers with the new lockers of which most available are small suggests they are inching their way toward charging for all lockers and attempting to wring a little extra cash out of their guests.

 

[doctornick]

So, we are looking into possible going to Uni next summer. And the youngest in our party will be 5 years old so we wouldn't need a stroller anymore but these new rules have me contemplating bringing a stroller anyway just for the bag storage. Which is stupid, but here we are.

Admittedly, some of the rides with higher height restrictions we will be doing rider swap so we can just leave them with the waiting party. But there will still be a few that everyone can/will ride (Gringotts, MiB, Popeye, Dudley, maybe the new Potter depending on the height) and it would just be annoying. And actually the youngish adults in the party are the ones who can/will do stuff like Hulk and RRR and in the past we split up to do them, but those are the people who typically carry the backpacks as oppose to the older grandparents, so we'll have to remember to hand off when we split up for such rides.

 

[RustySpork]

Try traveling with young kids or in Orlando during the 6 months of the year where you need ponchos/change of socks daily or the 11 months of the year where you need sunscreen for your body and a separate sunscreen for your face.

Not every group has Grandma ready to ride nothing so the rest of the family can go on such intense thrill rides as Men in Black.

You say that like you're the only one who's ever done that. Try raising a bunch of kids in Orlando where it's like that every day for several months every year. You can fit enough sunscreen for a small army in the left cargo pocket.

So, we are looking into possible going to Uni next summer. And the youngest in our party will be 5 years old so we wouldn't need a stroller anymore but these new rules have me contemplating bringing a stroller anyway just for the bag storage. Which is stupid, but here we are.

Admittedly, some of the rides with higher height restrictions we will be doing rider swap so we can just leave them with the waiting party. But there will still be a few that everyone can/will ride (Gringotts, MiB, Popeye, Dudley, maybe the new Potter depending on the height) and it would just be annoying. And actually the youngish adults in the party are the ones who can/will do stuff like Hulk and RRR and in the past we split up to do them, but those are the people who typically carry the backpacks as oppose to the older grandparents, so we'll have to remember to hand off when we split up for such rides.

Your 5 year old probably can't ride any of the attractions that need a locker, so you can just leave the bag in child swap with the child and non-rider.

 

[doctornick]

Your 5 year old probably can't ride any of the attractions that need a locker, so you can just leave the bag in child swap with the child and non-rider.

The 5 year old is already 42-43 inches right now and will be taller by next summer. Kids hit 40" by around 4 years old. The rides I mentioned are ones he can do if we went today, except for Dudley but he might hit it by then summer.

As I said, this change may lead us to bringing a stroller which feels odd. Admittedly, we do tend to have at least 1 if not 2 backpacks for our party (8 people) because we like to carry frozen water bottles, snacks, sunscreen, wipes, ponchos, etc. I'm not talking huge backpacks, but ones that are too big for the small lockers. Oh, also the kids have wands.

As others have mentioned, it is not a problem at Disney since we can always carry the bags onto the rides.

 

[JoeCamel]

The 5 year old is already 42-43 inches right now and will be taller by next summer. Kids hit 40" by around 4 years old. The rides I mentioned are ones he can do if we went today, except for Dudley but he might hit it by then summer.

As I said, this change may lead us to bringing a stroller which feels odd. Admittedly, we do tend to have at least 1 if not 2 backpacks for our party (8 people) because we like to carry frozen water bottles, snacks, sunscreen, wipes, ponchos, etc. I'm not talking huge backpacks, but ones that are too big for the small lockers. Oh, also the kids have wands.

As others have mentioned, it is not a problem at Disney since we can always carry the bags onto the rides.

Nothing wrong with having a stroller to carry the stuff. Just don't hit my ankles with it and walk to the side of the path not dead center with the rest of the group holding hands walking side by side please.

 

[raven]

How did you know I was drunk when I wrote that?

But I still want to know: since it's within possibility that Universal will eventually start charging for all lockers, how will you feel about that if/when it happens?

I will be fully prepared and informed in advance due to people complaining about it on this forum.

 

[Tom Morrow]

I will be fully prepared and informed in advance due to people complaining about it on this forum.

And you would take no issues with it?

I mean, I already know your answer. You refuse to ever say anything negative about Universal.

 

[raven]

And you would take no issues with it?

I mean, I already know your answer. You refuse to ever say anything negative about Universal.

Much like you refuse to say anything positive about Universal.

 

[ToTBellHop]

You say that like you're the only one who's ever done that. Try raising a bunch of kids in Orlando where it's like that every day for several months every year. You can fit enough sunscreen for a small army in the left cargo pocket.

You conveniently forgot the ponchos. Luckily, a typical Universal water ride already gets you as wet as the Florida summer downpour.

 

[zachrupertdsn]

Does anyone know if a mini-backpack would fit in these new small lockers? We typically bring a mini backpack something like (9.05"(L)x5.51"(W) 10.23"(H)) in size to carry our phones, wallets, tickets, sunscreen, etc. in.