A Complete Guide to the Lockers at Universal Orlando

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Are you wondering the ins and outs of understanding the lockers at Universal Orlando, as well as which ones are free vs. require money?

In planning your visit to Universal Orlando, you may have read or heard about the need to store your belongings in lockers at Universal Orlando while you go on rides.

Perhaps this has left you with many questions, as it did me, before your first visit.

In this article, we’ll explain the different types of lockers at Universal Orlando, where they are, how and when to use them, and how to avoid having to pay for them.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that we may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. For more info, see disclosure.

Learn all about the lockers at Universal Orlando from Top U.S. Family Travel Blog, Travel With A Plan! Click here now! — Complimentary Ride Lockers

Table of Contents

Why are There Lockers at Universal Orlando?

Though it may seem odd to dedicate an entire article to explaining the lockers at Universal Orlando, trust me when I tell you that understanding the Universal Studios lockers is absolutely essential in avoiding confusion and frustration at the Universal theme parks.

Unlike at Walt Disney World where you can take your bags on all rides, Universal requires you to store your bags and belongings in a locker before you board most rides.

This is due to the simple fact that several of the rides at Islands of Adventure and rides at Universal Studios are either fast, thrilling, highly motion-simulated, or have upside-down twists and turns that will risk you losing your items should they be brought onboard.

It’s best to figure out where and how to store your gear ahead of time in order to avoid being turned away at the entrance of a ride to then have to backtrack and find a locker.

Types of Lockers at Universal Orlando

All of Universal Orlando’s lockers are automated and use a biometric or ticket-scanning locking system.

Both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure offers three different types of these lockers inside the theme parks:

Complimentary ride lockers (short-term)
Pre-paid ride lockers (short-term)
All-day lockers

Complimentary ride lockers

Complimentary (free) ride lockers are available at the entrances to several rides that require that no backpacks and belongings are brought onto the ride.

Large locker bays are located adjacent to the ride to accommodate this requirement.

Sections of the locker bay that have available lockers are indicated by a green light as pictured above. A red light indicates that that section of the locker bay is full.

The lockers are utilized by scanning your park ticket at a green-light kiosk, and an available locker door will swing open. After placing your belongings inside, the door will automatically lock when closed.

You can retrieve your items when getting off of the ride by repeating the same process: scan your park ticket at your assigned locker bay kiosk and the door to your locker will automatically swing open.

The biggest thing to note about complimentary ride lockers is that they are quite small.

They measure 14 in x 5.5 in x 16.9 inches to be exact.

This means that the free lockers are best suited for fanny packs, small backpacks or sling bags (be sure to measure them!), and loose articles such as sunglasses, water bottles, Smartphones, and Harry Potter wands.

Large backpacks and bulky items will not fit into the free lockers and you will be forced to pay for a locker at each of the rides that require storage.

Pro Tip: In order to avoid having to pay for lockers, limit what you bring inside of the park to only that of which will fit into a fanny pack. See our list of what we bring to Universal. For our family of 5, we easily get by with just having a fanny pack and a small sling bag for water bottles, and never had to pay for a locker during our entire visit.

Rides that Require Lockers at Universal Orlando

The following is a list of the rides at both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure that do not allow any personal belongings to be brought on the rides.

These are the rides that offer free lockers adjacent to the ride entrance.

Universal Studios Florida

Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts
Revenge of the Mummy
MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit

Universal’s Island of Adventure

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
The Incredible Hulk Coaster

Pro Tip: As another curveball, fanny packs are allowed to be worn on all of the rides above except for the Hulk Coaster and Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket. Beware that team members will ensure that the fanny pack is securely buckled around your waist and does not interfere with the safety restraint of the ride vehicle as you get on. This is another great reason to only bring a fanny pack into the parks, as you can avoid lockers altogether, except for on two rides.

Pre-paid ride lockers

If your backpack and/or other items are too large to fit into the complimentary lockers, you will be forced to have to rent a pre-paid locker.

Similar to the complimentary lockers, larger-sized lockers (12 in x 13 in x 16.9 in) are located at the entrances to all of the rides requiring the storage of belongings.

They can be rented for $2, cash or credit card, during the posted wait time. Pre-paid lockers cost an additional $3 per 30 minutes, with a $20 per day maximum.

This means that if a ride has a wait time of 60 minutes and you end up trying to trick the system by leaving your things in there for 120 minutes to go on other rides, you will be charged extra when it comes time to remove your belongings.

A Note About Water Rides

Complimentary lockers are not offered at Universal’s water rides.

Though Universal’s water rides (Jurassic Park River Adventure, Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges, and Dudley Do-Rights Ripsaw Falls) do allow personal belongings on rides, only pre-paid lockers are available if you’re worried about your stuff getting wet.

Pre-paid, single-time use lockers cost $4 during the posted wait time and an additional $3 per 30 minutes, to a maximum of $20 per day.

Pro Tip: When it comes to water rides at Universal, again, limit your belongings to a fanny pack that can be worn around your waist. In addition, wear a rain poncho on water rides so that you/it doesn’t get wet and you won’t have to pay for a locker.

Locker kiosk — All-Day Locker rental kiosk

All-day lockers

Universal Orlando offers all-day lockers on a first-come, first-serve basis.

They are located just beyond the turnstiles after entering the park, as pictured above.

Also good to note is that guests have unlimited access to all-day lockers during the course of the day. In other words, they can be opened and re-locked by the original user as many times as you like during your visit.

To rent a locker, you must first approach the rental kiosk, pay for your locker via cash or credit card, and are then assigned a locker number. You will be asked to enter a six-digit code to use in the event that you forget your locker number.

Once your payment is processed, don’t forget to grab the receipt with your locker number. Then, your unit will automatically unlock.

Large lockers measuring 12” x 13” x 16.9” are available to rent at Universal Studios and Universal’s Islands of Adventure for $10 per day.

They are big enough to fit large backpacks, a diaper bag, or multiple purses.

Family-size lockers measuring 12” x 16.25” x 16.9” are available at Universal Studios only, for $15 per day.

These lockers are good for multiple families wanting to share storage.

Though there are not many family-size lockers available, they are very underutilized and you can always seem to find one that is available.

Additional planning tip: Lockers can be found in the Rainforest Village, River Village, and Wave Village of Universal’s Volcano Bay.

There are three different locker sizes available: mini ($9), regular ($13), and family ($16).

Universal Child Swap Area

Along with our 45+ quick tips for first-time visitors to Universal Orlando, we have one more trick up our sleeve to avoid having to utilize paid lockers.

Each ride has a family room called Child Swap, where one member of your party can wait with the little ones while the rest of your party rides a ride.

Once they are finished, guests can switch places so whoever rode can stay with the kids, and the adult(s) who sat out can then go on the ride without having to wait in line again.

When you want to ride a thrill ride but don’t want to bother with a locker, you can use each attraction’s “Child Swap” area as a “Bag Swap,” and leave a non-rider with your belongings.

This can be a useful technique for the Harry Potter rides as the locker bays at Forbidden Journey and Gringotts are frequently overcrowded.

Do you have any more questions about the lockers at Universal Orlando? I’d love to answer them in the comments!!
Jen

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