The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmeade (Orlando): Part 2

[12th Man]

If they wanted to move the lockers outside, why wouldn't they have done that with USH? Just seems like poor planning. Also what they have been doing at USH is keeping a majority of the line in the outside extended queue, before you enter the castle. I think this is meant so they don't run out of lockers, which happened a few times during the soft openings.

 

[sjago13]

If they wanted to move the lockers outside, why wouldn't they have done that with USH? Just seems like poor planning. Also what they have been doing at USH is keeping a majority of the line in the outside extended queue, before you enter the castle. I think this is meant so they don't run out of lockers, which happened a few times during the soft openings.

When I was there over spring break that is what they were doing here as well. You would enter the bag line and it would go into the uncovered extended queue then you work your way back out front then to lockers.

 

[epcyclopedia]

The interior of the castle beyond the lockers holds about a 45min wait.

If the single rider line backs up down the stairs it's said that both lines are 45s from that point so don't bother with singles.

As for where people wait... In a perfect world everyone would be past the lockers. There's not attempt to hold people outside first - it just backs up that way because of the lockers. The goal is to move people fast enough in there to keep the interior line full.

The idea of the "bag line" is sort of outdated as the methods to control people through lockers have improved essentially just making it "the line."

 

[SandiestPirate]

I actually have a pretty good update on the Locker scenario.


We were there on Tuesday this week and they have TM's directing people to only send One Member of their party into the locker room as it is very crowded. It appeared to be much easier to navigate however the crowd of family waiting in front of the line entrances was getting a bit crowded as a result.

 

[boomerthom]

I actually have a pretty good update on the Locker scenario.


We were there on Tuesday this week and they have TM's directing people to only send One Member of their party into the locker room as it is very crowded. It appeared to be much easier to navigate however the crowd of family waiting in front of the line entrances was getting a bit crowded as a result.

We were still packed in there like sardines on Tuesday around 2-3PM. Plenty of 3+ person parties. TM was yelling about it, but didn't look like many people were listening. Could have just been a bad break, idk. Hopefully they keep working on it.

 

[IzzyB]

Why don't they just ask if anyone in your party has a bag, if the party says no then they are released into the rest of the line. If they say yes, the team member says one person please take all the bags to the lockers over there, everyone else wait in this "holding area". As soon as your party is together proceed into the line. I mean they already have the outside line that releases you into the locker area, they could control it better and not scream at people. I did notice the one thing my friend and my sister said about Universal is the team members don't seem as nice and I think it comes from the "screaming" to get people to do what they should do. If they controlled crowds better from the beginning they would probably not have to scream. Like they finally have single rider where they stop you before going in and make sure you know you will be separated. They used to scream it in the line several times and people still didn't listen.

 

[Galaxy Defender]

Changes involve much more than just Universal. When signs were put up about no items in pockets for Dragon Challenge they were forced to take them down. That was just signs. Moving lockers outside is much more inolved.

 

[boomerthom]

The yelling is definitely unpleasant. I really wouldn't mind a Gringotts-esque (at least around opening) method of individually directing people to the lockers if they have a bag. But instead of the person rejoining their party in the queue like in Gringotts, they would simply proceed to the greenhouse with their party.

Side note, and I don't mean to derail the thread, but does anyone know why Gringotts' locker situation was changed from the ticket system around opening to the free-for-all it is now? I recall less crowding around the lockers with the original way, and the whole thing came across as more orderly. Though my memory could be wrong. Any insight would be neat.

 

[anihilnation]

Wasn't the ticket system just because linrs were regularly 3+ hours?

 

[boomerthom]

Wasn't the ticket system just because linrs were regularly 3+ hours?

I recall it being in effect even when waits were lower. I noticed it mainly around the end of July-first half of August after the ride opened. IIRC average waits were 90-120 minutes around then, but the system was still in use. Even now with 45-60min waits the lockers can still get packed.

 

[Teebin]

The goal is to move people fast enough in there to keep the interior line full.

Has the interior of Hogwarts ever been full? People get all photo crazy and pause in the statuary hall backing-up the outdoors queue.

 

[JoeCamel]

Has the interior of Hogwarts ever been full? People get all photo crazy and pause in the statuary hall backing-up the outdoors queue.

I waited in the extended queue before the greenhouse once. That was almost out to the lockers.

 

[Teebin]

I waited in the extended queue before the greenhouse once. That was almost out to the lockers.

Yeah, it made me kind of angry because once inside, you could have jogged to the common room. I will never forget seeing the electric cord on a table lamp in there. I was mortified after all the apparent money they spent. As ever, I digress...

 

[Mad Dog]

I waited in the extended queue before the greenhouse once. That was almost out to the lockers.

Did that during that crazy busy Saturday a couple of weeks ago. I was in queue I never knew existed. And that was 30 minutes before the park opened to regular guests. We were in the Greenhouse area so long I was getting ready to water the plants.

 

[epcyclopedia]

Why don't they just ask if anyone in your party has a bag, if the party says no then they are released into the rest of the line. If they say yes, the team member says one person please take all the bags to the lockers over there, everyone else wait in this "holding area". As soon as your party is together proceed into the line. I mean they already have the outside line that releases you into the locker area, they could control it better and not scream at people. I did notice the one thing my friend and my sister said about Universal is the team members don't seem as nice and I think it comes from the "screaming" to get people to do what they should do. If they controlled crowds better from the beginning they would probably not have to scream. Like they finally have single rider where they stop you before going in and make sure you know you will be separated. They used to scream it in the line several times and people still didn't listen.

Short of physically standing in their way, there's no way to get people to listen and only send one person into the lockers.

And then the people who are ripped away from their families for those torturous terrible 5 minutes are so lost and confused all alone in a big scary dark castle that they immediately stand in the middle of the walkway - waiting and hoping to be found because it's obvious in the queue line of a major attraction that your family member might not come out the door everyone else is coming out - so you have to stand right there at the door and constantly peer in in hope of catching a glimpse of them.. Because that 5 minutes is so long you might forget what they look like.

And what's that noise? Why is that team member getting closer and closer to me? And louder? Yes - these other people should move, they're blocking my view of my precious family member using a locker!

 

[epcyclopedia]

"No bags!"

"Does that mean my purse has to go in the locker?"

And people wonder why the TMs seem unfriendly.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Short of physically standing in their way, there's no way to get people to listen and only send one person into the lockers.

And then the people who are ripped away from their families for those torturous terrible 5 minutes are so lost and confused all alone in a big scary dark castle that they immediately stand in the middle of the walkway - waiting and hoping to be found because it's obvious in the queue line of a major attraction that your family member might not come out the door everyone else is coming out - so you have to stand right there at the door and constantly peer in in hope of catching a glimpse of them.. Because that 5 minutes is so long you might forget what they look like.

And what's that noise? Why is that team member getting closer and closer to me? And louder? Yes - these other people should move, they're blocking my view of my precious family member using a locker!

It's a poor human factors implementation. Taking guests out of a sunny, bright area and putting them in a dark basement makes it hard to see where to go. I know my way around that area really well and I have a hard time because of that. I don't blame guests at all for this as they seem to get and understand every other locker situation.

 

[Mad Dog]

It's a poor human factors implementation. Taking guests out of a sunny, bright area and putting them in a dark basement makes it hard to see where to go. I know my way around that area really well and I have a hard time because of that. I don't blame guests at all for this as they seem to get and understand every other locker situation.

Good point. I'm kind of blinded when I walk into that area. It's as dark as the Mummy's queue, and I end up bumping into a wall or a person.

 

[Teebin]

I don't know why I never posted this fact as I have known about it for some time. Those Kuka arms are NOISY as hell. They sound like the tool they use to remove the nuts from your tires... or the ones you hear on race track pit stops. Even the screen on Gringotts sounds like a draw bridge being raised. Its hard to believe they can mask the racket with the audio soundtracks.

 

[HulkCoaster]

Going back to the locker situation, I would take FJ lockers any day over the ones at Dueling. Those lockers are the bane of my existence, most of the time I wait longer for a locker than I do for the coaster.