E-Lockers

Sun May 22, 2011 9:21 am

Just heard this bit of news about general investment in the park from UKPN..

[quote=""UK Park News""]Alton Towers are currently in the process of installing new E-Lockers around the park. Presently if guests require locker storage they can only do so via guest services in Towers Street. Previously traditional lockers were available in areas such as X-Sector, but these were removed and are now designated smoking areas.

UKPN have spotted new E-Lockers at the park entrance, between guest toilets and the car park token machines, and also near Rita, which used to be shooting attraction.
Lockers are available in two sizes, small or large and cost:
£1 per hour or £5 per day for a small locker.
£2 per hour or £10 per day for a large locker.

E-Lockers are without keys. Instead they are controlled electronically where guests have to select the locker & rental time and set their date of birth as the passcode, then choose a colour from a list for added security.

Source : [url=http://www.ukparknews.co.uk/entry/cms/? ... um=twitter" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;]http://www.ukparknews.co.uk/entry/cms/? ... um=twitter[/url]

[/quote]

I much prefer lockers myself which you have a visible key, as it is not uncommon for people to know my date of birth and favourite colour (pink if you were asking of course..

), but also because if there is an issue with the locker, it is clear that I have paid for the locker and not some randomer claiming to do so.

Also, does the locker let people steal your stuff if you're on a ride when your hour runs out?
Hopefully i'm not the only one seeing a few issues with this new locker system.

Sun May 22, 2011 9:52 am

does seem a bit strange why the park would adopt a per hour scheme on lockers and i too want to know
what would happen if you ran out of time?

i am thinking right you would have to goto guest services and pay the overtime fee and get them
to unlock it?

i wonder if they are crafty with this and make you pay again if you have unlocked it?

can an all day fee be transfered around the park so you dont have to keep going back to one locker location?

i think the prices yet again are very steep! another way for the park to trickle more money in.

Sun May 22, 2011 10:11 am

[quote=""Adam James""]Also, does the locker let people steal your stuff if you're on a ride when your hour runs out?[/quote]

I guessing it will work like a lot of pay and display car parks these days, where you don't pay anything when you park and get charged as you leave based on how long you've been there.

In theory it works, and there's nothing to stop you picking an important date instead of your birthday.

I remember when guest services held onto your stuff for free

Sun May 22, 2011 10:23 am

Paying for lockers, thats ridiculous!

You don't go to your local swimming pool and have to pay for one do you?

£10 for a large on as well...

AstroDan · Sun May 22, 2011 10:25 am

I think it is perfectly reasonable to pay a charge for day use of The lockers.

Whilst the large ones seem somewhat expensive, I see this is an excellent development.

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

Sun May 22, 2011 10:30 am

[quote=""AstroDan""]I think it is perfectly reasonable to pay a charge for day use of The lockers.

Whilst the large ones seem somewhat expensive, I see this is an excellent development.

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk[/quote]

Yeah, fair enough, but charging you per hour is ludicrous.

Lockers are just basic facilities like toilets or buggy parks, once you've paid to come in there are certain things you expect to be able to use for free or at a very low cost and lockers are one of them.

£1 for small and £2 for large would be acceptable.

Sun May 22, 2011 10:43 am

[quote=""CoasterCrazyChris""]Yeah, fair enough, but charging you per hour is ludicrous.[/quote]
Ludicrous, yes. But it's pretty clear that the £x per hour charge is to get guests to pay to use the lockers all day, it's just a marketing ploy to make more money. If they had something such as half day charges they would immediately loose so many guests paying to use the service all day and take on the half day charge. Having a full day charge is a more favorable offer and plays right into the hands of Alton.

Realistically the security system should work. The only people that will know your address are those that are friends/family, and it's most likely those would be the people that you are with on park on the day.

I think it's a great system and I would certainly use this service on my visits due to the photography equipment I carry around sometimes to Alton. Leaving an expensive camera in one of the stations I've always been wary about so these lockers are a very appealing service for me.

The prices are a lot and they are bound to rise year on year but this is Alton Towers and Merlin so I didn't expect something cheap and cheerful, you get what you pay for and it's no doubt going to be a popular system.

Sun May 22, 2011 10:59 am

An hour to keep your valuables in a locker whilst you ride air.. instead of risking it being taken.. is pretty decent tbh.

The hour ones make sense - apart from busy days, you won't spend more than an hour in each area - you could move your stuff to different locations without spending as much as the full day fee either.

As for the going over time limit thing - lightwater has these, I believe the locker acts like.. oh you've gone over, pay me and i'll release it.

Jem8472 · Sun May 22, 2011 11:18 am

But with these new style lockers are they now going to make it so you cant leave anything on the ride and have to use a locker? I remember that with seaworld we were told to use a locker (pay for but only 25c) but yet when we got onto the station there is still places to leave some items!

Anthony · Sun May 22, 2011 1:08 pm

What is wrong with the holds next to pretty much every ride?

Rowe · Sun May 22, 2011 1:23 pm

I think this is more to encourage those, such as families, who haul big rucksacks about all day on park to use lockers than encouraging guests to stop taking bags and loose belongings on rides. Yes you still have to pay and yes it may become extortionate, but lockers are still very useful if you don't fancy lugging around stuff.

Sun May 22, 2011 1:24 pm

Paying for lockers is ludicrous? This is Alton Towers we're talking about..

Moley · Sun May 22, 2011 1:31 pm

[quote=""CoasterCrazyChris""]Paying for lockers, thats ridiculous!

You don't go to your local swimming pool and have to pay for one do you?[/quote]
Erm...yes?

Craig · Sun May 22, 2011 1:52 pm

I don't see a problem with paying for lockers to be honest. I purposely go on park with as little as possible to not have to carry a bag around. The lockers will reduce the queues at guest services and if they're shared between friends it's not that much and would probably work out cheaper than putting individual bags in at guest services.

Sun May 22, 2011 2:33 pm

End of the day dont bring what you wont need to carry around in the park.

It a shame the park didnt go the customer friendly route and create a manned path to the car parks
through FV so families can get back to their cars for their belongings oh but the park cant make extra money doing this can they? TUT

Sun May 22, 2011 2:42 pm

[quote=""seanyboyuk""]End of the day dont bring what you wont need to carry around in the park.[/quote]

Whatever you do, you loose out.

If you choose not to bring anything with you, you end up spending a fortune on drinks and food, but if you choose to bring food from home and your own drinks, you end up having to carry them round all day and paying for lockers, or risking it in the baggage holds.

Its just easier to bring a cheap, non-fancy rucksack to put food and stuff in and if it gets knicked then it doesn't matter to much.

Sun May 22, 2011 2:45 pm

We used to take a picnic to eat in the gardens for lunch. Lockers round the park would be handy and would save walking back to guest services.

I guess if you've got a picnic to feed a family then £5 is OK for the day I suppose. £5 won't buy a family's lunch! Do we reckon a small locker will fit a rucksack?

Sun May 22, 2011 2:51 pm

you can always buy one of them sling bags for £1-3 at most shops and just bin it i suppose but to me eating at a place is part of the day out. Think AT lack in offering meal deals for families which they need to start doing.

Sun May 22, 2011 3:00 pm

[quote=""seanyboyuk""]you can always buy one of them sling bags for £1-3 at most shops and just bin it i suppose but to me eating at a place is part of the day out. Think AT lack in offering meal deals for families which they need to start doing.[/quote]

To be fair, the quality of food at Merlin parks is MUCH better in terms of quality, choice and price than it was during the Tussauds days. That said, compared to those days the new food outlets are generic and practically themeless.

It would seem that Merlin are not placing emphasise on theming F&B outlets to ther respective themed areas, which is a shame.

Sun May 22, 2011 3:07 pm

I do tend to agree with that food at AT has always been good, never been very pleased or dissapointed, its just above average id say this being said due to them offering major franchise food places.

I never see the KFC doing bucket meals which is a shame.

Also look at subway they are doing a meal deal for £5, any footlong sub, cookie and drink. That is a bargain for subway and i think something like that in a park would rake cash in for anybody buying who is hungry.