What BS. It should be like an airplane. If it is under a certain size let it on.

I bring my bags to a local hole in the wall place so I can support my local community.

I thought this was standard. At Busch Gardens Europe, they have all day lockers at the front of the park ($9), and also temporary $1 lockers outside the coasters and other thrill rides.

If you try to get in line with a bag or something, they direct you to a locker. I don't like paying it, but I ended up losing a digital camera last month while riding, so I guess it beats the alternative.

I never really trusted the cubby hole system (there are occasionally some thug types at the six flags we go to). I wouldn't mind the $1 if you could get the money back after the ride. I've seen temporary lockers like this at gym's before incase you forget your lock.

Six Flags is horrible.

My girlfriend and I went there last year and waited in line for FOUR hours to ride El Toro. It got the point that the crowd chanted "Bull Sh*T". Wonder how they'll handle that given the locker's 2-hour time limit.

Of course we complained, nothing happened, and now we only go to Hershey Park and Dorney Park, and usually only go during early June when most kids are still in school to cut down on line-time.

We were always able to just put our stuff in the bins at the ride, then pick them up when the ride was over 60 seconds later.

I wonder if people were having their stuff stolen. A simple, "We are not responsible for lost items" sign should suffice. Or extra security, but of course that requires spending money as opposed to taking out of your pockets.

Pretty good scam if you ask me.

Is there no end to the greed? Geez, it's like they WANT people to stay home.

I formerly worked at an amusement park much like six flags. There were a few incidents where riders brought items on to throw off the ride, which ended in an employee's wrist being shattered into pieces. Also, bags can be a hassle to load in and out of the ride and cause delays in loading time, something I'm sure six flags wants to keep as minimal as possible. Having the bag on the ride can disrupt some of the safety restraints too, so it's not always about the space in the seat. This has been a growing trend at a lot of amusement parks, and the lockers are a creative way to solve the issue of bags. It would probably be better if they provided a large locker area instead of lockers for every ride.

@SaveMeJeebus
LOL Perfect!

long live Knoebels Park! no entrance fee, no parking fee, no lockers and home of the Phoenix (one of the worlds top 10 wooden roler coasters)

It's funny, I was just at BGE last Saturday and I went to go rent a locker. There were several lockers that still had the keys in them, but when I opened them up, someone's stuff was inside. A good way to save $1, maybe at the expensive of having your stuff stolen.

I can see why they want you to check loose items. Bringing bags on the ride is probably a liability -- You drop your keys, they hit the guy behind you, the guy behind you sues the park.

However, $1 per ride does seem like gouging.

We just went to Disney World for our honeymoon, and there was nothing like this. Guess we're not going to six flags again any time soon.

this is disgusting

I can think of no way that the park could try to justify this as a better solution for customers than having banks of lockers available for rental in the park's common area, and a sign by each ride saying "If you want to leave your shit here during the ride instead of putting it in a locker, we're not responsible for it." Forcing them to rent a locker for each ride is obvious gratuitous money-grubbing. But I'm always more entertained by this kind of post when it does include a PR statement with a totally BS defense from the company, so I hope they release one.

@Dead Wrestlers Society: You sound a little like a sad puppy...Like the theme park has beaten you into submission. Poor lil guy...

Hersheypark rules. And they have lockers that are a buck for ALL day (and they still use the cubbyholes).

So Six Flags Great Adventure is $40 (daypass), $1 locker for each coaster = $14 - that's a nice 35% markup for them!

Cargo shorts just got a lot more economical.

@Gokuhouse: Nope, I'm a big boy, but thanks for your concern! Just trying to contribute something relevant to the post.

Which Six Flags? Do all of them have this policy now?

I guess the workaround is cargo shorts with zipper or velcro pockets...

jeez.. back in the day, you just left your items on the platform next to the ride inside the gate and the line operator watched over your stuff and you just grabbed it afterwards?.. you know.. something about being trustworthy?

What has happened to the USA?

@Tightlines:
I agree. I went to all of the Six Flags that were in Texas and the cubby hole rule was always the only one enforced. Besides, they let everyone on and off the ride at the same time. You're going to see someone snatch your shit and then probably yell bloody murder, this is definitely a scam.

@yetiwisdom:
Six flags tickets are actually at kids price (30 bucks) until the end of July I think.

That's just terrible. I'm already sick of paying for their overpriced food and dealing with ride operators with a bubbly mentality. If the operators could just glance over at the cubbies once and while, the theft rate would probably go down some.

@rbb: Most coaster enthusiasts use shorts with zippered pockets to carry their stuff anyway.

@rockergal: Knoebels Rocks! I'm hungry for a waffle ice cream sandwich now.

If you absolutely must carry a backpack's worth of stuff to the park while riding coasters all day you'll save some cash if the Six Flags has a Hurricane Harbor connected to it that doesn't charge separate admission. The lockers at Hurricane Harbor are the kind where you get a key from the cashier and can be opened over and over again until you turn in the key.

when we went to universal studios/islands of adventure last year they had small lockers, but they were free. You simply scanned your finger, placed your items in the marked locker, and then come back after your done with the ride. They were conveniently located next to all major rides and made for a better park experience.

@Motherfirefly: Everyone does not get on and off the ride at the same time when the ride runs 2-3 coaster cars. You'll leave your stuff and then there will be at least one group ahead of you that gets off before you get back.

Is it really typical to allow people to take bags and personal belongings on a roller coaster? I don't see the problem with prohibiting (potentially) flying objects. You can stow them in the locker for a buck, or have someone wait and hold them.

Is the rental fee the problem, or the policy itself?

It doesn't strike me as a brilliant idea to bring a bag full of stuff on to a roller coaster with you. Roller coasters get up to fairly decent speeds and people tend to toss their hands up in the air when this occurs, so where exactly is that bag of yours?

Seated on the seat next to you not being held? or in your hand as you raise it up in the air and potentially hit someone behind you with the bag & what is with in.

This just looks like a recipe for trouble to me, someone loses their grip on the bag when it stores something important like their car keys and suddenly they are begging park employees to allow them to search the grounds. Keys fall out of a moving object at 50mph and hit someone waiting in line below and suddenly people are getting sued.

Providing lockers & making people use them to me looks like a responsible thing for Amusement parks to do. However I would say that on entrance to the park you should be given tokens to use these lockers for free instead of charging you to use them they should be included with the price of admission. Between the entrance fees & the $16 burgers & hotdogs the amusement parks shouldn't be nickle & diming people for storage.

I went to Universal Studios this past January and they had something similar. It wasnt that bad because all the lockers were free for some period of time. I wonder if they still are O_o

A local park has a big community cubby whole thing that has 2 sides. A green and a blue. When the blue car comes the door flips and covers the green side, when the green car comes the door flips and covers the blue side. If someone tries to steal your crap you are right there.

Universal Orlando does this too, but their lockers are free.

Ridiculous.

I went to a large theme park this weekend, and had no problems taking my purse on any of the rides. It fits under my arm, and is waterproof.

The same park DOES have cubbies, but you can rent them for $10 for the entire day, which is great because it is also a water park.

Sounds like par for the course for Six Flags. Do they make sure the asphalt walkways have been freshly blackened...er...sealed so people get thirsty faster?

Simple solution: Go somewhere else.

What next? a 9/11 security fee?

just one thing on the time limit... I was there on Saturday and I left all my stuff in a single locker the entire day from like 10:30am to 6:00pm... So, I'm not too sure about the time limit.

The Six Flags near Atlanta just lowered their adult prices by $10 this year. I'm now curious to know if they're getting their $10 back by forcing you to use a locker at $1 a pop.

@Imaginary_Friend: Is there no end to the greed? Geez, it's like they WANT people to stay home.

This?
The end of greed.

Went to Knott's Berry Farm in California a couple of weeks ago and they don't allow any loose objects on the rollercoasters anymore, either (including purses, hats, sunglasses and cameras). But--they have the cubbies before you get on the ride for free.

And yeah, it might not be a good idea to take your purse on a rollercoaster but I've always done it. I just wrap the strap around my legs a bit and hold it between my feet. I've never dropped one yet.

Knowing this, next time I will leave mine in the car. I'd rather not take the chance of it being stolen by someone exiting the car in front of me.

So, everyone goes back and puts their purses in the trunk? Wow, one hoodlum with a crowbar can start at the end of each parking row and clean up while nobody's looking. Because, naturally, Six Flags disclaims responsibility for your parked vehicle, right?

To those bitching about the price of admission, if you watch the websites for a park during the off season, they will (almost) always run a special to get a season pass for the price of a 1 day admission. With some chains your pass will be good at other parks as well.

I buy a season pass and parking to Six Flags for $100 during the off season, and I get access to any one in the country. I have already paid for my pass by visiting 3 different Six Flags parks and I didn't have to pay for admission or parking at any of them :-D

@Dead Wrestlers Society: Busch Gardens also has little wooden cubby holes for your stuff next to the rides so you can just dump it there while you ride and pick it up without paying for a locker. It's a good idea if you have sunblock or bottles of water in your bag that you're going to need throughout the day.

@jerros: They're not talking about riding with their crap. That's obviously stupid. They're talking about not being allowed to toss it on the ground next to the coaster's launch point while you ride.

@rbb: Good question. I'm also curious.

This reminded me of the stupidity I faced the last time I went to Great Adventure. They weren't after money, just stupid policy ... they wouldn't let me wear my glasses on the roller coaster (forget which ride exactly it was).

I suppose they were afraid I'd lose them, but come on ... what's the point of riding a coaster with a blurry view?

What do you think of this policy?

A day at the amusement park is expensive enough, and they charge too much for too little already. I'd like to say that we won't go to Six Flags anymore, but we stopped a few years ago, so this doesn't change much.

We don't go to Elitch Gardens anymore for a number of reasons; the park was always dirty, the employees were rude, and as of last year, they are not welcoming to families with small kids (there was a news report of one of their security guards harassing a woman nursing a baby last year in direct violation of state law) [www.9news.com]

We started going to WaterWorld a couple of years ago, and like it a lot better. They are happy if you bring coolers, as long as there is no glass, even though they sell food; their food is fairly priced if you get it there. They're friendly and helpful. They rent lockers for a few dollars and if you return the key, you get part of it back. The park is clean and well-run.

Lakeside Park in Denver is awesome, too. The prices are lots lower and again, they are nicer, cleaner, and friendlier. [www.lakesideamusementpark.com]

That's terrible, I've never seen that at a Six flags before. At kings Island in Ohio, there are lockers in the front of the park and a shelf at each ride where you can just leave your stuff. When I was younger, I used to go there all the time and never had anything stolen.

I just wear cargo pants/shorts, and bring ziploc bags for my phone and wallet for water rides.

thats so dumb, before they let you leave bags on the side at your own risk and it should be the same way. six flags has been nickel and diming more and more every year. they even charge obnoxious amounts of money for water bottles. last time i was there i went on the safari and their animals looked like they were all on their last death beds, at least disney world keeps the park looking good for the amount of money they charge.

a few things on taking your bag on a roller coaster:
1. does it go upside down
2. will your bag fit under the harness without causing a problem
a. did you or have you ever built a roller coaster
b. do you know for a fact the bag won't make the ride unsafe in the least
3. what the hell do you need to lug around a park all day.

now what should the park do? give the lockers to you for free for a certain amount of time and then charge. they do this at universal or at least they did last time i was there.

@TheAlphateam: @Imaginary_Friend: @Tgg: @Ruthven: I think this makes perfect sense. It disuades people from bringing things on. This stops them from having to put an employee at risk or shut down the ride b/c some idiot lost the only set of keys to their house or car. You don't HAVE to bring all of your crap to the park. I try to limit what I bring just to speed up the security checkpoint.

yea it sucks, but it by far the best theme park on the east coast/mid atlantic, and not to mention they cut the price of a ticket, last year it was like $65, now only $40 online?! well sounds like if your bad at planning what you need to bring with you, then the $15 is not a huge deal. Not to mention they are pretty lax on bringing food and water in backbacks into the park. Your have to be prepared to spend some money when your at these types of places, if an extra $15 is a deal breaker, maybe you should not go...