Overview
- Park teams have begun matching guest photos to Express Pass accounts so staff can verify the pass holder before boarding.
- Mandatory locker rules have expanded across major thrill rides, requiring phones, wallets, bags and other loose items to be stowed before queue entry.
- Ride seating and restraint checks are being enforced more strictly, and some guests — including plus-size visitors — have been denied boarding after failing to secure restraints.
- Reporters documented visible, resort-wide enforcement of these rules on Friday, June 19, after Universal formalized photo verification earlier in June.
- Universal frames the changes as measures to protect safety and preserve throughput while it experiments with pay-per-ride products and phases Epic Universe up through 2026, but the rules are changing guest flow and planning on the ground.