Your data-driven guide to conquering Universal's newest park
Based on 400k+ wait time samples
86Days of Data
6x WaitPeak vs Morning
5hrTime You'll Save
📊 The Holiday Reality
During peak hours (10 AM - 5 PM), waits spike 3-4x higher than morning.
Here's the hourly pattern:
🎄 Christmas Week Reality: Our data now includes Dec 22-29. Christmas week is running 15% higher than Thanksgiving with 37% higher peaks. Ministry hit 350 minutes on Dec 23.
Hourly Wait Times: Christmas Week
8 AM
30 min ⭐ Golden Hour
11 AM
89 min 🔥 Peak
3 PM
75 min 🔥 Peak
7 PM
53 min ⭐ Evening
Best times
Avoid queuing headliners
🎢 The Ride Hierarchy
Tier 1: Headliners200+ min peak during Christmas
Battle at the Ministry
350 min peakBest: 9 PM (94 min)
Mario Kart
300 min peakBest: 8 AM (85 min)
Mine-Cart Madness
240 min peakBest: 8 AM (28 min)
Tier 2: Plan Ahead50-70 min peak
Yoshi's Adventure
70 min peak
Curse of the Werewolf
56 min peak
Hiccup's Wing Gliders
52 min peak
Dragon Racer's Rally
50 min peak
Tier 3: Walk-OnsUnder 35 min
Fyre Drill
30 min peak
Stardust Racers
29 min peak
Constellation Carousel
25 min peak
Monsters Unchained
24 min peak
⏰ Waits change by the hour.
Track wait times live in the park with Ride Ready.
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🎯 Which Ride to Rope Drop?
We tracked opening times for 15 days straight. The data is clear:
MARIO KART
15/15
opened first
MINISTRY
0/15
opened first
Key findings:
Mario Kart opens first every single day (100%)
Ministry isn't an official Early Entry ride, but it opens during EPA every day
Ministry typically opens 20-40 minutes after Mario Kart
Christmas Eve was wild: Ministry didn't open until almost 11 AM
The Strategy: Rope drop Mario Kart. By the time you're done (~85 min), Ministry just opened and you can head straight there.
🧙 Battle at the Ministry
Universal's most advanced dark ride, and the hardest to experience
efficiently.
165
11 AM Wait
156
6 PM Wait
135
7 PM Wait
94
9 PM Wait ⭐
Critical Warning: Ministry hit 350 minutes (almost 6 hours!) on Dec 23 at 9:35 AM. During Christmas week, it never drops below 94 min until 9 PM. Best approach: Do it right after Mario Kart when Ministry first opens. If you skip morning, queue by 7 PM to guarantee access (Universal may close the queue early).
🎄 Christmas vs Thanksgiving
We now have data from both holiday weeks. Here's how they compare:
THANKSGIVING WEEK
55 min
average wait
255 min peak
CHRISTMAS WEEK
63 min
average wait
350 min peak
Christmas is 15% busier with 37% higher peaks
📅 Best Day to Visit
The data surprised us. Here's what 400k+ samples reveal:
Best Day to Visit: Average Headliner Wait
Sunday
28 min avg ⭐ BEST
Tuesday
32 min avg
Friday
32 min avg
Saturday
33 min avg
Thursday
36 min avg
Wednesday
38 min avg
Monday
40 min avg ❌ WORST
Why? Families typically start vacations on Monday after traveling over the weekend. By
Sunday, many are packing up or switching parks.
Can't pick your day? Skip's AI Plan finds the fastest route no matter the crowds
and adapts in real-time when things change.
See how it works →
🎯 The 5 Golden Rules
1
Rope drop Mario Kart, then Ministry - Mario Kart opens first every day. Ministry opens 20-40 min later.
2
If skipping morning Ministry, queue by 7 PM - Don't wait until 9 PM (queue may close early)
3
Sunday is best(28 min avg). Monday is WORST (40 min avg)
4
Stardust Racers is always manageable - even at peak, rarely over 45 min
5
Take time to explore the worlds - hidden details, unique food & photo ops in every
land
You've got the strategy.
Now get the live intel.
Skip tracks wait times minute-by-minute and pings you when it's time to move. No more guessing,
just
ride.