Epic Universe
Epic Universe Wait Times in Review: September 2026
A data-centric breakdown of when wait times peak, which days of the week have the lowest waits, and which rides are a risky bet during EPA, all from 45,361 wait-time readings.
The lowest park median yet
The park median was 25 minutes, down from 30 in August and 35 in June and July. Waits start around 10 minutes in the first hour, peak at 40 from 11 AM–12 PM, and fall to about 15 after 7 PM. Midday ran 2.3 times the evening, the widest gap we’ve measured.
Early Park Admission opened at 9 AM every day except September 29, when it opened at 8 AM. The cover chart leaves that one day out.
The first hour and the last two hours had the shortest waits.
Tuesday through Friday was the bargain
Tuesday through Friday had a 25-minute median, 5 minutes less than Saturday through Monday. The busiest day was Monday, September 14, at 40. The calmest was Tuesday, September 1, at 15.
Attraction uptime
Uptime is the share of park hours a ride was running. Weather delays hit on 16 of 30 days, down from 25 in August, and most outdoor rides improved. Hiccup’s Wing Gliders was again the least reliable, but rose to 81% from 74%. Mine-Cart Madness rose to 84% from 75%.
Battle at the Ministry fell to 85% from 93%, its worst month since we started tracking in May. It closed 95 times. Hiccup’s Wing Gliders closed 103 times, at least once every day. Fyre Drill closed only 43 times, but those closures averaged 76 minutes, the longest in the park.
The EPA gamble, ranked
Battle at the Ministry was the riskiest EPA bet, delayed on 12 of 30 mornings, up from 8 in August. Most delays were short, with a 15-minute median. Mine-Cart Madness came next at 30%. Stardust Racers dropped to 23% from 39%, but its delays ran longer, with a 35-minute median. Hiccup’s Wing Gliders improved the most, from 32% to 13%. Dragon Racer’s Rally was the safe pick, delayed on one morning. Curse of the Werewolf, Fyre Drill, Monsters Unchained, and Constellation Carousel didn’t open for EPA.
Which rides actually eat your day
Expand any attraction to see how its wait times update across the day.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic
Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry™
Super Nintendo World
Bowser Jr. Challenge
Mario Kart™: Bowser's Challenge
Mine-Cart Madness™
Yoshi's Adventure™
How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk
Dragon Racer's Rally
Fyre Drill
Hiccup's Wing Gliders
Meet Toothless and Friends
Dark Universe
Curse of the Werewolf
Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment
Celestial Park
Constellation Carousel
Stardust Racers
Notes for September 2026
- The park median fell, but the two longest lines grew. Battle at the Ministry and Mine-Cart Madness both had a 90-minute median, up from 70 and 85.
- Battle at the Ministry had the worst wait we tracked, 230 minutes on September 23. It peaks at 120 from 3–4 PM and drops to 75 in the 9 AM and 7 PM hours. Wednesday was its best day at 65.
- Mine-Cart Madness peaks at 120 around noon. Its EPA hour had a 60-minute median, worth the 30% delay risk.
- Mario Kart rewards riding early, 15 minutes in the 9 AM hour against 70 at 11 AM.
- The park closed around 8:30 PM most nights, so the 7 PM hour was usually the last full one.
- September 29 was a special-event night. Rides reopened after a 6 PM close for a separately ticketed event, so we left that evening out of the numbers.