All new packages have a 3 day waiting period (whether from Registrator.jl or not). If there is some special circumstance (e.g. around JuliaCon “my talk is tomorrow” is a semi-common one), then ask in #pkg-registration on Slack for an expedited merge and explain why.
The difference with Registrator vs not in terms of merging is that Registrator-powered PRs can be automerged after 3 days if all the guidelines are met: Automatic merging guidelines · RegistryCI.jl.
If the PR isn’t automerge-able (e.g. because it’s not a Registrator PR, or it is but not all the guidelines are met) one can ask on #pkg-registration on Slack for a manual merge after the 3 day waiting period.
It’s suggested in general to use Registrator and follow all the guidelines so that manual intervention is not needed, since it can take some time before someone has a chance to take a look and it isn’t scalable.