Don’t Waste Your Lightning Lane On This Popular Disneyland Ride

Lightning Lane Multi Pass is Disneyland's pay to skip the line service which gives guests access to a shorter line (called a “Lightning Lane”) for most popular attractions at the theme park. However, there is one ride that you should NOT use your Lightning Lane on in most circumstances!

Lightning Lane Multi Pass at Disneyland is the pay to skip the line service that guests can access for around $30 per person, per day. The price of this service fluctuates depending on the day and can go up in cost during peak times of the year.

You can only book a new Lightning Lane reservation once you've already redeemed one or every two hours. There is one attraction that guests consistently tie up their Lightning Lane reservations with and most of the time it really has no significant impact on your wait time.

Indiana Jones Adventure's Weird Queue Situation

READ MORE – Disney California Adventure's Broadway-Quality Theater Is Sitting Empty. We Want One of These 10 Shows to Debut There!

Indiana Jones Adventure is one of the most popular rides at Disneyland and also has a strange queue that makes Lightning Lane a bit useless depending on the time of the day.

Indiana Jones Adventure has one of the coolest queues at Disneyland that stretches through a themed temple as you make your way to the attraction. The Lightning Lane is separate from the traditional standby line so at most attractions the Lightning Lane may be as long (in terms of physical space) as the regular line. For Indiana Jones, this just simply isn't possible since most of the line is inside the temple and there's not enough space to split it into two lines.

Since the lines merge as you enter the temple, this means that the majority of the standby queue is outside and wraps around in switchbacks in front of the entrance. The Lightning Lane starts at the bridge to the temple and then both lines are merged into one once you enter.

Most of the Time Lightning Lane Is a Waste

If the outside queue, where all of standby is held, is visibly short or near empty, then using a Lightning Lane on this attraction ends up being a waste.

Since the queues merge together inside the temple, the only line you're really skipping for Indiana Jones Adventure is the outside line in front of the entrance. Most guests don't realize this and may end up wasting a Lightning Lane on this attraction especially if the outdoor queue line is minimal or at least moving at a quick pace. This is especially true in the first few two hours of the beginning of the day and the last few hours at the end of the day when you will see the outdoor queue the least crowded.

It's not that skipping the outside queue is a waste of time, but most often you could spend that valuable time holding a Lightning Lane on another attraction. Remember, once you book a Lightning Lane you can only book another one once you redeem that one or once two hours pass, whichever comes first. Since Indiana Jones Adventure is such a popular ride, the return time for this gets pushed out further and further out in the day which means you will be tying up your ability to book more return times for that two hour mark.

How to Tell When the Line Is Long at Indiana Jones

READ MORE – Unlisted Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel Perk You Have to Try

When you walk past Indiana Jones Adventure, walk up to the entrance and look at the line that wraps around in front of the temple.

If that line is long and filled with guests, then you can guess it's at least longer than 30 minutes to get inside the temple. But if the line is short and moving fast, you might end up waiting only 15 minutes or less before you get inside.

What Time of Day To Ride Indiana Jones

Indiana Jones Adventure tends to have the longest line of day from noon to 5PM so this is when I would avoid riding it. Instead plan on riding in the morning or after dinner, this is when you will catch the outdoor queue at its shortest and can ride the attraction without needing Lightning Lane and maximizing your time at the park.

I tried this hack again recently and while the the ride was listed as a 45 minute wait time, it only took us 15 minutes to walk through the outdoor queue and enter the temple. While there was still a wait inside the temple (this varies depending on how many guests are let into the temple at a time) it was still less than the posted wait time. And if we would have used Lightning Lane, it would not have saved us much time. Instead, we used our Lightning Lane on another ride to maximize use out of the service.

When Should I Use Lightning Lane for Indiana Jones?

If riding Indiana Jones works best for your schedule to do in the afternoon then that's when you should utilize Lightning Lane to experience it.

The line is longest for Indiana Jones between 12-5PM so this is when I would recommend booking your Lightning Lane so you can bypass that longer standby line outside the entrance.

Indiana Jones Adventure is one of the best attractions at Disneyland which makes it an extremely popular Lightning Lane choice so return times WILL run out each day. Make sure you book it early if you plan on riding it in the afternoon.

Read More Disney Planning Advice

For more information about the parks and the best planning information for your Disney trip, subscribe to our FREE Deals newsletter. We’ll provide you with helpful guides, all of the latest news, exclusive Disney deals, and access to the lowest-priced Disney tickets anywhere.