Sell me on these MK attractions

[brymolmom]

Me, Dh, Ds(4) and dd(2) will be heading back to WDW in Sept (hooray for free dining!). We went last Sept so I'm trying to look at the park maps and do all the 'must do's' (Winnie the Pooh, Dumbo, Barnstormer, SM (for ds but dd won't make the height) - but also look at anything we didn't hit last year to consider doing some different things.

Can you sell me on the following/or warn me away if they're a waste of time?

-Tom Sawyer's Island - I've always wanted to do this but have hesitated. Is there a lot to do? Is it just letting the kids run around?
-Country Bear Jamboree - Again, I've always thought about it...
-Astro Orbiter - Looks like something the kids would like (but I would hate) - is it a slow load? Worth it?

Carousel of Progress and Timekeeper - these are closed, right? I'm looking at last year's park map.

TIA!

 

[XantheFan]

I've been wondering the same thing about Tom Sawyer Island. We are going to give it a try next trip.

I will say that my kids are 4 and 7, and we will not be returning to Country Bear Jamboree. Although it reminded me of going to Disney as a child, that was about the only good thing I say. The kids were bored about a few minutes in since it is about the same thing they get at Chuck E Cheese with animatronics. I know some people really enjoy this show, and I don't mean to offend anyone. It is all a matter of personal preference, and this just isn't our preference.

Look forward to seeing what others have to say about Tom Sawyer Island.

 

[LVSWL]

Tom Sawyer's Island is fun. With the ages of your kids I am assuming you will have a stroller. There is a little walking involved, but you will have fun looking in the cave and going over the creaky bridge to the fort and they can climb around the bridge. You take a raft over to the fort. The kids would get a kick out of it. There are restrooms over there and sometimes a little snack bar is open.
I think they would have fun in the Country Bears. Yes it can be a little hokey, but they are young, and it is air conditioned!
Astro Orbitor-you go up in an elevator to the next level and you and your DH would each take one child and ride in a "rocket ship" and go round and round. There is a control on board that makes the ship go up and down also. You can see all over the park. My kids have always loved this ride.
Carousel of Progress is a classic ride that Walt had at the Worlds Fair. Definitely a must see. You sit in a seat in a audience and the seat room revolves around the stage and takes you through time. The song stays with you. It's great!
Timekeeper is closed. Bummer. It was cool. Have fun!

 

[cujobugs]

Astro orbiter is a very slow load. It is also very high in the air. You go up the elevator first to reach the ride. If they don't mind heights it would be okay. I just returned from the parks and it always had a huge line for this one.

Country Bear Jamboree- Good to see maybe once. Not worthy of twice. It is just an older attraction. Just have low expectations. Your youngest child would get the most out of it.

Tom Sawyer's Island- In my own opinion, a waste of time. Did it once. Never again. But since you keep regretting not going to it, you need to do it once and get it out of your system. Do it in the afternoon when all the lines are busy for the rides. Otherwise skip it.

 

[huntconn]

Tom Sawyer's Island is an extremely "low tech" attraction and I say that in the most complimentary sense. It is one of the few "open ended" things to do at MK. Great for imaginitive adventurers of all ages. I love the Country Bears as well. It's a true WDW classic that I've loved since I was a kid. I think it's very entertaining and the music is fantastic. Astro Orbiter is another story. The wait is very long and not worth it for what amounts to an elevated Dumbo ride. The rockets are very uncomfortable with gravity doing a very nasty "crush job" on the passenger unlucky enough to be seated first.

 

[tkitty]

Country Bears is a classic, and worth seeing (sitting for a bit in the AC is worth something too) My kids always loved it, and my DD(now 25), will make sure we see it in Aug. with her DS4.

 

[Vickie46]

we loved the bear show! My daughter is 4!

 

[The Grumpus]

Although I've also heard rumors of the Carousel of Progress closing, it was open when we went two weeks ago. It was not very crowded however. We were actually the only two people in our section of the carousel. I took a picture to prove it, but I haven't uploaded it yet. The CM actually just skipped the microphone piece, walked up to us, reminded us about food, drink, and flash photography, and we were off singing "a great big beautiful tomorrow".

-TGr

 

[Thierry444]

We all know breaks are a good thing... so what about having a break on Tom Sawyer Island ? Just order your lunch in to-go containers and have a picnic on the island !!

 

[TinkGirl]

Hey, you skipped all the things we usually don't do. This trip we decided to try Astro-Orbiter. The kids liked it, but I thought it was a waste of time. It was slow (even for Jan.) The ride itself is higher than it looks. I felt like it was going to tip us out, and I usually love fast rides. I didn't like the bears as a child--I just remember how fake it looked. Tom Sawyer Island is pretty fun if you have some extra time. There are caves to walk through and a little fort with pretend guns.

 

[sambahat]

I think the secret to enjoying Tom Sawyer's Island is timing. It is very low tech and does not offer as much stimulation as other attractions in WDW. If you hit it early, you and your kids my be disappointed. However, if the kids are tired and you are tired and you need a break from standing in line and doing the commando thing, head over to the Island.
We were in the same mode (tired but didn't really want to stop) so we headed over there. I have to admit, I didn't like the raft ride over there. I wish there was a better way to get there. Once we landed, we let the kids roam free. Since there's no way for the kids to get off the island without you, it's a sort of freedom our kids had not experienced too often. There are caves, forts, bridges, etc. They really enjoyed it. And my wife and I got to sit and watch. in the shade. Did I mention we got to sit? And there are no shops or stores... the kids just go free and run around.

Although it's not normally on our list of things to see and do, my eight year old son always seems to bring up Tom Sawyer's Island when we talk about our previous WDW trips.

Shoot for the afternoon and give it a shot!

 

[disneynewbee]

The only one I can comment on is Country Bears- it put our whole family to sleep including the 2yo. Was a nice break to get a quick snooze.

 

[goofyernmost]

Astro orbiter is a very slow load. It is also very high in the air. You go up the elevator first to reach the ride. If they don't mind heights it would be okay. I just returned from the parks and it always had a huge line for this one.

Country Bear Jamboree- Good to see maybe once. Not worthy of twice. It is just an older attraction. Just have low expectations. Your youngest child would get the most out of it.

Tom Sawyer's Island- In my own opinion, a waste of time. Did it once. Never again. But since you keep regretting not going to it, you need to do it once and get it out of your system. Do it in the afternoon when all the lines are busy for the rides. Otherwise skip it.

So the solution is to bring your inner child closer to the surface and enjoy the fun of it. Country Bears is cute and funny and not really in need of lowered expectations. I go every time I visit WDW and haven't tired of it yet. I do get annoyed with the veteran "cult" visitors that feel it necessary to stomp their feet and clap their hands and hoot and holler. Not because I don't want to see them having fun but because the first timer will not be able to hear the words so the whole experience becomes a yawn. Just a little courtesy for fellow patrons would be called for.

The rest that you mentioned like Tom Sawyers Island is really an energy vent for the young ones and very, very low tech. I sadly think that Carousel of Progress has a limited run so if you can see it do so. It is a classic. Timekeeper is no more, to bad it was a good show but had very little promotion...so it died.

 

[joshsmom]

Never have done Country Bears. We've done Astro-Orbiter once--it was ok. The view was cool up there, but it took SO LONG to load!! I kept thinking I would have rather been in line for Peter Pan~!!! We did Tom Sawyer's island once. We should give it another try. It was my first trip to Disney with my DS (then 5) and my mother. It was September, hotter than heck, and I'm pretty sure I lost 25 pounds just from the humidity!!! We went to the island and DS was off in a flash. Being out of shape, I couldn't keep up with him and felt like I was going to pass out. He spent about 2 hours climbing around on the fort and really enjoyed it. Didn't ever see the cave. Walked across the bridge and ate at the snack shop (Aunt Polly's?) Like I said, we should try it again.

We love Carousel of Progress! I've heard rumors in several places that its going to close, but you know, you can't believe it until it happens. We go every time, several times a trip because we really do love it!!

 

[johnvree]

Tom Sawyer Island is really cool for kids. 2 may be a little young; but 4 is a great age.

Astro Orbiter is also a neat little ride. Again, 2 may be too young (it can be a little scary) but 4 is perfect.

Country Bears is worth at least one visit. We did it last trip. That was enough. We probably won't stop in next trip.

 

[STEAMBOAT209]

Tom Sawyer Island = grandkids had a terrific time running around, we had a problem keeping up with them, but it was for them to burn some energy

Country Bears = Disney Classic, air conditioned, and enjoyable everytime we go.

Astro Space Orbitor = slow to load, grandkids enjoyed it, its a must each time we go

Carousel of Progress = when its open we usually try to sit thru it once a trip, kids don't care of it, usually puts them to sleep

 

[tink1978]

Tom Sawyer Island is pretty cool for kids. They love to explore the caves. Make sure an adult goes with them, it is very dark and they could get scared. There is also a fort with fake shotguns that the kids love to play with. The barrel bridge is also fun. It is a place mainly for kids to have fun. It does not take long. We always go for about 20 minutes when lines at other attractions are long.

We always do Country Bear Jamboree. It's not great, and I think that it should be louder, it sounds like there are no microphones, however, most kids think it's fun. It's just tradition for us to do it, but I probably would not go if it wasn't.

Astro Orbiters. My son and family love it. I hate it. It feels like the rocket is going to fly off with us in it. The line is probably the slowest line in WDW other than the Speedway. If you want to, try it. It never hurts to try.

 

[SnwflkCts]

Didn't get to Tom Sawyer Island but others seem to recommend it. I hope to get to it on the next trip.

I enjoyed Country Bear Jamboree alot but I think it was a little bit long and might be boring for the younger children. Maybe you can sit near an exit and leave if they get restless? I wouldn't miss it as a nice break --

Astro Orbiter -- This one scared me to death. And I will let you know that I ride roller coasters with great relish (at lots of Theme parks) so I am not normally scared of thrill rides. Besides the long wait, this is so high above the park and the rockets seem rickety. I know they must be safe but I really really wouldn't take children as young as yours on it. I know I will NEVER go on it again. My heart starts racing when I think of it. Older kids would love it (my DH thought it was great) but I will be GROUND BOUND when it comes to this ride!

Have a GREAT TIME!

 

[AStamm]

If you get to Tom Sawyer's island early enough, be on the lookout for misplaced paintbrushes. If you find one, take it with you and give it to the CM on the raft--you'll get a front of the line pass for Big Thunder or Splash Mountain. My DS6 was so excited to get one in November.