Tell me about the Liberty Square Riverboat and Tom Sawyer Island.

[maryj11]

I'm in the process of finalizing our plans for our next trip . As I was looking at the list of things to do at MK I realized we have never gone on the Liberty Square Riverboat or to Tom Sawyer Island. I think we will do one of these or maybe both.
Tell me about them and what you thought? How long should we allow for each?

 

[The_Banking_Scot]

Hi,

I have done both and both are very good.

The Riverboat goes round the Rivers of America with commentary (limited seating on board with some chairs in the bow and a couple of small cabins). On the upper deck you get a different view points of the park , Splash mountain and BTMRR. Whilst going round you see a river cabin, some moose , a native American camp amongst other things. The boat ride takes around 15mins and is generally not busy so it is a reasonable place to relax for a few minutes.

As to Tom Sawyer Island, you get across to the island by rafts. Do you have any children as there is a fort, lots of paths & some tunnels. There is also a few houses and an old windmill and some seating areas ( with a vending machine) and restrooms but no shops or restaurants. There is also a barrel bridge and other activities ( ie a pump to lower water out of a sunken boat to reveal treasure). you could easily spend an hour there ( plus time to queue for rafts to/from liberty square)

If you only have only one day in WDW I would skip the island but with multiple days I would probably visit.

 

[Lisann]

I agree with the previous poster. I personally love the slower pace of this section of the park. It's a nice low tech way of spending some leisurely time in a shaded area out of the sun. Elementary-aged children will especially love it.

 

[maryj11]

Hi,

I have done both and both are very good.

The Riverboat goes round the Rivers of America with commentary (limited seating on board with some chairs in the bow and a couple of small cabins). On the upper deck you get a different view points of the park , Splash mountain and BTMRR. Whilst going round you see a river cabin, some moose , a native American camp amongst other things. The boat ride takes around 15mins and is generally not busy so it is a reasonable place to relax for a few minutes.

As to Tom Sawyer Island, you get across to the island by rafts. Do you have any children as there is a fort, lots of paths & some tunnels. There is also a few houses and an old windmill and some seating areas ( with a vending machine) and restrooms but no shops or restaurants. There is also a barrel bridge and other activities ( ie a pump to lower water out of a sunken boat to reveal treasure). you could easily spend an hour there ( plus time to queue for rafts to/from liberty square)

If you only have only one day in WDW I would skip the island but with multiple days I would probably visit.

Thank you ! I think it would be fun to see Splash Mountain and BTMR from on the riverboat, maybe we will do it. We don't have any younger kids for the forts and things at Tom Sawyer, but we have a 13 year old.

 

[Loopster]

My kids LOVE Tom Sawyer Island. Great place to let them run around and explore and escape the crowds. I was going to say skip if you don't have kids, but it's actually a great place to escape the hustle and bustle of the park and enjoy nature. Also, I agree with the above post...skip if you only have one day at MK, as it does take up a good chunk of your time.

 

[Iowamomof4]

Sounds like I need to add Tom Sawyer Island to my list for ds9 and dd8.

 

[Lisann]

Sounds like I need to add Tom Sawyer Island to my list for ds9 and dd8.

Yes! They will love it. Honestly, when kids can use their imaginations, it is so much more fun for them!

 

[Keyser]

Some people like the riverboat, but for me, it was kind of boring, and I haven't wanted to go again... You just go on a loop around Tom Sawyer island, you see some very artificial scenes and end up where you started. I didn't find it interesting or fun, but I know others do. If you want a boat ride, the one from parking to the MK gives another option!

Tom Sawyer Island is basically one of the coolest playgrounds ever. Your 13 year old might be a little on the older side to really enjoy it, but lots of kids (and even some adults...) will have fun running around, exploring tunnels and caves and a fort and the barrel bridges, etc. The thing about this one is that it eats up time. You have to wait for a raft to the island, then spend however long exploring the island, then when you are done, you have to wait for a raft ride back. Careful about when you try to go, since if you are there when the island is crowded, and you are trying to get off the island at a time others are, you could end up waiting a while for multiple rafts to shuttle you back and forth. If you are in any kind of a rush, it can be annoying to be "done" and have to wait a while to get on to the next thing. However, if you have the time and can go at a more leisurely pace, it can be interesting. If I remember, they close this one near dusk, so you can't do it late in the day.

 

[Parker Clan]

We've done each of them once and enjoyed them!
The Riverboat was a nice way to chill and relax and like PP's mentioned the view of Splash and Big Thunder was very cool!

 

[maryj11]

We've done each of them once and enjoyed them!
The Riverboat was a nice way to chill and relax and like PP's mentioned the view of Splash and Big Thunder was very cool!

I actually planned to go as kind of a break from the park after doing our morning rides, fast passes, and after lunch. So this may be what we should try. I just hope one of those thunderstorms dont come in at that time because it will be around 3:00.

 

[DisneyCAL]

If you have the time for it, i would suggest both. The boat is relaxing, try finding a nice bench seat on the other side second level. Its a pleasant rest time. Tom Sawyer Island is a shady trail walk with some pretty photo opportunities. If you have little ones they will enjoy the caves and little bridges etc.

maryj11 there are places to take cover if it rains, such as near Harpers Mill.

 

[pa. dad]

Riverboat- is good. Relaxing and something that can be done in middle of the day without big lines.

Island- if memory serves me right, they used to have a restaurant or an ice cream place on the island. When kids were younger, we went over there but beyond a certain age, it lost the appeal to them.

 

[jmenjes]

Riverboat- is good. Relaxing and something that can be done in middle of the day without big lines.

Island- if memory serves me right, they used to have a restaurant or an ice cream place on the island. When kids were younger, we went over there but beyond a certain age, it lost the appeal to them.

You're correct. Aunt Polly's was the eatery on Tom Sawyer Island. Hasn't been open in a good while.

Too bad they don't hide the paintbrushes on the Island anymore either.

 

[L&Lfan]

We don't do them anymore (having done them so many times over the past 40 years), but they're worth doing at least once.

 

[megster1123]

For the Island, is the layout something I'd be able to tackle with a 4 & 5 year old? I'm envisioning something with tunnels and nooks & crannies where one kid could go one way and the other a different way? My husband is renting an EVC due to his RA - he'll leave the EVC behind and ride the raft over with us, but won't be able to really hustle and keep up with two kiddos exploring.

 

[maryj11]

If you have the time for it, i would suggest both. The boat is relaxing, try finding a nice bench seat on the other side second level. Its a pleasant rest time. Tom Sawyer Island is a shady trail walk with some pretty photo opportunities. If you have little ones they will enjoy the caves and little bridges etc.

maryj11 there are places to take cover if it rains, such as near Harpers Mill.

Ok thank you for the tip about Harpers Mill.

 

[soniam]

We do these every trip. The island is a great place to relax. Get a lemonade and watch the park from Aunt Polly's Porch in a rocking chair. The Riverboat is great too.

 

[pwdebbie]

There are some picnic tables on the Island and we've seen families spread out having a nice relaxing lunch (probably food they brought with them in their backpack, not food purchased in the park). I enjoy visiting the island because it is peaceful. Somehow I've missed that sunken boat mentioned above. The caves are cool (but not for someone who doesn't like closed in spaces, I thought my 62yo husband was going to have a panic attack!).

 

[maryj11]

There are some picnic tables on the Island and we've seen families spread out having a nice relaxing lunch (probably food they brought with them in their backpack, not food purchased in the park). I enjoy visiting the island because it is peaceful. Somehow I've missed that sunken boat mentioned above. The caves are cool (but not for someone who doesn't like closed in spaces, I thought my 62yo husband was going to have a panic attack!).

So adults can fit in the caves, that would be fun to me lol.

 

[soniam]

So adults can fit in the caves, that would be fun to me lol.

DH has fit but had to duck some. He's about 6ft.