Tom Sawyer Island - worth it or not?

[Piglet99645]

Honestly the only time I have been to the island was at Hong Kong Disneyland.... and I thought "oh my son would love this!" But I have no idea what the one at DL is like.

We will be three adults with kids 10, 5 and 2.

Can we take the stroller?

Do we have to take the raft to get there?

Ridemax says 50 minutes on the island.... what do you do for 50 minutes? Are you trapped over there? Can you leave earlier or stay longer?

Is there a restaurant or refreshments of any kind?

I'm wondering if it would be a waste of time for our group, or a nice spot for a break around 11 a.m. In Hong Kong it was not very populated and a nice cool spot for a break....

Any thoughts? Thanks so much in advance.

P.

 

[skiingfast]

We will be three adults with kids 10, 5 and 2.

Can we take the stroller?

Do we have to take the raft to get there?

Ridemax says 50 minutes on the island.... what do you do for 50 minutes? Are you trapped over there? Can you leave earlier or stay longer?

Is there a restaurant or refreshments of any kind?

The kids will like it. The caves are fun to explore and can take some time if they want to see all of them. Trails meander around. There are lots of stairs and the caves are too thin for strollers, but some paths are wide. But while I think about it, I can't recall seeing strollers.

Yes the rafts only and they go back and forth so you aren't stuck for 50 minutes, just a few minutes until you can get on raft.

There are no longer refreshments, but water and restrooms.

 

[mystic_path]

Tom Sawyers Island got turned into a Pirates Island several years ago. It is not very big, so I don't think it takes 50 minutes to an hour to see. You do have to take a raft over which takes no time at all. There are 2 running constantly and it takes no longer then 5 minutes to catch the next one. You can most definitely take strollers onto the island. There are caves to wander into that have some special effects (Beware though some may scare little kids and the paths inside are narrow so strollers maybe an issue), bridges to cross, look out towers, an area with a big pile of gold and treasure to take pictures with, and some other fun play areas. This is a fun area for kids most definitely, but I don't think it's a MUST DO if you don't end up getting to it. Personally we go over once almost every trip for about 20-30 minutes or so and then come back. There have been trips where we never even made it over there, and I don't feel like we missed anything, and neither does anyone else in the family. Also there are no restaurants or drink stands on the island. If it is your first time I say go and see it, especially with your kids as there are some great photo spots.

 

[Piglet99645]

Thanks for the replies. i was just reliving my 2005 trip via my trip report and it says I went to Tom Sawyer Island at WDW! I have no memory.....

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=958834

We have four days at DL and DCA so I think there will be plenty of time....

 

[TheColtonsMom]

My favorite thing about the Island (although my son had a blast) Is that on a crowded day you can hop on a raft and get away from the crowd for a bit. It also lets the kids move a little which after standing in lines and/or fighting a crowd is always a good thing for the little ones. I have yet to ever in 30+ trips to DL ever felt like I was in a huge crowd on that island.

 

[HydroGuy]

Remember that with POTC 4 coming out in May that PLATSI will get a revival of interest this summer. Expect to see all the pirate activities from 2007 brought out retirement including maybe pirate stunt shows.

Boys will love PLATSI. It will take 30-45 minutes. Now my boys are teens and PLATSI is something we do not do very often anymore. Your younger ones will like it if you have time. I would not do PLATSI on one or even two day trip, but with 3+ days I would.

See my photo from 2007 pirates stunt show on PLATSI

 

[captsparrowslady]

Strollers can go onto the raft and over to Pirate's Lair (I took my ECV Scooter on the raft and took it onto the island). You do have to get to the island by raft, but they come and go often (not sure how often to be exact). To look at everything, it would take around an hour, but I believe you can leave earlier if you'd like. There are some caves that are too narrow for strollers to fit in, but the little ones can walk thru the caves (they'll have a lot of fun with it). The caves that the strollers will be able to fit thru will have a handicap sign to indicate that it is accessible.

I think there is a Max. # of people who can safely be on the island at once, so they try to keep a good flow of bringing people to and from the island so people who want to go to the island aren't waiting in line for an hour to get there (if that makes sense?). I'm trying to remember and I think I waited in line for around 5-10 minutes for the raft.

There is no refreshments or restaurants on the island, but there are several near by restaurants in New Orleans Square around the Pirates of the Caribbean Ride (including Blue Bayou). If you are standing at the line for the rafts, with your back to the river/island, the restaurants are on the other side, across the Square.

Also there is more than just caves on Pirate's Lair as you can see in my photos from my DL trip in 2008: Pirate's Lair Pictures

 

[Piglet99645]

It sounds like a must-do for my crew.

Looking at the pictures, I can hear my 5yo daughter screaming already!

 

[itradehilton]

For us the island is a must. It gives the kids time to move around without lines and crowds. It is a good place to go when the kids need a break.

 

[iheartdisney]

My kids love it, so we do it every few trips.
The one thing to keep in mind is that some of the caves have multiple entrances/ exits, on opposite sides of the island, and many kids will run from one to the next without knowing they are doing anything wrong. I have seen my fair share of panicing parents when they realize their child is not in the cave that they thought they were in. So, unless you want to run through all the caves as a group (and what is the fun in that?) you need to be a pretty chill parent and remember that you are on an island and just let them run.
I usually try to pick a spot and tell them to meet me when they are done. Usually I will tell them I will be waiting at the treasure, so when they get there, we are ready to go. Probably not a good plan with your 2 year old, but probably for the other ones.

 

[Piglet99645]

So, unless you want to run through all the caves as a group (and what is the fun in that?) you need to be a pretty chill parent and remember that you are on an island and just let them run.

Awesome advice. I would definitely just let the 10 year old go. My sister is always horrified that I let him to go the bathroom alone in restaurants..... so I guess I qualify as "chill" in this respect. (I do watch the door to see who goes in after him. And he DOES know I will COME IN AFTER HIM if he is not out in two minutes..... so maybe "chill" is not the word.... but I digress).

 

[Goofy_Mom]

My DS3 LOVES the Pirates Lair. He could easily spend hours there if I let him.

 

[DisSarahK]

We went over to the island in 2008 and were really underwhelmed. We were HOT and bored. Maybe we were underprepared or expecting too much. I don't know, but it was one part of Disneyland that I thought was "meh" at best. We didn't even bother to go over on our last trip.

Maybe I'll do a bit more research and we'll try it again on our next trip, especially now that our children are a bit older. However I am not a "chill parent" and won't do well with my 5 and 7 year olds disappearing, even on an island!

 

[Karenann*]

My kids ages 12 to 26 all spend at least an hour at PL. It's a nice break from pavement and crowds and fun to roam.
You can spend as much or as little time as you like.

 

[Mama Who]

Awesome advice. I would definitely just let the 10 year old go. My sister is always horrified that I let him to go the bathroom alone in restaurants..... so I guess I qualify as "chill" in this respect. (I do watch the door to see who goes in after him. And he DOES know I will COME IN AFTER HIM if he is not out in two minutes..... so maybe "chill" is not the word.... but I digress).

Just remember that the caves have more than two entrance/exits. We had a bad moment when my son was five. We went to "the other end" to meet him... and he came out a third hole entirely!

 

[DahliaRW]

Your younger two will LOVE it. Probably your 10yo too. But plan on them getting DIRTY. It's a lot of dirt and dust on a dry day.

 

[ksdisneyfan]

I've always tried to avoid the island in the past, but my kids (ages 3, 6, 8, 10) all wanted to go when we were there last week. They loved it! It was a great break from the crowds and gave them time to run and play together. I would definitely recommend it.

 

[Dizneydaz]

Pirates Lair/Tom Sawyer's Island is pretty cool for kids. It was a little better when the fort was open-sold snacks and you could shot at the boats and canoes from the fort towers. Pretty cool.

I like the changes they made in the caves when they added the pirates stuff. My DD is now 11 and it's only now that I think I would let her go in by herself. I'm not one of those "chill" moms.

You used to be able to visit with Capt. Jack on the island but no more. Maybe he'll come back for Pirates 4? Would be nice.

It's a nice place for younger kids to take a break. Check out the treehouse, walk over the pontoon bridge, the rope bridge, pull up a pirate, go through caves, etc.

Also, another great spot for kids to burn off some energy is the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail in DCA. My DD11 still loves going there. She enjoys the Smoke Jumpers (like a zip line), crossing over (not climbing up) the rock wall, and running around in the ropes up high. Rarely ever gets crowded either.