Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island - Disneyland
add photosGive the kids a chance to run around as you explore caverns, cross, bridges, and climb up to lookouts.
3 Reviews for Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island - Disneyland
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'10, '11, '12
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"A great break from the rides and crowds"
We took the ferry over to Tom Sawyer Island on the second day of our trip to Disneyland, and it was a wonderful break from the crowds. There are paths to walk on, caves to explore, a treehouse to climb, and benches on which to sit and rest. It was nice for my kids to be able to climb and run and it was nice for the adults to be able to sit in the shade. Very good place to relax before heading back into the insanity!
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1 family found this helpful
"lost children"
My worst nightmare came true on Tom Sawyer's Island... I lost my kids. And not just one of them... 3 of them between the ages of 3 and 5! Our big family plan was to split up all the cousins between the 4 adults and I was happy to take the 3, 5 and 5 year old on a "slower" explore of the island. After climbing the treehouse multiple times while I rested down below, we left together to find out more of the island.
The kids favorite parts were the swinging bridge and pontoon boat. when we found another cave system, I let them go in and walked around to the other side to wait for them, because the entrance looked too small for me to squeeze in comfortably. I realized after about 30 seconds, that they weren't coming out like I thought they would be. Panicked, I ran in the exit and found a complete maze of rooms, stairs, and passageways, all with a multitude of exits and entrances. I climbed up the stairs, shouting their names and found myself on the deck of a ship with a bridge heading off one way and no other stairs down. I tried going back down the stairs but it was too narrow for me and the tons of kids pouring up. I finally found a set of stairs a long way down the ship and returned to the start of the cave. After seriously praying and shouting, I turned a corner and ran into my niece. Yeah! I was so happy to see all 3 little kids, happily playing, and laughing that they couldn't find me.
Bottom line: stick together with your kids!! It is way too easy to not see kids on this island, and it is hard to find a meeting up point. The island is (of course) surrounded by water which only increased my panic of not being able to find my kids. There are not cast members located throughout the island, so it is really up to the parents to keep an eye on their little ones.
1 family found this helpful
"An adventurer's dream"
Probably my favorite attraction in the whole park! I love to take the raft across the water and get away from the masses. There are all sorts of caves to run through with the kids. There are noises and pirate prisoners and skeletons. It wasn't too scary for my 4 year old, but if your kids don't like masks or enclosed spaces then it might be a little much. There's also jewels and treasure to see.
You'll come out at all different points on the island - just look to the shore to get oriented. There's a spot with cranks to turn to pull up treasure chests and a pontoon bridge (where you might get your feet wet).
The treehouse is definitely the highlight. The going up isn't that scary, but I felt like I needed to be there when my little one was going down the stairs. However, our kids and nephews got pretty adept at it and we were letting them take trips up there and back down after a couple accompanied trips.
There's also a restroom and picnic table on the island. It's a great vantage point for seeing the riverboat and the Columbia.
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