Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island

Reviews

• LM

  Louisa Moore

  Apr 1, 2026
  2.0
  I hadn't been across the Rivers of America in a while but, as most Disneyland regulars do when the park is packed, I hopped the raft for a short ride over to Pirate's Lair at Tom Sawyer Island. I was very disappointed in what I found. First, it is clear Disney has zero interest in investing anything in upkeep of the island. It's in a bad state of repair, which is sadly nothing new for Disney. I'd say more than half of the fun interactive parts of the Lair are inoperable with no plans to fix them. Remember how you could turn the wheel to raise the treasure chest out of the sunken ship? Broken. Parts of the bridges and walkways are closed and roped off. And it looks like it's been this way for a long, long while. The caves are still cool, but the effects look so dated and corny now. It's a shame, because this could be a super cool attraction that's away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the park. There are some good aspects. You can climb high for a terrific vista of the park, and it's super fun to wave at the riverboat as it chugs by. There is no snack bar on the island anymore, but it's fun to take over some warm chocolate chip mini cookies from Harbor House and eat them at one of the picnic tables and random seating areas on the island. There's plenty of shade and sun if you want it, and the kids can burn off a lot of energy exploring the dark and sometimes spooky caves. There's a quiet restroom tucked away here too. I really wish Disney would invest some time and money into fixing this attraction. I fear it will eventually go the same way it has at Disney World in Florida: total removal. Let's hope that never happens, for the sake of Walt's original vision.
• VR

  Violeta Rodríguez

  Jul 21, 2025
  4.0
  Tom Sawyer Island es una Isla en Disneyland Park California, está Rodeada por los Rivers Of America y en ella Alberga la Atracción Pirate's Lair, fue Construida en 1956 por Walt Disney Imagineering; Dato: Para llegar a la Isla debes viajar en una Balsa que Zarpa cerca de New Orleans Square.
• JJ

  Jalsa

  Aug 26, 2020
  5.0
  The area opened in 1956, one year after the opening of Disneyland Park. Prior to the debut of Fantasmic! in 1992, when the south end of the Island was re-built to facilitate the nighttime show, Tom Sawyer Island saw very little change. The Island received major upgrades, new show elements, and a complete re-theming in 2007 when it re-opened as Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island. The re-theming eradicated much of the previous Tom Sawyer theme in favor of characters and elements from and inspired by the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. A justification behind connecting the Tom Sawyer and pirate themes came in the form of a chapter from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer where Tom, Huck and Joe Harper go off to play pirates on a nearby island, the idea being that all of the Pirates of the Caribbean elements added to the island are all a part of their imaginative play. Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island's opening coincided with the theatrical release of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. On January 11, 2016, Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island, along with the other attractions and shows along the Rivers of America, closed temporarily for the construction of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island reopened on June 16, 2017.
• JH

  Jason H

  Jul 30, 2019
  5.0
  One of my favorite places to visit in the park. Not that exciting for people who have never been to Disneyland but for people who have been coming here for 40 plus years it brings back great memories.