Last Chance To See Disney Tour: Farewell to Tom Sawyer Island

During recent park expansion announcements, several new lands were announced for the Magic Kingdom at Disney World. This included a Villains Land and a Cars Land(oddly enough connected to Frontierland). The theming at Magic Kingdom is already confusing due the fact that Frontierland now has Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which doesn’t quite fit in with the Frontierland theme, for one being set in New Orleans.

Tom Sawyer Island at all parks(Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, and Tokyo Disney) has always been a playground type area. It is a nice quiet place where kids can run around and play in immersive sets, walk trails…it is very different than what the rest of Disney Parks were and have become. It is surrounded by the Rivers of America and can only be reached by a raft ride over.

The Rivers of America add something to the parks, even if you never take the riverboats. Atmosphere. Looking out over the water, seeing the scenery…is definitely something a Cars Land can’t replace.

As an adult, Tom Sawyer Island had not been on the top of my list of attractions to visit at Disney. I am from the East Coast of the United States, and when I took my first trip to Disneyland…as opposed to World, I didn’t go to Tom Sawyer Island(though I will if I return there…at least once). When I heard the River and therefore the riverboat was going to be paved over, I decided I needed to see Tom Sawyer Island one last time.

The Disneyland one was rethemed in 2007, reopening with more of a Pirate Theme. The Magic Kingdom Tom Sawyer Island is mostly unchanged from its original construction…with only a few changes made.

Tom Sawyer Island: A Final Visit

The log raft to get over was crammed full of people for the 3 minute ride that you had to wait for, and the log raft smelled of gasoline fumes from the small engine.

The island has one service restaurant, Aunt Polly’s…which is rarely open, but has a soda machine(covered in wood for theming) and some tables and chairs available. It is a relaxing place to sit now and enjoy the view.

Walking around, I saw plenty of people enjoying the trails, but not as many as in the rest of the park. Climbing to the top of the hill I discovered picnic benches, and people sitting and eating lunch they brought in…and one guy eating his lunch and working on his laptop…perhaps while his family was off enjoying the park.

I wandered through a cave, explored a fort, crossed a barrel bridge, passed by a mill…It didn’t feel like 2024 Disney…it felt like what 1950s era Disney was. A time when Disney was still commercial, but not as commercialized. In most of the parks, I struggle to find places to sit down, especially on lines…where you’d think there might be an occasional resting place for when the line is stuck.

The conclusion of most people was that in the busy hustle and bustle of Disney Parks…taking time on Tom Sawyer Island took away from the thrills and the long lines often necessary to access them. Why enjoy a relaxing low-key oasis when you can wait in line for 90 minutes to ride Peter Pan’s flight for 5 minutes?

So, accepting that the island is not the best use of the space…it would have been nice to keep a version of the river. A smaller one perhaps…maybe a canal…with a bridge to cross over into the new land. But Disney has intends to pave over paradise and put up a cars land…isn’t that always the way?