Credit: John Verive, FlickrOn September 17, Disneyland Resort resumed operations of Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island in Frontierland. The 70-year-old Disney Park attraction closed for refurbishment on Monday, September 14.
Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island Reopened at Disneyland Park
When Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island closed for refurbishment on September 14, the Disneyland Resort website listed operating hours for the attraction on September 17. However, the webpage also encouraged guests to “check back” for updates on the reopening timeline, which could shift as the refurbishment work progressed. The Southern California Disney park never officially confirmed that the Frontierland attraction would reopen on Thursday.
Fortunately, Disneyland Resort wrapped up the short refurbishment work on time, and Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island reopened as scheduled on September 17. The interactive experience operates from 9:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. most days.
A Look at the Refurbished Attraction
On Thursday, WDWNT shared a photo of the Frontierland dock for the rafts to Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island. The loading area is looking fresh and clean after Disney cast members were spotted scrubbing the wooden planks. The once-roped-off entrance is now open for Disneyland Park guests to board the raft.
On Tom Sawyer Island, things look largely the same. However, the one-way Pontoon Bridge remained closed as of September 17, barricaded by ropes and metal fences. Disneyland Resort has not said when this part of the Pirate’s Lair experience will reopen.
This was the second refurbishment of Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island this year, after another longer closure in the spring. Tom Sawyer Island, which opened at Disneyland Park in 1956, was transformed into the Pirate’s Lair experience, inspired by the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
Disneyland Resort is now the only Disney park in the United States with a version of Tom Sawyer Island. Walt Disney World Resort closed its attraction of the same name last year to make way for the Cars (2006)-themed Piston Peak National Park addition to Frontierland at the Magic Kingdom.
Did you have a chance to visit Tom Sawyer Island at Magic Kingdom Park before it closed permanently last year? Share your memories with Inside the Magic in the comments!
