I love Disneyland. I’ve written about it multiple times and will probably continue to do so. And just like any other place on earth, if you go with an open mind and a desire to have an adventure, nothing can stand in your way from having a great time.
I have my standard “itinerary” that I follow every time I walk through the turnstiles: FastPass to Space Mountain, run into the Indiana Jones queue, check the wait time for Pirates of the Caribbean, etc.
Back when I worked as a Cast Member or when I had an Annual Pass, I would spend the day watching the various shows and parades. Another day would be dedicated to shopping. The next visit would be for Fantasyland and taking pictures. You get it: I’d mix it up to stay excited.
But I’ve found that I’ll only visit certain attractions if I’m in Disneyland with my nieces, nephew, or my brothers (back when they were younger). Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer’s Island often falls into this category.
I would always rationalize with myself. You know, that internal debate: an hour or so roaming about Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer’s Island was 2 rides and a parade’s worth of time. Did I really pay this much money to not go on The Haunted Mansion?
I had no idea what I was missing out on!
Fast-forward to Memorial Weekend 2019: my BFF Bethany and I had a girl’s getaway trip to Disneyland (along with 40,000 of our closest friends). We reminisced about past visits, recounted memories of watching parades with friends and screaming on rides. You know, the usual stuff.
After a failed attempt at securing a last-minute lunch reservation at the Blue Bayou restaurant in New Orleans Square, we happily tucked into a relaxing lunch at Cafe Orleans and promptly over-ate.
As we sat at our table and lamented on how we’d have to roll ourselves out of the restaurant, we made the executive decision that going on a ride for the next few hours was out of the question (plus our next FastPass wasn’t for a few hours and the line for Pirates was almost wrapped around the entire New Orleans Square).
Bethany and I knew we needed to walk around a bit, but trying to walk amongst the crowds, dodging strollers, crazy kids and groups that like to walk 5 people wide was going to be a challenge.
We looked up and saw the log raft taking groups of people across the Waters of America towards Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer’s Island. Bingo.
We headed over to the dock, playing frogger along the way…strollers were our obstacles…and hopped right onto our log raft. We were heading towards adventure!
After spilling out of the crowded log raft, Bethany and I made our way towards the opposite direction from the running kids, unaware of the wonders that we were about to discover.
We heard that there was a long-lost pirate treasure hoard somewhere on the island, so we kept our eyes peeled!
Pretty soon we found ourselves retracing the steps of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, running around carefree and pretending to live as pirates once did.
We darted around to explore the numerous haunted caves in Dead Man’s Grotto, pitch-black and narrow at times, trying not to run into any younger pirates that were serpentining through the mazes.
We found a treasure chest, but were unable to access the jewels and coins within. This must have been a decoy!
We discovered a creaky suspension bridge in Smuggler’s Cove. Mustering our courage as best as we could, we raced across the bridge, careful not to look down until we got across.
The only thing stopping me from rocking the bridge back and forth were the little kids trying to walk across, unassisted by their parents.
I thought for sure we’d find some treasure clues once we crossed the bridge. No luck.
Once we finally traversed across the creaky bridge, we caught a glimpse of the strangest object: a cage made of human bones!
After verifying that it was the same cage the cannibals made from the Pirates of the Caribbean 2 movie, we hopped in for some serious photo ops, hopefully giving courage to the nervous little pirates that were lurking close by.
After escaping the human bone cage, we raced away towards our next adventure…and found our way blocked by a bridge laying on the surface of the water.
But this wasn’t your mom’s water bridge that you could quickly race to the other side. It took no small amount of courage as you stepped onto the empty barrels and watched them sink as you quickly struggled to reach the next one.
I wondered if the treasure was buried in the sea, beneath the barrels. Or even in them? Nope.
We successfully (although not gracefully) crossed the bridge and found ourselves at an old abandoned fort, built by some of the frontier’s early settlers.
There were endless passageways and staircases to climb, numerous vantage points to search for pirate treasure, and plenty of room to let your little pirates stretch their legs, surrounded by plenty of open space…which is constantly in short supply at Disneyland.
After criss-crossing Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer’s Island multiple times without laying eyes on the rumored pirate treasure hoard, we slowly allowed the reality to sink in: there was no treasure. Sorry Nick Cage.
Bellies finally at a point where we could stomach our next ride, we set off down a hidden pathway, thinking we were heading towards the log raft back to mainland Disneyland. Little did we know something shiny would be waiting for us at the end of the path…
Oh yeah. We found the treasure.
After attempting to swim in the treasure Uncle Scrooge-style and taking multiple pictures with our prize, we decided that the treasure would be best to remain on Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer’s Island for the benefit of all who were looking for a little adventure in their life.
With a parting glance over our shoulders, we wound our way back to the log raft to hitch a ride back to the hustle and bustle of the crazy-busy New Orleans Square, adventure clearly still on the brain…
Have you ever been to Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer’s Island? Does it sound like something you’d like to check out, next time you’re at Disneyland?
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