Tom Sawyer Island is closed at Disneyland Park, and guests who showed up on Monday had no reason to expect it.
No Warning, No Announcement
Disneyland Resort quietly updated its webpage for Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island on April 27 to reflect that the area is now closed for refurbishment. No prior notice was given to guests, and no announcement accompanied the change. The park's operational calendar currently shows a closure through May 7 with a listed reopening of May 8, though Disneyland Resort has not officially committed to that date; the webpage simply encourages guests to “check back” for updates.
The closure affects everything. Despite the name suggesting the Pirate's Lair is a portion of the island, it refers to the entire destination. Guests cannot set foot on the island or board the transportation rafts during the refurbishment.
Part of Disneyland Since 1956
The island has been a Frontierland fixture for nearly seven decades, opening just one year after Walt Disney launched Disneyland Park in 1955. It was reimagined in 2007 as Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island to coincide with the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007), and has operated under that name ever since.
Disneyland Park is currently the only Disney theme park in the United States with a functioning Tom Sawyer Island. Walt Disney World Resort shuttered its own version in the summer of 2025 — along with the Rivers of America and the Liberty Square Riverboat — to clear land for Piston Peak National Park, a Cars (2006)-inspired Frontierland expansion. Two new rides are planned for the area, including a rally race attraction and a family-friendly experience. Construction is underway, but no opening date has been confirmed.
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