Not every attraction in Disney World is going to be for everyone, and it’s important to know your likes and dislikes before going on vacation.
However, just because you dislike something doesn’t mean it serves no purpose, and if you love something, that doesn’t mean that everyone in your group will too. We’ve seen some pretty scathing reviews of different attractions in the parks, but we’ll be honest, we haven’t seen one as bad as THIS in a while!
Tom Sawyer Island isn’t beloved by a massive amount of people, we know that, but it’s also an opening day attraction that is nostalgic for many people. However, we didn’t totally expect to see the amount of pure HATE its recently gotten! One recent review on our website reads:
“This is nothing but a kiddie playground with no real attractions! Most kids could care less about it! I am tired of watching grown adults throw temper tantrums over it! People who come back with the reply of well why don’t you just get rid of the castle then are beyond ridiculous! Cinderella Castle is a symbol and an icon of the entire park! Rivers of America is just an inferior clone of Disneyland’s River! Tom Sawyer Island is for boring people who just want to sit around all day instead of actually riding and doing stuff!“
WHOA! Those are some strong feelings right there, and while we can agree that there’s not much to do here, the caves are pretty spooky. And we’ve found kids who love exploring and being outside often really love this area.
Oh but that wasn’t the only recent bad review we’ve seen for this spot — no, the next one is just as scathing.
“This is old and outdated! Thank goodness this dump is finally going to be gone! I can’t wait for the new Cars area and Villains land! I am tired of all the whining about this old and way past it’s prime area! Drain the rivers now!”
Alright so yes, both of these anonymous reviewers have VERY strong negative feelings about this spot, but we assure you, there are lovers of it as well who are sad to see it go. If you fall into that category, you’ll want to visit it soon, because your time is running out!
Soon, but we’re not quite sure when just yet, this entire area will go away (including the Liberty Square Riverboat) to make way for the new Cars-themed land. We know it’ll feature two new attractions, one more family-friendly and the other more thrilling.
We’re always here to bring you the latest Disney World news, so stay tuned to AllEars!
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Are you in agreement with the negative reviews about Tom Sawyer Island? Tell us in the comments!
Perhaps you don’t see the point. Disney management has dropped the ball. Tom Sawyer Island isn’t beloved by more people because Disney management has chosen to ignore and degrade it. Give us back food service and add in attractions to it, perhaps even put in a show. Rivers of America is indeed beloved and bulldozing it all for the sake of another car ride in Magic Kingdom is foolish and expensive but unfortunately that’s in keeping with the vast majority of creative decisions in the last 15 years.
My grandchildren love the island.Its a quiet place to hang while they play.And yes there’s a nostalgic factor.Cars land should be in Hollywood Studios any way.Its not a frontier land appropriate land anyway.
I love Tom Sawyer Island, especially at Disney World. Sit around? Hardly. Besides the caves, there’s the suspension and barrel bridges, and the fort with the secret exit. You have to be looking for a bad time to dislike TSI so much.
Removing the rivers of america removes the basic theming of the area. Why would liberty square be right next to a mountain area with offroading? What about Tianas bayou adventure, you know, the one set in Louisiana. This is just another sign that Imagineering is now filled with a bunch of junk “imagineers”(They do NOT deserve the title). ALL decision making employees who were responsible for this need to be removed from the company ASAP.
Don’t forget, at D23, when this was announced, people actually booed. This isn’t wanted by a lot of people, and it is a bad decision
Look. I don’t agree with the two perspectives you shared. But I’m not going to add more broad characterizations of other people and their preferences to the mix. That’s just counterproductive. I’m happy for the people who are looking forward to something more modern and lively being added. But I also sympathize with the people who have fond memories of the outgoing attractions and who think there is value in having a vacation destination that doesn’t demand every attraction need a safety restraint and a motion sickness warning.