Frontierland offers a variety of shows and attractions
to see and experience. The biggest draw is Big Thunder, which is
one of the closest things to a rollercoaster you will find at Disneyland.
Frontierland is also your gateway to the Rivers of America. Also
be sure to stop and see the show at the Diamond Horseshoe.
From Frontierland you can catch performances
of Fantasmic weeknights during busy periods, and Friday & Saturday
most of the rest of the year. Check out our Fantasmic page for more
information on this not to be missed show.
On May 25, 2007 Tom Sawyer's Island re-opened with a new name, Pirates Lair on Tom Sawyer Island, and a new overlay. This coinsided with the release of the third Pirates Film Pirates of the Caribbean, At Worlds End. Here are my initial thoughts from my first visit to the Island on 5/26/07:
- The main reason for my visit to the park Saturday was to experience the new Pirates Lair on Tom Sawyer Island. First I'd like to say that is way too long of a name, but I guess that is the new trend... My overall impression of the additions/overlay is that it brought some life back to the Island and there were some great new interactive elements added. I thought it was a great touch to bring the maps of the Island back (there used to be maps back in the 50s and 60s, way before my time but that is what I have heard). These new maps have descriptions of all the areas of the Island There are eight areas identified:
- The Landing - This is where the rafts drop you off/pick you up. There area is about the same as before, there are some new props around but that is all that has noticeably changed.
- Lafitte's Tavern/Pirate Point - This is the Fantasmic stage area. There are new props installed here and there is a Pirate show here several times per day (I believe the CM said 5 times daily right now).
- W.Turner Blacksmith - This is the old mill along the Rivers edge. Inside there are some blacksmith items now
- Dead Man's Grotto - This used to be Injun Joe's Cave and inside there are now several show scenes. Ranging from Davy Jones Heart, to disappearing treasure. I thought the changes here were great and really brought the cave back to life.
- Smuggler's Cove - This is the area that contains the old bridges (both of which are open, the suspension and pontoon) as well as two interactive sets. One you can hoist a treasure out the ship wreck and the second you can use a bilge pump to reveal a treasure. There is also a photo opportunity in a bone cage as seen in the second film.
- Castle Rock - This area for the most part is the same as before
- Pirate's Den - Shipwreck - A new ship wreck has been added just North of the Castle Rock area and South of the Fort. Here there are a couple rooms to walk through, but not much else. I thought it was a nice addition, but with that large of a set piece I was expecting more, not sure what, but something more.
- The Captain's Treasure. - This is a photo location on the far North side of the guest accessible area of the island. Throughout the day Captain Jack Sparrow can be found here.
- The map that was handed out (as well as the construction walls around it) seem to confirm the rumors that Fort Wilderness will be gone soon. I think this is sad, I always enjoyed visiting the fort and have missed it (as well as its guns) for years now. On the new maps it lists that area as well as the rest of the Northern tip of the Island as the uncharted lands. So if you want to see the fort one last time you better go ASAP, one site was reporting demo work begins this week.
- The new Disneyland guide maps feature a young kid dressed as a Pirate with the tag line at the bottom being Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island. Inside the map is the same except for the listing of the Island with the new name and a pirate flag has been added to the castle rock formation. The rest of the image looks the same (also to note there is no sign of the subs yet but an ad saying they are coming the 11th in the Tomorrowland text area). Also the smoking area is removed near the Matterhorn. On the entertainment times guide they list the Island now but just give its operating hours for the day, no show schedule for the Pirates show or the Bootstrappers (who perform throughout the day on front of the Island).
- Speaking of the Pirates show, I was unable to find a name for this new show. I caught the first performance of the day (Saturday the show times were 10:25, 11:25, 12:25, 3:25, 4:25 according to the CM I spoke with, but none were posted anywhere and there were approximate). The show is fairly entertaining and somewhat hard to describe. Its part stunt show and part character show. It runs about 20 minutes (excluding the Bootstrappers set before the show which leads right into the show). I thought the dialog was fairly entertaining and the show itself ok. The lines that Jack Sparrow had were great and right in character. My only complaint about the show is its an awkward area for viewing and rather small. Many people lined the river band in NOS to watch but you can barely hear from there due to the distance and the background music. It would be nice to have the background music off during the show and maybe boost the show volume (I think piping the show along the river would be awkward but may be interesting).
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