Tom Sawyer Island inside Magic Kingdom is one of the least visited areas of the park. In fact, for its square footage, it’s statistically the worst utilized land across all of Disney World property. It begs the question, why does it still exist? Well, we can stop asking that question with the news that a National Treasure Experience will replace Tom Sawyer Island.
For those unfamiliar, this is the description of Tom Sawyer Island from Disney. “Wander dusty dirt roads lined with tall trees, explore whirling mills and amble across creaky suspension bridges. Navigate narrow passages amid secret mined caves and uncover a frontier fort.” Essentially, you board a raft, and float over to Tom Sawyer Island where you can explore. However, watch out for the sharks in the Rivers of America as we reported here.
National Treasure Coming to Magic Kingdom
A National Treasure overlay is coming to Tom Sawyer Island at Disney World. It will remain as an island and require a boat ride to get to the new experience. In fact, it will essentially be a retheme of the island from Tom Sawyer to National Treasure. This will be a really cool experience, with the opportunity to get free Genie+ for the day, so read on for more details on that!
The National Treasure movie was released in 2004. Since then, Disney released National Treasure 2 in 2007 and there continue to be rumors of a third movie, but it seems unlikely at this time. However, the good news is, National Treasure had its first season as a new series on Disney+. National Treasure: Edge of History is a Disney+ exclusive show with one season and ten episodes. In fact, the series continues to be popular and Disney is bringing it to their most popular theme park, Magic Kingdom.
The popularity of the movies and the new Disney+ series led Disney to the difficult decision to close Tom Sawyer Island permanently. However, it will be taken over by the newly themed National Treasure Experience. This is where guests will be able to go on a treasure hunt and explore the island in a much more fun and relevant way.
National Treasure Experience at Disney World
The island will be transformed into a replica of Philadelphia, with an interactive and educational treasure hunt that takes visitors through famous landmarks such as Independence Hall, Liberty Bell, and Betsy Ross House. It will be an excellent addition to the Magic Kingdom, as it blends history, mystery, and fun into one seamless experience. In fact, guests can solve puzzles, decipher clues, and uncover secrets as they explore the National Treasure-inspired land. The new land will not only offer entertainment but also encourage visitors to learn more about American history and landmarks. This is so fitting with Liberty Square bordering most of the island.
On top of all of that comes the free Genie+ opportunity and this has guests excited. Back in the early days of Tom Sawyer Island, Disney hid paintbrushes on Tom Sawyer Island, and those who found one would get a free FastPass for Splash Mountain or Big Thunder. It was an amazing experience and now Disney is bringing it back in a similar way.
As noted above, the National Treasure Experience will have puzzles, clues, and secrets. Each day, Disney will hide treasure on the island. Clues and secrets in the My Disney Experience App will help guests find the hidden treasure. The first group to find the treasure that day will be rewarded with free Genie+ for the day for up to 6 guests. This is not only a ton of fun to do, but it also has a potential reward. It’s like an escape room inside Disney World.
What do you think of Tom Sawyer Island closing and turning into a National Treasure Experience? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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