A storm at sea shipwrecks the Flynn-Fletcher family and Isabella on an island, and they must find a way to get off while the boys decide to take survival methods into their own hands. Back home, Baljeet is put in charge of watching Perry, but quickly loses track of him when he leaves to stop Doofenshmirtz from using monkeys to start a laundry business.
Tropes:
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Dr. Doofenshmirtz's plans for the Doofenshmirtz Institute of Evilology include offering degrees in mayhem, larceny, and Ponzi schemes.
- Black Comedy Burst: The smoldering skeleton of an infant can be seen during the Doofenshmirtz Institute of Evilology sequence.
- Borrowed Catchphrase: Buford uses Isabella's "Whatcha doin'?" catchphrase when he sees Baljeet babysitting Perry. Also, Baljeet uses Phineas' "He is just a platypus. They do not do much."
- Call-Back: Dr. Doofenshmirtz finally remembers what "Big Laundry" from "The Lake Nose Monster" means, and incorporates it into his latest evil scheme.
- Call-Forward: At one point, Candace suggests that her brothers make a giant slingshot to bring them back to the mainland, and Phineas asks if they can use that someday. They later use it in "Summer Belongs to You!".
- Continuity Nod:
- Candace still plans on naming her future children Xavier and Amanda (first seen in "The Best Lazy Day Ever").
- Phineas uses a pelican as a garbage can. In "Mom's Birthday", Doofenshmirtz mocks pelicans by comparing them to garbage disposals.
- Lawrence's sloop is named the HMS Lindana.
- Deserted Island: Phineas and Ferb's family ends up stuck on a deserted island after their boat gets thrown off course by a storm.
- Domestic Appliance Disaster: When Perry the Platypus and the monkeys throw Doofenshmirtz in the giant washing machine and turn it on, the washing machine overflows, causing a massive pink spill that the Flynn-Fletchers mistake for a volcano eruption.
- Exact Words: Phineas and Ferb didn't build a bridge back to town, a coconut-powered hovercraft, or any other way of getting off the island because "Dad didn't ask us to build [a way off the island]".
- Fun with Acronyms: Doofenshmirtz Institute of Evilology spells out D.I.E.
- Hand-or-Object Underwear: Ferb covers his body with a giant leaf after his pants come off during the shipwreck.
- Lava Surfing: Technically "Soapy Water Surfing", but Perry is able to surf the overflowing "pink lava" by using an ironing board as a makeshift surfboard.
- Living Is More than Surviving: Candace tells her brother he had to make a little lean-to for survival, but Phineas says, "There's survival and then there's living."
- Losing a Shoe in the Struggle: Linda has lost one of her shoes when the gang gets shipwrecked.
- Mind-Control Device: Doofenshmirtz is able to control the monkeys on the island by building a Monkey Enslav-inator helmet. He only built one helmet because, according to Doof, "Monkey see, monkey do".
- Moby Schtick: At the beginning, Phineas asks Ferb if he has spotted "the great white whale".Candace: You guys better not be talking about me!
- Opening Shout-Out: Lampshaded when Ferb shows off the tree house's indoor plumbing.Candace: You're giving a monkey a shower?!
Ferb: Yep. Had to be done. - Rearrange the Song: A tropical version of the "Quirky Worky Song" is played while Phineas, Ferb, and Isabella make some shelter.
- Record Needle Scratch: At the end of Carl's theme song.
- Red Sock Ruins the Laundry: Doofenshmirtz has to tell one of the monkeys not to put the red clothes in with the white wash or he'll create "a big pink mess".Doofenshmirtz: Bright colors over there, you incompetent baboon. Literally.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After Baljeet and Buford lose track of Perry, the two of them freak out and decide to make a decoy version of Perry to buy them some time. The result is so crude that they know the family won't mistake it for the real Perry, so Buford decides to leave right as the Flynn-Fletcher family shows up.
- Sensitivity Training: Monogram mentions in passing that he cannot send any other agents to fight Doofenshmirtz because they were all at a sensitivity training seminar.
- Shout-Out:
- The title and plot of the episode references the 1812 novel The Swiss Family Robinson.
- “Don’t worry darling, it’s only going to be a three-hour tour.”Candace: A three-hour tour?
- Phineas stands on the bow of the ship and does the "king-of-the-world bit", as he lampshades it.
- Stating the Simple Solution: After seeing the elaborate shelter the boys built, Candace points out they could have easily just built something that would get them off the island. Phineas' response is that their dad asked them to build a shelter, not transportation.
- Suddenly Shouting: After Candace is flung into the hut.Phineas: So, what do you think of our shelter?Candace: (dusts herself off) CAN'T YOU JUST BE NORMAL FOR ONE DAY?!?
- Tempting Fate: Candace rambles to herself when asked by her family to get some food, saying "Yeah, like a quart of ice cream is gonna just fall out of the--" before having some ice cream fall directly on her head (from Perry's ice cream cone ride to Doofenshmirtz's place).
- Tropey, Come Home: Similar to the previous episode, Buford and Baljeet fear that they have lost Perry, and put up "Missing" posters all over Danville. They appear to be unaware that he disappears every once in a while and immediately panic.
- Volcano Lair: Doofenshmirtz enacts his latest evil scheme inside an extinct volcano, inexplicably located on the same island that the Flynn-Fletcher family got stranded in.
- We Need a Distraction: Monogram realizes that they need to distract Baljeet and Buford so that Agent P can get on with his mission, so he sends Carl out in an ice cream truck.
