Which Pearl Harbor tour?

[MinnesotaChill]

We are leaving in 2.5 weeks for Aulani to celebrate our 20th anniversary sans kids!

We'll be there for seven nights and don't want to overbook ourselves. Right now we've signed up for a foodie tour on one day, but nothing else.

We know we want to see Pearl Harbor, but when I go on the site, there are many options available for different tour combos. We want to be able to see it, but I don't know that I want to be there all day... do I? I'm thinking maybe we'd do something else in the afternoon... Diamondhead or the Dole Plantation maybe.

What type of tour do I want to do at Pearl Harbor?

And am I going to miss anything wonderful by planning to spend a lot of time at the resort to chill out?

My husband would love to snorkel, but I'm deathly afraid of sharks and huge open water, so I hate to spend a bunch of money on a trip when I know I wouldn't go in the water. I'd love an idea where he could snorkel and I could hang out nearby. It sounds like that might be possible at the resort?

 

[abdgeek]

You have a couple of options at Pearl Harbor.

1) Seeing the Arizona Memorial. This is free, but you have to get a timed entry ticket. Get there first thing in the morning if you want to minimize your wait.
2) Seeing the USS Missouri, Bowfin & Aviation museum. Each of these costs extra.

The day I went to Pearl Harbor, I bought the USS Missouri and Bowfin ticket. I also saw the Arizona. While I got there around 9:30am, my ticket for entry to the memorial wasn't until 12:30pm. I used my wait time to tour the other two. You have to take a bus to the USS Missouri because it is actually on the base and the Bowfin is right where you park. I was easily there for about 5 hours when all was said and done. They do have exhibits that you can view while you are waiting for the boat to the memorial.

If you plan to hike to the top of Diamond Head, it is a very strenous climb. They say it takes about 2 hours to make the roundtrip. It took me about 90 minutes and I'm not in the best shape. The view from the top is so worth the agony it takes to get to the top! When I finished the climb, I was wiped out. I think I went to 'Iolani Palace after that and then back to the resort. Have fun.

 

[bakenatj]

We are leaving in 2.5 weeks for Aulani to celebrate our 20th anniversary sans kids!

We'll be there for seven nights and don't want to overbook ourselves. Right now we've signed up for a foodie tour on one day, but nothing else.

We know we want to see Pearl Harbor, but when I go on the site, there are many options available for different tour combos. We want to be able to see it, but I don't know that I want to be there all day... do I? I'm thinking maybe we'd do something else in the afternoon... Diamondhead or the Dole Plantation maybe.

What type of tour do I want to do at Pearl Harbor?

And am I going to miss anything wonderful by planning to spend a lot of time at the resort to chill out?

My husband would love to snorkel, but I'm deathly afraid of sharks and huge open water, so I hate to spend a bunch of money on a trip when I know I wouldn't go in the water. I'd love an idea where he could snorkel and I could hang out nearby. It sounds like that might be possible at the resort?

We will be there the same time as you. We are doing Pearl Harbor on 2/5. I have a bunch of stuff planned if you want to take a look at our itinerary I would be happy to share it with you. Just send me an message and I can help you with what there is to do in Oahu.

The most popular place to snorkel is probably Hanauma Bay. Very nice beach too.

 

[dianeschlicht]

You will be there just ahead of us. We arrive February 13 and plan to do Pearl Harbor on the 14th. We have done it several times before, and yes, you WILL want to spend a good portion of the day there. I'd say about 5 hours as a minimum. Be sure to order your tickets ahead, because it gets really crowded, and ticket times do not necessarily mean you will get to do it right at that time. Lines are incredible. There is so much to see and do in the park center, and the best tours in addition to the Arizona memorial are the Missouri battleship and the Bowfin submarine.

 

[texansue]

I signed up for the Pearl Harbor tour offered on the website - figured I'd rather go with a guide and be guaranteed entry, even though we have our own rental car.

I'm curious what you mean by 'foodie tour'? Do you mind sharing? I'm also planning on spending most of our time chilling by the pool/ beach and haven't booked much.

Thanks,
Sue

 

[MinnesotaChill]

Here is the site for the Hawaii Food Tour http://www.hawaiifoodtours.com/

We love tasting local foods when we travel and this sounds right up our alley.

We also love to hike, so Diamondhead sounds great. Would it work to do it after Pearl Harbor if we do PH early in the day or should we do Diamondhead early and PH afterwards? Our week is pretty open at this point, but I don't want to book more than three days away from the resort and the Food Tour takes up most of one. Although maybe we could do Diamondhead after that... it ends at 2:30.

 

[Cruise04]

I was interested in booking from the site as well but there are two 'tours'. I'm curious which one is recommended. I want to see as much there as well. Thanks in advance.

 

[aymekae]

Since I was (am) pregnant during our trip, I went with just the U.S.S. Arizona memorial for our first time. While you wait, there are two nearby exhibits that you can walk through for free, or rent a headset for a small fee. My DH and I were glad to have something to do in the meantime, and it was really interesting. They tell you when to report to another building for a short video, then take you directly from there to the ferry. I would guess we spent about 2 or 2 1/2 hours there. We didn't have any trouble reserving a time the night before (for a small fee online). I would recommend actually going on the weekend or a bit later in the morning and avoiding rush hour. We made that mistake on another day, and even though we left around 5:45 AM, we hit a lot of traffic in Honolulu. So plan on not driving through that area until it clears up.

 

[aclov]

I was there a few years ago and remember the long wait so this time around Im with Sue and leaning towards paying for a tour.

 

[Dean]

I signed up for the Pearl Harbor tour offered on the website - figured I'd rather go with a guide and be guaranteed entry, even though we have our own rental car.

I'm curious what you mean by 'foodie tour'? Do you mind sharing? I'm also planning on spending most of our time chilling by the pool/ beach and haven't booked much.

Thanks,
Sue

For a small fee you can secure reservations for the tour on the website and be guaranteed a time and spot.

 

[MinnesotaChill]

I'm curious about those who say they've experienced long waits.

We booked a time on the website when we got our tickets (I'm talking about Pearl Harbor, btw), does that mean we won't have a wait or am I being naive?

Our tickets are for noon on a Monday and they close at four, so if we have a long wait it means we won't see much and I'd want to change the time.

 

[floribr1]

I'm curious about those who say they've experienced long waits.

We booked a time on the website when we got our tickets (I'm talking about Pearl Harbor, btw), does that mean we won't have a wait or am I being naive?

Our tickets are for noon on a Monday and they close at four, so if we have a long wait it means we won't see much and I'd want to change the time.

I believe if you have booked your time through the website, you are set for that time. The time you reserved is the time they will take you in to see the short video, and after that transport you over to the Arizona. If I recall correctly, they recommend that you arrive an hour(?) early, which you should definitely plan to do. This will give you time to explore the walk-through exhibits, etc.

Provided you allow yourself plenty of time to get there, you should be fine and not rushed. Please do be aware that traffic in and around Honolulu is horrendous -- much worse than I was prepared for. I grew up in New Jersey and live in Manhattan, so that is saying quite a bit. However long your GPS tells you it will take from point A to point B, double it and plan accordingly.

 

[Dean]

I'm curious about those who say they've experienced long waits.

We booked a time on the website when we got our tickets (I'm talking about Pearl Harbor, btw), does that mean we won't have a wait or am I being naive?

Our tickets are for noon on a Monday and they close at four, so if we have a long wait it means we won't see much and I'd want to change the time.

They will take you in to the video at the time listed. People will line up maybe 30 min before. Parking can be horrendous don't be surprised if it takes you 30 min to find a spot.