Oahu and Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

National Park Service Website:

https://www.nps.gov/valr/index.htm

How to take the Bus: If you are in Waikiki, go to Kuhio Avenue – Bus No 42 or 20. I think it also picks up near the Aloha Tower where we probably will be docked. It takes an hour and runs fairly frequently. For Seniors, the fare is $1 – or was when I was last there two years ago. It is free to visit Pearl Harbour but you can book with, I think, the National Parks service who will give you a ticket and time – $7.50 for each person it was. Just Google ‘visit Pearl Harbour’ and ‘bus to Pearl Harbour’. There are a lot of tour companies who offer tickets for a lot more. The bus drops you right at the entrance. We just missed one bus on the return journey and had to wait half an hour for another. Definitely worth the visit and you can do it for almost nothing. That was my third visit to Pearl Harbour (over a few years) and still found it interesting. Plan to spend a few hours there. We also had no trouble with the launch out to the Arizona memorial and you can spend as long as you like there. As we are going to Maui next day, the sailing time out of Honolulu is usually about 11.00 pm so if you spend three hours in the morning at Pearl Harbour, you still have plenty of time in the afternoon/evening to do other things.

Passport Descriptionhttps://www.recreation.gov/brands/re…/img/minus.png
The Passport to Pearl Harbor is a great way to see all of the Pacific Historic Sites with one ticket, because it includes everything. However, there is sometimes confusion about how the Passport works.
First, the Passport to Pearl Harbor includes a free ticket to the USS Arizona Memorial for the time and day of your choosing. When you buy a Passport to Pearl Harbor, you are not paying for a ticket to the USS Arizona Memorial. Here’s what you are doing.

  1. You are scheduling your chosen USS Arizona Memorial program day and time, so that when you arrive at the visitor center, your free ticket(s) will be waiting for you.
  2. You are paying for the USS Arizona Memorial narrated tour, as well as admission to all of our Pacific Historic Site partners. This includes the Battleship Missouri Memorial, the Pacific Aviation Museum, and the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park.

Second, in order to get the most out of your Passport to Pearl Harbor experience, please arrive between 7:00 AM and 9:00 AM, because seeing all the sites will take you 6-8 hours. Here’s why.

  1. The USS Arizona Memorial program and narrated tour takes two and a half hours, and is the only thing that is time specific. Please refer to the ticket time you chose.
  2. The Battleship Missouri is a 10-minute shuttle ride away on Ford Island (the shuttle ride is included in the ticket price). It’s a self-paced tour, but it’s a huge battleship, so depending on how much you want to see, it can take anywhere from one hour to a few hours.
  3. The Pacific Aviation Museum is also located at Ford Island. Like the Battleship Missouri, it is self-paced but generally takes at least an hour. It could take much longer depending on your interests.
  4. The USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park is located near the visitor center, to the right of the ticket desks. It takes about an hour to tour the submarine, with more time required for the museum.

You will also want to schedule in time for lunch, bathroom breaks, and travel between sites.
Keep in mind that all sites and the visitor center itself close at 5:00 PM during the summer months. From September to May, the Battleship Missouri closes at 4:00 PM.

Waikiki Hop on Hop off trolley:

https://waikikitrolley.com/

Waikiki Trolley Blue Line – Panoramic Coastline Tour (full circle approximately 2.5 hours):
Hop on the Blue Line to see Oahu’s southeastern coastline and great views of white-sand beaches, tall cliffs and, if you’re lucky, whales and dolphins. Your bus travels from Waikiki along the coast 15 miles (24 km) to the final stop at Sea Life Park, a marine-mammal park and aquarium near Makapuʻu Point. Along the way, enjoy live narrated commentary and short photo stops at Hanauma Bay, Hawaii Kai lookout, Halona Blow Hole and Sandy Beach (drive-through only).

Stops:

  • Ilikai Hotel & Suites
  • T Galleria by DFS
  • Duke Kahanamoku statue
  • Hanauma Bay
  • Halona Blow Hole
  • Sandy Beach (drive-through only)
  • Sea Life Park
  • Hawaii Kai lookout
  • Kahala Mall

 Bus system: The new system does away with the transfer system. The new system requires you to buy a “daily” pass if you plan on using the bus frequently in one day. $5.00 for adults, $2.00 for seniors. The daily pass allows unlimited rides for the day. Ask the driver for the pass before you toss your money in the collection box.

 

Luaus: None will be listed for Maui since Luaus are in the evening and we leave Maui at 6PM. Many people want an authentic experience, but everything that is commercially available really isn’t authentic.  Maybe we can check the newspapers for a church sponsored luau.
One that has been recommended several times:

http://www.chiefsluau.com/

Summary from Wikitravel: http://wikitravel.org/en/Honolulu