Booking activities at Aulani/Oahu/Kauai

[theseacallsme]

Hi! This will probably be a dumb question...I am used to having to book things far in advance for various vacations & events, so I'm wondering if I should book things in advance for my trip or if most stuff will be easily available to do day-of.

For reference, I'll be on Oahu at Aulani from Sept 21-28 and Kauai from the 29th-Oct 3rd. In Oahu I'd like to see Pearl Harbor, the Polynesian Museum, and maybe snorkel. In Kauai I'd like to snorkel, take a surf lesson, and maybe horseback ride. I'd also love to eat at a traditional luau.

I am very much a city person so I'm used to go-go-go and things selling out, so I'm hoping I'm wrong about Hawaii and I'll be able to finally unwind!!

 

[94bruin]

The main item you need to book ahead of time is Pearl Harbor. Search this forum on how to get tickets. Did you know that you cannot get onto the actual Arizona memorial at this time. You only get a boat ride near the memorial. They are working on a fix and have a tentative reopen date of Oct 1. However, there is a lot that is worth seeing in the area.

 

[94bruin]

https://www.disboards.com/threads/booking-pearl-harbor-tour-dates.3674538/

You have to book now (or the next few days) for Pearl Harbor. There are other options for tickets, but if you have a date set aside for Pearl Harbor, you're at the 60 day mark. You can also get tickets online 24 hours in advance or if you line up early. However, since you are going at a slow time, you may not have to line up *that* early. (I think for peak summer dates, you'd have to line up around 7am.)

For the other activities, you have time. However, if you are set on a certain vendor or date, it's always best to book early. But since you are going during slow season, I think you still have time.

 

[cgattis]

Not sure what kind of snorkeling you’re thinking about, but there are lots of places you can go without booking anything, unless you mean renting gear. We carried our own and snorkeled at Hananuma Bay and Sharks Cove on Oahu and Poipu Beach on Kauai. We wanted to do Tunnels as well but just ran out of steam by that point in the trip (like day 10).

 

[theseacallsme]

https://www.disboards.com/threads/booking-pearl-harbor-tour-dates.3674538/

You have to book now (or the next few days) for Pearl Harbor. There are other options for tickets, but if you have a date set aside for Pearl Harbor, you're at the 60 day mark. You can also get tickets online 24 hours in advance or if you line up early. However, since you are going at a slow time, you may not have to line up *that* early. (I think for peak summer dates, you'd have to line up around 7am.)

For the other activities, you have time. However, if you are set on a certain vendor or date, it's always best to book early. But since you are going during slow season, I think you still have time.

Thank you so much! I just booked it

 

[theseacallsme]

Not sure what kind of snorkeling you’re thinking about, but there are lots of places you can go without booking anything, unless you mean renting gear. We carried our own and snorkeled at Hananuma Bay and Sharks Cove on Oahu and Poipu Beach on Kauai. We wanted to do Tunnels as well but just ran out of steam by that point in the trip (like day 10).

That's good news! I was thinking of buying our own gear as renting stuff that goes in a ton of stranger's mouths skeeves me out! Plus I'm hoping to snorkel on both islands

What did you buy? Any recs?

 

[94bruin]

That's good news! I was thinking of buying our own gear as renting stuff that goes in a ton of stranger's mouths skeeves me out! Plus I'm hoping to snorkel on both islands

What did you buy? Any recs?

It's late in the season, but some people had good luck buying snorkels at Costco.

That's what we did with one of our kids. For the rest of us, we purchased our gear at a local dive shop.

 

[cgattis]

That's good news! I was thinking of buying our own gear as renting stuff that goes in a ton of stranger's mouths skeeves me out! Plus I'm hoping to snorkel on both islands

What did you buy? Any recs?

We bought the full face masks (Aria I believe is the brand) and inflatable horse collar vests in case we got somewhere where I felt nervous letting the kids go out without one—they are super lightweight and take up almost zero luggage space (although we didn’t end up using them much). We never needed fins. We LOVE the masks!!

 

[pjacobi]

Be aware that there are safety concerns over the use of full face masks after drowning deaths in Hawaii. More data is needed, but I'm not willing to be a statistic.

-Paul

 

[cgattis]

Be aware that there are safety concerns over the use of full face masks after drowning deaths in Hawaii. More data is needed, but I'm not willing to be a statistic.

-Paul

I’m sure people have drowned with all sorts of gear. They have an amazing seal and ball valve—I never had a drop of leakage. But I also don’t dive far under the surface with mine. You’ve got to use caution any time you’re in the water.