Pearl Harbor

[moab44]

Staying at the Aulani in April , what is the best tour to see the Arizona, Missouri and the Bowfin?
The excursions on the hotel site include things we don't want to do or not all the ships. How far out should we book this. I know the Arizona is closed now but it might be open in April.
Thanks

 

[keishashadow]

Staying at the Aulani in April , what is the best tour to see the Arizona, Missouri and the Bowfin?
The excursions on the hotel site include things we don't want to do or not all the ships. How far out should we book this. I know the Arizona is closed now but it might be open in April.
Thanks

It ‘should be’ open I’m reading

There are four different tours available to book (subject to availability) on the the official website. You

https://www.recreation.gov/ticket/facility/233338

I was able to book our tix 60 days out @ 7 am Hawaiian time (noon EST) for 4/30 this week . Went with the passport one that included nearly everything & the first time slot of 11 am for memorial. Worst case, weather permitting, the boat will still run out past it.

If you did miss your booking window and nothing is left, hold back a certain number of tix for walkups, tix office opens approx 7 am as I understand it.

There are also tour companies that offer same tours/transportation.

 

[Elizakapeka]

we just flew to oahu from maui in august just to see pearl harbor. we booked on recreation.gov like PP mentioned. there was a booking window and I booked the day it opened. we did the passport for like $75. that included the headset guided tour, access to the boat to go to USS Arizona (which may or may not be accessible due to structural integrity, we took a boat there and got to look but we could not get off the boat to see the memorial), the bowfin, the USS missouri and the aviation museum. They had group guides giving tours that were included as well and they were very informative. This is the best bet for tickets, everything else has inflated prices for what you get IMHO.

 

[kyton]

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2019...morial-wont-be-restored-for-many-more-months/

Not looking likely for April this year. They do one release 60 days out, another release the day before (both of these are for tours after 11am). On the day the office opens at 7am and they release all available slots, starting at 7.30.

My son and I went last April. We arrived at 7.04am and were about 150-200th in line. Our tickets once we got to the front were for 7.45am. We spent close to 8hrs there doing all the sites.

 

[Lady Hiss]

Not sure if this will be helpful, but we just got back from Aulani and Pearl Harbor was the first thing on our bucket list. We rented a car onsite at Aulani for one day. We left the resort around 7:30 AM and drove to Pearl Harbor. It was a rainy day so perhaps that kept the crowds down, but we were able to get morning tickets for the Arizona and Missouri easily. The Bowfin wasn't on our 'must-do' list so we skipped it as well as the Aviation Museum. The movie about the attack is really well done, and the boat tour our to the Arizona Memorial offers some perspective on that fateful day. The Missouri tour is also well done and very interesting (even in the rain). We also used our rental car to go to the Cemetery of the Pacific which is very moving and beautiful. Just those three things, plus a couple snack/lunch stops filled the entire day.

By the way, our guide on the boat tour out to the harbor & Arizona Memorial specified that there was no completion date for the structure repairs at this time. :-( Also, when we completed the Missouri tour in the late morning, the crowds and lines had increased significantly. So, best advice, go early if you're not part of a tour group.

Have a wonderful trip~

 

[moab44]

Thanks for all the help
I Booked the USS Arizona Memorial + Passport Package. It is for 11:00am. So does that mean go to the Arizona for 11:00? And do the other ship at any time?

 

[Elizakapeka]

you can show up at any time after they open, they will let you in so you can start looking around, you just cant do the Arizona tour until 11. heads up there is a bag restriction so if you carry a purse you will have to store it outside of the memorial in a locker.

 

[Eric777]

Wow that must be new. Ive been there several times and my mom never had to leave her purse behind. Of course this was back in the 80s.

 

[kyton]

Wow that must be new. Ive been there several times and my mom never had to leave her purse behind. Of course this was back in the 80s.

It started after 9/11 - my in-laws went the following January and had to stow their handbags etc then.

 

[Eric777]

Im sure all places like that make you stow your belongings.

 

[Elizakapeka]

Im sure all places like that make you stow your belongings.

There was a wallet on a wristlet at the entrance, if you had anything bigger than it you had to lock it up, If I remember correctly you could maybe fit a cell phone, id's and cash in it. I just put my stuff in hubbys pockets

 

[goofynut41]

I booked my tour right after I made reservation last year thur the excursuions at Aulani.

 

[wdwsue]

Check Groupon for deals

 

[kyton]

Check Groupon for deals

Just keep in mind these are a glorified delivery service. The tour operators cannot go around with you at the actual site. So they basically drop you off, hand you a ticket then pick you up. Sometimes it is more expensive then if you get yourself there - the Arizona is free (if you book online there is a booking fee). The other attractions do incur a cost - Bowfin, Missouri and Pacific Aviation - from memory for all the sites for 1 adult and 1 child, it cost me $105 last April.

 

[Darklord77]

I would recommend touring all three and the aviation museum. The USS Missouri is a 1940's built ship that was refurbished with 1980's technology. You can definitely get the feel of both eras when walking around the ship. Not to mention that you can stand close to the exact location where the Japanese officially surrendered in 1945. I would leave at least 2 hours for the Missouri tour. The Bowfin is also interesting. I told my kids "what other time will you be able to walk through a WWII submarine?" The Bowfin should take an hour at most. The aviation museum on Ford Island is a little bit of a pain to get to, but it's worth a few hours. You can still see the bullet holes in the hangars and marks on the flight line from the actual attack in 1941. I didn't book any tours. We bought a ticket package and just went. One trick I used was to go on a Sunday. Traffic to and from Pearl Harbor was much lighter than a weekday.

 

[nkereina]

you can show up at any time after they open, they will let you in so you can start looking around, you just cant do the Arizona tour until 11. heads up there is a bag restriction so if you carry a purse you will have to store it outside of the memorial in a locker.

Just wanted to add that I opted to store my purse rather than leave it in a car because theft is rampant in that area. It cost $5 to store a bag and you give it to a person at the window who provides you a claim ticket. Cash only. It was easy, the line wasn't terrible. We got there around 7am.

 

[Muddy Rivers]

We were just there on Saturday. I brought with me a clear stadium approved bag. I was able put several items inside of it and not have to put anything in a locker. Several employees commented how great those bags are. I didn’t need to check anything.
We had tickets we obtained in advance for 12 noon. We took our chances and arrived at 9am. The gentleman at the counter was happy to swap our tickets for the 9:15 tour. It was great!