Pearl Harbor --- On your own vs. tours?

[cruise.mode]

First (and possibly one and only) trip to HI booked on POA this fall. Will be spending a few days pre-cruise in Honolulu. DH is intent on spending a full day at Pearl Harbor. By that I mean he wants to see Arizona, Missouri, Pacific Aviation Museum, Bowfin, Punchbowl.

 

From what I've been able to find out, Roberts Tours seems closest to what DH wants to do. But we're skeptical about how much time you actually get at each stop.

 

About how far are these stops in relation to one another? Are they all in the same general area?

 

Are we better off trying to do Pearl Harbor on our own and at our own pace or with a tour company? The tour company says that once you book, you're guaranteed entry. How does that stack up against trying to book on your own through the National Park Service website?

 

Any shared wisdom would be much appreciated.

[Kamloops50]

First (and possibly one and only) trip to HI booked on POA this fall. Will be spending a few days pre-cruise in Honolulu. DH is intent on spending a full day at Pearl Harbor. By that I mean he wants to see Arizona, Missouri, Pacific Aviation Museum, Bowfin, Punchbowl.

 

From what I've been able to find out, Roberts Tours seems closest to what DH wants to do. But we're skeptical about how much time you actually get at each stop.

 

About how far are these stops in relation to one another? Are they all in the same general area?

 

Are we better off trying to do Pearl Harbor on our own and at our own pace or with a tour company? The tour company says that once you book, you're guaranteed entry. How does that stack up against trying to book on your own through the National Park Service website?

 

Any shared wisdom would be much appreciated.

 

To do it yourself , you have get there very early to get tickets. All three are separate tours in themselves.

[CruiserBruce]

Having gone to Pearl many times, I would suggest doing Pearl on your own, one day. You can easily spend 6+ hours there. Take TheBus from your hotel. Yes, you will probably need to schedule it a little, with the need for pre-planned times at the Missouri and the Arizona.

 

Punch Bowl is a separate area.

 

Bowfin and the Arizona are together. Missouri and the Museum are 15 minutes away by shuttle, the only way to get there. A little research here, and on the website for the Pearl sites would be very helpful.

Edited January 6, 2015 by CruiserBruce

[VTX-AL]

Having gone to Pearl many times, I would suggest doing Pearl on your own, one day. You can easily spend 6+ hours there. Take TheBus from your hotel. Yes, you will probably need to schedule it a little, with the need for pre-planned times at the Missouri and the Arizona.

 

Punch Bowl is a separate area.

 

Bowfin and the Arizona are together. Missouri and the Museum are 15 minutes away by shuttle, the only way to get there. A little research here, and on the website for the Pearl sites would be very helpful.

 

Bowfin and it's ticket office is at the main Pearl Harbour visitor center. To get to the Arizona memorial you must take a shuttle boat from the visitor center. To do a USS Missouri tour, I would recommend pre-purchasing your tickets online, in order to get the time that would work best for you. If you wait until you get to the visitor center you will be at the mercy of whatever crowds are there also trying to get tickets.

 

...VTX-Al

[cccole]

Because this is your first and possibly only time to visit Pearl Harbor make it a great day. I agree with others that doing it on your own is preferable. The rangers at PH are sooooo helpful and kind. You can purchase your tickets on the National Park website, so no need to go early, wait in line, and hope for the best. I would use a taxi or a pre-arranged shuttle for transportation to make it easy. The late afternoon, just before closing, is a beautiful time at PH, if you can end your visit then. Most of the crowds are there early and it becomes somewhat quiet later in the day. Also, the shuttle to the Arizona Memorial is included with the free tickets (with 1.50 on-line charge). When we were there in November the ranger said that trying to arrive by 10:00 is good because if the Navy closes the shuttle boat to the Arizona it is usually after that because the winds pick up. If the shuttle is shut down by the Navy the movie and all other exhibits are still available. The NPS website is very helpful with making reservations and plans. Cherie

Edited January 6, 2015 by cccole

[cruzn single]

Get your tickets from http://www.nps.gov then go from your hotel. Once at PH, then you can get tickets for Bowfin, USS Missouri, and Pacific Aviation Museum. Tickets you get in advance will only be for USS Arizona.

 

Only thing not on the list would be Punchbowl. Another suggestion I would have might be to go on the Home of the Brave tour. This goes to USS Arizona, Fort Shafter, Wheeler Field, Schofield Barracks, Punchbowl (drive thru), as it is re-living 12-07-41. Then if he wants more he could go back for other (Mighty Mo, Bowfin, PAM) sites another day.

 

We have done Home of the Brave 3 times and have been to PH on our own 3 times. Personally, I prefer the Home of the Brave tour. They pick you up at your hotel.

[CruiserBruce]

Tickets you get in advance will only be for USS Arizona.

 

 

This is not true. There is a very nice selection of tours available for the Missouri on line, and booking in advance is recommended to assure a spot in the time frame you wish to go there.

[cccole]

To do it yourself , you have get there very early to get tickets. All three are separate tours in themselves.

 

As others have said, you do not have to go early to get tickets. You can get them on line, for a $1.50 charge, know your time, and make your plans. No reason to stand in line with tour operators and others unless it adds to your experience. Someone mentions driving through Schofield, I have driven through many times, no need for a tour and nothing to see on a drive-thru unless you have a particular interest in the base. JMO. Punchbowl is a wonderful excursion but easily done with a rental car on your own time. If you want to rent a car you could do Pearl Harbor and the Punchbowl easily on the same day. Car rentals in Waikiki are easy. Cherie

[kentuckmn]

This is not true. There is a very nice selection of tours available for the Missouri on line, and booking in advance is recommended to assure a spot in the time frame you wish to go there.

 

I'm looking online for the Missouri via the government web site and it's not giving me any time choices. Also, here's what it says about the Arizona.

 

DISCLAIMER

 

Thank you for your interest in visiting the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites. Please know that purchase of tours on PearlHarborHistoricSites.org do not include the USS Arizona Memorial movie/boat tour. The National Park Service offers over 2,000 free walk-in tickets each day for the USS Arizona Memorial Tour on a first-come, first-served basis. Be sure to come early for these walk up tickets, the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center is open daily from 7am.

[Astro Flyer]

I'm looking online for the Missouri via the government web site and it's not giving me any time choices. Also, here's what it says about the Arizona.

 

DISCLAIMER

 

Thank you for your interest in visiting the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites. Please know that purchase of tours on PearlHarborHistoricSites.org do not include the USS Arizona Memorial movie/boat tour. The National Park Service offers over 2,000 free walk-in tickets each day for the USS Arizona Memorial Tour on a first-come, first-served basis. Be sure to come early for these walk up tickets, the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center is open daily from 7am.

You need to go directly to the Battleship Missouri Memorial website where it's possible to prebook tours.

 

https://ussmissouri.org

[CruiserBruce]

You need to go directly to the Battleship Missouri Memorial website where it's possible to prebook tours.

 

https://ussmissouri.org

 

That is the place. Search is your friend...

[kentuckmn]

Thank you. Do you think there is a risk of getting in to see the Mighty Mo Pass - General Admission ($25 adults, $13 children ages 4-12) on a Tuesday in April if you do not purchase advance tickets? There are no time slots on this tour.

[Astro Flyer]

Thank you. Do you think there is a risk of getting in to see the Mighty Mo Pass - General Admission ($25 adults, $13 children ages 4-12) on a Tuesday in April if you do not purchase advance tickets? There are no time slots on this tour.

 

I doubt if any of us know their reservation policy about whether they sell all tickets in advance or have some available for walk up purchase so calling them would be the best way to get an accurate answer.

[mogli]

We are cruising to Hawaii but not til next year. We also would like to go visit Pearl Harbour but would like to go on our own rather than being tied to a tour. Got a couple of questions that hopefully someone could help me with - Is it still really busy in February? Could we get a bus from the pier to PH. Or is it best to get a cab - would we have to book this in advance. Hoping to purchase tickets in advance - I read that there is 1 queue even if a ticket has been pre-booked - is this still the case?

[Astro Flyer]

We are cruising to Hawaii but not til next year. We also would like to go visit Pearl Harbour but would like to go on our own rather than being tied to a tour. Got a couple of questions that hopefully someone could help me with - Is it still really busy in February? Could we get a bus from the pier to PH. Or is it best to get a cab - would we have to book this in advance. Hoping to purchase tickets in advance - I read that there is 1 queue even if a ticket has been pre-booked - is this still the case?

 

February in Hawaii is when all of the "snowbirds migrate" to the Islands with the whales and thus a busy month for tourism. ;)

 

From the Aloha Tower Pier we walked a couple of blocks to The Bus to get to PH. Construction of the rail system has resulted in some bus routes being changed & check on their website to confirm bus info. Also Google Maps has the option to view bus options between 2 locations but would still double check The Bus site for up to date info.

 

If time is limited, you could get to PH faster by taking a cab there & then The Bus back to the ship. I've read the cab is about $35 vs. $5 for two people using The Bus. Maybe someone on your cruise's roll call would want to share the cost of the cab with you.

 

Returning from PH my wife continued to the large Ala Moana Shopping Center near Waikiki & I went to the ship hoping she wouldn't max out our credit card. :p

 

I have no way to confirm it however I recently read a post saying that only 20% of tickets are available to order in advance. Our most recent visit was during early December which like many places around the world is a slow time for tourism & thus not crowded to easily walk up for a tender ticket to the Arizona Memorial.

Edited April 5, 2015 by Astro Flyer

[mogli]

are there always plenty of cabs sitting waiting at the pier? - what time in the day do you reckon would be the best time to go ? I know there is lots to do in Honolulu but this will possibly be the only time we will visit and wouldn't want to miss out on the PH experience - this is only our second ever cruise so all new to this sort of stuff, thanks in advance.

[Astro Flyer]

are there always plenty of cabs sitting waiting at the pier? - what time in the day do you reckon would be the best time to go ? I know there is lots to do in Honolulu but this will possibly be the only time we will visit and wouldn't want to miss out on the PH experience - this is only our second ever cruise so all new to this sort of stuff, thanks in advance.

 

I would suggest searching online for cab companies to learn if it's possible to pre-reserve a cab to PH. I don't know about how many cabs are available or what other things you're considering doing. Be aware that traffic delays can be bad (Honolulu is ranked only behind LA for traffic) and the rail line construction makes it even worse.

 

If you're not aware of it, there are 2 cruise terminals...the Aloha Tower and another one closer to Waikiki (pier 2?). You could search online to discover which pier you are scheduled to arrive at to help plan your day. Once we walked into Honolulu to Iolani Palace & the capital and found a website with photos and descriptions of historical buildings along the way. Walking from Aloha Tower to The Bus stop we discovered the church where Saint Fr. Damian was ordained.

 

To me Waikiki is a bunch of high rise buildings & I prefer visiting historical sites instead, Have you considered the Missouri or the adjacent aviation museum.

Edited April 5, 2015 by Astro Flyer

[apbabowling]

DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT pay for a tour to go to Pearl Harbor.

 

Get a rental car and drive yourself there. Plenty of parking if you get there earlier in the day.

 

We just got back from a 4 day stay in Oahu (Kalakaua Ave) and a 7 day POA cruise (yes, the building is still moving).

 

We drove to Pearl Harbor (thanks GPS!), walked up at about 8:10am, got free tickets for the Arizona Memorial for 20 minutes later, got on the boat.

 

We paid for the Bowfin ($12 audio tour) and it was great. We had the option for the Missouri to take an audio tour but was overruled by our daughter and just walked around ourselves. I would have preferred either a guided or an audio tour. In the end, I much preferred the Bowfin because of that.

 

-jarrod

[mogli]

its the getting there that's the problem for us as we don't want to hire a car and will rely on public transport and this is one place we don't want to miss. I am going to look into the bus times and routes etc,

[apbabowling]

its the getting there that's the problem for us as we don't want to hire a car and will rely on public transport and this is one place we don't want to miss. I am going to look into the bus times and routes etc,

 

But if you're cruising and thinking of taking the bus, what on earth are you going to do with your suitcases if it's before your cruise or if you do it after your cruise (assuming you don't pay for the post-cruise excursion with your cruise line)?

 

-jarrod

[mogli]

cruising from LA to Hawaii. Honolulu is second day - ships excursion is $89 each for a 5.5 hour tour of Pearl Harbour and USS Arizona Memorial then city tour, really don't want the city tour and from past cruise ship excursions would rather do our own thing hence the reason for trying to sort it ourselves so as we can do more sightseeing.