Viking Neptune - Hawaii Sojourn - March 2024

[mortsvette]

It appears none of the excursions on Oahu include a visit to the USS Arizona.  Anyone interested in joining us on 11 March ?  

 

I intend to set up a tour from the Port to the USS Arizona and return sometime in the AM.  Maybe arrange a group through Viatour (https://www.viator.com/tours/Honolulu/Pearl-Harbor-and-Honolulu-City-Tour/d59070-117916P4).  Maybe we we can arrange pick-up at the Aloha Tower Marketplace, nearby to our docking position.

 

I'm certainly not traveling all the way to Oahu and miss this historic and emotional memorial.

[LindaS272]

You will want to put this request in your roll call for the cruise (2025 I presume—not 2024).

 

 

 

 

[mortsvette]

any idea how I can edit or delete and start new with correct date ?

 

[FetaCheese]

You can "report" your initial post (3 dots at top right of every comment) and select "Thread needs attention", then write in comments box, that you want the topic merged with your appropriate roll call.

 

Moderator will most likely take action.

[JF - retired RRT]

1 hour ago, mortsvette said:

It appears none of the excursions on Oahu include a visit to the USS Arizona.  Anyone interested in joining us on 11 March ?  

 

I intend to set up a tour from the Port to the USS Arizona and return sometime in the AM.  Maybe arrange a group through Viatour (https://www.viator.com/tours/Honolulu/Pearl-Harbor-and-Honolulu-City-Tour/d59070-117916P4).  Maybe we we can arrange pick-up at the Aloha Tower Marketplace, nearby to our docking position.

 

I'm certainly not traveling all the way to Oahu and miss this historic and emotional memorial.

Once you find your roll call...if no one is interested...this is what we did on our first visit on a cruise ship.

1) Booked tickets for the AZ online (at the time, they were $1 each IIRC, might be more now).

2) Researched Da Bus routes to see which one went there.

3) Walked across the highway to a but stop. When a bus stopped, the driver said "not this bus, hop on and I'll drop you at the correct stop".

4) Da Bus cost 25 cents for seniors and $1.00 for everyone else - that also may be more now).

5) Rode the correct bus to the correct stop. Walked across the road and picked up our tickets.

6) When we left, we rode back to the port.

Total cost for our excursion was $6.00

[Jim Avery]

A bit of advice for current tours to the Arizona Memorial.  Read the details very carefully.  Going to the Arizona Memorial can mean a visit to the museum and a video but not a boat ride out to the memorial on the wreck.  The over water memorial is small and cannot take all the thousands that show up these days.  I learned this, as usual, the hard way..

[CCWineLover]

5 hours ago, mortsvette said:

It appears none of the excursions on Oahu include a visit to the USS Arizona.  Anyone interested in joining us on 11 March ?  

 

Interesting -

For our Hawaii cruise Jan 15-31, it shows there ARE excursions to Pearl Harbor.

We've been there so many times, but not for several years.

We plan to take the Included Tour (yes, included!) that goes to Pearl Harbor and gives you access to everything except a boat trip to the Arizona itself.

 

As Jim said, beware - to take the boat trip will require some advance planning, as they don't take many people.  It is separate thing.

 

So you have to decide if taking the boat trip out there is worth it and worth committing to well in advance.

 

[Mich3554]

This is what we did…..

We scheduled an included tour that ended at the site of the Arizona, but did not include tickets to see it.  We bought tickets online for after our tour and rather than going back on the bus, stayed and took the tour of the Arizona.  Then we Ubered back to the ship on our own.  
There is so much more to see than the included tour gives you time for, and we got to see everything we wanted.

[CCWineLover]

34 minutes ago, Mich3554 said:

This is what we did…..

We scheduled an included tour that ended at the site of the Arizona, but did not include tickets to see it.  We bought tickets online for after our tour and rather than going back on the bus, stayed and took the tour of the Arizona.  Then we Ubered back to the ship on our own.  
There is so much more to see than the included tour gives you time for, and we got to see everything we wanted.

Great idea, Michelle!  That is what we will try as well!  Perfect.

[JF - retired RRT]

14 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

A bit of advice for current tours to the Arizona Memorial.  Read the details very carefully.  Going to the Arizona Memorial can mean a visit to the museum and a video but not a boat ride out to the memorial on the wreck.  The over water memorial is small and cannot take all the thousands that show up these days.  I learned this, as usual, the hard way..

That's too bad. When we did it the ride to the memorial was included. It was very moving to see all those names on the wall.

[Jim Avery]

Yes, hard to not get emotional.  I recommend trying hard to get one of the spaces.

[sowhat33]

I did this visit last year. I went on one of the earliest of the included tours which gave me and others plenty of time to do whatever we wanted. I had been to the Arizona before, and felt I could meditate from the park. I was interested in thoroughly absorbing the personal stories in the museum. That being said, others on my included either went to the standby line (all made it on one of the transports) or arranged tickets on line before the visit. If they didn't have the time to catch their return bus to the Viking ship, they either took a taxi, Ubered, or something Viking doesn't broadcast, charmed their way onto another returning Viking bus from a later included. Not guaranteed, but also not something Viking wants to advertise. Our returning bus was only about half full.

[CCWineLover]

4 minutes ago, sowhat33 said:

I did this visit last year. I went on one of the earliest of the included tours which gave me and others plenty of time to do whatever we wanted. I had been to the Arizona before, and felt I could meditate from the park. I was interested in thoroughly absorbing the personal stories in the museum. That being said, others on my included either went to the standby line (all made it on one of the transports) or arranged tickets on line before the visit. If they didn't have the time to catch their return bus to the Viking ship, they either took a taxi, Ubered, or something Viking doesn't broadcast, charmed their way onto another returning Viking bus from a later included. Not guaranteed, but also not something Viking wants to advertise. Our returning bus was only about half full.

Good advice.  We are doing the Jan 15 Hawaii Sojourn and will be doing this tour on Jan 23.  Discovered you can reserve the free boat tix on-line 8 weeks ahead if you don't want to risk stand by.  

My question: 

What time did you select for the included tour (that also goes to Pearl Harbor), if you can remember?  And then what time did you get to Pearl Harbor?  Trying to figure out which boat to book.

Our tour choices on MVJ are:  

[sowhat33]

Aha, you caught me before I signed out! I went on the 9:00 Included tour to Pearl Harbor. I can't remember how long the ride was, but I think we just did the drive through of Chinatown, then directly to Pearl Harbor. You can come and go throughout the museum or some of the other exhibits before or after your boat to the Arizona. As I said, it's quite moving even to sit and gaze over the harbor, especially after hearing some of the stories from the residents and military stationed there at the time.

[OneSixtyToOne]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 30 by OneSixtyToOne

[Seespot]

We are on your sailing and would be interested in joining! you can email me directly (remove spaces in case this isn't allowed!) see spot grooming at gmail dot com