Aulani soon! A few questions...

[Aaryana]

Hi, everyone! We leave for Aulani in 20 days! We're trying to settle on a tentative game plan for our stay. We arrive on May 17 at 1 pm local time and leave on the 23rd at 9 pm local time. We will not have a car every day that we are there, but we plan to rent one a few times as needed. We got a free shuttle service to and from the airport and a free one day car rental. So, we plan to rent a car 2-3 more days. Now that you're caught up....

We have tickets for Pearl Harbor at 2:30 pm on May 20th. We wanted to go earlier in the day, but after checking the website daily for weeks, the day that the tickets were actually released, neither my mom nor I could be online to reserve an earlier time. Since this will be one of our car rental days, we'd like to make the most of our time. What else could we do that day to maximize our sightseeing? Some other things we'd like to do are swim with dolphins, try surfing, Diamond Head, Waimea Falls, Ala Moana Center. I was thinking we could do the tour then head into Honolulu for dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. What could we do earlier in the day that would be semi-local to Pearl Harbor?

Similar question, except this one is for Waimea Falls. Is the Matsumoto shave ice place near that?

Thanks! Sorry it was so long...

 

[sandyam76]

Hey there!! We arrive the 16th and leave the 24th!! We have been to Aulani on 2 previous trips and it is amazing!! We have found that having a car is just easier for the entire trip. I ended up getting a great deal this time on a premium convertible vehicle at Discount Hawaii Car Rentals for the entire trip for $280.00. I am not sure what sort of deals they have this close to your trip but they are worth a try, I also used them for our first trip and paid even less for 2 weeks! If you get to Diamond Head early (which is recommended) you could definitely do that before Pearl Harbor...if time is an issue and you can't squeeze that in beforehand you could try the swap meet if its open on that day. You can also go early in the morning and try to get the standby tickets. If you search these boards many people have tried surfing on Oahu, we only have experience on Maui, but many people here have had great experiences on Oahu so you might be able to get some great suggestions. I believe Waimea Falls is fairly close to the shave ice shack. One of the days you have the car you should surely take a ride to the North Shore, that is probably my favorite side of the island...love the beaches on that side, Laniakea Beach is the beach where sea turtles just lay right on the beach...so cool!! We also did a kayak tour and a beginner scuba dive with Hawaii Eco Divers which we would highly recommend...Ricardo and his entire team were amazing! The kayaking was so fun, we had sea turtles swim right under our kayaks...and we swam with sea turtles and sharks!! So amazing!! If you like shrimp I would also recommend trying out the shrimp trucks on the North Shore..our fave is Mackey's! Have a great trip!! Maybe we will see you around!!! Aloha!!

 

[Girimama33]

I agree that Diamond Head would be doable the same day as PH. Another option would be the Swap Meet at Aloha Stadium. I am pretty sure they have it on Wednesday (and Sat, Sun). It is close to PH. Keep in mind that parking at PH will be difficult throughout the day. You may consider going to Ala Moana and the Hard Rock afterwards.
Matsumoto's is in Haleiwa Town on the North Shore. You could certainly stop there when you do your Waimea Falls outing.
There are several surfing companies...some will pick you up from Aulani. We have used Girls that Surf in the past and had a lot of fun.

 

[wanderlust7]

If you like shrimp I would also recommend trying out the shrimp trucks on the North Shore..our fave is Mackey's!

We like Macky's too! There's a $2 off per plate coupon in one of the tourist magazines.

 

[happydayva]

Yippee!! We are coming in on the 19th and leaving the 25th! It will be myself, my DH and my DD (12) coming from the east coast (NC). We also have tickets for PH on the 20th!!! Ours are at 2pm. We plan to head that way and try to get a park before lunch and go to the swap meet before PH. We decided to rent a car from Discount Hawaii car rentals the entire time too. We can't wait for our North Shore day!! We are planning a surf lesson for DD with Girls Who Surf, diamond head, Waimea falls, dole plantation, shrimp trucks, the underwater scuba scooters, luau and hopefully a helicopter tour!! We can HARDLY STAND IT!! CAN'T WAIT TO GO!!!

 

[Amw1064]

Wow, to bad you aren't coming a month later. We are also coming from east coast (FL) and traveling with our 12 year old daughter. We are doing almost the exact things you are doing. Did you already book your surf lesson with Girls Who Surf? (did they get a new name) I want to book that before we leave. Please update when you get back. (I have a thread titled Aulani help)

Yippee!! We are coming in on the 19th and leaving the 25th! It will be myself, my DH and my DD (12) coming from the east coast (NC). We also have tickets for PH on the 20th!!! Ours are at 2pm. We plan to head that way and try to get a park before lunch and go to the swap meet before PH. We decided to rent a car from Discount Hawaii car rentals the entire time too. We can't wait for our North Shore day!! We are planning a surf lesson for DD with Girls Who Surf, diamond head, Waimea falls, dole plantation, shrimp trucks, the underwater scuba scooters, luau and hopefully a helicopter tour!! We can HARDLY STAND IT!! CAN'T WAIT TO GO!!!

 

[sandyam76]

We like Macky's too! There's a $2 off per plate coupon in one of the tourist magazines.

Thanks for the tip on the coupon!! I didn't know about that!!

 

[Anal Annie]

Since you mentioned the Hard Rock, this was what we did. Our DS collects Hard Rock t-shirts and always, always orders their local legendary burgers no matter what is on them (that's just his thing to do) so we HAD to go in both Honolulu and on Maui too once we island hopped. We did Pearl Harbor early on a Sunday but included the USS Missouri so we were there for several hours. We then went into Waikiki to hit the Hard Rock for lunch...they will validate your parking at the Bank of Hawaii garage across the street for a discount for either 3 or 4 hours (I forget which but the info is on their website). After we ate lunch we walked the 2 or 3 blocks over to the beach for our obligatory peek at Diamond Head and Waikiki Beach (there is a beach access walkway next to the Outrigger Reef). Since you are doing PH at 2:30 you will need to be there by 1:30 to get your tix....it is not all that far of a drive between (IIRC it was only about 20 minutes on a Sunday) but you could just flip it & try to go into Waikiki first and do an 11:30-12:00 lunch at HRC then head over to PH.

We did our surf lessons in the morning on the North Shore (used Uncle Bryan's bcuz we could get a semi-private lesson with just the 3 of us which was so worth it). By the time we finished up with that it was lunchtime so we went to Giovanni's Shrimp truck and got some shave ice right there at another vendor (the line at Matsumotos was HUGE). Then we drove to Turtle Bay etc.

Both of these days were very full and long

 

[BeachClub2014]

We have tickets for Pearl Harbor at 2:30 pm on May 20th. We wanted to go earlier in the day, but after checking the website daily for weeks, the day that the tickets were actually released, neither my mom nor I could be online to reserve an earlier time. Since this will be one of our car rental days, we'd like to make the most of our time.

If you still want to do PH earlier in the day, and your group are early risers, when you get to PH shortly after they open, you shouldn't have trouble getting tickets for the Memorial. I have done that at least four ties with different friends/families visiting. Get there early, get your free tickets then wander thru the museums and the parks while waiting for your movie time. This has worked for me each time. Makes parking much easier as well.

Some other things we'd like to do are swim with dolphins, try surfing, Diamond Head, Waimea Falls, Ala Moana Center.

Diamond Head and Waimea Falls are definitely worth doing. If you stick to your original PH time of 2:30 you can definitely do the Diamond Head climb in the morning and have plenty of time for lunch before heading to PH. Ala Moana is just a big mall with all your typical stores, but hey, if that's your thing, it's a great big mall!

 

[Aaryana]

Thanks, everyone! While Diamond Head would be ideal the morning of Pearl Harbor, we don't want to be sweaty and gross for the rest of the day. Though, we may still do it this day. I like the idea of maybe doing lunch at Hard Rock first. How much time would we need to give ourselves to be at Pearl Harbor by 1 if we left from the Hard Rock/Waikiki area? Thanks!

The big draw for Ala Moana is the shop where you can make custom flip flops.

 

[rpcvpanama]

Check the hours for PH. You could literally spend all day there. There is an extensive museum and other things to see. There is also a submarine and if you do the tour that includes Missouri it will be a full day. I think the ticket is for the actual boat ride that takes you out to the Arizona so you could arrive early and do the other things first and then do the Arizona last. I wouldn't short change PH as there is a lot to see and do, especially if you are interested in the history of the battle.

 

[Aaryana]

Check the hours for PH. You could literally spend all day there. There is an extensive museum and other things to see. There is also a submarine and if you do the tour that includes Missouri it will be a full day. I think the ticket is for the actual boat ride that takes you out to the Arizona so you could arrive early and do the other things first and then do the Arizona last. I wouldn't short change PH as there is a lot to see and do, especially if you are interested in the history of the battle.

I am definitely interested, but my mom probably will not be interested in staying there all day. We'll try to get there around 10 or 11 am and see some things before our ticket time. Thanks for the info! It sounds like there's more to do than I expected.