Aulani visitors - Who has toured USS Arizona without reservations?

[travelbug]

Bummer, bummer, bummer. I went online to reserve tickets for Pearl Harbor, and they are all sold out until about 2 weeks after we've left. I could kick myself. I understand that they keep a very limited number of tickets back for walk-ups. There will be 3 of us. We'd be willing to get up before dawn and arrive early to be able to get tickets.

Any thoughts on how early we should get there? Any particular day of the week give us a better chance? Anyone reading this been successful recently at getting tickets as a walk-up? We will be at Aulani the last week in June.

Another thought. Is it possible that some of the tickets that have been sold are in the hands of tour operators? Should we consider trying to get on a tour, even though it would cost us more to do it that way?

Thanks for any thoughts. Gotta return to kicking myself now.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

My personal opinion is that you'll be able to get the tour. We went on Sunday, December 9th. We actually had a special harbor tour reserved for the afternoon that they operate only a couple of times a year so we didn't arrive until 10 or 10:30 am. When we purchased the tickets to also go see the Missouri we were asked if we wanted to do the Arizona at 11 am with what would have been a walk up ticket.

December is a different time than June but if you're planning on being there right when they open I'd give odds that you'll be fine. I've toured the memorial 3 or 4 times now and never have reserved for it but it had been a couple of years since the last time.

 

[stitchandco]

We went in march. We arrived around 9 and they were out of tickets. We got very lucky however and were put on standby. We made it on the 9:30 tour.

 

[abdgeek]

I went to Pearl Harbor in June of 2011 without a reservation and got a ticket for the Arizona. I got there around 10am and the earliest tour I could get was at 12:30. I used the extra time to see the USS Missouri and Bowfin.

 

[kvichi]

We went in March on a Monday and tickets were sold out by 9:30ish. I would plan on being there as soon as they open the box office. There is still lots to see without actually going out to the Arizona, but it wouldn't be quite as meaningful.

 

[izzy]

I did this last May on a Friday. Don't quote me on these times, but I think I got there just a few minutes after 8 and got a ticket for around 9:30. Be sure to factor in the heavy traffic!!

 

[Anal Annie]

Bummer, bummer, bummer. I went online to reserve tickets for Pearl Harbor, and they are all sold out until about 2 weeks after we've left. I could kick myself. I understand that they keep a very limited number of tickets back for walk-ups. There will be 3 of us. We'd be willing to get up before dawn and arrive early to be able to get tickets.

Any thoughts on how early we should get there? Any particular day of the week give us a better chance? Anyone reading this been successful recently at getting tickets as a walk-up? We will be at Aulani the last week in June.

Another thought. Is it possible that some of the tickets that have been sold are in the hands of tour operators? Should we consider trying to get on a tour, even though it would cost us more to do it that way?

Thanks for any thoughts. Gotta return to kicking myself now.

I am planning on booking online for August (I keep checking the date we want every week to be sure there are still tix left). Since we are also planning on doing the USS Missouri too which costs a lot more I keep putting off actually buying the tix as I don't want to pay for them just quite yet. They recommend arriving an hour before your reservation time. I called to ask what happens if you're late and they told me those are the people who forfeit their tix to the walk-ups. So anybody who's late runs the risk of losing their reservation time. I have been to PH 4 times before but have always booked a tour on the spur of the moment (that picked us up from our hotels in Waikiki). I am sure that tour operators have their own stash of tix because we've always done it last minute. This will be our first time going on our own and planning ahead... The line to get in is long regardless.

(OP - FWIW I sort of know how you feel. When we went to Paris before our DCL Med cruise I kept putting off pre-buying tix for the Eiffel Tower 'cuz I couldn't decide on a time. By the time I DID decide they were sold out online (for the WHOLE DAY) and I was so mad at myself. I really didn't want to waste 90 min. standing in line just to buy tix to stand in line for the elevators again so I ended up finding a behind the scenes tour to book that went underground to see the elevator workings and which included tix to the 2nd level. (From there we were able to buy tix to the summit with only a 30 min. wait.) Yes, it cost a lot more but it was so neat and it saved us a LOT of precious time.) GOOD LUCK!!

 

[MMcCarthy]

We did the your through aulani. It cost a little more but the drive and tickets were worth the expense. Our driver definitely enjoyed his job and made the travel time entertaining and informative.

 

[Sir William]

We went a few days ago.

Arrive early. They open at 7am and by 9 tickets are usually gone. When we arrived at 8am they only had 5 tickets left, and those were for 10.45.

The Rangers said in the summer months they are out of tickets within minutes of opening.

 

[travelbug]

Thanks for your replies, everyone! Sounds like we may have a chance if we arrive there super early and beat the others arriving super early. I have a couple follow-up questions below.

We did the your through aulani. It cost a little more but the drive and tickets were worth the expense. Our driver definitely enjoyed his job and made the travel time entertaining and informative.

Can you tell me a little more about the tour you arranged through Aulani? Do you remember the approximate cost? Did you arrange that with Aulani before you arrived there, or after you got there?

We went a few days ago.

Arrive early. They open at 7am and by 9 tickets are usually gone. When we arrived at 8am they only had 5 tickets left, and those were for 10.45.

The Rangers said in the summer months they are out of tickets within minutes of opening.

So the box office opens at 7:00, or the tours start at 7:00? Trying to figure out how early we'd need to arrive to be "safe", and how much drive time to allow early in the morning. How long did the drive take you from Aulani at that time of morning?

I'm fuzzy on how some of this works. I visited Pearl Harbor before, but it was literally 20 years ago. I don't remember the area clearly (though visiting the Arizona itself is etched in my memory), and I'm sure things have changed in some ways since then anyway.

If we arrived early (7:00 or so?), were lucky enough to get tickets for a tour (let's say a few hours later), what could we do in the meantime at that early hour? Anywhere to have breakfast there? Do the other museums open that early?

Again, thank you to everyone! I appreciate your help as I try to make this work. The family members going with me have never been to Hawaii, and they REALLY want to see Pearl Harbor among other things. I feel badly for goofing this up already by not getting advance tickets.

 

[Anal Annie]

I "think" the first tour of the day is at 8:00 so when they say the tix window opens at 7:00 that is for tix distribution.

BTW I have literally been checking every for several weeks now for the date and time that we want to go in August. Last week the entire morning was still wide open. But seeing your thread reminded me it was time to look so when I went online I found that ALL of the time slots for the 9:00, 10:00 and 11:00 hours were GONE already!! Completely!! There were still 8 slots left for 8:45 and then nothing else until Noon so I quickly grabbed 3 of the 8:45 ones!! We had decided we wanted to go around 9:15 or 9:30 so 8:45 isn't too far off from what we wanted. We just figured with needing to arrive an hour early and it being almost an hour away from Aulani we didn't want to go TOOO early (DH doesn't want to get up at 5:00). Hopefully this way we can get up at 6:00, leave by 7:00 and be there by 7:45.

Question for those who have been recently - how's the parking situation? Do we need to allow any extra time to park & walk in or anything. Since we've only done hired tours before we were dropped off by the entrance. I've never had to park there. Does my plan to leave Aulani at 7:00 sound reasonable for an 8:45 reservation? We chose a Saturday morning hoping to avoid some of the rush hour traffic problems.

OP - GOOD LUCK!!

 

[Mamiamjo]

We will be going in September and would really like to visit PH. Can you tell me what website I can go to, to buy tickets online?

 

[Anal Annie]

We will be going in September and would really like to visit PH. Can you tell me what website I can go to, to buy tickets online?

As part of the National Park Service you go to Recreation.gov

http://www.recreation.gov/tourList.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=72369

If you're only going to visit the USS Arizona it's free but there is a charge to also tour the USS Missouri which is currently docked there along with the other museums ($55 adult / $30 child 4-12). They do charge a $1.50 convenience fee tho for the tix. Note that no bags of any sort are allowed in - they will let you check them for $3 each so travel lite!!

 

[LvCruzin]

Bummer, bummer, bummer. I went online to reserve tickets for Pearl Harbor, and they are all sold out until about 2 weeks after we've left. I could kick myself. I understand that they keep a very limited number of tickets back for walk-ups. There will be 3 of us. We'd be willing to get up before dawn and arrive early to be able to get tickets.

Any thoughts on how early we should get there? Any particular day of the week give us a better chance? Anyone reading this been successful recently at getting tickets as a walk-up? We will be at Aulani the last week in June.

Another thought. Is it possible that some of the tickets that have been sold are in the hands of tour operators? Should we consider trying to get on a tour, even though it would cost us more to do it that way?

Thanks for any thoughts. Gotta return to kicking myself now.

Aloha....I live in HAwaii and just went to the Arizona this past Saturday with family from out of town. We got there around 9 and got the last 4 tickets for the 11am boat. My husband and friend went there a couple of months ago and went before 8am and got tickets right away. Its a hit or miss but if you get the tickets for an hour or two later there is a wonderful museum to go thru at the visitors center. Good luck and if you have any other questions please feel free to ask. You are gonna love the Aulani.

 

[Sir William]

Thanks for your replies, everyone! Sounds like we may have a chance if we arrive there super early and beat the others arriving super early. I have a couple follow-up questions below. Can you tell me a little more about the tour you arranged through Aulani? Do you remember the approximate cost? Did you arrange that with Aulani before you arrived there, or after you got there?

So the box office opens at 7:00, or the tours start at 7:00? Trying to figure out how early we'd need to arrive to be "safe", and how much drive time to allow early in the morning. How long did the drive take you from Aulani at that time of morning?

I'm fuzzy on how some of this works. I visited Pearl Harbor before, but it was literally 20 years ago. I don't remember the area clearly (though visiting the Arizona itself is etched in my memory), and I'm sure things have changed in some ways since then anyway.

If we arrived early (7:00 or so?), were lucky enough to get tickets for a tour (let's say a few hours later), what could we do in the meantime at that early hour? Anywhere to have breakfast there? Do the other museums open that early?

Again, thank you to everyone! I appreciate your help as I try to make this work. The family members going with me have never been to Hawaii, and they REALLY want to see Pearl Harbor among other things. I feel badly for goofing this up already by not getting advance tickets.

First tour starts at 8am. You view a film about the attack and the creation of the memorial, then take a boat to the Memorial. You can stay as long as you like but most stay about 15 minutes or so.

There is a museum on WWII in the Pacific and of course the gift shop. The submarine USS Bowfin next door opens at 7am. The battleship USS Missouri and Pacific AvIation Museum both open at 8am, but they are on Ford Island and you need either military ID to enter, or be part of a tour.

I didn't see any restaurants in the immediate vicinity but anyone can eat at the Navy Exchange food court off Radford Drive just south of the Memorial.

Figure at least 1/2 hour to get there, more for a weekday due to traffic buildup as you get closer in, but I didn't think it overly heavy and it did move along, just a bit slower than the speed limit.

 

[DenLo]

. . .

Question for those who have been recently - how's the parking situation? Do we need to allow any extra time to park & walk in or anything. Since we've only done hired tours before we were dropped off by the entrance. I've never had to park there. Does my plan to leave Aulani at 7:00 sound reasonable for an 8:45 reservation? We chose a Saturday morning hoping to avoid some of the rush hour traffic problems.

OP - GOOD LUCK!!

Yes, you need to give yourself time for parking and checking your bags and purses*. The parking is spread between three or four lots all but one are beyond the area where you got on and off your bus. We had a 11:00 AM ticket and was told to pick up the tickets by 10:00 AM or they would sell them to walk in traffic. I picked the later time to miss the rush hour traffic, know we had to get there an hour earlier. We left Aulani around 9:15 and got there around 10:05 by time we parked and walked to the entrance.

I think 7:00 AM will work if you are actually driving out of the resort at the time. They do sell unclaimed tickets to walk-ins, but do not say what the cut off time is. I would assume it's in time for for the movie and they line you up for that 15 minutes before your ticket time.

*Bags
Bags are prohibited at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center due to strict security measures, so visitors are encouraged to pack lightly. Cameras, cell phones, wallets, and other similar personal items are allowed, but not if they are concealed in a purse, handbag, fanny pack, diaper bag, or camera bag. Although law enforcement and security bike patrols monitor the parking lots, do not leave items of value in your car. You may store your bags in the storage facility near the Visitor Center entrance for a nominal fee of $3 per bag. This facility is open daily from 6:30 am to 5:30 p.m.

 

[Sir William]

Yes, you need to give yourself time for parking and checking your bags and purses*. The parking is spread between three or four lots all but one are beyond the area where you got on and off your bus. We had a 11:00 AM ticket and was told to pick up the tickets by 10:00 AM or they would sell them to walk in traffic. I picked the later time to miss the rush hour traffic, know we had to get there an hour earlier. We left Aulani around 9:15 and got there around 10:05 by time we parked and walked to the entrance.

I think 7:00 AM will work if you are actually driving out of the resort at the time. They do sell unclaimed tickets to walk-ins, but do not say what the cut off time is. I would assume it's in time for for the movie and they line you up for that 15 minutes before your ticket time.

Bags, etc: we put all our bags, purses, etc in the trunk before leaving Aulani, just taking wallets and cameras in with us. Even though the parking lots are patrolled thieves watch to see if visitors put anything in the trunk when they park.

Parking gets tighter during the day. We had no trouble finding a space but when we returned after a couple of hours it was like a school of sharks circling to find a spot.

 

[Anal Annie]

Yes, you need to give yourself time for parking and checking your bags and purses*. The parking is spread between three or four lots all but one are beyond the area where you got on and off your bus. We had a 11:00 AM ticket and was told to pick up the tickets by 10:00 AM or they would sell them to walk in traffic. I picked the later time to miss the rush hour traffic, know we had to get there an hour earlier. We left Aulani around 9:15 and got there around 10:05 by time we parked and walked to the entrance.

I think 7:00 AM will work if you are actually driving out of the resort at the time. They do sell unclaimed tickets to walk-ins, but do not say what the cut off time is. I would assume it's in time for for the movie and they line you up for that 15 minutes before your ticket time.

Trying to minimize traffic problems is one reason we chose to go on a Saturday. I haven't been there since 2006 but thought I remembered there being several parking lots. I know if you're late they can / will / do sell your tix to walk-ups. I had called to see if there was a grace period on that hour and all they would say is be there an hour before your time if you don't want that to happen.

Bags, etc: we put all our bags, purses, etc in the trunk before leaving Aulani, just taking wallets and cameras in with us. Even though the parking lots are patrolled thieves watch to see if visitors put anything in the trunk when they park.

Parking gets tighter during the day. We had no trouble finding a space but when we returned after a couple of hours it was like a school of sharks circling to find a spot.

Sounds like trying to find parking in the economy lots at Dulles! I will try to allow 15 minutes for parking.

I know all about the no bags rule. I got caught in there the last time and NEEDED something out of our bag (that was already checked). It was a real pain and we nearly missed our time for the movie while I was trying to work around what I needed out of the bag. DH has a money belt thing that he used in Europe when we went that we can bring and both he and DS will likely wear cargo shorts so we can stash some crackers or something to snack on. I also wear RX sunglasses and sometimes I use his big cargo pockets to stash my eyeglass case as I won't want to wear those when we're indoors shopping or during the movie. I will just have to keep my big DSLR around my neck for 5 hours.

 

[travelbug]

OP here. Thanks again, everyone, for your replies and experiences. It's all helpful! I think we'll go for it by trying to arrive by 7:00 AM when the ticket office opens. Wish us luck!

 

[Sir William]

Sounds like trying to find parking in the economy lots at Dulles! I will try to allow 15 minutes for parking.

Actually, it was WORSE!!!

Fortunately, I insisted we return earlier than DW would have liked, so we were able to find a spot before we missed our time slot.

I was there 2 years ago, before the new visitor center opened, so was a bit confused at first as to how the new system worked. Except for parking, all went smoothly though.

Just allow extra time to get there, find parking, and then spend some time either exploring the museum. Or, if you go out and return, allow extra time to find parking (and be nice to the visitors who are leaving - they may let you take their spot!).