PEARL HARBOR EXCURSION

[Nicesquad]

Hello,

The Aulani website has a couple of Pearl Harbor excursions listed. Is the pickup for these excursions at the hotel? The site simply says Ko 'Olina.

Also, for those who went, how was the experience?

Thanks much!

 

[Jack_Sparrow_NJ]

Has nobody done this ??

 

[Tink3815]

Hello,

The Aulani website has a couple of Pearl Harbor excursions listed. Is the pickup for these excursions at the hotel? The site simply says Ko 'Olina.

Also, for those who went, how was the experience?

Thanks much!

We did not visit Aulani, but we did visit Pearl Harbor about 5 years ago. It was one of the most emotional places I have visited. We went through the self-guided audio tour before going out to the Memorial. It was very good with a lot of personal stories that moved your heart. I found the boat ride out to the Arizona Memorial over sunken ship was like attending a funeral, very somber. Makes you really think about what being an American means.​

 

[Pooh2]

We rented a car to go over to Pearl Harbor.
We went early and were glad we did as it was really hot.
Agree with the above poster, very emotional outing!

 

[cgattis]

We visited Pearl Harbor from Aulani but not as an excursion. We had a rental car.

 

[maxbuffmelvin]

Hello,

The Aulani website has a couple of Pearl Harbor excursions listed. Is the pickup for these excursions at the hotel? The site simply says Ko 'Olina.

Also, for those who went, how was the experience?

Thanks much!

Are you asking about the experience with the excursion or the experience at Pearl Harbor?

 

[sistershandy]

We looked into this too but I struggled to find anyone who had taken the actual tour so we are going to drive there and book the necessary tickets ourselves once they get released.

 

[Tink3815]

We looked into this too but I struggled to find anyone who had taken the actual tour so we are going to drive there and book the necessary tickets ourselves once they get released.

This is the gov web site with all the options. We reserved ahead because we did not want to miss it when we visited.
https://www.recreation.gov/camping/gateways/14525

 

[maxbuffmelvin]

We looked into this too but I struggled to find anyone who had taken the actual tour so we are going to drive there and book the necessary tickets ourselves once they get released.

Same here plus far cheaper to book on our own.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

If you don’t rent a car but buy the tickets off of the website, is it cheaper to get an Uber from Aulani to Pearl Harbor and back than the resort excursion? We are going to be staying post cruise.

 

[Jack_Sparrow_NJ]

I just took the four hour excursion from Aulani. They pick you up at 8:00 in a minibus and drive you to the Pearl Harbor visitors center. You basically have 3 hours to go through the museum buildings, watch the movie, take the launch to the memorial, and visit the gift shop.
You are provided with a timed ticket to go to the memorial. A Navy launch takes you to the memorial where you have about 15 minutes to walk around before a launch takes you back to the museum. Then you board the bus back to Aulani, returning at noon.
It’s a very easy way to visit Pearl Harbor.
There are longer tours available as well but we decided on the half day tour.
Yes, you could drive or take an Uber. I was told an Uber is about $70 each way. The key to these options are to get the timed tickets to go out to the memorial. Tickets are free with a $1.00 handling fee. They are available between 30 and 60 days in advance. Any remaining tickets are released the day prior at 3:00 HST. There is also a day of standby line which was very long when we saw it.

For us the excursion from the hotel worked well. The excursion is available on Sunday and Wednesday and does sellout some days.

Bags are not allowed. If you bring a bag you will have to pay to store it in a locker.

There is an audio tour you can purchase. We did not do that but it is available.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

I just took the four hour excursion from Aulani. They pick you up at 8:00 in a minibus and drive you to the Pearl Harbor visitors center. You basically have 3 hours to go through the museum buildings, watch the movie, take the launch to the memorial, and visit the gift shop.
You are provided with a timed ticket to go to the memorial. A Navy launch takes you to the memorial where you have about 15 minutes to walk around before a launch takes you back to the museum. Then you board the bus back to Aulani, returning at noon.
It’s a very easy way to visit Pearl Harbor.
There are longer tours available as well but we decided on the half day tour.
Yes, you could drive or take an Uber. I was told an Uber is about $70 each way. The key to these options are to get the timed tickets to go out to the memorial. Tickets are free with a $1.00 handling fee. They are available between 30 and 60 days in advance. Any remaining tickets are released the day prior at 3:00 HST. There is also a day of standby line which was very long when we saw it.

For us the excursion from the hotel worked well. The excursion is available on Sunday and Wednesday and does sellout some days.

How far in advance can you schedule the tour?

 

[Jack_Sparrow_NJ]

I actually waited too long and was only able to book a couple tickets in advance; luckily there was a cancellation. You can call the tour desk at Aulani or just go direct to their website enoa.com. Just make sure to pick the tours the are marked Ko’Olina

 

[BWV Dreamin]

I actually waited too long and was only able to book a couple tickets in advance; luckily there was a cancellation. You can call the tour desk at Aulani or just go direct to their website enoa.com. Just make sure to pick the tours the are marked Ko’Olina

Thank you sooo much!

 

[MartyParty]

We did not visit Aulani, but we did visit Pearl Harbor about 5 years ago. It was one of the most emotional places I have visited. We went through the self-guided audio tour before going out to the Memorial. It was very good with a lot of personal stories that moved your heart. I found the boat ride out to the Arizona Memorial over sunken ship was like attending a funeral, very somber. Makes you really think about what being an American means.​

It was exactly as Tink described it. Pickup should be from your hotel. We booked a guided tour through the park service. I believe those tours are run by US Navy personal. If like us you are traveling from afar, book the guided tour. A piece of this place will stick with you: harbor beauty, courage, sadness, etc. Hard to descrbe…

 

[BWV Dreamin]

It was exactly as Tink described it. Pickup should be from your hotel. We booked a guided tour through the park service. I believe those tours are run by US Navy personal. If like us you are traveling from afar, book the guided tour. A piece of this place will stick with you: harbor beauty, courage, sadness, etc. Hard to descrbe…

The previous poster posted a link with a tour company. There are 1/2 day and full day Pearl Harbor tours. Is the guided tour you mention the full day tour?

 

[MartyParty]

The previous poster posted a link with a tour company. There are 1/2 day and full day Pearl Harbor tours. Is the guided tour you mention the full day tour?

Ah, I had a look at the website and do understand your question. Its been 20 years since we toured, so perhaps its different now. I do not see any personal guided tours available on the government site. The Visitor Center Deluxe Tour is self guided and the site states 540 minutes (or 9 hours). That would be a long tour. We did something much shorter but did include a boat ride out to the memorial. Some other tours are listed that do and do not visit the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor.

Looks like your choices are to book the visit to the USS Arizona Memorial AND separately also book the Visitor Center Audio Tour if you want some background. Guessing this would be an hour or two. Alternatively, you can book the Deluxe tour mentioned above but its 9 hours.

 

[bigjon94]

I just took the four hour excursion from Aulani. They pick you up at 8:00 in a minibus and drive you to the Pearl Harbor visitors center. You basically have 3 hours to go through the museum buildings, watch the movie, take the launch to the memorial, and visit the gift shop.
You are provided with a timed ticket to go to the memorial. A Navy launch takes you to the memorial where you have about 15 minutes to walk around before a launch takes you back to the museum. Then you board the bus back to Aulani, returning at noon.
It’s a very easy way to visit Pearl Harbor.
There are longer tours available as well but we decided on the half day tour.
Yes, you could drive or take an Uber. I was told an Uber is about $70 each way. The key to these options are to get the timed tickets to go out to the memorial. Tickets are free with a $1.00 handling fee. They are available between 30 and 60 days in advance. Any remaining tickets are released the day prior at 3:00 HST. There is also a day of standby line which was very long when we saw it.

For us the excursion from the hotel worked well. The excursion is available on Sunday and Wednesday and does sellout some days.

Bags are not allowed. If you bring a bag you will have to pay to store it in a locker.

There is an audio tour you can purchase. We did not do that but it is available.

How long was the trip to the museum?

 

[Jack_Sparrow_NJ]

It’s not a long ride, it was about 35 - 40 minutes. Pearl Harbor is between Aulani and the airport.

 

[i*heart*minniemouse]

Also, for those who have taken the 7 hour excursion through the resort, what time did you return to the resort? It says you should return between 3:30/4:00 and we have a 4:15 shuttle to the airport that day. Would we be cutting it too close? It would be a Thursday tour.
thanks in advance.