Day at Pearl Harbor Tour in Honolulu, HI

A visit to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial shouldn't be missed if you visit Honolulu, Oahu. The excursion and visit to the USS Arizona's memorial is solemn and thought-provoking, seeing the names of the servicemen lost on the day of the attack was and realising how most of them were fairly young was sad. We also visited the Pacific Aviation Museum which was enjoyable.

Instead, a movie is shown that explains what happened and why. The boat is then towed to the memorial. Once on the shore, you can walk around the area and see what warships look like. Only a small handbag can be brought to the area for free.

My husband and I lived on Oahu in Hawaii Kai for 4 years. I know the island very well and would like to pass on a few tips for PH/ARIZONA Memorial. Best tip I can give you is rent a car and go on your own. On the package tours, one spends Much of their time on the bus with little time on the actual sites. Buses are late,etc. About 40 minutes from the general area of Waikiki. Get your rental car the night before. Pearl Harbor is the name for the harbor itself of military row and the active duty bases. USS ARIZONA is what most people think of for visiting. Entrance is FREE. Parking is Free as well, but the lots are limited and a decent distance from entrance. Leave all large purses/backpacks/etc back. Only a small wallet/purse is allowed in. Lockers are $5.00 for the day otherwise. One CAN get advance tickets with set time by calling the NPS site. $1.50 per ticket for advance reservations. I HIGHLY recommend you do this. Pick up passes right at desk in front of you at entrance area. Go an hour before your ticket time so you can view movie, see exhibit, view the harbor, etc. It’s a short and scenic ride to the actual Memorial by US Navy shuttle boat. The Memorial sits above and over the ARIZONA. You will have about 15-20 minutes there. It would be nicer if it was a longer visiting time. You will see the markers for the battleships that went down that sad day. Beautiful Ford Island is just above the area...we lived there for a glorious 3 months of our 4 years. The Admiral Clarey pontoon bridge is viewable as well. Back on land, hit the nice gift shop for your souvenirs. If you collect NPS cancellation stamps, the desk with the stampers is right outside the door. The Bowfin sub is in the complex with a small entrance fee. It’s worth the charge. A small restaurant and a Maui Divers jewelry store is nearby. If it rains, it will not be as good an experience as most everything is outside. Restrooms available. Expect many visitors as it’s very popular. After, go over to the Restaurant 604 near the end of the parking lot for food, drinks and a nice view of the marina and AC bridge. It will be full day. My spouse and I were so lucky to attend the 75th Anniversary of the bombing in 2016. A day we will never forget. If you have any questions, please send me a message. Please give me a Heads Up vote if my review has been helpful to you and yours. Enjoy your day at Pearl Harbor. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Proud to call Las Vegas HOME.

This trip was very intresting full of information and pictures about that sad day,if you do this trip make sure you book for the Missourii that is brilliant.

Our tour guide Alex was extremely knowledgeable and interacted very well with all of his guests. He made the trip memorable and kept it light with his humor. It is clear that Alex really loves his job. We recommend this tour to everyone looking to find out as much history at this very sacred site. Thanks again Alex....