Pearl Harbor — Local services in Hawaii

Pearl Harbor Memorial: Definitely ideal way to see the Pearl Harbor Memorial!!! We stayed at the Outrigger on Waikiki. They picked us up a block away, which was great~ it gave us time to walk, grab a coffee, abd meet the van- at 6:45am. We had 2 stops after ours to pick up more people, then our driver told us facts about Dec 7th, Pearl Harbor on the 30 min drive there. He was knowledgeable, very friendly, and Amazing! He took us to the Pearl Harbor Memorial area, lead us to the entrance & in. Advised us that the Navy would raise the flag at 8am, then to ensure to be in the Boat line at 8:20 to go out to the Memorial (that was the time on our ticket)/ you can go later, but it gets more crowded. We went, you spend 15 minutes walking around the memorial, which is very moving, sad, and a beautiful tribute to our Service members. Then you get back on the boat and there’s a 25-30 minute video you can watch. It’s very informational and will walk you through the timeline of the day. Then there are two other amazing buildings that you can go through, they don’t take long. We walked through the shop, then left and met our driver back at the shuttle parking. As he drove us back, he gave us more information on what we had just learned! He was great!! So glad that booking via Viator, got us to them! A few thongs- a very small wristlet (Louie Vuitton small wallet type or long wallet) can go in, Small clear bags, everything else, they said there are lockers you can pay for to put your things in $7.00-$10.00 (is the price I heard- I didn’t need one though). There’s a Submarine too, for an additional fee. You can do all of this without a tour, but it’s so easy with one!!! Also, I’ve been there on days when the boat ride out to the Memorial has been booked until 6 hours later that day (I didn’t really want to stay for 6 more hours or try the Long stand by line) or sold out for the day. It’s definitely worth going!!!!!! We booked through Viator, they worked either Karma Tour Hawaii ~ Finny was our giide! He was very kind, smart, new the tour well- knowledgeable on the culture, Honolulu,...

Words can't describe how magical this experience was. This was so beautiful and powerful. It really makes you remember not just the attack but more importantly all of the heroes there. My only suggestion is to advertise a little better about the options the and that two need a shuttle.

Pearl Harbor itself free to go into which includes two smaller museums and a walk around remembrance lane. The USS Arizona is also free but you NEED a reservation on the boat to go. That is also free but you need to reserve ahead of time OR do stand by check in when you get there. It's nice to check in first thing and you should get a spot. We arrived late (11am) and we ended up getting on at 2pm through stand by.

Here's what you pay for. First, all attractions can be booked there the day of if you can't reserve online. Audio Tour (strongly recommend) for about $20 you get a little phone and earbuds. You then go around Pearl Harbor following the numbers for the tour. There are about 28 stops and take about 1-2 hours to do. There are 4 spots that are a part of the USS Arizona Memorial. Definitely would recommend that part. By far my favorite part.

The Sub you have to pay for by also worth it. Had a cool walk through of the USS Blowfin which was great. Also had a nice museum about sub life and history.

We didn't do the Aviation museum or the Battleship. The Battleship required a shuttle to go there and you had to pay for both.

For about $90 you get a passport which comes with everything or you can just pay for what you want. Would have been 5 stars if it was a little more clear. The reason why we arrived late was because we went after a swap meet right up the road. I initially went that day after just to ask some questions about everything I listed. Was I got the questions answered we decided to just stay but did run out of time.

If you want to do everything there I'd give yourself at least 7 hours. The Battleship also stops early since there...

Expected this to be a typical national park. It was not.

Cons: Rangers were unhelpful and rude. Bathrooms were disgusting (so, so disgusting). Docks to the USS Arizona Memorial are being fixed . . . and have been for the last 3 years, making it impossible to get tickets, even through a tour company. The VR Oculus tour was a total scam. We asked for the VR tour of the USS Arizona. We sat down and experienced a VR program called "Air Raid." We thought maybe it was an intro program but when the Arizona tour didn't play, we asked the ranger about it. The ranger in charge of the VR told us, when we asked, that the cashier had entered the "Wings Over Pearl Harbor" program, not the Arizona tour, and that we'd have to buy the Arizona tour (which we already had). She told us we should have looked at our receipt to ensure we had gotten the program we'd specifically asked for . . . She then tried to tell us the program we'd seen was the only one we would want to see bc the Arizona VR program was "old." We returned to the same cashier we'd used ten minutes earlier and she just charged us again instead of admitting her mistake and fixing it. We requested a refund but she refused, and we didn't push it because we aren't into making a scene, but it was really disappointing. The "Wings" and "Arizona" programs were pretty equal in terms of the VR (e.g., not great). While Japanese people's perspective was somewhat incorporated in the museum exhibits, native Hawaiians' perspective was not.

Pros: The memorial had some awesome, fun weapons exhibits, and the tour of the Missouri was super cool. There is a whole playground with torpedos, periscopes, and gun turrets that was neat to see and play with. There is a submarine that can be toured, which was also amazing, but you have to pay extra, which was not cool, given that it is at the...