Honolulu Travel Forum

If you do not take a tour of Pearl Harbor and ride bus there does it work out that you see everything there to see on your own? We are coming to Honolula in Aug, any advice for us about what to do and not to do. Thank you

It's been a long time since I was last in Honolulu. Too many years to remember, in fact. However, the situation with Pearl Harbour used to be that you could pay for an expensive guided tour in which you are taken all around the harbour in a cruise boat, but it will not let you off anywhere or you could take the public bus from Ala Moana to Pearl Harbour and go out in a Naval ferry which allows you to go onto the Arizona Memorial. The Naval Ferry is free of charge. I have done it both ways and dollar for dollar, the second way is by far the best. You see way more and spend way less. Aloha!

Tips on visiting the Arizona Memorial are on my Pearl Harbor page. Although...I read a recent report that indicated the Memorial will undergo a huge renovation. Apparently, it is sinking and they will either stablize it or move it and the boat ride to see the memorial will not be necessary as they will figure out how to build a ramp you will walk out onto. As for the other Pearl Harbor exhibits, I don't know if they will be affected as well.

Oops! Pearl City page. Here is the link:

http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/a2d92/bca64/

A couple of years ago I was staying in Honolulu. I took the public bus to Pearl Harbor. It took a little while, but it was kind of fun and we got to see the city. I recommend it. We had to wait for the tour, so we went to the submarine next door - that had a great self-guided tour.

Unless you like to shop, you can find nicer places to stay in Hawaii than Honolulu. It's kind of like a mall with a beach.

First, take the bus and see the Memorial on your own. As for the refurbishing of the Memorial, we are talking only the plaza grounds that were sinking near shore and not the actual USS Arizona Memorial that is in the harbor with the flying bridge over the ship. There will be no bridge to walk unto the sacred area overlooking the sunken ship. The actual new buildings will increase the display area and museum of the plaza area which includes the theatre and the boat dock for the sea trip over and back from the USS Arizona Memorial. During construction, the theatre and boats will continue to operate. During the busy seasonal times of the year, waiting for your entrance time to the theatre and boat tour can be as long as 2-3 hours. So, arrive as early as you can for the opening at 7:30 am.