Aloha is Love - Review of POA in Hawaii with Pics, Menus & More

[sjmbruce]

Oil was still seeping to the surface and parts of the USS Arizona are visible.

 

 

 

The Missouri now watches over the remains of the Arizona.

 

Edited June 30, 2016 by sjmbruce

[sjmbruce]

When you are ready to leave, the is a line for the tender back to shore. We sat in the back for once last photo.

 

 

Afterwards we had about an hour of free time before meeting the tour guide again. He had let us know where and when to meet him and the rest of our group. Some people used the hour or so to tour the submarine with tickets they had to purchase separately. Others went inside buildings that had historical information and pictures.

 

We decided to eat lunch. Some people on our bus had brought snacks that they ate throughout the morning. Once you enter Pearl Harbor, there are not a lot of food options. There's a snack shop near the movie theater that has water, soda, chips, nuts, candy and some prepackaged sandwiches. I ate an egg salad sandwich and didn't die. There's a snack bar by the submarine that only sells hot dogs, nachos and soup. After we ate, we looked at the old missiles and torpedoes on display.

[horseymike]

You have really gone the extra mile with your review , photos and answering the questions from other posters. Thank You, Thank You , Thank You.

Absolutely Great !

[sjmbruce]

You have really gone the extra mile with your review , photos and answering the questions from other posters. Thank You, Thank You , Thank You.

Absolutely Great !

 

thank you for the compliment! i have been horrible about finishing the review but i'll wrap up our time in hawaii and then i'd like to add some information that is hopefully helpful to someone. thanks again :o

[sjmbruce]

We met back with our group and guide to take the shuttle to the USS Missouri. We got on the Missouri as a group, then were split in half with two different guides. After 30 or so minutes on a guided tour, we had about 20 minutes to explore on our own before getting back on the shuttle with our original tour guide. The Missouri was really interesting and I wish we had an hour or two to wander around.

We then walked with him to our bus and headed for the airport. We were dropped off at our terminal and a few guys were there to help get our suitcases out from under the bus. If you packed any fruit for snacks, eat it before now as airport employees check for fresh items such as this. We found our gate and said goodbye to Hawaii as we waited for the plane to take us on the long ride home.

[sjmbruce]

We met at the Hollywood Theater at 8:15 and arrived at the airport around 4:15. It felt like a long day but it was a good option for those with a later flight. The only aspect that could potentially change the tour is the timing of the USS Arizona Memorial tickets. Ours were for 11:45 and I don't know if they try to secure the same time every Saturday. I suppose if the tickets were for earlier in the morning, the Honolulu city tour might be second.

[Witty Moniker]

Just booked this cruise today and spent the afternoon reading all 17 pages of your review. Thank you so much for all all of the useful information and anecdotes. I will be sure to the that into account when choosing dining and touring options!

[sjmbruce]

Just booked this cruise today and spent the afternoon reading all 17 pages of your review. Thank you so much for all all of the useful information and anecdotes. I will be sure to the that into account when choosing dining and touring options!

 

I am so excited for you! When is your cruise? I am trying to put together a cheat sheet of sorts with information on places to go and things to do in each port.

[Cruiseoholic000]

Where you able to get off the bus for photo op of Kamehameha statue?

 

After boarding the bus, we went on a tour of Honolulu including the King Kamehameha statue.

 

The Iolani Palace was across the street.

 

There were a few opportunities for pictures, such as downtown Honolulu with Diamond Head in the background. We sat on the left side of the bus.

 

 

We also did a drive through of The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at the Punchbowl crater.

[sjmbruce]

Where you able to get off the bus for photo op of Kamehameha statue?

 

Yes, we were able to get off of the bus and take some pictures. I believe this was the only stop before Pearl Harbor that we were able to get out and walk around (aside from the random bathroom break).

 

There wasn't enough time to go across the street to the palace, but we did walk around the grounds by the statue. There were some pretty flowers and awesome royal palm trees.

 

[Newcruisers5]

Thank you so much for this fantastic review! We are booked onto an October sailing and this will be our first ever cruise. Your tips and advice have been so helpful.

[sjmbruce]

Thank you so much for this fantastic review! We are booked onto an October sailing and this will be our first ever cruise. Your tips and advice have been so helpful.

 

Thanks for reading, I'm glad it was helpful! If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. It's awesome that your first cruise will be Hawaii. We haven't done any of the typical Caribbean cruises yet, our first was the Panama Canal and I am glad we chose a more unique itinerary. Hawaii will be a great first experience. Have a fantastic cruise!

Edited August 5, 2016 by sjmbruce

[Cruiseoholic000]

Did you book a private tour?

 

Our next stop was the scenic Captain Cook monument look out, also known as Kealakekua Bay.

 

We drove to Big Island Bee's Honey Farm and I felt kind of bad but we told Kyle we didn't want to go in. I don't like honey and I really wanted to snorkel. It was still cloudy and starting to look like it could rain at any minute. I wanted to get in the water. We left the honey farm and passed Pu'uhonua o Honaunau, the place of refuge.

 

 

This was right next to where we would snorkel at Honaunau Bay, also known as two step. The nickname comes from the rocks forming two natural steps into the water. Kyle drove around a little trying to find a spot but eventually parked in a paid lot. Kyle had two full face snorkel masks, similar to these:

https://jet.com/product/detail/e9f0044c7f8e49509906a7811b33b279?jcmp=pla:ggl:gen_sporting_goods_a1:outdoor_recreation_boating_water_sports_diving_snorkeling_a1_other:na:na:na:na:na:2&code=PLA15&ds_c=gen_sporting_goods_a1&ds_cid&ds_ag=outdoor_recreation_boating_water_sports_diving_snorkeling_a1_other&product_id=e9f0044c7f8e49509906a7811b33b279&product_partition_id=161714221740&gclid=CMex4fGZ08wCFYU2aQod19oBmA&gclsrc=aw.ds

Kyle only had one flotation device. My husband is a much stronger swimmer than I am, so he let me use it. If you or your group want or need a vest or anything, I'd let them know ahead of time. The walk to the water is over a lot of rock, but they were flat enough that it didn't really hurt too much. There was indeed two rock steps and just like that, we were in the ocean.

[sjmbruce]

Did you book a private tour?

 

We didn't book a private tour with Kyle for snorkeling. We were just lucky that no one else had booked a snorkeling tour with Island Wide Family Tours.

 

Although a group would have been okay, I was really glad with how it ended up. I would have actually been fine looking around the place of refuge or doing honey tasting, but it was cloudy and sprinkling on and off and I was worried water conditions would worsen before we were able to get in.

[dksuri]

Thank you so much for this review. I have read every line straight thought and just couldn't stop. My wife and I are planning on this cruise in June for our 5 year anniversary! This has definitely helped!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[sjmbruce]

Thank you so much for this review. I have read every line straight thought and just couldn't stop. My wife and I are planning on this cruise in June for our 5 year anniversary! This has definitely helped!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

I am glad you enjoyed it and hope it helped a little. Please don't hesitate to ask any questions. Happy planning!

[pattyj 1204]

sjmbruce, Thank you so much for this wonderful detailed review. We are going to do this cruise and renting cars in all the stops except for the 4 days in Honolulu. We are looking forward to this trip in Feb. I'm not a strong swimmer, but would have enjoyed doing a snorkel outing. You make it sound like so much fun. I can't imagine how much time you spent creating this review. Thanks again, I took notes and will try and find some of the places you went to.

One question, When you rented the cars did you get maps from the rental companies? We're aren't too sure about using our GPS and getting good reception.

[sjmbruce]

sjmbruce, Thank you so much for this wonderful detailed review. We are going to do this cruise and renting cars in all the stops except for the 4 days in Honolulu. We are looking forward to this trip in Feb. I'm not a strong swimmer, but would have enjoyed doing a snorkel outing. You make it sound like so much fun. I can't imagine how much time you spent creating this review. Thanks again, I took notes and will try and find some of the places you went to.

One question, When you rented the cars did you get maps from the rental companies? We're aren't too sure about using our GPS and getting good reception.

 

I am glad you enjoyed it! It always helps me relive my adventure and then my hope is it helps others as past reviews have helped me.

I'm a decent swimmer but not strong by any means. My best advice for snorkeling would be to check and make sure that some type of flotation device is available. The trip we took in Waikiki only offered noodles. This was good enough for me but others may prefer something strapped on to them. While snorkeling 'two step' in Kona, our guide didn't realize he only had one life jacket and my husband went without.

We used a combination of GPS, maps from travel books, and the maps and advice from rental car agencies. We used GPS the most on Oahu and Maui and didn't have any problems. I had looked up general directions prior to leaving home (mostly to time things out) but wrote them down and brought them with us. Rental car agencies did provide maps and were always willing to tell us how to get somewhere while highlighting the route on the map.

If you think of anything else, please ask and I'll do my best to answer!

[Maere]

We are booked for April....I have the Fodor guide but your review really helped bring the cruise to life.....we have 3 days before and 3 days after the cruise in Waikiki so will be able to have time for the Pearl Harbor Day. Appreciate the helicopter info as well.....

 

Thank you for taking the time to share!

 

Marianne

Edited January 2, 2017 by Maere

[alwalaska]

sjmbruce, Thank you so much for this wonderful detailed review. We are going to do this cruise and renting cars in all the stops except for the 4 days in Honolulu. We are looking forward to this trip in Feb. I'm not a strong swimmer, but would have enjoyed doing a snorkel outing. You make it sound like so much fun. I can't imagine how much time you spent creating this review. Thanks again, I took notes and will try and find some of the places you went to.

One question, When you rented the cars did you get maps from the rental companies? We're aren't too sure about using our GPS and getting good reception.

 

I have a friend who recently returned and she suggested we print out maps ahead of time. After completing the road to Hana, they decided to continue around the island and their phone service cut out several times.

[alwalaska]

sjmbruce,

 

Thank you so much for your amazing review. I have until 2019 to plan this cruise (and I'm in last minute finish up planning mode for our Panama Canal cruise this Feb) so I am slowly going through the whole thing and I've already learned a ton.

 

If you do the little cheat sheet, I would love to see it.

 

Thanks again.

[kickbutt10]

We have contemplated this trip for years and I think your review pushed us over the edge! We are booked for 9/2017 and I guess I need to get busy planning. I would also love a cheat sheet if you did make one up!! Thanks so much for such a wonderful review!

[pattyj 1204]

I also would like a cheat sheet with current information on it. I think I'm subscribed to this thread and will be watching for updates. Once again Thanks for the amazing review. It is making our Feb. trip a bigger reality. I learned a lot from your photos and suggestions.

[alwalaska]

I also would like a cheat sheet with current information on it. I think I'm subscribed to this thread and will be watching for updates. Once again Thanks for the amazing review. It is making our Feb. trip a bigger reality. I learned a lot from your photos and suggestions.

 

I don't mean to hijack this amazing thread, but pattyj, if you have any February specific information, I would love to hear about it either here on CC or via email at annjunk at sbcglobal dot net.

 

We are going in Feb of 2019. I have a VERY long time to plan. :rolleyes:

[sjmbruce]

We are booked for April....I have the Fodor guide but your review really helped bring the cruise to life.....we have 3 days before and 3 days after the cruise in Waikiki so will be able to have time for the Pearl Harbor Day. Appreciate the helicopter info as well.....

 

Thank you for taking the time to share!

 

Marianne

 

Your cruise is so close, very exciting! I think you'll really appreciate the three days after the cruise. I wish we had done Pearl Harbor and all of our exploring on Oahu before the cruise, then scheduled at least a day or two after the cruise to just relax on our favorite beach. Have a great time!