What to do in Oahu

[kruise66]

We have a 4:15 flight out of Honolulu in March, after a cruise on NCL's Pride of Hawaii. Is there enough time after we dock to pick up a rental car, do Pearl Harbor and then maybe see some beaches or other sites before having to be back at the airport? We'd love to see the North Shore, but aren't sure how far that is, and what kind of traffic is involved. Also aren't sure how long to plan for Pearl Harbor.

 

Any advice is appreciated!

[crusinnurse]

We, also, would love to see Pearl Harbor and we have even less time. How far is Pearl Harbor from where the ship docks. Has anyone done an excursion from the cruise ship to Pearl Harbor? Thank you for any info.

 

Mary and Ed

[bug_dan]

From the Pier, Pearl is only about 5 miles. Your problem is that you should be at the airport 2 hours before flight time. Pride of Hawaii, I think disembarks on Mondays, so Pearl may not be overly crowded like on a Saturday or Sunday. If you do the express walk off, carry your own luggage, you probably could proceed to the airport by 8 am. A taxi might be your best bet to get there to save time. Pearl is only 2-3 miles from the airport and you want to get there as early as possible. You have to wait in line for tickets to get into the movie and for the trip out to the Arizona. These are handed out on a first come first served basis You could get into a showing probably as late as noon, the show and trip take 1 hour, so you could be back to the airport by 2:00. This would mean you would have to take your luggage with you, it would all have to be placed in the trunk and under no circumstances do you want to open the trunk at the Memorial. Breakins do happen there, even though the lots are patrolled. Security at the Memorial is also pretty tight, and no purses, camera bags, etc are permitted. There is a place you can check them for a small fee, it's located right next to the Memorial.

 

If you can do the tour through the ship, that would certainly be better as they would take care of your luggage etc. Usually you can't have a flight time before something like 5 pm. Even thought it's a tour, you still have to wait in line for tickets at the Memorial.

 

Although on paper it sounds feasible, I would be hesitant to do it.

[FutureDRWorldTraveller]

If you want to rent a car I would say plan around 45 mins each way to the N. Shore. Many of the roads are only one way each way and most of the time traffic isn't bad. I went up to the N Shore 3 times on my last trip and didn't have much traffic. I will say that the area around the airport and in Hawaii is a lil hard to drive in. People are a lil crazy!

 

If you end up at the north shore be sure to go into some of the lil town areas and walk around it is like a whole different world! Grab a hamburger or shaved ice... and pineapple! Also if you have extra time you could stop at the Dole Plantation on your way to the north shore i did a short stop (30 mins) and learned a lot for the short time and they have Dole whips (pineapple ice cream) that is great!

 

Oh and a creative gift idea. In Hawaii (at least when I was there) the starbucks had hula gift cards. They are only available there and I wish I would have picked some up as bday gift or just special gifts for friends.

[kruise66]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. Maybe a tour is a better option for us--do tours get priority ticketing at Pearl Harbor?

[kruise66]

One more question...I'm confused about what constitutes Pearl Harbor. You have to get tickets, thought they are free, for the Arizona Memorial for a certain time? And you can tour other ships for a price?

[bug_dan]

First question, do tours get priority----No, you will still have to wait in line, the only concession made is they may let the group go in together, but they still have to wait in line.

 

Pearl Harbor is actually a naval base, but most folks on this bb when they refer to Pearl, mean the Arizona Memorial. Yes the tickets are free, but you must stand in line to get them. What they have printed on them is the time for you to attend the film showing. When you exit the theatre, you proceed to a launch run by the Navy, which will take you out to the Memorial spanning the Arizona. These times are approximate but the film takes about 15 minutes, the ride to the Arizona, 15 minutes, you spend 15 minutes in the memorial itself, and then a 15 minute ride back. Not sure how many are in each group but it is a pretty large group, at a guess maybe 60 people.

 

Next to the Arizona is the USS Bowfin, a WWii submarine which can be toured.

There is also a ticket office for tours of the USS Missouri which is anchored off Ford Island. They take you over to the Island by shuttle.

This link will give you the info for the Arizona http://www.nps.gov/usar/

For the Bowfin http://www.bowfin.org/website/index.cfm

And lastly for the Missouri http://www.ussmissouri.com/

[Aura23]

I would suggest visiting either the Bishop Museum, Queen Emma's Summer Palace (hopefully it wasn't damaged by the earthquake last year), Frommer's walking tour of Chinatown or a hike up Diamond Head, all are an easy drive back to the airport.

[FutureDRWorldTraveller]

I would suggest visiting either the Bishop Museum, Queen Emma's Summer Palace (hopefully it wasn't damaged by the earthquake last year), Frommer's walking tour of Chinatown or a hike up Diamond Head, all are an easy drive back to the airport.

 

When i was there in Aug the whole Hawaiian section at the Bishop Museum was shutdown I heard this was long term.

 

Diamond head was really good! You only pay for parking and water if you need that so it is really great price!

 

Also if you have any kids in your group the Waikiki Aquarium is small but very good. Each person gets a lil headset radio and each display tank has info about it when you press its number.

 

Another fun idea is Kailua Ranch (near PCC) they have horseback riding, movie set tours (Jurassic Park, Pearl Harbor, Karate Kid, and Godzilla to name a few), and various other tours and activities. This would require a rental car so it might not be worth it.

[kruise66]

Thanks to everyone for the input!