Pearl Harbour, Honolulu tours Aurora 2015

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melsea
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Pearl Harbour, Honolulu tours Aurora 2015

#1

Post by melsea »

All being well we will be on the Aurora big cruise in January 2015. I am doing some research on some of the ports. Although I have been to most already there is one port that I still need advice. I thought there was a thread on here but I think it must have been on the old P&O one.
Best stop rambling. I want to visit Pearl Harbour but I am unsure of what P&O are offering and the advice they give as it seems to differ to the official sites that do tours there.
Has anyone on here ever gone to Pearl Harbour and DIY it. On the website they seem to do longer tours and there is nothing about not being able to take handbags. Nobody goes anywhere without a bag of some description.
The P&O tour says under the heading Essential Information 'Due to increased security NO bags of any form (including camera bags and handbags) are allowed within the Visitors’ Centre or Memorial'.

So advice from the good people on here please would be most appreciated.
:-)


Quizzical Bob
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Re: Pearl Harbour, Honolulu tours Aurora 2015

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Post by Quizzical Bob »

We spent 6 nights in Waikiki a couple of years ago and went with a local tour company to Pearl Harbor which was an incredible experience. It's perfectly possible to do it yourself by taxi but spaces are limited and advance booking highly recommended. On our tour we visited the Arizona memorial and the USS Missouri but there was not enough time for the Pacific Naval Air Museum which there would be if you went independently.

http://www.recreation.gov/tourParkDetai ... rkId=72369

http://www.pacificaviationmuseum.org/m/

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jay-ell71
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Re: Pearl Harbour, Honolulu tours

#3

Post by jay-ell71 »

Hi Mel! Cant help with your question I am afraid. Just writing to say hello. When we went to Hawaii we took a helicopter ride over the island and flew the route the Japanese bombers flew to surprise the Americans and destroy so many ships in Pearl Harbour. It was a great experience, but not quite what you are looking for. Have a marvellous time. Judith
Jay


Russtm
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Re: Pearl Harbour, Honolulu tours Aurora 2015

#4

Post by Russtm »

We were on the Aurora's visit to Ohau in 2013. We shared a taxi to Pearl Harbour with a couple we met at the taxi rank, which If I recall correctly is right in front of where we berthed. It's best to get to Pearl Harbour early to get tickets for the Arizona Memorial. The tickets are free but as you get to it by boat they only have a limited number in the day. We got there at 9.30 and we got tickets for 12 noon.
We had a great day there and can thoroughly recommend a visit. Incidentally we are also booked on the Aurora's South Pacific adventure in January. See you on board then!


Quizzical Bob
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Re: Pearl Harbour, Honolulu tours Aurora 2015

#5

Post by Quizzical Bob »

Russtm wrote:
We were on the Aurora's visit to Ohau in 2013. We shared a taxi to Pearl Harbour with a couple we met at the taxi rank, which If I recall correctly is right in front of where we berthed. It's best to get to Pearl Harbour early to get tickets for the Arizona Memorial. The tickets are free but as you get to it by boat they only have a limited number in the day. We got there at 9.30 and we got tickets for 12 noon.
We had a great day there and can thoroughly recommend a visit. Incidentally we are also booked on the Aurora's South Pacific adventure in January. See you on board then!
Best to reserve your tickets in advance, you can do this online now.


Boris+
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Re: Pearl Harbour, Honolulu tours

#6

Post by Boris+ »

Hi Mel,

We went to Honolulu, and we decided not to do Pearl Harbour; we did a tour which went all around the island, visited the Byodo Inn Temple, watched baby Green Turtles coming in on the surf, had a really great visit to the Pineapple Plantation. Before we selected our excursion we were told that there would be long queues for the Pearl Harbour memorial, and that the people on that excursion would just have to queue up with all the other visitors; hence our decision. It appears that we made the correct decision for that particular day. If you are going to do Pearl Harbour I understand that the best thing to do is on a proper excursion, and take water with you.

Have a stunning time.

Em

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towny44
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Re: Pearl Harbour, Honolulu tours Aurora 2015

#7

Post by towny44 »

We did a Pearl Harbour tour a few years ago prior to a Hawaii - Tahiti cruise, we organised this ourselves on line and we chose the tour company that had a pick up point near the Royal Hawaiian, our pre cruise hotel.
It worked very well and also had a partial city tour which included a visit to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, the tour company organised everything including the Arizona boat tickets, which as others have mentioned was time specific.
Have a look on line there will be lots of sites offering tours, just choose one with a convenient pick up point and timing to suit your visit.
John

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melsea
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Re: Pearl Harbour, Honolulu tours Aurora 2015

#8

Post by melsea »

Thank you very much for your replies. Certainly plenty to think about and I will investigate the various answers.

Russtm

Look forward to the meeting you too.
Have you done South America before?

David63

Ops, sorry about cross posting, I wasn't sure where to post it.


Jim Crow
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Re: Pearl Harbour, Honolulu tours Aurora 2015

#9

Post by Jim Crow »

As someone said, you go out to the Memorial by a passenger boat. Here's a tip we were given when we went out there. If you can, get to the front right hand side (Starboard). The boat passes the memorial giving you a superb view, then turns and ties up Port side to.

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Manoverboard
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Re: Pearl Harbour, Honolulu tours Aurora 2015

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Post by Manoverboard »

The multi-destination Topic is as per ... Mel, see p89

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/947 ... ations.pdf

:wave:
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Solent Richard
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Re: Pearl Harbour, Honolulu tours Aurora 2015

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Post by Solent Richard »

Quizzical Bob wrote:
We spent 6 nights in Waikiki a couple of years ago and went with a local tour company to Pearl Harbor which was an incredible experience. It's perfectly possible to do it yourself by taxi but spaces are limited and advance booking highly recommended. On our tour we visited the Arizona memorial and the USS Missouri but there was not enough time for the Pacific Naval Air Museum which there would be if you went independently.

http://www.recreation.gov/tourParkDetai ... rkId=72369

http://www.pacificaviationmuseum.org/m/
Hi Bob.

We too had a two week holiday on Waikiki beach and had a great time.

Like you we took a local tour operator for the Pearl Harbour visit.

Like most visits of this nature it is always so much more beneficial to have a proper guide.

The big thing I liked about using the local tour company was that they new the score and got you there well before the crowds from visiting cruise ships.

I know, this is a cruise forum, but sometimes it makes sense to try the alternative.

Whatever way the OP chooses, Pearl harbour is a must visit.

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Silver_Shiney
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Re: Pearl Harbour, Honolulu tours Aurora 2015

#12

Post by Silver_Shiney »

Solent Richard wrote:

I know, this is a cruise forum, but sometimes it makes sense to try the alternative.
Yes, but the whole idea here is to swap ideas and learn from the experience of others, so tips like yours are invaluable. Keep them coming! :thumbup:
Alan

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Mervyn and Trish
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Re: Pearl Harbour, Honolulu tours Aurora 2015

#13

Post by Mervyn and Trish »

We did Pearl Harbour on a land-based tour and agree it is a must, especially to the Arizona memorial. A humbling experience

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