Travel in Honolulu

The tour included both Pearl Harbor and the USS Missouri with a guided tour, which felt well organized. The shuttle boat to the Arizona Memorial was also covered, and seeing the hull below the water was sobering. We also stopped by the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in the afternoon—a full but meaningful day.

The Arizona Memorial boat launch was suspended for preservation work during my visit, so we got a narrated audio tour instead. Still, the Visitor Center exhibits and film were educational. The city drive by Iolani Palace and the Kamehameha statue added good historical context.

The tour covered all the key Pearl Harbor sites, from the USS Arizona Memorial to the Battleship Missouri. Lunch at the Aviation Museum's Hangar Cafe was included, which saved us the hassle of finding food on our own—I appreciated that.

We covered about 120 miles around the island in one day, seeing the main sights from the south shore to the North Shore. The Byodo-In Temple and Waimea Valley admissions were already included, which was convenient. Lunch wasn't included, but we had a stop in Haleiwa where I could grab something.

We sailed from the Hilton Hawaiian Village to Turtle Canyon for snorkeling, and I actually saw green sea turtles in the open water. The gear and safety vests were provided, and adults got two free bar drink tickets, which was a nice touch.

I was picked up from my Waikiki hotel in the morning and we visited the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific before heading to Pearl Harbor for the film and USS Arizona Memorial. The tour wrapped up by midday, and lunch was on my own.

The tour picked me up from my hotel around 6:30 AM and dropped me back in Waikiki by about 1:30 PM. We visited both the USS Arizona Memorial and the USS Missouri, and the guided portion on the Missouri was a highlight for me.