Luxury Pearl Harbor USS Arizona Memorial Small Group Tour

Great experience

Somber but great trip. We had a great driver that explained a lot of the history and surrounding location.

via Viator

Amazing and unforgetable

It was amazing. Our guide Vanessa was kind and funny. she told jokes and provided snacks and drinks. She could answer any question we gave her, even what kind of trees were outside.

via Tripadvisor

Pearl Harbor

Roland Chong did a great job with the tour. Very friendly and informative.

via Tripadvisor

Felt like a sardine in the van - not good!

The luxury part of the title was a misnomer! We were crammed into a 15 passenger van that was designed for either children or very skinny people. Our van was full and 4 of our family got the 4 back seats on the way back (that included the tour of downtown) that was definitely not designed for 4 larger people. We were so uncomfortable that the tour part was torture. Our guide was nice enough, but spoke so softly that I could maybe hear 25% of what he said. Pearl Harbor itself was great, and our guide handed out the tickets for it when we arrived. He also had cold waters, and a granola bar on the way there and cold tropical sodas on the way back. I would suggest that the company either upgrade their vehicles or downsize how many people they cram into the current vehicle. There is no way they should be cramming that many people in - I felt like a sardine. In retrospect, we should have driven ourself there. Thumbs down from our party of 6

Response from the operator: Dear Mary, Aloha Thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve you. Thank you for recognizing the quality of the Pearl Harbor experience, our guide’s service, and the complimentary refreshments. Our passenger vans have 14 designated passenger seats and carry no more than 14 guests, so the vehicle was operating within its intended seating capacity—not beyond it. We understand that individual comfort can vary depending on body size and preferred personal space, particularly in the rear row. Our small-group tour includes reserved Pearl Harbor tickets, transportation, refreshments, and a guided Honolulu city tour. The guide also uses a microphone so guests throughout the vehicle can hear the commentary. For travelers who prefer additional space or a vehicle reserved exclusively for their party, one of our private tours may be the more suitable option.

via Viator

Needed more time at the memorial

Overall, the service was fine, but where there were some issues that were not laid out in the reservation or that affected our ability to explore the memorial. Our pick up time was at 12:30 by the time we had picked up the other two groups we didn’t get to the memorial until 130. With our 230 boat tickets, we were urged to rush to the film before getting on our boat to go to the memorial. After we returned from the memorial, we didn’t have nearly enough time to visit the museums or the submarine. My daughter likes to do the junior Ranger program. And we had a pick up time at 4 PM by the time we were done seeing the memorial it was 315. We were barely able to finish up the junior Ranger booklet get our badge and regroup with the Van. Then we went on some impromptu hour long city tour that was not in the reservation initial description. I would have rather spent the extra hour at the memorial. And not driving around the city. Yes it was cool seeing historical spots, but it was just slow crawling past them with unnecessary onetime stories about them. The driver was nice, but he was a long winded. Again overall, it was fine. But I would would’ve rather used the last hour to stay at the memorial instead of drive around on the van for an unplanned seemingly random city tour. I know y’all do the city tours, but it was not part of what I booked when I made this Pearl Harbor reservation.

Response from the operator: Dear Client, Aloha Thank You for giving us the opportunity to serve you. The tour you booked is designed around the Arizona Memorial program and includes transportation, orientation, reserved Arizona Memorial tickets, and a narrated drive through historic Honolulu on the return to Waikiki. The primary focus of the tour is the Arizona Memorial experience rather than a comprehensive visit to all Pearl Harbor attractions. Your 2:30 PM Arizona Memorial reservation time was assigned by the National Park Service. As with all Arizona Memorial reservations, guests are encouraged to view the documentary before their scheduled boat departure whenever possible. The timing of the memorial program naturally limits the amount of free time available before and after the reservation. The USS Bowfin submarine, and Junior Ranger activities are separate attractions that many guests choose to visit. However, completing all of those experiences in addition to the Arizona Memorial program is generally not possible within the schedule of this particular tour. Guests seeking extended time at Pearl Harbor often choose one of the longer Pearl Harbor packages specifically designed for additional museum and exhibit visits. The Honolulu portion of the tour is a narrated drive through historic areas of the city during the return to Waikiki. This has long been part of the experience and provides additional historical context related to the events of December 7, 1941 and Hawaii's history.

via Tripadvisor