Memorial Tickets Question

Hi All! Ok, I'm a little confused and need some clarification. We plan on doing the Memorial on our own when we cruise to Oahu in October. I know we can call 2 months in advance to get tickets, but everything I've read always said to call at 7am Hawaii time to reserve them. Well, I had a few questions and call to get some information using the number on the site. I thought I was calling the site in Hawaii but was told they weren't on site in Hawaii so they couldn't really answer some of my questions, and I should call at 10am their time, 7am California time, in August to see what tickets were available. This leads me to believe that they are on the east coast. Has this always been the case??........and why is everyone always saying to call at 7am Hawaii time?? Am I missing something?......is there another number I should be calling? Thanks for any info you can give me.

What phone number are you calling? The Arizona's website shows (808) 422-3399 which is a Hawaii area code but guess it could go to the NP located on the east coast which probably uses the toll free number on the website.

https://www.nps.gov/valr/planyourvisit/index.htm

What phone number are you calling? The Arizona's website shows (808) 422-3399 which is a Hawaii area code but guess it could go to the NP located on the east coast which probably uses the toll free number on the website.

 

https://www.nps.gov/valr/planyourvisit/index.htm

Ok, this is a link to a different site than the link I got from a post of the forum. The link they gave was for Recreation.gov and the number is

Reservations and Information:

1-877-444-6777

But even on this site it says call at 7am Hawaii time, but it gives the number for the east coast. :confused: lol So thank you for this other link. I'll give that a try and see if I can get some information. :D

Ok, this is a link to a different site than the link I got from a post of the forum. The link they gave was for Recreation.gov and the number is

Reservations and Information:

 

1-877-444-6777

 

But even on this site it says call at 7am Hawaii time, but it gives the number for the east coast. :confused: lol So thank you for this other link. I'll give that a try and see if I can get some information. :D

Hopefully you'll be able to get your reservation but dealing with government agencies isn't always easy. ;)

Hopefully you'll be able to get your reservation but dealing with government agencies isn't always easy. ;)

Hahaha......you got that right!!! But I can always count on you for good information on Hawaii!! Thanks for all the help! :)

Hahaha......you got that right!!! But I can always count on you for good information on Hawaii!! Thanks for all the help! :)

Mahalo & you're welcome! Cruising & Hawaii (primarily Maui) are two things that we enjoy very much and I'm happy to share our experiences that may be useful for anyone else.

I know we can call 2 months in advance to get tickets, but everything I've read always said to call at 7am Hawaii time to reserve them.

The 25 "free" tickets for the public are allocated EXACTLY 60 days before the date, at 7am Hawaii time (don't remember if those were hourly or half hourly).

I've very much wanted to get 2 tickets for the day of embarkation, which was the only option for us, also I wanted a specific hour (noon), to leave ourselves enough time to get there one hour early, get lost along the way, find parking, etc.

So I "sat" on the reservation site, and tried to "reserve" some hours before. No luck. At 7.01AM Hawaii time the site allowed me to book the much desired tickets, not even one minute before....

Sometimes you have to be careful that you are actually contacting the government website rather than a tour company. There is at least one tour company that indicates it is the "official Pearl Harbor" website. We have never called for tickets, just used the govt. website. Cherie

Don't confuse the rec.gov with the nps.gov sites.

http://www.recreation.gov/showPage.do?name=landing&landing=/htm/pearlharbor/memorial.jsp&contractCode=NRSO&parkId=72369&page=memorial

Home of the Brave is a tour company with special privileges. They are the only one allowed to stop and let people out at Punchbowl National Cemetery of the Pacific.

http://www.homeofthebravetours.com/

7am Hawaii time is when the tickets are released. Some are released 60 days out, and more are released (for certain times) the day before.

I've not heard of calling to reserve tickets before. I am only aware of the website which you can book through which I have used twice for next day tickets.

If you don't get to the website quite early the 60 days out, there's a good chance the tickets will say sold out. The tour companies tend to snatch those up quickly unfortunately. The day before tickets seem to be more readily available, though as more people learn about it those tickets will also be a bit harder to come by. You can also get tickets at the site the day of, though it's recommended to go early.

~Katy

Piggybacking on this thread - we booked our tour for 245pm and we arrive in from our flight at 1245pm - does that give us enough time to pick up our rental car and grab a bite to eat?

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Piggybacking on this thread - we booked our tour for 245pm and we arrive in from our flight at 1245pm - does that give us enough time to pick up our rental car and grab a bite to eat?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

I don't think so. You have to pick up your tickets at least one hour before your scheduled tour time. You're really going to have to hurry to get your bags, get your car, and make it over there. Pearl isn't far from the airport, but it's going to be tight.

I think you should forget about lunch. Enjoy a wonderful "bite" with a mai tai after your tour.

Is your car rental at the airport or off property, which requires a shuttle?

Be sure to join you car rental loyalty program which will speed up getting your car.

And, I do not know where you are flying into HNL from, but often flights from LAX are 30 minutes early arriving in HNL. This helps with a tight schedule once you arrive. If you will be carrying on your luggage, it will also help.

Is it possible for you to make a reservation for later tour, just in case you don't get there an hour ahead? For $1.50 per ticket I would want the peace of mind in having later tickets just in case. But, 2:45 is close to the last tickets for the day. Also, if you are late there may still be tickets available.

Enjoy your visit, Cherie

Ok, so do I use this site to make Memorial reservations

https://www.nps.gov/valr/planyourvisit/index.htm

or this site

http://www.recreation.gov/showPage.d...&page=memorial

I've seen both on the forum. Thanks

Go to the first website you list. Then click on Frequently Asked Questions, and on that page you will see a choice "how do I make reservations?" Hopefully you will be successful. Cherie

Go to the first website you list. Then click on Frequently Asked Questions, and on that page you will see a choice "how do I make reservations?" Hopefully you will be successful. Cherie

Thanks for the help Cherie!! I hope I'm successful too! :)

I think you should forget about lunch. Enjoy a wonderful "bite" with a mai tai after your tour.

 

Is your car rental at the airport or off property, which requires a shuttle?

 

Be sure to join you car rental loyalty program which will speed up getting your car.

 

And, I do not know where you are flying into HNL from, but often flights from LAX are 30 minutes early arriving in HNL. This helps with a tight schedule once you arrive. If you will be carrying on your luggage, it will also help.

 

Is it possible for you to make a reservation for later tour, just in case you don't get there an hour ahead? For $1.50 per ticket I would want the peace of mind in having later tickets just in case. But, 2:45 is close to the last tickets for the day. Also, if you are late there may still be tickets available.

 

Enjoy your visit, Cherie

Thanks Cherie. I'm fairly certain we have to shuttle to get it, but I'm not positive. Either way we are flying in from LAX so hopefully early (initially flying from Toronto). I think we are the last reso at 245 so perhaps you are right that we don't have to rush to get tickets since they may have extras. I think we'll play it safe though and follow your suggestion to eat after; this is our only day to do PH and we don't want to miss it!

Ok, so do I use this site to make Memorial reservations

 

https://www.nps.gov/valr/planyourvisit/index.htm

 

or this site

 

http://www.recreation.gov/showPage.d...&page=memorial

 

I've seen both on the forum. Thanks

Go to the first website you list. Then click on Frequently Asked Questions, and on that page you will see a choice "how do I make reservations?" Hopefully you will be successful. Cherie

No, don't go to the first site (nps.gov) because it just redirects you to the second site (recreation.gov) to reserve tickets. The rec.gov site is the official ticket outlet.

When people send you to the recreation.gov site you are skipping a not needed step to buy tickets. The nps.gov site is great for information, but if all you want is tickets go directly to the rec.gov site.

Piggybacking on this thread - we booked our tour for 245pm and we arrive in from our flight at 1245pm - does that give us enough time to pick up our rental car and grab a bite to eat?

Since you say "we" I'll assume there are two of you.

Do join the loyalty club of the rental car company if you don't already belong so you can skip the line and do all your verification of ID and credit card locally before coming so you can skip the counter.

When you land, one person goes to get the car, one goes and waits for the luggage and you should be fine. But I agree with others, you might have to eat after.

No, don't go to the first site (nps.gov) because it just redirects you to the second site (recreation.gov) to reserve tickets. The rec.gov site is the official ticket outlet.

 

When people send you to the recreation.gov site you are skipping a not needed step to buy tickets. The nps.gov site is great for information, but if all you want is tickets go directly to the rec.gov site.

Actually it was very easy to go to the first site and click on FAQ, the second site did not work for me, which is why I made the recommendation. If both work for everyone then it's nice to have options. JMO Cherie

Thanks Cherie. I'm fairly certain we have to shuttle to get it, but I'm not positive. Either way we are flying in from LAX so hopefully early (initially flying from Toronto). I think we are the last reso at 245 so perhaps you are right that we don't have to rush to get tickets since they may have extras. I think we'll play it safe though and follow your suggestion to eat after; this is our only day to do PH and we don't want to miss it!

You are welcome. And, if you are just joining the loyalty program for your rental car company, make sure you join enough ahead of your trip that your number can be added to your reservation. I made the mistake a couple years ago of not giving myself enough time. Some loyalty programs are immediate and some take about 3-4 days to get the number activated.

And, I will respectfully disagree with splitting up when you get off the plane for one person to get the car and one person to get the luggage. If the shuttle takes 30 minutes, by the time you wait for it, and then you have to drive back to the airport it could take more time. My personal opinion is that it is easier to leave from the car rental location. But you now have two options. Cherie p.s. I am one of the few who prefers Ph at the end of the day when it becomes peaceful, with most of the crowds and tour busses gone. Enjoy your day.

No, don't go to the first site (nps.gov) because it just redirects you to the second site (recreation.gov) to reserve tickets. The rec.gov site is the official ticket outlet.

 

When people send you to the recreation.gov site you are skipping a not needed step to buy tickets. The nps.gov site is great for information, but if all you want is tickets go directly to the rec.gov site.

Thank you for the info Scottca075! With two different sites floating around if was a little confusing. lol

I contacted Roberts Tours to ask if they pick up form the ship but they said that they only pick up form hotels ?