Pre-Cruise stay on Oahu

First time to Hawaii. We are sailing on NCL out of Honolulu Apr 16, 2016. We have our airfare and hotels booked (Oahu 3 days prior/Maui 3 days after) and I think we have narrowed down our itinerary for our first 3 days on Oahu - if anyone has any suggestions please feel free to offer advice - this is our first visit to the beautiful islands of Hawaii and I have a tendency to want to "do it all" but trying to plan and take our time and have time to just "chill".

Here's my plan so far:

Wed - arriving at 12:30 pm from the East Coast (8:30 pm our time!) so we want to take it slow....

• pick up rental car/check in at hotel - Aston Circle, Waikiki
  
• beach time (short visit)
  
• dinner in the Waikiki area - Dukes?
  
• walk the beach after dinner until we can't stay awake any longer
  

Thurs

• Diamond Head Trail Head - may try to hike it ( due to the time change we will be up very early!)
  
• Pearl Harbor Memorial and Museums
  
• Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve
  
• Dinner at "House without a Key" at Halekulani Hotel
  

Friday

• leisurely Drive to North Shore with stop at Dole and some beaches (DH's pick!)
  
• Lunch at a shrimp truck on the North Shore
  
• Polynesian Cultural Center (not staying for the Luau)
  
• Back to Waikiki - dinner at ??
  

Saturday

• Tour around Honolulu
  
• checkout
  
• return car
  
• board our ship
  

Is this too much? I know we may or may not see everything on the list depending on how long we linger at any given spot and I have a back up list if we find more time...if I am missing anything that you think is a MUST see for our first visit please let me know... we love nature and waterfalls, will snorkel if the opportunity is there, and enjoy just discovering off the beaten path types of things. All thoughts are appreciated.

Cindi

If you haven't read the thread on "Honolulu/Oahu Plans - Please Help" (started September 30th), you really should. It parallels your situation and gives good advice.

Your plans will certainly allow you to see a lot of the island. Be sure to go to Hanauma Bay early in the morning. The parking closes when it is full. We love the "House without a Key" great place for dinner. Go early and have a Mai Tai on the patio with the hula dancer and music. Lots of locals go here! Enjoy this great island.

You certainly have a lot planned. Your first day sounds perfect to me, the Circle is just across the street from the beach and makes a short beach visit very easy. Duke's is a good choice, we enjoy the bar area as much as the restaurant. If you plan on Duke's make reservations there or at the Hula Grill upstairs. Sitting on the balcony of the Hula Grill is wonderful. The walk back on the beach is a perfect ending to a long day, but the way I would do it. If you want other options for dinner consider the Banyan Court at the Moana Surfrider and Lulu's. When we have visited the Banyan there is always Hawaiian entertainment in the evening. It is a beautiful spot.

I assume you are making your reservations for Pearl Harbor. If you get to Hanauma and the parking lot is full you can just do something else or park elsewhere. We prefer late afternoon at Hanauma because the crowds are gone. Dinner at the Halekulani will be nice and, as recommended, try to get there for a cocktail and the entertainment at sunset.

Personally I think your Thursday is a little too jam packed but you can see how the day goes. I would skip the Dole Plantation and just head to Haleiwa. Our favorite shrimp truck is Macky's which is at the beginning of Haleiwa. You can pick up lunch and head to a beach and enjoy a pic nic. If you need beverages to enjoy with your lunch you can stop at the market in town.

I am not a fan of the PCC but others seem to enjoy it. I would prefer to enjoy the beaches and beauty of the North Shore and drive back the opposite direction from Haleiwa. The scenery is beautiful. A stop at the Turtle Bay Resort for a mai tai is always nice too.

The Hau Tree Lanai is a nice restaurant with patio seating about a 15 minute walk from your hotel towards Diamond Head, but you can also drive. Otherwise, the restaurants already mentioned would be nice. Have a great time. Cherie

P.S. If you can visit the Ioalani Palace on your way to return the car on Saturday it is amazing. Not only is it beautiful but the history of the Hawaiian Islands that is provided gives a great start to a tour of the islands. Cherie

Fun filled... a few comments

1) day 2 Hanauma Bay will be a challenge. The parking lot fills very very fast by 10am sometimes. We did the hike and went straight to Hanauma Bay and no go.

2) I personally found the Dole stop not very worthwhile. The train is a total waste of money..

3) Make sure to do Giovanis shrimp trunk. It is a bit further of a drive, but world famous, when you see the lines, you'll know you arrived.

Your plans brought back memories of Logan Express for the 4:AM bus and a very long flight. We, too, had similar plans and were able to accomplish everything. We were traveling with friends, so we opted for a limo to the Hyatt Regency, caught their afternoon entertainment, took a walk along the beach and then had casual dinner at the hotel. We pushed ourselves to stay awake and attempt to re-ses our body clock. The following morning, we rented the car at the hotel, and were off to the PCC, stopping along the route for lots of pix. The PCC was a great experience, we did go for the Ambassador Level package and did the buffet and evening show.

The following day we did Pearl Harbor, drove to the North Shore with a stop at Dole [OK, it's touristy, but it's vacation and we're tourists], saw Turtle Bay, then returned via an alternate route. Beware, traffic is an issue - worse than 93 on a bad day. We enjoyed an Asian dinner near the hotel and later took an evening stroll through the shops along Waikiki. The next day we were up early, had breakfast at a bakery on the way to Diamond Head, [wear "sensible" shoes for the hike] and later visited the Zoo, Aquarium and then the Punch Bowl. That evening, we had dinner at Duke's - be sure to make reservations. Also turned in the car. After dinner, we again wandered through the shops and hotels, then walked along the beach. The next day, breakfast at Jimmy Buffet's and took in the Palace, returned to the hotel to collect our luggage and caught a cab to the ship - we did HI and FP.

Darcy

Thanks for your post! Great tips :)

First time to Hawaii. We are sailing on NCL out of Honolulu Apr 16, 2016. We have our airfare and hotels booked (Oahu 3 days prior/Maui 3 days after) and I think we have narrowed down our itinerary for our first 3 days on Oahu - if anyone has any suggestions please feel free to offer advice - this is our first visit to the beautiful islands of Hawaii and I have a tendency to want to "do it all" but trying to plan and take our time and have time to just "chill".

 

Here's my plan so far:

 

Wed - arriving at 12:30 pm from the East Coast (8:30 pm our time!) so we want to take it slow....

 

• pick up rental car/check in at hotel - Aston Circle, Waikiki
  
• beach time (short visit)
  
• dinner in the Waikiki area - Dukes?
  
• walk the beach after dinner until we can't stay awake any longer
  

Thurs

 

• Diamond Head Trail Head - may try to hike it ( due to the time change we will be up very early!)
  
• Pearl Harbor Memorial and Museums
  
• Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve
  
• Dinner at "House without a Key" at Halekulani Hotel
  

Friday

 

• leisurely Drive to North Shore with stop at Dole and some beaches (DH's pick!)
  
• Lunch at a shrimp truck on the North Shore
  
• Polynesian Cultural Center (not staying for the Luau)
  
• Back to Waikiki - dinner at ??
  

Saturday

 

• Tour around Honolulu
  
• checkout
  
• return car
  
• board our ship
  

Is this too much? I know we may or may not see everything on the list depending on how long we linger at any given spot and I have a back up list if we find more time...if I am missing anything that you think is a MUST see for our first visit please let me know... we love nature and waterfalls, will snorkel if the opportunity is there, and enjoy just discovering off the beaten path types of things. All thoughts are appreciated.

 

Cindi

Your plans are very ambitious. It takes about an hour to hike Diamond Head. It is very hot. lots of stairs and a tunnel. You will need a shower afterwards. You can see the entire leeward side of the island at the summit. Amazing views.

Pearl Harbor was about a 4 hour tour for me. If you want to see everything. It gets very windy in the afternoon and sometimes they don't send the launch out to the memorial. I went at 8AM. Sit in the back of the launch and you will get amazing pictures. Bring tissue. I met a WWII veteran named Alfred while I was there.

Hanauma Bay is amazing also. The parking lot fills up very quickly there so you need to get there early as well. Nuuanu Pali lookout is not far from Hananuma bay and it has amazing views as well.

At the North Shore be sure to stop at Haleiwa town. Very quaint laid back town. Tell hubby Pipeline, Sharks cove is cool. Waimea has a waterfall and is pretty amazing. The drive from Waikiki is about and hour. Dole planation was a bust for me. I wasn't trying to get lost in the maze. the Dole pineapple whip was good.

Check out time is usually 11AM and the ship leaves around 7 so you can get some touring in on Saturday morning. Pace yourself

Aloha and have a wonderful vacation

We always stop at Dole to get a Dole Whip, buy some Dole t-shirts and sweatshirts. If you've never been on a pineapple plantation I think the train trip is worthwhile once.

For dinner on the open night what kind of food do you want? The Chart House at the Marina is a nice locals spot. Maybe the Hau Tree Lanai at the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel.

If you belong to any clubs back home so if you can get into the Outrigger Canoe Club for dinner. Elks Club is another hidden gem.

If the Waikiki Circle had better lanais I'd say get a plate lunch or take out someplace and enjoy on your lanai with a bottle of wine.

Maybe check the Willows if you have a hankering for local food.

I find the shrimp trucks to be the ultimate tourist traps. They are expensive and not that special.

I would definitely get cocktails at the Moana's Banyan Courtyard.

Your plans will certainly allow you to see a lot of the island. Be sure to go to Hanauma Bay early in the morning. The parking closes when it is full. We love the "House without a Key" great place for dinner. Go early and have a Mai Tai on the patio with the hula dancer and music. Lots of locals go here! Enjoy this great island.

Thanks I have read great reviews on "House" and DH will have a Mai Tai - I'm a wine drinker and hope to taste some good local wines on the islands!

P.S. If you can visit the Ioalani Palace on your way to return the car on Saturday it is amazing.

Thanks - I guess I forgot that - I'll add to my last day plans

I assume you are making your reservations for Pearl Harbor.

Yes I plan to - there are time restraints on how far out I can book so not yet.

I would skip the Dole Plantation and just head to Haleiwa. DH wants to visit and see how it's changed in the last 50 years since he was there...I want to skip it LOL

Our favorite shrimp truck is Macky's which is at the beginning of Haleiwa. Looks like we have many favorites to choose from - it will depend on our timing I guess.

I am not a fan of the PCC but others seem to enjoy it. This is where we get to be a true tourist - since it's our first and maybe only visit we want to get a taste of all the cultures so thought this may be a good stop for us...but we are flexible - if we find it too "touristy" we will move on!

 

The Hau Tree Lanai is a nice restaurant with patio seating about a 15 minute walk from your hotel towards Diamond Head

Thanks - the more suggestions the better!

Thanks for all the suggestions! I am keeping lots of notes!

Fun filled... a few comments

 

1) day 2 Hanauma Bay will be a challenge. The parking lot fills very very fast by 10am sometimes. We did the hike and went straight to Hanauma Bay and no go. Thanks - these are just some ideas not set in stone so we will have to see how our timing works out - coming from the East Coast I know we will be up and ready to go very early the next morning - and the hike may be a pipe dream - I'll have to start working out NOW lol!

 

2) I personally found the Dole stop not very worthwhile. The train is a total waste of money.. DH was there over 50 years ago - I think it will be a very quick stop once he actually sees it.

 

3) Make sure to do Giovanis shrimp trunk. It is a bit further of a drive, but world famous, when you see the lines, you'll know you arrived. Again, thanks - we have seen several trucks listed and our timing will dictate where we eat I think but at least I know the ones to look for!

Thanks for all the suggestions - noted as well!

Your plans brought back memories of Logan Express for the 4:AM bus and a very long flight. LOL - our flight is @ 5 am so we will also be leaving home about 3:30 am but we have a stop over in Dallas so will have time to stretch a bit before going on to HNL

 

Beware, traffic is an issue - worse than 93 on a bad day. Once you have commuted on 93/128 you can handle anything!

 

The next day we were up early, had breakfast at a bakery on the way to Diamond Head, [wear "sensible" shoes for the hike] we did HI and FP. HI and FP????

 

Darcy

thanks for the tips also - we know we will need to do the "body reset" the first nite but I know on our last trip to the west coast I was up before the birds so will take advantage of that and get to Diamond Head as early as allowed!

Your plans are very ambitious. It takes about an hour to hike Diamond Head. As I said this may be a pipe dream depending on how much better shape I am in by then LOL

 

Pearl Harbor was about a 4 hour tour for me. Bring tissue. I met a WWII veteran named Alfred while I was there. We are going to plan on spending a good amount of time there. Both my father and my father-in-law are WWII vets - both gone now but we heard many stories from both of them and want to see this memorial since our parents actually lived through this war. Reading everyone's comments we may change this up and try Saturday morning instead the same day as Diamond Head hike...

 

Hanauma Bay is amazing also. The parking lot fills up very quickly there so you need to get there early as well. Nuuanu Pali lookout is not far from Hananuma bay and it has amazing views as well.

 

At the North Shore be sure to stop at Haleiwa town. Very quaint laid back town. Tell hubby Pipeline, Sharks cove is cool. Waimea has a waterfall and is pretty amazing. The drive from Waikiki is about and hour. Dole planation was a bust for me. I wasn't trying to get lost in the maze. the Dole pineapple whip was good. Seems the general concensus is to skip Dole....

 

Check out time is usually 11AM and the ship leaves around 7 so you can get some touring in on Saturday morning. Pace yourself. Trying to.... I know we can't see everything in this limited amount of time so trying to pick some of the best things for this trip!

 

Aloha and have a wonderful vacation

Thanks - trying to map it all out and make the best of our short time on this island - don't want to over do it, but do want to see some good sights!

We always stop at Dole to get a Dole Whip, buy some Dole t-shirts and sweatshirts. If you've never been on a pineapple plantation I think the train trip is worthwhile once. Nice to see someone who DID like it there!

 

If you belong to any clubs back home so if you can get into the Outrigger Canoe Club for dinner. Elks Club is another hidden gem. No club membership other than for Street Rods LOL

 

Maybe check the Willows if you have a hankering for local food. Would be fun to see what's different from our region

 

I find the shrimp trucks to be the ultimate tourist traps. They are expensive and not that special. Again nice to see another opinion, but we LOVE shrimp being from the NorthEast and what the heck, we ARE tourists LOL

 

I would definitely get cocktails at the Moana's Banyan Courtyard.

Thanks for the tips - always great to have well rounded opinions!

Thanks for all the suggestions and tips! Sorry it's been a while since I've been on the boards and able to thank everyone - work and school just got in the way but I am having a minor elbow surgery this week so I have some down time coming up and time to get back to planning this adventure!

I am definitely rethinking trying to do Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor and Hanauma Bay all on the same day, although someone mentioned that by late afternoon the crowds are gone so it might work....

Thanks again!

Thanks I have read great reviews on "House" and DH will have a Mai Tai - I'm a wine drinker and hope to taste some good local wines on the islands!

There are a few wineries that I am aware of in the islands. If your travels on Maui include a drive up to the summit of Haleakala, you can continue south on 37 to the Ulupalakua area and the Maui Winery ( or I have seen it called Tadeshi ). It is easy to pass by. Watch for the Ulupalakua Ranch Store, nearly across the road on the right. Just looks like a little home, but there is a lot of history here involving Hawaiian Royalty. This is a beautiful drive though green hillsides flanked by huge trees. You are still high up in elevation so there are also some occassional expansive views. They specialize in Pineapple wines. Loved their sparking one.

At Hilo, near the VNP, you can visit Volcano Winery. We may check it out after we visit the park on our next trip. They have some very unique wines I would love to try, like a jaboticaba berry blend and the Macadamia Nut Honey one.

There is a tasting room for Island Mana Wines on Ala Moana Blvd in Waikiki near the Hilton Hawaiian Village we may check out as well. Open from only 3 to 9:00pm daily.

Maybe you are of the lucky ones with a state which allows the wineries to ship directly to you. Indiana does not allow, but we did pay corkage on one bottle to enjoy on the ship and they stored two more for us. It is a bit of a pain to carry them back in luggage, so doubt we'll do that again.

Whatever you end up doing, you will fall in love with Hawaii, I'm sure.

Maybe you are of the lucky ones with a state which allows the wineries to ship directly to you. Indiana does not allow, but we did pay corkage on one bottle to enjoy on the ship and they stored two more for us. It is a bit of a pain to carry them back in luggage, so doubt we'll do that again.

 

Whatever you end up doing, you will fall in love with Hawaii, I'm sure.

Thanks for the tips on Wineries - will definitely build this in to our plans. We are staying on Maui 3 days post cruise so will have the time to check that one out!

MA has strict laws but my s-i-l lives in NH and they are a bit looser with the shipping so we send to her when we find something we like :p

Thanks I have read great reviews on "House" and DH will have a Mai Tai - I'm a wine drinker and hope to taste some good local wines on the islands!

Hawaiian rum (Koloa Rum from Kauai) is better than the Hawaiian wine. Stick with Halekulani's fine selection of California, Australian and French wines

Thanks for all the suggestions and tips! Sorry it's been a while since I've been on the boards and able to thank everyone - work and school just got in the way but I am having a minor elbow surgery this week so I have some down time coming up and time to get back to planning this adventure!

 

I am definitely rethinking trying to do Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor and Hanauma Bay all on the same day, although someone mentioned that by late afternoon the crowds are gone so it might work....

 

Thanks again!

The trouble with Pearl, Diamond Head and Hanauma all on the same day is that each is best first thing in the morning. When we hike Diamond Head, and anyone in fair shape can, we do it at about 6:20AM to let the initial group of hikers go. DH is best before it gets too hot. It is the one thing I would NOT do in the afternoon. Here is a great resource.

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/hikediamondhead.html

Pearl Harbor I have been to so many times the only thing I go for now is the trip to the USS Arizona Memorial and I try to go every trip (4 to 5 times a year). You can do it in the afternoon, but sometimes chop in the harbor due to high winds causes them to cancel the boats to the memorial.

What I would do is move the Diamond Head hike to Saturday morning. That way you can visit the Farmers Market at Kapiolani Community College right after. It starts at 7:30AM. The entrance is very near the entrance to Diamond Head Crater. Besides great food to eat for breakfast (like crepes with local fruit) there is amazing local honey, some crafts and great local fruits. Here is a link.

http://www.kapiolani.hawaii.edu/project/farmers-market/

Hawaiian rum (Koloa Rum from Kauai) is better than the Hawaiian wine. Stick with Halekulani's fine selection of California, Australian and French wines HA-HA - If I do partake in alcohol Rum is my choice- I will look for this one!

 

Here is a great resource.

 

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/hikediamondhead.html

 

This is a great link - I am a 63 year old woman who isn't in the best of shape but I made it up the Tower of Pisa so looks like I can do this one!

 

What I would do is move the Diamond Head hike to Saturday morning. That way you can visit the Farmers Market at Kapiolani Community College Here is a link. This also looks great!

 

http://www.kapiolani.hawaii.edu/project/farmers-market/

Great ideas and thanks! The more I looked at the comments from everyone I was already thinking of moving DH to Saturday and this gives me another reason to do that.

Hiking early would give us time to get back to the hotel to shower, change and check out and then tour around Honolulu for the rest of the day as suggested by someone else - Iolani Palace, etc.

I'll repeat what most have already said, Dole's was a huge disappointment. I don't mind touristy places but this place was just awful. Yeah, the pineapple whip is good, but the shaved ice you'll find around the islands is way better.

Amazingly, I actually enjoyed the PCC. The food is shockingly bad and the "luau" is anything but. That being said, the entire facility is pretty interesting and the fire show at the end of the night was entertaining. They don't serve any sort of alcohol at all, which is a bummer, especially when you need it to make you forget how awful the food is.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

I'll repeat what most have already said, Dole's was a huge disappointment. I don't mind touristy places but this place was just awful. Yeah, the pineapple whip is good, but the shaved ice you'll find around the islands is way better.

 

Amazingly, I actually enjoyed the PCC. The food is shockingly bad and the "luau" is anything but. That being said, the entire facility is pretty interesting and the fire show at the end of the night was entertaining. They don't serve any sort of alcohol at all, which is a bummer, especially when you need it to make you forget how awful the food is.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

DH has his mind set on Dole's because he was there about 45 years ago... I keep telling him about the reviews but we will make a run thru on our way to somewhere else LOL

Thanks also about the PCC - I have heard mixed reviews from people I know who have been there as recently as January this year - one lady loved it and another thought it was touristy - all is in the eyes of the traveler and everyone has a different outlook so I take it all in stride.

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for all the helpful information - we had a fabulous first visit to Hawaii and I now understand why you need to go more than once! I am updating my original "plan" with what we actually did accomplish in the hopes that I can pay it forward! See my "did that" in RED below:

 

Here's my plan so far:

 

Wed - arriving at 12:30 pm from the East Coast (8:30 pm our time!) so we want to take it slow....

 

• pick up rental car/check in at hotel - Aston Circle, Waikiki
  

- shuttle to off site location; picked up car without issues and then on to our hotel in Waikiki - this proved a bit more difficult as the entrance is sandwiched between Egg's and Things and McDonalds and up a ramp so it was hard to find but after 2 times around the block we called the hotel and found it! Hotel was just fine for what we needed - small, older but had all we wanted for a place to lay our heads at night and great value over all.

 

• beach time (short visit) we were right across the street from Waikiki - need I say more?
  
• dinner in the Waikiki area - met up with some fellow CC members from our roll call - nice place to eat and be merry - food was good and expensive as expected - but we were prepared for that!
  
• walk the beach after dinner until we can't stay awake any longer - LOL - we stayed up until 9:00 pm which was 3 am to us coming from the East Coast so we called it a night so we could rise early the next morning and be off!
  

Thurs

 

• Diamond Head Trail Head - we were awake very early and hit the road by 6:30 am (HT) Grabbed breakfast at McDonalds ( i know so many more choices but we wanted to get on the road!) We were early enough to park close to the visitor entrance and start up the trail. This 64 year old, slightly overweight and out of shape lady was determined to make it and I did! It may have taken me longer than some but the views along the way were worth the stops. Brought plenty of water and it gets hot fast on the ascent so we were glad we went early!
  
• Pearl Harbor Memorial and Musuem per advice here saved for later in the week
  
• We drove north to Byodo-In Temple - pretty site but delayed our snorkeling adventures. From there we drove south down the coast thru Kailua stopping for pix and to watch surfers around Sandy Beach Park and then the Halona Blow Hole
  
  
• Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve We arrived at Hanauma around 2:00 pm and timing was great - plenty of parking available although the reserve closes at 5:00 pm (at 4:30 they start calling you out of the water) so after waiting and watching the required "preview" film,we lost some time in the water but what we did see and do was fabulous - this turned out to be the area where we would see the most fish all week!
  
• Dinner at "House without a Key" at Halekulani Hotel - decided just to take a walk from our hotel and ended up at Cheeseburger in Paradise - we were so tired we just wanted a quick meal and short walk before bed!
  

Friday

 

• leisurely Drive to North Shore with stop at Dole and some beaches (DH's pick!) -Another early morning - on the road at 7:00 am - found a Starbucks along the way (DH prefers his Dunkin Donuts but alas there were none!) picked up muffins and his coffee ( Diet coke for me!) and we were on the road. I was hoping to stop at a local bakery for something different but we compromised. We thought we would hit delays with rush hour traffic, but that was not any worse than our local commutes every day and didn't really delay us and we arrived at Dole's about 45 minutes before they opened for the day. So we headed a little further north to Haleiwa Town and looked around this quaint little area ( also nothing much open yet!) and went to the beach to look for surfers. We headed back down the road to Dole's and it was time to walk around the gardens and the shops were open. Had a Dole Whip Float - super yummy and of course picked up some goodies to snack on along the way. Got some great little leather bracelets that were inscribed in front of us while we waited with our grandchildren's "Hawaiian" names - the girl used a book to translate their names ( which are very uncommon names!). The kids love them!
  
• Lunch at a shrimp truck on the North Shore - After Doles we got back on the road and took our time traveling along the coastal route ( Kamehameha Highway) stopping at various beach areas and lookouts - Waima Bay, Sharks Cove, Sunset Beach Park and more... got to see lots of surfers out on the waves that we were told varied but up to about 30' tall! We finally found Giovanni's shrimp truck and at first DH was not sure he wanted to stop there - it doesn't have the look and feel of "quality" restaurant but it was highly recomended on these boards - BOY was he glad we stopped - it's all he talked about for days afterward!
  
  
• Polynesian Cultural Center (not staying for the Luau) -we did decide to be total tourists and arrived at the PCC just after it opened - it doesn't open until noon and closes at 6 pm if you are just visiting the various villages you barely have time to see it all but we were glad we went. We went for just the General admission tickets which I felt were a little pricey since the hours there are so short but all of the people are just so welcoming and we got some great insight on who these people are and interesting facts about the different cultures.
  
  
• We took the Pali Highway back to our hotel and got to see more beautiful scenery and go thru some interesting tunnels along the way.
  
  
• Back to Waikiki - we decided for another quick meal as we were quite exhausted so we ate at Egg's and Things which was right in front of our hotel - interesting little place - great food and service and just what we needed. A quick stroll out on the beach ended another grat day.
  

Saturday

 

• Tour around Honolulu On the advice of forum members we decided to wait until our last morning to see Pearl Harbor. I secured tickets on line in advance and arrived before the gates opened - we were lucky enough to get moved up to the first tour of the morning at 7:30 am - Both my father and father-in-law served in WWII and I don't think I every fully understood the impact of the bombing of Pearl Harbor - what a sobering morning. The film is emotional and we learned some facts that we never knew before and then the trip out to the memorial was somber as one would expect. To stand back on the shore and look out over that small harbor and realize how many ships were attacked and lives lost....just a very humble experience. We spent about 3 hours here - not enough to see everything but our focus was on the memorial - we have seen other war vessels around different parts of the US so we didn't take time to tour them.
  
  
• checkout checkout was fast and easy as we had packed the night before
  
  
• return car - we paid an extra $15 to drop the car close to the cruise port and we were glad we did - they had free shuttles to the port so it was less than we would have paid to go back to the airport and cab over.
  
• board our ship
  

Thanks again to everyone who had offered ideas and tips - it was a great trip and I hope this review helps someone else who may be visiting for their first time!

Cindi

As I was reading your ideas and questions about your trip to Hawaii, I was hoping that you came back and answered what worked and what didn't with your plan. We are thinking of going Feb. 2017 and will use your review and suggestions. Thanks again for the review.