Polynesian Cultural Centre anyone?

I'm guessing lots of people here have been to Hawaii, so I'm after a homegrown opinion here. We are interested in going here and making a day of it (ship tour) with the luau and concert. Does the PCC in Honolulu get your thumbs up? Is it something along the lines of our theme parks (Movieworld, Dreamworld). Thanks in advance.

I'm guessing lots of people here have been to Hawaii, so I'm after a homegrown opinion here. We are interested in going here and making a day of it (ship tour) with the luau and concert. Does the PCC in Honolulu get your thumbs up? Is it something along the lines of our theme parks (Movieworld, Dreamworld). Thanks in advance.

I went through the same thought processes, Anna, as it is very popular.

However, I can't comment on PCC, because, in the end, I was lucky to find a genuine Hawaiian Seniors Dance Competition, which was the highlight of my visit to Hawaii.

Can those ladies dance! They even had a hula sit down dance for the elderly! As a bonus, I got to hear some of the top Hawaiian musicians, who were backing their grandmas.

We took the all day tour at PCC. Be prepared for a lot of walking. We opted for the Ambassador package, which included prime rib and crab. Below is how I rate on a scale of 1-10.

PCC for the day - 3

Dinner - 3

Show - 10+++++

We were so undecided about spending a whole day here. In the end after much research, we decided against going and I don't regret that decision at all.

We have been to many of the areas that are depicted in the villages at the PCC, so we didn't think it could compare to the real thing. From what I read it is a bit like a theme park (without the rides). However, many people enjoy their day there.

I was in Hawaii in December and was advised by several people to skip the PCC because it's all a bit naff. The luau is Ok but it's a long boring day otherwise. There are lots of reviews on tripA.

I went with Go To Bus for about $100 2 years ago, they pick you up from your hotel and apart from us, the other 10 folk were Asians. We just had a so so meal but the evening show was fantastic. It was a show from the various peoples of the polynesian islands. The Tahitians were the best for depicting the hula, but you probably get that for free on the ship, but it was still fantastic the second time. The other cultures were just as great, Mauris, Samoans, and Hawaii. Because our bus got there about 4 pm, we missed the walking around but to me the evening show was the best. If you are staying overnight in Hawaii, Roberts of Hawaii may be just as cheap, but they would not sell me a ticket to the show because I had let them know I was getting off Dawn Princess and they were doing the Princess tours and charging $150 and they were trying to make me buy the tour through Princess.

Rosie

I'm guessing lots of people here have been to Hawaii, so I'm after a homegrown opinion here. We are interested in going here and making a day of it (ship tour) with the luau and concert. Does the PCC in Honolulu get your thumbs up? Is it something along the lines of our theme parks (Movieworld, Dreamworld). Thanks in advance.

It was not something I would ever do again. We had 2 teens and a 9yo when we went and the highlight for them was fishing with a hook on a stick. Overpriced, a little cheesy, and run by the Mormom church if my understanding is correct.

It's a bit of a downer hearing so many poor reviews. As we like theme parks we will still book this excursion and let you know on our return. Thanks all the same for your opinions.

Hi Anna.....I have done the Tour twice when visiting Oahu and have throughly enjoyed it. It is nothing like a theme Park. There are 2 shows to see and both are great. It is run by the Brighen University who are the Mormans and they put on a really good day. Before dinner the students play in a band and they are terrific. The buffet dinner was guite good too and the evening show fantastic. If is still as good I could go back again.

Hi Anna.....I have done the Tour twice when visiting Oahu and have throughly enjoyed it. It is nothing like a theme Park. There are 2 shows to see and both are great. It is run by the Brighen University who are the Mormans and they put on a really good day. Before dinner the students play in a band and they are terrific. The buffet dinner was guite good too and the evening show fantastic. If is still as good I could go back again.

Now that's what I like to hear. This will probably our only cruise to Hawaii and it's not to be missed in my opinion.

We went to PCC numerous years ago when we were doing a land tour of Hawaii. Our PCC experience was our worst day in Hawaii. I have been back to Hawaii twice without going to PCC and I plan to never go again. My husband is half Polynesian so we were very excited for the opportunity to learn more about his culture. Disneyland does a better job of displaying real cultures and that is not saying much.

Hawaii is a big draw for a vacation here in California. I get asked a lot about traveling to Hawaii and my standard answer is to avoid PCC at all cost. Hike Diamond Head, snorkel at Hanama Bay, drive to the northshore to the Bonzai pipeline, visit the Arizona memorial, etc. There are too many options to waste a day at the PCC.

We took our mom to PCC on our land-based trip to Hawaii a few years ago. It was her first time back to Hawaii since we lived there in the mid to late 1970s.

We chose the upgraded package where we had our own private tour guide. I have to say that we all enjoyed the day tremendously (ages during trip - mom late 60s and we are in our 40s). Our tour guide, Duran, really enhanced the experience with the sharing of information not only at each village but also as we walked in between. And the evening show was fantastic.

A few other points in response to your post.

1. PCC is not your typical theme park experience as it is geared towards imparting information about life on the different south pacific islands.

2. PCC is not in Honolulu, but rather on the north shore of Oahu (which is on the same island but a different part of the island).

3. While we really enjoyed our experience at PCC, if we only had one day on Oahu I don't know that we would choose PCC for our only day on this island (unless there was time to do something else earlier in the day).

Have a fabulous vacation.