Pearl Harbor National Memorial and the USS Arizona Memorial.
- Rob Belles
- 1 minute ago
- 4 min read
On our February 2026 Holland America Hawaii Circle Cruise we docked overnight in Honolulu. Since we had two days we planned to spend the morning of the second day visiting the Memorial. While this is something one can do on their own, it can be complicated. While free, tickets to visit the USS Arizona Memorial are time and quantity controlled. They sell out quickly. Also, a ride from the cruise port to Pearl Harbor was needed. Therefore our good friend, and traveling companion on this trip, arranged a most affordable excursion with Viator. <Click this link> for this, or similar excursions.
We were the ONLY cruise guests on this excursion. A van holding about 9 people picked us up right outside the cruise terminal. As luck would have it, we were the last pick-up, and first return. The van driver had our Memorial tickets. On the 45 min drive to Pearl Harbor she explained what we would see, how much time we would have, and some fun facts about the Memorial. Be sure you have your CELL PHONE in the Viator system. They tried calling us the day before to let us know our pick-up time was 30 mins later. We did not receive the call, as they had a land line phone number in their system.
The memorial consists of the open air Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, two museums, and the USS Arizona Memorial. Nearby are the USS Bowfin Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum and the USS Missouri Battleship Museum. Some in our group managed to see these, but they were not included in our ticket price. We had about 90 mins to visit the museums, and watch a 30 min. film. We either had an hour to much time, or an hour too little. Too little to see the other museums, and too much for just the Arizona. Our time might also have been longer as all in our group did not have the same ferry time.
The film and exhibits were overwhelming. The quantity and quality of film and photos from the day of the attack in 1941 are mind blowing. You felt like you were there. If you had any inclination towards pacifism this will make you a believer. There was MUCH justification for all the death and destruction.
At our assigned time we headed to the queue for the ferry out to the Arizona Memorial. The memorial is a free-standing, open air (those are not windows) structure. It straddles a portion of the sunken USS Arizona. It is a short and calm ride. But the ferry is CROWDED. Seats hold 6 persons, and they FILL the ferry. We had both a Solider and Sailor take us out.
The USS Arizona Memorial: It is iconic. You know it, even if you don’t know about it. If you want to learn more about the structure ie: ARCHITECTURE, <CLICK HERE> for a review on the Belles Architecture Blog.
The memorial was CROWDED - it is not large enough for the people who want to visit. Many do not know to buy tickets months ahead of their visit, and they do not even get to see it.
It shows signs of age/wear/rust. And use. It feels “tired” to me. And dated. Given the instability of the ship underneath, and the leaking oil, I would like to see the ship raised, removed, and a new way to honor ALL those who serve the country.
After our allocated visit, time is LIMITED, we took the ferry back to the main memorial. This is where we had an awkward hour of time waiting for the van and our return trip. Not quite enough time to see another museum, and too long for the gift shop.
Our van met is PROMPTLY, as promised. The guide had water, juice, and snacks, which were much appreciated. Our trip covered the lunch hour. 10 -3. EVERYONE made it back to the van in a timely manner. MUCH appreciated.
The guide drove us back using a more scenic route. IF this had been on the schedule, I missed it. But MORE excursion is always better than LESS. We drove up the side of a mountain, that I had not even noticed. Turns out it was an extinct, 100,000 year old VOLCANO/volcanic tuff cone. At the top, in the dimple of the volcano is Punchbowl Crater, known as “Puowaina” or Hill of Sacrifice. This is the location of the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. It is a National Register of Historic Places Site (you know how we like those), and the resting place for 53,000 veterans and family members.
We next drove by the major landmarks including the Lolani Palace, King Kamehameha Statue, and the Aloha Tower Marketplace. We also passed by the Kawalaha o Church which in retrospect I should have paid more Architectural attention to. I don’t even have a photo This church is called the Abbey of the Pacific, built from 14,000 coral blocks. I must admit, after a day in the sun at the memorial, we were ready to return to the ship and eat lunch. It was easily 4 by the time we got back on the ship and got a drink and bite to eat.
In the end, we spent the DAY, not the morning, on this excursion. We were a nice size, small, group. Our guide was excellent. Instructions were clear. The snacks were MUCH appreciated. This was easily HALF the price of the Holland America excursion. It was more money than had we done this on our own. A Lyft was estimated at $40 each way. Someone would have needed to get on line and get tickets 56 days in advance. And we would have to coordinate our Lyft ride with our assigned ticket time. The Viator tour, <CLICK HERE> which included the extra drive-by locations, was about $200.
I would not put this at the top of my Honolulu “to-do-list”. Glad I did this. But would not repeat.