Dusty:
I bought the Oahu revealed and the Kaui revealed and have been reading back and forth between them!!!
I have some questions...The Polynesian Cultural Center, do you have to go all day? It seems to be geared around spending an entire day there. I would love to go to the luau and the Horizon's show.
Snorkeling: I have read about the many different places and it seems best to snorkel from the beach rather than boat tours on Oahu. I see another post about snorkeling in May. We will be there mid- April. Is the surf too rough to snorkel in April?
I have just begun my reading and I will have many more questions, but I want to say thank you for referring the books. They seem very honest and to the point. The way I like to hear them!!!

For PCC you do not have to go for all day. If you want to attend just the Ali'i Luau and Horizons you can do that.

The villages are open the entire day to walsk through and learn abou the islands. In addition, each village has set times where they put on demonstrations or short 1/2 hour shows.

One thing nice about most luaus is that the customers can try some of the Polynesian games or watch or try some crafts like lei making right at the luau.
Most luaus have those things right before the meal.

PCC has these games and crafts throughout the center in all of the villages. So they do not have the games at the luau itself.

The Canoe Pageant starts at 2:30 and is a good show by itself.

I really recommend the entire day there. You won't be disappointed.

The only place I've ever snorkeled is Hanauma Bay. But, Oahu has some really nice places to snorkel. Shark's Cove is nice. Chun's Reef is nice. You can actually swim with the sea turtles there.

Here's a nice site:

www.snorkeling-hawaii-insiders-guide.com

Hanauma Bay is always good to snorkel because it is mostly sheltered from the waves.

In April the surf may be too high to snorkel on the north shore in places like Shark's Cove or Chun's Reef.

Dusty - Mahalo for the excellent website for snorkeling!

Hey Dusty, Thanks for the snorkel website. I have bookmarked that for references. I will consider the all day event or at least part of the day event at PCC. You can buy tickets on line, do you recommend doing this ahead of time? Is weather a factor?
I am going to sit my family down and decide what do we want to do in Hawaii. With only 9 nights (6 in Oahu and 3 in Kauai) we need to have an itinerary planned. I will preplan some of the activities and leave some free time to just relax at the resorts!

April is somewhat of a transitional month when it comes to weather. It may rain some. It may not. But usually when it rains, it is only for a short time and usually doesn't affect too many activities. But it could. Both the Ali'i Luau and Horizons are covered and shouldn't be affected by weather.

For PCC you should book the Ali'i Luau package at least a month in advance.

Whenever I travel, I try to schedule the most important things at the beginning of the trip so you can still reschedule those things later if something does get rained out.

Check websites for when events, businesses, etc. are open.

PCC is closed on Sundays. Hanauma Bay is closed on Tuesdays. Swap Meet is open Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Luaus, Waikiki shows, museums, etc. have their own schedules.

Thanks Dusty. I didn't realize Hanuamana Bay closed at all. I did read that. I have been skimming through the books. I did realize that the PCC is closed on Sunday. You are correct about planning more in the beginning. This leaves room for something that you decide to do while you are there.
I think we will relax day one since we are flying and arriving at night. Maybe I will plan the PCC for the saturday. And then Monday go to Hanaumana bay. Do you recommend using their transportation to the PCC or just renting a car for a few days (Sat, Sun, and Mon) I have read that the beaches are more crowded on the weekends. Maybe we could go up to Diamond head on Sun morning and then Mond drive around the island hitting the hot snorkel spots starting with Hanamauna bay in the am. Then Tues, relax by the resort. Wed fly to Kauai.
In Kauai, I think we are going to do one of the river kayak and hike guided tours. Just spouting off some ideas... your feedback is guiding my planning. I do think we should have planned more time in Hawaii, but this is the way it worked out. We have plenty of time to plan still, but I am enjoying reading and deciding. I sometimes think the planning is as much fun as the trip.

Here's another good snorkeling website that shows many places to snorkel on all islands:

www.snorkelbobs.com
click on 'Dive' to enter

Then way on the bottom of the page, click on: MapnTips

Rent a car.

When you go to PCC, then you have the option of going early or later. You can also stop at some of the places on the way that I mentioned. Dole Pineapple, north shore beaches.

After you go to Hanauma Bay, you can continue around to places like Halona Blowhole, Makapuu Pt. and other snorkeling places.

I wish I could help you more with Kauai, but I haven't been there since 70s.

Thanks Dusty.
I will read up on these places and I will definitely rent a car!