Plans are being made for a trip to Oahu. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated about our itinerary, as well as to a few questions. We will have most of the day we arrive (plans are to just chill on the beach, mostly), 3 days of hubby having work meetings in the a.m. (so sightseeing will be limited to the p.m.) and 2 full days to ourselves.

For the 3 half days -

Historic/Waterfront Honolulu tour

Iolani Palace grounds tour

A drive to north shore with a stop at the Dole Plantation. How are the waves in July?

For the 2 full days -

Hiking Diamond Head, Waikiki aquarium, and luau at Royal Hawaiian hotel in the evening. Too much to do all in one day?

USS Arizona, Missouri, and Bowfin. Approximately how many hours total were spent at all 3? Should we not plan anything else for that day?

Does all of that sound about right? We want to see as much as possible during our time there, but don't want to run ourselves ragged, either!

Many thanks!

Surf on the North Shore will be flat in July.

If you're planning on driving the the North Shore on one of your half days, the earlier you start out in that direction, the better. Traffic starts building as early as 3:00 p.m. On your way back into town, depending on your route, there may be some traffic up until perhaps 6:30 p.m. in certain areas.

I'd do Diamond Head/Waikiki Aquarium and the Royal Hawaiian luau on one of the half days and save a full day for the North Shore. As long as you have a car you should have no problem getting DH, the aquarium and the luau into an afternoon and evening.

I might pass on the plantation however the Dolewhip ice cream does sound good. We had better luck going toward the windward side in the morning from Waikiki and coming back early evening from Haleiwa.DH is doable in the afternoon but do the aquarium first and take plenty of water to DH.Time sounds about right for the Memorial and you should have some shopping or beach time left. It sounds like this is a Monday-Friday trip if so you could do the swap meet at Aloha Stadium.

If you get to Pearl Harbor early (around opening) you can easily squeeze all three sights into a half-day.

My husband and I fully planned to visit the Dole plantation, but once we got to the north shore, we didn't want to leave. Sunset Beach and Waimea Bay are gorgeous in the summer. Ate at Haleiwa Joe's, which was amazing and cheap. We decided the plantation tour would be too touristy and structured compared to a day at the North Shore.

My only other concern: Make sure you have time to wander along the beach and the main drag in Waikiki. Tours will give you a bird's-eye view, but don't spend so much time looking AT things that you miss out on experiencing the island. Not to sound like a hippie.

For the 3 half days -

Historic/Waterfront Honolulu tour - Are you talking about a paid tour? You can do much the same on your own just by strolling around Aloha Tower area & a walking tour of chinatown.

Iolani Palace grounds tour - Good

A drive to north shore with a stop at the Dole Plantation. How are the waves in July? - Try to do this on one of your full days. Take a driving tour counterclockwise. Much easier to get off & back on the highway. Less tourists crowding the roads if you leave 8-9am. Driving tour # 2 on the link below includes the North Shore. For a full day, you could include driving tour #1.

For the 2 full days -

Hiking Diamond Head, Waikiki aquarium, and luau at Royal Hawaiian hotel in the evening. Too much to do all in one day? - Hiking Diamond Head will take about 1 hour roundtrip. Aquarium is small & only takes an hour or so.

USS Arizona, Missouri, and Bowfin. Approximately how many hours total were spent at all 3? Should we not plan anything else for that day? - 2-3 hours USS Arizona Memorial. 1 1/2 hours for USS Missouri. 1 hour for USS Bowfin. Wed, Sat Sun the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet is open. Only a few blocks from USS Arizona Memorial Visitors Center

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