Kris

We are planning a trip to Hawaii next month. We will be spending 2 full days in Honolulu before heading to Maui. We are wondering if the Polynesian Center was worth the money, and if we needed to plan on a whole day to see it. We are also planning to visit Pearl Harbor. Is there anything else we should make a priority since we will only be there for 2 days? Never been there before. Thanks!

Joseph

Kris,

Kris,

I would not spend a whole day at Polynesian Cultural Center unless I was 10 years old. Now the Evening Show with Luau is worth the money for adults. World-class show and very good food! I'd do a tour that picked me up in the late afternoon from my hotel so I didn't have to drive back at 10 at night. Your concierge can book it for you.

Besides Pearl Harbor (I'd do a hotel pick-up here, too, and not bother with a car for two days!), you might want to go to the Bishop Museum, the greatest collection of Hawaiiana in the world, or see downtown historic Honolulu on the Trolley. If you're coming from the East Coast, you might just want to veg out with a Mai Tai on your lanai or at Duke's Canoe Club for an afternoon/evening or take a sunset stroll on Waikiki Beach as all the lights come on. You'll have a ball!

wyoming-gal

My daughter and I just returned from Oahu and loved it! We were there 6 days. We booked 3 tours, all through ENOA tours. I would highly recommend them. They pick you up at your hotel door. The Polynesian Culture Center was great - we did a tour that was all day. They picked us up at 10:30 and we didn't get back until 10:30 that night. We also took a city tour and did the Pearl Harbour tour through them. We used the Waikiki Trolley to get around when we weren't on tours. The traffic is something else! Also very few places to park if you have a rental car - the trolley is so easy. Have a ball!

Kathlyn

Wyoming Gal,

How did you like the evening show at PCC, and did you have the buffet or the luau, and how did you find the food to be? What did you think of Waikiki Beach? How old is your daughter?

Aloha,

Kathlyn

Beentheredonethat

I would do a whole day there or none at all. Definatly skip the buffet. It was a zoo and the food was terrible with minimal selections. All the syrup ran out of the soft drink machine and people were drinking this ulta weak watered down soda and yet you couldn't get a glass of water. The evening show was huge and lavish. I drove up there in a rental car with my wife and 1 year old son and it was a quick and easy trip. Check it out and you will learn a lot about Polynesian culture.

Snorkel at Huanama Bay you will never forget it.

imnuts

northern oahu, sunset beach, etc. is not to be missed

Frank

I found PCC to be a major disappointment and can only recommend the Evening Show, and then, only if you'll be taking children.
The reason: it's far too touristy and contrived. PCC employs college students to simulate Polynesian village inhabitants...it is soooo hokey!

wyoming-gal

Kathlyn: The evening show at PCC was great. My daughter is 22 and even she thought it was! We had the Ambassador buffet and it was good. There are two buffets, the Ambassador, and a cheaper one. They also have the luau. The best thing about the Ambassador package, is that you have your own tour guide. That way, you don't wander around on your own and miss seeing anything. If you want to leave the group, you can. But going from village to village the guide goes ahead and saves you front row seats. Really a +++. Waikiki Beach was nice. We have been to beaches in Florida and California, and the best thing about Waikiki is the cleanliness, and the beach is totally public. Even though the hotels are right on the beach, they don't "own" them, and they can't keep you off "their property". Also, a note to Frank - yes some employees are BYU students, but my daughter asked one of them where she could get a lei like he had on (a really different one made out of berries and nuts instead of flowers) and he and one of his friends gave us theirs! Very impressive.

Kathlyn

Wyoming Gal,

I've been there, and loved the Evening Show, our buffet was good. We had done the all day tour and thought the villages got a little boring for two adults. Wished we'd only done the luau and Evening Show. But everybody to their own thing! Isn't Waikiki Beach great? Yes, it's crowded but so immaculate and fun!

Thanks for your reply!

Kathlyn