We will be traveling with our two children ages 12 and 6. This seems like a neat place to go, but rather expensive. Is it worth it? Will our children enjoy it? Also, is this an all day affair?
thanks!

My wife and I spent a full day at Polynesian Cultural Center. We bought a ticket which took us from Waikiki hotel area to the center and picked us up at around 5 or 6pm. It was 1996 so I don't remember exact time but what I remember is that it was little boring for one day's activity and we were waiting for the bus to get back to the beach. It is basically a showcases of polynesian cultures (cultural exhibition of major ploynesian islands)

I don't remember how much it was but everything was expensive in Hawaii. It is enough for half day activity. Some of the shows were fun but it may not be enough to entertain kids for a day.

I believe it took between 30min to 1 hour to get there from Waikiki area and there maybe a half day program.

I found the center to be a total trap, you are stuck out on the North Shore with bad food, insulting interpretations of the Polynesians. Remember this is a Mormon enterprise do you think they are going to honor a non- Christian tradition? They did not do this when they first came to the islands and they don’t do it at the center. The park gives the illusion that you are coming to a respected “cultural center” add Las Vegas to the title and then perhaps we will have some Christian truth. Sorry the park was a big disappointment to me and a complete rip off .

I thought the park was fun. We went in the afternoon (got there around 1:30) and stayed for the luau and evening show. The only disappointment for me was the food at the luau.

I learned more about polynesian cultures and enjoyed the environment. I think your kids would enjoy it. They have fun shows where the kids will learn to hula, learn some crafts, and see someone make fire by rubbing sticks together. It's pretty touristy but not in a bad way.

All the employees who work there are from polynesian islands and seem to take great pride in what they are teaching or showing park visitors. That's the impression I got.

Whatever you do, have fun!
Shel

I agree with the poster above. The food at the luau was disappointing (bland but not bad). The kids would like the purple dinner rolls made out of poi or something. The pork was good.

The show after the luau was fantastic. I have never seen dancing like that. All in all I think it's a fun place to go. Enjoy.

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Personally, I think it's a waste of money.

We took one of those around the island day tours on a small tour bus. It stopped at the Polynesian Cultural Center for lunch. They had an overpriced and not very good looking buffet. The driver/guide told us we didn't have to eat there but could just walk around the culture center and be back at the bus in 90 minutes. We saw the whole place in 90 minutes and the driver stopped again for us to get something to eat.
The price of the all day bus tour was less than the admission to the culture center! I gave that driver a big tip!

I would say that the culture center is a nice stop for a few hours but there are a lot better and cheaper things to do on the island. It's interesting but kind of dull. Like a National Park/museum tour that you would pay a lot less for.

My wife and I visited the PCC in March 2001, and had a good time. I would agree, that the food isn't the best, but we weren't expecting to sit down to a five-star meal at the same time with 2,000 other people.

As for the PCC being a Mormon trap. The young people who work at the PCC are full-time students at BYU-Hawaii. The mission of the PCC is to allow these young people to work their way through school. Is that so terrible.

The evening show was great and the fire dancer from Samoa is a hoot. We will be visiting again in February and will take our kids 8, 11, and 13. They are already excited about the whole experience.

In case many of you didnt know-The mormon church is one of the largest churches in Polynesia-Mormons are 40% of Tonga and Samoa. As a estute follower of polynesian history, I can tell you that the dance numbers are quite authentic and are composed by respected Musicians of each respective island group and the shows are presented by real polynesian youth. Actually, the north shore of Oahu is the most polynesian( hawaiians included) part of the island. Honolulu to polynesians is as hawaiian as Des Moines-or maybe Osaka would more fitting. Its okay to have an opinion-but sometimes a person of greater knowledge on the topic might help you out.

Several years ago we visited the park with my then 12 and 10 year olds. They really enjoyed it and participated in some of the activities such as learning the hula, and the Maori thing with the balls and the sticks (can't remember the name of either). We had a rental car so the price was only the entrance fee - no tour. We went in the afternoon and stayed for the second luau and show. While the show was good, the food wasn't good and this made for a really long day. I'd definitely go to the center but skip the luau/show.

The show is in a town called La'ie( completely owned by the mormons) about 45 minutes to 1 hour up a narrow seaside highway. It gives you a feel of where the locals live. I give it good marks for the dancing and integrity to the culture. I can see how it can be too long and kinda boring for people who dont want to spend the whole day. I do think the kids might like it though. There is more to that area than just the PCC and I think it might be worthwhile checking it out. The famed north shore is just 10-15 minutes north and the beaches up there are nice too.

Are people with dark skin, e.g. black people, still treated as second class citizens in the Mormon church? Just wondered.

I was in the park in 1996. We saw fire walkers falling down and pretending to be on fire hopping all over the stage. Fire walking is a sacred ritual, turning it into a joke was not educational and certainly not appropriate. The evening show titled, "The Polynesian Review" had a grand finale with "Elvis's Blue Hawaii". Do I need to go on here? A shame they have some nice structures on the inside but you sit and listen to nonsense infused lectures, and leave not knowing where you have been. This happened to us as we left a Maori Temple. I found it galling that the Morman’s had no problem doing skits inside a temple.

When we wanted to see how early Hawaiians lived, hula etc.. we went to Waimea falls park, also on North shore. It has changed hands since then so I am not sure if the informative stuff is still there. Also for a closer look at Hawaiian history/Culture I would visit the Bishop Museum. I challenge you to find any reference to the Polynesian Cultural Center at the Bishop Museum.

We went last year with 2 kids aged 9 & 11. We did not go for the most expensive ticket, as we heard the same about the food. We all enjoyed ourselves, but it was definately not an inexpensive day. I think your children would enjoy it & if you have the extra time & the $, do it. Consider going to the north shore however as a whole day trip, as it is a very beautiful & scenic area that can be toured as part of the trip to the PCC. As the previous poster mentioned, the Bishop Museum in Honolulu is excellent & your family would enjoy it. They have an authentic hula dance & music, informative displays, interactive programs for the children, etc. This is a must see & is top notch. It is one of the places that you hear very little about, is authentic & not a hokey tourist trap, & not very expensive.

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