USS Arizona Memorial, Honolulu

We bought tickets at 7am sharp online for the narrated tour the day before. Which I highly recommend. The information is very well presented, and in a relatively unbiased manner. By the time we got to the memorial, we had good emotional and historical context to appreciate the location. Tourists were overwhelmingly respectful. There was an exhibit on the successive internment of Japanese Americans and even a temporary one that touched on the after effects of the Hiroshima bombings, which was a nice touch that rounded out the story.

The USS Arizona Memorial is by far the most popular attraction at Pear Harbor. As a result, it is extremely popular and getting tickets takes some effort. There are three ways to get tickets: 1. Buy tickets online exactly 90 days before the visit. 2. Buy tickets online at exactly 7am the day before the visit. 3. Line up early (like 6am early) on the day of the visit. You will be given a time that may be as late as 3pm. If you are lucky to get a ticket, make sure to line up in front of the theater 15 minutes before the park movie after which you will be learn firsthand about the battle and will be taken by boat the moving memorial.

A must see. We went on a rainy day and it was still good, the memorial is not roofed so we all got wet but we don't care complain. The oil really is still coming up to the surface and it's such a memorable moment. Make time for this. You don't spend much time at the memorial but it's long enough. Note - you literally cannot take any bags into pearl harbour - not even a small satchel. But there is lockers for a small fee.

I've gone twice and want to go again... Everyone needs to go to this memorial at least once in their lives. I love how quiet everyone gets when we arrive by boat to the actual Arizona memorial. No one tells us to be quiet, but everyone is reverent because of what this memorial means. I've never taken a group here (yet) but I have been able to go with family and soak in the special spirit of that place. ***Make sure you get there EARLY as tickets are limited!***

It's hard to put this monument into words. It is beautiful, no doubt, but once you step foot aboard and understand everything you stand above, it's a somber experience. Scattered among the visitors, you'll see people who remember this day, and who served or lost loved ones in the events that followed. The Navy is very professional in travel to and from the monument, and the rangers aboard are very knowledgeable and friendly. It's extremely popular, so I'd suggest getting there early