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Harbor |
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Round-Trip Airfare
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Rental Car for the day
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Tour Pearl Harbor
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See Waikiki Beach
$199pp
based on double occupancy for the car
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This
rate includes airport taxes and fuel surcharges. The federal
security fee adds $5 per person. The cost of the rental car is included, but you pay
the tax on the rental car directly to Dollar (about $4). Book
as soon as you can! If you wait until a few weeks before your trip,
the cost may go up if the less-expensive
seats are already booked. Please note that these packages are
charged at the time your reservation is confirmed and packages
involving airfare are non-refundable.
The
most popular day-trip to another island takes people to one of our
nation's most sacred places, the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl
Harbor. Regardless of your interest in history or WWII, a
visit to this shrine is an emotional experience. If you have never
been ... you should go.
While they are hard
to find, occasionally there are more
expensive tours that fly you from Maui to Oahu, and provide bus
transportation to Pearl Harbor, and take you to Waikiki for a few
hours, but you give up a lot of freedom that way. Also, there are no
advanced reservations for actually visiting the Arizona Memorial ...
the bus tours have to wait in the same line with the rest of us
independent travelers when they arrive at Pearl Harbor. The best way to
visit Pearl Harbor from Maui is to do a fly-drive package. You get
round-trip airfare from Maui to Honolulu, and the use of a rental
car for the day. Pearl Harbor is very close to the airport, and the
rental car attendant will give you a map and directions to get
there.
The USS Arizona is
part of the National Park Service, and there is no admission fee
nor are advanced reservations accepted for the Arizona Memorial.
When you arrive, you will wait in line to get a ticket which admits
you to the theater at the next available show time. Even the bus
tours from Waikiki have to wait in the same line when they arrive;
there is no advantage to being stuck all day in a group with 70
other people! The documentary
film prepares you well for what you are about to experience, because
when the film ends and the doors open, everyone boards the Navy
shuttle boat in hushed silence. The ride to the memorial only takes
a few minutes.
After seeing the
Arizona, you might want to check out the submarine the USS Bowfin
and the Battleship Missouri ... entrance to these is by admission
which you can purchase right next door. Or you might choose to drive around Oahu ...
or go to Waikiki.
Typical
Schedule:
On
most dates the morning departure choices are 6:22am or 7:30am.
The return choices are typically 5:15pm, 7:05pm, 7:30pm, and
8:00pm
(Note:
Fly-drive reservations must be charged at the time of reservation
and are non-refundable. They should also be considered
non-changeable as any itinerary changes will result in significant
change fees plus the difference in cost in the airfare, if any.)
Activity
Tips
Pearl
Harbor is open seven days a week ... every day of the year except for Thanksgiving,
Christmas, and New Year's Day. One
tip for photographing the memorial ... when you are re-boarding the
boat for the return, try to get in the last row. As the boat pulls
away from the Arizona, you will get your best photo from there. When
you are done touring the Arizona Memorial, you might consider taking a drive up
to the Pali Overlook ... or spending a few hours shopping at
Waikiki. Honolulu is a very long, narrow city. It is hard to
get lost ... do some exploring and enjoy! The USS Battleship
Missouri is right next door as well ... and you can purchase
admission to tour it and the USS Bowfin Submarine. One
question I often get asked about the fly-drive ... "If there
are four of us, shouldn't the price get a little cheaper since there
are four of us sharing the cost of the car instead of two?"
Good question. The answer is "no" ... unless you want to
squeeze four people into an economy car. Parties of four get larger
cars ... and larger cars cost more. It evens out ... trust me! The
driver of the rental car must be over 25 with a major credit
card in his / her name. Drivers 21-25 are possible, but you
need to give us a call and let us know. Dollar Rental Car
charges an extra $25 or so for younger drivers at the rental
car counter. A
major credit card is required at the time you pick up your
rental car (damage deposit). Most people don't take out the
option insurance coverage because their auto insurance at home
covers rental car damage as well (subject to your deductibles
... see your policy for details). My advice on the gasoline
... DON'T pre-purchase a tank of gas from Dollar ... tell them
you will bring it back full. You won't likely use a whole tank
of gas unless you drive the car all day long and do three
circles around the island of Oahu! There is a gasoline station
at the airport where you can fill up ... conveniently located
in the same block where you return the car! If you didn't go
anywhere except Pearl Harbor, the needle probably hasn't moved
on the gas gauge and in that case you don't even need to worry
about filling up. Interisland
carriers have discontinued the use of "flight
coupons." In the past it was possible to get discount
airfare by buying these coupons from a travel agent. They aren't
available anymore.
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On-line Fly-Drive
Reservations
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