USS Arizona Memorial

Any tourist and local should go at least once to visit this amazing piece of history. Go early, before 8am because it gets very crowded and lines to watch the film on Pearl Harbor get long. When you get in, you have the opportunity to get a ticket to watch the film. The ticket will tell you approximately what time your film will be and usually there will be a wait, depending on how many people got tickets before you. There is no charge so do get a ticket. In the meantime, you can walk around to view different remnants, pictures, models of pearl harbor and WW2. They provide earphone headsets so you can do a tour on your own but be prepared to shell out a $5 required donation if you want the headsets. It is worth it though because you will hear a lot of history and it will keep you occupied during your wait to see the film. Once you see the film, you get to realize just what an effect it had on Pearl Harbor. And once the film is over, you exit towards the boat that will take you onto the USS Arizona Memorial. You will need to be quiet when you get there because you are essentially on an underwater graveyard. The experience is sobering, seeing all the names of the people who died, seeing the oil in the water coming from the USS Arizona, it is a piece of history everyone must experience if given the chance. more

Every person that lives or visits Hawaii should go to the USS Arizona Memorial. It is a very sobering experience and gives you a deep appreciation of life and where you are. I'm glad they changed the movie they show you before you take the boat ride to the memorial itself. The previous movie was very scary especially for young ones. Once on the memorial, it is amazing to see the ship itself and to know that it is a graveyard makes the mood quite somber. It is a beautiful view from there and you are able to see the markers of where other ships were sunk. If you listen carefully to your guide and if you have the right one, they can explain all the symbolism about the memorial (shape, how it was chosen, etc.) If you know a military personnel, they can schedule ahead of time a special tour. The boat is nicer and you start off in an area where hammerhead sharks breed. You get more of the history and it is not so crowded...until you get to the memorial. Both tours are very good. more

If you go there early in the morning, you won't have to wait in a line for so long to see the film. During your precious vacation time, you don't want to waste your time just waiting doing nothing. Maybe because the film is free, there will be so many people waiting on pretty much any day you go. There are other museums/films that you can watch while you are waiting, but then, you will have to pay for the ticket, so if you are planning on just seeing the free memorial film, I definitely recommend you to be there for the first thing in the morning. After the 20 minutes film, you get to go on a boat the memorial house in the sea. Enjoy! more

USS Arizona Memorial is one of the tourist attraction that you should go to learn more about the history. If you plan to go there, make sure you go early. if not, you probably have to wait in line or get the ticket in order to see the show and take a boat to see the memorial. I think they open at 7 a.m or 7:30. From my experience, i went there with my family around noon and we had to wait for two hours in order to see the show. The museum was mildly interesting, the film was very good, the memorial looked just like all the picutures you've ever seen of it. Admission is Free, Parking is limited. more

The USS Arizona Memorial is a great tourist attraction but locals should go experience too. You get to see a lot of artifacts and see the history of Hawaii. You also get a little ride on the ship. It's worth the experience. USS Arizona Memorial is always filled with people wanting to get in. So buy your tickets early and prepare to wait in line. Like I said, if you haven't already been there, you should definitely go! more

If you go anytime pass 8 am you will definitely see a huge line to get into the memorial. However, don't fluster once they open the line moves extraordinarily fast and you commonly get a time ticket that is fairly near your actual time. The ticket you get which is free is for what time they let you watch the video and then take you out to the memorial. However, if you get there past ticket time which is about 8 then you won't get one because they are usually sold out by that time. The memorial itself is fairly nice, but after going more than twice it gets exhausting. Sometime people bring fresh flower leis and drop them into the water. However, if they are not fresh flower then I believe the security guards will not let you drop them in. more

If you are ever on Oahu, you must visit the USS Arizona Memorial. A somber experience for sure, but well worth the amount of time spent standing in line to truely understand a very important event in American history. Visit the Memorial early, like in line by 7am. This is the best way to go because the line isn't too long then. You will wait for about a half hour until the doors open and tickets (free) are issued. Save these, they are collectable and look great in a scrapbook. I have a bunch because we go whenever we have visitors. If you go this early, you will be on one of the first tours. That way you have the rest of your day to do other things on island. The Memorial has a gift shop and also a museum. It is important to walk through both to get a good grasp on this tragic event. You will see a movie before a boat takes you out to view the Memorial itself. Keep in mind, that you are visiting the graves of fallen sailors. If you wish to take a lei, make sure you check with the person working so that they can help you to remove the string from it to let the flowers go. The only really bad thing about visiting the Memorial is that the traffic can get bad leading into it because tourists will stop at the corner that doesn't have a stop to take pictures. This backs the traffic up onto Kamehameha Highway. more

The last time I went to visit the Arizona Memorial was on a high school field trip. Despite being for school the whole experience interesting. Looking at all of the old artifacts in the museum used during WWII was pretty cool like the torpedoes and gun turrets. Being at the memorial itself was pretty awe inspiring looking at all the names of the people who died up on the wall and the oil bubbling up to the service. more