Pearl Harbor Tours from HonoluluArizona Memorial Small Group Tour From Honolulu
This arizona memorial small group tour from Visit Pearl Harbor Hawaii runs 4 hours and costs $100 per person, with pickup from your Honolulu hotel, the airport or the cruise pier. A certified driver-guide takes up to 22 guests to the USS Arizona Memorial on pre-ordered tickets, then to Punchbowl, the Iolani Palace grounds and the King Kamehameha statue. A historian lecture plays on the drive out. Park rules keep the guide outside the Visitor Center and the memorial, so the guide waits for you there. This page sets out the price, the day and the limits, and compares the listing with other Pearl Harbor tours from Honolulu so you can judge whether the small group is worth the money.
About This Tour
Visit Pearl Harbor Hawaii sells this half-day outing at $100 per person for a group capped at 22. The driver-guide collects you at your Honolulu hotel, the airport or the cruise pier, and a pre-recorded historian lecture plays on the way to Pearl Harbor. The USS Arizona Memorial tickets are pre-ordered, and the price carries the 23-minute video and the boat ride to the memorial, which honors the 1,177 sailors and Marines lost on the ship.
After Pearl Harbor the tour calls at Punchbowl, the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, then stops at the Iolani Palace grounds and the King Kamehameha statue downtown. The Iolani Palace stop covers the grounds, and the palace itself is entered only on a separate paid tour. The whole circuit takes 4 hours.
$100 per person, sold on Viator, rated 4.6 from 644 reviews. Lunch and gratuities are not included.
4 hours in total.
Hotel, airport or pier pickup in Honolulu. Single travelers must contact the operator directly to book.
Tour vehicle with a certified driver-guide, up to 22 guests. The vehicle has no wheelchair lift, so call ahead with a collapsible wheelchair.
Entered: USS Arizona Memorial and Punchbowl cemetery. Grounds and statue stops, not entries: the Iolani Palace grounds and the King Kamehameha statue. The Missouri, Aviation Museum and Submarine Museum are not on this tour.
Tickets are pre-ordered, not guaranteed, and high winds can suspend the Navy boats. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure, and the listing allows cancellation for bad weather.
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Quick answer Price, length and what you get
This arizona memorial small group tour costs $100 per person, runs 4 hours and takes up to 22 guests from Honolulu hotel, airport or pier pickup to the USS Arizona Memorial, Punchbowl and downtown Honolulu.
Key takeaways
- The Arizona tickets are pre-ordered but never guaranteed, because Navy boats stop in high winds. See what the price covers.
- The guide cannot enter the Visitor Center or the memorial with you. Park rules require it, so the guide waits outside.
- Want a cheaper 4-hour Arizona tour? The USS Arizona Memorial tour costs $51 for 4 hours.
- Want a private vehicle instead of a group of 22? Look at the private Pearl Harbor and city tour.
What the Price Actually Covers
The $100 is a transport-and-organization price. It carries the guide, the ride, the water and the pre-ordered Arizona tickets, and it leaves out food and tips.
Included
The listing includes certified professional driver-guide services, hotel, airport and pier pickup in Honolulu, cold bottled water, and pre-ordered USS Arizona Memorial tickets with the 23-minute video about 7 December 1941. Infant seats are available on request if you ask in advance, and infants and small children may ride in a stroller.
- Certified professional driver-guide
- Hotel, airport and pier pickup
- Cold bottled water
- Pre-ordered USS Arizona Memorial tickets and the 23-minute video
Not Included
Lunch and gratuities are the stated exclusions. There are no mandatory extras. Eat before you go or buy food on the day.
The Pearl Harbor park has a small snack shop, and the NPS advises bringing sun protection and water since many exhibits sit outdoors. Water fountains throughout the park let you refill bottles, and only water is allowed on the boats and the memorial.
| Line | In the price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Driver-guide | Yes | Cannot enter the Visitor Center or the memorial with you, park rules apply |
| Hotel, airport or pier pickup | Yes | Honolulu area, single travelers must call the operator |
| USS Arizona Memorial tickets | Pre-ordered | Not guaranteed, Navy boats stop in high winds |
| Cold bottled water | Yes | Only water allowed on the boats and memorial |
| Lunch | No | Eat before or bring money for the snack shop |
| Gratuities | No | Not included |
| Bag storage | No | $7 per bag and $10 for oversized bags and luggage at the Pearl Harbor storage facility if you bring one |
Sources: Pearl Harbor National Memorial, National Park Service, Recreation.gov, Pearl Harbor Historic Sites
An aerial view of the USS Arizona Memorial. Photo: Department of Defense. American Forces Information Service. Defense Visual Information Center, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
What the Day Is Really Like
The listing gives the stop order and the length of the video and the overall day. Here is how those pieces fit together.
Pickup and the Drive Out
The guide collects you at your hotel, the airport or the cruise pier. A pre-recorded historian lecture plays during the drive to Pearl Harbor. The visitor center at 1 Arizona Memorial Place opens 7 am to 5 pm, and the NPS recommends arriving early, especially with reserved Arizona tickets.
| Stop | Entered or outside | A figure to anchor it |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel, airport or pier pickup | Boarding | Group capped at 22 |
| Drive with historian lecture | On the bus | 23-minute video waits at the center |
| USS Arizona Memorial | Entered, guide waits outside | 1,177 sailors and Marines died on the ship, and many of the crew remain inside the hull |
| Punchbowl, National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific | Entered | First interment was January 4, 1949 |
| Iolani Palace grounds | Outside only | The palace was completed in 1882 |
| King Kamehameha statue | Outside stop | Downtown Honolulu |
At Pearl Harbor
On arrival your pre-ordered tickets are secured and you watch the 23-minute video about the attack. Just before 8 a.m. on 7 December 1941, 353 aircraft in two waves struck the base, killing 2,403 Americans. The Arizona program itself is a safety orientation, a Navy boat ride, time on the memorial and the return trip.
Each boat carries 145 people, and programs run every 15 minutes from 8 am to 12 noon and from 1 pm to 3:30 pm. Your guide stays outside, because the park does not allow guides in the Visitor Center or on the memorial.
Punchbowl and Downtown
After Pearl Harbor the tour drives to Punchbowl, the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, set in an old volcanic crater, where you pay tribute to the soldiers resting there. Then come the grounds of Iolani Palace, the only royal palace on US soil, and the King Kamehameha statue downtown. Neither stop includes going inside the palace.
The whole day runs 4 hours in total.
Who This Tour Rules Out
This listing is a good shape for many travelers and a poor fit for some. Match the limits below against your own day before you book.
Read These Limits Before Booking
Park rules mean your guide waits outside the Visitor Center and the memorial, so you tour Pearl Harbor on your own for that stretch. The Arizona ticket is pre-ordered but not guaranteed, and high winds can suspend the Navy boats until conditions ease. Downtown Honolulu is seen from outside, with no entry to the palace. The vehicle has no wheelchair lift, so collapsible wheelchairs need a call ahead. The 4 hours make a long outing for very small children, though infant seats and strollers are allowed. Single travelers cannot book online and must contact the operator.
If any of those limits bothers you, look elsewhere. The cheapest 4-hour option is the USS Arizona Memorial tour at $51 with live guiding and 6:30, 8:30 and 10:30 AM starts. For a private vehicle and a guide who stays with you all day, the private Pearl Harbor and city tour costs $233 per person with a minimum of 2. Travellers who want more sites in one day can scan the full comparison table of Pearl Harbor tours from Honolulu on the homepage. Price, ratings and durations across listings here are.
A view of Iolani Palace in Honolulu. Photo: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Getting There and What to Add
You can build this day yourself for close to the cost of a lunch, and you can stretch it with the sites the tour only drives past. The bookable options sit side by side on Pearl Harbor tours from Waikiki.
Doing Pearl Harbor Without a Tour
The visitor center and grounds are free to enter with no reservation. The Arizona program is free too, reserved only through Recreation.gov with a $1 non-refundable fee per ticket. Reservations are released daily at 3 pm Hawaii time, 24 hours and 8 weeks ahead, and they sell out fast in peak seasons.
From Waikiki the drive is about 45 minutes through Honolulu traffic, 10 to 15 minutes from the airport. Parking costs $7 per day, credit card only. TheBus routes 20 and 42 run to the memorial, and the NPS says to use stop #477 at Kamehameha Highway and Kalaloa Street.
Remember the bag rule: bags that offer concealment are not allowed beyond wallet size, bag storage runs $7 per bag and $10 for oversized bags and luggage, and bags whose contents are readily visible are allowed but inspected. The Pearl Harbor bag policy guide has the details, and the bus to Pearl Harbor from Waikiki guide covers the public transport route.
What to Add Before or After
The tour enters Punchbowl but only passes the palace, so the natural add-on is inside Iolani Palace. Docent-led tours cost $34 for adults, $31 for teens and $16 for youth 5 to 12, with a self-led audio tour at $28 for adults, and the palace suggests 60 to 90 minutes. Tickets are online only, no walk-ups.
At Pearl Harbor itself, the Missouri, the Aviation Museum and the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum with the USS Bowfin are the other Pearl Harbor sites, and the NPS runs a Ford Island bus tour by Recreation.gov reservation. The Ford Island and Iolani Palace guides cover both. If you would rather have all four Pearl Harbor sites in one booked day, see the Best of Pearl Harbor Full-Day Tour.
Day Plan, Stop by Stop
The listing states the stop order, the video length and the total of 4 hours. Exact clock times depend on your pickup and the date you book.
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Start
Hotel, airport or pier pickup
A certified driver-guide collects you in Honolulu in a vehicle carrying up to 22 guests. Single travelers must contact the operator directly to book.
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On the drive
Historian lecture on the drive
A pre-recorded lecture by a historian plays during the ride to Pearl Harbor.
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At Pearl Harbor
Video and USS Arizona Memorial
Your pre-ordered tickets are secured, you watch the 23-minute video about 7 December 1941, then take the Navy boat to the memorial honoring the 1,177 sailors and Marines lost. Your guide waits outside, as park rules require.
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After Pearl Harbor
Punchbowl cemetery
The tour visits the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in the volcanic crater, where you pay tribute to the soldiers resting there.
-
Downtown
Iolani Palace grounds and King Kamehameha statue
You explore the grounds of Iolani Palace, completed in 1882, and see the statue of King Kamehameha downtown. The palace interior is not part of the tour.
-
End of the tour
Return and drop-off
The vehicle returns you to your Honolulu hotel, or to the airport or pier you started from, at the end of the 4 hours.
Pros and Cons
An honest read of this listing against the other half-day options from Honolulu.
What we genuinely like
- Up to 22 guests, a smaller group than the 50 to 70 seat coaches on comparable routes
- Pre-ordered Arizona tickets and the 23-minute video organized for you
- Hotel, airport and pier pickup included
- Punchbowl is entered, not driven past, and a historian lecture plays on the drive
- Rated 4.6 from 644 reviews, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure
The honest downsides
- $100 sits well above the $51 to $59.23 half-day alternatives
- The guide cannot enter the Visitor Center or the memorial with you, so you tour that part alone
- The Arizona ticket is pre-ordered, not guaranteed, and wind can suspend the boats
- Iolani Palace is a grounds stop with no interior visit, and the King Kamehameha statue is a short stop
- No wheelchair lift on the vehicle, and single travelers must contact the operator to book
Who it's NOT for: Not for travelers who want a guided tour inside the memorial, entry to Iolani Palace, a guaranteed boat in any weather, or the lowest possible price.
Questions About This Tour
How much does the small group Arizona Memorial tour cost?
It costs $100 per person for 4 hours, rated 4.6 from 644 reviews on Viator. Lunch and gratuities are extra. For a cheaper 4-hour day, the USS Arizona Memorial tour costs $51.
Is the USS Arizona Memorial ticket guaranteed?
No. The tickets are pre-ordered, but the Navy can suspend the boats in high winds and programs only run from 8 am to 3:30 pm. The listing allows cancellation for bad weather. The USS Arizona Memorial guide explains how the ticket system works.
Does the guide come inside the memorial with us?
No. The Pearl Harbor park authorities do not allow guides inside the Visitor Center or the memorial, so your guide waits and helps before and after. On the private Pearl Harbor and city tour the guide goes inside the Visitor Center but does not escort you on the Arizona Memorial.
Which stops do we actually enter?
You enter the USS Arizona Memorial and Punchbowl, the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, first interred in 1949. The Iolani Palace grounds, completed in 1882, and the King Kamehameha statue are grounds and statue stops, with no palace interior. The Iolani Palace guide covers going inside on your own.
Can I bring a bag on this tour?
The listing states no bag rule, but the park does. Bags that offer concealment and exceed 1.25 by 2.25 by 5.5 inches are not allowed, and storage costs $7 per bag and $10 for luggage. Read the full Pearl Harbor bag policy before you pack.
Is the tour wheelchair accessible?
The listing says the tour is wheelchair accessible and all areas and surfaces are accessible, but the vehicles have no lift, so collapsible wheelchairs need prior notice and a call to the operator. Infant seats are available on request. The Pearl Harbor Visitor Center itself has mostly flat paths and no hills.
Where can I compare this with other tours?
The comparison table on the homepage lines up every listing by price, duration, group size and sites, and the homepage also explains how the free Arizona tickets work if you would rather go without a tour.
Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
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