Roberts Hawaii Pearl Harbor, USS Arizona, Honolulu City Tour

The last time I went to visit the USS Arizona Memorial was almost 20 years ago. Thanks to Roberts Hawaii, I was able to revisit this monument which was built above the USS Arizona - the battleship that was destroyed on December 7, 1941.

Over 1.8 million people visit the USS Arizona Memorial each year, including thousands who go on the Roberts Hawaii Pearl Harbor, USS Arizona, Honolulu City Tour.

The tour allows for pick up at one of several hotels, and our pick-up location was at Ala Moana Hotel.

A comfy motor-coach promptly picked us up at 5:45am, and from there we went on to several other hotels in Waikiki to pick up other guests.

Once all the guests were picked up (32 in all for our tour), our friendly and funny guide, Ted, gave us the rundown of what to expect on the tour.

We reached Pearl Harbor just before the gates opened at 7am.  There was already a long line of people, but fortunately it moved very quickly.

Security is tight at Pearl Harbor - you are not allowed to bring in bags, backpacks, luggage, camera bags, etc.  You should stuff your belongings (i.e. wallet, phone, keys) in your pockets.  If you do bring a bag, there is a bag storage on property for a fee (on our bus, guests were allowed to store their belongings in the locked storage beneath the bus).

Ted did a great job in keeping the tour group together and giving them instructions on where to go and what time to meet back at the bus.

Once he gave us our timed tickets for the USS Arizona Memorial Tour, we were free to roam the Pearl Harbor Visitors Center before our tour started.

We visited the Road to War and Attack Exhibit Galleries, which offered insight on the events that lead up to the attack on Pearl Harbor.  Some of the displays may be a little too intense for young kids, but a walk through these exhibits was very educational.

There are numerous other exhibits and monuments on the grounds of Pearl Harbor that pay tribute to the thousands of people who made the ultimate sacrifice on December 7, 1941.

Our USS Arizona Memorial tour started promptly at 8:15am.

The entire tour lasts 75 minutes, and includes a 23-minute documentary in the theater, a boat ride to the memorial, time at the memorial, and a boat ride back.

The documentary sheds light on the events that led up to the attack on Pearl Harbor and even shows actual footage of that fateful day.

After the documentary, guests board a shuttle to the memorial.

It was a little rainy on the day of the tour, but fortunately not extremely windy as it was two days prior, when visits to the memorial were actually cancelled due to safety reasons (Roberts Hawaii has no control over operations of the boat rides to the memorial).

The actual time at the memorial is about 20 minutes, so use your time wisely.

It's quite a moving experience to visit the USS Arizona Memorial, especially when you step into the shrine to view the Wall of Honor.

You definitely want to take the time to honor the fallen and reflect on the events of that day of infamy.

After the tour we had some time to walk around the property, take more photos, get a snack, and even shop, before meeting Ted and the rest of the group back at the bus.

After Pearl Harbor, we drove through the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, which was built to honor members of the armed forces.

We then drove by other historical and significant sites throughout Honolulu, such as Iolani Palace, Kawaiahao Church, and the Hawaii State Capitol.

Ted was an excellent guide. The 25-year employee was not only personable, but he was a wealth of information. He taught popular Hawaiian words, told stories of Pearl Harbor, identified various points of interest, and explained the symbolism of different monuments. He had a great sense of humor (lots of laughter filled our bus at any given moment), and really made the guests feel like part of the `ohana.

The entire Roberts Hawaii Pearl Harbor, USS Arizona, Honolulu City Tour lasted about 6 hours from pick-up to drop-off at the hotel.

I really enjoyed the Roberts Hawaii tour. We had a fantastic guide, and I truly learned a lot about this little island that I call home.

For more information on this or other Roberts Hawaii tours, click here.

Mahalo to Roberts Hawaii for hosting my tour.