Pearl Harbor Tours from HonoluluPearl Harbor Small Group Tour: USS Arizona Memorial and Battleship Missouri
This Pearl Harbor small group tour from Waikiki pairs the two ships that bookend the Pacific war: the USS Arizona Memorial, where many of the crew still rest inside the hull, and the Battleship Missouri, where the Japanese surrender was signed. Pearl Harbor Tours runs it in a vehicle capped at 25 guests, with pickup from nine Waikiki stops starting at 6:10 AM, and the day runs about 6 hours. The $157 price covers transport, the Visitor Center, the documentary, the Missouri ticket and the Arizona boat when tickets are available. Punchbowl Cemetery and the King Kamehameha statue are drive-by only. Compare it with the other Pearl Harbor tours from Honolulu before you book.
About This Tour
Pearl Harbor Tours sells this as a small-group alternative to the big Pearl Harbor coaches. Up to 25 guests leave Waikiki in the early morning, ride out to the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, watch the documentary and take the boat to the USS Arizona Memorial before touring the Missouri's decks and interiors. The return drive passes Punchbowl Cemetery and the King Kamehameha statue.
The listing is honest about one thing worth noting before you pay: USS Arizona Memorial tickets are not guaranteed. The Visitor Center and the Missouri are listed as included either way. If the Arizona visit is the point of your trip, compare listings that do not carry that warning.
$157 per person, sold on Viator. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
6 hours in total, from Waikiki pickup to drop-off.
Nine Waikiki stops from 6:10 AM to 6:55 AM, including Aloha Tower, Pier 8, Prince Waikiki, ABC Store #83 and the Duke Kahanamoku Statue. Your exact time and stop are confirmed the day before. Ko Olina and pier or cruise ship pickup are not offered.
Small-group transport capped at 25 guests, with a guide, and service animals are allowed.
You enter the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center with the documentary, ride the boat to the USS Arizona Memorial depending on availability, and tour the Battleship Missouri's decks and interiors. Punchbowl Cemetery and the King Kamehameha statue are drive-by only.
Held subject to availability. The listing states in capitals that Arizona Memorial tickets are NOT guaranteed. High winds can also suspend the boats, a Navy decision.
Check Dates and Availability
Pickup times shift slightly by stop, and Arizona boat seats depend on Navy operations. Choose a date to see live availability on the booking platform.
You'll confirm the exact date and time on the secure booking page.
Quick answer The short answer
This Pearl Harbor small group tour costs $157 per person, runs 6 hours and is capped at 25 guests, with Waikiki pickup from 6:10 AM and the Missouri ticket in the price. The Arizona ticket depends on availability.
Key takeaways
- See how it stacks up in the Pearl Harbor tours from Honolulu.
- If an Arizona visit without that warning matters more than the group size, look at the Arizona and Battleship Missouri Tour.
- Want every site in one day? The Best of Pearl Harbor Full-Day Tour adds the Bowfin and the Aviation Museum.
- Prefer just the Arizona for less? Start from Pearl Harbor tours from Honolulu.
What the Price Actually Covers
The $157 covers the transport, both ship programs when the boat runs, and nothing else. Here is the line-by-line from the operator's own listing.
Included in the $157
The inclusions list is short and specific: tickets to the USS Missouri Battleship, the USS Arizona Memorial depending on availability, a small-group experience, and Waikiki hotel pickup and return. Admission to the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center and the documentary screening are also covered. Punchbowl Cemetery and the King Kamehameha statue appear only as views from the window on the drive back.
The listing does not say that a guide goes with you onto the Arizona Memorial, and the boat program is run by the US Navy and the National Park Service.
| Line | In the price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Waikiki hotel pickup and return | Yes | Nine stops from 6:10 AM to 6:55 AM, confirmed the day before |
| Small-group transport and guide | Yes | Up to 25 guests |
| Pearl Harbor Visitor Center admission | Yes | Includes the documentary screening |
| USS Arizona Memorial boat and program | Only if available | Listing states tickets are NOT guaranteed |
| USS Missouri Battleship ticket | Yes | Covers decks and interiors tour |
| Punchbowl Cemetery | No | Drive-by only |
| King Kamehameha statue | No | Drive-by only |
| Lunch | No | Listed as an exclusion |
| Bag storage | No | $7 per small bag or $10 per large bag if you bring one |
| Gratuities | No | Not mentioned as included |
What You May Pay on the Day
No mandatory extras are listed. Bags are not allowed in the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, so a bag means $7 for a small one or $10 for a large one at storage. A wallet must be no larger than a regular cell phone, and any allowed bag must be a clear bag approved by the US Navy.
Lunch is an exclusion, so bring water and eat before or buy at the site. The visitor center has a small snack shop with cold drinks, and water fountains let you refill bottles. A tip for the driver is not mentioned in the inclusions, so carry a little cash if you want to tip.
Sources: National Park Service
The battleship USS Missouri docked at Ford Island. Photo: Mark Miller, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What the Day Is Really Like
The listing gives exact pickup times for each stop and the order of the sites. Here is the shape of the day with a bit of history attached.
Pickup Across Waikiki
The first stop is Aloha Tower at 6:10 AM, with Pier 8 at 6:15 AM. Then come Prince Waikiki at 6:25 AM, ABC Store #83 by Hilton Hawaiian Village at 6:30 AM, the Hale Koa Trolley Stop at 6:35 AM, Eggs'N'Things on Saratoga Road at 6:40 AM, 340 Royal Hawaiian Avenue at 6:45 AM, the Duke Kahanamoku Statue at 6:50 AM and The Twin Fin on Paoakalani Avenue at 6:55 AM. Your confirmation arrives the day before with your stop and time.
The visitor center is about a 45-minute drive from Waikiki through Honolulu traffic.
- Nine named pickup stops
- Times run 6:10 AM to 6:55 AM
- Confirmation sent the day prior
Pearl Harbor Visitor Center
You arrive at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, which opens daily from 7 am to 5 pm, and watch the Pearl Harbor documentary before heading to the dock. The grounds honor the attack of December 7, 1941, launched by 353 aircraft in two waves, which killed 2,403 Americans and damaged all eight US battleships present.
- Documentary screening included
- Free entry to grounds and exhibits
USS Arizona Memorial, If the Boat Runs
A boat escorts you across the harbor to the white memorial that spans the sunken Arizona, where the remains of many of the 1,177 crew killed on the ship still rest. The program is time-sensitive, and the first program starts at 8 am with the last boat departing at 3:30 pm. High winds can suspend the boat rides, a Navy decision, and tickets are subject to availability, so treat this visit as not certain.
Battleship Missouri on Ford Island
You board the Battleship Missouri for a tour of the decks and interiors. The ship is 887 feet long and hosted the Japanese surrender ceremony on its quarterdeck on September 2, 1945, ending World War II. The Missouri is open daily 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, and most people spend 1-2 hours aboard.
Punchbowl and Downtown, from the Window
The return drive passes Punchbowl Cemetery, the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, and the King Kamehameha statue downtown. Both are drive-by stops with commentary and photo chances from the vehicle, and the guide leaves time for questions. You are back in Waikiki at the end.
- Drive-by: Punchbowl Cemetery
- Drive-by: King Kamehameha statue
- Drop-off back at Waikiki
Who This Tour Rules Out
Small groups suit some travellers and not others. Here is who should book something else, with the alternative that fits better.
Travellers Who Need a Guaranteed Arizona Boat
The listing states plainly that Arizona tickets are not guaranteed. If standing on the memorial is the whole point of your trip, the Arizona and Battleship Missouri Tour covers the same two ships for $156 and lists the Arizona Memorial in its price without that warning. The Small-Group Arizona Memorial Tour also lists pre-ordered Arizona tickets.
Anyone Who Cannot Manage an Early Start
Pickups begin at 6:10 AM and the latest stop is 6:55 AM. If that is too early, the Pearl Harbor and Punchbowl Tour runs 6 hours from 12 Waikiki pickup locations, with start times shown when you check availability, or go on your own using the free reservation system.
People Who Want to Enter the City Sites
Punchbowl Cemetery and the King Kamehameha statue are drive-by only, and the listing marks both as pass-by stops. For a longer city route, see the Pearl Harbor and Honolulu City Tour or a private Pearl Harbor and city tour.
Wheelchair Users, Ko Olina and Cruise Guests
No wheelchair access is stated, though infants may ride in a stroller and service animals are allowed. Pickup from Ko Olina hotels and from a pier or cruise ship is explicitly excluded. Cruise passengers should check the Pearl Harbor tours from Honolulu homepage for options that suit a port call.
Travellers Who Want the Whole Site Collection
Six hours covers two sites and two drive-bys. The Best of Pearl Harbor Full-Day Tour spends 10 hours across the Arizona, the USS Bowfin, the Missouri and the Aviation Museum with all admissions in the $208 price.
The King Kamehameha I statue in front of Aliiolani Hale. Photo: Balazs Barnucz, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
History Under Your Feet
The two ships on this tour mark the start and the end of the same war, and a few dates change what you see on the day.
The Attack of December 7, 1941
Just before 8 a.m. on December 7, 1941, 353 Japanese aircraft in two waves struck the base from six carriers. Of the eight US battleships present, all were damaged and four were sunk. The standard count is 2,403 Americans killed and 1,178 wounded, and nearly half the American deaths came from the explosion of the Arizona's forward magazine.
More than 180 US aircraft were destroyed. The three American carriers based at Pearl Harbor were at sea and escaped. The guide to the attack on Pearl Harbor covers the morning in more detail.
The Missouri and the End of the War
The Battleship Missouri was launched on January 29, 1944 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard before a crowd of 20,000 to 30,000. The Japanese Instrument of Surrender was signed on its quarterdeck on September 2, 1945, ending World War II. MacArthur boarded at 8:43 that morning and the Japanese delegation led by Mamoru Shigemitsu arrived at 8:56.
By 9:30 the emissaries had departed. The ship became a museum in 1998 and says it has drawn more than 10 million visitors since. The 887-foot ship has a teak deck covering 53,000 square feet.
Pairing the Arizona Memorial with the Missouri in six hours puts both ends of the war in a single day.
Shipboard Details and Small Practical Points
A few facts about the Missouri and the sites around it that do not fit the schedule sections but help you plan.
What a Missouri Visit Involves
The Missouri opens daily 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with last admission at 3:00 p.m., and it closes on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Guided tours run from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., no reservation required, and are offered in English, Japanese, Korean and Chinese. Most visitors spend 1 to 2 hours on board, though visits range from 30 minutes to five hours.
The ship recommends arriving at least one hour before closing for the highlights.
Snacks, Water and the Remembrance Ceremony
A small snack shop on site sells cold drinks, and water fountains throughout the park let you refill bottles. Only water is allowed inside the museums, theaters, on Navy vessels and on the memorial. The National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day ceremony on December 7 is co-hosted by the National Park Service and the US Navy.
The organizers' FAQ gives a 7:30 a.m. start with visitor center gates opening at 6:15 a.m., and no ticket or pass is required for any commemorative event. If your pickup falls on that week, expect heavier traffic around the visitor center. For context on the sites, see the pages on the Battleship Missouri and Pearl Harbor tours from Honolulu.
Inside the Visitor Center and the Bag Check
The Pearl Harbor Visitor Center is the base for the whole day, and its rules on bags, food and timing shape what you carry.
Hours, Entry and What the Grounds Include
Entry to the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, its grounds and exhibits is free, with no reservation needed for that part of the site. The gates open seven days a week from 7 am to 5 pm, and the center closes only on Thanksgiving Day, December 25 and January 1. On other holidays it keeps the usual 7 am to 5 pm schedule.
The first Arizona Memorial program of the day starts at 8 am and the last boat leaves at 3:30 pm, with a lunch break in the program between 12 noon and 1 pm. The NPS recommends arriving early, which this tour does with pickups running from 6:10 AM to 6:55 AM. Visitors who skip the tour and drive themselves pay $7 per day for parking.
The Bag Rule in Detail
Bags that offer concealment and are larger than a small wallet cannot come in. The NPS gives that wallet size as 1.25 x 2.25 x 5.5 inches on one page and 1.5 x 2.25 x 5.5 inches on another. Clutches and wallets at or under that size are fine, and the tour listing puts it simply: a wallet must be no larger than a regular cell phone.
Clear bags whose contents are readily visible are allowed, in the same style as at football games, and every permitted bag is inspected and tagged as screened at the entrance. Food and water are allowed if not concealed in a package, though only water may be taken into the museums, the theaters, the Navy vessels and the memorial itself.
Storage, Snacks and Water
If you arrive with a prohibited bag, storage near the visitor center entrance costs $7 per small bag or $10 per large bag and luggage. One storage stall covers visits to all the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites, so you do not pay twice on a full day. A small snack shop sells cold drinks, water fountains around the park let you refill bottles, and Jake's Street Food at the Submarine Museum serves food from 10:00am to 2:30pm.
Lunch is not included on the $157 tour, so plan around those windows. If you only want the memorial boat ride, the free Recreation.gov reservation carries a $1 fee, or a guided option like the Pearl Harbor USS Arizona Memorial Tour handles the timing for you at $51.
Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
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