USS Missouri Tour, Arizona Memorial & Punchbowl National Cemetery

No two ships are more emblematic of America’s involvement in WWII than the USS Arizona and the USS Missouri. The attack on the Arizona thrust the United States into war, and four years later the instruments of surrender ending the war were signed on the deck of the Missouri. You’ll experience both ships on this tour and learn firsthand of their history and thrill at the accounts of the brave crews who manned them.

Complementing your Pearl Harbor tour is a comfortable narrated drive through Honolulu’s most iconic sites including the Punchbowl National Cemetery, King Kamehameha Statue, and buildings where Hawaiian royalty of the past and today’s political leaders guide our islands. Our professional driver guide will meet you at or near your hotel, share an informative and entertaining narration aboard an air-conditioned, deluxe tour vehicle, and return you to Waikiki following the tour.

Tour Highlights:

• Battleship Missouri, where you’ll walk in the footsteps of General Douglas MacArthur, Admiral Chester Nimitz, and officers of the Allied Powers in 1945 when the instruments of surrender were signed on the ship, signaling the end WWII. “Mighty Mo” valiantly fought in WWII, the Korean War and in Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf, supporting the cause of freedom.
• Arizona Memorial will be reached aboard a US Navy vessel. The memorial was designed by the architectural team to be situated directly above the actual USS Arizona battleship without resting on the sunken ship. The ship is the final resting place of many of the 1,177 officers and crewmen who were lost during the attack.
• Pearl Harbor Visitor Center is where you’ll witness actual film footage of the attack at the Visitor Center Theater, view historic galleries and displays, and find yourself taken back in time to a period of conflict which brought the United States directly into battle, forging its role in eventually concluding it following years of combat.
• Punchbowl Cemetery is viewed from the comfort of your tour vehicle where you’ll observe the dignified beauty of the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl. The memorial cemetery was created to pay homage to those in the US Armed Forces whose lives were lost in the service of their country.
• Iolani Palace was the residence of the Hawaii Kingdom royalty between 1845 and 1893. The only royal palace on US soil, the palace employs architectural design seen no place else. It’s “American Florentine” design was created using brick with concrete facing, with ornamental plaster interior.
• King Kamehameha Statue is seen in pictures around the world as an archetype of Hawaii’s regal past. The statue honors the monarch founded the Kingdom of Hawaii, and one of the “must see” sites included in the tour.
• Kawaiahao Church is sometimes referred to as “Hawaii’s Westminster Abbey”, Kawaiahao Church was the chapel of the royal family. It’s the oldest church on Oahu, and the Hawaiian language is still used during portions of services.
• The Mission Houses contain artifacts, documents, and displays from Hawaii’s missionary period in the 1800’s.
• Hawaii State Capitol – The capitol houses the governor’s office and state legislature. The American adaptation of the Bauhaus style of the building provides a dramatic contrast to the well-preserved historic buildings located just blocks away.
• Honolulu Hale – Literally, “Honolulu building”, in the Hawaiian language, the building houses the mayor’s chambers and is the seat of the government of the City and County of Honolulu.

Details:

• Convenient pick-up from several Waikiki locations
• Comfortable, late model air-conditioned deluxe tour vehicle
• Live professional tour narration by delightful, knowledge able driver guide
• Arizona Memorial
• USS Missouri Battleship tour led by a memorial docent
• Pearl Harbor Visitor Center exhibits
• View actual film footage of the attack at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center Theater
• National Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl
• Lunch on your own
• City tour featuring Iolani Palace, King Kamehameha Statue, State Capital, Honolulu Hale