All Reviews for Hawaiian Cultural Activities

I have to say that The Polynesian Culture Center is my favorite memory about Hawaii. I learned so much with this experience. We adored our Tour Guide "Cousin ViVii" she was very informative and a pleasure to be around. Not only is it my favorite memory of Hawaii, but a favorite memory of my life.

After reading so many reviews, we expected this experience to be great; however, we found most of the evening to be okay at best. The prime rib and seafood, "prime" dining, is not good. Much of the hot food was luke-warm, the roast beef...I mean prime rib...although pretty sure it was roast beef, was way overcooked and just gross, and much of the food was slimy and just inedible. There was one hot seafood item which was somewhat hot/somewhat still frozen, and my husband said was disgusting. It was not prime dining. I would suggest skipping dining there altogether.

We had some time to walk around; however, most of the exhibits are just artifacts or movies/shows. The Samoa live show was interesting and entertaining, but the videos were boring and I can't imagine what you could spend an entire day there doing (we went late at 4 PM and had plenty of time). The "Ha, Breathe of Life" show was the best part for sure. The show was entertaining; however, it was very long. We went to another luau and show earlier in our trip, booked through the cruise line, and I would say that show was better. "Ha, Breathe of Life" was very long and had a lot of repetitive dancing. They do a part of the show for each Island, so after awhile the dancing gets repetitive. Some aspects were really neat: fire dancing, a few of the dances with props, etc, but it would have been better if it hadn't been so extremely long and repetitive.

Overall, I can't say that I would recommend this experience. If I did, I would recommend the show, without eating dinner. Additionally, be prepared to pay extra for everything and have things that cost money constantly offered to you (I understand, it is a vacation destination, but for the Polynesian Cultural Center, which doesn't allow tipping and is all about culture, it just seemed weird after awhile). Next time we go to Hawaii, we will try a luau closer to the resort area, and skip the Polynesian Cultural Center.

When we first booked this tour it was at the recommendation of my parents who had visited a few years previously. My husband and I were originally going to explore the center on our own, however, after spending an hour on the bus with Jermaine (hope I spelled that right) and learning that he was giving the tour, we decided to pay a little extra and join the tour group. Best investment we made on our vacation. Not only was Jermaine knowledgeable, friendly, and seriously hilarious, but he got us to all the shows and we saw more than if we had tried to navigate the center ourselves. Highly recommend this place to everyone, and pay the extra for a guide. Well worth it.

Awesome experiemce! The food is no that good! Interesting history

The Leis were absolutely beautiful! The looked fresh and smelled wonderful! The were also huge!! Plus for us! We received many compliments while wearing them. Our greeter was very kind and was there right when we got off our flight. She answered any questions we had and helped guide us to baggage claim. I would use this service again. Amazing!! Highly recommend!

A beautiful and incredibly sweet greeter met us as we disembarked the plane. These were a surprise for my two daughters and they felt like royalty. The flowers were fresh and still look great hanging in our suite 4 days later.

Representative Amy was waiting for us right outside our gait. She presented us with beautiful leis and escorted us to baggage claim, all the white answering our questions about local spots we wanted to check out. She was super friendly and even took some pictures of us wearing our leis with my friend's camera at our request. I definitely recommend this service!

A very friendly greeting from a nice young lady that was very helpful.

During my first visit to Hawaii, I signed up for this tour. First, we visited Hanauma Bay. The weather was nice, and the view from above was very beautiful! Next, we went to the Moanalua Gardens to see the "This is the Tree" tree. I had always wanted to see it, and when I finally stood in front of the tree, it was breathtaking! Although the sun was strong, it felt cool under the tree, and it was so comfortable that I could have stayed there for hours.

The Polynesian Cultural Center offered various cultural experiences, all of which were fresh and enjoyable. For the evening show, I had already heard the story in Japanese from our guide, so even though I didn't understand the language, I was able to enjoy it. The final fire dance was breathtaking and spectacular. This tour is definitely worth experiencing at least once!

初めて訪れたハワイで、こちらのツアーに申し込みました。
まずはハナウマ湾を見学。天気が良かった事もあり、上から見た眺めはとても美しかったです！
次に、この～木なんの木♪のモアナルアガーデンへ。一度は見てみたいと思っていたので、いざ木を目の前にした時は圧巻でした！日差しが強かったですが、木の下に入ると涼しく感じ、何時間でも居れるような心地よさでした。
またポリネシアカルチャーセンターは、様々な民族の体験ができ、どれも新鮮で楽しむことができました。
夜のショーは、あらかじめガイドさんから日本語でストーリーを一通り聞いていた為、言語はわからずとも楽しむことができました。最後のファイアーダンスは息を飲むような迫力で素晴らしかったです。一度は体験してみる価値があるツアーでした！

This was something I arranged as a surprise for my wife. It was excellent. The delightful girl who met us had to wait nearly an hour after we had landed due to the high number of passengers going through immigration, but she had checked where we were and was waiting for us as we came through into arrivals. The look on my wife's face when she saw the girl with our names and had the lei put round her neck was a picture. The flowers were fresh and colourful and lasted all the holiday. We had a limousine booked to take us to our hotel and the girl took the trouble to get the driver's number and phone him to find out where he was parked, then helped us to the car with our bags. My wife wore the lei all holiday and was very sad to have to leave it when we left. Altogether a wonderful experience and one we will never forget. I recommend it to anyone.

The bus tour guide was great but quite disappointed in the Center. Did not seem authentic Polynesian at all. The best time was the fire dance part of the show. The rest I could've skipped. Didn't feel like I learned anything real about the different cultures which was disappointing.

Our lei greeter was very courteous and patient as she waited for them to disembark from the plane. Of course our guests were elated with their leis as she presented to them and she even offered to take pictures for us outside the terminal.

I ordered the Superior Lei Airport greeting and everything was spectacular. The lei was amazing. The lei was very fresh and excellent quality. Several people commented on how beautiful it was.

This is a must do. Very fun, SOOO much stuff to do. You will not be able to do everything so look through your map and do the stuff you want to do. They do allow you to go back to the park for free for the next 3 days (just don't get to watch the show or eat) to do the other activities if you have time.

The representative waiting for us (Rachel) was very friendly and kind. After offering to take pictures of us with our leis, she helped us find our way to the rental car area of the airport.
Excellent service and reception that I would recommend to anyone wanting to make their first arrival in Hawaii a little special!

In the morning, I was guided to the main tourist spots in Oahu and enjoyed the breathtaking views. The Dole pineapple soft serve was also very delicious.

In the afternoon, we had lunch at the Polynesian Cultural Center. It was a buffet, but the taste was... well, it was just something to fill the stomach. After lunch, we toured the center with a Japanese guide, but the breaks were short, and there were few shaded areas and benches, so families with small children should be cautious. I was really thirsty.

However, I thought it was great to experience various attractions like making Hawaiian leis and riding a canoe. For dinner, the buffet had more variety and tasted a bit better than lunch. We moved to the show venue and were impressed by the performance, which exceeded our expectations. I didn't understand any English, but I could somewhat grasp the story. The final fire show is a must-see.

After that, we returned to Waikiki by bus, arriving after 10 PM. For those visiting Waikiki for the first time, this might be a tour worth participating in.

午前中はオアフの主要観光スポットを案内してもらい絶景を楽しむ事ができました。
ドールのパイナップルソフトもとても美味しかったです。
そして午後はポリネシア文化センターにてまず昼食。
ビュッフェ形式ですが、味は？？？取りあえずお腹に入れるという感じです。
ランチ後センター内を日本語ガイドと共に回るのですが
休憩も短く、日陰やベンチが少ないので小さい子供さん連れはご注意を。
とにかく喉が渇きました。
ただ、ハワイアンローズを作成したり、カヌーに乗ったりと
いろいろなアトラクションを経験出来たのは良かったと思います。
そして夕飯のビュッフェ。昼よりは種類も多く味も少し良かったかも。
ショー施設に移動し噂以上のパフォーマンスに感激。
英語が全く分かりませんでしたがストーリーはなんとなくわかりました。
最後のファイアーショーは必見。
その後再びバスにてワイキキへ戻ります。
帰りは２２時過ぎでした。ワイキキが初めての方には一度は参加してもいいツアーかもしれません。

This is a family friendly and education show. The host are really funny and great sense of humor. The interactive programs and the shows are awesome! We will be back again

The Polynesian tour was great. This was our 2nd time going, but our grandson's first. He had a great time. We also upgrade with tour and our guide was fabulous,he knew his history of the islands. The luau and the food was good, we didn't try any poa. The students there serving were very helpful and good service. The best of all was the night show, loved it. Bus was on time. Our tour guide made it interesting on our way to the Polynesian Cultural center. Great tour to take. Though it was a long day, it's worth it.

Disappointed in our seats for the night show. We booked this so far in advanced and got lousy seats.

The rest of the facility was nice.

The young lady that delivered the leis met us as we exited the plane and arrived in the terminal. She was very friendly and offered to take our picture. The leis themselves were large, full leis that were very pretty. (A little heavy, due to the size.) Definitely worth it for my wife, who has put up with me for 20 years of marriage!

The leis were beautiful and lasted until we came home

Both the half-day tour and the Polynesian Cultural Center were enjoyable and packed with activities (^_^)v. The night show was wonderful, and the final fire performance was amazing. The guide was great, and I had a full day of fun. Considering the differences in dinner options, the seating for the show, and the backstage tour, I think it was worth it to go deluxe.

半日観光とポリネシア文化センターどちらも楽しく盛りだくさん(^_^)v
ナイトショーも素敵でした。最後のファイヤーパフォーマンスは凄かったです。
ガイドの方も良かったですし、一日たっぷり楽しめました。
夕食内容の違いとショーの席の場所、バックヤード見学を含めるとデラックスにしてよかったと思いました。

We were in Hawaii for our 20th Anniversary and attended Luaus and Dinner Cruises. The PCC had a better dinner than either of the others and my wife loved the show! I visited for the first time 30 years ago, enjoyed it then and will definitely be back. Best experience for the money without a doubt!

Very wonderful experience. Took full advantage of the different villages. Timeline makes it so you don't have to wait long between performances. Employees gladly and excitably answer questions. Wonderful event for families.

was great with all the activities. lots of memory

We had a wonderful fun time. We would love to do it again. I was not overly impressed with the food at the Polynesian Cultural Center though.

Wonderful add on to our trip!! My hubby's first time to Hawaii, wanted to give him the old time feel. It was great!!

A great excursion from the bustle of Waikiki. There was so much to see and do for everyone in the family including our 3 year old. Well done Polynesian Cultural Center we will definitely book this again when we return to Honolulu.

Was looked after from the moment we walked on board bus with great commentary. Got to see and feel the great islands. When visiting Oahu would recommend highly as a must see.

Very interesting and enjoyable day, with a lovely lunch. The Breath of Life show was absolutely amazing and I would recommend it to anyone travelling to Honolulu.