Oahu
This was our second time to Oahu and our second sunset cruise. The first time was with Navatek and that was a nice cruise but we felt that one was overcrowded (we upgraded our cruise on both trips). The cruise on the Star of Honolulu was much more expensive than our upgraded Navatek cruise so we were looking for a much improved experience.
The Star of Honolulu cruise was VERY personal as there were very few people who upgraded to the upper deck package. Matt and Captain Roy were extremely attentive and a pleasure to be around.
Unfortunately it was very overcast and the ocean choppy for our voyage but the dining experience was first class. The jazz show was phenomenal as well.
The coach ride felt like herding cattle, and at the price of our ticket I would expect a more personal form of transportation (I realize a personal car required an additional upgrade, but would have expected something more intimate than a full sized tour bus). There was little to no information given
Our greeter, Leilani, was at arrival gate with 2 beautiful leis and a huge smile. She walked us to transportation after calling town car company, took pictures for us, and waited with us until the car arrived, never failing to smile and chat freely. The leis have lasted over 3 days and still look fabulous!
This was a great tour. We had Keao as our guide and he was great!!!! He is very knowledgable and keeps the bus entertained. I would recommend this tour for everyone.
This was a unique experience for me because I have never been on any sort of cruise ship before. Although the waves were a little choppy, overall I had a great time. The food is great (one star), service is good, and the atmosphere is satisfying. Just a little advice for all the couples out there who want a special "one-on-one" type of evening, spend the extra money to get a table for two. If not, you may end up sharing a table with another couple. I lucked out and the couple that was supposed to show, didn't. This is also a type of outing that is geared more towards tourists. So this may not be so entertaining for many of the locals. It also does get a little chilly, so bring some sort of jacket (for the men), or a jacket/shawl (for women). Overall, I enjoyed the quality and experience this activity had to offer. I would definitely do it again sometime.
My family member was surprised by the lei greeting, however, I was expecting a little more excitement from our greeter. Definitely a nice treat for a first time visitor or a loved one.
I am just letting yoou know that The Polynesian Culutural Center was
soooo much fun!!!!!!! That was the best thing we did in Hawaii. We were
in Hawaii last year with our daughters and our schedule didn't work so
well for us to attend. When we went this year we felt bad that our girls
had to miss out on such a wonderful time. Everyone working there was so
helpful and very nice, and friendly. We are very glad that we did it this
year. IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!
Beautiful greeting. As others have said, the person who met us was extremely helpful, very friendly and full of valuable advice. She went above and beyond what was expected!
The transportation to the Cultural Center was great and the driver amazing. He was very friendly and the drive was gorgeous - including a view of the famous 'China-Man's hat'. He was helpful once we arrived as well. We had a great experience on the canoe but wished we would have had more time to actually visit the individual villages before dinner began. I felt like we missed out a lot not being able to visit the exhibits. The dinner was wonderful although we had a toddler with us and opted out a bit early to roam the grounds and get some energy out rather than finish watching the dinner show. The evening show was amazing and made the whole trip worth it. We slept on the way home and were very happy with the experience.
I had been to the center over 20 years ago & wanted to go back.
It was a nice way to spend the day. All the staff was great! The luau was really good food.
Had a great time & would recommend to anyone who is interested in this culture.
Thanks for the great show too!
Guide was good. Area is VERY crowded. Time allowed was kind of short. I felt rushed at the top to head down.
Driver Garfield was a hoot! He recommended Fumi's for Shrimp and he was right on the money!
Great experience for anyone arriving in Hawaii! The greeter was waiting with a name sign and welcome message just as ordered online. She gave us each a lovely, full flowered orchid lei where many other people on our flight receiving lei greetings were getting a lei with a large space between the flowers. We ordered the standard lei greeting, so I would imagine the deluxe ones would be even more beautiful. She chatted with us while taking us to the baggage claim area and gave us some great ideas for sightseeing etc. I'd highly recommend this company!
Very informative and sobering experience.
Our greeter was right there waiting for us when we got off the plane, She had a sign saying happy 30th anniversary that was great, It was awesome to be greeted that way. She walked us all the way to the baggage claim and helped up find the shuttle personnel to get us on the right track. She was GREAT! The flowers were fresh and beautiful everyone at the airport had their eyes on us. Yes I would do it again! Out of all the lei's we got in hawaii these were the BEST!!!!
The lei was beautiful (we went with the superior lei). The greeter was very friendly and helpful!
Was very nice. The girl was there waiting for us & guided us to the luggage carousel. Flowers smelled wonderful.
I arranged for the lei greeting to surprise my son and his new bride. Their flight was 3 hours late but at 1 am they were greeted at the gate...that is above and beyond the call of duty! If only the car rental people had been so customer oriented. Thanks for being there. I would have read your comment board guidelines but they were in Japanese!
This was fantastic - recommended by friends, enjoyed by us parents and the teenagers.
The dinner was great, with foods I've never heard of living in the lower 48. The shows are well done, and very unique.
I've never seen anything like it, and if I have the opportunity, I will certainly return.
We really enjoyed this tour!! Our guide was very knowlegable and experienced. Everyone visiting Oahu should visit the Arizona at least once. The Missouri was also very interesting, as was the Punchbowl.
Nothing is more fun than this show on Hawaii. Loved it completely, excellent arrangements, very good timings for each show so that you will not miss a single one, excellent staffs and lastly superb shows..kudos to them.
If you have time, also take the temple trip and visit the church.
ORDER 3 LEI'S FOR THE KIDS AND DIDN'T TELL THEM.FLIGHT WAS 2 HOURS LATE SO ACCORDING TO THE VOUCHER IF THEY MISS YOU AT THE AIRPORT THEY WOULD DELIVER TO HOTEL.WHEN WE DEPLANED THERE SHE WAS AND THE KIDS LOVED IT.THE NICE YOUNG GIRL EVEN WALKED US HALFWAY TO BAGGAGE CLAIM.THIS WAS A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE.
My Girl freind was totally surprised, and really felt SPECIAL because the other people getting off the plane got nothing, a really nice way to start a loving vacation.
The Polynesian Cultural Center was a great experience! We rented a car and went for the day rather than booking a tour. The Samoan presentation was very funny as well as a learning experience as all presentations are! We were able to try some of the things that we learned from the presentations. Our kids loved collecting the stamps, and the prize at the end. It was an enriching experience that I recommend all to try at least once. We did not attend a luau on property, so I cannot relay any recommendations for that.
First I have to say you MUST ask for JUAN as your guide. He is a native of Kauai. He is not only EXTREMELY knowlegeable of the Island, Juan has a great sense of humor, full of great stories retold to him by his grandfather, native histories, is a wealth of information. The Canyon is fasinating to see, as well as the Water Falls that we stopped along the way to witness. Juan told us local folk lore regarding the Sleeping Giant; Sprouting Horn.
Juan is WORTH THE TRIP in himself!
Aloha
Evva
Our greeter met us with a big smile, with our name on a sign outside the gate when we arrived. She offered to take our picture, and lead us to the restrooms, baggage area, found our transportation for us. She was WONDERFUL! I would recommend this service to everyone.
Jeannie
Wonderful tour. Very moving. Something everyone from the United States should see and respect the memory of those that died there.
Was not a full half day tour. Not enough time to see most attractions. Dinner and show only. Upgrade to prime rib/seafood buffet does not include luau setting. Shell lei was not as good as a flowered lei and no rememberance picture taken. Food and show were excellant.
Very nice, but would have been nice to have our meal and THEN enjoy entertainment (singing, dancing) as it took too long and didn't allow anytime to visit the villages for anyone who may have finished their meal and want to see the center more than the canoe ride. Horizons was awesome!
Took my wife on the 3 star and had a great time! Our waiter was a super waiter ... the food was fancy and tasty and the entertainment was fun. The best part is going up to the top deck and watching the sun go down. You will never see a more beautiful sunset!
This was great and well worth the money. I would have liked to stay longer in a couple of areas and there were some activities that we didn't get to do because of time. I would suggest taking snacks or packing a picnic as you really didn't have time to buy a lunch. At a couple of the attractions you were offered ice cream to buy, but not anything more substantial. Both the dinner entertainment and the Polynesian show after dinner were awesome. Going back a 2nd time, I would go on my own and wander.