Oahu
Due to the impact of the typhoon from the previous day, I thought, "Will it be canceled?" as I headed to the venue, which was supposed to take place as scheduled. The event was held not outdoors, but in a hotel convention hall. However, they smoothly guided the approximately 500 attendees, and the show started on time. The singing and speaking of the male vocalist, whose voice resonated well, along with the powerful dance performances, were no different from what you would experience outdoors. The food was delicious (I was particularly impressed by the tenderness of the roast beef and went back for seconds!) and you could enjoy two drinks (beer or soft drinks). After the show, I took photos with the dancers and felt great as I stepped outside, only to be met with a downpour that made me wonder if it had been canceled. Of course, it must be amazing outdoors as well, but I had a valuable experience. The reservation process was easy, the food was tasty, and it was fun to be surrounded by lively groups of foreigners.
P.S. There was no fire dance since it was indoors.
前日からの台風の影響で、時折スコールや風があったため「中止かな」と思って会場に行きました。
ところが、予定通り開催するとのこと。
会場は屋外でなく、ホテルのコンベンションホールを使っての実施でした。
しかし、500名はいたであろう観客をスムーズに案内し、ショーは定刻にスタート。
声のよく透る男性歌手の歌と話。そしてダンスパフォーマンスの迫力は、屋外と何ら変わりませんでした。
食事もおいしいし(特にローストビーフの柔らかさに感動!おかわりしちゃいました♪)ドリンク(ビールorソフトドリンク)も2杯飲めるし。
ショーが終わってダンサーたちと写真をとって気持ちよく外にでたら、途中で中止だったかなと思わせるほどの土砂降りでした。
もちろん、屋外でもサイコーなんでしょうけど、貴重な経験をさせてもらえました。
予約も簡単だし、食事もおいしいし、ノリノリの外人グループたちに囲まれて過ごすのも楽しいですよ。
追記:室内だからファイヤーダンスはありませんでした。
Had a great time!!
Our driver/guide was awesome. I won't forget him! I can't recall his name because it was extremely long, but he did an EXCELLENT job guiding us through the island during our drive to PCC. This is our first time to Oahu and he did such a great job in getting us familiar with the area. He was extremely friendly and made us feel very welcome, like we were his own Ohana. He made sure everyone knew which luau we were supposed to go to, where the main theater was, and even where to meet up afterwards for the drop off back to the hotel.
The Polynesian Cultural Center is an AMAZING place! Theres a 15 minute boat ride that takes u around the center to visit the different villages.
The luau was entertaining with great food!
The show was INCREDIBLE!! I really enjoyed watching all the dances. Especially the fire ring guys!!
We went for the late entry and we thought it was still well worth it! Definitely a must go.. and a must go again!!!
We were picked up at our hotel by Henry. He was an excellent driver and guide. We learned so much from him and loved his sense of humor. Will definately come back so that we can spend more time at the PCC. There is so much to experience and learn. The Luau and show were great
The Polynesian Cultural Center was a great experience! The Cultural show was the best. We even got this incredble dessert to go along with it and they were so good! Some sort of fruity type of ice cream. YUM! I highly recommend this! Shelley/Owen from Calgary,AB Canada
Very enjoyable experience, but a long day. The Luau wasn't what I expected. If you are looking for the luau on the beach you won't care for this one. Overall a fantastic place. There are so many things to see. Very friendly staff and guides. The night show was outstanding. You have to experience this if you come to Oahu. Well worth the money
The crew was amazing and knowledgable. The only snorkel/sunset cruise I could find. A Blast!
My family and I absolutely loved visiting the Polynesian Cultural Center while in Oahu. I highly recommend spending the extra money and getting the Ambassador All day package. You will get a very personal tour guide of all the Polynesian villages. You are kept well entertained and learn a lot about the Polynesian cultures. The luau and the food was great, and the Night Show was beautiful and entertaining. I wished i had know the we were able to return on the ticket purchased to go back and go through it slower and get to do some of the events. please check out how to return
I had gone to this Luau about 20 years prior and had a very favorable memory of it. This time, I have to say, was disappointing. First off, I bought the half day package. I'm not sure if there was a misunderstanding or what, but our driver ( I also paid for transportation) said that our guide couldn't make it, so he took us on a tour when we got there. I felt the tour was rushed and not very impressive. I suppose for the half day, you shouldn't expect much.
He then took us to dinner a little late, and we were seated in the waaay back of the line, which makes a difference. The tables go to the buffet in order, so if you are towards the back, it's slim pickin's. The buffet itself was average, although considering what we paid, was below average for the price. I didn't get to see anything of the cooking of the pig or anything about the traditions, again, maybe because I was late.
The show, however, was as billed. There were many many different dances, and the dan
My husband and were first time visitors to Hawaii and this seemed like a nice thing to do. We got the 3 star package with the celebration plan and definitely had a great time. This was our last planned event during our stay and it was a wonderful way to spend our last night in Hawaii. We were quickly shown to our table and the dinner service went smoothly from there. We went up to the deck above several times to check out the view of Waikiki Beach all the way down to Diamond Head. Dinner was wonderful (although a little messy since we had the lobster) and the entertainment (a jazz duo with a saxophonist for a couple numbers) during dinner was lovely. We came back to our table at one point to find the photo they took right after we boarded sitting in a very nice cover on our table, free with the package we ordered. The show after dinner was quite entertaining, especially when they got everyone in the room up on their feet and dancing in one big mass of people, it was so much fun!
One of the best activities we went to on Oahu. The overall experience made a lifelong impression. America needs more Aloha!
This was my first time visiting the place.
We really enjoyed the dancing show but we were not too happy with the luau. We were expecting more traditional luau.
Although I was very unhappy about the seating arrangement, overall it was great.
We had a great great time!!!
I would recommend this to everyone i know. It was all worth it. My partner and i enjoyed evey minute of it! The food was the bomb! We had 3 star which is a 5-course meal. i even took pictures of the food! Our server Rita was so nice, i always see her smiling and she was very attentive to us! It was so fun!
I will surely go back and this time i'm gonna bring my mom!
food was good, entertainment was good as well....having to manage crowds is difficult, the row by row eating process reminded me of being in school, not at a luau.
thanks
Great Show, Enjoyed the Venue....food not to great?
This was a very nice dinner cruise. It wasn't too long and it delivered on a great sunset.
The food was delicious too. We did the 1 Star package which came with crab legs, steak and mashed potatoes. Everything was better than I had expected it to be. It came with a complimentary Mai Tai which was also very good.
The Hawaiian music was good and the dancers were a lot of fun. My hubby and I got a really nice photo from them too.
I would recommend this to any couple looking for a little romance on their trip to Hawaii.
Would have liked to have seen more fish on the snorkel trip, but nice crew.
Had a wonderful experience! Would do again!
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
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.
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!!!!!!!!!!!
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.
Great boat, wonderful crew and a delicous meal just the icing on the cake to the most beautiful sunset we have ever seen. Hawaii sunsets are pretty sitting on the beach but you can't beat the beauty of seeing it out on the water. This tour is out in west Oahu (Koolina) far away from waikiki which is exactly what we were looking for!
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!
Overall, it was fun to run a lot, but my butt got chafed and hurt.
ともかく、たくさん走れて面白かったがお尻がすれて痛かった。
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.
The first ride of 2009 was on January 2 at Gunstock Ranch on Oahu. We drove from Waikiki via H1 → R63 → R83 heading north, passed the Polynesian Cultural Center, and just a few minutes further on the left, we saw the sign for Gunstock Ranch. It takes a little over an hour from Waikiki. On the way, we stopped by Cloverleaf Ranch. Two summers ago, my family of four, including the kids, had our first trekking ride there, which made it a memorable ranch for us. After that, my husband and I started attending lessons at the riding club Crane, where we experience ups and downs in a small arena while practicing canter.
Oahu has a couple of beginner-friendly trekking options, but Gunstock Ranch offers an advanced trail ride, which we eagerly signed up for. Due to poor conditions from the rain the day before, we were suggested to switch to a safer scenic ride. However, after discussing our riding experience with our young and cute guide Stephanie, who had a wonderful smile, we were allowed to canter in a safe area. TAKA had just ridden 15 kilometers along the coastline at Frontier Riding Club in Hokkaido last fall. However, for MAMI, who was on her first outdoor ride, it started with a trot, but by the second and third times, she was able to do a more dynamic canter, which was a thrilling experience compared to the small arena.
The group that rode before us consisted of a mix of three and two people, and it seemed they were trekking at a beginner's pace. They likely make efforts to accommodate as many requests as possible for the riding tour based on group composition and negotiations. I am especially grateful to Stephanie, our guide this time!
2009年の初乗りは1月2日オアフ島のガンストック牧場でした。ワイキキからレンタカーでH1→R63→R83と経由北上し、ポリネシアンカルチャーセンターを過ぎさらに北上、5分も行かないところに左手にガンストック牧場の看板があります。ワイキキから1時間ちょっとってとこでしょうか。行きに途中クロレア牧場に立ち寄りました。2年前の夏、子供たちとともに家族4人で初トレッキング常歩乗馬し、乗馬にはまった記念すべき牧場です。その後、乗馬クラブのクレインに夫婦で通い狭い馬場で駈歩のレッスンに一喜一憂しています。オアフの乗馬ツアーは初心者向けのポコポコトレッキングは2~3ありますが、ガンストック牧場はアドバンスド・トレイル・ライドがあり勇んで申し込みました。前日の雨による悪コンディションのため、安全なシーニック・ライドへの変更を提案されましたが、とっても若くてキュートで笑顔の素敵な女性ガイドのステファニーに乗馬経験を話し、セーフティーな場所でキャンター(駈歩)OKってことになりました。TAKAは昨秋北海道のフロンティア乗馬クラブで海岸線を15キロ走ってきたところです。しかし初外乗のMAMIは最初トロット(速歩)でしたが、2回目3回目とどんどんダイナミックなキャンターが出て狭い馬場との違いに感動充実の時間となりました。私たちの前の時間に乗馬したグループは3+2人の2組の混合でしたが、ビギナーのペースでのトレッキングだったようです。グループ編成と交渉次第で可能な限りの希望通りの乗馬ツアーの実現に努力してくれるのでしょう。とくに今回ガイドをしてくれたステファニーには大感謝ですっ♪
On Christmas Day, the only place where horseback riding was available was Gunstock Ranch. Although the prices were elevated for the holiday, considering the Christian culture, it was quite appreciated.
There was no shuttle service from the hotel, so we rented a car with a navigation system and challenged ourselves to drive on the right side for the first time. The navigation guided us to our destination without any issues when we entered the address, and by being mindful of the central lane always being on the left, we found that driving wasn't too different from Japan. (I felt it was convenient to have the postal code handy since the navigation I used didn't have a search function by phone number, etc.)
Now, regarding the horseback riding, besides our family of four, there were also four family members from California and two couples participating.
The owner of Gunstock Ranch led the way, with his wife at the midpoint and his daughter (around elementary school age) bringing up the rear as we set off.
It was the first time for my husband, daughter, and son to ride horses, but there were no issues at all. The very smart horses followed commands for right, left, and gallop, taking us along nicely.
While it's common to see guides leading horses in enclosed areas, riding through the great outdoors while enjoying the scenery was truly delightful.
All instructions were in English, but they were easy to understand. We had a lot of fun participating.
I highly recommend it!
クリスマスの25日に唯一、乗馬が可能だったのがガンストック牧場でした。クリスマス料金になっていたのでコストパフォーマンスが良いとはいえませんでしたが、クリスチャンのお国柄を考えれば、ありがたいことしきりです。
ホテルとの送迎はありませんので、ナビ付きレンタカーを借り、初めての右側車線にもチャレンジ。
ナビは、住所の入力で目的地まで問題なく案内してくれましたし、常に左側に中央車線があることを意識して運転をすると、以外と日本と変わらずに運転ができます。
(ナビの利用には、郵便番号を控えておくと便利だと感じました。私が利用したナビは、電話番号などでの検索機能がなかったので・・・)
さて、肝心の乗馬ですが、私たち4人家族以外にも、4名のカリフォルニアから来た家族と、2名のカップルが参加していました。
ガンストック牧場のご主人が先導し、中間地点に奥さん、そして一番後ろには、娘さん(小学校中学年ぐらい)が付いて出発です。
主人、娘、息子は馬に乗るのは初めてでしたが、何の問題もなく、とても賢い馬は、右・左・ギャロップなどの指示に従ってちゃんと私たちを乗せてくれました。
柵の中で、管理者が引き馬をしてくれるケースはよく見ますが、大自然の中、景色を楽しみながらのお散歩乗馬、とても気持ちが良かったです。
説明は全て英語ですが、十分に聞き取りは可能です。
楽しく参加することができました。
お勧めですよ♪
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.
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.