USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor

If you are cruising to Hawaii and you would like to visit the USS Arizona, you can get tickets for free here. Tickets are released at 3pm HST eight weeks out and are extremely limited. They go fast when ships are in port so make sure you set a reminder and get them quickly.

I was on another cruise the day they were released for my date and missed out on my ticket. But my loss is your gain because now I can tell you about all of the other ways you can get in to see the USS Arizona Memorial. 

The easiest and most economical way to visit the USS Arizona Memorial is to get the free tickets on the Recreation.gov website. They have a 10 ticket limit and they do charge you a $1 processing fee per ticket.

On the ticket site they only have eight time slots with 75 tickets each starting at 8:45am and ending at 3:15pm. That’s just 600 tickets per day. When you figure we had two ships in port while I was there, you can see how the tickets would go fast. 

In addition to that, my ship docked at 9am. That means the 75 tickets for 8:15 are out and the 75 for 9:45 would really be pushing it. Actually I can tell you I wasn’t able to get off of the ship until 9:30 so the 9:45 wouldn’t have been feasible. That means there are really only 450 tickets available in time slots you can feel comfortable booking.

In reality I know they have 150 tickets per time slot and more than eight time slots per day. That’s where the alternate ticket options will come into play.

If you miss out on the free tickets, you can sign up for email alerts when additional tickets become available. I did that and got notified by email that tickets were available several times. But each time it was two tickets and by the time I saw the email and went to the website, they were gone.

Additional tickets are released the day before at 3pm. I was on a tour where I had no cell coverage at that time so that was not an option for me. 

There is a standby line for people who didn’t get tickets at all. The naturalist on our ship told us everyone he knew who applied for a standby ticket ended up getting in. I spent most of the day at Pearl Harbor and I can tell you it was extremely packed in the morning and nearly empty in the afternoon. And that was on a Saturday. I would wager that it is really easy to get a standby ticket in the afternoon.

If you do get your own ticket or opt for the standby line, the most economical form of transportation is the #20 bus line from South Street/Auahi Steet. That is a $3 ticket and a 40-minute ride. For a taxi or Uber/Lyft you can expect to pay $35-50 each way.

I didn’t want to take my chances with the additional ticket release or the standby line so I booked a tour that included a ticket to the USS Arizona. I booked this tour for $49 ($63 after taxes and fees) which includes the Arizona ticket, water, a snack, and a city tour, and transportation. I picked the 9:30am tour and paid an extra $10 for them to pick me up at the pier. 

Our ticket time was 10:30 which was about 15 minutes after we arrived at Pearl Harbor. Our guide walked us in and gave us a quick overview.

Tour guides aren’t allowed in Pearl Harbor for more than a few minutes so they drop you off and pick you up at a designated time and location.

One item that you don’t want to miss in the middle down by the water is an actual anchor from the USS Arizona. This anchor was recovered 200 feet away from the Arizona.

You aren’t allowed to get in line until they call your time. They just called 10:15 so I started out in a museum right next to the line to make the best use of my time. 

The bell from the Arizona is right next to the line. 

They call this area the bell court. It has benches where you can sit and wait for your time to be called.

As soon as they called 10:30 I got in line so I could get a good seat on the boat. I noticed a lot of people being called as standbys for the 10:15 boat. 10:15 isn’t even an option when you get your tickets at Recreation.gov.

I also found out the boats hold about 150 people despite them only distributing 75 tickets per time slot. That means there are a lot more than the 600 tickets out there. Some of them probably go to tour companies like the one I got. Some of them are probably released the day before. But from watching the standby line throughout the day, a lot of people are getting in on standby. I think it’s a really good option if you miss the free ticket distribution.

They have three lines here. The one on the far left is just to watch the USS Arizona film. The one on the right is for standbys. The one in the middle is for on-time ticketed people.

Our first stop was in theater #1 for a short presentation by a park ranger prior to boarding the boat. 

I was able to get a good seat in the boat. I was on the front row port (left) side. This is the best spot to be in for getting pictures of the memorial.

That is the USS Missouri to the left of the memorial. You can buy a separate ticket to tour it. The Missouri is where the Japanese ultimately surrendered.

When you exit the boat they ask that you not take any pictures on the ramp. They ask that you wait until you are inside to take them. 

When I entered the memorial this ranger told me to go to the room at the other end of the memorial first because we only have 15 minutes here and you want to make sure you get in there. I did as he said. Then I returned after everyone got in line for the return boat to have some alone time in there.

Survivors have the option of being cremated and having their urn placed in the wreckage by divers. 

These divers are placing the remains of a survivor in the wreckage.

The Arizona is still leaking oil. While I can’t see it myself, I believe this is the area where you would see it.

I saw a few groups smiling and taking pictures in front of the wreckage which I wasn’t very comfortable with.

I did take a selfie at the memorial but instead of taking one in front of the wreckage, I took this angle.

This is the best spot for a picture of the Missouri without going out to it.

The next group is coming in. I’m going to get in line for the boat.

Since I maximized my time in the memorial, I didn’t get a good spot on the boat this time.

After we got off of the boat it was a mad rush to the theater #2 to make the next showing of the film.

I didn’t get into this showing so I decided to do one of the museums and come back later instead of wasting a half hour standing in line.

I was able to get in this time. It’s still pretty crowded but there’s plenty of room up front.

It’s a 23 minute film that you definitely want to watch.

After the film you exit the theater by the tour boat dock.

I highly recommend visiting the USS Arizona Memorial when you are in Honolulu. Don’t count on a ship tour because those don’t have Arizona tickets included. Get your free ticket from Recreation.gov and if you miss that book a tour with an included ticket or go for the standby line.