For our honeymoon we decided to go on a two week international escapade to Hawaii and Japan. It was the most amazing experience i've had the pleasure to go on yet and there was no shortage of learning.
We first took a red eye flight to Hawaii (the rates were nice, but the 5 hour screaming babies were not) and got there at about 6 A.M. Hawaii time. Having not slept, we headed straight for Pearl Harbor to get in the line for tickets, as they warn you that they may all be gone by 9 A.M. We were in luck! We waited 15 minutes and were one of the first people to get tickets. Actually, we were the first people not in a tour group to get tickets, which they have a separate line for, so it went fairly fast.
We walked around the grounds where they have two mini-museums for Pearl Harbor and WWII itself. We ate breakfast with the birds - who will steal your meal - and even got to take a few pictures of the harbor before going in for the actual tour.
The tour begins with a 15? minute video which is so well done that you can buy a copy of it at the gift store. They then pile you on to a little boat that ferries you over to the memorial. They ask you to be quiet and respectful, something i'm afraid my tour group was not. When we went it was under construction but there are about three main rooms, the first which serves as more of a waiting room, the second where you can see the oil still leaking, and into where the men would have been trapped, the last room is the wall of those lost. It is a powerful place to visit and I sincerely implore you to follow there guidelines to be quiet -- the feeling you will get is reverent and perhaps even a little peace as the water gently laps underneath the memorial and the spectacular view of the Hawaiian Island greets you on your way back.
