Travel: Hawaii - Oahu - Day 2
Day 2:
We woke up in our room in the Tapa tower and got ready for the day. We walked over to the Ilikai Hotel and ate breakfast at the Hawaiian Aroma Caffe. We ordered the guava waffle and the French toast. Both were delicious. The guava waffle was a Belgium waffle with fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries with guava syrup and whipped cream. The French toast was similar except it had regular syrup instead of the guava syrup. The fruit was so fresh and sweet. We enjoyed eating outside near the water fountain. Overall, we enjoyed our breakfast and the customer service was great.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tip 5: Do not take any bags larger than a wallet to Pearl Harbor. They do not allow you to take it inside and will charge you $6 per bag to store it.
After breakfast, we called a Lyft and headed to Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor Visitor Center is free but each museum has a cost to enter. The museums were included in the Go City Pass we purchased on Groupon. As we walked around Pearl Harbor, we were reminded of what happened back on December 7, 1941. They have memorial stones in memory of those who lost their lives on each ship during the attack. They also offer a complimentary shuttle that transports you to and from each museum. We were able to visit the USS Bowfin, the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum, the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, and the Battleship Missouri Memorial. We missed out on the USS Arizona Memorial. The lines for that exhibit were extremely long. However, we spent approximately 5 hours enjoying the site and museums that we visited.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tip 6: Visit the USS Bowfin in the morning. It gets hotter in the submarine as the outside temperature rises.
The USS Bowfin & Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum were pretty awesome. They provide an audio tour to give you information on each room in the submarine. It was amazing to see the inside of such an old submarine. We were surprised at how they slept in triple level bunk-like cots.
The rooms were so small and it was hard to imagine a lot of people working in such tight spaces. The people working in the submarine must not have been very tall. Kringle is 6'4" and had trouble going from room to room due to the small spaces. The audio tour continued into the museum building and gave us a deeper insight into the artifacts from submarines, as well as evolving research and technology. The museum had an interactive display of how submarine steam engines operated at that time.
USS Bowfin (SS-287) is a fleet attack submarine that fought in the Pacific during WWII, and helped to make famous the term, “Silent Service.” Bowfin was launched on 7 December 1942, exactly one year after the attack on Pearl Harbor. She was nicknamed the Pearl Harbor Avenger, so it is fitting that her permanent home is at Pearl Harbor, Hawai’i.
We recommend buying the souvenir photo at the USS Bowfin Submarine prior to leaving the museum area. It is the most unique souvenir photo we came across during our trip and the only one we purchased. If you purchase the souvenir photo, you are able to pick an oyster to see if there is a pearl inside. The staff will open the oyster for you and if there is a pearl inside, you get to keep it. We were lucky to pick an oyster with a pearl so we have a beautiful addition to our souvenir photo. If you are successful in picking a pearl, they will try to sell you expensive jewelry for your pearl, which we declined. We just took our pearl and said thank you before leaving.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
After exploring the USS Bowfin & Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum, we ate at Jake's food truck located in that area. We ordered the Garlic Shrimp Plate and Flight of Tenders. We were so hungry, we ate our food without taking any pictures. Both were delicious.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Battleship Missouri Memorial was awesome. We learned that it was launched on January 29, 1944 and was the last battleship ever built. Walking through the battleship was like exploring a maze. There were so many different rooms to see; it is quite easy to get a little turned around. The stairs were pretty steep and narrow so be careful as you navigate the battleship. It was interesting to see where the Captain stood to navigate the ship and give orders because the holes for him to see through were so small. He probably had to get assistance from his crew to successful maneuver the ship. We also saw the big cannons that were used to attack the enemies. Overall we enjoyed the experience.
Built in the midst of World War II in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, USS Missouri (BB63) is the youngest of her other Iowa-class sisters, following USS Iowa (BB 61), USS New Jersey (BB 62), and USS Wisconsin (BB 64).* Like her sisters she was designed to be a fast battleship: a warship that balanced firepower and armor without sacrificing speed. Missouri's 887'3" (270.4m) length accommodated four large engines with 212,000 shaft horsepower, allowing the battleship to hit speeds in excess of 33 knots, a significant improvement from the 27 knots of the previous class of battleship, the South Dakota class, and faster than the 26-knot capability of the Japanese ships of the time.
The Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum was unlike anything we expected. When you walk in, you are given the option to watch a 12 minute documentary, which we skipped. This museum has 2 hangers with planes inside and an outdoor area with additional planes and helicopters. The first hanger is Hanger 37. This hanger was large and had quite a few exhibits with all types of planes. We spent most of our time in this hanger. There was even a simulator for those who wanted to try flying a plane. It was interesting to see how planes looked during World War II vs how they look today. Some of the planes were fully intact and some were missing pieces. As we walked to the second hanger, we saw a display of window panes with bullet holes that were saved from the war. The second hanger is Hanger 79. This hanger appeared to be more of a restoration hanger and didn't have as many aircrafts on display. It was mostly used for storage. It only took a few minutes to walk this hanger.
Featuring authentic and carefully restored aircraft from both the United States and Japanese forces, the remarkable story of the Niihau Incident, a special Battle of Midway exhibit, a B-25B Mitchell U.S. bomber immortalized in the retelling of the Doolittle Raid in the classic film "Pearl Harbor," and the Stearman N2S-3 in which former United States President George H.W. Bush completed part of his solo qualifications, Hanger 37 sheds new light on the "day that will live in infamy" and marks the beginning of the story that launched America into World War II, a global conflict that shaped our world today.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
We ended our day using our Go City Pass to take a 2 hour sunset Catamaran Cruise. This is one of the attractions that we reserved prior to our arrival in Hawaii and we paid a little extra to have access to the open bar. The company included with the pass was Makani Catamaran. The night we went, we had an all female crew was pretty awesome. They were friendly and informative. The drinks were great and the boat was clean with lots of seating. It was so nice being out on the water with music playing and a nice ocean breeze. We recommend taking a light jacket because it can get a little chilly on the water once the sun goes down. The cruise was truly enjoyable and we would do it again.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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