Learn the Hula at the Polynesian Cultural Center, Oahu, Hawaii
Written: Oct 30 '02 (Updated Apr 01 '03)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Educational for some, especially children. Some will like the Show.
Cons: Not real enough, fairly boring and overpriced.
The Bottom Line: I am recommending PCC because I feel I should. It is truly just average and if you skip it you won't miss much.
|
|
|
| jo.com's Full Review: Polynesian Cultural Center |
During our vacation this summer to Hawaii we spent the day at the Polynesian Cultural Center on the island of Oahu.
Location, Parking, Hours and Fees:
It is located 35-miles from Waikiki on Oahu's north shore. The address is 55-370 Kamehameha Highway, Laie, Oahu, Hawaii.
The Cultural Center opens at 12:30p.m. daily and if you stay for the show at night you will be there until 9:00p.m.
There is plenty of free parking and they are open year round.
The hardest decision was which of the 4 packages we should buy. The most expensive is the Ambassador Package, which includes a tram tour of Laie and the show. An adult will pay $104 and children 5-11 are $71. Children under 5 are free.
We went with the least expensive called the Admission Show. That included admission to the 7 villages, watching a canoe pageant, reserved seating at the Horizons Night Show (versus preferred and premium seating), canoe rides, a tram tour, and IMAX film presentations. The major difference among these packages is that food is not included. We did not choose to go to the Ali’I Luau dinner or to the Gateway Buffet Restaurant. We chose to eat at a snack bar and buy some additional snacks at one of the gift shops for the show. The price was $39.00 per person and we had a $29.00 off the entrance fee from The Entertainment Book making it very affordable.
What is the Polynesian Cultural Center?
It is a 42-acre area where you will learn about 7 Pacific cultures. They are Tonga, Tahiti, Marquesas, Hawaii, Fiji, New Zealand and Samoa. Each culture has their own wooden structure or area in which they show what is relevant to their culture. Each Island has a schedule but the presentations are often enough that you will be able to visit most of the islands. You may not be able to see them all, it will depend on how long you spend at each place.
A couple of my favorite presentations were watching baskets being weaved, one strand at a time, and learning how to Hula dance. We learned, for example, that the wave of the hands means ocean and those hand motions during the Hula dance make a real story.
A major activity is watching the Canoe Pageant. What you will see are 7 canoes with people from the various islands paddling (Most of the people with whom we spoke were from these islands. Some were not. For example, there may have been a Samoan acting as person from Fiji.) on the lagoon that runs through the Center. Each canoe acts out a very short show illustrating five thousands years of legend. You’ll see about 50 Polynesians in some incredible costumes. The costumes really are beautiful. It starts at 9:30 and lasts 15 minutes so every 15 minutes it begins again from what is called Canoe Landing. You will see a lot of people crowded into the area where the Pageant ends. There is no need to crowd in there. You can see the parade of boats very well from anywhere along the lagoon, so walk a bit and get an uncrowded view.
We went on one of the canoe rides offered with our ticket. If you can fit it in, it is just something different to do. The ride is around the lagoon in a very safe boat (not a real canoe).
The Horizons Night Show starts at 7:30 in the outdoor Pacific Theater. This is the largest Polynesian revue of song and dance in the world. You’ll see over 100 native performers. The most impressive part of the show were the men who played with fire. This, of course, was at the end. If you have seen fire eaters you won’t be all that impressed with the end of the show, but it is worth seeing if you are there! In fact it is a prime reason many people go to the Cultural Center. Bring a sweatshirt or jacket. It will get cool at night. You also want to get what will be sold by one vendor – sherbet in a pineapple for $5.00. It is large enough for two people and really delicious.
There are two IMAX films. Time wise we could only get in one. The one we didn’t see is called "The Living Sea"
This show is 40-minutes motion and was an Academy Award-nominated film. You’ll learn about the ocean, whales and giant clam farms.
We did see "Dolphins" which takes place in several bodies of water and of course we felt as if we were swimming with them. Research with dolphins in the wild was really fascinating and I enjoyed this. It ran about 20 minutes and was shown 3 times during the day.
Restaurants and stores:
There are several restaurants: Ambassador Restaurant, Gateway Restaurant and Terrace and other, but as I said we chose to eat at Banyan Tree Snack Bar where I only got Nachos and Cheese and my husband got a chicken sandwich, both of which were reasonably priced. At the time we thought the food in the restaurants was expensive and mistakenly didn’t eat much that day which was a mistake. I suggest spending the money if you go and sit down and eat a meal. We ended up stopping at Subway on the way home!
There was the Kahakii Art Gallery, which had some beautiful pieces of art, and even one of the stores, The Hukilau Store had some very nice items. In fact I bought a sterling silver necklace that matched earrings I had bought in the Marketplace. The price, believe it or not, was very reasonable.
Getting around and other information:
The Center is paved with very easy to walk on walkways. It is handicapped accessible for the most part. I found it a bit confusing finding my way around and even with a map, finding the restrooms wasn’t easy. They blend in very well with the other huts and I passed one twice before I realized it was there. The Center is immaculate and very, very well maintained. There is staff everywhere to help you with questions you have about how to find your way around or times of shows.
My final thoughts:
I wrote in my notes the show was excellent but in fact I really didn’t think any part of this day was excellent. It is one of the most popular attractions on Oahu and the type of place where you feel you just have to go because everyone does. If we had not gone, I wouldn’t have missed anything special or important. I think children in the 10-12 year old range would really like the Polynesian Cultural Center. There are a lot of hands on activities and they are young enough not to be tainted by what I saw as a somewhat plastic feel of the Center. Perhaps your children haven’t been to one of the islands and learning about them will be quite interesting.
I wasn’t all that impressed. It is really lovely, but not real enough. It isn’t Epcot Center and it isn’t the Plimouth Plantation. It is somewhere in between the two. The village presentations were only good, not great, the canoe ride was silly, and I even started to nod off during the Night Show! I have been thinking of my rating for days!
I think if you find yourself with a day and sitting in the sun isn’t what you want to do, this is a nice way to spend the day especially if you can get a coupon and save money on the entrance fee. The show was worth about $10.00 a person and I don’t think the rest of the day is worth $29.00 so in general I feel that the Polynesian Cultural Center is overpriced for what is offered. I am recommending it with 3 starts.
Feel free to leave me a comment or a question if you are heading to Hawaii.
Other Hawaii reviews you may be interested in:
Traveling to Hawaii on a Budget
The Westin San Francisco Airport Hotel
Aloha Airlines
Garden Gate Bed and Breakfast in Maui
Maui
LahainaTown Maui
Hana Highway in Maui
Haleakala National Park in Maui
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Hawaiian Airlines
Puff the Magic Dragon Lived in Kauai
Waimea Canyon on Kauai
Poipou Beach Area, Kauai
Na Pali Coast, Kauai
Hideaway Cove Villa, Kauai
Royal Kona Resort,The Big Island
The Island of Hawaii - The Big Island
Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park on the Big Island
Oahu
USS Arizona Memorial on Oahu
DiamondHead State Monument on Oahu
Polynesian Cultural Center,Oahu
Wailua River State Park in Kauai, Hawaii
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.