RealChuckB
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Joined: 9/29/2003
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Skyros
Will be visiting late in March 2016 with my daughters honors band. Any tips to maximise the visit?
Hi Skyros,
As I said, this was my first visit so my experience is limited but here are my thoughts:
1. Make sure to read the information on the official website, there are a couple of things which are important (apparently sometimes they require Photo ID upon entering; you're not allowed to bring any bags etc) - http://www.nps.gov/valr/index.htm
2. I assume you already reserved your tickets, we were lucky to get our the evening before our visit but it was after Labor Day, not sure if this is normal.
3. From reading the official information, it wasn't clear to us what is really needed to see what, here is my summary: Getting into the "museum" (the official name is the "World War II Valor in the Pacific Memorial" is free and you don't need to reserve anything for getting in. From there you have direct access to the SS Bowfin (I think they charge a separate admission, we didn't see it as my wife doesn't like the ideas of cramped space under water  ). You DO need tickets/reservations to get onto the Arizona memorial (and I think also for the Missouri, which we also didn't do) - both of them are at Ford Island you there are barques leaving from the museum to get you there.
4. The museum has a real nice audio tour that takes around 1.5 - 2hrs and leads you through 22 stations; stations 18 though 21 are actually part of the actual Arizona tour so if you want to do it in the right order, you should be at the museum around 1.5hrs PRIOR to your Arizona tour time. If you are a Pacific war buff, I don't think you'll hear a lot of things on the tour you haven't heard before but it's well done and it might be great for your daughter - my wife liked it very much. The museum itself is also very nicely done, well worth the time IMO.
5. The actual tour of the Arizona takes probably around an hour, there is a short introduction of the group for each departure time (I think they leave each half hour), followed by a 25 minutes film, which was also pretty good. Then you board the barque that brings you to the memorial and I think you have 15-20 mins on the memorial before you're shuttled back.
Have fun!
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Photos from my visit of the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial - 
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