Locals tend to shy away from the tourist spots because we go to these destinations for school excursions. So a couple of us decided to go visit the Polynesian Culture Center in Oahu from a tourist’s perspective.

Gaining a New Perspective at the Polynesian Cultural Center

We scheduled our day and transportation so that we could experience everything that the center had to offer without any hesitations and I’m glad that we did. The Polynesian Culture Center is an all-day affair, and the last thing that we wanted was to worry about being tired while driving back. Our day started at 9:30am to stand in line for the bus. We half way expected a chaotic cattle call, but was pleasantly surprised at how friendly and organized everything was. We were advised what was to happen and what we should expect once we got there. This helped to build our excitement.

Choose Your Adventure for the Day

We chose the Ambassador Luau Package so that we could compare all options, and believe me, I’m glad that we did. It came with a guide AND transportation. The guide was important to us as he helped us to organize our day so that we could make the most out of the time that we were there. There really isn’t enough time to see all the villages in one day, and I wish that we were able to go back the next day to finish up what we didn’t see. The package allowed for us to go back to see anything that we missed the previous day, but we had other things planned for the following day so we really wished that we had known about this benefit. The guide simply asked us about our likes and expectations and helped us to organize our day based on show times of our choices. Fantastic!

The various villages are very authentic. We were especially surprised at how authentic Samoa, Tonga, and Aotearoa were. We were also amazed at the show, HA (Breath of Life). It was both cultural and entertaining. In this arena, you get what you paid for. It’s really hard to see in the cheap seats, they are crowded and full of tall people. It is also much more enriched if you participate, and it is much easier to participate if you’re closer to the stage.

Put Experiencing Polynesia on your Family To Do List

Put the Polynesian Culture Center on your family’s “To Do” list. Since this will be an all-day affair make sure you schedule it at the beginning of the vacation so that you give all the attention you want to, to make the best of this activity. Don’t skimp on the price as the better packages give you more options and flexibility, including transportation, a guide, and a chance to come back the following day if you choose to.

Through a variety of different package options, the center offers:

Have more questions about the Polynesian Culture Center in Oahu or other activities to do on your next visit? View all the great things to do on Oahu or just ask us!