Episode Details

Hawaii Reservations You Need to Know: Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head, Hanauma Bay, Haena, and More

Who this episode is for: Anyone building a Hawaii trip around bucket list stops like Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head, or Haena who doesn't want to show up and get turned away over a reservation they didn't know they needed.

What you'll learn: Exactly when reservations open, what they cost, and what to watch for at six of Hawaii's most-booked spots, plus which new booking systems are headed to Maui and Oahu and the timing mistakes that trip up most travelers.

Places discussed:

• Ala Moana Center – Honolulu food court, where Marcie waits for reservations to drop
• USS Arizona Memorial / Pearl Harbor National Memorial – Oahu
• Pearl Harbor Visitor Center
• Battleship Missouri
• Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum
• Waikiki
• Diamond Head State Monument – Oahu
• Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve – Oahu
• Iao Valley State Monument (Iao Needle) – Maui
• Road to Hana – Maui
• Waiʻanapanapa State Park – Maui, black sand beach
• Haena State Park – Kauai
• Na Pali Coast – Kauai
• Kalalau Trail – Kauai
• Hanakapiai – Kauai
• Honolua Bay – Maui
• Oahu's North Shore
• Haleiwa – Oahu
• Laniakea – Oahu
• Waimea Bay – Oahu
• Lanikai (Mokulua Drive, Aalapapa Drive) – Kailua, Oahu
• Haleakala National Park – Maui

Activities discussed:

• USS Arizona Memorial boat tour and exhibit galleries
• Diamond Head crater hike
• Hanauma Bay snorkeling
• Iao Valley walk to the Needle viewpoints
• Road to Hana driving stops
• Kalalau Trail hiking and camping permits
• Haena shuttle (GoHaena) vs. self-parking
• Sunrise viewing at Haleakala
• Luau attendance
• Boat tours to Molokini Crater and along the Napali Coast
• Helicopter tours

Marcie's recommendations:

• Have payment info ready and refresh right at 3pm HST for Arizona Memorial tickets; check the daily next-day standby release if you miss the main window
• Book Diamond Head the moment the 30-day window opens and grab the earliest slot available
• Go to Diamond Head early, since there's little shade on the trail and the trailhead lot fills fast
• Set an alarm for Hanauma Bay's 48-hour booking window; bring cash, since parking doesn't take cards
• Don't assume a Hanauma Bay reservation guarantees a parking spot
• Visit Iao Valley earlier in the day, before the afternoon mist rolls in
• Pack bug spray for Iao Valley
• Stick to marked trails at Waiʻanapanapa out of respect for nearby sacred sites
• Check ocean conditions before letting kids near the water at Waiʻanapanapa; treat the surf with real caution
• Confirm Haena/Kauai park status directly through GoHaena.com and the state parks site before building a trip around it, given Hurricane Lowell closures
• Don't build a North Shore Oahu trip around the proposed shuttle yet, since it's still early-stage
• Book the hardest, fastest-selling reservations first (Hanauma Bay, Haena) and let everything else flex around them
• Leave breathing room between reservations instead of stacking them back to back
• Don't assume a reservation-only spot will have room if you just show up
• Avoid stacking Diamond Head and Hanauma Bay back to back in one day
• Double-check park closure days before building an itinerary around a spot
• Book luaus, Haleakala sunrise, boat tours, and helicopter tours as soon as your dates are set, not last

Related Hawaii Travel Made Easy episodes: 

• How to Visit Pearl Harbor on Oahu— Ep 22
• How to Hike Diamo