The Best Oahu Family excursion is to the Polynesian Culture Center. The Polynesian Culture Center is a great family activity for all ages. There is so much to do you could spend one to three days there enjoying the various activities and shows.
There are a ton of crafts and games that are child friendly and help to keep the children engaged while learning.
Cost of Polynesia Culture Center
Discount tickets are available through Costco and there is also an entertainment book coupon for buy one get one free. If you are in Oahu for a while the book could provide additional savings. The large packages are significantly more than the cost of a day pass. They include the evening show dinner and event. As well as additional benefits such as reserved seating for the show and a tour guide. In general, I think the best value is just for the day pass as there is so much included in that alone. You also have to decide whether you think your kids will stay up late enough for the evening shows and if it will be engaging enough.
Tips
- You can visit up to three consecutive days so if you have the time plan a second or even third visit.
- Sign up for the fish hook making early (at the woodworking building) the first class we signed up for filling up and they only have 20 templates and cannot accept more people.
- Don’t miss the fish craft made out of palms
- No food allowed into the park, but re-entry is allowed. There are food trucks, but we opted to eat lunch before entry and took a break for some shaved ice and ice cream midway through.
- Planning can help you avoid arriving to a village when activities are shut down for a show.OverviewThe Polynesian Culture Center is a really fun place for families. There’s a lot of arts and craft projects and hands on learning for the kids as well as shows. Our kids favorites was making fish hook necklaces, fishing and the palm fish craft.
The ticket is Good for 3 Consecutive Days
A day pass is actually good for 3 consecutive days and if you are spending enough time on Oahu you could easily spend 2-3 hours a day for 3 days enjoying the various villages. The Polynesian culture center has so many packages and options it can be overwhelming. On our third trip to Oahu with kids we decided to check it out. After reviewing the package options and YouTubing the evening shows we decided to go with the regular day pass because the evening show was fairly late and we were pretty sure we would all be exhausted after a full day (and we were right).
The park opens at 11:45 am and daytime activities end at 6 pm. There are 8 villages that all offer a show and activities. They shut down most activities when they have the show for the island is performing. At 2:20 was the canoe show everything shut down till 3:15. The show talks about each island and ends talking about how the Polynesian culture center started. We were finishing up a craft and arrived late.
We were able to get a spot on the bridge overlooking the show which also provided a comfortable shade. Planning would have helped us do more. We actually showed up and only spent an hour at the park after realizing we had a different tour booked for the day. Seeing the layout of the park helped us to be more prepared the next day. We reviewed the map of the islands and activities. Highlighted the activities we felt the kids would enjoy. We were conscious of the village showtimes as we knew activities for that area would shut down during that time.
Some of the fun activities at the Polyesian Culture Center include
- Spear throwing
- Fish hook necklace making
- Palm fish craft
- Fishing
- Fishnet throwing
- Traditional games
- This dance with balls on strings (my kids loved this)
- Hula dancing
The Polynesian culture center is full of family fun. So much it can be overwhelming. Spend a little time familiarizing yourself with the layout and activities. You’re sure to have a fun-filled day or even 3.
If you haven’t made your Hawaii plans yet, check out how you can fly and stay for almost free at the Hilton Wakiki. Also Check out my review for Aulani, a Disney Resort. You can also learn how you can fly for free to Hawaii with southwest companion pass and miles.
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