Arriving at the Pearl Harbor Memorial I quickly rushed to the ticket booth to ensure we would receive a tour time for the day.  After doing research, we were instructed to arrive very early to the Memorial site and grab tickets since there are usually long lines and problems with possibly not receiving a tour slot because of bookings from large tour groups.  We were in luck, however.  Within a few minutes after arriving, I made it to the ticket booth without a line!  This was largely due to the fact that the weather was extremely dreary, cloudy and rainy.  Although it literally put a damper on the tour, I didn’t mind the dreary weather.  To me, it set the perfect tone for the day.  The Pearl Harbor Memorial was a solemn and reflective place and the darkness of the day made the feeling of sadness and true respect for the fallen men and women that much more palpable.

I didn’t know what to expect of Pearl Harbor, since I hadn’t seen many images of the Memorial itself.  It was an amazing place to visit and I urge anyone reading this to hopefully see it someday.  I would like to share some of my pictures from the experience.

The entire program for the USS Arizona Memorial (Pearl Harbor) is 75 minutes.  When you receive your ticket, you are given a tour time for that day.  Once that time comes, people line up in front of the auditorium on the far side of the visitor center before being ushered into a theatre for a short 23 minute movie.  In my opinion, the movie was perfect…it explained the events leading up to Pearl Harbor, the Attack itself and it reminded all visitors that the USS Arizonia Memorial is still a living grave and a place of honor, inspiration, reflection and quiet contemplation.

Once the movie ends, everyone boards a Navy-operated shuttle boat which takes you out to the USS Arizona Memorial over the water.

The oil from the sunken ship still seeping up to the surface.

For more information on visiting Pearl Harbor, please click here.  To learn more about the Attack on Pearl Harbor visit here.

Just a note:  If you are expecting to bring any bags, purses, camera packs, etc. into the Memorial site, please note that most items will have to be left at the bag check before entering.  Due to increased security, no bags are allowed in the visitor center or on the Memorial.  The nearby bag check is available and costs US $3.00 a bag.