Access the memorial sight via the free Park Service shuttle boats that run according to a timed ticket schedule. While some private Pearl Harbor boat tours include shuttle tickets and round-trip transportation from Honolulu and Waikiki, they're typically not allowed to disembark at the memorial and may cruise around it.
The Park Service’s USS Arizona Memorial tour includes a 23-minute documentary, round-trip boat ride, and time at the memorial. Plan to spend about 90 minutes there. Note that the park service releases a limited number of tickets each day Booking a tour in advance is a convenient way to ensure you’ll see the memorial.
Check the weather. High winds and rough seas can cancel boat rides to the memorial.
Find restrooms at the visitor center.
The USS Arizona Memorial, visitor center, and related facilities are wheelchair-accessible.
Because timed tickets are limited to the number of seats on the boat, crowding is not an issue.
The USS Arizona Memorial is open daily year-round except on Thanksgiving, December 25, and January 1. The park service releases 1,300 first-come, first-served tickets each day starting at 7am—arrive early to secure entry. Many visitors start their Pearl Harbor experience with the USS Arizona, making morning tickets the hardest to come by.
There are four other Pearl Harbor historic sites besides the USS Arizona Memorial. The land-based USS Oklahoma Memorial run by the National Park Service; the floating Battleship Missouri Memorial, aboard which the WWII peace treaty was signed; the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park, where visitors can board and see the interior of the sub that avenged the attacks by sinking enemy ships; and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, home to huge hangars of period aircraft.
