Go Oahu Card On Sale!

Comments about Smart Destinations Go Oahu Card:

We came to Hawaii to see our child perform with a choir group. We were staying additional days after the choir left, so we purchased the 7 day pass for 6 people. We used it all 7 days! We did make the mistake of using the card one day before we should have and so we missed out on a day of visiting the Bishops Museum. So sad. Byodo-In Temple was neat to see and if you need extra days on your card, pay cash for this is was very inexpensive. We went to the Polynesian Cultural Center 3 or 4 times. To actually see all that we wanted to and not feel rushed. We saved so much money using this card there!!! We paid extra for the Luau which was worth every penny! The dancers were so classy and their show was excellent. The food was wonderful also. The show "Ha Breath of Life" was great fun for the kids and we loved it too. The Dole Plantation was amazing and we had fun in the maze!! Beware you may have kids meltdown if they can't find all the stamps in the maze!! HAHA The train was fun if you want to see vegetation and fields of pineapple. We went to Hanauma Bay to snorkel using the tour given by Kaimana Tours, LLC,. We used the tour since they provided equipment and a driver. It was nice to have a break from driving. The snorkeling was great fun!! Our kids had a great time! The Makani Catamaran afternoon Sail was so fun, but we did not get to go close to the whales, like they said they would when saw them. I recommend you use Bonine® before you go if you get sea sick!!! We did our own island tour due to demands on our time and it was awesome. We were able to see the whole tour in about 2-3 hours and stopped along the way to see what we really wanted to. I printed out my own guide information and we had a fabulous time! We went to all the same places and the Grand Island tour; we just did not take all day doing it. Battleship Missouri Memorial, USS Arizona Memorial - Audio Tour, USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park, & Pearl Harbor were amazing, plan to spend the entire day if you love to read all the plaques in each museum and have loads of fun!!! We also had the headphones that told you all about the stuff and it was great. Kualoa Ranch: Secret Island Beach is among one of Hawai'i's secluded beaches great for a fun-filled beach day of kayaking, canoe riding, standup paddling, beach volleyball, badminton and ping pong. Or just relax in a hammock under a palm tree. We had an awesome guide who made the girls wreaths for their hair and just was fantastic. We also did the Kayak as a group. I think in all there were only 12 of us on the beach for our 3 hour time slot. Iolani Palace the tour was fantastic it is amazing living restorations in all of Polynesia and immerse yourself in Hawaii's royal heritage as you learn all about them! (Yes we are geeks and love museums and history stuff)!!! Diamond Head Hike by Kaimana Tours, LLC. We took this tour, so they would drive us to and from and then we did not have to pay any fees. It was such a fun early morning hike we did the 6:20 am pick up and were hiking by 7 am while it was still cool. It was a great hike and fun to look out over the ocean and the city from the top of the hill. I can't begin to tell you more much we rocked the Go-card in Oahu! It was such a great time!! We literally saved ourselves a couple thousand by using this card!! So worth the money we spent to purchase the 7 day card. The only disappointment was Germaine's Luau if you are going for the free alcohol then have fun. But if you want a very classy Luau with excellent food, I would highly recommend the extra cash for the Luau at the Polynesian Cultural Center.

Comments about Smart Destinations Go Oahu Card:

Traveled 6-2-2013 thru 6-8-2013 Pros: Saved about 200-250.00 total for five people Although we booked ahead of time, we did not book very far in advance. One person told us he has go oahu card people booking sometimes 6 months in advance. It is not as easy to cram a bunch of stuff into a day as many of the events/activites are over/closed by 5-6PM. Activities: Booked the Honolulu City Tour/Pearl Harbor- to start at 7:00am and end at 12:00pm. When we called to make reservations we were told we had to be go to a certain location to catch the bus at 6:30-45 am for the tour and that it was over by noon, did not get on the bus until 7:15 and then proceeded to drive around Waikiki to different hotels to pick up the other guests, one of the stops was our hotel. When asked about this we were told it was because we had the Go Oahu Card and had to go pick up our vouchers prior to the tour and could not have been picked up at our hotel. Would have been nice to save over an hours' worth of time and be picked up. While we were picking up the other guests I overheard the tour guide asking the bus driver what time the tickets to pearl harbor were for and he said noon (they proceeded to have a quiet conversation about the tour not actually getting over until about 2:00 pm, two hours past the original time). I asked them for clarification and that we had to be done by noon because we had children that were not going on the tour and we had to be done by noon. I also asked if they were going to let everyone know the tour was being extended by two hours. They told me they will let everyone know after everyone is on the bus. I also asked what we were going to do for the additional two hours and he said "we are just rearranging the order of the tour". So the tour was going from 5 to 7 hours and they were just "rearranging" the tour. They then continued to have a quiet conversation about our conversation, which I find to be quite rude. This is the point we were just pulling up in front of our hotel and really had no choice but to exit the tour, which was a real bummer considering this used a day of our pass and we really wanted to see Pearl Harbor. Rainforest/Waterfalls and Movie Sites Tour: This was a nice hike, very slippery in parts--- wear good shoes!! Tour driver was nice, he did give each of us a bottle of warm water. He said he would sign us in for the gardens and we could all pay him the 3.00 when we got back. Since we knew we were paying for the gardens we thought we would try to go to them but only had about 10 minutes, they were pretty. He mentioned on the van ride up that it was okay to go in the waterfall. When we got to the top it was very clearly posted not to go in the waterfall, I counted at least 4 signs. When we got back in the van he said he signed everyone in for the gardens but they didn't collect money from him so he would pass those savings on to us. Hawaiian Oceans Beach Gear: We did boogie board one day. The boards and fins were in pretty poor condition, but the kids did catch some waves and the staff were friendly. Oahu Stand up Paddle boarding: We were able to do this activity and it was fun, a little harder than it looks.  They did not have 5 boards available (4 available) at the start of our time but would have five shortly after we started. About two hours before our scheduled time they called to let us know there was a scheduling error and we could only have three boards. At this point we had already activated the card for the day and had no choice but to go. It was fun but we were not able to get all the boards we wanted or were told we could have. Dollar Rental Car as bonus for one person: Great option for getting us around one day to enjoy some of the north shore activies. Byodo – In Temple: This was a great place to stop when we had our rental car but definitely out of the way. Snorkel the North Shore and Oahu Kayaking: Managed by the same people as the paddle boarding, were told the directions in the book are incorrect. We were there at our scheduled time but we had to wait for the people to show and open the stand. They were very nice but mentioned no one usually shows up on time so they were not prepared for us and another group of 4. We got started about 40 minutes after our scheduled time. Kayaking was fun, we saw a couple of sea turtles which was pretty awesome. After kayaking we snorkeled and it was amazing, a gigantic sea turtle swam up beside us and swam around with us for about 15 minutes!! Definitely a vacation topper! Dole Plantation: This was a nice stop we were able to squeeze in after kayaking and snorkeling, something to do if you have a little time at the end of a day but probably not worth making a special trip to. Germaine's Luau as bonus attraction for four people: We were told to pick up our vouchers at a certain location and that we needed to have them before noon the day of the event. We walked almost a mile to pick up our vouchers the day before the event when we got there they told us we could not pick up our vouchers until the day of the event or it would activate our card the day we were picking them up. We negotiated with them and were able to get them to give us the vouchers and manually enter our Go Oahu Card numbers the following day. We were picked up at our hotel at 4:45pm by tour bus. There is a tour guide on the bus and he shouts bad jokes over a PA system on the bus for the hour or so long bus ride to the luau and back again after the show (he also reminds you he makes his money on tips). This was a nice event, but very looong, the food was descent and the hulu dancing was great. There was a couple who sang a few songs, could have done away with this portion of the event (it was like a bad Vegas show). Take bug spray of some sort, we had several bug bites on our legs from some sort of bug in the sand. We got back around 10:00pm . Tried to book We had 5 people and I think this may have caused some of our booking issues, it appeared more could have been accommodated with smaller groups. All booked for our stay - unable to use Mopeds, Haunama Bay Snorkel Tour

Comments about Smart Destinations Go Oahu Card:

Kaimana diamond head Crater hike: $1 per person or $5 per car ($10 van) This is a beautiful view at the top and there is a nice lookout about halfway up. I recommend doing this hike as early as possible by 8:30 am it gets hot when you are going up. There are a few resting points along the way, but most of the trail is a small path for both directions that is uneven from water running down it, and many stairs. There is also a dark tunnel you walk through for those of you who do not like small dark spaces, at the end of the tunnel it widens up into a small room with a ladder to climb up but you have to duck or crawl out. Some people avoided this by going up the path (where it splits near the top) the way you are to come down. If you are using the go Oahu Card, for this be advised if you are not in shape or have elderly or small children in your group you may not make the hike in the 2 hours allowed. (driver sends you with a warm bottle of water) Rainforest/waterfall and movie site tour: 3860 Manoa road, Honolulu. This is free to hike; there is a $5 fee for parking if you drive or free if you also go to the arboretum gardens where they charge you $3 a person I believe to go through. If you take the shuttle they give you granola bars and water. Make sure if you take the shuttle you do not give the driver the money for the arboretum gardens or you will have issues, pay at office when you get there. The address listed on the go Oahu book is for the Drivers house. You only need reservations if you use transportation. For this hike be sure to bring shoes not flip flops, sandals… and make sure they are shoes you do not mind if they get ruined, I saw some wearing water shoes but said you could feel the rocks underneath. If it has been dry for a while you may be ok. They do try and maintain the path but it had been raining while we were there and we walked up a slippery mud hill and in Hawaii the mud is red and stains. We went early in the day and it was hot, my camera lens and glasses fogged up. The views were great and I would recommend doing this if you can but grab the walking sticks if available. Lighthouse Hike: Free with free parking (you are paying for transportation) This is a nice hike with good views -If you want to save money and have your own transportation I would do the hikes on a non card day. Waimea Valley: This was a nice easy walk to the falls, looking at beautiful sites along the way. They do have transportation for a fee if you are unable to walk it or chose not to. There are lifeguards on duty at the falls with a lifejacket selection there is also a changing station available. Just before the falls there is a concession stand with a few items shaved ice, hot dogs, drinks… Just next to it there are restrooms and local crafts for sale. When you are done there check out the beaches by the valley they were very nice. Hawaiian Ocean Beach gear: This is a long walk from the Hilton so we did not use it much. It is the one with the blue umbrellas on Waikiki beach in the direction of Diamond Head. I preferred the Northshore beaches vs. Waikiki they were less crowded on the weekdays. Waikiki beach is nice until about 9am then there are a lot of people out. Don't forget to bring your water shoes there are only a few beaches in Oahu that are not mostly rock/coral. Kaimana Hunauma Bay snorkeling adventures: There are a lot of reviews on this, it is nice but avoid going on the weekend it was packed. Sea life Park: $5 parking We went early and did not end up paying for parking and got the best parking under a shade tree. There are areas in the parking lot to set out a blanket and have a picnic. We spent about 4 hours most of which was spent waiting for shows. If you are there for entertainment only the only shows you will want to hit are the dolphin and seal show, the others are mostly just information. The Dolphin show is around noon, but you can view those who choose the dolphin encounter when you first get there. There was a nice playground set for the small children during wait times. I will warn you not to touch or lean back on the fences in this area where there is vegetation, they do have fire ants. The price of food range approximately $7-10 for combo and drinks are about $3 bottle and $4 for fountain soda, ice cream $4, popcorn $3, shaved ice $2, Souvenir cup $10 free refills. Dole ice cream is available by the dolphin taknk. Polynesian Cultrual center: Parking is about $8 We arrived at about 3pm and did not make it through the entire place but if go to this and breath of life they day dinner is at 5 but it is buffet style unless upgraded so you can go to dinner a little later just give yourself enough time to get done before the show, so you can stay a little longer in the villages just be aware that much of the village activities start closing down around 5. It was an interesting time, had no problem going in flip flops all day. A lot of the shows they try to add humor to and worth watching for a nice relaxing day. Kualoa Ranch: Free Parking We did make reservations which they required you to be there 30 min before event, I am not sure this was necessary. If you want to check it out you can do that there is a free petting zoo, gift shop and eating area. The staff, I meet, was great. We had Chris as a tour guide; he did a great job very informative. I will warn you the jungle expedition tour was rough and if it rains you will get wet. They do stop so you can take pictures in certain areas. Oahu Kayaking: Free Parking, after turning into the parking lot take a right. Reservations required for this call in advance. It was a nice family trip, there are only 1 and 2 person kayaks available and they do not let you have children in lap. I would not recommend having young children on their own, most of the time the water is calm but you do have to work against the water going around the rocks. The ride was easy around the boat dock and then just before the bridge. Dole plantation: Free Parking This was a nice place to visit but if you are short on time or don't want to use your go Oahu card that day you could easily skip the garden you will see most everything in it at other places, (May 13, much was under construction) and the train ride was nice but could have easily skipped it, my son loves trains and was excited to get on but once on the train ride was not as thrilled they have a gift shop and a farmers market available. The café had long wait lines the entire time we were there, we eventually just waited. Pearl Harbor: Free parking, if you want to get parking you should get there early if you arrive at noon you will not likely find parking till around 2-3. Get there early and get the Arizona tickets first thing before you do anything else or you may not get to see it. There is limited space for this I got my tickets at 7-7:30 there was not a line at that time for the Arizona but my ticket time for the Arizona was at 10:45. When we got there they said that we may have an issue with the go Oahu going to all the sites, since we had not done our bonus event we went ahead and waited to do the aviation tour another day. I would recommend using your bonus event before this so there are no issues and contact the company to find out what the deal is with this. No bags are allowed in, we were easily able to go out the gates and come back in to have a lunch break. If you need to cool off remember the Uss Bowfin museum just before you go onto the sub has AC. There are also vendors in this area. The battleship Missouri does have elevators to the right if you need them, plus you avoid the crowd. Wet n' Wild Hawaii: Parking $7.50 We went on a Monday, there were no lines for most of the items, with the exception of Shaka and waiting for the mats to slid down the green and yellow tube slide. If you get to the rapid river (blue slide with raft) about 6/7 min early you can walk to the top and wait to be the first one on the ride, I will advise the cement at wet n' wild gets hot. They rotate between the two slides, check times. There were many of the slides that were down for repairs while we were there not a big issue since only one of them was at the children's area but if I didn't have to keep track of children I would have been disappointed. They will tell you in advance at the gate what is closed but you could call them to find out the day before they should know. The locals said in the summer the lines are longer since the kids are out of school. If you plan on eating anything there it starts at about $10 and is not that great of food. You are not allowed to bring food or drinks in, however; water is allowed. My child is 5 and didn't want to leave so that was good. They also have lifejackets available by the wave pool so you do not have to bring your own. Review of Makani Catarman sail: Parking is $1 hr to park next to the dock. There is a park off Ward that is free (by the water) but it is a little bit of a walk through a neighborhood that the homeless hang out in didn't have any issues but would not go alone. The ride was good and staff members were friendly however; they required you to show up and register 30 min before sail but no one was there to get tickets till 10 min before sail, they also say that there is a breakfast and coffee but you get chips or cookies and 1 drink ticket. I recommend using these for alcohol since drinks are $6.50 soda is $2, extra snacks $1, and I do not remember what juice was. I recommend bringing your own in a bag. Coffee is no longer available on boat. When you first get on you are briefed about the boat rules by the bar. There are only 3 people per side allowed on the tanning nets, first come first serve. They do stop and throw out fish food to attract the turtles, and we did see a pod of dolphins. There are bathrooms on the boat if needed. If you get there early the only shaded area near dock is the bus stop. Also remember to book well in advance they only have certain days they do the sails and they are limited on the amount of people they take. Mornings were Sunday and Wednesday only.

Comments about Smart Destinations Go Oahu Card:

You MUST plan ahead to get the value of this card! You must also know in advance you cannot do everything that is included (unless you do a 7 day card). This card is best if you are staying at a hotel in Waikiki. Most of the attractions are free, but you are paying for the transportation. They do not pick you up if you are not at Waikiki, but you can still use the card once at destination if there is a charge. We rented a car for the full 10 days we were on the island because we stayed at 3 different places (Huulau, Waikiki & Kailua). We should have used the card to do the PolCC and purchased the luau separately, but didn't know that until after the fact. Here was our itinerary: Day 1- snorkel at Waimea Beach (swam with about 6 turtles and saw lots of fish- calm beach) (on our own) Day 2- Pol. CC w/Luau & Ha Breath of Life (on our own-didn't use card) Day 3- Aquarium (not on card, but worth the visit) Day 4-(Saturday) Aloha Stadium- Flea Market $1 per person. They have a stop on the bus or you can call the tour companies & they pick you up & drop you off for $5 I think I heard someone say. Day 5*- Manakai Catamaran, Wet & Wild Waterpark- made the reservation for catamaran first since they book fast. Had extra time, so drove to waterpark. Because there was only 2 hours left in the day (closes at 3:30) there were hardly any lines and really not that many people in the park overall. Day 6*-Pearl Harbor/ City Tour Day 7*- Circle Tour. Used card for train ride at Dole. Day 8*- Sea Life Park (used upgrade here to have dolphin experience- very cool!) Made this reservation same day I made catamaran reservation. Filled in other days around them. Day 9- Kailua Beach (could have used card this day to do water sports, but we just hung out!) Day 10- Diamond Head, Botanical Gardens (on our own) We did get the value of the cards that we spent by seeing what we did. We have used these types of cards for San Francisco & Chicago, too. I do not think this card was as good of a value as those, but we did break even/ come out a little ahead & it was nice to have the book that had all the addresses and phone numbers handy! We ordered this a month before we went to Hawaii and got the cards in the mail. We did not have any problems with using this card.

Comments about Smart Destinations Go Oahu Card:

I added up the retail price for the tours we did and we saved almost $300 for our family of 5.The best part is that we didn't have to shop around.It was easy to book our tours through the guide book.Some tours take up most of the day but if you check the times you can do 2 or 3 attractions in one day. We did Diamond Head and the Rainforest Waterfalls and Movie Sites Adventure on the same day and they both were great!Recommend them both! So if you plan a little, you can maximize the use of your card and save lots of money!

Comments about Smart Destinations Go Oahu Card:

Did the Hanauma Bay Snorkel Tour and Rainforest and Waterfall Adventure on the same day! We got to experience the best that Oahu has to offer! My children loved snorkeling at the beach and my wife love the beautiful waterfall. Nature at it's best! It was so easy using the guide book provided and the vendors they used were very profesional.Having to find these vendors ourselves would be difficult but they made it easy and we saved money!

Comments about Smart Destinations Go Oahu Card:

We purchased 4 Adult and 2 kids 5 day cards. The card saved us heaps of money. the tours were fantastic, couldnt get to all the attractions but definately got our moneys worth. Recommend hiring a car to get to the attractions on the otherside of the island, highly recommend the Kualoa Ranch Sunset Experience (bonus choice option on the card). Visit Pearl Harbour Arizona memorial early and definitely visit the other attractions USS Bowfin and Missouri as they are fantastic dont forget the audio tour (included on the card) Hanauma Bay tours book up fast especially the 7am pickup so book this tour 1st. highly recommend this card, will purchase again when i return to Hawaii next.

Comments about Smart Destinations Go Oahu Card:

Can't say enough good things about our first trip to Oahu and how this card made everything so easy

Comments about Smart Destinations Go Oahu Card:

The Go card is a great way to save money. I bought a 5-day card & did 2 tours a day. This saved me lots of money. I did 10 tours total for about $200 per person. I went last year and went on 3 tours & it costs about $250. There's lots of planning involved but I did all of it including the reservations before I went. The card was easy to use. The only time I didn't like it was when the driver didn't have the machine with them and they had to take us back to their office to swipe the cards which delayed another 15-30 mins.

Comments about Smart Destinations Go Oahu Card:

Great product; highly recommend it. Many activities do not include transportation, you will need to have to arrange for your own transportation.