How to Book Pearl Harbor: USS Arizona Memorial Tickets, Release Times and Walk-In Options

Somewhere around three in the afternoon, Hawaii time, a screen refreshes and a handful of USS Arizona Memorial tickets appear for tomorrow morning. People who planned ahead have already claimed their place on the boat, and others are tapping at their phones on a lanai, hoping for a lucky opening. Pearl Harbor itself is free to walk into, but the short ride out to the memorial over the sunken battleship is what the booking system decides.

Do you need a reservation for Pearl Harbor?

For the USS Arizona Memorial program, yes: tickets are reserved in advance on Recreation.gov, and the standby line is the only other way onto the boat. The grounds are another matter, since Pearl Harbor National Memorial and the Visitor Center charge no entrance fee, so you can wander in, see the exhibits and look out over the harbor without a ticket.

The system exists because the memorial is a small structure and the boat carries a limited group at a time. A program with a safety orientation, a boat ride and time on the memorial only works when the crowd is paced, and a reservation keeps the visit unhurried and quiet, as the place deserves.

How do you book Pearl Harbor?

Everything goes through Recreation.gov. You search for the USS Arizona Memorial program, pick a date and a time, and add the tickets to your cart. The National Park Service charges nothing for the program, and the website adds a small service fee for each ticket.

The order is simple. Make an account on Recreation.gov before the release so you are not typing passwords at the key moment. Aim first for the early window, and keep the later one as your backup. Standby comes last, as a plan C once you are already there.

When should you book Pearl Harbor?

As early as the system allows. The first slots for any given day open eight weeks ahead, released at 3 p.m. Hawaii time. Because the release comes at the same hour every day, you can set a reminder for that exact moment and be ready when your date appears.

A second batch comes out 24 hours before, again at 3 p.m. Hawaii time. That gives a real second chance to travelers who arrive late in their planning or who missed the first window.

Treat it as a bonus, though, not as the plan, because the days you most want can fill quickly and the last-minute batch is smaller. If your trip is already close, the 24-hour release and standby are the tools left.

What if you cannot get a reservation for Pearl Harbor?

Standby is the main way in. It is free and limited: at the memorial you sign up on tablets and receive a text message when space opens on a program. It rewards flexibility, so it suits a traveler who can spend part of the morning around the Visitor Center and does not mind waiting for the message.

The grounds are open to everyone with no ticket, and the exhibits give a good sense of the day of December 7, 1941 even without the boat ride. Other sites nearby are ticketed separately, either at the visitor center or online: the USS Bowfin Submarine, the Battleship Missouri and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum. For anyone who would rather skip the drive from Waikiki, it helps that the National Park Service also keeps a roster of over 60 approved companies offering commercial tours and transportation.

What to expect on the day at Pearl Harbor

The visitor center is at 1 Arizona Memorial Place in Honolulu, and the grounds are open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. The first program starts at 8 a.m. and the last boat departs at 3:30 p.m. The drive is about 45 minutes from Waikiki and 10 to 15 minutes from the airport.

If you’re behind the wheel, pass up the exit for the Ford Island bridge and Hickam Air Force Base, since the bridge is restricted to military personnel. Parking costs $7 per day.

Please leave backpacks, purses, camera bags, and large handbags behind, because they are not allowed inside the memorial or the visitor center. Since the nearby bag storage facility charges a fee, the simplest plan is to bring just a phone and your wallet. Rideshare and taxis drop off at the visitor center.

The program itself begins with a safety orientation, then the boat ride, time on the memorial and the return to the visitor center. The 23-minute park film is not part of it. Out on the water, visitors keep a quiet, respectful tone, because the memorial stands over the sunken battleship.

Good to know before you go

Daily programs are offered when the weather allows, and dock repairs can sometimes limit availability, so check your confirmation and the park’s notices before you head out from your hotel. Advance reservations were paused in 2025 while the U.S. Navy removed historic World War II salvage platforms, and they resumed for tours from November 1, 2025. The Recreation.gov fee is non-refundable. The Central Pacific hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30.