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Categories: Performing Arts, Hawaiian, Local Flavor, Music Venues, Botanical Gardens [Edit]
55-370 Kamehameha HwyMon-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
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We wanted to do a luau/hulu thing for my daughter's 5th birthday and the PCC meet those needs. We went only for the luau dinner and the show (Ha - Breath of Life), which cost us about $85/person. There are different priced packages depending on what you want to do. When I made the reservations, the guy I talked to made an endless pitch to get us to spend more and come for the whole day, which we had no interest in doing.
Be prepared they will hit you up for a ton of "extra" things including parking, which is $6 a car. The dinner was good - both the food and how damn orderly it was. There are hundreds of people having dinner and not once did it feel cramped. The show during dinner was entertaining. Some female hula dancing, some male hula dancing, Hawaiian music, etc. Special drinks in fresh pineapples will set you back $10 (or 2 for $15). They also take your picture upon entering the dinner, which will cost you $18 for the first one and maybe $10 for the second.
We then had about a 1.5 hours to waste before the show, which is easily spent in the marketplace. Lots of opportunities to spend money on souvenirs/tchotchkes, which, personally, I was psyched about even though I realized the the prices were slightly inflated.
The show (Ha - Breath of Life) was totally entertaining. The dancing was amazing but they did have an intermission so they could sell $5 bowls of ice cream.
Given that you got dinner and a very entertaining show, $85 didn't seem too bad. I wish they wouldn't push to sell so many other things. It cheapens the whole experience.
All in all, I don't regret going to the PCC but I don't feel like I would have missed anything if we hadn't done it.
PS - The dinner and the show were covered but open air. We were worried about rain but would have been fine/dry had it rained.
PPS - The show (Ha - Breath of Life) was scary for my 5 year old but fine for my 7 year old.
Yuck. You come all this way to Hawaii to learn about the history of Polynesia from Disney-esque Mormon settlers? Really? That's how you want to spend your vacation? Ohhh-Kaaaaay.
It's a long drive, it isn't authentic and it is completely overpriced. If you are truly curious about the history of Hawaii and its Polynesian roots, go to the Bishop Museum's Hawaiian Hall in Honolulu. No, there isn't a dancing show there, but its filled with authentic, historic pieces that will give you real insight into Hawaii, its people and its history. There are also locations around Oahu that are still preserved that are important to the history of Hawaii and its people. One of the most inspiring to me is the "birthing stones" in Wahiawa. (I'll write a review on that location).
Really, I know you want to do a Luau, but don't fool yourself into thinking that this is the best way to get to know Hawaii, OK?
The Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) located far away from Waikiki and past the North Shore was definitely a trek out, but the experience, food, and drive made it all worth it.
Although I've been to Oahu numerous times, I can't remember seeing a Luau, except perhaps when I was much younger. I did my research and looked at Paradise Cove, Germane, and finally the PCC. Despite a few reservations, I decided to go to the PCC and enjoy both the cultural presentation as well as the location.
First things first, the Polynesian Cultural Center is sponsored by the nearby Brigham Young University of Hawaii. The majority of people working at the PCC are students at BYU-Hawaii and the activities and revenue from the PCC supports their studies.
The place is extremely well maintained and well-run....think of Disneyland on a smaller scale. Everyone is polite and friendly and the cultural exhibits are educational and fun. It's no wonder this place is popular with families and elderly alike.
We arrived early afternoon and still found enough time to visit the majority of villages before the included luau dinner. We missed the Imax showing, but the gorgeous weather and exhibits kept us busy.
My biggest worry was probably about the luau. Knowing how tourist the PCC was and how many patrons they probably served, I had very low expectations of the food. It's all served buffet style and isn't much presentation-wise, but the layout of the Luau theatre (with included hula dancing and singing while dining) was quite good. The servers (again students) were extremely efficient and they were able to get the lines going very quickly.
Now onto the food: To be honest, I actually liked the food! I thought it was definitely better than expected given the large crowds and the mixed reviews. Among my favorites:
Lomi lomi salmon - a refreshing mix of tomatoes and diced salmon. While the entree was sparse on salmon, it was there.
Ahi poke tuna - plenty of tuna and many folks were bypassing the marinated raw tuna. I thought it was delicious and had my fair share. My stomach was fine. It looked, smelled, and tasted very fresh
Kalua pork - the shredded kalua pork was a nice combination of salty and fatty. I thought it was great and helped myself to several servings.
Laulau pork - small pieces of this were given in plastic containers that many bypassed as butter. Salty, smokey, and delicious, it reminded me of Chinese smoked pork. Much better than expected.
Chicken Long Rice - extremely salty and mixed with rather soggy noodles. This was ok mixed with white rice, but I can only imagine the sodium intake.
Drinks are also included but only sodas and juices. No alcoholic beverages available. Overall, I left very happy after the luau and had enough of Hawaiian food that I actually skipped Ono Hawaiian Foods the next day. A mistake? Maybe, but there are so many other Honolulu cuisine types, I thought the PCC represented Hawaiian food adequately.
After dinner, you're allowed to mingle a bit more among the exhibits but essentially return to a newly opened theater that houses their big show, HA - Breath of Life. While the show started slowly with mainly hula dancing, the finale with fire was quite excellent. Again, considering that many entertainers are students, this was a great production.
By the time we left the PCC, it was 9 pm and we had a long (45 min) drive back to Waikiki. Driving along the shore and seeing the moonlight reflecting off the ocean, I was happy. The PCC may be far away, but the entire package (exhibits, luau, show) was well worth the drive. Two thumbs up for any first-time Hawaii visitors!
PCC accepts credit cards, including American Express. Discounted tickets can be found on their website.
I didn't understand or believe why it's called the Hawaii Disney but now I do, it's really, very artificial and people there look too happy to be ture.
Yes--it's owned by Mormons; I am never a fan and particularly after what they did about Prop 8 in CA, I actually hesitated to go to PCC. But somehow, I got hold of some free tickets and decided to give it a try.
They have altogether 7 villages that represent 7 different polynesian islands. 80% of the staff are students from the nearby BYU, that means the people from the "villages" are students from the island who currently study in BYU. People in general are very nice but everything seems so rehearsed. They kept saying the money we spent in PCC goes to scholarship that support native from those islands to get college education, but i just cant help wonder how much income is actually spent on students and how much on the church. I also have a feeling that it's more like a business than an educational center to educate people about polynesian history and cultures. Student staff is everywhere to take pictures of you and sell it at $15-18 per photo. Like all other amusement parks, all food and souvenirs are over-priced. So bring your own snacks and tons of water.
Nevertheless, some activities are kinda cool. I really like the Samoa village where they show you how to crack coconut and light fire with raw material. I guess the park is best for children and seniors. The night show is also amazing. Dancing, fire-shows are spectacular.
As for the food, the luau... it's OK. It wasn't as chaotic as I thought it was since they are serving hundreds of hungry people. They asked people to get food table by table. It's the "traditional hawaiian feast". If you like raw fish, the lomi-salmon and poke tuna were GOOD. They also have decent poi and taro bun. Kalua pork was ok and dessert wasnt too impressive. Since it's Mormon-owned, there's no alcohol served. But at least there's tea and coffee!
If I were to pay full price for PCC, I probably wont go and would choose to go to Paradise Cove for their luau... at least it's on a beach instead of a tent in PCC.
My friend and I got here when it opened at noon and stayed until the show ended around 8:30 or 9 pm. We probably could spend another day there just to see all the stuff.
Each village puts on a show and has all day long interactive things. We managed to make it to all of the shows. Some had us in tears laughing while others were very informative and somewhat solemn at points. All were extremely educational however.
The canoe parade was a great way to see a bit of dancing from each culture. It was also a great time to sit down and grab a snack and some Shave Ice.
The luau was pretty neat. Food was served buffet style and all you can eat. For packing a lot of people into one area it was quite orderly done. The food was delicious. The pork was fantastic and the beef jerky was beyond yummy. I'm glad the snack in the day wasn't bigger because I definitely stuffed myself here.
Their new night show "Ha - Breath of Life" was fantastic. The plot was easy to follow (I'm told especially in comparison to the old one) and the dancing was great. The fire twirler at the end of the show was fantastic. To the level you'd expect to pay a lot just to see the show of in someplace, like Vegas.
We didn't even have time to go see the BYU campus or watch the IMAX movie. There were also lots of other displays we missed and would probably take another half a day to see the rest. You won't run out of entertainment here.
Overall if you have a free day on your next visit to Oahu, spend it here. You'll learn a lot, it's a scenic drive out there, and once you pay the admission fee you can get away spending minimally all day.
So Mr Smith wanted me to write a review about his Mormon Tabernacle Center for Polynesian Cultural Learnings. My exboyfriend and I went there back in April, and I am only now getting around to it. The brainwashing worked far better than Smith intended.
I could go thru all of the problems with the place, but who am I kidding. There are none. The Imax movie was good. It introduced my boyfriend to Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. That was the biggest highlight for me. The rest of the day we ran thru tiny makeshift villages videoing one another as though we were on some nature program. That kept us entertained for about an hour.
Then we got to go on the "Temple Tour". Praise be to Joseph! They tried their best to convert us, but eventually gave up. They even switched conversion Sisters to try to tagteam convert us. In the end, we ended up waiting the half hour for the return bus from the temple to the center so we could go to the luau. I had trouble paying attention, partly because the food was inedible, and partly because I felt like the kid in the movie Trolls II when he discovers that Nilbog is Goblin spelled backwards. Everywhere I looked there were Mormons out to get us. We left 15 minutes into the luau.
I wouldn't have been as upset had I known up front that I was supporting the church who greatly helped out Prop 8. Nowhere on the pamphlets do they mention Mormons or Latter Day Saints or Joseph Smith or the magic man panties. My ex and I wanna take a trip back there to picket in front of the compound, but why waste a perfectly good trip to Hawaii.
Here is a link to the video I made as we were leaving the compound.
http://www.youtube.com...
Hope this review saved at least one of you and your $100. Amen and amen.
I live in Laie, so many of my friends work in the Polynesian Culture Center (PCC). I've worked in there as well.
The place is absolutely beautiful. The name definitely does say it all. PCC will not only give you the information on Polynesian culture but they make everything fun! The people are nice and kind, the villages are funny and does hands-on activities, and there's just many things to do! From canoes rides to the night show (BY THE WAY, they have a new one now! They're worked very hard on it, and it is very fascinating!) you will find by the end of the day that the money is worth it!
On Halloween, they put a little "haunted ride" (I think it was free) where the canoe ride turns into a "haunted ride" . It is thrilling and the effects are great!
I have to say the workers aren't "professionals" yet (since they hire fresh college students as well as high school students..Like my friends) but I guarantee your experience at PCC will give you plenty of wonderful memories to remember! You will love the atmosphere PCC gives.
I was very disappointed with my recent visit to PCC. I should have known something was amiss when the theater was half empty.
Why anyone in their right mind would replace the old show with the new piece of crap is totally beyond me. The workers know what a turkey they have on their hands, as intermission approached the announcer reminded the crowd that the busses didn't leave until 9:30.
My elderly mom yelled out THANK GOD WE DROVE!
First time I went here I was on vacay @ age 10. It was exciting and fun to walk around the villages for the first time. Been here 2 more times over the years and the same show over that span of time definitely lost it's luster.
So, imagine my enthusiasm (bein sarcastic) when my LA fam bam wanted to go there last wk. However, I sucked it up (hung over from the night before & all) and dragged the local family there too.
Our Ambassador Package was comped bc my cousin knew someone, so we all got a guided tour through the place. The boat ride was cute and for the peeps that had been here a jillion times over the yrs, the best part were the tats from Tahiti. And the cute guys who were super friendly didn't hurt either!
Luau dinner was decent quality. Although, I wondered where they took the pig that was unearthed from the umu. Obviously they didn't carve it for the buffet line so did they plan to use it in the next evening's pork tray....?
The redeeming part of the whole experience was the night show. They completely revamped it to add a story line that centered around 'family' and the 'breath of life' for the islanders as opposed to just having everyone dance. Excellent move! In addition, incorporating animated movie clips, having the entertainers coming in & out of the stadium aisles and use of props enhanced the show tremendously!!!
If you haven't been here since 1998, definitely go back. It's gotten a LOT better. Now, if only the drive to Laie were quicker & had a starbux nearby....
In a nutshell PCC (Get down with the lingo because I am not going to continue to type Polynesian Cultural Center this whole review!) is like an Epcot center but Hawaiian style.
Lots to see, lots to do but not enough time believe it or not. If you're planning to visit the PCC be prepared to spend the whole day. (Good thing is if you spring for a high enough package price you can go back to visit free within a 5 day span from your first visit).
So the PCC enables visitors to walk through different exhibits and see the different islands and cultures. It's an awesome trip through the islands without having to hop into a plan and island-hop. Be prepared for tons of walking and dress comfortably. I highly recommend bringing a refillable water bottle of some sort. You'll be thanking me later.
So in terms of entertainment it's a great place to spend the day and browse through the various islands. My attention span does not allow me to sit and chat with the different people from each represented island. I'm more of a "browse and walk by" kind of person. That's why I gave the place 3 stars.. it just became redundant after the 3rd village.
The luau itself was cramped and pricey. If your looking to go someplace for a decent luau experience and good food, I highly recommend you check out the Paradise Cove Luau!
The shows are again amazing but if you're traveling with a young child or an inpatient "browse and go" person like myself, it's a bit painful to sit and watch a 2 hour long show after sitting and having a buffet dinner.
If there was a 3 1/2 that is what I would give PCC. I loved the experience because it was fun and very interactive. The place was HUGE and it's a whole day experience. The part of the tour that I loved the most was the last show. It was FANTASTIC!!! really really really pretty. The only thing I did not like too much, and was actually disappointed in, was the luau. I did not like the food at all, but the performance was good especially with these two little kids that were also in the show.
So the only advice I could give to those visiting PCC is don't get your hopes up too much with the food at the luau and make sure you have a really really really good camera with good zoom and image stabilizer to take pictures for the final show.
Pretty much spent all of Friday afternoon and evening here for the luau as well as doing the typical tourist thing. Many of the performances on each individual "island" was both a comedy show as well as being educational. Just the mention of "boom boom" and "this is why I'm hot......" will evoke at least a few chuckles between my wife and I. I like the fact that the IMAX theater was a full IMAX system (screen and audio) vs. the crap that most "IMAX" theaters claim to be. However, the movie about coral reefs was able to bore me to the point where I fell dead asleep.
At the luau, a great show and great food was had by all. Of course its buffet all-you-can-eat style which means you can eat as much as your GI tract will allow you. I wasn't able to eat all could eat partly due to my wife, but that's OK.
Shortly after the luau was "Ha: The Breath of Life". Basically its the current theatrical production by the center and it was a great finale for the night. The show ended around 9pm-ish. It'll be pretty late for those staying in Honolulu area and that 1-ish hour drive back, but it was a hop and a skip away from where I was staying in the North Shore.
We had a good time at the Polynesian Cultural Center. The food was good. Since its pretty pricey, arrive early and take advantage of all the different "villages" to learn about the different islands. We didn't get to check out the different "villages." We were so disappointed.
I seriously have no complaints about this place. It can be somewhat of a tourist trap but I even went with a local Hawaiian who thought it was great.
On arrival, the man who greeted us was very friendly and gave us a good run down on what to see and do. We were able to check out each island's presentation and they were all really interesting.
All the entertainers had great personalities and they were able to grasp our attention through humor and different surprises while sharing educational information that was unique to their culture.
The Luau had VERY good food and the shows were really nice to see while eating. We were even given a Lei upon entry.
The show was extremely entertaining and well put together.
I would suggest this as a must-see if you visit Oahu. I would also suggest the Ali-i Lu'au Package. It included the PCC entrance, Luau (food included), and night show for an affordable rate of $88 dollars. (If you know someone in the Military it'll be about $30 dollars cheaper.) It is worth every penny! Make sure you have enough battery life on your camera to last the whole day... I learned that the hard way.
STAY AWAY! You spend 1/2 your day getting to the other side of Oahu for this terrible waste of time and A LOT of money. We bought one of the Ambassador packages that gave us a guided tour. We were with another family, and one of their boys had a broken foot. I had to keep stopping our detached guide to remind her the kid was on crutches.
Most of these shows are very shallow, and while they try to do their best to engage the audience, it gets old real fast. The luau at the end was just plain creepy, but by that point we realized we were at "Westworld" where the place is run by robots.
The next day we complained to another family how terrible this was and they laughed. They told us that they had just gotten back from there and stormed out demanding their money back. They were told they had to write the CEO a letter!!!! WTH! I hope for their sake they got their money back. We didn't, and now I have nightmares about 20-something-year old robots ripping their faces off and seeing circuitry underneath. This is NOT a themepark - there is something bizarre going on here!
STAY AWAY! STAY AWAY! GO TO THE BEACH! STAY AWAY! KEEP YOUR CHILDREN AWAY FROM THE EVIL ROBOTS!
Spent the whole day here, would definitely come back and do it again!
Made it in time for the boat parade, which was incredibly awesome. Tahitian women are amazing. After taking my upper division course on Anthropology of Pacific Islands I fell in love with Aotearoa, so it was awesome getting a glimpse of their culture like that. And their hakas, rawr.
In regards to activity, I went to all but two. DEFINITELY go to the Samoan one, that guy is hilarious and so entertaining. The Tonga one was fun as well, with the drums and some in seat dancing. Go to Aotearoa because it's pretty much amazing, and because I'm biased. Tahiti wasn't as entertaining as I hoped after watching the boat parade.
Got a free buffet for their spring promotion and it was delicious, free food! Took a free boat ride when luaus and dinners were going on, and PCC was calm and peaceful, it was utterly beautiful. And they had a show at the end of the day.
I loved PCC because everyone was very genuine, natural, and pure about their culture, as exposed to glitzy luaus. I enjoyed being a part of different polynesian cultures with their beautiful music and dance. I just had a worthwhile experience. Exhausted at the end of the day so I slept great! PCC makes me want to live in Hawai'i and hang out with the locals.
The Polynesian Cultrual Center Is Sponsored By The Mormon Church. Its Revnue is directed straight at the students that work and also pay for the daily repairs needed at the center, lights and water, food, and so on. The money does not go to the Mormon church, their members pay tithe which goes to the church, The money that is raised at the center goes to the students and maintaing the building, not to the Mormon church, just owned by the church.
It's an hour drive from Waikiki, but it's a nice scenic drive. So if you do have a rental, it's really not that bad. I've heard the pick up bus are nice as well.
I bought the Twilight Ali'i Luau Package through http://AlohaTopTen.com (Adult $68, child $54). It included 4pm admission to the park, Ali'Luau Buffet Dinner at 5pm and reserved seating for the 7:30pm Horizon show.
I wished I could have been there earlier just becuase all the villages (Samoa, Tahiti, Hawaii, Tonga etc) have a bunch of different presentations and engaging activities...so we only had time to walk through the park and not really participate in anything.
The dinner was Delicious! I loved especially loved the poki (seasoned tuna), shredded pork and chicken noodles. They also have smoothies (strawberry, Mangy, papaya) that come in a real pineapple which was very good in the hot climate ($10 each or 2 for $15). The host was very funny and a great singer/performer and the dancers were great.
Horizon was fun and entertaining. It was interesting to see all the different pacific island cultures in dance. Many similarities and many differences. The fire dancing was also exciting to watch. The show ended at 9:30pm...which was a little late considering the drive back to waikiki is an hour....but in all it was a great experience.
Beautiful theme park (that is what it is!) featuring the different cultures of Polynesian islands. Didn't realize that the late entry tour/luau meant only 1 hour of touring, since it started at 4pm and we had to lined up for the luau at 5pm even though it started at 6. Food was okay, nothing special, and there were so many diners we felt like were at Sizzlers, eat all you want for one low price (except this was not a low price!) The evening show was spectacular, although I almost laughed out loud when the announcer said that the native people welcomed the foreign missionaries in their lives...a bit of propaganda since this is a church-run theme park?? Next time we will spend more time visiting the different "villages" and will skip the luau.
I think I could've spent the whole day here. It looked pretty huge, but my bf and I weren't able to go to all the stations.
There were a lot of people in line to get in to the luao. I was afraid we were gonna get a crappy seat. To our luck, it was a good thing we were towards the end of the line because we were able to snag 2 seats in the front! Before you are seated, you take a picture with "locals." After dinner, you can look for your pics in the outside of the luao place.
The food was great! I hate so much poke, I got sick of it...didn't think that could happen because I'm pretty addicted to poke! mmmmm
I was actually looking forward to seeing our pic because my parents took a similar pic on their trip to Hawaii 10 yrs prior. Seems like everyone who travels to Hawaii has a pic with "locals." Hmmmm, we couldn't find our pic. The worker told us that it should be in the very front by the entrance. So, we go to the entrance.....hmmmmm, our pic still isn't there. The manager looking person told us to stop by again during the intermission of the show.
Intermission....hmmmmm, still can't find our pic :( The photographer told us she accidentally deleted it :( Sensitive me got teary eyed. My bf asked me what we should do. I was like, "there's nothing we can do (eyes welling up with tears)." Photographer lady felt sorry for me. She set up a little station for us and took several poses of my bf and I wearing fake grass skirts and hats/halos. That was very nice of her. I'm sure if she didn't feel sorry for me or see that I was able to bring on the water works, she wouldn't have gone out of her way to take pics for us. Regardless, that was so sweet of her. My trip was no longer ruined. Sure, we didn't have locals in our pics like I was hoping, but it's better than nothing. 1 of the workers was so cool...he was telling us to take all the poses home for free. But the mean manager came out and he
couldn't hook us up anymore.
Shout out to the nice photographer lady and guy who almost hooked us up!
we stayed in waikiki and this place is on the north shore so it was a drive up there. rented a car on the recommendation of my gf's coworker. she stated that there were places we would want to stop that were so beautiful.
there were places that were pretty but not so pretty that renting a car was worth it. should've taken the bus here.
got here later than expected cuz we went to hanauma bay in the morning (that was worth it).
only saw 2 villages: samoa and new zealand. samoa is funny, definitely watch that. it was hot out here.
the luau was ok. they sat us next to this filipino family and this couple was in front of us all pissed off at something the host said to them. they were immediately rude and dismissive towards us as if we did something wrong! dude, the fucked up thing is that me and my gf are filipino too and normally we are all friendly with each other. anyway, my gf said that bitch was muggin' me... i don't know what was up her and her man's ass but they were givin' out negative vibes. we eventually asked to be moved.
food was ok. luau was not as i expected. their was singing and dancing on the stage but when I think of luau, i think of eating on the beach. no beach in site. the food was ok. no alcohol.
the show "Ha - breath of life" was ok. boring in the beginning. saw much of the same stuff they did on the New Zealand island. i suspect they borrow fr the shows of the other islands as well. the only cool part was the fire show at the end. i actually dozed off during the first half. the show was like a vegasy-hawaiian mix.
the whole time i was there i was wondering how mormonism and hawaiian tradition could be related. i thought it was funny how they call it a temple but it's just a mormon church which are all over the place here. temple sounds more exotic. we didn't get to go to the tram tour to the "temple."
it is all just strange to me because all the mormons at my high school were all white and wore birkenstocks with socks and could not date. A far cry from the shirtless males dancing around like natives (which was nice).
It seems like the church is just profiting by exploiting hawaiian culture. i know they say it's non-profit and the money goes to the students but they invested a lot of money in this place... it's like san diego zoo without the animals and universal studios with the faux rocks and waterfalls.
next time I want to go to Paradise Cove and get a real drink while i'm on vacation. i don't want to necessarily support the mormon religion.
I have never been to a place like this before. It's like an interactive history museum. We took a guided tour of the seven different Polynesian villages, saw the canoe pageant and went to the Ali'i Luau and Horizons night show.
My boyfriend and I were staying in Waikiki; we got an early start and drove over to Laie and got there a little over an hour before the PCC opened. We relaxed on the beach until they opened :)
We ate lunch and dinner there. We probably gained at least 5 pounds each! Just a beautiful well kept place, and its something like 43 acres!?
Great place to come if you're visiting for the first time or if you have kids! Very educational and fun.
I suppose your experience here would really depend on the package you get. A lot of people feel this place burn a whole in their pockets because of how expensive it is, but since I was with my band on a pre-funded trip, I found myself much more able to enjoy myself.
My package came with free dinner and the night show. The guide we had on the bus getting there and back was fantastic--had the best sense of humor. We also found out a little later that he works at the Cultural Center.... in the IMAX theater, I believe (which was free as well). The boat parade was amazing. It was so colorful and beautiful. I also learned how to hula, and many other things as well.
The food was out of this world. Hawaiian food in general is much less bitter than the stuff we have on the mainland, so if you're at all adventurous, you'll probably love it too. The night show--even from the nosebleed section up top, was amazing. Dancing, beautiful costuming, fire dancing, and skirt lighting ensued. The one thing I would say about this place, is that A) it's better with a group, and B) it's only fantastic if you devote a full day to it.
Booked our luau activity through http://hawaiiactivitie... and i feel like we got our money's worth and so much more!! We chose the late entry, but i feel like we still got alot out of it. PCC is gorgeous!! We went for a 15 minute canoe ride in which we were introduced to the different villages. The luau was delicious. The pig was yummy and the pineapple smoothie drinks were awesome. Afterwards we still had time to kill before the show, so we walked around and took alot of pictures. There's alot of beautiful flowers/trees here. The show itself was wonderful and entertaining! I loved seeing the dances, especially the fire ring guys! This is a great way to spend your afternoon and night.. definitely must do this on your trip!
There is definitely lots to see and more to do. It's a lot of educational type of shows about the different island cultures of Polynesia. Samoa was the best! The guy was sooo funny. The other island shows were okay too. It has become quite commercialized since the last time we've been there. They definitely try to sell lots of stuff there.
We had booked a tour from our hotel and our guide (Germaine) on the bus heavily suggested upgrading to the ambassador package, which we did and then he was our guide throughout the park. I really didn't see the value of this upgrade, since he said he would take us through to get better seats. This really wasn't the case cause we got the same kind of seats as any other attendees. Also it was a bit boring for our kid and I brought it to his attention. He was moderately helpful but not much. I think we could have been better off exploring the park by ourselves.
The food at the luau portion was definitely an improvement from the last time. It was buffet style and we got to try the roast pig amongst other good stuff.
The show was good since it had a story line and it weaved in quite nicely to the dancing/fire show.
If this is your first time to Hawaii, the PCC is a good option to try.
This place is awesome! You are immersed in the Polynesian culture. Don't expect any roller coasters or rides. It's all about learning/feeling the culture, which was all new to me. You get a whirlwind cultural tour through the island villages of Samoa, Aotearoa, Marquesas, Fiji, Hawaii, Tahiti and Tonga. This place is non profit and provides scholarships for the workers attending BYU behind the center. Our guide was peppy in teaching us the villages. Did some hula, spoke a couple of Polynesian words, nice canoe ride around the villages, learned to play tititorea, watched the opening of coconut with a small stone, and enjoyed the whiff of noni. The center has so many lush trees and blossoming flowers, reminds me of walking through hiking trails.
After the tour was over, we had dinner at the Gateway Buffet restaurant. Nothing really Polynesian about the food. There was mashed potatoes, miso soup, fried chicken, kalua pork, cucumber rolls, etc. I was kind of disappointed with what seemed to be american food being served here--guess the real food is at the luau.
The horizons show made up for dinner. It was an amazing wrap up of the tour. There must have been hundreds of students/employees performing. I loved the performances and dances. Great way to end the night.
Can anyone say "tourist trap"? If it wasn't for our stop at Boots and Kimo's before driving up here, and if it wasn't for the drive up here, this day would've been an absolute waste of a beautiful day in Hawaii.
It is a rinky dink park ran by the Mormon Church. The showcases, or different "islands", are just little stops where you can learn a little bit about different Polynesian islands. Your tour guide stops at some of the huts, but not all, and then leads you into larger huts where they have audience participation oppurtunities for hula dancing, or drumming, or whatever.
But in the end, it's just boring. I guess it could be fun for kids, or seniors, but for me it sucked. And for $100 per person? Forget it.
The luau definitely sucked as well. The food was nasty and fatty and the experience felt like a large convention dinner, not a luau.
Overall I think this place is just a tourist trap. The only good thing is that like 70% of the employees are students at the Mormon school right next to it, so that's kind of good I guess.
Your money could be much better spent on other entertainment. I wish I had known before I spent over $100 on a ticket that it was run by the Mormon Church and the funds were to be used to spread their message. On all of the advestising and pamphlets around Oahu there is not one mention of the church affilliation of this center.Why is that??? Wouldn't it be better if Polynesians told the story of their history instead of Mormon students from BYU Hawaii.. It seemed to me that all of the workers and guides were students at the nearby BYU Hawaii Univ.
A summary:
1. Bus ride to center ... very scenic
2.Imax theater..... nice and informative
3. Exhibits...... looked like they were built from kits purchased in Salt Lake.
4 Historical accuracy.... baised to favor explorers and missionaries
5. Luau.... food fair, served buffet style , not worth the price. Was that pig taken from the pit real???
6 Grounds... well landscaped and clean
7 Actors... obivously students, some with spray on tans
8. Show at end.... first half, hard to follow any storyline lots of screaming and stomping. Second half better but still a C plus overall.
Final....If the cost had been $50 and the message more unbaised I would have rated it higher by a star.
My new hubby and I stopped here on our Hawaiian honeymoon. We got there and they said the Ali'i Lu'au package was sold out and we'd have to upgrade to an Ambassador Package if we wanted to tour the center. The ticket lady said the Ambassador package was much better anyway, because you get the best seating for everything and you get a guide to walk with you through the center. Although we were hesitant, we said fine and paid the extra $64 for the upgrade. Our hotel was 1.5 hours away in Ko Olina and we didn't want to have to come back another day, plus she said we got better seats. As it turns out, the better seating part is not true. There's no reserved seating at any of the village shows. You fight for seating just like everyone else even though you paid more.
As for the guided tour, our group had 14 people in it (1 person was in a wheelchair), so things moved slowly. I think we would've seen more if we toured the center ourselves. We ended up seeing two shows plus the canoe pageant (standing), took a canoe ride, and then it was time for the lu'au. The lu 'au seating was good, but our table was empty when we were seated and no one told us to go to the pit to see the imu being unearthed. By the time we figured out where everyone was, folks at the pit was coming back to their seats. It would've been helpful if our host would've told us what was going on. Made me kinda disappointed that we paid $120 each and saw so little (of villages and imu). After dinner, we went to their Horizons show. It was pretty good. Lots of dancing and music. Kind of long and repetitious though. Needs to be more interactive rather than one continuous dance number after another. My husband was really excited to see the fire knife dance. That was the last number before the finale. I was excited too, but then got tired. By the time it finally happened, I was ready to go home.
So my suggestion would be to get the package you want by buying it online early . The guided tour was not worth it, and there was no special seating for the village shows with the Ambassador package. Tours can slow you down. The lu'au lei was nice, dancers were really good, and the food was actually very well prepared. The kalua pork was moist and tender that night with just the right amount of seasoning. I say "that night", because I am sure it can vary somewhat from night to night depending on the conditions of the pit.
NAME: Polynesian Cultural Center
TYPE OF PRODUCT OR SERVICE: Acres upon acres of glorious gorgeous concentrations of Polynesian culture. It's all of Polynesia gathered in to one place!
ADDRESS: 53-370 Kamehameha Highway, Laeie, HI 96762
PHONE: 800-367-7060
GENERAL LOCATION: On Kamehameha Highway, south of Naniloa Loop, but north of Cane Haul Road
HOURS: Check website
WEBSITE: http://www.polynesia.com/
REVIEW: The following is from the ship's log I kept on our Princess Cruise to Hawaii:
We boarded a big comfortable air-conditioned bus bound for the Polynesian Culture Center, an operation run by the Mormons. It's been there since the 60s, and is (so they claim) Hawaii's most popular visitor's site. And I believe them. It's a celebration of all of the Polynesian cultures: the Hawaiians, the Samoans, the Maori, the Marquesas, etc. The place is absolutely gorgeous, it's probably the most beautiful man-made spot I've ever been in: a true Hawaiian paradise. Each culture has its own area, something like Disneyland, but much more beautiful. I took more pictures in one day there than I ever have of anything before -- well over 200, I may need to do Day Seven in two albums.
The bus driver was a genuine nut case. He talked about Hawaii and told jokes all the way there, and all the way back at night when everyone wanted to go to sleep. He played with lights on the bus to produce lightning and thunder (which he imitated with his mouth). He told jokes and sang songs, and irritated the hell out of us while we laughed like crazy. (We have now finished three trips with three different drivers on with this bus company. Evidently it's company policy to have crazy comic lunatics at the wheel -- they're all alike!)
It was a long drive there, and we had plenty of time to take a good look at Honolulu. It is amazing: Huge cliffs green as grass against a blue sky full of white and grey puffy clouds. Coconut palms everywhere. There is quite a difference in the look between a coconut palm and a date palm such as we have in Southern California. Date palms are rather gross-looking, while coconut palms have a sleek delicate beauty which you can see right away if you're used to seeing nothing but date palms all your life.
The leaves on a coconut palm frond grow at equal spaces out from the frond, trying to grow straight out, but the wind won't let them. But instead of bending and curving in the wind, the leaf bends at one point. So the leaf is straight, bends, and is straight again, giving a distinctive look that date palms don't have.
Entering the grounds, we were greeted by a bright-and-bushy-tailed young man from the Mormon University named Nate. Nate was our guide. Nate was to be with us from about 2 PM to until we went to the luau. Nate took us to our first event, the Canoe Pageant. We sat on the edge of a waterway on stone benches while catamaran rafts came by with dancing Polynesians of various sorts. Then Nate lost us. He took the group and went on. Sachi was scared and I was pissed. Fortunately after a bad twenty minutes or so Sachi spotted him; I gave him a bad time for a few minutes and all was well again. We stuck with the group until the luau .
The luau was extremely well organized. An amazing amphitheater with tables and chairs instead of bleachers! They put on a completely entertaining show on Polynesian themes. The crowds were called up by table to go to a cafeteria line. The food was good, and I even tried a taste of the infamous poy, which is like eating slightly sour book paste. Evidently it is not to be eaten straight, but spread on other things.
After the show, we made our way to another outdoor (but sheltered) amphitheater where they put on a show full of color, costumes and drumming, which ended in a huge display of fire dancers. They did give one "commercial" for the Mormons. Evidently they do quite intensive missionary work in the South Seas.
The show went on for so long that I began to wonder: Is this real Polynesian dancing (the choreography was very professional looking) or is this Hollywood/Mormon glitz? I sort of found my answer the next day, as you will read in tomorrow's log.
Back at the port, we had to undergo a security check by the local constabulary, which involved not only an airport-like check with x-rays and metal-detecting wands, but removing our shoes! I of course was wearing tennis shoes which involved unlacing them. We were the very last two people to get back on the ship! I couldn't believe it. I said to one of the ship's security people, Do we get a prize? which cracked him up.
PAYMENT: We paid for it in advance as part of our cruise. Check the website for other payment methods.
PARKING SITUATION: We came and left on chartered buses.
The PCC was not part of our original itinerary, but in trying to maximize our "Go Oahu" passes, we spent a day here and it was by far, the best experience while on the island.
The villages were really interesting. The star of any show, hands down, was the comedic genius in Samoa. If you've been here, then you know who I am talking about. I almost peed myself laughing a hundred times over, a reaction I'm sure he is quite used to.
The luau and stage show were much better than expected. The fresh leis were a great touch. Germaine's Luau gives you fake leis, terrible food, and a boring stage show compared to the PCC. Even the emcee during the LONG bus ride made the trip tolerable. But this place is HUGE, and boy did my feet hurt. Still, the best memory of our vacation tourist trap meanderings.
I did the Ambassador Package and this was my first time going in April. I am glad I had the tour guide because I would have missed alot of things. I was there the whole day, I took the first bus that went out there. When I got there I went to the McDonalds across the way. I am glad I did because the food that was served at the Lu'au was not that good and there was not that many choices.
I'm really split between liking the fact that this center supports Polynesian students and hating the fact that this is where Mormon missionary brainwashing and white North American fetishism collide.
I enjoyed myself (although the luau was kind of a hoax), despite the fact that it was like going to Disneyland. You know, except for cultural exploitation and what not. I learned a bit about Polynesia (and Melanesia, which, I have to admit I didn't realize existed), but overall, the whole center was problematic. Polynesian culture really shouldn't be put on display like this, particularly the parts that played up to North American stereotypes of islanders. Moreover, anything Mormon is questionable.
Generally, Hawai'i is nearing a very sad place where we have to learn about cultures through theme parks. Whatever happened to the Hawai'i independent of tourism? More and more, places like the Polynesian Cultural Center will replace the rich cultures of Hawai'i (and Samoa, Tahiti, Tonga, etc...)- a farcical testament to them. I beg anyone that reads this and visits Hawai'i to keep it real, keep it local! Hawai'i is more than a vacation spot. Stay away from the tourism!
Have you ever been to all the islands of Polynesia? Well I haven't, but this is probably the next best thing. I love being immersed into different cultures and foods and can I say that the PCC sure does that. This place is located on the other side of Oahu away from all the touristy parts of Honolulu, but it is definitely worth the trip out for a great experience you will never forget.
This place is like a large polynesian theme park and displays 7 islands/villages of polynesia. In these seperate villages you will be able to immerse yourself into the dance culture, arts and crafts, way of life, and just history of those native places. Since there is so much to do here, you must and I say MUST!!! get to the PCC on time. Do not arrive in the afternoon as the programs are on a tight schedule and if you don't plan accordingly you will miss a presentation. There are limited shows for each village and so if you miss time one you may miss it completely. However, with admission to the PCC you are allowed to visit again with your previous ticket within 3 or 5 days depending if you bought it online or not. Not all tickets though will give you this benefit, check the website for more details.
On my visit, I travelled to 7 islands, talked to some pretty cool people, watch a long canoe pageant which was a parade of the 7 villages on the water, took part of the amazing luau, watched an IMAX documentary on the islands of polynesia, and an evening show that was just amazing. Did all of this for just under $90/person and if you fill out a survey online you can get 10% off.
Overall, this is a must see attraction. I hope you are excited to check this place out as I was to experience it.
The luau and night show are pretty fun to watch. The tour is pretty fun as you get to learn all sorts of interesting facts. I think they overuse the word 'Aloha' here and that makes it a little weird.
I went to PCC 14 years ago when I first visited Hawaii. I wanted to go to an authentic luau and my relative suggested we go to PCC since they had a big luau during their night festivities. I figured why not. I totally forgot how fun and entertaining this place can be.
The staff at this place is super nice. I can't really say much about it other than the people are great. You get to learn more about seven different polynesian islands such as Samoa, Hawaii, Tahiti, Fiji, Tongo, and others.
This place is excellent. My favorite place is the Samoa show. The host was HILARIOUS. I couldn't stop laughing the whole time. The whole day was very entertaining. It was great to learn about each of their cultures. They're very diverse and offer so much in the cultural aspect. I highly enjoyed learning from each of their experiences.
As for the luau, it was pretty good. The places was pretty crowded. They served a lot of great food. Salad, poi, kaluha pig, island fish, sweet potatoes, poke, and chicken. The kaluha pig was pretty good. I haven't really tried any kaluha pig that I hated. I really recommend the poke. I had so many pieces of that. The mango juice was also great. It's an all you can eat bar so go ahead and get seconds, thirds if you want. This place is great. I'll be sure to take some friends the next time that I'm at the island.
It was kind of expensive, but well worth the experience.
I wish I could go back! The cheapest adult ticket is $43.00 but look for coupon clippings for a buy one get one free to save yourself $43.00. So roughly $22 a person is awesome for the experience!!
This does not include the luau at nighttime. Anyway, you can use your ticket for the next day too!! I think it's valid up to 3 days.
If you're going with some friends who are "local," make sure they get the Kama'aina discount, which is $35.00
This is what you see on TV but you actually get to experience it! If you're lucky you get chosen for a lot of the little shows they have in the villages. You can also see an IMAX movie about coral reefs, lol.
Don't miss the Canoe pagent! It's pretty awesome.
Make sure to also carry your own water! I got so thirsty and had to buy water for $2.60... Hehe, I don't think they check.
This is a great place to go for a day trip. The stage show at the end of the evening is fantastic, better than any luau show you'll see in Honolulu. Their version of a luau is also really good with great food and entertainment. The villages are interesting, but I wish the demonstrations and shows were timed closer together so you didn't have to spend so many hours there to see them all. I've been twice and spent from 6 to 8 hours there (including luau and stage show) and wasn't able to see all the village shows.
One big negative is that they hit you up for money every chance they get. There's always a "special offer" or "upgrade" or "treat" they are passing around, trying to get you to spend more money on top of the steep entrance price. Also, there's a full hour between the end of the luau and the start of the stage show when there's nothing to do in the park except visit the gift shops. They really REALLY want your $$$.
As always, my husband and I get VIP parking because he's in a wheelchair. There were tons to do! We only made it to 2 island presentations, Samoa and New Zealand. Samoa being my favorite. We got there right when they opened.
We chose to sit at the end closest to the entrance for the canoe pageant. By the time we got there, no more seats were available. Seating was just a long cement bench thing that was a couple levels. They don't have a disabled only seating area. I ended up sitting on his lap and was fine.
The "islands" are located on either sides of the lagoon and are connected by bridges. Some of those bridges are STEEEEEEP! I tried to help him down one and almost ended up rolling down as well. Beware.
We watched the IMAX: Coral Reef show. It was awesome. We were seated towards the bottom, so the fishies were right in front of our faces. I think my husband may have had a minor headache in the beginning from being so close.
We had the regular luau. we had seating in the second tier from the bottom. We are always placed right near the entrance. Can be good or bad. The food was located at the top tier, there was enough room for him to get his own food, but I held his plate as well as mine going back downhill.
The show was awesome. But we were sooo exhausted, I may have blinked for longer than a couple seconds. Our seating was great, slightly off-right to the center and right at the top of the premium seats. We were able to see everything.
It was an exhausting and amazing experience!
I really enjoyed the tour with the college student as a guide. I learned more at the Maori village than I did in New Zealand. But skip the luau. I would have been better off at the restaurant so I could order off the menu, as it was my dinner was salad, rice, tarot, rolls, and dessert.
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