Month: November 2007

Hawaii: Part II – The Polynesian Cultural Center


One of the most memorable days of our vacation was the day of our visit to the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie. It’s the #1 paid attraction in Hawaii and I can understand why. It’s a must if you are planning a visit to Oahu. The Polynesian Cultural Center or PCC is a living museum or a cultural theme park that showcases seven island nations of the South Pacific.
Our visit was an all-day experience. We left mid-morning for a fun filled day. The PCC is about an hour drive from Waikiki and it’s a beautiful scenic route along Kamehameha Hwy.

There are many packages to choose for your experience. We chose the Ambassador Package which included admission to the center and all of its experiences plus their nightly Luau. We were all greeted with a lei as we entered the park- which the kids loved. The first thing our daughter spotted was a canoe ride. As you can imagine, that’s the first thing we did. It’s a little guided tour down the middle of the center and everyone got a kick out of it. Once we finished with our boat ride we started our visit of the 7 villages. The Polynesian Cultural Center features the people and islands of Hawaii, Samoa, Aotearoa (Maori New Zealand), Fiji, the Marquesas, Tahiti, and Tonga. We made our way through most of the villages. They have overall presentations which we all loved. They usually included their native dances which were just fabulous to watch. Our daughter and son were mesmerized. Each village has family activities which your kids can take part of. We tried a couple . Our daughter Lauren, who is two, loved participating in the basket and craft building in the Tongan village. We also stopped to take in the Long Canoe Pageant . Don’t miss this, it only takes place once at 2:30pm. The show has beautiful dances performed on the canoes from each of the seven island nations. We continued touring the different villages and chatting with the students from BYU Hawaii that staff the center. Once we finished touring, we lined up for our luau. We were met with a fresh flower lei and traditional Luau. The food was fantastic – it was a buffet and they had a children’s section with jello and chicken fingers which was a hit with both of our kids.

We then headed to the last part of our day at the PCC- The Horizons show. I can’t rave enough about what an amazing show this was. It featured each of the island nation’s native dances and even some fire-dancing. I could rave on and on about our day. It was a day that will be engraved in our mind. Just writing about it makes me want to jump on a plane to relive this day, even though it was a long day. You will not be disappointed!!

Polynesian Cultural Center
www.Polynesia.com
Monday-Saturday 11am-8pm
Closed Sunday
55-370 Kamehameha Hwy, Laie

This entry was posted in Hawaii.

Tote a Tot

If you are planning on flying with an infant or toddler and plan on bringing along a carseat you must get your hands on a Tote a Tot. I know you are wondering what’s a Tote a Tot and why do I need one so badly?? Here’s the scoop on the Tote a Tot- It allows you to transport your child, a piece of rolling luggage, a carseat and a diper bag all in one hand. It’s basically a snap on attachment that allows you to connect your carseat to your rolling luggage. It’s fantastic – we bought one and I highly recommend it if you plan to travel with your little ones. The attachment is easy to install- It took me less than two minutes. The best part is that it comes with a built in diaper bag and it’s easy to store. For more info go to www.toteatot.com.

Benefits of Season Passes

My husband has been a Disneyland annual passholder since 1984 when he was just 8 years old. His family had the tradition of visiting the park every Friday afternoon for about an hour or two. He bought me one the week before we became engaged and our family has continued the tradition. It’s a once a year investment that allows us instant entertainment anytime we decide to drive the 15 minutes to go over there. Since both of our children are under 3 years of age, they are both free. Even for the premium pass, which currently sells for $379, you get your money’s worth after six visits. Plus there is a 10 to 15% discounts on food and merchandise and parking is included in that price. It’s totally worth it.

In addition, we also have season passes to the San Diego and Santa Ana Zoo, Sea World and the Discovery Science Center. Read through the blog archives for some of our experiences there.

Regardless of where you live in the country, you can find season passes at local museums, amusement parks and zoo’s. If you have never considered buying them, consider it. They often pay for themselves after just a few visits. Some places offer “buy one day, get a year free” deals that make it even more worth the value. The other great thing is that you don’t have to feel rushed thinking you’ve got to see everything in one day. This is especially helpful when you have little ones that tire out by 3 PM. You can take your time and enjoy yourselves.