# did you like polynesian cultural center?



## pefs65 (Apr 30, 2013)

Did you guys like the polynesian cutural center? Is it worth a half day admission ticket?
What if you want to visit other parts of the island? Is it worth it to spend 1/2 your day here ?  Thanks


----------



## KauaiMark (Apr 30, 2013)

*Once in a lifetime experience...*

Seen it once. Now I can pretty much skip it for more interesting things to do.

...Mark


----------



## presley (Apr 30, 2013)

I didn't care for it.  I think they do a nice job of showcasing various polynesian cultures, but it is a very touristy place and I'd rather spend my Hawaii time doing something true hawaiin.


----------



## DaveNV (Apr 30, 2013)

The problem with the PCC is timing.  The way the different villages are laid out, and the time they schedule the shows in those villages, you need to arrive when they open, which is around noon.  If you hustle, you can manage to see everyhthing by about 5 PM.  Then they're getting ready for the evening luau and show afterwards.  If you don't have the time to see everything, it's a LOT of money spent for a partial experience.  

I've done it several times, but have decided I won't do it again.  YMMV.

Dave


----------



## Quadmaniac (Apr 30, 2013)

Was disappointing. Would not do it again


----------



## pefs65 (Apr 30, 2013)

Thanks for all of your advice. I appreciate it greatly.
 It looks like I am feeling the same way as you guys about the PCC.
 I think since this is our family's first trip to Oahu, we will spend the time touring the other sites of the island at a less hectic pace.
We have 4 kids under age 10 and while they would probably like some of the things at the PCC, it probably would be too much of a rush to see it properly while trying to see the other sites around the island.
We will probably save the PCC for hopefully other trips to Oahu after we have experienced the other natural sites that Oahu has to offer.


----------



## Timeshare Von (Apr 30, 2013)

Let's not forget, there is also a bit of religious undertones at PCC too.  We wouldn't do it again for that reason.


----------



## presley (Apr 30, 2013)

Timeshare Von said:


> Let's not forget, there is also a bit of religious undertones at PCC too.  We wouldn't do it again for that reason.



Yes, that too.  After talking to some of the students who work there, we learned that many were forced to put on the costumes that they prefer not to wear in order to be able to attend the college there.  It is a religious organization disguised as an educational center.


----------



## DaveNV (Apr 30, 2013)

presley said:


> Yes, that too.  After talking to some of the students who work there, we learned that many were forced to put on the costumes that they prefer not to wear in order to be able to attend the college there.  It is a religious organization disguised as an educational center.




Interesting.  I know the history of the place, and always thought participation by the students was optional, as a way to pay their tuition at the college.

Dave


----------



## BocaBoy (Apr 30, 2013)

I am surprised at all the negative comments here.  I think it is a "must see" attraction on Oahu, right behind  the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor and Waikiki.  I agree, however, that repeat visits in future years are probably not necessary.  We have been twice, separated by over 30 years.


----------



## DeniseM (Apr 30, 2013)

We visited on our very first trip to Hawaii and really enjoyed it.  I probably wouldn't visit it twice, but I recommend it for everyone once.


----------



## dioxide45 (Apr 30, 2013)

I would agree with others. Visit once, but probably not again. There is just so many other things to do with your money on the islands.


----------



## slip (Apr 30, 2013)

Put me with the last three posters. My wife and I really enjoyed the PCC. And
Like the rest, we wouldn't go again but I do think it's a must see. We had a
Great time there. I knew how it was run before we went there and we didn't
Have any religious undertones during our visit.


----------



## easyrider (Apr 30, 2013)

The PCC is just OK. Food is ok. Entertainment is better after a few drinks,imo.

Swimming at Waimea Falls is a day better spent, imo. Kapena Falls is easy to get to right off the Pali HWY about 30 yard. Rope swing and locals.

Bill


----------



## T_R_Oglodyte (Apr 30, 2013)

DW enjoyed it; me very much less.  

It does a give somewhat of a general introduction to the various Polynesian islands and cultures, as long as you keep in mind that what is portrayed is very sanitized and superficial.  Overall I thought I didn't learn anything I couldn't have easily picked up elsewhere, and with better overall perspective.


----------



## LAX Mom (Apr 30, 2013)

DH & I visited the PCC on our first trip to Oahu and returned when our sons were old enough to appreciate it. They enjoyed many of the village activities, learning of Polynesian culture and especially the evening show with fire dancers.

I agree with other posters that it's an attraction you don't need to visit again and again. When I brought my SIL for her first trip to Hawaii, she wanted to see the villages & evening show. I didn't want to go again, so she took a bus tour to the PCC. She spent the day there and enjoyed it.

I have personally known students who attended BYU-Hawaii and they are not forced to wear costumes or work at the PCC. The students I've known did not work there. It is my understanding that many students come from Polynesian islands and would not have the funds to pay for their education. The PCC employment provides the opportunity for them to earn money for their education.


----------



## Passepartout (Apr 30, 2013)

presley said:


> Yes, that too.  After talking to some of the students who work there, we learned that many were forced to put on the costumes that they prefer not to wear in order to be able to attend the college there.



Is that any worse than dressing as a chicken at Chik-Fil-A and dancing on a curb to pay for college? Or a 'cast member' at Disney, or nearly any uniform. If you take the job, you wear the costume. Don't want to wear the costume? Don't take the job.

Easy, peasy.

Jim


----------



## T_R_Oglodyte (Apr 30, 2013)

presley said:


> Yes, that too.  After talking to some of the students who work there, we learned that many were forced to put on the costumes that they prefer not to wear in order to be able to attend the college there.  It is a religious organization disguised as an educational center.





BMWguynw said:


> Interesting.  I know the history of the place, and always thought participation by the students was optional, as a way to pay their tuition at the college.
> 
> Dave


"Forced" in the sense that it is a job they have been offered, and accepted, as financial aid, and the job requires that they be performers. It seems to me that complaining that they are forced to wear costume in performance is like an actor complaining they are "forced" to dress in costume as a cast member in a stage production.

Of course, maybe they were complaining that the "native costumes" that are part of the production are, shall we say, "modernized"?  I am pretty certain that historically undergarments and upper body garments were uncommon, if not rare.  Perhaps what those students were complaining about is lack of authenticity?  If it were truly authentic I'm sure that at least 50% of the population would rate it as a "must see".


----------



## DaveNV (Apr 30, 2013)

For those who are recommending the PCC, note that the OP asked if it was worth a half-day visit. It's $50 apiece to get in between noon and 5 PM. I stand by my comments - it's a lot of money to spend if you can't see it all. 

Not saying it's a bad place, just really expensive. 

Dave


----------



## LAX Mom (Apr 30, 2013)

BMWguynw said:


> For those who are recommending the PCC, note that the OP asked if it was worth a half-day visit. It's $50 apiece to get in between noon and 5 PM. I stand by my comments - it's a lot of money to spend if you can't see it all.
> 
> Not saying it's a bad place, just really expensive.
> 
> Dave



My sons were pretty young on our visit, probably under 10? The highlight for them was the evening show. With young children I'd likely skip the half-day visit and just see the evening performance. Can you just purchase admission for the show?


----------



## slip (Apr 30, 2013)

BMWguynw said:


> For those who are recommending the PCC, note that the OP asked if it was worth a half-day visit. It's $50 apiece to get in between noon and 5 PM. I stand by my comments - it's a lot of money to spend if you can't see it all.
> 
> Not saying it's a bad place, just really expensive.
> 
> Dave



Your right Dave. 
I don't think I would do the half day. I would go the full day or not at all.


----------



## T_R_Oglodyte (Apr 30, 2013)

BMWguynw said:


> For those who are recommending the PCC, note that the OP asked if it was worth a half-day visit. It's $50 apiece to get in between noon and 5 PM. I stand by my comments - it's a lot of money to spend if you can't see it all.
> 
> Not saying it's a bad place, just really expensive.
> 
> Dave



I fully concur.  Kind of like an Outback steak.  Nothing remarkable, but could be an OK value value at $15 for the meal.  At $50 it's overpriced.

When we did it, we did the full day with evening performance but not with food.  We realized that if you don't have the food you get second tier seating. Even at that, I don't think it was worth it.  As evening entertainment there are many luaus that are better.  

No mai tais, BTW, with that food.  It is an LDS operation after all.


----------



## artringwald (Apr 30, 2013)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> DW enjoyed it; me very much less.
> 
> It does a give somewhat of a general introduction to the various Polynesian islands and cultures, as long as you keep in mind that what is portrayed is very sanitized and superficial.  Overall I thought I didn't learn anything I couldn't have easily picked up elsewhere, and with better overall perspective.



Sanitized and superficial is a good way to put it. I've also heard it called cheesy. It's kind of like trying to learn all about world cultures by spending a day at the Epcot Center at Disney World. Some enjoy that type of entertainment, but I'd rather put on a mask and go watch fish.


----------



## DeniseM (Apr 30, 2013)

Since that was our first trip to Hawaii, we did the whole 9 yards - but even with no frame of reference, the luau was quite a disappointment - a total cattle call.  We enjoyed the big evening show, but not the food.


----------



## easyrider (May 1, 2013)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> No mai tais, BTW, with that food.  It is an LDS operation after all.



I'm thinking I have PCC mixed up with PC. At Paradise Cove they do serve alcohol and a so so buffet diner.


----------



## taffy19 (May 1, 2013)

DeniseM said:


> Since that was our first trip to Hawaii, we did the whole 9 yards - but even with no frame of reference, the luau was quite a disappointment - a total cattle call. We enjoyed the big evening show, but not the food.


We have been to the PCC 5 or 6 times many years ago because of family and friends coming with us to Hawaii. They enjoyed it very much and we enjoyed it with them. 

We visited the Mormon Temple too as that was part of the trip. We all enjoyed visiting it and none of us are religious so just for education. We certainly enjoyed the evening show.

This year, we went back alone after many years. It wasn't the same and I was a little bored with waiting at the villages but we had a cloud burst that day. It rained several inches but that didn't stop the shows at the different villages and we had our ponchos on but no weather to take any pictures that day. They didn't take us to the Mormon Temple this trip either. I believe that you still can go on your own.

We didn't take the Luau but had chosen the prime dining. It was still a buffet which I never care for but it was OK and there were no lines. There was a lady who would bring us anything we asked for that was on our menu. We also were seated next to other people from our bus which we enjoyed. They were from several countries but everyone spoke English.

We had very good seats for the evening show and the show was very different from what we have seen before. It was well worth seeing. We were under cover but the performers were out in the heavy rain. 

There were puddles of several inches of rain in the parking lot as this is the rainy side of the island but our bus was there and we survived the day.  It was a whole day experience but we still had time to have a drink in the bar of our hotel and enjoy a walk on the main boulevard of Waikiki Beach. 

Will we do the PCC again? I don't think so after this time but the evening show was very nice. I would go back if I could see another new show again but forget the rest as that hadn't changed much. I have no idea if you can do only the evening show. I can recommend that. 



BMWguynw said:


> The problem with the PCC is timing. The way the different villages are laid out, and the time they schedule the shows in those villages, you need to arrive when they open, which is around noon. If you hustle, you can manage to see everyhthing by about 5 PM. Then they're getting ready for the evening luau and show afterwards. If you don't have the time to see everything, it's a LOT of money spent for a partial experience.
> 
> I've done it several times, but have decided I won't do it again. YMMV.
> 
> Dave


I agree with BMWguynw. You need to see all the villages so figure out how to do this on your own or it isn't worth the money. This is why we decided to take a guided tour.


----------



## pefs65 (May 2, 2013)

I really do appreciate all of the information and suggestions. 
You guys as always are excellent!
I think again that since this is our families first trip to Oahu and we really don't have time to spend the whole day or do the whole program that we will skip PCC this time.
We will see more of the natural sites Oahu has to offer and hopefully when we return to Oahu the next time we will go spend the entire day at the PCC.
Again many thanks for your help.


----------



## MaryH (May 2, 2013)

*Try the one in NZ*

I did the one in NZ near Rotorua when I was working in Auckland for 6 months and throughly enjoyed it but the native maori culture is alive and well in NZ. The people who worked there loved to tell others about their culture and a bit about other polynesian cultures which they came from.


----------



## artringwald (May 2, 2013)

pefs65 said:


> I really do appreciate all of the information and suggestions.
> You guys as always are excellent!
> I think again that since this is our families first trip to Oahu and we really don't have time to spend the whole day or do the whole program that we will skip PCC this time.
> We will see more of the natural sites Oahu has to offer and hopefully when we return to Oahu the next time we will go spend the entire day at the PCC.
> Again many thanks for your help.



Good choice! The natural beauty of Hawaii is the really attraction and there's never enough time to see all of it.


----------



## Kel (May 2, 2013)

Good call to see the natural sites of Oahu.  Years ago we went to the PCC and I would have rather been on the beach.  My husband appreciated it more than I did, but neither of us would go back a second time.


----------



## Htoo0 (May 2, 2013)

Just another who agrees once was interesting but once was enough.


----------



## luvsvacation22 (May 3, 2013)

We are also going to Oahu in a few days and staying at Aulani. I had reservations for the PCC Luau and all day tickets for 5 adults. The total cost was $488.00. However, after reading different reviews about the luau and the mediocre food, I decided to cancel our tickets. We visited PCC ten years ago, but DS fiancé' has never been to Hawaii/PCC. I hope I made the right decision, but I thought we would just enjoy the resort. They are college students and just finished finals and they want to relax and veg at the beach or pool.


----------



## BocaBoy (May 3, 2013)

luvsvacation22 said:


> We are also going to Oahu in a few days and staying at Aulani. I had reservations for the PCC Luau and all day tickets for 5 adults. The total cost was $488.00. However, after reading different reviews about the luau and the mediocre food, I decided to cancel our tickets. We visited PCC ten years ago, but DS fiancé' has never been to Hawaii/PCC. I hope I made the right decision, but I thought we would just enjoy the resort. They are college students and just finished finals and they want to relax and veg at the beach or pool.


To each his own, I guess.


----------

