Anybody Been to the USS Arizona Memorial Recently?

[HankDfrmSD]

Hawaii: USS Missouri battleship to reopen for tours Jan. 15 - Travel - LATimes.com)

[whynot?]

Thanks, Hank. The info on this has been very confusing. A January 7 Honolulu Advertiser story said:
"Following a soft opening in mid-January, the Battleship Missouri Memorial will officially reopen on Jan. 30, a day after the 66th anniversary of the battleship's launch from the Brooklyn Navy Yard during World War II." [Emphasis mine. Link: Missouri back at Battleship Row | honoluluadvertiser.com | The Honolulu Advertiser ]


Sometimes "soft opening" means the public is welcome and sometimes not.

[SkyBob]

What I got from the article Hank posted is that soft opening of Jan 15 means you must be willing to walk around the cleaning up operations.

[Balad1]

With your one guest being retired military they won't be restricted to taking the battleship tour from the Arizona Memorial area. They can drive onto Ford Island and right up to the parking lot in front of the battleship. Ford Island is still an active military base so access is restricted for others. The island and facilities are pretty cool and haven't changed much since WWII.

PS: There are special rates for military and their guests.

[whynot?]

Originally Posted by Balad1

With your one guest being retired military they won't be restricted to taking the battleship tour from the Arizona Memorial area. They can drive onto Ford Island and right up to the parking lot in front of the battleship. Ford Island is still an active military base so access is restricted for others. The island and facilities are pretty cool and haven't changed much since WWII.

PS: There are special rates for military and their guests.

My guests are here now, and have been evaluating their options (online, mostly). He (the retired captain) fully understands the politics and protocols, and is just interested in making the most of a day there.

Thanks to everybody for their advice and experiences.