Polynesian Cultural Center Reviews (Laie, Oahu)

Awesome Day of Polynesian Immersion

Leesburg, Virginia

August 24, 2012

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Best of IgoUgo Our second daytrip for the week was the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) and what an enjoyable experience it was! The PCC is outdoor island village recreations in which you learn about 6 Polynesian cultures through demonstrations and interaction. ...Read more Our second daytrip for the week was the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) and what an enjoyable experience it was! The PCC is outdoor island village recreations in which you learn about 6 Polynesian cultures through demonstrations and interaction. The concept kind of reminds me of Disney’s Epcot World Showcase theme park except there are no thrill rides at the PCC. Furthermore, the PCC offers Polynesian-themed dinners and an amazing arena show with hi-tech effects and talented performers. A visit to the PCC is an all-day affair. You can piecemeal your visit by purchasing a ticket for, say, just the village experience or just the dinner or just the show. However, to get the most out of your day, I recommend purchasing a package that includes a guide and all three experiences. Although the PCC is not a luau, I found its package prices to be on par with a luau evening at establishments throughout Oahu. The difference is that the PCC includes the village life daytime experience in addition to a dinner and evening show. Furthermore, if you book online at least 10 days in advance, you will get a 10% discount.

From our resort, it was an hour drive through the scenic North Shore region of Oahu to get to the PCC. We arrived shortly after its noon opening. Our guide for our Ambassador Package was Haley from New Zealand. Like 70-80% of the employees of the PCC, she is a student at Brigham Young University (BYU) located next door. In return for working at the PCC, students are housed and educated by the university at no charge. Many of the students are actually from the islands represented at the PCC.

The island village life portion of our day began with a canoe ride that gave us a glimpse of the villages. The cultures represented at the PCC are Samoa, Aotearoa (known today as New Zealand), Fiji, Hawaii, Tahiti, and Tonga.

At the conclusion of the canoe ride, Haley led us to the various Polynesian villages where we watched demonstrations, participated in games/contests, learned a traditional skill, or listened to a cultural lesson. Some of my more memorable experiences were the spear throwing contest in Tonga, trying to keep a straight face as our guide pronounced some of the Tongan words that sounded like the f-word in English, rooting for my brother-in-law as he rubbed sticks together in the fire-starting contest in Samoa, and learning all the ancient rules in Fiji that could get you executed if you violated them.

I had the most fun in Aotearoa where we spent the most time probably because Haley is from there. We participated in an ancient warrior greeting ritual in which a man holding a spear pranced toward us and dropped something for our appointed king to pick up and show our peaceful intentions. We watched a song and dance presentation. We learned to swing poi balls which ancient warriors used to strengthen their wrists. We learned stick games (tititorea) used to improve hand-eye coordination.

In between the village visits, we were given time to visit various snack shops located throughout the premises. We watched the 2:30 canoe pageant in which the various nations float down the channel in colorful costumes demonstrating their native songs and dances.

The island village life exhibits close at 5 PM. Before Haley led us to dinner, she quizzed us to see if we remembered the greetings in the languages of the nations we visited that day. We were successful in recalling the greetings as a group - yeah! Haley said goodbye to each of us with a big hug.

At the time of booking the Ambassador Package, we could choose one of two buffet dinner options: Ali'i Luau Dining or Prime Dining. We chose the Prime Dining option because it had more food choices than the luau. The Prime Dining contained foods from the different cultures represented at the PCC in addition to mainland food such as prime rib, chicken cordon bleu, and crab legs. I really enjoyed trying some of the more exotic island dishes such as the purple taro rolls and pollock in coconut milk.

After dinner, we still had time to kill before the 7:45 show; therefore, we took the free bus tour of the BYU campus and the small town of Laie. The tour is first-come-first-serve so get there early. We saw the Laie Hawaii Temple. It's a beautiful building from the outside but we were not allowed inside because we are not Mormon. Instead, we were given 25 minutes to walk around in the visitor center. We were shown a film on how the Mormons settled in Laie, established the university, and created the Polynesian Cultural Center in 1963.

The final experience of our day at the PCC was the evening show called "Ha: Breath of Life" (trailer on YouTube). It was a fabulous presentation with plenty of drumming, singing, effects, and colorful costumes. The show culminated with spectacular fire dancers and ended around 9:30 PM. We made it back to our resort by 11 PM. What an incredible day we had at the PCC. Close

From journal The Hunt for Pineapple Syrup

Great place to spend the day on Oahu

by dcollamer

Scottsdale, Arizona

October 12, 2011

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I have been to the Polynesian Cultural Center many times in the 10 years I lived in Hawaii. It was always a great place to spend the day with family and friends that come to visit the islands to share in the culture of the islands represented at ...Read more

Best Theme Park EVER!!!

by MYindra

Mclean, Virginia

September 5, 2011

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We never, EVER had as wonderful of an experience in Hawaii as we did here! We signed up for the top tier tickets, I believe they were called the Super Ambassador ones, and we had a personal guide throughout our visit, as well as front row seats to ...Read more

Ha Breath of Life at the Polynesian Cultural Center

by jmkh79

Fresno County, California

June 27, 2010

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Ha Breath of Life, the evening show, at the polynesian cultural center, was much more of a theatrical experience, than past pcc shows. The traditional format of a polynesian dance review, was tied together by a coming of age story based on the life ...Read more

Mixed Feelings on This Top Hawaiian Attraction

by MilwVon

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

September 1, 2009

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Best of IgoUgo The Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) is often on the "must do" lists when you come to Hawaii, and especially for Honolulu and/or Oahu. Having been to this island a couple of times in the past and having never done it, we felt we owed it to ...Read more

From journal Oahu - Enjoying Our Return

Don't Miss This!

by laurienotscout

New York, New York

February 23, 2009

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I grew up in Hawaii, and every time a visitor came to town, we took them to the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) - on of the few "we have visitor" activities I loved to do. Set up as a walk through Polynesian villages and staffed by people native ...Read more

WELL Worth the Money

by Konala3

coppell, Texas

March 19, 2008

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Bought the Super Ambassador package. If you're looking to save money, this is NOT the package for you. If you're looking for the absolute BEST package for your money, this is it! You get the best seats at all attractions and villages. You get ...Read more

Polynesian Cultural Center

by britalo

Salt Lake City, Utah

May 14, 2007

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Best of IgoUgo This is an amazing place! The center is made up of smaller villages that represent the different islands of Polynesia. They include Hawaii, Samoa, Marquesas, New Zealand (Maori), Tonga, Fiji, and Tahiti. Each village has presentations and activities ...Read more

From journal Oahu for Two

Polynesian Cultural Center

by AgedToPerfection

Irvine, California

May 4, 2007

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Best of IgoUgo When I last visited Oahu at age 7, I remember my mother wanting to visit the Polynesian Cultural Center. I wondered why we would want to go anywhere that wasn’t Disneyland. I am now the same age as my mother was way back then and I finally ...Read more When I last visited Oahu at age 7, I remember my mother wanting to visit the Polynesian Cultural Center. I wondered why we would want to go anywhere that wasn’t Disneyland. I am now the same age as my mother was way back then and I finally discovered what it was that she wanted to see. The Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) is run by Brigham Young University, Hawaii. The university students benefit from the center proceeds, and they also staff the park. In 2007, the PCC celebrates its 40th Anniversary.

Located on the east side of Oahu, the PCC opens at 11am, which seems late. However, this allowed us to explore the northeast part of the island beforehand. We made our way to the PCC by 2pm, and unfortunately, we did not have time to see the IMAX show, nor fully explore the park.

We purchased tickets for the Ali’i Luau package, which included seats to the Horizons show, the Ali’i Luau dinner, the IMAX show, and admission to all 7 villages in the PCC. Normally, tickets for this package run $80 per adult/$56 for children 3 to 12. But we saved 5% by booking online.

We strolled around the villages featuring cultures from Hawaii, the Marquesas, Fiji, Samoa, Aotearoa (Maori New Zealand), Tahiti, and Tonga. At the Aotearoan village, we learned how to twirl poi balls, (much harder than it looks). Afterward, we joined the interesting presentation in the Maori meeting house. In the Samoan village, we learned how to make firestarting-kindling out of rubbing two sticks (of the same wood) together very quickly.

Later in the afternoon, we sat along the banks of the river to watch the fascinating Rainbows of Paradise canoe pageant. Flat barges with a steerer, propelled the vessels out in front of us. Performers sang and danced as the barges glided past us. At one point, a livelier barge rocked back and forth, eventually toppling over its steerer and sending him splashing into the water.

After the show, we continued to explore the villages. We participated in a weaving class, where we made palm leaf fishes. This activity will delight children and the young at heart.

Finally, we caught a boat tour of the center. Starting at the dock by the Marquesas, we sailed past a few villages while our guide steered us along. For Japanese visitors, the PCC has boat tours conducted in Japanese. We disembarked by the PCC entrance, which fit in perfectly with our plans as we had to make our way to the Ali’i Luau for dinner.

As we reluctantly halted our tour of the PCC, I realized what attracted my mother to this place. An educational and entertaining park allowed us to immerse ourselves in the island cultures of Polynesia. What better way to enhance a vacation in Oahu, an island paradise in itself? Close

From journal A Haole Hanging in Oahu...With Locals

Polynesian Cultural Center Ali'i Luau & Horizons

by AgedToPerfection

Irvine, California

May 4, 2007

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Best of IgoUgo At the Polynesian Cultural Center, our tickets included the Ali’i Luau Dinner and the Horizons Show. One our hotel’s employees, Derek, insisted that this was the best luau on the island. Encouraged by this, we hungrily queued up for dinner.Our ...Read more At the Polynesian Cultural Center, our tickets included the Ali’i Luau Dinner and the Horizons Show. One our hotel’s employees, Derek, insisted that this was the best luau on the island. Encouraged by this, we hungrily queued up for dinner.

Our hostess greeted us with an orchid lei. I noticed the tiered seating, allowing us to see the stage and barbecue pit for the roast pig. After our hostess seated us, another group of servers asked if we wanted the special beverage served in a pineapple for an additional $10. I thought that since our package cost us $76, we should just stick to the passion fruit orange punch that was provided with our dinner.

Shortly, the staff brought out the roast pig from the pit. From our angle, we could not see the ceremony too well but I figured that the real enjoyment would be having a taste of the luau pork. As our hostess excused us table by table to queue up at the buffet line, I saw that the dinner offerings included lomi lomi salmon, teriyaki chicken, baked fish (which sadly, was too dry), ahi poki (rare ahi tuna marinated in a sesame oil, soy sauce and chive marinade), the requisite poi (which I don’t particularly like but our toddler enjoyed) and fresh fruit. I have to admit, the food quality at the Ali’i Luau disappointed me and began to doubt Derek’s judgment.

When dessert arrived, I tried the haupia, squares of coconut jello-like confection. If you like coconut, you will love haupia. Small baked goods and pineapple bars rounded off the menu.

As I left the luau, I felt dissatisfied. The food was not particularly spectacular and the performers merely sang and performed a few hula dances. Not until we meandered toward the Horizons auditorium did it dawn on me that the experience continued.

As we settled in our stadium-like seats, the house lights dimmed and I gazed down at the stage, complete with rockwork and different performing areas around plants, caves and trees. A flourish of colors and lights caught our attention and performers in traditional dress professionally proceeded onstage. I particularly enjoyed the Aotearoan poi ball dance, because I now understood the difficulty in swinging those balls.

During the intermission, we realized our daughter had fallen asleep and needed to return to the hotel. Unfortunately, we missed the best part of the show, the fire dance finale. Our friends reported that the second part of the show eclipsed the first, and that the fire dance bored them. They lied to protect our feelings but later we discovered that the finale overwhelmed them and they could not say enough good things about the entire show.

My recommendation, in retrospect, is to purchase the Admission and Show package for $55. This will save you the cost of a luau dinner that did not really impress me. But overall, I concluded that Derek truly knew what consists of a worthwhile and memorable experience. Close

From journal A Haole Hanging in Oahu...With Locals

IgoUgo

Polynesian Cultural Center

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Awesome Day of Polynesian Immersion

Great place to spend the day on Oahu

Best Theme Park EVER!!!

Ha Breath of Life at the Polynesian Cultural Center

Mixed Feelings on This Top Hawaiian Attraction

Don't Miss This!

WELL Worth the Money

Polynesian Cultural Center

Polynesian Cultural Center

Polynesian Cultural Center Ali'i Luau & Horizons

Polynesian Cultural Center

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Avg. User Rating:

User Reviews

Awesome Day of Polynesian Immersion

Great place to spend the day on Oahu

Best Theme Park EVER!!!

Ha Breath of Life at the Polynesian Cultural Center

Mixed Feelings on This Top Hawaiian Attraction

Don't Miss This!

WELL Worth the Money

Polynesian Cultural Center

Polynesian Cultural Center

Polynesian Cultural Center Ali'i Luau & Horizons