Esther Kim

Review of Polynesian Cultural Center

I came here with a Korean tour group, so my experi...

I came here with a Korean tour group, so my experience would obviously be different from people who came here on their own. This place is a huge tourist attraction for a reason and I would recommend coming here. However, I would recommend doing the dinner/evening show rather than the lunch/tour that our group did. If you book online over 10 days in advance from your visit, you can save 15%.

There are four dining options here: New Island Luau, Ali'I Luau, Prime Rib Dining Buffet, and Island Buffet Dining. Our group participated in the Island Buffet Dining. We were seated in their large dining area, which seats around 1K people. The description online says they serve "savory Hawaiian, Asian and mainland entrees, buffet style" with "desserts galore." LIES. The food was terribly mediocre and there was just four dessert offerings, none of which looked appetising. So I'm not a fan of the food here... but it was included in our entrance fee, so we all ate until we were full.

After lunch our group went on an approximately 2 hour long tour with a Korean guide. I had asked if I could go on the English one but it was full so they said my only option was to wander around on my own :/ Korean tour it is then! We rode on a canoe down past all seven villages (which represent the seven Polynesian islands) and then walked by, stopping a few times to either participate in an activity or see a show. We stopped in Hawaii to learn a song on the ukulele and also learn a hula dance. Then we stopped in Tonga to see their presentation on Tongan ta nafa (drumming). Three members of the audience even got to participate, which was fun to watch. The tour ended with everyone going to the IMAX theatre and watching their 14-minute video on Hawaii in 4D. That's right--the chairs will move/lean forward to make it feel like you really are going through the air and seeing different areas of the islands. It was a pretty cool video to watch.

We didn't get to see their evening show since we left afterwards, but I've heard really good things about it and would recommend seeing it if you are coming here. It's called "Ha: Breath of Life" and takes place from 7:30-9PM daily. The PCC also offers other activities during the day: Maori Poi, Canoe Race, Tahitian Spear Throw, Samoan Cooking, and Fire Making. And it's great to be able to explore the seven Polynesian islands in one place: Hawaii, Marquesas, Fiji, Tahiti, Tonga, Aotearoa (New Zealand), and Samoa. Each village has their own presentation and activities as well. I kind of wish we had come here independent of the tour group so we could have fully explored this place, but my mum and I still had a good time nonetheless. But with my not being able to understand most of what our tour guide was saying and the food being so mediocre I can't give them more than three stars...