How to Get Free Arizona Memorial Tickets
You can obtain free tickets to the USS Arizona Memorial, but it requires advance planning. Follow our guide so you don't miss your opportunity to see this historic attraction at Pearl Harbor.
USS Arizona Memorial tickets are free, but you still need to make a reservation on Recreation.gov. This takes a small amount of legwork and timing, but it’s not impossible. The big decision most travelers need to make is whether they want to book the reservation themselves, attempt to snag a standby ticket at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial Visitor Center or book a tour and let the tour operator handle this for them.
How do you get free tickets to the USS Arizona Memorial?
You can reserve your free USS Arizona Memorial ticket at Recreation.gov. There are two release windows: next-day and eight-weeks in advance, both drop at 3 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time. Next-day tickets sell out fast. We recommend you set a reminder for yourself to visit the site at exactly 3:00 p.m. If you wait too long, the tickets might be sold out. Reservations are limited to 12 tickets per person per day. The memorial program is free, but the website does add a $1 non-refundable fee per ticket to process the reservation.
Besides booking a tour, this is the only way to guarantee tickets ahead of time. The Visitor Center offers standby only, which does not guarantee a same-day reservation.
Reserve free at Recreation.gov
If a tour works best for you, compare Pearl Harbor Tours
If tickets are sold out or you missed the reservation
If you arrive late and miss your designated reservation, you may forfeit your free USS Arizona Memorial tickets to walk-in customers on standby. I suggest arriving an hour before your ticket time in order to pick-up your tickets. At minimum, you need to arrive five to ten minutes early. Pearl Harbor operates on military time, which means being on-time means being early.
If you forfeit your ticket, you can try to get a new ticket using the same-day standby queue — remember, nothing is guaranteed. The standby system runs through a digital queue rather than a physical line. When you get to the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, find the sign that says “Arizona Memorial Standby Sign-up” to the left of the USS Arizona Memorial Narrated Tour Desk. Here, you will find self-service kiosks. On the touch screen, enter your name, phone number and party size, and you'll get a place in line along with a text confirmation. Wait times vary and entry still isn't guaranteed, especially during peak season.
If online tickets sell out the day before and you don’t want to take the gamble with standby, book a tour instead — many tours let you book the day before, if not two days before. With USS Arizona-Pearl Harbor tours, the tour operator handles all tickets and transportation. I recommend Aloha Sunshine Tours — they secure your Pearl Harbor Passport, which gets you into every museum except USS Arizona Memorial and USS Arizona tickets. They also pick you up from your hotel and, when you are finished at Pearl Harbor, give you a quick tour of the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (also known as Puowaina or Punchbowl) and downtown historic buildings on the way back to Waikīkī.
Should you reserve free tickets or take a guided tour?
If you’re going to have a rental car and can plan your visit to the USS Arizona Memorial a couple of months out, book the free ticket yourself. If you're staying in Waikīkī without a car, don't want to manage the logistics or missed the next-day reservation window, book a tour.
| Factor | DIY Reservation | Guided Tour (paid) |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free (plus $1 booking fee) | ~$42–240+ per person |
| USS Arizona access | Not garunteed | Guaranteed |
| Transport | On you (car / rideshare / TheBus) | Round-trip Waikīkī pickup |
| Effort/planning | Book day before at 3 p.m. HST or 8 weeks out; arrive early | Handled for you |
| Flexibility | Full control of your day | Set pickup/drop-off window; you control the day in between |
| Best for | Rental car, planned ahead, flexible schedule | No car / want it handled / sold out |
Which situation is right for you?
If you have a rental car and booked your tickets ahead, go on your own. If you’re staying in Waikīkī with no car, book a tour. If you just want to visit the USS Arizona Memorial and don’t mind managing the logistics, get the tickets on your own using the instructions above. If you’re traveling as a family or in a big group and you want peace of mind that everything will be handled, book a tour. If the tickets sell out the day before or you don’t have time to plan ahead, take the tour — it will cost you, but also make your life easier.
Is the Pearl Harbor Passport worth it, and which ticket should you buy?
The Passport is worth it if you plan to visit the Battleship Missouri, USS Bowfin and Aviation Museum — it bundles all three plus the visitor center audio tour and a VR experience. Buying each site separately costs roughly $95 to $110 for an adult once you add up general admission at all three, so the Passport mainly pays off if you also want the audio tour and VR add-ons, or you'd simply rather buy one ticket instead of three.
The Passport includes:
- 1-hour USS Arizona Memorial Self-guided Narrated Tour (this is not the same as the USS Arizona Memorial program led by ferry boat)
- USS Arizona Virtual Reality Experience
- Battleship Missouri Memorial Admission
- Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum Admission & Self-guided Narrated Tour
- Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum & Self-guides Narrated Tour
*The Passport does not include the USS Arizona Memorial ferry/program.
Passport Pricing:
Adults $99.99
Children (ages 4-12) $49.99
Kamaʻāina or Military Adult $72.99
Kamaʻāina or Military Child $39.99
Infants (ages 0-3) Free
How much does it cost to visit Pearl Harbor?
The USS Arizona Memorial and the Pearl Harbor National Memorial Visitor Center, including its two museums, bookstore and the memorial grounds are free. The Battleship Missouri, USS Bowfin and Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum, and the Aviation Museum each charge separate admission. Prices below are subject to change at any time. Kamaʻāina and military must show ID for discount.
Passport: $99.99 adult / $49.99 child / $72.99 kamaʻāina or military adult / $39.99 kamaʻāina or military child
Battleship Missouri: $39.99 adult / $19.99 child / $29.99 kamaʻāina or military adult / $14.99 kamaʻāina or military child
USS Bowfin: $25.99 adult / $14.99 child / $18.99 kamaʻāina or military adult / $9.99 kamaʻāina or military child
Aviation Museum: $29.99 adult / $17.99 child / $20.99 kamaʻāina or military adult / $10.99 kamaʻāina or military child
Common mistakes to avoid
- Not reserving early — the eight-week window fills fast in peak season
- Missing the 3 p.m. HST release for next-day tickets
- Arriving late — you may forfeit your reserved time slot to standby
- Assuming you can walk up without a reservation — same-day, in-person tickets no longer exist
- Bringing a bag — bags aren't allowed at the memorial, there is onsite bag storage for a fee