Each island village in the Polynesian Cultural Center hosts presentations throughout the afternoon. There is a printed schedule available which also lists "family presentations" for some of the islands which are supposed to be especially family friendly. We never made an effort to make it to these shows and I felt like the regular ones were fun for kids too.
We've been to quite a few of the presentations but not all of them. If you tried to make it to all of the presentations in one afternoon I don't think you'd have time to do many hands-on activities. We like a mix of activities and presentations. In a previous post I mentioned that many of the hands-on activities and experiences aren't operating during the presentation times so plan your schedule accordingly.
Each presentation is a fun mix of entertainment and education. In Samoa we learned about how they get coconuts, cook and make fire. The emcee does his best at island-style stand up comedy and is pretty funny.
The presentation in Fiji had less humor but we learned about making music with bamboo sticks and even got to give it a try ourselves during the performance.
Of the shows I've seen, Tonga is my favorite. The emcee there had the whole audience laughing a lot. It was great to watch my son burst into uncontrollable laughter during the show.
The Polynesian Cultural Center is also famous for its evening luaus and show but due to early bedtimes for our kids we haven't been to those yet. Something to look forward to when they get older! (And if you've been, please feel free to share your experience in the comments.)
With this, and a suggestion to take one of the canoe rides through the center at some point during your day, I am going to end my mini series on the Polynesian Cultural Center. Keep your eyes out for a ticket deal and pay them a visit. It's a fun place to spend an afternoon!
Do it yourself on Oahu
Location: 55-370 Kamehameha Hwy, Laie, Hawaii 96762
Hours: Closed Sundays. Open Mon - Sat beginning at 11:45am. Island tours and village presentations begin at 12:05pm. Island villages close at 5pm except for Tonga and Samoa which close at 5:30pm. Box office closes at 8pm.
Cost: • There are numerous packages available so rather than list them all I'm going to give you a couple links to use. Click here for kama'aina ticket prices. Click here for tourist/visitor ticket prices. • They offer a 20% discount for kama'aina. I believe you need to call ahead to reserve tickets to receive this price. • The PCC also offers an annual pass that pays for itself in a few visits. Even better, this pass goes on sale from time to time so be on the lookout for that promotion.
Parking: $8 per vehicle. Free if you have an annual pass.
Facilities: Restrooms throughout the center. Snack bar open from 11:30am to 6pm. Marketplace with numerous stores and gift shops throughout the center.
Other: • Some of the shows take place in covered amphitheaters but the canoe pageant, canoe rides, some shows and most of the activities take place outdoors so this isn't the best place to head on a rainy day. • Since you'll be outside a lot I'd recommend sunscreen and hats. • They sell snacks there but I usually take a few with me too for convenience.
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