After 15 Months, Pearl Harbor Memorial Will Reopen This Weekend
The USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor will reopen Sunday, Sept. 1, after a 15-month restoration.
The memorial has been closed to public foot traffic since May 2018, when damage from exceptionally high tides in 2017 required repairs of more than $2.1 million.
The USS Arizona sunk on Dec. 7, 1941, after a surprise attack by Japanese bombers killed 1,177 crew members on the ship. More than 330 crew members survived, but approximately 900 sailors and Marines remain entombed in the ship.
Considered one of the top tourist attractions in the country, the Arizona memorial is located on the southern end of Oahu in Hawaii, and can only be accessed by boat from the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center. The visitor center is accessible to the public and admission is free, but mandatory time-stamped tickets are available on a first-come, first-served walk-in basis. Tickets can also be reserved online up to 60 days in advance.
Visitors will experience an approximately 75 minute-long tour that includes a 23-minute documentary on the history of Pearl Harbor, as well as a short boat ride to and from the memorial.
The Arizona memorial is part of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument; the monument has additional sites in the Alaskan Aleutian Islands as well as California's Tule Lake Unit.
If you've never been to Hawaii, this is a great time to consider planning a visit. The memorial's reopening coincides nicely with a slew of recent sale fares to Hawaii. Southwest has been offering low fares both from the mainland to Hawaii as well as intra-island flights starting from as low as $49 one-way. Rare lie-flat seats from New York City to Hawaii were available for this weekend, from just 12,500 Turkish miles one-way. And United has been offering discounted fares for elite and cardholder MileagePlus members of late: This week, round-trip fares from the mainland to Hawaii began at just 25,000 miles.
TPG featured card
at Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Choose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.