You’ve paid the airfare, hotel, car rental and set aside enough monies for eating and shopping. But many travelers forget to include the cost of tours and admission fees to theme parks or museums. These extra costs can easily add up. To make it simpler and more affordable for tourists, many attractions have been packaging their fees into one bundled price that’s good for multiple days or multiple parks.
Kualoa Ranch recently debuted a similar opportunity for guests, called the Experience PASS. Guests get unlimited access to the 162-year-old ranch’s eight experience tours. These include the award-winning Movie Sites and Ranch tour, Jungle Expedition, Legends and Legacy, Ancient Hawaiian Fishpond and Garden tour, hula lessons, Hakipuu hike, Secret Island beach and Ocean Voyaging.
Those wanting to enjoy the ranch under the stars may tack on the option for dinner and entertainment. Overlooking Chinaman’s Hat, guests will be serenaded by live Hawaiian music over a Hawaiian-style meal. The night closes with Hawaiian chant and hula telling the stories and legends of the ranch. One of the tours that the ranch is most proud of is the movie tour. Last year, TripAdvisor travelers and editors named it one of the top 10 movie tours in the nation. Hawaii Five-0 and other blockbuster movies still currently use the ranch location for filming.
The best part about the PASS is that guests don’t have to rush through tours. They won’t feel pressured to “get to the end,” so to speak, before time runs out because they can always come back. I’ve raced through museums before, having to skip through certain galleries. In the end, I felt bad for missing out on those important parts of history, but to be totally honest, I felt bad for wasting my money. The new PASS at Kualoa is a worthy investment for the ranch’s impressive list of tours.
KUALOA EXPERIENCE PASS • PASS without dinner & entertainment: $69 adults, $29 children (3-12 years) • PASS with dinner & entertainment, offered Sun., Tues., Thurs.: $109 adults, $39 children (3-12 years) • More info, 808-237-7321 or www.kualoa.com
