Something is wrong at Pearl Harbor

I thought I had a unique experience, but the reviews say otherwise

I was in Oahu over Presidents Week, and one of the main reasons we finally decided to visit that island over the others was to visit Pearl Harbor. I’d heard that with COVID, it was important to get a reservation to go out on the boat to see the USS Arizona, so I did just that, paying a nominal amount (about $40 for the three of us) to secure that advance reservation.

We cut it too close and showed up right at the time the boat would be departing. We’d seen on the tickets that we needed to be there ten minutes prior and unlike (checks notes) every other tour I’ve ever been on, it shockingly left on time - and without us.

The park ranger working the line - whose name I wish I’d gotten - was almost gleefully rude to us. Among the things he said to me (and I should be clear, I was exceedingly polite … until this all happened):

“Go to the back of the line, you blew it.”

“Why should I care that you paid in advance? That’s your problem, not mine.”

“It could take an hour, maybe two, maybe three. That’s also your problem, not mine.”

I then asked him why he was being such a jerk, at which place he acted very offended, laughed and walked away. We entertained the idea of waiting in line, and while doing so told others our experience. They said he’d been just as rude to them and ALSO to the folks who actually got on the boat on time. In short, he was just rude. To everyone. At the Pearl Harbor Memorial.

I was so shocked. It was so rude and out of place, it really started things off on the wrong foot - and it took me a good few minutes to just move on. And after that? The Memorial was amazing. Really well done, I learned a lot about something I thought I knew a lot about - and it made me want to learn more.

Today, I went to recreation.gov, where I made the reservation to leave feedback after they prompted me to do so via email - and I found the worst possible thing.

I’m not alone.

Every third review or so talked about how rudely they’d been treated.

The staff is incredibly rude ...

Only half of our group made it on time but because they weren’t 10 minutes early (still there before they had started boarding) they were harassed by the workers that they needed to be there 10 minutes early...

When we went to the back of the very long standby line, [Park Ranger] walked the line asking if anyone in the line had a reservation, which I raised my hand. She proceeded to belittle us in front of people standing in the standby line, stating "you were late, you shouldn't be late, you deserve to be in the standby line and now you have to wait." Her behavior and lack of empathy was unacceptable and completely unprofessional.

Like, what is HAPPENING? I’m quite sure that these employees deal with a lot of jerky tourists, and they probably act this way out of defense and because they’ve been treated so poorly by selfish people who treat service people like crap. It happens - it shouldn’t, but it does - and I do respect that they might have their guard up. But being aggressively rude? Like … why?

And since the site is full of such reviews, I can only imagine that the ‘powers that be’ either don’t care or don’t think there’s much to do about it.

Such a bummer.

Go visit - and show up EARLY for the boat tour. And try not to engage with the park ranger, if at all possible.