A fun night for the entire family. This is the most convenient way to experience the lights and festivities at Honolulu Hale The $25 price is a great deal that includes the festive pre-boarding pop-up. After checking in there's a hot cocoa station and crafts for the kids, games and photo ops. We got ti take our own photos with Santa which in itself is more than worth the price considering the high costs of some commercial Santa photo opps Here the line is short and you get a great photo setting. There is also the bonus of a photo with the Grinch which my grandsons was thrilled about. The backdrops were perfect. If you want to make sure you get to sit on the top deck of the bus get in line earlier but I heard from others the view is fine on both levels. The driver was entertaining and we sang After touring the downtown area you stop at the grounds of Honolulu Hale and have an option to get off to enjoy walking in city hall to see the decorations and trees. The trolley picks you back up in an hour. This was so convenient for us as in past years we had to find parking and then walk to the grounds. This will be ab annual tradition for the Ohana and friends! I highly recommend it. read more

A friend of mine, Ean, booked an entire trolley for her coworkers and friends and it was a blast! We sang songs accompanied by one of our other friends, Albert, playing guitar, and on the way back, she had some fun games to play! The only thing that would have been better was having a longer time to stop and walk around city hall since there were so many things to look at! The wreath contest alone took quite a bit of time! Then there were all of the department Christmas trees, and we didn't even have time for the outdoor decorations before hopping back on! Our driver was very nice and we made sure to remember to tip him since my husband is also a CDL driver! read more

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All proceeds go to the food bank!! That alone is worth this trolley ride to see Honolulu City of lights. If you like Christmas Lights then this is the tour for you l, even better if you have kids or grandkids. They would absolutely love it!! This trolley sells out quickly and I do mean quickly. Tickets go on sale in November and in a few days all the early trolleys are book leaving the late ones. So book early. This trolley takes you to the palace, King Kamehameha statue and surrounding area for some magnificent light displays, if you have never been. This trolley does not stop and let people off to take part in the festivities on the grounds. -Da bus 19, 20 lets you off a block or 2 from the Ward theatre the lighted tent is just past. -Uber, Lyft Parking what we saw is great and can see these lots getting full. read more

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Celebrating the holidays! What's better than driving around to look at Christmas lights? Answer: Taking a trolley ride and listening to cheery music while looking at Christmas lights in Downtown Honolulu! Jules Y. had a brilliant idea to embark on this fun journey. She booked our tour online. It's a popular activity, so sign up now if you want to go because seats are limited and many slots are sold out! We met at Ward Village where there's lots of free parking. Jules checked us in and we waited at our designated bench. There were Activity Books for children...very thoughtful...to keep them entertained! When our time arrived, we boarded Trolley #2 and sat on the Driver's side so we could have a better view of Honolulu Hale (City Hall). Along the way, our driver would point out various points of interest. He slowed down when we got to Honolulu City Lights at Honolulu Hale... wow... it was fantastic! Thanks to Jules for planning a fun activity for us! Can't wait for our next adventure! Note: there are no drop offs for photo taking Mele Kalikimaka! read more

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It's Christmas time!!!! What a better time to start a family (or friend) tradition and book the trolley ride! We have been doing this for YEARS. As soon as Ward announcing when the tickets will be on sale, I put it on my calendar and then we book out an entire trolley. Super easy booking system online and if you book the day the tickets go on sale it is easy to book the entire trolley. In years past we have done all family, all friends, all work friends, social clubs, car clubs and high school friends/reunion. The MAIN thing every year is not how many lights we see, what businesses decorated etc... it is the FUN every group has when we go. It is just a super fun thing to do with friends and family. The Ward/Kakaako area is really turning into a safe place to take your family. Hit up dinner at one of the restaurants early then take the trolley and then just walk around! dress up, bring jingle bells, yell Merry Christmas to everyone you pass and just watch the merry-ness rub off! it is so fun! Highly recommend for family and friends- GO GO GO! read more

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Every year during the month of December, Ward Village offers trolley tours where you can ride through downtown on the trolley to see the Honolulu City Lights. Tickets can be purchased ahead of time online, and usually sell out pretty quickly. Standby tickets are available on the day-of, and right now that's your only option since all of the tours are currently sold out (for groups of 2 or more). The route: ward village, up Ward Avenue to South Beretania, down Bishop to South King Street, past Honolulu Hale, and back to Ward. The entire tour takes about 30 minutes depending on traffic. But, to get the best seats, you need to arrive early (we arrived one hour before our scheduled tour time and were second in line) and wait, so the whole process takes over an hour. It's a fun activity to do during the holidays. The only downside to this tour, besides having to go early to get the best seats on your trolley, is that you don't get to disembark at Honolulu Hale to walk around. Currently running nightly through 12/30. read more

Honolulu City Lights Trolley Tours - Walking Tours Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Beautiful Christmas trees Especially the huge real one out front. Unusual but beautiful Wreaths. Nice stroll through the park, especially at night when all lit up. read more

I was pretty excited to snatch some tickets early November for the trolley tour. The past couple of years, I have been unlucky since they were sold out. The hubs, and I had reservations for 6:30pm. We had dinner at Buca's, and crossed the street on Auahi and ward where it was waiting. Within ten minutes families, couples, and kids boarded the first trolley. I must say, even with all the kids running and yelling it was pretty organized. To anyone taking the trolley sit on the left side of the driver. You will see all the decorations and city lights. Overall, it was a fun 30 minute experience. However, it wouldve been nice to step off the trolley, and partake in the festivities that were displayed. Mele kalikimaka everyone read more

Honolulu City Lights Trolley Tours - Beautiful Christmas decorations - Walking Tours Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Rented the entire trolley for our family! Minimum of 30 seats need to be sold to get the trolley to yourselves. We took the last run at 8:30 pm so our driver got to take many detours since he didn't need to be back at the drop off site to pick up any more people. He made our experience an enjoyable one, especially for my niece which we were celebrating her birthday. He sang her happy birthday on the PA system, rang the bells to the music and beeped the horn at every waving car. My family had an awesome time read more

Honolulu City Lights Trolley Tours - Walking Tours Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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My wife and I are way into Christmas, so we took the tour just to get us in the Christmas mood. There is a better side of the trolley! And we didn't sit on it. Once we picked out seats and settled in, the driver let us know all of the lights would be on the left side (when you're facing the driver) and that the right side would be allowed to stand up and face the other way. Oh well. You really can just drive the route yourself, but the added Christmas music blasting and enjoying it with strangers singing along kinda makes the thing a little more fun. I saw some families giving kids little glow in the dark bracelets, which was really cute. Our driver was very friendly and upbeat. No food or drink allowed, but I thought it would have been cuter with some hot cocoa (maybe some Baileys for the adults) and a Christmas cookie. Was a fun little thing to do, but probably wouldn't go again. read more

Honolulu City Lights Trolley Tours - The waiting area has a tent with lighrs! - Walking Tours Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

So far, so good! This is a seasonal location for trolley tours, so it's only here during the holiday season when the Honolulu City Lights are up. I've never actually gotten to ride the trolleys to see the lights, so this is a big deal for me. We tried first to book online -- that's how you're supposed to do it. (www.holidaylightstour.com) However, since it's booked up for a while, we just decided to come by and ask. We walked up last night, and the staff was super friendly. They were closing down for the night, but were great in answering our questions, and giving us tips. We found out that you can get on a standby list, incase there are no-shows. Here we are, a day later, sitting on standby. Our names are on their list, and I hope they check it twice! With luck, we will be on the next trolley, and for less than $7 a person, it's very much worth it! Tips: Book online if you can. If not, come by early for standby. Bring a sweater! Get ready for awesome fun! Honolulu City Lights, here we come!!! read more

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My mom has been asking to take my two boys and my brother's two girls on this trolley ride for years but our schedules never seemed to work out until this year. I'm so glad that we went!!! This was such a jolly and exciting 30 minute ride. Our driver was singing the entire ride, ringing his bell at passing motorist, wishing a Merry Christmas to so many pedestrians. It really got my family and even myself in the Christmas spirit! The drive started down Auahi Street to Ala Moana Blvd to Ward Avenue to King Street to Victoria Street to Beretania Street to Richard Street then the home stretch down King Street in front Honolulu Hale. Remember to sit on the left side of the Trolley if you want to get the good view. And don't forget to tip your driver too on your way out. They really make the ride special! read more

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I have visited for years and it's either the same crowd, decor, setup, or vendors so really not that impressed. It looks like budget cutbacks were implemented with not much upgrades. There were no simple changes to the massive tree fronting Honolulu Hale, so ornaments were just plain boring. The decorations are nothing that is appealing to the eye or not special enough to snap memorable pictures. As for the inside there was a smooth flow of foot traffic, so not much irritability experienced which was nice. The trees this year was just Okay compared to last year when it was apparent in the quality appearance. There wasn't any tree that captured my attention which was disappointing. Anything that reflects light is great, but to really have a tree to 'turn heads' now that would be 'Fabulous' status upfront! Another disappointment was about 3 outdoor displays were unlit! Not sure if it was tampered with or just bad timing with a minor malfunction, but it was very questionable. I know those specialty displays are what many patrons look forward to especially if it's a display that could be an ideal backdrop for a family photo! I did pay attention to the festive wreaths this year. I appreciate the creative process taken when folks input there talent for all to enjoy! Anyway... it is tradition so I'll keep coming back. The holidays ain't the same without including a stop in to view the HCL live and in action. It's a simple , free somewhat enjoyable experience for all ages!!! read more

Never have enough trolly tours! You would think they would plan ahead. Visitors who want to ride the trolly can't because the entire holiday season is sold out. Poor planning committee! What about horse drawn carriage rides for the lights? Heck flat bed hay rides for the lights. I mean really! read more

We were looking very forward to riding the Holiday Trolley this year for the first time. Unfortunately we were misinformed and told the last ride was at 8:10 & 8:30pm. When we arrived at the latter time we were disappointed to find out this was not the case. This is a non-refundable event and I feel this holiday service was lackluster and not worth it's marketing image. read more

This tour is definitely worth taking at least once, whether or not you make it an annual tradition. The ticketing process was easy, the waiting area was comfortable and festively lit, and the process for lining up was well-organized. The gentleman who seemed to be in charge was wearing a snowflake printed suit and engaging riders in pleasant conversation while we waited. Since I find it easier to park in the Ward area, it was worth it to me to pay someone else to drive. The only downside I saw to the tour overall was that you can't pace yourself and slow down if you really like a display. Our particular driver was not the liveliest, but the music added to the festive feeling. Since it was drizzling that night, we capped off the evening with a big bowl of ramen. There are plenty of places to eat in the area, so you, too, can make an evening of it with your sweetheart, friends and/or family! read more

Mahalo to the local male tour guide who made such a sincere and hilarious effort at narrating the free tour after Christmas on the 28th, even though many of the seasonal Honolulu city lights, including those on the Governor's front lawn, had been shut down by the time we rode the trolley. He invented new stories to explain those absences, such as the "legend" of the mysteriously vanishing blue Xmas stars (lights) decking one building, which were off on one side, and still brightly shining on the other. He also encouraged us to shout loudly whenever we passed another similar tourist trolley, "WE NEVAH PAY FO' OURS!," because we'd stood on line at McCully Shopping Center to get some comped passes to the $6 rides, towards the end of the season. We were mostly poor and working class local families, lucky enough to receive no-cost trolley rides on the last day of the tour's operation. So this kind of fun and special treatment was appreciated by all on board, as was his humorous explanation of the jolly lighted Xmas hat he wore (apparently, he gets a new one every year, each louder and more blingy than the previous one), and his tireless leading of various carol sing-alongs among the riders. At the start of the tour, the guide had gently blackmailed everyone into participating in the carols, or he'd come down the trolley's center aisle right by where we were seating, and sing loudly by us until we chimed along with the holiday classics. Plus, he could tell if we were lip-synching, he'd cautioned, because of the lack of eye contact and the ways out mouth movements didn't match the music. What a character--his riffs and jokes reminded me of the excellent tour guides on certain legs of the Magic Kingdom, Disneyworld...polished, funny, and family-appropriate. My cousin's kid and her friend and the friend's family loved it. Doesn't take much to entertain Hawai'i families, just a sense of humor, imagination, and goodwill, which this guide provided in spades. read more