Oahu’s Pearl Harbor ships, subs aglow for 2012 Holiday Harbor Lights boat tours

Oahu’s Pearl Harbor ships and submarines will soon be decked out in glowing yuletide cheer for 2012 Holiday Harbor Lights evening tours, slated to get under way on Fri., Dec. 14 and continue through the weekend, wrapping up on Sun., Dec. 16.

Free 30-minute harbor boat tours will be offered between 6:15 p.m. and 8 p.m., with boats leaving at 15-minute intervals from the visitor center at the National Park Service’s World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument.  The tours will feature views of ships and submarines decorated for the holiday season and, of course, plenty of Christmas music.

Seats for the tours — organized National Park Service and Pearl City Lions Club in cooperation with the U.S. Navy and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam — are limited. So, reservations are highly encouraged. Tickets will be distributed beginning at 5:45 p.m. at the visitor center on the day of the tour. Click here to set up an advance reservation by way of email.

What to bring: non-perishable and canned goods for donation to food charities. Also, cameras and cell phones are allowed onboard for photos of the decorated ships. However, photographing security activities, such as the patrol craft and shore or water security personnel, is prohibited.

Backpacks, fanny packs, luggage, diaper bags, camera bags, purses, large cameras or other items which may provide concealment are not allowed in the visitor center or aboard the boats. Bags may be stored for a fee of $3 each at the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park storage facility, located near the entrance to the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center. For more information about Holiday Harbor Lights, click here.