Dole Plantation
Dole Plantation
3.5
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Founded in 1950 as a fruit stand, the Dole Plantation in central Oahu now draws travelers to its famous pineapple harvests and open-air Pineapple Express Train. Sign up for an educational tour to learn how the fruit of Hawaii is grown, its rich history, and agricultural practices. After that, stroll in the giant pineapple-shaped garden maze lined with 14,000 fruits. Don’t leave without buying some pineapples and sampling the original pineapple Dole Whip. The pineapple salsa and jam make great souvenirs, too. – Tripadvisor
Duration: 2-3 hours
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- Ellen H2 contributionsDisappointed in productsTrain ride and gardens very nice. Great narrated information. Disappointed because i bought 5 boxes of chocolate covered pineapples at $16 per box and when i arrived at home and opened them i found they were all white from age and stale. Definitely will not visit the plantation again and will warn others about the old, stale chocolatesVisited September 2023Travelled with familyWritten 3 October 2023
- islandlovingtwosomeLake Forest, California125 contributionsA Nice Stop To Take a BreakWe visited the Dole Plantation as one of the stops on our tour. It was pretty crowded inside so we got our order and went outside. I got a Dole Whip, which you can get in many places on Oahu, but it may not taste the same. Disneyland also sells Dole Whip and it's creamier and less tangy than the Dole Whip from Dole Plantation. My husband got a pineapple smoothie which he enjoyed. Unfortunately, we didn't have time for the maze or train. I wouldn't go out of my way to go here again, but if you're passing by on your way to or from the North Shore, it's might be worth a stop.Visited September 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 4 October 2023
- K C19 contributionsHorrible Checkout Process!!!The Pineapple Ice Cream was a 5. The service and selection at the store was horrible. Went to checkout with two items. The store is open concept but you have to checkout certain items at certain registers. The 1st cashier was rude. Went to the area we picked the item up and the register was closed. Went around the corner and they said we needed to go to the previous closed register. You can sort sales by UPC and should have been able to use any register. Needless to say we left the item and the store. Get your act together please Dole Store!!!Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 14 October 2023
- Grand13maKlein, Texas11 contributionsDole Plantation disappointmentVisited and enjoyed Dole Plantation many years ago. I was eager to visit again with my husband and dear friends. Quite disappointing as the entire complex is commercial, vast amounts of merchandise to sell — pineapple education was limited. Very surprised at the condition of the restrooms-needs to be heavily pressure-washed. Will not be returning.Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 17 October 2023
- simonwilliampizzeyLeicester, United Kingdom1,274 contributionsMixed Feelings, But I Love PineappleWe visited 10 years ago and I was really keen to return. However, unlike the first time visiting, it had more a gift shop feel (as opposed to an attraction). This may be more of a reflection about my expectations as the main attraction is most likely to be the gift shop. Here you can experience a range of pineapple based food products & purchase a number of pineapple paraphernalia. There is a little pineapple trainer that can be experienced as well as a maze. There is also an opportunity to see a number of pineapples growing. I would recommend visiting if passing by, but not making a special journey.Visited July 2023Travelled with familyWritten 20 October 2023
- BriannaW2323Montgomery, Texas244 contributionsOnly do train rideWe were recommended to go here from a friend and we were disappointed. Not a ton to do or knowledge like I thought it would be. The train ride gave the most information but we didn’t find anything else to be worth it. Shop was huge and lunch was decent if you just want a shirt.Visited February 2023Travelled with familyWritten 25 October 2023
- froglagSpokane, Washington1,612 contributionsDelicious Dole Whip, don't miss out of a delicious treat.We were on a circle island tour and the Dole Plantation was one of the stops. The gift shop is full of yummy gift ideas and treats. Along with the most delicious Dole whip ice cream treat. I don't know why it is not a marketed item in other areas, as I for one would definitely buy this delicious treat.Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 2 November 2023
- courtneycarlan2003Homer, Georgia140 contributionsFun tourist place!Such a fun and interesting place. We did the train ride and the plantation garden…it was only about $20 for both. Train ride was comfortable and they shared information about the plantation. The garden was beautiful and self paced. Be sure to check out the store…lots of goodies!Visited October 2023Travelled with friendsWritten 5 November 2023
- Edwin FCalgary, Canada1,749 contributionsGo EarlyWe drove to the Dole plantation from Waikiki, where we spent most of the morning. Parking was easy. We lined up for the pineapple express train tour and managed to get the third train. They run every 20 minutes. Visited the maze as well as the shops and restaurants in the visitor center. Worth the visit.Visited November 2023Travelled with familyWritten 18 November 2023
- Sharon M19 contributionsFamily VacationSaw posted reviews about the Dole Plantation and agree with those that said that the gift shop was the best part. We did the garden and the maze; they were fun, but a little disappointing. I’m giving the benefit of the doubt and blaming this on the time of year. A great place to visit and everyone should see it and enjoy the story. Who doesn’t love pineapple??Visited November 2023Travelled with familyWritten 19 November 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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3.5
6,546 reviews
Excellent
1,466
Very good
2,263
Average
1,818
Poor
614
Terrible
386
Edmonton, AB, Canada
Edmonton, Canada33 contributions
Dec 2019
We didn't have much time to see the Plantation, as we were here as part of a tour, but there are lots of things you can take the time to see while visiting.
We went inside the Plantation shop, and it wasn't long until we discovered a long line-up leading up to a counter where a person was serving Dole Whip. We got a cup of it, and it was so delicious!! We loved it so much, that we want to have it when we visit Kona next January, and found one place that sells it. We are really looking forward to having it again (more than once), lol.
The gift shop has many cute souvenirs. One of the things I noticed were mini surfboards that you could have personalized. If I had known this ahead of time, I would have gotten one for each of our 4 grandchildren. They come in different colours, and could be personalized with their names, a saying, different decals, among other things. They were between 14 and 18" long from my recollection, and were very cute!! I was so sorry that I had already over-spent my gift budget for our grandchildren (as more grandparents will understand), so I couldn't justify getting these at that time.
We will likely be back in Honolulu at some time in the future, and I am definitely going to buy them at that time. It seems that Oahu (at the Dole Plantation) is the only island where these can be purchased.
We went inside the Plantation shop, and it wasn't long until we discovered a long line-up leading up to a counter where a person was serving Dole Whip. We got a cup of it, and it was so delicious!! We loved it so much, that we want to have it when we visit Kona next January, and found one place that sells it. We are really looking forward to having it again (more than once), lol.
The gift shop has many cute souvenirs. One of the things I noticed were mini surfboards that you could have personalized. If I had known this ahead of time, I would have gotten one for each of our 4 grandchildren. They come in different colours, and could be personalized with their names, a saying, different decals, among other things. They were between 14 and 18" long from my recollection, and were very cute!! I was so sorry that I had already over-spent my gift budget for our grandchildren (as more grandparents will understand), so I couldn't justify getting these at that time.
We will likely be back in Honolulu at some time in the future, and I am definitely going to buy them at that time. It seems that Oahu (at the Dole Plantation) is the only island where these can be purchased.
Written 10 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Laura Vardy
Grand Falls Windsor, Canada738 contributions
Feb 2020
Yes it's very touristy BUT we still enjoyed seeing where Dole grows its pineapples and other crops, as well as learning about this process. We paid $11.50 each and waited a half hour to take the 22 minute train tour of the fields. There was also a commentary so we learned lots. You can also take a garden tour, but it didn't seem worth it and a maze tour, which was closed the day we visited. We enjoyed the Dole whip, which was the best pineapple-flavoured soft serve! The restaurant serves various food and drinks and the store sells many pineapple themed (and other) products and souvenirs. It's not a cheap place to visit but I'd still recommend visiting for a couple of hours.
Written 20 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
al22tecc
Philippines8,202 contributions
Dec 2019
Travelling to North Shore means we will all pass by Dole Plantation. Among all the attractions here, we decided to pay for the maze only. We read the reviews about the train ride and skipped that. There are several brochures along at least 2 of the external walls of the main building. We did the maze after discovering in one of the brochures offering a discount on the 2nd person's entrance fee. Hey, every discount will come in handy considering we were 12 in our group.
The items inside the big gift shop are pricey, so it is up to the shoppers if they want to buy something. The ice cream slush/whip was good though.
By the way, clean restrooms, something that you won't see over at the North Shore.
The items inside the big gift shop are pricey, so it is up to the shoppers if they want to buy something. The ice cream slush/whip was good though.
By the way, clean restrooms, something that you won't see over at the North Shore.
Written 13 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kim H
1 contribution
June 2021
Our group arrived at the plantation at 2:00 pm. We purchased tickets for the train ride and was told thAt we had a 30-40 minute wait which we said would be ok. 90 minutes later we were moved to the train platform and then told that they could not get our group onto the train and we were instructed to go get our money back. The group organizer and I went to get our money back and the tickets that were issued two hours previously were not enough to get our money back and we needed to get all 16 receipts. The tickets had the date on them?? After getting all the receipts we had to fill out forms for the tickets. Some of the group had went into the gift shop for dole whips at which time the doors were shut and locked at 4:00 so the others in the group could not get into the shop. This was a school group of 16 and we were supposed to each get a pineapple and that didn’t happen. This was by far the worst experience we had while at Hawaii. Don’t waste your time or money.
Written 12 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lexy P
Vancouver, Canada135 contributions
Jan 2020 • Family
We have been traveling to Oahu for the last 13 years. Dole has always been a stop for our family. Today we visited and quite frankly were disgusted with the state of the place. The store is a total zoo with tourists just throwing goods wherever. Everything looks disheveled. It’s packed. You can hardly move around.
The state of the grounds is gross. The pineapple maze is in massive disrepair. The spot where you can take photos is disgusting. The boards are completely deteriorating.
The areas outside where you can enjoy your dole whip are disgusting. Patrons are rude by leaving their food scraps and garbage all over the tables making it impossible for others to use the tables. The staff seems uninterested in cleaning up the messes that are made by rude tourists. Because of the garbage lying around the number of feral cats is gross they are everywhere eating garbage jumping on tables and making a mess
They need to start charging a nominal entrance fee or something because it is too busy, with too many rude tourists, and not enough staff to deal with them
The dole whip is the only redeeming quality of this place
If you aren’t driving by on your way to some other location, don’t waste your time. You will only be disappointed
The state of the grounds is gross. The pineapple maze is in massive disrepair. The spot where you can take photos is disgusting. The boards are completely deteriorating.
The areas outside where you can enjoy your dole whip are disgusting. Patrons are rude by leaving their food scraps and garbage all over the tables making it impossible for others to use the tables. The staff seems uninterested in cleaning up the messes that are made by rude tourists. Because of the garbage lying around the number of feral cats is gross they are everywhere eating garbage jumping on tables and making a mess
They need to start charging a nominal entrance fee or something because it is too busy, with too many rude tourists, and not enough staff to deal with them
The dole whip is the only redeeming quality of this place
If you aren’t driving by on your way to some other location, don’t waste your time. You will only be disappointed
Written 11 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ag00
Portland, OR86 contributions
June 2021
This was the worst experience on our 14 day trip to Oahu. Seriously surprised that a company like Dole would rip people off in such a shameful manner. the lines for the train and pineapple whip were 2 hours long. the lines to purchase tickets were 45 mins long so we bought the garden tour only. Shocked that they were charging to visit this 'garden' which could be walked in 5 mins with a 2-3 papaya trees, 10-15 pineapples, 2-3 plumeria trees without many flowers (you can see way more beautiful ones in the city). We took 5 pictures and left. So disappointed that we wasted 3 hours of our precious time. If you want to see fields of pineapple, just drive 2 mins north from the plantation beautiful pineapple fields. I am planning to write to Dole as well about this experience.
Written 12 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kelly W
1 contribution
Apr 2021 • Family
Terrible customer service and method of running their train. Waited in line for 20 minutes before being told that I cut in line in front of another line that was outside of the garden tour/ Pineapple Express ticket area- the woman wanted me and my children who had been standing in the sun for 20 minutes to go back to the end of the line. Funny thing is, I had talked to her right when I entered the line too. Then, after getting to the overhang where people que to get onto the train, we’re held back from the rest of the group getting onto the train because of their spacing method on the train- the employee who sits in the caboose didn’t want anyone sitting in front of the plexiglass window pane separating her from the rest of the train. It is very frustrating to wait over 45 minutes to get onto a train, only to not get on with your boarding group because of bureaucratic mismanagement and wait another 15 minutes. And for being so focused on wearing masks, they take for purchase photo ops everywhere where people take their masks off. I would not recommend doing the dole plantation to people easily annoyed by contrary rules or visible mismanagement that does not focus on a happy visitor experience.
Written 18 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Darlene C
Healdsburg46 contributions
Dec 2019
We made the mistake of visiting two days after Christmas and the place was a zoo. It was a 45-50 wait to take the 20-minute train ride, so we opted to take the garden tour costing $7/per person plus tax. It was a complete waste of money. The garden was repetitive.... the same bromeliads over and over along with paths to nowhere. Not only that, there were absolutely NO pineapples in the garden. Thats what we came to see and eventually found two small ones outside the "garden" which we could have looked at for free.
With all the people and the rain, we decided to simply leave.
With all the people and the rain, we decided to simply leave.
Written 1 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Derek M
Toluca Lake, California, United States48 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
The trip here for the original dole whip is well worth your efforts! But it’s also so pretty here! Plus you learn about dole and how it’s made. Be sure to check out the pineapple carving demonstration and grab a piece when they offer it because you’ll never have a pineapple taste like that ever! Took the train and was neat. Do this tour on your own because if you do it through a tour group you won’t have time to enjoy the whole plantation as there are things to do. Rent a car for a day and drive there yourself! Well worth it because it’s cheaper than a tour and you can drive the same route and stop along the way!
Written 1 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sara M
Washington DC, DC112 contributions
Aug 2021 • Family
I was excited to see the Dole plantation during our trip to HI, but I really had no idea what a tourist trap it is. There are long lines for EVERYTHING (tour, train ride, maze, entering the gift shop, restaurant), so you end up spending way more time here than reasonable - most of it just waiting.
The attractions definitely weren’t worth the wait. We did the maze, the train tour, tried the famous Dole Whip (it’s available other places on the island… don’t stand in line here for it… it’s also just pineapple soft serve - what’s all the fuss?), and walked around the gift shop. I really just don’t understand the attraction. Everything was overpriced and underwhelming. If you must stop here just to say you’ve been, I recommend being selective about what you choose to do, and limit your time so you don’t waste time in lines or waste money just to be disappointed. Unanimously, this is the one place my family said was our least favorite part of the trip.
The one reason they get any points, in my mind, is that it was obvious they were going to great lengths to be cautious about covid.
The attractions definitely weren’t worth the wait. We did the maze, the train tour, tried the famous Dole Whip (it’s available other places on the island… don’t stand in line here for it… it’s also just pineapple soft serve - what’s all the fuss?), and walked around the gift shop. I really just don’t understand the attraction. Everything was overpriced and underwhelming. If you must stop here just to say you’ve been, I recommend being selective about what you choose to do, and limit your time so you don’t waste time in lines or waste money just to be disappointed. Unanimously, this is the one place my family said was our least favorite part of the trip.
The one reason they get any points, in my mind, is that it was obvious they were going to great lengths to be cautious about covid.
Written 15 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Can we just walk in without reservation? It’s March and I was guessing it’s a low season so I made Dole Plantation a filler for our other available time
Written 10 March 2020
yes it is a visitor center so you can stop by anytime
time taken is dependent upon line ups
Written 12 March 2020
Visitors report long queues for the train ride. Is this true even if you reserve tickets in advance through their website? Thanks!
Written 7 January 2020
We didn't wait at all. I guess it depends what time of day and which season you are there.
Written 27 January 2020
Has anyone tried to commute using public vehicle such as bus to Dole Plantation? How far the bus station from the Dole entrance gate? Appreciate your response.
Written 15 September 2019
There are two local buses that stop right at the Plantation. Check the Dole Plantation website under "resources" and it directs you to the proper bus routes and numbers. Enjoy!
Written 15 September 2019
Do photos exist of the pineapple faucets? My husband saw them in the 50's but didn't take a photo.
Written 13 September 2019
never saw them. My husband remembered them too from his 1990 trip and was looking for them as well
Written 19 September 2019
If the teens like gaming and are a little competitive then I would say, yes, it might be fun for them. Full disclosure is that the Plantation gives each entrant a little map and a pencil and you use the map to find 6-8 "stations" in the maze. At each station you do a rubbing onto the map to show you made it. The teens may also think it is cool to tell their friends that they were in the world's largest maze.
Written 2 June 2019
I can’t get through to an actual employee at the Dole Plantation when I call. I want to know under what weather circumstances they cancel the train ride. Is it worth it? We have a two and four-year-old and thought going to the plantation for a train ride and Dole Whip would be a fun little activity.
Written 15 February 2019
Not sure what weather conditions would prevent the train from running, but it is covered and even has roll down flaps in case it is raining sideways. I seem to recall that the waiting area was also covered for shelter.
Written 15 February 2019
What is the price of the huge pineapple sundae / split??
Written 3 January 2019
$27.00. We were just there today!
Written 3 January 2019
What is the price of the huge pineapple sundae / split??
Written 3 January 2019
I looked at the website it is 6.95
Written 3 February 2019
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