After reading several reviews about how fun the Dole plantation is, were excited to take our toddler. Here’s a very honest review for you: The train ride was just over 20 minutes and after the first 5, our toddler was bored and ready for something new. Kids will get bored very quickly as the ride was too long and not overly stimulating. It’s also really hard to hear the recorded voice playing during the train ride. The garden tour was nice and a bit more stimulating for little ones. The gift shop had a lot on the go and may have been the highlight of the entire experience. We skipped the maze as being lost in the world’s largest maze with a toddler isn’t ideal for us. The dole whip was very sweet but tasty. Overall, the dole plantation is something interesting to experience once, and that’s about it.

I had read a lot of reviews about the train and how it was not a good experience, so we decided to skip that part. I had also read a lot about this being a “tourist trap”, well, yeah, but it is an experience you should check out. We did the maze and the flower garden. The maze was sub par, but cute and the flower garden had a lot of plants and different palms. There were banana, guava, coffee plants to name a few. It was a nice leisurely way to spend the afternoon. The gift shop was by far, the best gift shop that captured the experience of Dole. Don’t forget your dole whip before you go. This is a must and better than others on the island.

The Dole plantation is a cute place to visit. But do yourself a favor, visit on your own. And NOT threw a tour company. The earlier you get there, the better. You'll have more room to shop, without the crowds. It gets packed around 10 am. Unfortunately, there was only 1 cashier working when we visited. So help is desperately needed at the store. They have a cute variety of souvenirs. Anything & everything Pineapple!🍍 Some apparel are only sold at the store & not on the website. As we found out the hard way. We inquired about a shirt size we wanted but wasn't available, so we asked the cashier about it. And she told us you can buy on the website. So we decided to buy via website. But it wasn't offered, so I inquired about the shirt. They said they can't sell anything that isn't offered on the website. That is a specialty item that can only be bought in store only. So I was disappointed. But the dole whipped ice cream with fresh Pineapple slices was awesome!! They have a small train called "The Pineapple Express" that goes around the Plantation. It was okay, but the family. In front of us was awful & annoying. They screamed and yelled during the whole train ride. So we couldn't hear the tutorial that was playing while the train was going. They also have a small restaurant/ snack shop that us located in the shop. It's a good stop, but get there early. To avoid all the awful crowds.

Nice little tourist spot. The tour was a little overpriced. But not a bad place. The merch inside the store cost a lot. It cost $18 for a pineapple inside the shop, but you can go to the store in town and pay $3. I wasn't down with that, but they have other odd and end things. They have an ice cream shop inside that's not bad to try. I didn't know until I went there that Pineapples come from out of the ground not a tree.

Some interesting information. Definitely a tourist trap. The train tour is a train wreak of organization. Too much time is wasted taking each passenger group’s photo. The trains could be loaded much faster without doing this. Just to sell you a photo. Go early!!!! Parking becomes difficult and lines get longer in the afternoon Don’t make this a priority on your vacation but if you have extra time, go for it.

We arrived there later than we anticipated at 10:30, so that might have contributed to the crowds. Parking was extremely hard to find, but I understand why since this was a pretty good attraction. We first went on the train and since it was a long line we got some dole whip to make it better. As people who have gone to Disney world would say, “you can’t not get it.” They are correct. Best ice cream ever! Anyway, the train was very educational about all the plants grown and the story of the plantation. Would recommend, even if the lines are long. We also did the garden. Didn’t enjoy it as much, but would still recommend. We didn’t do the maze, because we have the world’s largest corn maze in Richardson Farm which is near where we live and we can just go there. Anyway, the only reason it’s not 5 stars is because of the crowds. If you can come when the tourism level isn’t as high, this would be great!

Like other reviews have said, it's a VERY touristy spot. We were there just after 9:30 (after it opened) and there was already a 45 minute wait for the train. The corn maze is cool but my son was really disappointed that there was so many entrances/exits. He said it wasn't very challenging. The main reason for going here was strictly for the dole whip. OMG you have to get it! It's unbelievable. Pricy but so worth it.

This is my first ever NEGATIVE review of anywhere. But do not bother! The 2 stars are because we enjoyed the train ride. We waited around for the pineapple cutting demonstration. When the time came, no one was there! There was no board that told when the next event would be. Some employee told us to wait until the top of the hour. We went to see and NOTHING! NO ONE!!! No sample of chocolate. No sample or demonstration of fresh pineapple! It was a shopping mall with tons of vendors (not Dole related)! I didn’t go to the Dole Pineapple Plantation to buy jewelry, pearls, aprons, handbags, or soaps!!! Do not even bother. Go to Old Town Haleiwa or North Shore.

Some in our group were having a craving for Dole Whip and insisted we go to the Dole Plantation, big mistake! Drove for about 30 minutes to the plantation, which was swarmed with people, not a cubic inch unoccupied. Parking was a nightmare, probably drove around their lot for 15-20 minutes looking for spots. Got so bad that we decided we were going to just straight up leave if a spot did not appear in the next few minutes. To our misfortune, one did, so we stayed. After parking we went into the main building to get the Dole Whip. The place was basically shlock-city, one overpriced touristy item after another. The food court was a complete disaster, extremely long and slow moving lines. Portions were pretty big, but overpriced and frankly too sweet for my taste. Tables were first come first serve and people were very aggressive in claiming and retaining their spots!! Didn't want to spend another second there after finishing the dole whip, so we left immediately and didn't peruse anything else (but looked like there was a train going around the grounds, a maze, and other seemingly child-friendly attractions). Oahu has so many beautiful, scenic, iconic places to visit. I would recommend you spend more time taking advantage of an authentic Hawaii experience and avoid this place at all costs!! And as a capper, you can definitely find better dole whip elsewhere without going through all the hassle and congestion.

Yes this is a tourist trap. We went on New Year's Day and were surprised how many people were there. I can't speak for the maze, train or other attractions they have here. We had been here many years before when me and my siblings were smaller. We just tried the pineapple ice cream, which was very good (the pineapple seems to taste better here, than at home) and then bought some things in the gift shop. I've heard that the train gets very busy, so get there early if you are wanting to do that. This would be a good place to take kids, but just be prepared for crowds.