ALOHA! Our Hawaii dream vacation has been in the making for over 10 years. We originally had planned to go for our 5th wedding anniversary but decided it was not the right time with young kids. Years later when the boys grew older we planned during two separate spring break vacations. Both times job changes caused us to delay.
We finally had settled for spring break of this year - third time is a charm right .... not quite. Norwegian Cruise Line decided to change the dry dock schedule and our cruise was cancelled! Unplanned changes happen even to travel professionals. Discouraged, we finally moved our vacation over Memorial day weekend - I was convinced that as our plane approached Oahu a volcano would erupt right before we landed that would require us to turn around and head back home!
To the left is a picture of our first night on Waikiki Beach.
The delay ended up being a blessing in disguise as we were now sailing on an almost brand new ship - the revitalized Pride of America, It was a perfect vessel to see four islands in seven days with two overnight stays- plenty of port time to explore. It was an exhausting but a fun trip of a lifetime.
I thought I would share out trip via pictures instead of a lot of text .... so here we go !
Our first day on the Pride of America with a Hawaiian sail-away party. Our floating resort for the week had have many Hawaiian activities and local experts on board. Norwegian does a fantastic job of bringing the feel of Hawaii on board.
One of our favorite days was on Maui visiting Haleakala National Park. On a volcano at over 10,000 feet which offers awe inspiring views of Maui though the clouds.
Day 2 on Maui gave us the opportunity to snorkel at Molokini crater and swim with the sea turtles at Turtle Bay.
Rainbow Falls in Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii. One of many spectacular waterfalls on the islands.
Volcano National Park is amazing .. where else can you see an active volcano with sulfur and steam rising from the crater? Unfortunately the lava flows have changed direction and are not easily visible. They can only be seen via helicopter or via a dangerous hike. But you can walk through a lava flow tunnel and see recent lava flows with the destructive path they leave behind.
Unfortunately our first day in Kauai and visit to Waimea Canyon (The Grand Canyon of the Pacific) was a bit rainy and foggy. The weather broke just enough for glimpses of scenery.
Second day in Kauai and an ATV adventure! Does this scene look familiar? This is where many scenes from Jurassic Park were filmed. This area was specifically used for the scene where Dr. Grant is running with the kids from a herd of dinosaurs and finally escape by jumping behind a log. This area and other parts of the ranch were used in the recent Jurassic World movie as well. When do you get to visit Hawaii and Costa Rica in one place!
Our last day on board sailing past the Na Pali Coast. A great view from our balcony with some delicious cocktails, A beautiful rainbow to end the cruise!
Spending the last few days on Oahu touring the North Shore and staying at the Disney Aulani Resort and Spa.
Visiting Pearl Harbor was a great lesson for our boys on bravery and sacrifice. It is not often they can visit a place filled with history to see where WWII started for the U.S and also the spot it ended on the USS Missouri. A reminder to our young boys to appreciate and thank the men and women that proudly serve and protect our freedoms.
I was up extra early on our departure day for a stroll at sunrise. A fitting end to a wonderful family experience.
MAHALO!
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