After two years of delays we finally got to go on our honeymoon - a Norwegian cruise around Hawaii! It just so happened to land on our second anniversary.
The idea of planning a trip to Hawaii always felt intimidating with all the different islands and things to do, so that’s why a cruise seemed like the ideal thing to do.
My plan was to take the cruise to get a feel for the places I enjoyed the most. Then one day I could revisit with a better plan and stay longer in my favorite places.
But now I’ve decided the cruise is my favorite way to do it, and we would totally do all over again with different excursions and experiences.
I felt we had just the right amount of time in each port, and I really loved having the boat to go back to each night. Plus, you can’t beat all the free drinks and food on the ship.
View this post on Instagram
Here’s a 9-day breakdown of our trip, including all the things we did and the things I already know I want to do next time.
Days 1-3: Honolulu, Oahu
Waikiki Beach
My iPhone just can’t do Waikiki beach justice. The water is so blue (but also freezing). The waves were huge. Diamond Head in the background. Surfers everywhere. Perfect sunsets. I loved this whole area — we were walking it constantly for the few days we were here.
Sheraton Princess Kaiulani
We had a few days to stay in Honolulu before we boarded the cruise, so we stayed at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani. I loved the view overlooking the pool area. They had a DJ daily and bands playing every evening. I also like how convenient it was to all the shopping and restaurants in the Waikiki area.
USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor
Visiting Pearl Harbor was on the top of my list for the entire trip. In fact, I had our reservation before I had our flights booked. (It’s free to visit, but book your tickets in advance. The standby line was 3 hours long.) There’s a museum to visit, then a US Navy boat shuttles you out to the USS Arizona for 30 minutes. You can also book separate tickets to visit the Battleship Missouri, the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum and the Aviation Museum, which I’d like to do next time.
Spam Musubi
Can you even go to Hawaii and not eat Spam? Spam Musubi is spam rice and nori. This was our fuel before hiking Diamond Head haha
Hiking Diamond Head
This is a must-see view. Diamond Head is a crater that’s on the eastern edge of Waikiki’s coastline. We walked from our hotel to the trail head entrance, which was about a 2 mile walk. When we arrived, we walked through a tunnel that takes you to the center of the crater. From there, it’s about a 0.8 mile hike from trailhead to the summit. The path was paved, but you definitely had to watch your step. There were also A LOT of stairs. But it was totally worth it.
This is also something that you need to have a reservation. It’s a pretty narrow path, so they limit the number of hikers coming through at a time. After our hike, we walked back to the beach (making our entire roundtrip hike over 6 miles — oops!)… that cold water felt SO good at that point!
Other things I’d like to do next time: Manoa Falls, eat malasadas at Leonard’s, Makapu’u Tide Pools, and the Polynesian Cultural Center
Day 4 & 5: Kahului, Maui
Road To Hana
Our time in Maui was probably my favorite. We rented a Jeep and drove the Road to Hana. The drive along the coast is less than 60 miles but it can take 2-4 hours to drive it because there are 59 stone bridges (most only being one lane) and 619 hairpin turns.
If you plan on taking this drive, renting a Jeep or convertible is the way to do it. Just layer on the sunscreen!! This is the day we got the most sun - in our Jeep of all places!
You’ll pass 15 waterfalls on the route and black sand beaches. If we did it again, we’d definitely stop more along the way. We’d also stop more at the roadside fruit-stands and restaurants.
This route was pretty intense but totally worth it. There were times the road would turn to gravel or you’d have to pull over on the side of a cliff because two cars can’t fit on the road. But if you trust your driver, it’s a great time. (Michael and I were both proud of my calmness levels)
It was crazy how much the landscape changed in such a short distance on the Road to Hana from the rainforest to basically desert. So many people turn around once they reach Hana and go back the way they came (through the rainforest) but then they miss the entire other side! So we made the entire loop and didn’t go back the way we came. It took us a little over 4 hours total.
Day 6: Hilo
Akaka Falls
If I’m honest, Hilo was my least favorite of all the stops. It could have been the rainy weather, but I didn’t feel there was as much to do in the area compared to where we had just come from.
The cruise offered excursions that took you to the Volcanoes National Park (which I will visit next time) and other tours that took you on more jungle + waterfall adventures.
We decided to get a cab and go check out Akaka Falls, which were pretty amazing too. It was about a half mile paved path through the rainforest, which lead you to the 442 foot Akaka Falls.
It only took us about 20 minutes to do it all, but we were fine with hanging out on the boat and just soaking in the good view.
Day 7: Kona
Kamakahonu Beach
I loved how charming Kona was — it had more of a vintage 70s vibe that made me feel like I had stepped back in time. We tendered in from the cruise ship right next to Kamakahonu Beach. This is a small beach known for its snorkeling, and it’s right in the heart of Kona with tons of shops and restaurants around.
Heavenly Hawaii Kona Coffee Farm
Of course, we had to visit a coffee farm in Kona. Although I can’t speak for any of the other coffee farms, I’m so glad we picked Heavenly Hawaii Kona Coffee out of all the options because of THIS view overlooking the ocean.
We got to taste several different roasts and even try chocolate covered espresso beans and macadamia nuts. I’ve been on lots of brewery tours, but never a coffee tour. It was really interesting to see the very manual process from picking the coffee beans to drying and sorting. Plus, I feel like such a snob now after having 100% Kona coffee.
Day 8 & 9: Nawiliwili, Kauai
Let me say… we dropped the ball in Kauai — and I deeply feel like this would have been my favorite island. By the time we got around to planning our cruise excursions, EVERYTHING was booked and we couldn’t find a single car rental. So there’s a lot I’d like to do in Kauai that we didn’t get to do.
Either way, we still had fun relaxing on the beach. You can’t be mad about it when you’re in Hawaii. There’s just no way you can be in a bad mood even if you have zero plans.
Michael did try out surfing and hung out with a sea turtle for a while. I got to lay under a palm tree and read a book. Zero bad days.
Next time though, I’d love to visit Waimea Canyon (aka the Grand Canyon of the Pacific), go zip lining, do some more hiking and FOR SURE go to a luau. This was an overnight stop, so lots of people did a luau in the evening — and it was the talk of the ship the next day.
Nā Pali Coast
On the last full day of the cruise before heading back to Honolulu, the cruise ship took us on a tour of the Nāpali Coast. It’s famous for its cliffs, waterfalls and caves. It was stunning and exactly what I thought Hawaii looked like - it was very Jurassic Park to me haha! But I thought this was the perfect ending to the cruise with amazing views on onside and the sunset on the other.
KEEP READING:
Our “Unofficial” Wedding Theme: Taylor Swift + America
Our Back Patio Wedding Ceremony
Our Living Room Wedding Reception
