Just one week ago, we were waking up to salty ocean air and tropical breezes, coconut trees and hibiscus. Even more magical, we shared the views with our children, my parents, and my brother and his wife. Fortunate, an understatement.
Come along while I recap our trip to the Aloha state, Hawaii. Harper and Jameson have labeled it their best trip ever, and who can blame them? There were new experiences, laughter, food, and family complete with a beautiful backdrop.
Our adventure began with with a quick layover in California followed by a flight to Honolulu. The kids did great; I think they surprised themselves. For months, they’d anticipated a long, boring flight, but really, it zipped by and they occupied themselves well. Amazingly, our entire family, though coming from different places, landed within an hour of one another and happily reunited at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
This was home for our first two days, and boy, it was quite a place. The campus was huge, complete with multiple towers of rooms, ample choice of restaurants, shops, and pools. Harper and Jameson had never been to a beach, and having a sandy ocean day was their first priority. So, after an early night (jet lag!) and a delicious family breakfast, our family scooted down to Waikiki and rented chairs and umbrellas for the day. We planted ourselves here for hours and played, read, boogie boarded, swam, played ocean football, people watched, sipped coconut water, and slurped shaved ice. The kids were living their best lives and concluded that a day at the ocean is far better than a day at the pool. Grandma, Grandpa, Chad, and Charanya lounged, as well, and took breaks to sip umbrella drinks, take naps, and read.
By late afternoon, we had to drag the kids away in order to clean up (sand=everywhere) and meet everyone for dinner. We enjoyed a festive supper at the Village’s teppanyaki restaurant and were all satisfyingly full and sleepy by the end of the evening. Our second night of sleep proved better than our first, thanks to a big day of sun and surf, and full bellies, to boot.
The next morning, our family joined a Pearl Harbor tour. The others, having already been, stayed back to enjoy a few more hours at the pools. Jameson became particularly interested in WWII this school year and so was eager to go. Harper wanted to stay with her fun aunt and uncle at the pool, but we dragged her along anyway. After our visit, she said, “It was much better than I thought it would be.” Victory.
It was a sunny and beautiful morning at Pearl Harbor. We enjoyed a film with real footage from the day of the attack, which we all found fascinating and a little scary. Then, Navy sailors brought us by boat to see the US Arizona Memorial. We had the fortunate opportunity to visit with a ranger while there, who explained what we were seeing. The ship itself was two football fields long, marked by booeys on either end. In the water, we could see the oil that continues to leak from the ship all these many years later. The weight of the tragedy was not lost, as the list of the deceased was long. Visitors seemed grateful to be there, we among them.
After our morning tour, we swiftly packed up and grabbed a Lyft to the ship port where we boarded our traveling home, Norwegian Cruise Line’s The Pride of America, for the next week. It was fun to watch the kids’ faces as we checked into this massive floating hotel, another new experience for them. It is hard to imagine that something so grand can also be a boat. Grandma, Grandpa, Chad, and Charanya were already aboard, securing dinner reservations, and exploring our new digs. We marveled at the basketball court and video game arcade and pools and fitness center and gelato stands before checking into our staterooms … womp womp … they were cozy. And wee. But, fast forward, as it turns out this didn’t matter a bit. We were, in fact, cozy, but we also loved and appreciated having a balcony. The ocean breeze in the morning made coffee extra special.
The ship departed Honolulu at 7pm to set sail for Maui. We waved goodbye to the lights of Oahu and went to bed with eager hearts.
The next chapter of our trip included more beach, hiking, Dole Whip, and volcanoes. Stay tuned.
Love Hawaii! All the islands! Glad you and the kids loved it too! So much to love! Aloha!! 🌸🌸