Friday, June 25, 2010

Our Action-Packed Honeymoon…Island-Style!

Why, oh why, did it take me so many years to make it out to Hawaii?! From the moment we arrived until the day we reluctantly headed back home, I was blown away by the beauty of the islands, the kindness of the people, and the rich culture and history that were so vividly on display everywhere we went. No wonder this is the top honeymoon destination in the U.S.!

And since we were traveling by cruise aboard Norwegian’s Pride of America, we got to enjoy all four of the major islands – Oahu, Maui, Hawaii, and Kauai – without the hassle of packing, repacking, and sitting through additional flights. In fact, even though we were in port every day of the trip, taking fun excursions or exploring on our own, we still had plenty of time for fun onboard the ship, where we tried out specialty restaurants, went to shows, and sipped sangria on our private balcony.


I guess it’s always been true that even when I’m relaxing, whether at home or away, I still like to keep busy with fun projects and activities. Lying on the beach for hours? So not me. Snorkeling, hiking, and exploring craters? That’s more like it!

And explore we did! I can’t wait to share more fun highlights from our trip in the coming weeks, but for now, here are a few preview shots of the amazing places we visited and the sights we saw.

Haleakalā National Park in Maui…


Dolphins near Molokini Crater, one of the top snorkeling spots in the world…


Lava tubes and caves on the “Big Island” of Hawaii…


Waimea Canyon in Kauai…


On your honeymoon, did you or will you prefer to keep things action-packed the way we did? Or would you rather kick back completely?

(Photo Credits: Personal Library)

9 comments:

  1. We were so not action packed. We were very lazy...lounging on the beach, driving around the coast, shopping, etc. We did do a few things but definitely not like what i ususally do.

    I never even though to do a Hawaiian cruise! I love cruises and I've only been to the Big Island but wanted to hit up the other islands, too. What a great idea. I'll definitely have to add that to my travel list :)

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  2. Kristian and I are complete opposites when it comes to this kind of thing. I love to just be lazy and relax on the beach and he needs to constantly be doing something. So I would read on the beach while he would fish or snorkel or kayak. Worked out great.

    I would LOVE to go to Hawaii! Looks beautiful.

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  3. I guess you could say we were "action packed" ;) We knew that our lives are going to be crazy and adventurous so we figured a world cup/safari/shark diving/wine tours trip to South Africa would be the prefect spot to start!! We just don't have the attention spans to be lazy :)

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  4. Well, we planned to be action packed, but ended up lounging around quite a bit. The two nights before the wedding we got a total of 6 hours sleep. I think we just crashed. Toward the end of the week, we ventured into more action. :-) I think it turned out to be a good balance.

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  5. Looks amazing! I love Kauai! So beautiful. I hope you had a lovely time!

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  6. WOw those are awesome photos from your honeymoon and thats just a preview! It must have been amazing! We def want to get to Hawaii one day! We kept our honeymoon in between of action packed and relaxed. We stayed up late at night drinking and relaxing and woke up late in the afternoon and explored the town of Naples Fl, went on a boat tour of the bay where all the rich and famous ppl live, and went to a swamp sanctuary. Every day was something new to remember and we'll never forget it.

    Love the photo of you two together with the amazing view! :)

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  7. Looks amazing! And sounds like on your cruise you got to see so much more of the islands than we did. I'm jealous you saw dolphins too, we swam with a sea turtle off the Na Pali coast, but never saw a single dolphin!

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  8. Gorgeous photos! I am definitely more into action-packed vacations like you. In fact, the joke on our trip to Belize this week was that I "don't know how" to relax. Oh well - there is a gorgeous world to see out there and my goal was to soak up as much as possible.

    Your photos have made me excited for our Maui trip next year for our friend's destination wedding. Can't wait to hear more!

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  9. Looks gorgeous!

    We did the best of both worlds; spent a week on a sightseeing tour in Sri Lanka then spent a week on an island in the Maldives {which turned into 12 nights because of the ash crisis!}

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