We got to return to Pearl Harbor, which needless to say, I was most excited for! Last time we could only go out to the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial, which ironically, was closed for refurbishment. So this time around, we got to enjoy all the other tours this historical place had to offer and we very much loved them all…
Crossroads of the Pacific. This was a WWII era historical marker that is featured in a prominent scene in one of mine and Melissa’s favorite movie’s: Pearl Harbor.
The first tour we took at Pearl Harbor was a walk through of the U.S.S. Bowfin. I absolutely love touring historic military vessels and the handful of tours we took that day proved to be no exception. Each proved to be incredibly different from the next.
We learned right away, submarine life would not have been for us. Especially during the time the Bowfin was active. Smoking was allowed on board and often the submarine wouldn’t surface for weeks and weeks at a time. I definitely don’t think I could’ve handled it.
There’s a gigantic statue of this famous pose in San Diego that I love seeing when there. This cute statue instantly took me there and I loved that. Pretty sure the original moment happened at a parade in New York City, so love that this image has been immortalized all over the United States.
We later toured the U.S.S. Missouri, which was a battleship sunk at Pearl Harbor and later resurrected to fight in World War II. Incredibly enough, the Japanese surrendered aboard this vessel, bringing an end to WWII.
After touring the battleship Missouri, we decided we could definitely do this life more so than the submarine one. They had a shop, a library, and all kinds of various amenities aboard the battleship. All things considered, I felt like these sailors had it pretty good, especially compared to their submarine peers.
We finished the day with a tour of the Pearl Harbor airfield and hangar bays. This was probably my favorite of the three we did.
A portion of the hull of the U.S.S. Arizona and a warplane behind it.
The motorcycle was such a nice accent to this fighter jet. This museum was top notch and definitely one I would even return to again should I ever find myself back at Pearl Harbor. There was just so much history to immerse yourself in and I loved that so much.
This was the mountain range the Japanese planes flew over on their way to bomb Pearl Harbor. It was wild to think of hundreds of planes cresting those mountains coming to inflict the world-changing damage they did.
This was my attempt at an artsy shot of the air tower through the broken panes of glass they had on display outside the hangar bays.
The following day we went to the Dole Pineapple Plantation and LOVED IT! Pineapple is one of my favorite fruits and we got to try plenty of it there – despite there being a pineapple shortage – which was brought on from the wildfires in Maui. This was a top notch destination for us.
They had these incredible gardens at the Dole Plantation and of course, we toured them all. It was a tropical paradise.
Peace.
Fun in the sun.
We figured there was no better way to cap off our stay at Aulani than to attend a Hawaiian Luau. Needless to say, it was simply the best! We got seat by a truly awesome woman who was there on her own from Montana and had a great deal of lovely conversation with her. It really was the perfect ending to a perfect trip.
There were a pair of narrators who took us through a storytelling voyage that highlighted so many amazing aspects of the Hawaiian culture. The experience was very interactive and just super enjoyable, which is a blessing because the luau was over three and a half hours long. The dinner was top notch though and so were the cute mixed drinks! The whole experience was an easy 10/10 for us.
Had to make a lil’ time for a promotional photo. You can purchase my debut novel, “Shithead” HERE!
Farewell Aulani and Hawaii, we had THE BEST time and now that we’re Disney Vacation Club Members, we’ll most definitely be back!
Well, there you have it, the ending to our Hawaiian Vacation. I can safely say, Hawaii doesn’t owe us anything! We loved everything about our time there and look forward to one day, hopefully not too far from now, we’ll be back. There is no shortage of things to see and do and every view is like a postcard.
Of course, THANK YOU all for viewing! Appreciate your support! Feel free to leave a comment below as I LOVE reading and responding to them! I’ll return soon with another all new post, so until then, I wish you all, all the best!
Working hard everyday towards achieving my goal of becoming an international best-selling author. Wrote the book, just need the agent and publisher. Received the ultimate endorsement when Britney Spears wrote me saying she'd be one of the first in line to buy my book! #FreeBritney
As always, loved the blog! This makes me extra super excited about my mom’s bday trip next May. We going to Kauai!
Thank you, thank you! You all are going to have THE BEST time! Can’t even wait to see your future photos!