Words by Hayley Pearson
Aloha Pineapples and welcome to #AdeladydoesHawaii — where Lauren and I are swapping our beloved Adelaide Hills for Hawaiian waves! We LOVE SA, but we also LOVE to travel abroad, especially when we’re travelling with other South Aussies!
We’re on board the Norwegian Cruise Line Pride of America for seven amazing nights (all booked through Phil Hoffmann Travel) with 26 gorgeous Adeladies and Adelads, cruising from island to island! Over the next few days, I’ll be sharing all our sunny shenanigans as we dive into this tropical paradise.
Get ready for daily updates on where we’ve been, how many turtles we’ve swum with, the beaches we’ve sipped cocktails on, and all the laughter, fun, and fabulousness happening on board!
Let’s make some Hawaiian memories together!
Love Hayley x
DAY ONE
Aloha, from absolute paradise!
If you’ve ever fantasised about waking up every morning to a new Hawaiian island out your window then we’re here to say — IT’S EVEN BETTER THAN YOU DREAMED OF!
Okay so day one has been wild! We’re here with 26 travel-loving Adeladies and Adelads and it all started with a cocktail party! Actually let’s rewind a few hours first…
We checked in (which took about 10 minutes), unpacked, perused the awesome amenities and restaurants on board this all-American ship and even had time to start a dance floor on Deck 11! The sun was shining and the vibe was pumping.
Then it was cocktail time… 6pm by the pool!
Our group is so amazing and have all booked this holiday for their own special reasons — 40ths, 50th,60ths, wedding anniversaries… and some, just because! Their stories as to why they booked to holiday with us have made our hearts sing.
The night kicked on at the piano bar until we all hit our soft pillows at midnight.
We’ve woken up in Maui and are about to get off the ship and explore! Eeeeek! Swimming with turtles, waterfalls, lazy beach days… all calling our name!
Love your pineapple besties, Hayley and Lauren x
DAY TWO
Okay, we’ve woken up like kids on Chrissy morning and Lauren didn’t snore last night so today’s a great day!
Buffet breakfast was sensational as expected and everyone was super excited to explore Maui today!
If you haven’t cruised before, you might not know that every day (except Sea Days) you can jump off the ship and explore on your own or book one of their Shore Excursions.
On Maui, you can explore the famous Road to Hana, a winding path of waterfalls, black-sand beaches, and cliffside views that feel straight out of a postcard. Love snorkelling? We’ve been told that the Molokini Crater excursion is a must, where you can swim with tropical fish and maybe even spot a sea turtle or two. Eeek!
The Big Island (heading there tomorrow) brings an entirely different vibe with its famous volcanoes. If you’ve got a bit of an adventurous spirit, we’ve been told to book the Volcanoes National Park excursion, where you’ll stand in awe of the massive Kilauea Crater and walk through ancient lava tubes.
We decided we’d explore Maui ourselves and get an Uber with two of our new friends that we met on our #ADELADYDOESHAWAII holiday (Joey and Sharon) and the four of us headed to the gorgeous Kameole Beach, Kihei. We hired deck chairs, a snorkel and lazed about on the beach eating fish burgers and squealing over a giant turtle who visited us on the beach!
Warning — at 1pm on Maui the wind goes nuts. We learned that the hard way, when our sunshade decided to have a fit on the sand… I’m surprised our bather tops stayed on, it was wild!
Back to the ship we went, with sandy feet and happy hearts. We hung on the pool deck, napped and then went to one of the included restaurants for dinner with a few of our crew — Liberty! Deeeelicious!
But it didn’t end there, we all bee lined to the Piano Bar and I don’t want to show off but our crew definitely brought the vibe and MADE the dance floor!
We were in bed by 11.30pm while Helen (89) was seen cutting up another dance floor at midnight… legend!
Nighty night x
DAY THREE
After two jam-packed days of exploring, day three was a much-needed sea day, also commonly known as a rest-from-too-many-mai-tais day, am I right?!
The ocean was as calm as our plans to do absolutely anything physical, so we embraced the full “floating resort” vibe of our ship. Everyone did their own thing and loved themselves sick for it.
For some of our crew the day started off strong with a lei-making class.
We didn’t need a lei (lols) so we chose to be lazy Susans in the Adults Only area, reading and sipping on delicious mango daiquiris.
Dinner was fabulous at La Cucina, one of the specialty restaurants. We used our voucher and dined like pineapple queens on fresh prawn pasta and caprese salads.
Some of the crew went to a comedy show followed by a seventies disco but we were still sore from dancing the night before so early night for us, and ready for a big day in Hilo!
Nighty night x
DAY FOUR
Hello, Hilo! Shore excursion day…
After a solid day of recovery, we were back in action on day four, and let me tell you, Hilo did not disappoint. We hopped on the “Hoppo On Hoppo Off” bus and our awesome driver Bulla took us all over the island!
Rainbow Falls was fantastic, Big Island Candies was delicious, followed by the fruit and veg market with pineapples, papayas, dragonfruit… it was a rainbow of tropical deliciousness. We sampled everything we could get our hands on and downed a fresh guava juice like we’d never seen liquid before!
Then came the famous black sand beaches with actual, real-life turtles. Imagine the most serene setting you’ve ever experienced and a wise old turtle chilling on the shore — lots of them! Amazing!
As I write this from our cabin, waiting for Teppanyaki tonight, we’re feeling so lucky to be on this #ADELADYDOESHAWAII cruise.
Cheers to more island vibes, more turtles and maybe more cocktails tomorrow!
Aloha for now! 🌺
DAY FIVE
If you’ve ever wondered what paradise feels like, let me tell you — it’s not just about sipping cocktails under a palm tree. It’s also about wild hair, sand in every crevice of your body, and accidentally spending your entire holiday budget on ALOHA necklaces. Welcome to Day 5 of #ADELADYDOESHAWAII in Kona, where we lived our best tropical lives.
First stop: the beach. A postcard-perfect stretch of golden sand, water so incredibly blue with classic Hawaiian palms lining the beach.
After a quick wardrobe change (and by “wardrobe change,” I mean popping on shorts over our wet bathers), we hit the Kona shopping scene. Local markets full of handmade jewellery, fresh coconuts, and Hawaiian shirts you’ll defs regret buying but when in Hawaii… is that the saying?!
Lunch was yet another fish burger at a stunning spot overlooking the main drag. There’s plenty of restaurants and bars on Kona so you’re spoiled for choice.
The last tender left at 4pm so in true Hayley and Lauren form, we were last on the ship!
Warning: when you go off the ship, make sure you bring your ID with you. You don’t want to get caught like we did yesterday, where we had to be escorted up to our rooms to make sure we were the right people. I mean I love that they do that because you know you’re always so safe… but also we felt like naughty criminals. So yeah, bring ID!
DAY SIX
Kauai! Known as the “Garden Island,” this place is soooo lush and green! Even in the port you see jaw-dropping cliffs and beautiful beaches.
Our Pineapple Crew are all off doing different things today. Our usual thing to do is meet at the Piano Bar at 9pm and we all hit the D-Floor! Everyone gets on so well, we’re so lucky to have such a beautiful group of travel-loving South Aussies with us.
We decided to ditch any solid plans and went into full beach-hopping mode. We ordered a taxi and asked the lovely driver (most taxi and Uber drivers here are women 🙌🏻) — “please take us to a beautiful beach”… and she did!
We kicked off lazing about at Poipu Beach, then bee-lined to the other side of the island to Dukes. We came for the Gauva daiquiris and fish and chips, but stayed for the hot, stunning, white sandy cove where we proceeded to read and dip in the water every so often all afternoon. Bliss.
If beach hopping isn’t your thing, Kauai has plenty more to offer.
Waimea Canyon: Known as the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific.” Just a casual, massive canyon that’ll make you feel tiny, in the best way.
Napali Coast: Helicopter tour, anyone? The views are insane! You see the whole Island — beaches, cliffs and all.
Wailua Falls: a double waterfall, so dreamy!
And of course you can book NCL Off-Shore excursions too!
We’re in port overnight, so more exploring to do tomorrow. Here’s what some of our crew got up to…
DAY SEVEN
What a week it’s been! #AdeladyDoesHawaii was everything we dreamed of and more. We spent seven magical days with 26 incredible South Australians — each traveling for their own reasons…
We celebrated milestones galore. There were 40ths toasted with Mai Tais, 80ths marked with multiple cakes, and Helen, at 89, showing us all what courage and joy look like as she embarked on her first solo holiday without her beloved husband, John. (Spoiler: Helen owned Hawaii. She’s officially everyone’s new bestie).
Every moment felt like a postcard. Snorkelling in crystal-clear waters, shopping up a storm in Waikiki, and eating more fish burgers than we thought humanly possible. But what made this trip unforgettable wasn’t just the amazing beaches — it was the people.
We laughed until we cried, danced until we couldn’t stand up anymore, shared stories that crossed generations, and proved that you’re never too old or too young for a cheeky piña colada (or two).
Hawaii is breathtaking, and experiencing it on Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pride Of America was the best way to see it all!
And sharing it with such a warm, wonderful group made it extraordinary. To everyone who joined us — thank you for your laughter, your dance moves, and your friendship!
And for those who missed out, don’t worry! We’ve got big plans with Phil Hoffmann Travel for our next adventure.
Until then, mahalo and aloha! 🌺
(P.S. Helen’s already packed her bags for our next trip — who’s joining her?)
To book, contact your Phil Hoffmann Travel consultant online HERE or give us a call on 1300 748 748.
