What I did on My One Month Cruise Vacation to Hawaii and Tahiti

I just returned from a 28-day cruise. I am fortunate enough to have fallen in love with a man who works for himself and makes his own schedule. Because of this, we were able to take a 1-month vacation this past Fall. We went on a cruise on the Sapphire Princess. It is amazing what one can do when they plan a trip for a month. Imagine, one whole month to do as you please. Our kids are older now and out on their own which means they are not looking to us for support or to meet their everyday needs. So one can get a lot accomplished in a one-month period of leisure time. Here’s what I did with my time:

1) Read six books: The Vow by Kim Carpenter, Making a Living Without a Job by Barbara Winter, Wherever You Need Me by Anna Urda Busby, Losing It by Valerie Bertinelli, Debt Free For Life by David Bach, Mosaic by Amy Grant

2) Read three magazines

3) Wrote four blog entries

4) Wrote13 online articles for publication (Hubs)

5) Worked out 25 out days out of 28 days by either walking or swimming laps

6) Gained only 2 pounds

7) Attended a seminar on acupuncture

8) Ate whatever I wanted, every day

9) Fell more in love with my husband

10) Made a list of my personal goals for the next year

11) Relaxed daily

12) Used a hot tub for 27 days

13) Watched 28 movies: Crazy, Stupid Love, Goya's Ghosts, Bridges of Madison County, Pollack, Tora, Tora, Tora, The Notebook, Snow White and The Huntsman, Roman Holiday, The Descendants, Girl With the Pearl Ear Ring, The Way We Were, The Agony and the Ecstasy, Sense and Sensibility, My Best Friend’s Wedding, This Means War, Larry Crowne, The American President, One Fine Day, Secretariat, Zookeeper, Morning Glory, An Affair to Remember, The Blind Side, The Magic of Belle Island, The Lucky One, Return to Me, The Vow

14) Ate out in restaurants for 84 meals

15) Sat on a balcony at sunset with a glass of wine 14 times

16) Took 2 Zumba classes

17) Learned the meaning of the following words: Aloha, Mahalo, Tora

18) Crossed the equator twice

19) Saw the world’s largest Hawaiian shirt

20) Saw 2 Polynesian dance shows

21) Drank coconut water

22) Toured the Western Samoa home of Robert Louis Stevenson

23) Visited the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor and learned about the attack that got the United States involved in World War II

24) Walked 18 miles on the promenade deck and a treadmill

25) Saw one magic show, four comedy shows, one piano concert, two concerts of a string quartet, attended four musicals, heard four different vocal soloists

26) Attended a lecture on Pearl Harbor

27) Took 576 pictures of Hawaii, Bora Bora, Moorea, 4Tahiti, Western Samoa and American Samoa, and the cruise ship

28) Tookfourplane trips

29) Took 23 naps

30) Had three formal portraits taken with my husband

31) Got a tan

32) Attended an afternoon tea

33) Bought 3 Christmas presents

34) Saw the “Grand Canyon of the South Pacific” which is the Waimea Canyon on Kauai

35) Saw where Jurassic Park was filmed

36) Visited 4 Hawaiian Islands

37) Visited 2 Samoan Islands

38) Visited 3 French Polynesian islands

39) Went to 4 classical music concerts

40) Ate the best scones and fresh whipped cream I have ever had

41) Developed a business plan for my new writing career

42) Took a walking tour of the Queen Mary

43) Tasted Kona coffee from a coffee farm on the Big Island of Hawaii

44) Mailed nine postcards to friends and relatives

45) Saw a Tahitian waterfall

46) Saw a fern grotto

47) Saw eight flying fish

48) Saw four rainbows

49) Had the best vacation of my life

50) Wrote a thank you letter to my husband for taking me on the best vacation of my life!

If you have never been on a cruise before, I highly recommend one for possibly the best vacation of your life!