Cruisin' is the Only Way to Go!

So, what is the best and most enjoyable way to vacation in Hawaii? If you ask any of the 18 seniors from the Wadsworth Center for Older Adults, who joined 72 others from Barberton, Maumee, Columbus, Erie and a few other locations and toured the islands for 10 days in February, they will tell you it definitely is “cruisin’.”

Scott Yoder, Medina TBI Tours’ president, and Cindy Staycheff, tour guide, conducted the tour in conjunction with the center, which handled the promotion locally.

“We include major ‘must-see’ attractions and minimize standing in long lines and baggage handling,” Yoder said. “No one wants to travel thousands of miles and end up wasting valuable vacation time.” He added they pride themselves in offering all-inclusive vacations “with well-trained staff attending to your needs so you come home with great memories and experiences which will last a lifetime.”

“To us, the convenience of having everything planned for you and not having to worry about every little thing made the vacation that much more enjoyable,” said Judy and Art Mink, former Wadsworth residents now living in Lancaster, Pa., who joined the group in Chicago. “Another thing was leaving all the cold weather behind and getting off the plane in the sunshine and warm weather. Winter is the best time to visit Hawaii.”

Off-shore excursions included Pearl Harbor, Hanauma Bay and Diamondhead on Honolulu, Volcano National Park, Lahina Luau and whale watching on Maui, Place of Refuge National Park on Kona and Waimea Canyon on Kauai. In addition to the excursions and sightseeing on the islands, the cruise ship “Pride of America” was an experience in itself.

The “Pride of America” features “freestyle cruising” — in other words, you do what you want, when you want to do it — easy enough with access to 10 restaurants, nine lounges with evening entertainment, two swimming pools, four hot tubs, nightly Las Vegas- and Broadway-style shows in the 880-seat theatre, a shopping area with a variety of specialty and name-brand shops, library, driving range, basketball and tennis courts, spa and 24-hour fitness center.

“Seeing Hawaii and combining it with a cruise is the most economical way to go,” said Marco Burnette of Barberton, who with his wife Karen met the group in Honolulu.

For information about TBI’S next Hawaiian cruise call 800-223-8687.

• 2008 Dates:
  December 4-14, 2008
• 2009 Hawaii Dates:
  January 22-February 1, 2009
  February 5-15, 2009
  February 26-March 8, 2009
  March 5-15, 2009