Full Answer
The Carnival Dream even has a two-level miniature golf course. Some large contemporary cruise ships have elaborate golf simulators that offer guests the opportunity to virtually drive, chip, and putt on some of the great courses of the world.
Best for golf beginners - Carnival. There are golfers who take golf too seriously, but Carnival "Fun Ships" offer onboard programs adequate for real duffers, with expansive onboard facilities and golf-related excursions on-shore! Best for onboard services - Crystal. Crystal provides golf shore excursions at lots of upscale clubs.
Crystal provides golf shore excursions at lots of upscale clubs. On-board golf pros are available year-round on the company's three ships. Crystal offers guests the chance to play up to five times and enjoy the British Open. Golf-focused itinerary- Canary Islands, the Mediterranean, Canada, and New England maritime coast.
Best golfers onboard experience - Princess. The finest golf facilities on the Caribbean, Diamond, Grand, Crown, Sapphire, and Golden Princess.
On the opposite side of the island, near Lahaina, try Kaanapali Golf Courses featuring 36 holes.
Bermuda might be the first port that cruisers think of when planning a golf excursion. It's also an easy port to plan an outing, as most seven-night or longer cruises overnight in port.
The 18-hole course runs 6,566 yards and the facility includes a training bunker, pitching green and putting greens. Rental equipment is available, making it easy to add this golf excursion to your Mediterranean cruise agenda.
As a rule, if you book independently from the ship, plan to play 18 holes only in ports with at least a seven-hour window between the time you can disembark and the all-aboard call (unless you have prior experience with the travel times and course operation in that port.)
The championship course is a par 71 -- coming in at 6,900 yards -- with 80 bunkers and water hazards on 10 holes.
If time permits, try the 18-hole Robert Trent Jones course at Tierra del Sol, located at the northern tip of the island.
Additionally, there are travel agencies that deal exclusively with golf travel, much of it onboard cruise ships. GolfAhoy, for example, has both prepackaged golf cruises on lines like Norwegian, Celebrity, Cunard and Crystal, or will assist with your golf needs when you book sailings with select other lines like AmaWaterways or Silversea.
If you want to spend some time on the greens in a port or two during a cruise, but you'd rather not handle all the planning yourself, check your cruise line's excursion options. Carnival, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises offer golf excursions in popular golfing ports of calls like Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, Cozumel, Montego Bay and Bermuda. Even luxury cruise line SeaDream Yacht Club offers golf excursions on select cruises. Utilizing a ship-sponsored excursion is an easy way to save considerable planning time compared to organizing an outing on your own.
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, Crystal Cruises, AmaWaterways, European Waterways, Avalon Waterways and Azamara (with partner PerryGolf) all offer golf-themed cruises that include rounds on courses like the Beckenbauer Course in Germany (home of the Porsche European Open), Castle Stuart Golf Links in Inverness, Scotland, and the Monte Carlo Golf Club.
There are companies that open up the options for golfing in port by working with Norwegian, Oceania, Celebrity, Cunard and Ponant to bring you cruises that focus on your sport.
Start by looking for courses in the vicinity of the cruise port, keeping in mind that there might be multiple places your ship can dock in any given port. The Cruise Critic Message Boards are a good resource for finding courses near cruise terminals; members who have played them on previous sailings can review the course and speak to logistics around transportation and reserving tee times.
The golf club shipping experts at Ship Sticks suggest you remove the heads where possible and use plenty of Bubble Wrap taped around all the remaining heads before enclosing your bag and clubs in a hard or soft outer case or a box to prevent damage. As with other luggage, have your contact information both inside and outside of the container.
GolfAhoy offers golf packages on partial ship charters that are a happy medium for those who would find a true golf theme cruise too intensive. They take all the work out of planning the golf outings, but not much more. Don't expect onboard activities for golfers, PGA pros to help with your game or staff onboard to carry, clean and store your clubs.
The other advice from Ship Sticks is to avoid schlepping your clubs at all by shipping them directly to your cruise ship. In addition to Ship Sticks, there are multiple options for doing that, including services like Luggage Forward and Luggage to Ship, as well as shipping services offered by some cruise lines.
All offers are based on select sailings and categories and are subject to availability at time of booking. All rates are per person based on double occupancy.
All offers are based on select sailings and categories and are subject to availability at time of booking. All rates are per person based on double occupancy.
Some, like the Radiance of the Seas, MSC Lirica, Jewel of the Seas, and Ruby Princess have elaborate miniature golf courses that are fun for everyone, young and old. The Carnival Dream even has a two-level miniature golf course.
Avalon Waterways features three golf courses on one of its Danube River itineraries. Barge cruises also sometimes offer golf-theme trips. European Waterways has "golf barging" on 8 ships carrying 4-12 passengers in 4 countries. You can cruise the rivers and canals (and golf) of England, Scotland, Ireland, and France.
Really serious golfers might enjoy a round or two of miniature golf on a ship, but what they really want to do is to play golf ashore. All of the major cruise lines offer you a chance to play golf ashore as part of an organized shore excursion if there is a course nearby. You can bring your own clubs or rent them. Playing at a private club where you are not a member can be very pricey, but will provide a lifetime memory. Plus, all your golfing buddies back home will be very jealous that you've played golf at an overseas course. Every golfer would love to go home and tell his/her golfing buddies about playing golf at some of the world's famous courses in Scotland, Spain, Australia, the Caribbean, or Asia.
Some even have tickets you can buy to attend this special event--definitely a lifetime bucket list item for many golfers. Carnival Cruises has expanded its golf program to include some marvelous golf courses in the Caribbean and Mexico.
Those who love to golf do not have to give up their favorite past time when taking a cruise vacation. Golfers and spouses can have a golfing experience as well as find time for exploring the best sites at the cruise ship's ports of call, thus making everyone happy.
The Carnival Dream even has a two-level miniature golf course. Some large contemporary cruise ships have elaborate golf simulators that offer guests the opportunity to virtually drive, chip, and putt on some of the great courses of the world.
You can bring your own clubs or rent them. Playing at a private club where you are not a member can be very pricey, but will provide a lifetime memory. Plus, all your golfing buddies back home will be very jealous that you've played golf at an overseas course.
Our golf cruises visit over 25 countries each year, with play on 80+ courses including 20 of the world’s top 100. PerryGolf staff are onboard and onsite to take care of all arrangements. Guests need only to relax and enjoy their game, as they golf and socialize in the company of like-minded new friends. Golf equipment is handled and set up in advance ready for play, and convenient ground transportation operates for guests between the ship and golf course. Green fees, cart fees, and gratuities are covered, as is on-course lunch and clubhouse post-round drinks. Back onboard our exclusive golf-group social gatherings round out the experience, to which non-golfing partners are always most cordially invited.
Azamara and PerryGolf, the leading provider of international luxury golf vacations, have partnered since 2011 to offer a unique selection of global golf cruises. Our 2022/2023 collection currently includes 28 golf voyages featuring play on more than 70 marquee courses in 23 countries. Twenty of the courses are ranked among the world's top 100 by Golf Digest , such as Ireland's Royal Portrush, Scotland's Turnberry and New Zealand's Cape Kidnappers.
Their vacation experience also includes visiting such amazingly beautiful places, as Hawaii, Australia, and New Zealand, Bermuda, Scotland. Or some of the world's top best golf courses located in the Caribbean.
Among golf cruising evolutionary trends is the fact that golfers on a weeklong trip, can visit up to five courses in five destinations which are unique, even without repacking or lugging their clubs! Golf cruises carry golfing equipment on board and guests do not need to be burdened on their holidays.
Golf voyages are a challenging way to improve on the game. Due to golf popularity, golf voyages offer support facilities for personal golf tour- all guests' needs are satisfied- clubs, shoes, carts are readily on hand to appreciate the playing experience on the finest world courses in the most charming surroundings.
Best golf destination - Bermuda. With the largest number of golf courses per square mile in the world! Most ships visiting Bermuda spend up to four days out of seven and give golfers the chance to sample such a variety of courses.
Golfers today almost do not have to get off the vessel to play some rounds. One of the most innovative features is the golf simulators which allow passengers to have "virtual" rounds at courses of world-class like "St Andrews".
Naturally, your golfing cruises will include a lot of golfing, golfing, golfing! Additionally, the golf cruise prices are inclusive of: