Luxury cruising and golfing are a match made in heaven and golf fans would want to improve their swing as they visit some exotic locales. Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Disney Cruise Line are the most golfer-friendly cruise lines, with onboard golf simulators and special access to some of the most exclusive courses in ports of call. The contemporary cruise liners have gone past the conventional facilities and most of the liner vessels are currently well equipped with high-tech golf simulators and mini-courses that allow the passengers to practice their skills even when in the ocean. These floating resorts liaise with some of the best golf clubs around the world and they can make tee times and transport arrangements so that their golfing clients have fantastic experiences.
Best Cruise Lines that have Golfing Facilities on Board
Many cruise lines now have elaborate golfing amenities, which include a full driving range to state of the art simulators, enabling the golfing fan to perfect his/her swing even as the ship is crossing the ocean.
Luxury Ships That Have Driving Ranges
The Oasis of the Seas by Royal Caribbean offers a mini-golf course that goes across several decks with all the difficult obstacles and views of the ocean. The course caters to the recreational player as well as those golfers seeking to keep their land legs at sea. Crystal Cruises also offers special practices with artificial grass and nets to master drives. Private lessons and group clinics with professional instructors are also available to assist passengers with technique. The Azamara Club Cruises has putting greens and chipping sections with PGA professionals. These areas will enable golfers to practice their short game when they are not visiting luxurious courses around the world.
Sea trial of Innovative Golf Simulators
The latest cruise liners are equipped with the most advanced golf simulators which reproduce the well-known courses all over the world. These systems employ high-speed cameras and impact sensors to capture swing dynamics and ball flight. Crystal Cruises and Azamara are also fitting their ships with TrackMan simulators to allow their customers to play virtual rounds on celebrated courses such as St Andrews and Pebble Beach. The technology gives an immediate review of the club head speed, ball spin and launch angle. These simulators are also used by professional instructors to coach passengers on a one-on-one basis, on areas they need to improve on in their game.
The Golfers Recommended Destinations
The luxury cruise lines also make strategic calls at ports close to some of the world finest golf courses offering their passengers an opportunity to play at championship links and also get the chance of joining some of the most exclusive clubs in various continents.
Caribbean Golf Excursions
The Caribbean has some immaculate courses with breathtaking ocean scenes. There are numerous cruise ships that dock at the high end golf destinations enabling players to sample several famous courses in one cruise. The thirty-seven hundred acre Casa de Campo resort in the Dominican Republic has three championship courses, one of them the renowned Teeth of the Dog design with seven holes along the ocean. The players are able to reserve their tee times via the excursion program of their cruise line. Bermuda boasts an award-winning Turtle Hill Golf Club that is a challenging par-3 course and very often featured in cruise shore excursion programs.
Mediterranean Ports having access to Championship Courses.
Costa del Sol in Spain offers more than 70 courses, which are within a driving distance to the major cruise ports. Real Club de Golf El Prat Near Barcelona is a 45 holes championship golf course designed by Greg Norman. The Portuguese ports give an opening to the well-known courses of the Algarve region. Monte Rei Golf & Country Club is one of the best in Europe with dramatic changes in elevations and careful landscape design. Italian cruise ports bring players close to historic tracks such as the Rome Golf Club that was founded in 1903.
Alaska Exclusive Golf Packages
Alaska golfing is both scenic and challenging. The Anchorage Golf Course has the scenery of three mountain ranges and the possibility of seeing wildlife during rounds. Specialized tours to courses such as Valley of the Eagles in Juneau are arranged by cruise lines, and golfers may be able to see bald eagles as they play the difficult layout. Kenai Course, close to Seward offers 18 holes of snow-capped mountains and immaculate woods.
Safety First in Mind
Although cruises are a delicious way to relax and an opportunity to visit new places, it is imperative not to forget about safety measures in the context of a holiday. In all the fun and relaxation accidents can and do occur. Boating and cruise ship attorneys report that accidents happen frequently, and they are frequently the result of slips, trips and falls, or some other unexpected danger. So it is necessary to be attentive and aware of what is going around all the time. Get to know the safety routine on the vessel and attend to safety briefings, and be aware of where the emergency exits and lifejackets are. Also, watch out in wet places, do not indulge in too much alcohol and children should be accompanied everywhere. These precautions will allow you to make your cruise secure and pleasant for you and your family members. So, a small piece of awareness can take you a long way so that accidents are avoided and you make your vacation memorable.