Just wanted to drop you a line to tell you that our Golf Ahoy Hawaii golf cruise was as perfect as could be! Everything from Kevin and the car service at the Honolulu airport to the very end of the cruise went off without a hitch.
I don’t know how you are able to coordinate the planning so precisely for just the 2 of us, let alone a larger group! The ship itself (NCL’s Pride of America) was a delight; the crew was attentive, warm, and friendly, the cabin just as described, and the food sumptuous and overly-available!
I cannot say enough good things about Cory McKim, PGA, your onboard golf pro and organizer-in-chief. Our clubs were ready to go every day and made it safely back to the ship at the end of each round. Now for the golf:
We played Ko Olina on Oahu before the ship departed. A bit of a ride from Waikiki, but worth it! The course is in great shape, not crowded at all, and the staff was courteous and very helpful.
The first day of play off the ship was the Plantation at Kapalua on Maui, home of this year’s wind/rain-delayed Tournament of Champions. Someone misunderstood our desire to “play a tour event course”…we had almost the exact same weather! 40 mph winds, driving rain…and cart-path only! The weather did keep the crowd down…we were the only ones on the course for the front nine…but then, we’re from Kansas and not a bunch of wimps like the PGA tour pros. I did par the signature 18th hole, but that did little to prevent a big number from being on the scorecard. Enjoyable in its own way.
The second Maui course was the Emerald on Wailea. Much better conditions…but then, the southeastern part of the island usually is! Barb and I had played it before, but I seemed to be in much-improved shape over 7 years ago. Cory was out on the course with us, and videotaped our swing with his new 600 frames per second camera…kind of makes you cringe to see ALL your swing flaws in such detail!
After a non-golf excursion day at Hilo on the Big Island, we played Mauna Kea, north of Kona. A great, great course, one of the oldest in Hawaii. Long ride from the ship, but, again, excellent arrangements with Helen Lee, our driver, and concierge. I recommend this course to anyone who can get to the Kona side.
The fifth day of play was at your upgraded course Poipu Bay on Kauai. Absolutely beautiful course…used to be home of the PGA Grand Slam. Again, the pace of play was very good…no one else from the ship was with us and we enjoyed the VIP reception at the PRO shop. Definitely worth the extra upgrade dollars.
The last day was Kauai Lagoons. Another standard course package selection (along with Wailea Emerald), so Cory was shepherding us with some of your other GolfAhoy clients. Like Poipu, very scenic…last few holes along the ocean provide some VERY scary shots.
One nice and unexpected GolfAhoy touch was the personalized bag tags we got from every course!
In all, I can honestly say that this trip ranks right at the top of the many I have made in my 50+ years of golfing. It is clear that the 2 of you are THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS at combining golf with cruising.
Although Barb was a little tentative about the cruise itself (her first cruise), she quickly got into “shipboard mode”, and I know we’ll be working with you on other trips in the future.
Thanks again for the consistent attentiveness right through the planning stage; your customer service skills are among the best I’ve encountered in any business.
PS: I’m attaching a couple of photos…let me know if they don’t make it.
