Thank you, GolfAhoy, for all the planning that went into our wonderful and memorable Hawaii golf cruise holiday.
From our chauffeured limo airport pick-up at the Honolulu airport until our departure we felt that our needs and expectations were held paramount and delivered upon.
Turtle Bay Golf Resort was an absolute dream. The luxury Beach Cottage lived up to every expectation. The view from our cottage mirrored the images used to promote the resort. I enjoyed the opportunity to go for lovely walks, sit on the beach and just relax while Phil enjoyed the opportunity to play unlimited golf.
The breakfast buffet at Turtle Bay was perhaps the best we have ever had. The choice and freshness were wonderful and the staff worked to ensure all of our needs were met.
Lei Lei’s Bar & Grill overlooking the resort’s golf courses was wonderful in a relaxed way and the food was great. We visited twice and had great food both evenings. The restaurant in the main resort building was satisfactory but not one we would have booked twice.
As a golfing holiday, I do not think the arrangements you made for us on board Pride of America could have been bettered. Thanks to Cory, your golf pro on the ship, absolutely everything was well organized. His attention to detail could not be faulted. The arrangements in getting us to the golf courses, having everything organized when you got there, and the fact that you were picked up when and where he said, meant that golf was trouble-free and enjoyable. Cory was always pleasant and always available.
Our Penthouse suite on board the ship was wonderful and certainly the best we have enjoyed on cruises in recent years. The fact that we had Private VIP access to Cagney’s for breakfast and lunch made us feel special. It was also great to get afternoon treats delivered to our suite. Certainly, the role of James our Butler was central to our enjoyment on the cruise.
Comparing Pride of America with our experiences on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruise lines we found that in terms of food and entertainment this ship was three rather than four stars. The food was ordinary in the main dining room. Having said that, one night, hubby Bob sent back a meal. The dining room staff went to no end of trouble to make amends, even arranging for us to have a complimentary meal in the Italian specialty restaurant. This restaurant was mediocre but on another night we booked Tepanyaki. It was absolutely wonderful and one of the best meals we have ever enjoyed.
For us, the wonderful Penthouse suite and the VIP extras that level of accommodation brought, particularly the services of James, our Butler, turned a three-star cruise ship into a five-star experience.
I would suggest that you recommend to future travelers that this is a very relaxed cruise experience. Given our previous experience with American cruising, we dressed for formal evenings. There were perhaps ten other couples who did and on the evening we were invited to meet the Captain for cocktails people showed up in shorts. If we cruised this line again we would not pack formal wear.
Overall we had a truly wonderful holiday and would love to repeat the whole thing again in the future. Your advice and organisation were perfect and gave us many wonderful moments. For Phil it was about the opportunity to play great championship golf courses, for me it was the chance to enjoy some amazing snorkeling, read on beaches, and generally relax.
