Tee It Up: Cruise Lines Shoot Hole-in-One with Golf Offerings

DES MOINES, Iowa, Jan. 22, 2008 - For some cruisers, the ideal vacation at
sea involves more driving, chipping and putting than sunbathing, snorkeling
and sightseeing.  The cruise lines are listening and offering more land
excursions to some of the world's most picturesque and challenging golf
courses throughout the Caribbean, South Pacific, Mediterranean and Mexico.

"Cruises offer something for everyone, including golfers," said Bob Levinstein,
CEO of Cruise Compete LLC.  "In addition to personalized, on-board
professional instruction and the chance to meet tour pros, a number of cruise
lines offer escorted trips to unforgettable golf destinations designed to
challenge golfers of all skill levels." 

The following is a sample of the opportunities to tee it up on 2008 cruises:

SilverSea Cruises

Ultra-luxury Silversea Cruises has expanded its popular "Silver Links" golf
program to 12 cruises in 2008.  Golfers can perfect their swing on 35 world-
class courses in 16 countries and islands.  The golfing excursions, arranged
and escorted by a ship's golf professional, range in price from course-to-
course and include transfers, pull or power-drive carts (where available) and
all green and caddy fees.

The following is but a sampling of the Silver Links voyages and golf courses to
be played by cruisers this year:

· Silver Shadow departs May 16 on a 15-day Panama Canal crossing
from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles, with golf excursions to La Iguana at Los
Suenos (Puntarenas); Tres Vidas Golf Club (Acapulco); and El Tigre Golf Club
(Puerto Vallarta).

· Silver Whisper leaves July 19 on a 7-day Mediterranean sailing from
Rome to Monte Carlo; golfers can play at Golf Park Mallorca (Palma de
Mallorca); PGA at Catalunya Golf Club (Barcelona); Servannes Golf Club
(Sete); and Sainte Maxime Golf Club (St. Tropez).

· Silver Whisper departs Aug. 16 on a 7-day Mediterranean cruise
from Barcelona to Rome, with golf excursions to Cannes Mougins Golf Club
(Menton); Cosmopolitan Golf Club (Livorno); and the Monte Carlo Golf Club.

· Silver Shadow leaves Sept. 17 on an 11-day Mexican Riviera voyage
from Los Angeles to Costa Rica, with rounds at Cabo del Sol Desert Course
(Cabo San Lucas); El Tigre Golf Club (Puerto Vallarta); Club de Golf Marina
Ixtapa (Zihuatanejo); and Tres Vidas Golf Club (Acapulco).

· Silver Shadow departs Dec. 3 on a 9-day Caribbean sailing from Fort
Lauderdale to Barbados; golfers can play at Antigua's Cedar Valley Golf Club,
the St. Lucia Golf & Country Club and Sandy Lane Country Club in Barbados.

· Silver Whisper takes a 15-day holiday cruise to the South Pacific,
leaving Dec. 20 from Sydney to Auckland.  Tee times are set at the Royal
Melbourne Golf Club, Royal Hobart Golf Club, St. Clair Golf Club (Dunedin),
Clearwater Golf Club (Christchurch), Paraparaumu Golf Club (Wellington), Cape
Kidnappers Golf Club (Napier), Kauri Cliffs Golf Club (Bay of Islands) and the
Tauranga Golf Club.


Norwegian Cruise Line

NCL has launched a new Golf Bermuda program, giving its golf-loving guests
more opportunities to hit the links in Bermuda, where there are more courses
per square mile than anywhere else in the world.  Golf Bermuda has
excursions for every level of golfer at the island's most popular and scenic
courses:

· Ocean View Golf Course, just outside of Hamilton, is rated "four
stars" by Golf Digest;

· The challenging 6,100-yard Belmont Hills Golf Club was designed by
famed course designer Algie M. Pulley, Jr.;

· Mid Ocean Golf Club, located in scenic Tucker Town, has challenged
the biggest names in golf today;

· Port Royal Golf Course, operated by the Bermuda government for
more than 40 years, offers some of the most challenging holes on the island;

· Tucker's Point Golf Club, ranked by Travel + Leisure Golf as one of
the top golf resorts in the Caribbean;

· St. George's Golf Course, featuring ocean views at every hole; and,

· Riddell's Bay Golf Club, Bermuda's oldest golf course and described
by locals as a "must play".


Crystal Cruises

Crystal Cruises also has expanded its golf-themed cruises for 2008.  Guests
can tee off on three 11- and 12-day golf fests, playing in the Mediterranean,
the Canary Islands and the maritime coast of Canada and New England.  PGA
pros will join Crystal guests at several notable courses, including The Monte
Carlo Club, situated high above the French Riviera; Spain's El Saler Golf
Course; and Lisbon's Penha Longa Golf Course at the foot of the Sintra
Mountain Range. 

"Many of the golf courses the cruise lines visit are not open to the general
public," Levinstein said.   "The cruise lines have made special arrangements
with them to allow their guests to play on these exclusive links.  It's a once-
in-a-lifetime opportunity for many golfers - yet another reason cruise
vacations are memorable."


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