Travel: Ocean's 18

Then there are other ports where Carnival doesn't have a deal with the best courses on the island. Carnival's golf course on Barbados is the Barbados Golf Club, which is average in terms of aesthetics (but the flying-fish sandwich at the clubhouse grill is terrific). You would much rather play Royal Westmoreland Barbados ($100 to $120 green fee, royalwestmoreland.com), a 4½-star course in Golf Digest's Best Places to Play.

The good news is, many of the cruise line's stops are for at least 12 hours, enabling a golf-hungry player to sample two courses on the same island. There also is nothing stopping you from doing your own island tour and playing your course of choice instead of the one offered by the cruise line. You won't get the guided tour, and you'll have to find your own transportation, but there is no shortage of taxi drivers when your ship comes in. You'll probably be able to arrange for the driver to return to the golf course and take you back to the ship at a certain time as well.

Book a round through the cruise and you'll typically pay more than if you went straight to the golf course. Tierra del Sol in Aruba, a 4-star course in Best Places to Play, would cost $110-$145 to play in January if you booked the time on your own. But Carnival charges $195. Bear in mind, though, that the higher fee includes transportation, and the on-board golf pro takes care of all the little headaches like booking the tee time and making sure you get on the course as soon as you're ready.

Although you can pay for golf in advance—on board or through the person who books the cruise—you'll still need some cash for food and drinks on the course and tips for the golf staff. In Mexico and the Caribbean, U.S. dollars are gladly accepted. And don't forget to tip your on-board golf professional. This doesn't occur to some people, Leake says, but the pro should be treated as you would any other cruise employee who directly serves passengers. Figure on 15 percent of the golf-excursion fee. If you're playing multiple times, then 10 percent of the total golf bill for the week is acceptable and can be given to the pro at the end of the cruise.

Why tip the golf pro? Typically, that person will play a few holes with the passengers and, if asked, give you some tips or provide interesting background on the golf course. He can also help speed up play if you get stuck playing with two knuckleheads who want to "try" golf for the first time. Or, even better, he'll quickly assess the level of ability and type of personality of each cruiser and pair you with players you can hang with for 18 holes.

On board the ship, the pro might also help sort out your problems from yesterday's round. They do charge for lessons, but $80 for an hour (or $25 for a 15-minute swing check) is well worth it when you've got an entire day at sea with nothing to do but sip pina coladas and make another trip to the dining room.

TWO SAMPLE ITINERARIES

MEXICAN COAST
Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas

Day one: Fly to Los Angeles, play Trump National Golf Club, Los Angeles ($99-$120, trumpgolf.com, 310-265-5000). Board ship.

Day two: Day at sea.

Day three: Dock in Cabo San Lucas. Play 4®ˆ-star Cabo Del Sol's Ocean Course ($148-$250, cabodelsol.com, 800-386-2465). Note: The cruise line does not offer a golf excursion in Cabo because it is in port for only 7®ˆ hours. You'll have to book this round on your own.

Day four: Dock in Mazatlan. Play Estrella del Mar Golf Course ($114-$122, estrelladelmar.com, 800-967-1889).

Day five: Dock in Puerto Vallarta. Play 3®ˆ star Marina Vallarta Club de Golf ($125-$140, foremexico.com/marinagolf, 011-52-322-221-0073); play second round at 36-hole Vista Vallarta Club de Golf ($140-$150, vistavallartagolf.com, 011-52-322-221-0073).

Day six: Day at sea.

Day seven: Day at sea. (End of tour.)

Day eight: Dock in Los Angeles. Play 4-star Palos Verdes Golf Club ($135-$205, pvgc.org, 310-375-2759).

CARIBBEAN
Carnival Destiny

Day one: Fly to San Juan, Puerto Rico, play 4-star El Conquistador ($110-$185, el-conquistador.wyndham-hotels.com, 787-863-6784) or Rio Mar Country Club's 4-star Ocean or 4-star River Course ($80-$185, riomar.com, 787-888-6000). Board the ship that evening.

Day two: Dock in St. Thomas. Play 3-star Mahogany Run Golf Course ($155-$180, mahoganyrungolf.com, 800-253-7103).

Day three: Dock in Dominica. There's no golf on this island, so do a tour or take a lesson on board with the pro.

Day four: Dock in Barbados. Play Barbados Golf Club ($125-$180, barbadosgolfclub.com, 246-428-8463). Instead of returning to the ship, play a second round at Royal Westmoreland Barbados ($100-$120, royalwestmoreland.com, 246-422-4653).

Day five: Day at sea. Use golf simulator.

Day six: Dock in Aruba. Play 4-star Tierra del Sol Country Club ($145-$195, tierradelsol.com, 297-586-0978). Plenty of time for a second round at Tierra del Sol.

Day seven: Day at sea. (End of tour.)

Day eight: Dock in San Juan. Play El Conquistador or Rio Mar, fly home.