For reference, Rel and I are cruise ship virgins. So there are lots of things we will marvel at, that sophisticated and experienced cruise veterans will just take in their stride.
But cruise ship life is amazing. It can be as wild and as exciting as you like, or as relaxed or laid back as you like.
We woke up after a good night’s sleep and rocked on to the Cadillac Diner for breakfast. Full of yummy food, but it is not going to win any heart foundation ticks.
John made an immediate impression on the waitress by ordering the big breakfast option without eggs. Her reply ‘That is strange, I have never had that request before’ indicated that she had already pegged John correctly as a weird one.
Rel did not want to miss a minute of on-shore fun, and with John’s encouragement, had booked a round of golf on Maui. John had decided to be caddy for day, or as it is called here a ‘rider’. There were a number of factors as to why John wanted to be caddy. He is hopeless at golf, and did not want to distract from Rel’s fun. The broken hand was still playing up at times, and a game of golf was unlikely to help. And the money we saved by John not playing could be spent on Rel playing golf again on her birthday.
We had heard this course, Wailea, was amazing, but even that did not prepare us for the scenery… This is the view just overlooking the practice green.
You know it is a serious resort golf course when they have parking bays for the buggies at the driving range.
So Rel headed off to the driving range to warm up.
Tries to get a feel for the clubs she had hired for the day
Got some tips from the onboard PGA Professional, Cory, who had organised the day for us
Practiced on the putting green
Then it was time for a happy snap to start proceedings.
Rel mastered the onboard GPS/ information display
Then it was time to tee off
Rel took a little while to find her rhythm, and the middle of the fairway, but with such beautiful views, it did not seem to matter if a shot was bad.
Rel still looked powerful on the tee
Rel was struggling to get on the green in regulation, and frustration was starting to build
But the shoes, which were newly purchased when in Las Vegas, looked fabulous
Rel has always been a beach girl and enjoyed playing in the sand
John was having fun being a pseudo caddy, and just admiring watching Rel play
There’s that sand again
But again, the views made the game fun
Rel was playing with a couple of other ladies from the cruise ship, Vicki and Jo. They hailed from Boston, and were great fun to play with.
When Rel connected well, the ball just went ‘boom’
But the moments of frustration were still there.
Especially when visits to the beach were becoming regular
Cory dropped in for a few holes, and he was fun to play with.
He enthusiastically gave of his time and was a good teacher.
He could also hit a ball
Rel pondered what to do at the beach again
But responded magnificently
John continued to enjoy the scenery
By this stage we were at the 17th, Rel was not happy with her game, but had brilliantly got to the edge of the green in 2. This was her chance to define her round
There was a quick check of the vital stats on the info display, as well as Rel’s iPhone Golf program.
It should be noted that shortly after this a message came up on the scene saying there would be a sale at the resort golf shop.
Rel’s eyes narrowed and John could sense magic was about to happen
Rel had played a chip shot on to the green so well, she needed 2 putts for a par, which would have made her very happy.
Or if she sank this difficult putt, she would have a birdie.
And so magic happened! Rel drained the putt!
There were high fives and dancing going on everywhere.
And so it was on to the 18th and final hole of the day
We took time to take some photos of this magnificent looking fairway
There was the stock standard shot
Rel was so excited at scoring a bride the previous hole, she decided we needed something better than shots that made us look fat.
It was time to get some exercise in
Jo joined in the fun
Vicki was not into pushups, but celebrated in her own classic style
Rel then teed off with a massive drive that could only be described as ‘the shot of the day’
Time for a last look at the scenery
Rel had this approach to setup another birdie chance.
The air was thick with anticipation as Rel tried to drain this monster for a birdie putt.
And lightning had struck twice. Birdie-Birdie finish for Rel , something Rel has never achieved before. This was indeed a finish for the ages.
Back on board the boat, we went looking for a quiet place to celebrate. Instead, John accidentally found a bar that was having a Martini happy hour. Rel was well behaved, and John discovered what a Martini, or 2, is all about.
Then it was time to dine out in style with the girl of the moment
After dinner we wandered back to our stateroom to complete what had been another amazing day
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