Inside the Ryder Cup Cruise: putting green on deck and €17,000 for windowless cabins

Next year’s Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in Co Limerick has already made headlines for its record high ticket prices. The €499 price tag for daily admission is the highest ever for a European venue, costing almost twice as much as Rome’s admission in 2023.Travel and accommodation, naturally, won’t come cheap either. “A milestone of this magnitude calls for an experience equally exceptional,” the golf tournament’s travel service says. Enter the Oceania Marina: a 66,000 ton, 240 metre long and 30 metre wide cruise ship that “will grace the mouth of the majestic River Shannon for this unforgettable event,” organisers say.The offer is more for land-dwelling golfers than seafaring sailors. Departing from Southampton in England on a Sunday, the vessel will spend only one full day at sea before docking at Foynes, Co Limerick, on Tuesday afternoon.READ MOREShannon Foynes Port is 30km from where the golfing tournament is to be held, so guests will rely on daily coaches to make it to the event. Guests will also have the option to join the cruise at Foynes, skipping the traditional sailing aspect of a cruise. Organisers certainly know their passenger’s profile, with a putting green, pickleball court and croquet lawn on the top deck. Nine restaurants await, from a steakhouse grill to Parisian-style bistro.One of the more lavish of the 615 cabins on board will cost two guests €33,900 for a 10-night stay in the Penthouse Suite. Coming in the shape of 40 square metre rectangles, these rooms “are a marvel of harmonious decor and lavish finishes,” organisers say.Comprising one main room complete with a twin bed, dining table, two seating areas, a walk-in closet and a “private teak veranda”, guests also avail of a “marbleclad bathroom” with “an expanded shower” as well as a “dedicated Concierge”. There are cheaper options. At €17,600 in total, two guests can lie like sardines in one of the ship’s windowless cabins, smartly named an “inside stateroom” and positively described as “wonderful private sanctuaries”.Just over 16 square metres in size, the cruise’s brochure says they “boast elegant designs and handsome furnishings that add to the serenity”, but, perhaps, cannot make up for the absence of natural light. Once these guests make it above the hull, their all-inclusive experience truly kicks off: cocktail bars, casino games, observation decks and entertainment stages.Ryder Cup Travel Services’ director of business strategy, Richard Parker, said “guests can enjoy world-class golf at Adare Manor by day, before returning to the Oceania Marina for first-class dining, all-inclusive hospitality and evening entertainment”.“This premium experience is designed for visitors from across the island of Ireland and around the world who are seeking a truly memorable way to be part of golf’ greatest team contest,” he said.