New Cruise Ship Goes 18 Better At Last - A Cruise Shp That Ofers A Full 18-Hole Golf Course, Miniature Golf That Is

“Fore!”

I turned around quickly. Someone behind me had a club in his hand and was about to hit his golf ball.

“Fore?” I repeated. “You gotta be kidding!”

He was, of course. We were playing a miniature golf course aboard a cruise ship, and each hole is only a few yards long.

Golf on a cruise ship? Yes, it’s possible - but only on the Legend of the Seas, the world’s newest cruise ship.

Many other liners offer golf in one form or another: a stand from which you can practice driving golf balls into the sea; simple putting greens; or virtual golf, a computerized facility that allows you to hit the ball as you would on a golf course, with your speed and direction tallied electronically.

But this new 70,950-ton Royal Caribbean Cruise Line vessel is the first to actually lay out an 18-hole miniature course on deck, complete with plastic-grass fairways and roughs, sand traps, water holes and other hazards. Each hole on the course, called “Legend of the Links,” is named after a famous real counterpart. I even had to sign up at the pro shop to play.

On a preinaugural sailing, the course was the center of attention, probably because it was such a novelty. But there was plenty else aboard to catch an approving eye.

One such attention-getter was the seven-deck atrium, a spectacular space with fountains, curving staircases, a huge, glittering sculpture of the Roman god Janus created of metal and fiber optics, and a piano bar at its base. Like most shipboard atriums, the Centrum flows onto public rooms - the shops, casino, restaurant, bars, shore excursion and purser’s offices.

Another striking area was the Solarium, a pleasant secondary pool deck with a Roman motif - columns, fountains, mosaics and statuary - and a sliding glass roof that retracts when the sun is out. It is connected to a large and well-equipped ShipShape Spa, also Roman-themed. In the evening, the Solarium becomes a dancing and entertainment area whose subtle lighting of fountains, pool waters, statues and greenery give it a special ambience.

And if that isn’t romantic enough, check out the Latin signs overlooking the pool in the Roman-themed Solarium. Omnia Vincit Amor, reads one, and it doesn’t take a professor to know that that translates to “love conquers all.”

For those clear, dark nights at sea, more romance awaits passengers at the Observatory, another innovation on the Legend. Situated on the top deck near the bow, this is a spot from which starry-eyed couples (or singles) can pick out their zodiac signs in the sky with the help of a compass and two night-lighted star maps, all mounted on permanent stands.

One thing that impressed me on this ship was its generous use of greenery on board, more than I have seen on other cruise liners. On the pool deck, plantings and wood railings serve as dividers, softening a space that on other ships is generally uninterrupted. They are used again to good effect in the Solarium.

Canvas tops shade several areas around the pool, among them the whirlpools and a couple of sitting/ sunning areas on the deck above. That gives passengers the option of being on deck without taking the full sun.

With more glass - two acres’ worth - than any other cruise ship, Legend of the Seas literally glitters when she hoves into port. Both sides of the atrium are sheathed in glass, the two-story dining room also has 20-foot-high floor-to-ceiling windows and the trademark Viking Crown Lounge forms a circle of glass.

Royal Caribbean is noted for its relatively small staterooms, but these on the Legend did not seem tight at all. Our standard outside room (136 square feet) had a telephone, individual air conditioning, color television. Deluxe outside cabins on the two highest passenger decks have verandas - 231 rooms of the 902 total, the most on any RCCL ship.

Another departure from RCCL’s earlier ships: Legend will roam into other seas.

Unlike its other ships, which mostly operate in the Caribbean, RCCL plans to run the Legend in many areas of the world, and for that reason it was built to cruise at a higher speed - 24 knots - than most other ships, which usually run from 16 to 19 knots. The Legend is now making Alaska cruises, where its faster speed makes it the only ship in that region able to visit the Hubbard Glacier and make four ports of call during a one-week round-trip cruise.

On completion of its Alaska season, the Legend will become the first RCCL ship to sail to Hawaii, where its speed also will serve it well. In winter, the ship will make Panama Canal cruises between Acapulco and San Juan.

Legend is the first of a new generation of ships Royal Caribbean is building. Two, including the Legend, will come in at 70,000 tons and 1,804 passengers per ship. Another pair, measuring 73,000 tons, will carry 1,950 passengers each, and a final two, each at 75,000 tons, will carry 2,000 passengers per ship. Total cost will be about $1.75 billion.

For information about Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, contact any travel agent.