The American obsession with pickleball rages on. Last year, nearly 14 million people played pickleball in the U.S., according to a 2023 study by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association. That’s a growth rate of almost 224% over the past three years, easily making pickleball the fastest-growing sport in the country since 2020.
Entrepreneurs and professional athletes have gotten in on the craze, and now, the travel industry is trying to capitalize. From cruise lines and traditional resorts to pickleball-specific vacation planners offering coaching in paradise, everyone seems to want a piece of the pickle pie.
Here are some money-saving tips and top places to look if you want to dink, drive and drop away from home.
1. ‘Dink’ on a pickleball cruise
Nowhere is the growth of pickleball more evident than on cruise ships.
WHAT TO KNOW
- Pickleball’s popularity in the U.S. has surged, with nearly 14 million players and a 224% growth rate over three years, attracting entrepreneurs, athletes, and the travel industry.
- Cruise lines and resorts are incorporating dedicated pickleball courts, offering various amenities and price ranges, from budget-friendly to luxury options.
- Specialized pickleball vacation organizers provide comprehensive packages, including coaching and accommodations, with costs varying based on location and services.
In 2022, Carnival Cruise Line installed a dedicated pickleball court on the Carnival Conquest ship. Other companies have followed suit. Norwegian Cruise Line offers dedicated courts on the Norwegian Prime and Norwegian Viva vessels, and Regent Seven Seas has dedicated courts on the Splendor, Explorer and Grandeur. Perhaps that’s why cruise demand is so high.
Those dedicated courts are important for experienced players looking to get in as many games as possible. Many of the bigger cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean, Princess and Celebrity, offer pickleball, but only for a set period each day on mixed-use courts with other sports like volleyball and basketball.
Holland America, the “exclusive cruise line of the Professional Pickleball Association,” has outfitted their entire fleet of cruise ships with dedicated pickleball courts on the top deck. That means you can practice your drop shot against a glacial backdrop in Alaska’s fjords or while cruising across the Mediterranean Sea. The cruise line offers complimentary beginner’s lessons and organized tournaments throughout your time at sea.
If you prefer river cruises, AmaWaterways has a dedicated pickleball court on the top deck of its boat AmaMagna, allowing picklers to play while floating down the Danube River through central Europe.
If you don’t want to travel with your own paddle and balls, most facilities offer public paddles. But let’s be real — if you’ve made it this far, you’ll probably be taking your own paddle.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? Cruises will vary in price based on duration and amenities. A seven-day cruise with Carnival could cost under $700 per person, whereas a seven-day luxury cruise on Regent Seven Seas could cost nearly $7,000.
If you’re looking to help offset that cost, consider a travel rewards credit card that earns flexible points you can redeem for cruises. If you have a card that lets you redeem points against travel purchases, pay for the cruise with your card and use your miles or points to offset that charge and receive a statement credit. Or if your card issuer has a travel portal, see if you can redeem points and reserve travel directly through the portal.
Pickleball Courts at Islandia Village Hall. Credit: Rick Kopstein
2. ‘Drive’ at luxury or all-inclusive pickleball resorts
If floating resorts aren’t your thing, consider taking your pickleball swag south of the border to an onshore tropical paradise.
Sandals Resorts in Jamaica, the Bahamas, St. Lucia, and Antigua all offer dedicated pickleball courts. And new courts are being installed at other locations. Many of the resorts organize tournaments and have in-house pros to provide instruction during your trip. The entire Sandals Resorts portfolio is all-inclusive, so you can put more thought into your dink and worry less about where to find your next fruity umbrella drink.
Or check out Turks and Caicos, where you can find permanent courts at the Beaches Resort, Club Med Turkoise and Seven Stars Resort and Spa. Pickleball has become such a draw that it’s even mentioned on the “things to do” page of the islands’ tourism website.
You can also find pickleball courts at resorts across Costa Rica, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. If you’re traveling with a pickle crew, try calling the company to negotiate a group rate for the stay.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? The cost of a resort stay will vary depending on the room you book, amenities offered, location and stay duration. A seven-night stay at a Sandals Resort can cost $4,000 to $7,000 for two people, but non-inclusive resorts will often cost much less.
Similar to cruises, if you want to book a pickleball-based resort stay for a fraction of the cost, consider grabbing a credit card that earns rewards you can use to offset travel costs.
Serrano family of Shirley, Laurie, Alejandra and Christopher, play pickleball at All Kids Fair at Samanea Mall in Westbury. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
3. ‘Drop’ on a group pickleball vacation
The activity-based travel industry is expanding to meet demand for the fastest growing sport in the country. That includes the rise of numerous white-glove vacation organizers helping to bring picklers together.
“The only thing you have to worry about is your flight,” says Georgia Johns, operations manager for Pickleball Getaways, a pickleball-centric vacation organizer. Once you book your trip through their website, the company will handle the rest, including ground transportation, food, beverages and lodging at your destination.
The company was started by professional pickleball players Ben Johns and Dekel Bar with the aim to combine the fun of international vacations with high-quality pickleball coaching and competition in locations that include Portugal, Spain, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico and Antigua.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? Seven-day trips with Pickleball Getaways cost between $2,500 and $4,500 per person depending on the location, which can include up to 80 guests in addition to four to seven professional players or coaches to provide instruction.
Since flights aren’t covered, consider using airline miles to help keep your costs down. The easiest way to earn miles is with a co-branded credit card from an airline that serves your local airport. Many airline cards offer a huge slug of miles as a sign-up bonus, which can be used to get you to your pickleball rendezvous.
What is pickleball?
Pickleball resembles tennis in that players use paddles to hit a ball over a net. The ball is plastic and doesn’t bounce as high or as fast. A pickleball court is smaller than a tennis court, and the game can be less demanding on the body, which has helped in its popularity among older people. The game can involve two or four players and be played indoors or outdoors.
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