MadQuilter

Thanks, I looked at it too. Seems it's quite a bit more expensive though. They do have a bootcamp option (one day intensive training) for $400. Then it's $1,2oo for the academy plus flight plus hotel. In comparison, the retreat is $775 + hotel + flight.

CanoePam

The retreats are more focused on dealing with the machines. You will get a lot of very detailed time on the machines. Nothing about piecing for example. The only "lecture" is to go over a technique before you practice it. The Academy has a wider set of topics, and not all of them are hands on. I quite deliberately chose the retreat for the focus.

MadQuilter

There are a lot of options for learning techniques elsewhere. I need to learn how to work with my machine, so it looks like the retreat is the better option for me too, CanoePam.