My sister has been invited to go on a quilting cruise with a friend. Kate doesn't quilt, but is willing to go; her friend is in treatment for breast cancer, and Kate thinks this will help her mindset. Has anyone ever been on one of these? What are they like? Evidently, the quilt classes will take place the 4 days they are at sea. Any info would be appreciated.
Julie

I've never been on one, but would LOVE to go!

What a great idea :D

I would love to do a quilting cruise, have seen them advertised in magazines, but can't find anyone that is "seaworthy" to go with.

Had a friend that just went on one a couple of weeks ago and loved it. She said she highly recomm. it! Plenty of time for both sewing and sight seeing at the ports, etc. You will love it-do report on return for the rest of us 'thinking' about it. Skeat

here is a quilter on TV usually on PBS. I think her name is Kaye Woods. She has quilting cruises. This time they were going to the Carribean. She has classes on the cruise. I get her newsletters in my e-mail every so often. I don't have one right now or Here is her the URL http://www.kayewood.com you might find something there about her cruises.

One of the ladies in my quilting guild went on the McCall's cruise! The class was to make a beautiful Mariner's Compass wall hanging. She had a lot of fun! She also learned other skills, such as dying fabric with different things such as salt and something like tie-dye...

I'd love to go on a quilting cruise, but I'm not very good on water - the colour green comes to mind...:}

I love cruising and I love quilting, BUT in 2004 a LQS put on it's first one. They used the Carnival cruise line, (which we found out later has become known as a party line .... you get to watch people stumbling along the decks clutching their buckets of iced beer) and we were only doing hand work. They assigned us to the disco for our classroom, hard plastic stools and very little light.....I was very disappointed. The highlight of course was a trip to the Houston Quilt Festival before the cruise.
IF and that's a BIG if..... I were to consider going again, I would certainly choose a well known quilting personality, and read reviews of their cruises etc. ahead of time. Many of them have companies that supply the machines etc. to simplify life. For me personally, a quilting retreat is wonderful...... and a lovely relaxing cruise totally for sightseeing is also wonderful. Think about this ... you get put into a room with closed doors and there's all that wonderful sea out there with maybe porpoise or whales or ??? and you're missing them..... and then there's your friend out there catching the sun rays or all the entertainment ..... This is just my personal experience & as in all things, some people LOVE this (just not me)

I know Doreen Speckman used to do quilt cruises. I think Katie Pasquine Masapoust, Eleanor Burns??? I have a friend who went on a Doreen Speckman quilt cruise, had a blast but Doreen was a blast anywhere she was. I have gone on a retreat with Mary Ellen Hopkins and Kaye Woods used to work with her, both are fun. I do think the general concensus of cruises was fun, fun, food, fun and then quilting.

I was fortunate enough to do an Alaska quilters cruse a few years ago. We had Kaye Woods, Betty Cotton, Sue Hausman. I can not say enough about what a wonderful time we had. Hubby was a little bored with me sewing and classes all day, but I loved it.

Would do it again in a heart beat.