Pagzz

The sewing is done in a conference room or other venue on the ship. You are with others. The one I was on the ship provided coffee and water in our room. We had times for specific lectures/classes, but the room was kept open otherwise and you could come and go as you pleased.

annette1952

I have never been on a quilting cruise although I would love to do one. (That is just a dream that is on my bucket list. Also to take a cruise with Larry's Country Diner! I love all of them.) lol Anyways my thoughts on this since you would like to do something while your husband is away. It sounds like you are fortunate enough to go so I say GO! I wouldn't think twice at an opportunity like this. Even though you would be going alone you are going to meet lots of other quilters so you won't be alone long. Sounds like most of the board members that took quilting cruises just loved it & had so much fun. Don't miss out! Let us know when you get back in the spring how your trip went.

sval

I can't find any info about him planning a cruise. Do you have the details.? His is quite a story.
Sometimes a quilt cruise supplies the machines. That would be the one to go on.

Linda71

A guild member went on a quilting cruise and they did not have any sewing machines. All the projects were crafts/art or small hand quilting projects. She had a good time, but it was not what she was expecting.

maviskw

I've been on two boat cruises. One on the Danube with a choral group. We gave concerts along the way. When we were eating, the only way we knew we were on a ship was to look out the window and see the shore going by. Soooo smooth. Sometimes we did the traveling at night, and could hear the boat going through a lock.

The other cruise was in the Caribbean. Our daughter and her family were on the sail boat for 2 years. We visited for 10 days in March and again in December for 2 weeks. There were seven of us on that boat meant to hold four. We did sew on that boat. We needed a flag for each country we visited; lots of countries in the Caribbean. Bill decided to sew them, and I was his helper. That didn't go real well because his sewing machine could have used some servicing.
And the Caribbean can get quite rough. We had to wait for a "weather window" to leave a port. But I surely enjoyed it.

canuckninepatch

My two sisters and I are going on a quilting cruise on Jan. 16 to the western Caribbean for 7 days on the Oasis of the Seas (Royal Caribbean) with Jenny Doan from Missouri Star Quilt Company and Lynn Hagmeier from Kansas Troubles. Our main purpose of going is for meeting the two instructors, enjoying the total of 4 projects we will be doing with the two of them, enjoying the entertainment (CATS, a Disney on Ice-type show, a diving show, various other things), the amenities on the ship, and each other's company. I may or may not get off the ship on the port days.....we'll see. Can't wait! There will be Baby Lock machines provided, and all the notions, tools, etc. we will need. We don't bring anything, other than our clothes, etc. I remember seeing a quilting cruise cruise that was going to Ireland, but I wouldn't want to do that one, since I would want to do Ireland with my husband, and I would want to concentrate on the sights.

Grandma Cindy

My first cruise was with Bonnie Hunter and it was actually her first quilting cruise as well. It was fantastic! Made many new friends, still keep in contact via Facebook. It was so much fun going to the scrappy table and sharing everyones scraps of different fabrics.I ended up with such variety in my "Mai Tai in Paradise" quilt. It was a place where you could dig through the trash can assessing scraps and no one thought you odd! It was such fun. I also love photography and got lovely photos while on land! Go.... Enjoy whichever teacher you choose. I originally knew no one and had a blast!

Hulalulu

I work in a little quilt shop in the harbor area on Kauai, HI. During this fall we have had visitors from three different quilting cruises -- they were delighted to find a shop within walking distance (we can see the ship!). All were larger ships on longer cruises (re-positioning cruises in the fall, from Alaska & northern ports moving to warmer climates) so plenty of days to do other things while on board as well as exploring while in port. Machines were supplied, and the quilters -- 30-40 on two, a group of about 20 on the last one -- I do not know if bringing your own machine was an option, the last one was definitely showcasing a new machine from a major maker, so trial runs for possible sales. In at least two cases, there were excursions buses to take quilters to the LQS here (3 shops) -- all three cruises visited the larger Hawaiian Islands, and these trips included visits to shops there as well.

Many of the quilters were traveling with spouses -- there were other groups on the cruises as well -- at least one had a large knitting group. The classes and machines were set up in a conference room, so no need to move stuff around. On larger ships with many resources, other groups formed as well -- the cruise folks supply lots of options to keep their guests occupied.

There are some real advantages to a quilting class event on a cruise -- besides meeting other quilters and taking classes, finding time to devote to your craft without the interruptions of home life is probably the best --no cooking, no cleaning, no running kids from here to there! And when it all comes down to it, you get the quilting classes along with the cruise, with only the cost of the class -- certainly cost competitive with going to a major city for a major quilt show, having to pay for airfare (and/or travel expenses), entry fees, hotel, rental car, food, etc. as well as the classes too -- which might be very full, have time limitations, and offer less personal help.

So taking a class while on a cruise might be an interesting option -- and getting to know other quilters from across the world in a relaxed atmosphere is an experience not available except in this kind of situation.

GrannyHanaDa

I went on a Quilting Cruise a couple of years ago, but would never do it again. To go on a designated cruise such as for quilting was just to hard for me to be a student and a tourist. It was my first cruise and I missed so much that went on on the ship. I missed lots of fun things. It was not the friendliest of sewing companions either. There were 3 clicks that came together and they pretty much stuck to themselves.

tuckyquilter

Check Bonnie Hunter's blog. People love her trips. She has 2 planned for 2016. They sell out quickly too.

http://quiltville.blogspot.com