Crochet Cruise Seminars: Change your Perspective

Crafting vacations have long-standing popularity. As travelers cherish time away from work for holidays, themed cruises are continuing to grow in popularity. A crochet cruise is a wonderful vacation opportunity for crafting, networking, and learning new skills while at sea.

Find a Crochet Cruise Seminar

There are several websites that consistently post information about themed cruises and yarn-based crafts cruises (including crochetgetaway.com, of course).  

One of my favorite resources is Annie’s where you can easily find online courses, printed courses, and crafting events – sometimes at sea! The craft tours program is a sure winner as many of those events sell out quickly.

My cruising experiences have been rewarding and inspirational, so I’m always on the lookout for the educational and relaxing cruise experiences for my Crochet Getaway website.

A typical program for a themed cruise for crochet enthusiasts will include some on-ship activities where a group of crochet enthusiasts can gather for a presentation on a specific crochet-related topic.

There may also be scheduled or informal gatherings for crochet hobby groups to visit and share ideas at a designated location on the ship. In some cases, formal tours are arranged in a port city where crafters can tour a wool mill or enjoy a shopping excursion as a group.

Benefits of a Cruise Vacation

For those who are new to the idea of taking a cruise, let me tell you, there is nothing else quite like it. You can spend all day going full speed ahead or doing absolutely nothing (or crocheting).

It truly is that flexible with the abundant cruise ship options. By day, there are activities and events in port or on the ship. In the evening, dining, dancing, and stage shows are sure to please every traveler. Why do I enjoy cruising so much? Let me tell you…

Convenience

My top reason for cruising is the convenience of having the “all-inclusive” experience while still enjoying some independence with my trip.  I’ll book the cruise, then book flights and possibly a pre-cruise or post-cruise hotel and click, click, click, my vacation planning is complete (if I want it to be).

In reality, I will start exploring and researching information about various ports and some things to do during the vacation.  But, I could just book the cruise and flight and know that my primary planning tasks are completed.

See More without Re-Packing

It is rare for me to plan a trip and stay in one location for an entire week. There is a big world out there and I want to absorb as much as possible.

On a cruise, it is common to have four or more port calls during a week. These stops in port can range from a few hours to an overnight stay with extended opportunity for exploring the port cities.

On the first day of the cruise, you will settle into a comfortable cabin on the ship, unpack and see amazing destinations while your “hotel room” moves with you from port to port. On the last night of the cruise, you’ll repack after a week of comfortable living.

Variety is the Spice of Life

Have you ever arrived at a holiday destination and soon realize that you are just “not feeling the love” of being in the place? With cruising, that’s not a concern since the next day will likely be a new location, a new adventure and a new change of scenery.

When you stay at an all-inclusive resort or book a visit to only one city, you are confined to that resort and the nearby towns in most cases.

Cruise ships move from port to port each day and there are dozens of on-ship activities including such things to do as onboard shopping, art auctions, massage services, sports tournaments, swimming and pool sports, bingo games, casino gambling, and even classes.  These are scheduled and communicated each evening so you can plan your next day if you want.

My Cruising Experiences

Carnival Ecstasy

In 2005, my first cruise was aboard Carnival Ecstasy from Galveston to Mexico for our honeymoon trip. Prior to the cruise, we walked along the seafront. At that time, there were huge chess pieces in the open park area.

I sometimes wonder if they survived the hurricanes. Our cruise ship cabin featured a porthole view of the ocean. It was relaxing to watch the ocean tumbles near the waterline. As first-timers, we learned a lot about the cruising experience.

Carnival Triumph – A minor breakdown

For our second cruise, in 2008, we chose Carnival Triumph. Yes, that ship!  Our cruise was delightful and fun, with the exception of one morning without A/C.

However, being in the Caribbean islands, we spent the time leisurely enjoying the ocean breezes on that day at sea. In San Juan, Puerto Rico, we spent a full day touring the historic sites and enjoyed sharing our day’s activities with other diners at the evening meal.

Alaska Cruise – Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas

Our third cruise was Royal Caribbean’s cruise from Seward, Alaska to Vancouver, Canada on Radiance of the Seas. This remains my all-time favorite cruise experience. “It seemed inconceivable that nature could have anything finer to show us,” observes naturalist John Muir in his book “Travels in Alaska,” which is such an apt description for the scenic wonder at every turn in this region. If you ever have an opportunity to visit Alaska, Just Do It!

We booked a flight to Anchorage and then took the Alaska Railroad train from Anchorage to Denali as a day trip. At Denali, we visited Talkeetna and took a flightseeing trip over Denali National Park and Preserve with K2 Aviation.

We returned to Anchorage overnight and then took the Alaska Railroad train from Anchorage to Seward, where we toured Seward before boarding the ship.

The Glacier Gardens in Juneau are home to upside-down trees with starbursts of color from the root structures.  The colors and “thinking outside the box” have inspired several crochet projects over the past couple of years. For armchair travelers, I recommend James Michener’s book, “Alaska” for a descriptive cultural history of this 49th state.

Back to the islands with Royal Caribbean

On a whim (somewhat) our fourth cruise was to the Caribbean Islands during Thanksgiving week in 2015. It was a fast-paced seven-day cruise with memorable stops in Martinique, Bridgeport, and Fredricksburg. During this trip, I was learning to use a new-ish camera.

I’ve sold several stock photos taken during that week and one photo taken from the stern of the ship as we departed Fort-de-France has become my best selling stock photo.  The income from stock photography sales is quickly reinvested in new camera gear as I continue to build my photography portfolio.

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escape the heat – royal caribbean Grandeur Of The Seas

Our next cruise was designed to escape the heat of Mississippi in August 2018 by heading north on a Royal Caribbean cruise out of Baltimore, Maryland with port calls in Boston, Portland and then a few stops in Canada. There was an unexpected heat wave in the northeast during the entire cruise, with the exception of one sea day where we enjoyed cool breezes and a touch of autumn weather.

The Canada cruise was notable for having the embarkation day on John’s 60th birthday, which was a fun way to celebrate a milestone event. Beyond Day 1, though, the scenery was stunning and our excursions had many excellent moments for learning about the history and natural beauty of the east coast.

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Plan your crochet cruise today

So, now I’m “hooked” on cruising! These were vacation cruises, not specifically tied to crochet seminars. Even so, I was able to turn a normal cruise into a crochet cruise with a quick visit to a yarn shop in a port city or by talking about crafting with fellow passengers on the ships.

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