It’s Happening This Year!

Dear Friends,

Before telling you about all going on with World of Quilts Travel in the coming year, I want to take a minute to thank you for your friendship and support over the years.

As with all of our cruises and tours, I have spent many hours developing itineraries, workshops and special excursions that are intended not only to be exciting, social and fun, but to help you build memories that will last a lifetime. This year will be our best year yet as we have something to offer everyone who loves to travel and enjoys quilts and quilting.

No matter where we are going, all are welcome to join us! We have had guests joining us from all over the world and have become internationally known as a leader in providing ‘Quilt Inspired’ Travel. You do not need to be a quilter to have fun on our tours, non-quilting spouses are among those who provide the highest praise of our trips!

In March, we were off on our first trip to CUBA. We got to see Cuba as it has been over the last 50 years. Our trip was with Fathom Cruises and was a cultural exchange trip. We were totally immersed in all things Cuba from embarkation on.

Our Ireland tours have been so much fun and successful, we are going again! This 13 day tour will take place from May 22 – June 4, 2017, and will be a circle tour that includes both Ireland and Northern Ireland. We’ve planned our tour to coincide with Ireland’s National Quilt Week when there will be quilt related activities from coast to coast. You may read more here.

Perhaps you’ve already read about our 14 day cruise through the Norwegian Fjords, departing from Amsterdam, July 23-August 6, 2017. Joining us in this beautiful part of the world are teachers Jen Kingwell, Michelle Yeo and Gillian Travis. We are sailing on Holland America’s new ship, the Koningsdam, on one of their most popular itineraries. As a bonus, Holland America is offering complimentary gratuities to everyone in our group.  For all of the cruise information including category prices and all that is included, as well as a link to the workshops Jen, Michelle and Gillian are offering, go here.

Our Bali tour is always popular and this year we will be going from August 22-September 2. With the ability to purchase batik fabrics at $2.00 a meter, several opportunities to print your own batiks, a chance to learn all about the culture and Balinese way of life, as well as our tour to the Hoffman California Fabrics batik factory (exclusive to World of Quilts Travel), spaces on this tour go fast. For anyone who loves batiks, this tour should definitely be on your bucket list. We have had people join us more than once for this adventure as Bali is one of those places that some have a hard time leaving behind. For more information see our BALI website.

We’ve have had so much fun over the years with those joining us in Houston for the International Quilt Festival, we see no reason not to continue this tradition. We have a wonderful quilt filled week planned from October 30-November 5, which includes, The Texas Quilt Museum, quilt shop hops and lots of fun in Galveston before the Houston International Quilt Festival activities begin. For the convenience of our guests, we are able to offer hotel accommodations at the already fully booked Hilton America’s Houston Hotel, directly adjacent to the convention center. Space is extremely limited, you may read about the itinerary and all the details here.

Packing more quilting fun into a visit to Houston, we have partnered with the International Quilt Association (IQA) for a 7 day Caribbean Quilt Cruise, departing November 5, just after their Houston show activities. We are offering 15 workshops with our 5 incredible and fun-loving teachers; Cherry Guidry, Cheryl Lynch, Michelle Muska, Sujata Shah and Helen Stubbings. Some guests on this cruise are participating in our Houston tour and following up with the cruise, some are taking the cruise only and others are selecting the option to enjoy 3 nights on their own to go to Quilt Festival before embarking on the cruise; it’s up to you. IQA has planned so much fun on this sailing, it is one quilt cruise you do not want to miss. For all the information and a link to the workshops, read more here.

Due to its popularity, we are once again offering our Quilter’s European Christmas Market River Cruise. This year from December 1-9, we are cruising on the Rhine River from Amsterdam, the Netherlands to Basel, Switzerland on Viking Cruise Lines. We will be enjoying beautiful scenery and stopping at village Christmas Markets and historic sites along the way. With the cruise ending in Basel, we are offering a 4 day extension that includes Zurich, Switzerland and Mulhouse, France. If an amazing adventure at the fabulous Christmas Markets of Europe has always been on your ‘to-do’ list, do not hesitate as our cruise is already almost sold out and there are just a few cabins left. For our 2016 cruise, we were forced to turn away several disappointed quilters – and would hate to see that happen again! For information, including all of the amazing inclusions on this tour, please see our Christmas Market Cruise website.

For our last tour of 2017, we’ve added something I feel will be very special, the Quilters London Christmas Celebration, from December 12-18. We’ve planned this tour to include the best holiday festivities in one of the world’s most beautiful cities and will be participating in many celebrations. In addition to many of London’s wonderful Christmas markets, we will be shopping for fabrics in an eclectic area of textile merchants and spend a very special time at England’s finest antique quilt emporium. Read all about this special holiday tour here.

As it comes up right after the new year into 2018, I want to mention our full transit Panama Canal Quilting Cruise supporting the International Quilt Study Center & Museum. From January 5-20, 2018, we will be cruising from Fort Lauderdale, FL to San Diego, CA. This Wonders of the World cruise features teachers Joe Cunningham, John Flynn, Luke Haynes, Gloria Loughman and Sue Spargo who have put together exciting workshops for our journey. This is an amazing cruise itinerary and one for the whole family. Sign up before February 25, 2017, for onboard credit in select categories. Click here to read more about this fundraising opportunity.

If you have any questions or are interested in one of our roommate opportunities, please email me at worldofquiltstravel@gmail.com.

Thank you so much for your time and support, I look forward to seeing you soon, somewhere in the World of Quilts!

Deb Roberts