Crochet Odyssey! Cruise & Pre-tour October 2026

The Crochet Crowd returns to Europe in October 2026 on board Royal Caribbean for an official crochet cruise. We've overcome the obstacle of not sourcing yarn from North America. We've partnered with a new travel agent from Expedia Cruises, Joanne O'Brien, from Ontario, Canada, focused on craft travel groups like ours. Joanne has opened doorways through her sourcing to bring The Crochet Crowd overseas.

As of September 20, 2025, both of these tours are close to sold-out, with the final few places for both tours. Many have opted to do both Tours 1 and 2, while others are just doing the second tour only.

Previews

The starting location will be Venice, Italy. We will finish near the same place, so you can go home the same way.

Bookings

We have two dedicated agents for our tour through Expedia Cruises. We also have a dedicated phone number and email for faster contact.

• Joanne O'Brien (lead agent) EXT 155
• Jodi Turkstra (admin) EXT 134

Phone Numbers

• Hamilton, Ontario 905-631-1700
• TOLL FREE 800-522-0866

Dedicated Email for Faster Service

TheCrochetCrowd@expediacruises.com (Goes to both agents).

Keep in mind that if you book these locations without our agent, you will not be able to access the spaces or receive the activity packages we offer. You need to book through an agent to be included.

Part 1 of 2

Enjoy Venice with The Crochet Crowd beginning October 6, 2026. Full details are below. Click the picture to download a printable PDF.

For this part of the tour, you need to be fully mobile, without walkers, scooters, or canes. This is a walking city, and you will need to carry your own luggage and board water vehicles.

Prices are in Canadian Dollars. We are limited to 90 guests (including friends and family).

Part 2 of 2

You can continue your Venetian Journey and go with us on an official Crochet Crowd Cruise on the Adriatic Sea. You can click the picture to download a printable PDF.

This part of our tour is open to those with accessibility challenges, such as scooters, walkers, and canes. Royal Caribbean will take care of your needs. However, being in Europe, Royal Caribbean does not provide sign language interpreters.

Prices are in Canadian Dollars. We are limited to 90 crocheters (friends and family are not included in this number, and many are bringing spouses and friends on this cruise with them, but not doing the crochet portion).

We will have some changes versus the other crochet cruises we have done.

Organizing

• Karen Ellis will be our event planner, and our agent, Joanne, will coordinate the trip.
• We will have a pre-cruise option tour package to come to Venice and share the experiences before the cruise. We encourage this add-on package as it may be once in a lifetime for you.
• Packages from our agent can include fully inclusive travel plans from your home airport, airport transfers, a pre-tour, a cruise, and a return trip home. You can only book through our agent for the pre-tour and cruise to keep our entire party together. Of course, if you prefer to make your travel arrangements to Venice, you are welcome to do so. Our agent can expedite the process seamlessly for you.
• For Europe, we will share an activity package of yarn with you to do workshops on board. While the cruise is port-intensive, meaning several stops, we will have activities on board, including crocheting and socializing.
• For non-crocheters accompanying our crocheters, their rates are reduced as they will not be participating in the workshops or receiving the activity package, which includes the yarn and other materials that crocheters will be playing with. However, these people will be invited to private events we have scheduled on the cruise ship that do not involve crochet stitching in groups.

Currency in Canadian Funds

We have opted to charge in Canadian Dollars for this adventure. The United States dollar is known to be stronger than the Canadian dollar. The currency exchange benefits Americans and allows Canadians to budget better.

As of this morning, July 20, 2025, $1000 CDN = USD 728.15. USD goes further. Your credit card will auto-convert when you book. For Americans, the price may look high, but once the conversion is done, the price will auto-correct during the conversion of dollars.

Programming

We have figured out the programming for this cruise. If you haven't used the techniques before, you will have the opportunity to learn new ones. You can also share with your fellow cruisers the skills you already know to make it a connected community.

Launch Expectations

We plan to open our bookings on September 4, 2025.

Due to conference room sizing on board the ship, we have a limit of 90 crocheters for this adventure. You can bring family or friends with you. If you are not doing the crochet portion, they will receive a discount as they won't get an activity package or join you in the crochet workshops. We will have them join you for the planned private onboard events. Workshops are usually 90 minutes long.

Pre-Tour in Venice

We have secured a hotel to hold our entire group. Our pre-tour can only hold 90 people. Unlike the cruise ship, where we can have 90 people plus family and friends who are not crocheters, we are limited by the capacity of what we can move around in Venice.

We understand that some people may not want the pre-tour or have mobility restrictions for Venice, and may prefer to go directly to the cruise ship to start their adventure with us.

We have limitations on mobility for the pre-tour:

Due to the environment, we cannot provide Venice with an accessible mobility option. If mobility is an issue, only sign up for the cruise ship portion, as the ship can handle your needs. We've selected a smaller ship to make getting around the cruise ship easier.

• Able to walk and keep up with the group, as the city is a walking city.
• Guests will need to board boats, gondolas and water taxis.
• Ability to walk up and down stairs, plus go over bridges. We cannot accommodate wheelchairs or walkers on the pre-tour; please sign up for the cruise only if this is an obstacle.
• Ability to walk on uneven surfaces, gravel, cobblestones, and grass.
• Guests must be able to get on and off a tall coach bus for those continuing onto the cruise and stopping at a festival along the way.
• Guests must be able to handle their own luggage without assistance. Pack smart, not the kitchen sink.

This event is not sponsored by Yarnspirations.com.