Scrapbooking on a cruise Rhapsody of the Sea

[Majesty Fan]

Hi I was wondering if there were any scrap book clases on the ships? We are doing the 10 night Rhapsody to Hawaii. I have never done a scrap book but will try to do one after this wonderful trip. Just wanted to get some tips.

Lexi

[Charleston Girl]

We have just booked our first cruise so I certainly can not help you as far as scrapbooking on board, however I have been cropping for 7 years. I have done all kinds, Creative Memories, Stampin' UP as well as made digital scrapbooks from Shutterfly. My favorite way to scrapbook vacations is the digital books. It takes about 1/2 the time and you will journal more and put more pictures than a traditional scrapbook. Any boarding passes or postcards that you get can be scanned into your computer and then uploaded as a photo. I love the quality of Shutterly. I have been in the printing business for over 18 years their quality is excellent. It is a snap to make the books. You can download their free software to eliminate red eye, lighten/darken photos. You can even whiten your teeth and thin yourself!!! Cost wise it is the most economical. Hope this is helpful.

[Travelgrrl]

Hi I give Arts and Crafts classes on RCI (as a guest lecturer) and I used to do scrapbooking but RCI asked me not to any more because they are offering scrapbooking fleetwide with their own cruise staff. I have heard mixed reviews about their classes, though they do provide materials and scissors, etc so you don't have to bring anything.

 

I offer other classes and sometimes we make door signs that can double as a scrapbook page (shh! ;) ). I can tell you that of all RCI ships, the Rhapsody seems to stress the extra classes and artsy stuff more than any other. I'm sure you'll have a great time and lots of fun on your sea days. (That's when classes are offered.)

 

Hopefully you will have the RCI staffed classes and another onboard arts and crafts person for double time!

[alwalaska]

Hi I give Arts and Crafts classes on RCI (as a guest lecturer) and I used to do scrapbooking but RCI asked me not to any more because they are offering scrapbooking fleetwide with their own cruise staff. I have heard mixed reviews about their classes, though they do provide materials and scissors, etc so you don't have to bring anything.

 

I offer other classes and sometimes we make door signs that can double as a scrapbook page (shh! ;) ). I can tell you that of all RCI ships, the Rhapsody seems to stress the extra classes and artsy stuff more than any other. I'm sure you'll have a great time and lots of fun on your sea days. (That's when classes are offered.)

 

Hopefully you will have the RCI staffed classes and another onboard arts and crafts person for double time!

 

Thanks for the info. The Sovereign (which we are sailing in Aug) seems to offer the scrapbook class in the middle of our Nassau day which makes it harder for me to decide if I want to go. We only have 1 sea day on a short 4 day cruise, so that may be the difference.

 

Does anyone know if the classes are different enough to make it worth going more than once?

 

Thanks.

[Nitra]

Last May one of the gals with me attended a card making class, I believe, she said it could have been okay, except, she said the old ladies, now she is in her 50s so take that accordingly, were rude and pushy and she had to get a bit aggressive to even get to any supplies. She said they were greedy with the supplies too. I guess it might help if RCCL would offer more supplies or arrange it differently or something. She said also they really didnt offer guidance, just supplies and someone standing around if you had questions or something, not a class really. Just a place to do it really and some supplies. Since it will be a 10 night with a lot of sea days in a row, maybe they will do something different.

[dsarah]

On our recent Freedom cruise (Western Caribbean), scrapbook instruction was one of the activities one day in the compass. About 10 of us showed up and were pointed to a table with supplies. I've never done scrapbooking at all so I was at a loss. I asked the staff member if he had any examples of what we were supposed to do. Only then did he bring out a book of examples, which then gave me the general idea. Other than that, he just stood there. When we were done, everyone just left. I was disappointed because from the Compass description, it sounded like it was supposed to be instructive, and it wasn't. Hope your experience is better!

[AudioFilly]

On the Rhapsody last October I went to 2 of the Scrapbook Classes. The first one was done by one of the women on the cd staff. They hand out a paperclipped packet of several sheets of paper in different colors and some cute die-cuts. Then she took a moment to show us how to use some of the different accessories that were at the front of the room. They had a couple of photo albums that were passed around then with examples of different ways to use the supplies they had just given you.

 

The second class was led by one of the guys from the cd staff. He told us up front that this wasn't one of his regular assignments and he had no clue what he was doing. And he had grabbed the wrong box so he ended up bringing the same supplies that we had gotten at the other class. I think normally you would get different things at each class.

 

You won't get great instruction, but if you are wanting to make a scrapbook when you get home it's worth stopping by the class to get the die-cuts. They won't make you stay and work on it there. A lot of women were coming in just to pick up the free supplies, so you wouldn't be the only one doing that either.

[alwalaska]

On the Rhapsody last October I went to 2 of the Scrapbook Classes. The first one was done by one of the women on the cd staff. They hand out a paperclipped packet of several sheets of paper in different colors and some cute die-cuts. Then she took a moment to show us how to use some of the different accessories that were at the front of the room. They had a couple of photo albums that were passed around then with examples of different ways to use the supplies they had just given you.

 

The second class was led by one of the guys from the cd staff. He told us up front that this wasn't one of his regular assignments and he had no clue what he was doing. And he had grabbed the wrong box so he ended up bringing the same supplies that we had gotten at the other class. I think normally you would get different things at each class.

 

You won't get great instruction, but if you are wanting to make a scrapbook when you get home it's worth stopping by the class to get the die-cuts. They won't make you stay and work on it there. A lot of women were coming in just to pick up the free supplies, so you wouldn't be the only one doing that either.

 

Thanks. You answered my questions exactly.

[Majesty Fan]

Thanks everyone,

I have slowly started getting some supplies for the scrapbook. I hope to have plenty by the time our cruise comes around in Sept. Does anyone actually do the scrapbooking while on the cruise or wait till they get home?

Lexi

[Zbayette]

Legend of the Sea had two classes of it at 9:30 AM with free supplies. Unfortunately i never made it to the classes.

[Nitra]

On the Rhapsody last October I went to 2 of the Scrapbook Classes. The first one was done by one of the women on the cd staff. They hand out a paperclipped packet of several sheets of paper in different colors and some cute die-cuts. Then she took a moment to show us how to use some of the different accessories that were at the front of the room. They had a couple of photo albums that were passed around then with examples of different ways to use the supplies they had just given you.

 

The second class was led by one of the guys from the cd staff. He told us up front that this wasn't one of his regular assignments and he had no clue what he was doing. And he had grabbed the wrong box so he ended up bringing the same supplies that we had gotten at the other class. I think normally you would get different things at each class.

 

You won't get great instruction, but if you are wanting to make a scrapbook when you get home it's worth stopping by the class to get the die-cuts. They won't make you stay and work on it there. A lot of women were coming in just to pick up the free supplies, so you wouldn't be the only one doing that either.

 

 

Oh goody, since I will probably still be in my cast, I might have to stop by and get my supplies. Sounds like they have improved it greatly!

 

You are going a couple of weeks before me, let us know if it is still going on!

[kimark]

Wow! I didn't even know scrapbook classes were offered. It's been a couple of years since I've been on a cruise. I will be on the MOS in August and although I've scrapbooked for years, I will stop by to get supplies. Do they offer any insight into digital scrapbooking? My scrapbooks are all traditional but would love to do my next book digitally. Charleston Girl, have you tried Creative Memories digital scrapbooking? Just curious how it compares to Shutterfly.

[Charleston Girl]

Just last week I saw a CM digital book for the first time. Honestly, I did not think the quality of the paper or photos were as good as shutterfly. CM had GREAT cover options. You can put a photo on the cover and you have a lot more design choices. CM also has a free software you can download and the ability to change the background of each page i.e. if you were doing a 07 book and you had Easter & BD & Christmas you could match the background accordingly. You can also match the font color. Although those things are great, I am more into my pictures looking good. Now, I only saw one sample but it was a demonstrators book so I can't imagine her uploading low res pics. I can't tell you how much I love the quality of my Shutterfly books. You can also modify them so if you want 60 pager for yourself and a 20 pager for your family it can be done in a snap. Hope this is helpful.

[Nitra]

I like Shutterfly, never did scrapbooking with them, might have to give em a try!

[forpaws]

Okay fellow scrappers, here was my take on the scrapbooking workshop my best friend and I attended on Sovereign last August:

 

We went to the workshop..it was hosted by a highly spirited guy (Skippy) who basically made us crazy listening to him. You were offered a few die cuts (which were cute and cruise-related, including the RCI anchor, which was cool), glue sticks which smeared easily and went everywhere (almost like they had gotten too hot), scissors, and a few sheets of cardstock which were nothing more than bright construction paper. The animated host did not give us any instructions, directions, ideas or anything. He was just basically there....talking loud.

 

There was a sample book you could look at, but honestly, the examples weren't anything spectacular.

 

In our opinion, and we are seasoned scrapbookers, it was worth going to get the die cuts, but not worth spending any additional time there. The paper colors I got were bright orange, tan, and a yellow, and they were 8 1/2 x 11" size on top of it. Since we scrap 12 x 12, we decided not to try to make a "silk purse out of the sow's ear" we'd been given. Maybe our expectations weren't realistic, but it really doesn't take much to please us.

 

There's no way I would go to another one unless I heard from others that the workshops had been redesigned.

 

Please note that this workshop was not associated with Travelgrrl's workshops, as I'm sure hers would have been a terrific, creative and exciting learning experience.

[forpaws]

Thanks for the info. The Sovereign (which we are sailing in Aug) seems to offer the scrapbook class in the middle of our Nassau day which makes it harder for me to decide if I want to go. We only have 1 sea day on a short 4 day cruise, so that may be the difference.

 

Does anyone know if the classes are different enough to make it worth going more than once?

 

Thanks.

 

Ann - we sailed Sovereign on the 14 - 18 of August last year - exactly the same week as you're sailing this year!

 

If it were me and knowing what I know now, I definitely wouldn't arrange my schedule around the workshop. The Straw Market would have been more fun than the class!! :rolleyes:

[akysmom]

Thanks everyone,

I have slowly started getting some supplies for the scrapbook. I hope to have plenty by the time our cruise comes around in Sept. Does anyone actually do the scrapbooking while on the cruise or wait till they get home?

Lexi

Hi, I have been scrapping for about 6 years now and I wait until I get home to work on my book. For me it would be hard to keep everything crisp and smooth while traveling. I have a hard enough time keeping the paper items that I want to include in my book clean and smooth. I may not be a good example because I went to AK for 10 days in June 2005 and I just finished my scrapbook last week. It does include 105 8x10 photo pages so I guess thats my excuse for it taking 21 months to complete. (That and my full-time job, family, dirty house...the list goes on!) Good luck and prepare to be addicted!!!:p

[Majesty Fan]

Thanks everyone. I clipped out a coupon for Micheals so will try to stop by there and get some items this week even though we don't cruise for almost 5 1/2 months. What are some must get items for the first time scraper?

Lexi

[PINEVIEW01]

I've just started scraping. I never could find time to do it with my DD's as I worked 12/7. Now I'm retiered and hooked. I have 15 cruises to scrap akysmom I wouder how long this'll take? My youngest DD did get me a wounderful cruise kit for my B-daythis weekend. The classes my be lame but, I don't think I would even know:)

[kimark]

Thanks Charleston Girl for your opinion on digital photo books. I appreciate it since this will be new to me. Why does RC offer a scrapbooking class if they are not going to teach it? Does the host even scrapbook himself or is he just there handing out die-cuts?

[Charleston Girl]

My advise for a new scrapbooker is find a CM (Creative Memory) Consultant or Scrapbooking Consulate nearby. Buying all the supplies can be overwhelming. You need to find out their "CROP" schedule. Most scrapbook stores including Michaels have FREE or a small charge for a crop. Most are Friday nights from 6 to 11 p.m. Not only will they have endless supply of goods that you can buy 1 sheet of this or 1 die cut, they will also have tips. In the end you will spend less.

 

CM has a great thing called Power Scrapbooking or Power Layouts. I would encourage you to learn this technique it has saved me a TON of time and money.

 

Every scrapbook needs:

 

#1. Good pair of scissors

#2. Personal Trimmer

#3. Good scrapbooking tape. My personal favorite is the double sided by Stampin UP but I think Michaels carries a similar brand.

 

Both CM & SU have websites to give you ideas not to mention endless online scrapbooks with plenty more to choose from.

 

Good luck

[Travelgrrl]

"Please note that this workshop was not associated with Travelgrrl's workshops, as I'm sure hers would have been a terrific, creative and exciting learning experience."

 

Haha, extremely nice disclaimer there! Here's what I used to do with scrapbooking classes: We would have one session where I spoke about archival preservation, showed all kinds of ideas (laminated scrapbook pages from various people: baby books, high school memories, bridal books, etc); displayed the use of various kinds of scissors, punchouts, crimpers, glues and tapes, etc. Then we had another session where we made a 12 x 12 page. I made a template that they could expand upon, and everyone got an equal amount of scissors, punchers, glue sticks, fancy stickers, and many colors of paper to use.

 

I also used to do a "Write Your Life Story" class and a "Caring for Your Photographs Class". All were very popular and combined to make a series on appreciating and remembering one's life as unique on this Earth, and part of an important historical record.

 

But now I have started focussing on things people can use on board, since the Scrapbooking Fatwa of 2005. So on my next trip (Granduer 4/28) we will be making a door sign (also can be used as a scrapbook page); a wooden beaded Seapass holder with a cool shell motif; and palm tree greeting cards. In the Med last summer we stitched a lavendar flower on muslin sachets, then stuffed them with french lavendar (to make the stateroom smell nice). We also did the Seapass holders, only with Italian lampwork beads instead of the wood beads and sea shells. So I change things to match the ports.

 

It's a lot of fun, and not much time constraint on board, (a few hours for setup, take down and the class) but I have to remain sober and tidy that day beforehand so it's a stretch (Wink! Not really) Also it takes quite awhile in advance of the cruise to come up with the crafts and bring 80 separate 'kits' for each craft. One whole suitcase is nothing but craft things. But at least this way, there is plenty for everyone. (Many times people come up to me afterwards and say "Can I make another one for my other child?" (Or sister or whatever) and if I have enough I let them. But everyone basically gets the same kit so no one is left out.

 

My booking agency places people on many RCI ships doing similar quality activities so hopefully you will have the extra expertise on your ship! As others have said, the RCI scrapbook classes are somewhat different, but I have heard good things about the cool RCI stickers they give you, etc.

[forpaws]

Thanks Charleston Girl for your opinion on digital photo books. I appreciate it since this will be new to me. Why does RC offer a scrapbooking class if they are not going to teach it? Does the host even scrapbook himself or is he just there handing out die-cuts?

 

Skippy said he scrapbooked....

 

It's come back to me the two things he repeatedly said (loudly) throughout the entire session: "You're breakin' my heart..." :confused: and "You're only as good as the tools you use."

[starlake]

I have gone to the classes sponsered by RCCL on two different ships. If you have done any form of scrapbooking, these classes are not for you. They are as others have said, very basic. It is good to run in and pick up a few things. They normally have some scrapbooks there to get some ideas. Since you are new at this, you might find the scapbooks very helpful.

I hope once you get started you will be hooked. I love to go to my scrapbooks and remember great times.

[Majesty Fan]

Thanks everyone,

Hubby and I just switched to the Radiance 15 niight Hawaii so I hope there are good oportunities.

Lexi