Cruise Tours
On this unique and exciting itinerary you will automatically be included in all of our fabulous tours and lectures. There is no need to sign up for them along the way! This is not your typical Quilt Seminar at Sea, but instead an exclusive and inclusive look into the fabric industry of Indonesia.
Included Tours on this Quilt Exploration:
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Exclusive: Discover the Batiks of Bali
| Travel to Denpasar city to see the Batik making process at Bali Batik Product. The Batik of Bali provides another venue of showing the artistic excellence of the Balinese people. Their beautiful designs, inspired by religious mythologies to everyday encounters, spread throughout the world. Originally stimulated by Javanese motifs, dominated by wayang and other mythological characters, contemporary batik artists have also experienced artistic development that parallels that of paintings. Modern batik artists express themselves through various subjects, from objects of nature such as birds or fish to daily activities such as cremation (ngaben) procession or tourist attractions as well as religious and mythological stories, accompanied by modern interpretation. Continue to Sulawesi street where this is the heaven for textile materials and fabrics. Shopping in Sulawesi Street is an exciting journey, enabling you to see much of the highlights of the town in the process. As modern and traditional approaches blend here, you can either bargain prices down on lower-priced goods or pay the full price for higher-quality fixed-price goods. Next visit a small bustling administrative center of Gianyar Regency, a town famous for Balinese hand-woven fabric. You will visit a factory and have opportunity to observe the process of how to make endek weaving. Strand by strand the fabrics are woven on back strap looms, and the finished products are intricate and beautiful. Travel to Legong Batik Gallery where your boxed lunch is served on board the coach. Your last stop of today tour is at Legong Batik Gallery in Tohpati Village. Tohpati, considered the center of Balinese hand weaving and handmade batik prints. The roots of batik date back 2,000 years but it was the Balinese who turned it into an art form. After you disembark, you’ll tour a local batik factory and watch the entire process – from stamping the fabric with wax, to dyeing and finally, the finished product. |
| Includes: Tour, English-speaking guide, ground transport, related fees (entrance, service, etc.), and lunch Excludes: Gratuities, personal items |
| Activity Level: Moderate – Requires intermittent effort throughout, including walking medium distances over uneven surfaces and/or some steps. |
Komodo Island - A Glimpse of the Dragon
| Journey ashore, for a visit to Komodo National Park for a walking tour in search of a fierce and rare species of reptile, the Komodo dragon. Walk just under a mile (roughly one hour) accompanied by rangers and an English-speaking guide. Head to the dragon viewing spot at Hutan Asam and for a chance to take some photos here. Guests with less walking ability can walk halfway or just stay at the ranger station where Komodo dragons are occasionally seen. An open bar with soft drinks and mineral water is available to you at the ranger station and reception area. The monsoon forests of Komodo teem with activity of other wildlife, particularly in the morning before the sun is at its peak. Squawking cockatoos flock in often-leafless trees, disturbing large green imperial pigeons, black-napped orioles, sun birds, flower peckers, and noisy friarbirds, while shiny black dragoons and enormous crows soar nearby. Finally, you will reach the finish point, where you’ll have free time for local souvenir shopping. Notes: Wildlife sightings are likely but are not guaranteed. The Komodo dragon is wild and is not artificially fed by the local authorities. The park rangers accompanying the tour will decide which route the trek will follow. Weather conditions can be extremely hot and shade is limited; dress accordingly, wear sunscreen and a hat, and bring bottled water. |
| Includes: Tour, English-speaking guide, ground transport, related fees (entrance, service, etc.), refreshments. Excludes: Gratuities, personal items, meal. |
| Activity Level: Easy – Very light activity including short distances to walk; may include some steps |
Exclusive: Semarang Full Day Batik Exploration
| Embark your coach for the one-hour drive to Kampoeng Batik at Mateseh village of South Semarang. Here you will have the opportunity to observe the process of making batik cloth. For those who wish to participate, you will be given a batik course, making a pattern or drawing on the white cloth then covered by wax and entry points dots in the form of graffiti before coloring and cleaning. You will be coached by a batik expert who guides you through the entire process. At the end you have your own hand made batik for your memories. Next, you will see Lawang Sewu, a remarkable building dating from Java’s Dutch period. Along with a multitude of beautiful stained-glass windows, the structure is rumored to have one thousand doors. You will visit the oldest traditional Karangayu Market. This market has been in existence for over a century and still remains a favorite place to shop for daily needs and even Javanese souvenirs, also stop at Danarhadi batik shop, where you can shop for batik cloth, fabric and household goods. Lunch en route will be served at Koena Koeni Restaurant , then you will pass through the bustling city of Semarang en route to Kota Lama, the Old Town of Semarang before returning to port. |
| Includes: Tour, English-speaking guide/driver, private vessel, related fees (entrance, service, etc.),lunch and mineral water on board the coach. Excludes: Gratuities, personal items. |
| Activity Level: Moderate – Requires intermittent effort throughout, including walking medium distances over uneven surfaces and/or some steps. |
Exclusive: Jakarta Textile Explorations
| Depart Tanjung Priok Harbour and drive to Tanah Abang Market, well known for the biggest textile Market in South East Asia, where you can find many retailers and wholesalers for textile goods. There are many people from different cities and countries who come to this market to buy textiles and return home to sell them in their home town. Lunch en route will be served at a local Indonesian restaurant. After lunch, you will visit the National Monument of Indonesia, a 1320-meter tower in the center of Merdeka Square, Central Jakarta, symbolizing the fight for Indonesia. It is the national monument of the Republic of Indonesia, built to commemorate the struggle for Indonesian independence. |
| Includes: Tour, English-speaking guide, ground transport, related fees (entrance, service, etc.), lunch. Excludes: Gratuities, personal items |
| Activity Level: Easy – Very light activity including short distances to walk; may include some steps. |