Is Glass Blowing Class Worth It?

[Georgia_Peaches]

11 minutes ago, sdnich said:

I am looking at just booking my husband for the class but I am hoping to go also to watch?? Is that ok?

Absolutely!  There are benches in front of the glass blowing area set up for viewing.

 

[LeeW]

Yup.  Wife wanted to do this again last trip on Equinox and she convinced me to sign up again as well.   Now we have an ornament (heavy, not really fragile), a drinking glass, and two fluted vases.  Lots of fun and takes around 20 minutes each.  Pieces are annealed overnight, packed in bubble and put in a white bag with your name on it available for pickup when the classes run the next day.

 

As another poster has said, they do a demo around sailaway time and start taking appointments then, so show up BEFORE that demo time. 

 

Sign up for appointments right after each other and you can swap the camera to get pictures of both.

 

Edited December 4, 2023 by LeeW
more

[sdnich]

12 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Absolutely!  There are benches in front of the glass blowing area set up for viewing.

 

Thank you for the quick replies! I thought so I have been on a couple ships that had the hot glass show, but I feel like it was either too busy or it was too windy out there to sit and watch. I do not want to do it. I have some wrist problems, but I want to watch.

Edited December 4, 2023 by sdnich

[Barwick Cruiser]

When I boarded the Eclipse last year I had purchased a session in my cruise planner using obc. I had seen a sea turtle posted on a previous review and very much wanted to make one. Once onboard I didn’t see any sea turtles in the display of items to make and asked the assistant when making my appointment and he said that wouldn’t be a problem. Guess they can only put so many items on display? 🤷‍♀️. Anyway, my session ran close to 30 minutes (depends on the complexity of your chosen item) and I paid the upcharge from obc so my souvenir and experience cost me nothing! I had a blast and my turtle made it home safely (in my hand luggage) and every time I look at it it’s the best reminder of a fun holiday that I’ve ever bought! Because I’ve very little creative or artistic genes in me, my turtle is far from perfect but I’m proud to have played a big part in making it so there’s that 🤣. 
 

[CaroleSS]

@Barwick Cruiser I think your turtle is fabulous!

[thebutlerdidit]

42 minutes ago, CaroleSS said:

@Barwick Cruiser I think your turtle is fabulous!

Me too! You chose beautiful colors for his/her shell!

 

I made a bubble bowl that I love!

 

[SusieAV8R]

20 hours ago, markeb said:

DW has done this on each of our three Equinox cruises. She loved it! Purchase it online for the precruise discount and schedule more or less as soon as you can onboard. Unless you're driving home, seriously recommend looking at the "solid glass" options: paperweights, starfish, jelly fish, etc. Much less likely to break on the trip home!

DH made the flower with thin spiral stem on our September cruise.  It was packed really well in bubble wrap by the Glass Staff and he then put it on the top of his carry-on luggage, since we were flying home.  It arrived intact when we unwrapped it in our home.

[Happiest when cruising]

6 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Yes, the fee includes a piece to take home.  It's really a base price that can go up depending on what you choose to make.  I believe the paper weights are the entry level and it goes up from there.  I made the tidal wave vase and I think it was $140 and then we had another piece commissioned by one of the artisans.  A great way to use up excess OBC!

So, if you pay the higher price, do they assist you so it at least comes out a bit like the finished pieces on display that you choose from? Or, could you end up with a 200.00 blob of glass? 

[Georgia_Peaches]

1 minute ago, Happiest when cruising said:

So, if you pay the higher price, do they assist you so it at least comes out a bit like the finished pieces on display that you choose from? Or, could you end up with a 200.00 blob of glass? 

You will absolutely end up with a piece like the sample on display with the difference bring in the colors you choose. It’s a no fail endeavor…the pros make sure of that.  

[markeb]

18 minutes ago, Happiest when cruising said:

So, if you pay the higher price, do they assist you so it at least comes out a bit like the finished pieces on display that you choose from? Or, could you end up with a 200.00 blob of glass? 

You’ll end up with a nice piece. The whole system is designed for safety and to ensure you make something you want. You get to do a lot, but staff is involved at every step. A lot of the safety activities are so subtle you don’t even realize that’s what the are…

[grandgeezer]

7 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Yes, the fee includes a piece to take home.  It's really a base price that can go up depending on what you choose to make.  I believe the paper weights are the entry level and it goes up from there.  I made the tidal wave vase and I think it was $140 and then we had another piece commissioned by one of the artisans.  A great way to use up excess OBC!

Several years ago my wife made that one bowl with the wavy edges, I don’t recall what the name of it was. It was $100 at the time. The staff person walks you through it and does the critical steps. For whatever reason, it didn’t turnout to the staffs liking so broke it, put it into the scrap bin and told her to come back at the end of the show and they would remake it. The second one turned out great. She still gets positive comments about it to this day.

 

[sdnich]

I just booked it for our cruise looking forward to it !! 

[The Fun Researcher]

I just booked it for my two daughters (22 and 19)  as well as my mother-in-law on our Equinox sailing this month.  I really like that you have a forever keepsake.  

[mtnlvr53]

10 hours ago, bigbenboys said:

Great fun. Here are some of my pieces I've made.

Wow! Very impressive! Love the jellyfish!

[mtnlvr53]

My husband I both did it and would sign up again if it was on a ship we were sailing.   A great souvenir. 0

[The Fun Researcher]

23 hours ago, The Fun Researcher said:

I just booked it for my two daughters (22 and 19)  as well as my mother-in-law on our Equinox sailing this month.  I really like that you have a forever keepsake.  

Scratch that, now, my wife is also signed up. We now have three generations of ladies in our family doing this glass blowing!  Can’t wait to see what they make!

[AstoriaPreppy]

On 12/4/2023 at 9:40 PM, Happiest when cruising said:

So, if you pay the higher price, do they assist you so it at least comes out a bit like the finished pieces on display that you choose from? Or, could you end up with a 200.00 blob of glass? 

 

Totally... it wouldn't be safe to let guests just run amok in a glassblowing workshop, so there's a lot of "blow hard now, spin spin spin spin" sort of guidance. You will end up with a finished piece that closely resembles the ones on display, no matter what happens.

 

On 12/4/2023 at 9:44 PM, Georgia_Peaches said:

You will absolutely end up with a piece like the sample on display with the difference bring in the colors you choose. It’s a no fail endeavor…the pros make sure of that.  

 

This is totally spot-on. My husband's piece exploded in the annealer overnight (we learned some colors are more prone to breakage during cooling). The artist called that morning and re-booked him for a makeup session later that day, and suggested colors that would be more stable... and ended up looking better than the original piece. 

[The Fun Researcher]

How many folks are in each session?  We have four booked, but maybe adding a couple more.  Thanks in advance

[markeb]

It's one on one in the working zone. It's too small otherwise and would be unsafe. Your actually time slots will be booked once you're on board, so it's a little unlikely you'll all be back to back. Each piece takes about 15-20 minutes of work with one of the professionals.

[Missymo]

I loved it when I did it last year and I have a lasting memory every time I see the piece on my desk.  Recommend it for a different experience 

[Bill Miller]

I booked the Casino Cash Blowing Class, but after reading this topic I'm defiantly changing to the Glass Blowing thing. I'm a grumpy old man but this sounds great. Thank You for explaining it !

[pattyj 1204]

I was lucky enough to do this on our cruise a few years ago. I made a gold/white Christmas ornament. It was to celebrate our 50th anniversary. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I took the ornament home in my carry on bag. I have it in a display cabinet and on our tree for Christmas. I love it. So special. Grab a blanket if you are watching and don't forget your camera, something you don't want to forget.  

 

[budmeister]

Hubby liked it.

[Happiest when cruising]

1 hour ago, Bill Miller said:

I booked the Casino Cash Blowing Class, but after reading this topic I'm defiantly changing to the Glass Blowing thing. I'm a grumpy old man but this sounds great. Thank You for explaining it !

It took me a second to get the joke… 

but at least with the glass blowing, you will have something to take home. 

[SusieAV8R]

On 12/4/2023 at 9:44 PM, Georgia_Peaches said:

You will absolutely end up with a piece like the sample on display with the difference bring in the colors you choose. It’s a no fail endeavor…the pros make sure of that.  

Georgia_Peaches is absolutely correct!  The higher priced items are usually larger or more detailed.  For example, I think on our September cruise, the turtle or the large bowl cost more than the pumpkin I "made".