Australia and New Zealand cruise with Melanie Berg

Holland America cruise line

March 14 – 28, 2027

Join Melanie Berg of Mairlynd Designs as we knit our way through the spectacular New Zealand countryside and fjords with additional stopovers in vibrant Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. For two full weeks, we’ll knit exclusive patterns, as well as attend all the other classes with our talented designer. We’ll be planning fun excursions, in addition to all the fun we’ll have on the ship.

Included in your Reservation

Accommodations

Meals

Classes

Join us on this 14 day, magical, bucket list cruise, aboard Holland America’s ship, the Noordam. We’ve reserved beautiful mid-ship, upper deck cabins. In addition to your relaxing cabin which includes all port fees and taxes, all of your on-board meals, snacks, and desserts are included. All your classes and knitting/project instruction are also included!

The ship features amenities such as a theater, clubs, games, dancing, live music, shopping, a fitness center, and a resort deck pool. Entertainment is also included for you, so go ahead and enjoy an evening of theater, stand-up comedy, or live music! A daily cruise newsletter will allow you to plot your free time.

All classes and patterns, many of the tools and project materials, and extra instruction time is also included.

Spend your days in port walking around the town enjoying nature or the shops, or join an excursion if you prefer something more structured. This cruise offers many exciting excursions for all levels of activity. We will be offering one or two excursions, tba.

Port excursions are not included in the price of the retreat, unless otherwise noted.

Hotel accommodations pre/post cruise are not included in the price of the knitting cruise. We are not licensed to make these reservations for you, but any reputable travel agent will happily accommodate your needs and budget.

The Crew Appreciation gratuity charge is paid to Holland America Line team members and represents an important part of their compensation. You will be able to pre-pay this amount once you receive your booking confirmation number; otherwise, it will be automatically charged to your linked credit card upon disembarkation.

Holland America is noted for their award-winning dining, and meals on board ship are included in the cost of the retreat; there are several complimentary restaurants on board, plus cafes, juice bars, grills, late night snack venues – well, you get the idea. You will not be hungry!

One of the pleasures of being on vacation is room service, and 24/7 room service is complimentary!

In addition to all of the complimentary meal choices, there are several specialty restaurants, which require an extra fee, and are not included in the price of the retreat.

The cruise line is offering an optional “Have It All” bundle for $60/day, per person/per stateroom. This package includes a $200 shore excursion credit (with the cruise line), the Signature beverage package (sodas, specialty coffees, adult beverages, and the service charge for the bevvies), 2 evenings at a Specialty Dining restaurant, and their WiFi package. You may pre-pay this package through the app, once you receive your booking confirmation number.

We will have a daily dinner reserved in one of the Main Dining Rooms, with enough tables to accommodate the group; you are welcome to eat with the group in the Main Dining Room, or explore the other restaurants. Note that meals in port are not included in the price of the retreat.

On our first night on board, we will host our Welcome Party with a special knitting project, so we’d like to have everyone attend this first dinner together in the Main Dining Room. After that, it’s your vacation, and you are free to dine at your pleasure.

Click here to see the Cruise Itinerary

Classes are included on this cruise, with a mix of knitting technique and pattern classes. We will also receive a new pattern, to debut exclusively on this cruise, along with kits from a NZ indie yarn dyer to purchase and have delivered to the ship.

Melanie is well known for her beautiful patterns, and we will take full advantage of her expertise in sweater shaping, including sweater fit, with lots of samples to try on.

We’ll learn how to accomplish her incredible mix of stitch patterns and color, with her mosaic knitting class. You’ll not only be creating swatches to take home, you’ll get to try your hand (needles?) at creating your own shawl pattern.

Finally, Melanie will be working on a design your own adventure knitting pattern; something small that can be completed on board the cruise. We’re hoping to have local yarn for purchase for this pattern, too.

We’ve got other projects and knitting plans up our sleeves for after dinner, including learning to dye silk (you’ll complete a project that will be ready to wear during the cruise), and knitting triangles for a Breast cancer shawl project dear to Melanie’s heart.

Supply list: Closer to the retreat date, we’ll be sending you information about what yarn and tools you might want to bring from home.

Click here to read more about Melanie’s classes.

Note that classes may change, due to creative activity happening in the brains of this wonderfully artistic instructor!

Yarn Market

Activities and Ample Knitting Time

Transportation

Australia and New Zealand are filled with fabulous yarn shops and indie dyers. We’re in touch with several of them, who are eager to show off their yarns. We’re also looking into bringing some yarn aboard for you to purchase, so stay tuned!

We’re currently planning to offer yarn kits for one or two of our class projects, as well as kits for one of Melanie’s very popular patterns, Ghost Dancer.

We’re also working on an excursion to Holland Road Yarn Shop in Wellington, which will feature a creative workshop, in addition to yarn shopping!

Final disembarkation happens in Sydney, and we may plan an extracurricular visit to Skein Sisters, a beautiful yarn shop with locally dyed yarn.

Each reservation also includes a Swag Bag, filled with special goodies selected by Susan and Melanie. We’ve been told that the Wild Onion Production Swag Bags are the best!

In addition to the classes, we’ve allowed for ample creative time outside of formal class time, whether on deck marveling at the Australian and New Zealand shoreline, or relaxing at one of the many indoor lounges, knitting together as a group. Wild Onion Production retreats always allow you to rev up your creative juices in class, then relax your buzzing brain with free time to enjoy your project, your surroundings, or your pillow.

If you want a break from knitting, there are lots of included activities on the ship for you to explore, including a fitness center, pickleball with complimentary lessons, movies, theater, and much more.

We are in touch with a yarn shop in Wellington, NZ working out details to organize a shop visit with the choice of 2 classes (a band weaving class and an adorable butterfly felted brooch). More details about this as they become available.

Melanie will be offering an exclusive pattern, and we’re talking with a NZ indie yarn dyer to put together kits for you to purchase and have delivered to the ship.

We will pull together a list of several excursions which are in addition to the excursions offered by Holland America. We’ll email those to you later in the year.

The price of the retreat includes your cruise, cabin, meals on board ship, taxes and port fees, all of your chosen classes, extra instruction time, the patterns and many of the materials needed for class projects, and a Swag Bag. A group excursion in Wellington, NZ is being planned, not included in the cost of the retreat.

Transportation to and from the “Noordam” is not included. While a stay in Auckland and/or Sydney pre/post cruise is not included, it is highly recommended, to avoid any flight snafus!

We are not licensed to make hotel or flight reservations for you; please contact a reputable travel agent for help with this.

Please note that the price of the retreat does not include any hotel, food, or transportation costs pre or post cruise, or meals/food purchased while in port.

We require Travel Insurance for Cruises and International Travel. Please note our Travel Insurance Policy. We have been purchasing an annual subscription to Allianz Travel Insurance for ourselves, as we found that it is robust insurance at a great price. We have no affiliation with Allianz, nor are we responsible for their coverage, but if you plan to travel more than once in the coming year, check it out!

Additional cruise departure port information can be found here.

Balcony Cabin

$8990 USD

All inclusive; see above for details.
Non-knitter companion $8246 usd, all inclusive.
Price based on double occupancy
Single occupancy price $12,750 usd, all inclusive.
Registration and payment at the bottom of page.
The option exists to split up your payments; select Stripe (the credit card option) to pay in installments.
Note that the prices found on the Cabin Pricing page of the HA cruise line’s website are for basic cabins in undesirable ship locations. Cruise prices on the HA site are based upon double occupancy, so if you plan to go solo, expect to pay nearly twice the listed price on the HA cruise line’s suggested price.
Our cruise package was designed exclusively for our group, and our prices are guaranteed until we sell out our cabins.

Ocean View Cabin

$8290 USD

All inclusive; see above for details.
Non-knitter companion $7430 usd, all inclusive.
Price based on double occupancy
Single occupancy price $11,100 usd, all inclusive.
Registration and payment at the bottom of page.
The option exists to split up your payments; select Stripe (the credit card option) to pay in installments.
Note that the prices found on the Cabin Pricing page of the HA cruise line’s website are for basic cabins in undesirable ship locations. Cruise prices on the HA site are based upon double occupancy, so if you plan to go solo, expect to pay nearly twice the listed price on the HA cruise line’s suggested price.
Our cruise package was designed exclusively for our group, and our prices are guaranteed until we sell out our cabins.

Signature Suite Cabin SOLD OUT

$9992 USD

All inclusive; see above for details.
Non-knitter companion $9294 usd, all inclusive.
Price based on double occupancy
Single occupancy price $14,890 usd, all inclusive.
Registration and payment at the bottom of page.
The option exists to split up your payments; select Stripe (the credit card option) to pay in installments.
Note that the prices found on the Cabin Pricing page of the HA cruise line’s website are for basic cabins in undesirable ship locations. Cruise prices on the HA site are based upon double occupancy, so if you plan to go solo, expect to pay nearly twice the listed price on the HA cruise line’s suggested price.
Our cruise package was designed exclusively for our group, and our prices are guaranteed until we sell out our cabins.

Inside / interior cabin

$7298 USD

All inclusive; see above for details.
Non-knitter companion $6788 usd, all inclusive.
Price based on double occupancy
Single occupancy price $9574 usd, all inclusive.
Registration and payment at the bottom of page.
The option exists to split up your payments; select Stripe (the credit card option) to pay in installments.
Note that the prices found on the Cabin Pricing page of the HA cruise line’s website are for basic cabins in undesirable ship locations. Cruise prices on the HA site are based upon double occupancy, so if you plan to go solo, expect to pay nearly twice the listed price on the HA cruise line’s suggested price.
Our cruise package was designed exclusively for our group, and our prices are guaranteed until we sell out our cabins.

REGISTRATION iNFORMATION

Payment for the cruise is accepted through Paypal (as a guest, if you don’t have an account) using your account or credit card; or Stripe, which is a Level 1 (highest level of security compliance) secure online credit card processor. Stripe supports “Buy Now, Pay Later” payment installment options, using trusted providers such as Affirm, Afterpay/Clearpay, Klarna.
Prices are in USD
IMPORTANT FOR CABIN-MATES: after the first roommate signs up, the second roommate will receive a confirmation email containing a link for registration. IF YOU HAVE A ROOMMATE, PLEASE DECIDE ON ONE PERSON TO REGISTER FIRST. The cabin will be held for you both, promise! If you both register separately, you will either lose your cabin or be charged for a single occupancy.
During the registration process, you may choose to pay in full or have your space held with a $1000 deposit. Your remaining payment will be broken into two invoices due in August and October with the $1000 deposit deducted from your overall payments.
Reservations include a non-refundable $500 Service Fee per person (note: this fee will only be charged for a guest’s cancellation)
If you choose to pay in installments through Wild Onion invoicing, payments will be due August 15, 2026, and October 10, 2026. Remaining payment will be 50% of your cabin cost, less the $1000 holding fee, plus $30 service fee each invoice.
If you have not paid in full by the final due date, we reserve the right to offer your spot to our waiting list or the public, and to retain your payment to date.
Should you need to cancel, your payment is refundable as per our terms and conditions. Once your cabin has been booked, your travel insurance will be needed to recover your cruise fare.
Due to strict cruise line regulations, we cannot swap in a different guest into your booked cabin, should you need to cancel.
Cancellation through August 15, 2026 will incur a non-refundable $500 service fee.
50% of the cost of the holiday (excluding the service fee, any cruise fare booked or other pre-paid travel arrangements or fees paid) will be refunded for cancellation August 16-October 31, 2026. At that time, please contact your travel insurance for their help with travel related reimbursement.
No refunds for cancellations after November 1, 2026. At that time, please contact your travel insurance for their help with reimbursement.
Other restrictions apply; see the policy page.
Refunds can only be issued to the card used for the original reservation.
Proof of travel insurance is required two weeks after registration. You may upload the policy number when registering, or indicate that you will send the confirmation at a later date. We advise researching purchasing an annual policy as it has proved to be cheaper than buying for just one trip. If you purchase a policy for this one trip, you will be able to adjust the dates later, as you finalize your travel plans.
Travel insurance protects you, and we want to make sure that you make the best decision for yourself!
Travel insurance is required for this cruise. Any pre-existing health conditions may affect the insurance policy. Please become familiar with your chosen insurance company’s policy regarding pre-existing conditions, cancellations, and any other refunds that may be required.
For cabins based on double occupancy, both roommates must submit payment within 7 days of the first order. After these 7 days, if all roommates have not submitted payment, you will be billed for a single occupancy cabin, or you may choose to cancel your reservation for a refund, excluding the $500 service fee. Alternatively, check with your travel insurance to see if they will cover the single supplement.
Guests are responsible for finding a suitable roommate, if they wish to share a cabin. Check the Wild Onion Productions Ravelry group for like-minded knitters looking for a cabin mate.
ADA cabins are available. Check availability before registering.
Non-knitters are welcome! They will not attend the knitting or project classes, but they will be welcome at meal-times and extra-curricular activities.
What is included: cabin; taxes/port fees; all on-board meals in the many complimentary restaurants, snacks; all classes, including extra class time; patterns; Swag bag, Cruise Handbook, Zoom meeting about a month prior to sailing, with Melanie and Susan.
See here for a full list of our Cancellation and Refund Policies.

AUSTRALIA and NEW ZEALAND CRUISE with MELANIE BERG