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A place for writers to learn, connect, and grow

Step away from the daily grind and immerse yourself in a writing workshop and retreat on a cruise ship. During this event, you’ll hone your craft, connect with fellow writers, and make progress on your latest projects—all while being supported by the hosts of the Hugo Award-winning Writing Excuses podcast.

And you’ll do it all while sailing up the stunning Alaskan and British Columbian coast, exploring ports like Juneau, Skagway, and more.

Celebrate over a decade of Writing Excuses cruises!

For more than ten years, Writing Excuses has hosted its annual workshop & retreat on a cruise ship. During that time, writers have had the chance to learn, grow, connect, and even publish. Our retreats have led to critique groups, friendships, and lifelong partnerships and marriages. They’ve been fertile soil for seeds of ideas that become books on shelves.

We’ve loved the tradition of hosting a workshop on a ship, but we've made the decision to pause our annual cruise after 2026. We want this to be a trip to remember.

Will we cruise again? Most likely! But we’re stepping back from this annual tradition to make way for new opportunities and events. We will revisit hosting cruise-based workshops in 2029.

Whether you’re a long-time alumni or a newcomer, you’re invited to sail to Alaska and celebrate past successes and future endeavors.

We also include a special rate for family members, so your partners, kids, and non-writing supporters can enjoy Alaska, too! In addition, we are offering two scholarships this year.

Write. Relax. Explore.

Build the event that suits your needs. You'll have access to writing classes, guided writing sessions, shipboard activities, Writing Excuses parties, critique groups, shore excursions, and more!

Here’s an idea of what writer attendees can expect:

• Writing Classes: Workshop your work-in-progress (or your next big idea). We’ll host 5-7 classes throughout the week, designed to help you hone your craft. These sessions will give you the chance to workshop your work-in-progress (or your next big idea) in a large-group setting.
• Breakout Sessions: Connect with one instructor and a small group of peers for more personalized feedback. Breakout sessions include:
• Critique Session: Members will submit a selection for group critique. This may be a novel excerpt, short story, or query letter.
• Unlocking Session: Unlocking sessions are formal brainstorming sessions where you get to “unlock” something that you’ve been stuck on. Unsure how to find time to write? Looking to hammer out your magic system? No question is too small!
• 1:1 Office Hours: Throughout the event, you'll be able to get 1:1 feedback on specific questions from our instructors during Office Hours.
• Lightning Readings: Public readings are a part of life as an author, but many writers don’t have the chance to practice. Lightning readings are an opportunity for you to read a 2-minute reading segment to a rapt audience who’s ready to cheer you on!

In addition to writing-related activities, you and your family members can also enjoy:

• Social Activities: We have plenty of additional activities planned, including costume parties, nightly dinners, and informal gaming sessions (bring your nerdiest board game, we dare you).
• Shipboard Activities: From world-class singers to awe-inspiring acrobats, the ship itself has a wealth of onboard activities for you and your family members.
• Shore Excursions: Explore four different ports in Alaska and British Columbia, either on your own or on a guided excursion. We’ll stop in Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria.
• Self-Care Time: Everything on our itinerary is optional! Take some well-deserved downtime to lounge by the pool, nap in your room, or roam the ship.

Meet Your Hosts

Both hosts and guest hosts of the Hugo-award winning Writing Excuses podcast are thrilled to join you on board the Voyager of the Seas. Here’s who you’ll be learning from:

Mary Robinette Kowal

Mary Robinette Kowal is the author of The Spare Man, The Glamourist Histories series, Ghost Talkers, and the Lady Astronaut Universe. She is part of the award-winning podcast Writing Excuses and has received the Astounding Award for Best New Writer, four Hugo awards, the Nebula and Locus awards. Her stories appear in Asimov’s, Uncanny, and several Year’s Best anthologies. Mary Robinette, a professional puppeteer, also performs as a voice actor (SAG/AFTRA), recording fiction for authors including Seanan McGuire, Cory Doctorow, and John Scalzi. She lives in Nashville with her husband and over a dozen manual typewriters.

Erin Roberts

Erin Roberts is a speculative fiction writer who tells stories across formats. Her short fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in publications including Asimov’s, Clarkesworld, Sunday Morning Transport, and The Dark, and has been selected for three Year’s Best collections; she has published interactive fiction in Strange Horizons and Sub-Q Magazine; and her game writing appears in D&D adventure books Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen and Journeys Through The Radiant Citadel (D&D), Hunter: The Reckoning Fifth Edition, Paizo books including Pathfinder: Lost Omens Travel Guide and Starfinder Interstellar Species, and Zombies, Run!

DongWon Song

DongWon is an agent at Howard Morhaim Literary Agency representing science fiction and fantasy for adults, young adult, and middle grade readers as well as select non-fiction. They were formerly an editor at Orbit, a product manager for an ebook startup, and has taught at institutions including Portland State University and New York University. They have a newsletter about the business at publishingishard.com and are a host of the podcast Writing Excuses. DongWon is Korean-American, trans, and nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns.

Howard Tayler

Howard Tayler is the writer and illustrator behind Schlock Mercenary, the Hugo-nominated science fiction comic strip. He also co-hosts the Hugo and Parsec award-winning “Writing Excuses” podcast, a weekly podcast for genre-fiction writers. He also collaborated with Mary Robinette, Dan Wells, and Brandon Sanderson to create the Shadows Beneath anthology.

Howard has written tie-in fiction for Privateer Press, and horror for the Space Eldritch anthologies as well as the Planet Mercenary RPG. Planet Mercenary is set in the universe of the Schlock Mercenary comic. You can find the comic online at schlockmercenary.com

Sandra Tayler

Sandra Tayler is a writer, editor, and publisher with credits in over thirty different titles. She is a consistently successful crowdfunder, and has spent the last thirty years managing a household alongside several small businesses. Her book, Structuring Life to Support Creativity, is a non-fiction book meant to help creative people make more space in the life they have for the creative work they want to do. Sandra lives in Orem with her husband, three cats, three adult children, and a family of very demanding scrub jays who insist that Sandra's only real job is to put peanuts on the deck rail.

Event Itinerary

We’ll host writing classes throughout the event, typically on Sea Days. If a class is on a port day, it will not conflict with an excursion or an opportunity to spend time off the ship. Class topics will be announced closer to sailing, but the general itinerary (including our incredible ports) are listed below:

• Thursday, September 3 (Seattle): Arrive in Seattle and check in for the event at our hotel.
• Friday, September 4 (Boarding Day): Attend orientation and board the Voyager of the Seas. Programming will begin.
  
• Saturday, September 5 (At Sea): Our first day at sea will include writing classes, breakout sessions, and plenty of time to write and connect with others.
• Sunday, September 6 (Juneau, AK): Enjoy a morning class or writing session, then take time to either stay on the ship and write or explore Juneau.
• Monday, September 7 (Skagway, AK): Stay on the ship and write or explore Skagway. Take an evening class or write.
• Tuesday, September 8 (At Sea): To take advantage of our time together on the ship, we'll have several writing classes this day.
• Wednesday, September 9 (At Sea): Attend office hours, participate in writing classes, and connect with fellow attendees.
• Thursday, September 10 (Victoria, BC): Take a morning class or write, then have the opportunity to explore Victoria.
• Friday, September 11 (Seattle): Disembark and return to the Seattle airport together.
  

Writing Excuses Scholarship Program

It’s our goal to make these events as accessible as possible. That’s why, every year, we host writers through the scholarship program. These scholarships run off donations from our generous alumni, Patreon members, and podcast listeners.

We have two types of scholarships:

• Out of Excuses Scholarship (1 recipient): This scholarship is designed for those who cannot financially afford the retreat on their own.
• Writers of Color Scholarship (1 recipient): This scholarship is for BBIPOC writers (Brown, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color).

If you’d like to apply for one of our scholarships, head here for more information.

FAQs

Now that you’re excited (if you’re still reading, we hope you’re excited), here are the most common questions for those deciding if this event is right for them.

Do I need to be a professional writer?

Absolutely not. We’re all on the same path; some are just further along. Whether you’re getting started or an experienced professional, this retreat has something for you.

Are there attendance requirements?

We do have some requirements, although none have to do with your writing experience.

• Writer attendees must be 18 years of age or older or, if 12-17, accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
• Children 11 and under are welcome aboard, but cannot attend classes. Child care and age-appropriate curriculum is available through Royal Caribbean's youth program.
• All attendees, attendee guests, and accompanied minors must have a valid passport and be as vaccinated as they are reasonably able to be for COVID-19.
• All attendees, attendee guests, and accompanied minors must be willing to take a COVID test within 48 hours of departure.

I have questions about the scholarship application. How do I find answers?

You can head to this webpage for detailed scholarship information.

I’m an introvert. This sounds like fun, but will it be too much?

This event draws all sorts, introverts included. We know social recharging is necessary, and none of the activities are mandatory. In fact, we encourage you to take time away to refill your battery.

What does my Writer Ticket include?

Writer tickets cover eight days of writing and connecting, including:

• Hotel Night: 1 night at a hotel in Seattle the night before we embark.
• Bus Transfer: Round-trip bus transfer from the hotel to the ship on boarding day, and the ship to the airport on disembarkation day.
• 7-Day Cruise: This includes lodging, meals, ship gratuities, and ship programming.
• Internet: 1 shipboard internet package, allowing you to connect one device at a time while on board (you can switch between devices).
• Classes: Access to all seminar classes and guided writing sessions.
• Breakout Session: 1 (optional) small-group breakout session, either a critique or an unlocking.
• Writing Time: Built in informal writing and self-care time.
• Social Time and Parties: Some formal opportunities to celebrate together!

Can my significant other/family member/spouse attend?

Yes! Family tickets are available at a discounted rate and includes:

• Hotel Night: 1 night at a hotel in Seattle the night before we embark.
• Bus Transfer: Round-trip bus transfer from the hotel to the ship on boarding day, and the ship to the airport on disembarkation day.
• 7-Day Cruise: This includes lodging, meals, ship gratuities, and ship programming.
• Internet: 1 shipboard internet package, allowing you to connect one device at a time while on board (you can switch between devices).

We’ll provide a meet and greet for family attendees, as well as some special programming for them. They may also attend all WXR social events and parties.

What kind of rooms are available on the cruise?

All staterooms include: Two twin beds that convert to a Royal King, sitting area with sofa, full private bathroom, vanity area with hair-dryer, closed-circuit TV, radio, and phone. Cabin sizes range between 160 - 198 sq ft.

There are three room types available for retreat-goers:

• Interior Room: An inside cabin with no window.
• Oceanview Room: An inside cabin with a window that looks out over the ocean.
• Balcony Room: An exterior cabin with a balcony that looks out over the ocean. The balcony has a table and two chairs.

In addition, you can choose either double or single occupancy.

• Double Occupancy: The rate is per-person and you will have a roommate. You can either choose your roommate when you buy your ticket or one will be assigned to you. Note: If a family member is attending then you should choose a double occupancy ticket as you will be sharing a room with your family member.

• Single Occupancy: The rate is per room and you will have your own room.

*Note: If you have special requests or questions about your accommodation type, please let us know when you purchase your ticket.

What do I need to know about making travel arrangements?

Arrival in Seattle

We recommend flying into the Seattle-Tacoma (Sea-Tac) airport. If you choose to drive or take another route in, you may need to make separate arrangements for parking and getting to the hotel.

Hotel Night

Included in your ticket is one night at a hotel in Seattle, WA on Thursday, September 3rd. This night is included regardless of whether you are staying at the hotel or not and includes breakfast the morning of the 4th. We HIGHLY recommend planning to arrive that evening, since we will leave together for the cruise early the morning of the 4th.

The hotel is available for double occupancy or single occupancy. If you choose double occupancy, the price is per person in the room and you will have a roommate. If you choose single occupancy, you will have your own room.

Additional Hotel Nights

If you wish to spend an additional night at the hotel on the front end of the trip, you may purchase an additional night for September 2nd. This will also include breakfast and WiFi.

Getting On and Off the Cruise

All tickets include round-trip transfer from the hotel to the ship dock. We will board as a group and provide plenty of instructions ahead of time. After the event, we’ll provide busing from the cruise terminal to the airport.

Are there payment plans available?

Yes! This ticketing platform allows PayPal Credit as a payment option, which will allow you to pay in six interest-free monthly payments. When you go to purchase your ticket, look for the PayPal Credit option and follow the prompts.

I have more questions! How do I get in contact with you?

Message us at contact@writingexcusesretreat.com.

Additional Policies

COVID Policy

Writing Excuses acknowledges that we cannot negate all risks associated with in-person group events. However, these are the steps we will take to mitigate that risk:

You will be required to confirm that you are as vaccinated as is reasonable, considering your medical health and access to vaccines. We recommend getting a booster about a month before the trip if possible, but this is not required. A waiver of this requirement is available for those with medical reasons not to be vaccinated.

We also ask that all attendees take an antigen test within 1 day of boarding the ship and confirm that the result was negative.

We will require attendees and staff to wear KN94, KN95, or equivalent masks in the conference rooms of the hotel and cruise ship at all times (unless actively instructing at the front of the class or if an accommodation has been made), and we will be mask-positive in all our communications. We may require masking in additional spaces. For full policy head here. 

Accessibility Policy

The access policy of Writing Excuses follows the Social Model of Disability. This regards barriers to the full participation of disabled people as the fault of society (and more immediately we as the organizers), not the 'fault' of the person with a disability. We further reject any negative value placed on a person because of their disability, or indeed on their disability. 

We picked Royal Caribbean because their ships are designed to accommodate all of our guests, including people with mobility, hearing, and visual disabilities. When you fill out the registration form, please let the Writing Excuses staff know about any accommodations you require as there is limited availability on board ship. For full policy head here. 

Harassment Policy

Writing Excuses is dedicated to providing a harassment-free conference experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age or religion. We do not tolerate harassment of conference participants in any form. Conference participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the conference without a refund at the discretion of the conference organizers. For full policy head here. 

A Note About Names

Please note that your cabin will be booked using the legal name on your passport and identification. This will also be the name displayed on your Sea Pass card, issued by Royal Caribbean.

The badges we provide for the event itself can display whatever name you choose. Our experience has been that the Royal Caribbean staff are welcoming of all gender identities and presentations.

Travel Policy

This is a trip which requires a passport and crossing international borders. We recommend you carefully consider your risks and decide whether this travel is safe for you. We strongly recommend buying travel insurance to mitigate the risks of health or delayed travel should something prevent you from attending.

Our experience has been that Royal Caribbean does everything possible to make customs experiences both efficient and friendly. Outside of Royal Caribbean border crossing experiences will vary widely.

Refund Policy

Refunds do not include the booking fee or transaction fees charged by Stripe or PayPal. Refund dates are based on Royal Caribbean payment deadlines. If you need a refund you will need to reach out directly to us at contact@writingexcusesretreat.com

100% refund if canceled before April 28th

75% refund if canceled before May 16th

50% refund if canceled before June 1st

25% refund if canceled before July 15th

No refund after July 15th

You’re out of excuses… now come write with us.