GXmanDC Posted January 21, 2012 #1 Share Posted January 21, 2012 We love the Atlantis experience, but are looking to travel with a group of friends who are gay guys, gay gals and straight but not narrow friends. What is the mixture in a typical Pied Piper group cruise? Is it mostly gay guys? Would straights or lesbians feel welcome in the group? Does Pied Piper have any of their own entertainment? Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gw2fll Posted January 21, 2012 #2 Share Posted January 21, 2012 We sailed with Pied Piper on Serenade and had a wonderful time. If I remember correctly, the group was about 700 out of ~2100 on board. We had a great time. PP scheduled their own events and shore excursions, but we also interacted and participated in other shipboard activities and excursions. Very relaxing vacation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etoile Posted January 21, 2012 #3 Share Posted January 21, 2012 My wife and I have sailed with Pied Piper; if I recall, there were two other lesbian couples in the group. The group was only about 50 total - fairly small as Pied Piper goes! So 6 lesbians out of 50 is small, but the guys were all super friendly and we had a wonderful time. It also doesn't feel as much like a "sausage fest" as the all-gay cruises, because you have non-PP women on board as well. When I went on an RSVP cruise, I could go almost an entire DAY without seeing another female passenger - that never happened on the PP trip. I would say PP travelers are also very welcoming of straight allies, because if they wanted to have no straights around they'd choose RSVP/Atlantis/etc, so your group should have a wonderful time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GXmanDC Posted January 21, 2012 Author #4 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Thank you for the info. Now i need to convince my friends we need to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schplinky Posted January 22, 2012 #5 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Thanks for asking this question. I've always wondered about the mix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ahhh Posted January 22, 2012 #6 Share Posted January 22, 2012 I have done about 5 trips with Pied Piper. I have also sailed when they have been onboard. They are a predominately gay travel agency out of New York and put together groups of cabins on mainstream cruises. These are not charters and their groups can range in size from about 15-175 or so guests per sailing (my guess). Their largest sailing is typically their Post Thanksgiving Sailing which can attract upwards of 1,000 guests, again, on a mainstream ship. I have done two of those sailings and felt they were the best of both worlds as far as passenger mix. Among the many benefits of sailing with PP, in my opinion (I am not associated with the agency), is that you pay what anyone pays who is on that ship. There is no premium to be a part of their group. The prices are competitive with what you would find with the cruise lines themselves. The prices are much less than you'd pay for an Atlantis or RSVP cruise, but it IS a different experience from either of them, as well as a different experience from just a regular cruise. You can do as much or as little with the group as you wish. Depending on the size of the group, there will be one or more social hosts on board from the agency. PP will book tables in the dining room so everyone can sit together and be a part of the group. You don't have to sit with the group if you do not want to, but it's a great option. This is a benefit for many who travel with them, and many a friendship is made this way. They also have hosted cocktail parties, costume parties, movie nights, group shore excursions, etc. It's a great way to spend time with people you feel comfortable with, as well as enjoy everything that all the other passengers are enjoying, and mix with them as well. It's not as restrictive as a charter would be, as there is a mix of passengers on the ship. They also offer a cabin share program based on smoking/non smoking. The groups are largely gay male but there will also be lesbians, friends and family members who are straight as well. I've brought friends who have felt completely comfortable being a part of the group as well as the freedom to do what they wanted outside the group. As with many groups of people, some mixes are better than others. I would check out their website and give them a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etoile Posted January 23, 2012 #7 Share Posted January 23, 2012 An absolutely perfect summary, Ahhh! My wife and I went with PP for our 10th anniversary trip, we chose to have a 2-person table at dinner, but we were right next to the other PP tables so we got to wave over at them and it felt like we were part of the group while still having our private little anniversary week. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerryO Posted January 23, 2012 #8 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Hi- We just returned from a Pied Piper Cruise on the Century in Australia. There were 39 guys (no gals). We are in our 40's and were on the young side of the group. Most of the guys were from the US. There was a pied piper host on board. About half of the guys were repeat Pied piper customers. It was our first experience our Pied Piper - I think that Ahhh summarized it best - you can do as much or as little with the group as you want. We would certainly consider doing another pied piper cruise. Cheers Perry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colocop004 Posted January 30, 2012 #9 Share Posted January 30, 2012 I would agree that Ahhh summarized the Pied Piper Experience very well. I have sailed with Pied Piper 6 times, all of which have been on the Post Thanksgiving Cruises. These groups have run from 400 to 1100 person in the group and is generally 10% female. I am not sure what the straight percentage was, but I know there were some. Everyone does seem to have a great time. The Post Thanksgiving cruises are the largest of the groups that Pied Piper has. This year we are also booked with Pied Piper on the Feb 18th sailing onb the Summit. They have assured me that there will be a rather sizeable group of us on the ship and I am guessing there will be about 200 of us. They have private parties planned as well as private shore excursions. I am not sure that they offer the private parties or shore excursions on all of their sailings or not. I have to say that I am a huge fan of Pied Piper and I would highly recommend that everyone give them a try once, I am sure that you will enjoy it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
okeefk1 Posted May 6, 2013 #10 Share Posted May 6, 2013 Anyone booked on the pied piper baltic gay cruise - Scandinavia & Russia Cruise on celebrity Eclipse June 22 - July 6, 2013 - 14 Nights Brugges(Belgium), Warnemunde (Germany), Stockholm (Sweden), Tallinn (Estonia), St.Petersburg (Russia), Helsinki (Finland), Copenhagen (Denmark) - would love to hear from you - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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