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Celebrity Millennium Singapore to Hong Kong - March 3, 2013


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Hello Again!

 

Started a threat earlier, but didn't include the DATE of the sailing. So starting this LGBT threat for anyone on this cruise out of Singapore to Hong Kong.

 

We are looking forward to this itinerary...and to seeing the newly-Solsticized Millennium!

 

Thomas & Adrian

San Francisco, CA

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Hello again,

 

My partner and I booked this cruise last fall and have really been looking forward to it. We are David (me) and Wade and are from Atlanta, Ga. I had no idea this was also a Pied Piper cruise when I booked it (we are not part of the group). Hopefully, more people will join since it is a group cruise. I have almost all our excursions booked and hotels as well. Now I just need to make the plunge and buy the air. I will probably do this in the next couple months.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hey Anthony & Robert here also posted on the main RC thread.

 

We have booked a Pre-cruise China Land tour for 12 nts which we are going with my parents and a good friend of ours. The China tour ends on 2/28 in Shanghai, which we along with our friend will then fly to Sin for 3 nts precruise. We are very excited since we have reserved a FV Aft Corner Statreroom with one of those humungous balconies! I see hosting some LGBT parties will be a must!

 

We plan to stay 2 nts post cruise in HK. Our flights are all booked via FF points and also our HK hotels. Waiting for point accumilation for SIN hotel reservations.

 

The next step will be setting up some private tours, I may mirror some of the already arranged tours. WIll post when I have them arranged for additional tour guests.

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  • 1 month later...

I am thinking there would be a lot more on this trip. We have our air now and all tours are arranged. I am really looking forward to this adventure. I wish we could do a 12 day China tour as well. We will spend three days pre in Singapore and three in Hong Kong.

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We are currently booked on the March 31st Atlantis trip but thinking of switching over to this one. The cost savings are huge plus we like the fact that we are basically overnighting in every port. The downside is we really do like the sense of community of Atlantis, the "freestyle" feel of the trip (no dressing up for dinner, open seating for everyone, drag bingo :p) and we already have our FF tickets locked up.

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Well, crunched the numbers and I think we are going to stay on the Atlantis trip. Prefer the Pied Piper schedule but, after looking costs plus the poor availability for award redemption flights, I think we will stay put.

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Hey Anthony & Robert here also posted on the main RC thread.

 

We have booked a Pre-cruise China Land tour for 12 nts which we are going with my parents and a good friend of ours. The China tour ends on 2/28 in Shanghai, which we along with our friend will then fly to Sin for 3 nts precruise. We are very excited since we have reserved a FV Aft Corner Statreroom with one of those humungous balconies! I see hosting some LGBT parties will be a must!

 

We plan to stay 2 nts post cruise in HK. Our flights are all booked via FF points and also our HK hotels. Waiting for point accumilation for SIN hotel reservations.

 

The next step will be setting up some private tours, I may mirror some of the already arranged tours. WIll post when I have them arranged for additional tour guests.

 

 

Wow, lucky you to have a FV Aft Corner stateroom. On my last cruise I had a FV Aft next to the corner and that was great. I tried to get one for this trip but they never opened up to a solo traveler. I'm on this cruise with Pied Piper group. Does anyone have hotel recommendations for Singapore?

See you all aboard.

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Our cruise is almost sold out. There are only a couple cabins open. These Asia cruises have been selling really well for Celebrity. Of course, some will open up after final payment, but for now it is pretty impressive.

 

Hello Big Timber. I sail solo every now and then as I get a lot more time off then my partner. I really enjoy it. We arrive in Singapore at around 1 AM and are staying at a cheap (and supposedly clean) budget hotel for the night. Then we will move to Marina Bay Sands for two nights before the cruise. Ever since I saw MBS being built I have wanted to stay there. It looks like a fun way to start the trip.

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Our cruise is almost sold out. There are only a couple cabins open. These Asia cruises have been selling really well for Celebrity. Of course, some will open up after final payment, but for now it is pretty impressive.

 

Hello Big Timber. I sail solo every now and then as I get a lot more time off then my partner. I really enjoy it. We arrive in Singapore at around 1 AM and are staying at a cheap (and supposedly clean) budget hotel for the night. Then we will move to Marina Bay Sands for two nights before the cruise. Ever since I saw MBS being built I have wanted to stay there. It looks like a fun way to start the trip.

 

Hi Tiggerman: Thanks for the response. Yes, my flight arrives in Singapore at 1:30 a.m. as well. I'm going to stay at a hotel at the airport (Crowne Plaza) and then I'm joining a couple of fellows I met on my last cruise with Pied Piper. They just decided today to stay at the Intercontinental so I made my reservation there as well. Undoubtedly we will cross paths on the ship.

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You are looking at another potential convert from Atlantis Events to this itinerary. The price point for a solo cruiser is MUCH better and you get more bang for your dollar on this one then on Atlantis. Rich Campbell has nearly sealed the deal. He said early August the post-cruise tour info would be out for the Beijing and Shanghai tours and now I find out he's gone off on his Seabourn and Celebrity cruises and it will not be posted until maybe September. Really?? I'm not waiting all year for Atlantis to figure out what they're doing!!:eek::mad:

 

A friend mentioned AquaFest and then I came across Pied Piper. I just want to see the sights... not really caring if it's a huge group or not. It's on my bucket list and next year is the only year in the forseeable 10 that I can do this so it's going to get done and done right! :)

 

The flights are crazy though!! I'm figuring of flying in a day before to get myself righted with sleep so I can actually enjoy the beginning of the cruise. Is anyone doing a post-cruise tour in Beijing?

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We will also be staying in SG 3 nts precruise. 1 night @ the Conrad and then 2 nights @ The Grand Hyatt, all on points. 2 nights JW Marriott in Hong Kong post cruise also on points.

 

I'm goint to be very busy booking stuff since we just booked the Millie for the Oct. 7th Panama Canal cruise! We're very excited since we've never done the canal before. It was at an EXCELLENT price (Tuesday Special) so we just did it! Now we have cruises booked for Spet, Oct, Nov, March!!!!:)

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It's OFFICIAL! :D



 

I've converted from Atlantis Events to this voyage! Wow at the shore excursions for this trip being offered by Celebrity! Is anyone going to do the overnights / over land tour to Angkor Wat in Cambodia?

 

Kwokpot - Have you ever used tour operators to Beijing? If so, who have you used? I'm looking at trying to throw a few days on the end of my cruise and visiting Beijing. This is the longest trip I'll have ever done in my life and I want to maximize my time in that side of the world! Thanks!

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  • 2 weeks later...

My husband and I are booked through PP for this cruise. Definitely quite excited about it.

 

We managed to find Cathay tickets in business using AA points for the flights there and back. We will be staying 2 days prior to embarkation at the Marina Bay Sands hotel (a bit of a bank breaker, but we REALLY want to swim in that pool!!!). And we have one night booked in HK after the cruise before flying home.

 

We are still deciding what to do in the ports. I was hoping to get further information from PP as to if they are planning their own overnight tours at the overnight stops (at an additional cost of course), or if I should begin researching booking on my own or through Celebrity directly.

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My husband and I are booked through PP for this cruise. Definitely quite excited about it.

 

We are still deciding what to do in the ports. I was hoping to get further information from PP as to if they are planning their own overnight tours at the overnight stops (at an additional cost of course), or if I should begin researching booking on my own or through Celebrity directly.

 

I am looking at celebrity excursions. Pied piper said they will not have excursions available until January. I don't want to risk being shut out. I hope to have those locked in fairly soon.

 

My airfare is still up in the air! I'm hoping to get to Beijing for a post cruise tour there but it's costly and more importantly I think risky to do a private tour of China on your own with a guide. Gay culture over there is not exactly embraced although I'm not your flaming homo either! Such choices but I need to make them soon!

 

ALL - is anyone doing a post cruise tour to China? If so, what place are u using?

 

Thanks!

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  • 1 month later...

Hi, Thomas and Adrian. We are Jay and Eric and we are also going on the Pied Piper cruise to SE Asia. We also live in the SF area (Walnut Creek). We were wondering if you wanted to get together for drinks before the cruise sometime to meet and say hello. It would be nice to know somebody before we get on the cruise. My direct email is lemursf@aol.com

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More people! Welcome Jay & Eric!

 

I know what you mean about knowin people before you get on the ship!

 

ALL - has anyone done pied piper before? If so, what is different onboard then a meal together in the restaurant? Do shore excursions get arranged together? I have booked the over land tour to Cambodia so I am hoping I don't miss something major!!

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We took PP to Australia/NZ last year and it was great. The difference between PP and being just a regular passenger is that you get to meet before dinner each night in a special area of the bar. PP hosts the drinks the first and last days of the cruise. PP does recommend certain excursions so you can be sure you will not be the only gay person, but you are free to go on their recommended excursion or do your own thing. I believe I was told that there will be an optional gay overnite in Bangkok to experience the nite life. We usually had a gay group enter the trivia contests, etc. There was no problem at all being gay on the PP cruise that I went on. The boat had all sorts of people. Also, if there are more than 10 people on the trip, you get a PP host that helps coordinate the activities and makes sure that everyone mixes and is OK. PP groups skew towards an older crowd, in general. The 20-40 crowd generally prefers the parties you get with Atlantis and RSVP. On the PP cruise I was on, one of the guys was a handsome escort of one of the older gentleman and he was loads of fun. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask. Jay

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Hi Jay,

 

That's a wealth of information right there. I'm happy with the choice I did then to book the excursions. Some have sold out since and I really wanted to get to Cambodia. As such anything that overnights in Bangkok is out of the question since the tour for Cambodia leaves on the second day we're there in Thailand and arrives when the ship gets to Vietnam. There's a sea day in between while we're out exploring in Cambodia. I love sea days because they're relaxing. This cruise is more about the see and do then the party scene which is why I swapped it out from Atlantis. Plus, Atlantis couldn't and still doesn't have their act together. They loudly proclaimed when this was announced to their alumni that they would have good tour options available pre and post cruise and they would be up. Unfortunately they waited so long that they made doing a post-cruise tour of China prohibitive for me. I doubt I'll be on Atlantis again unless they switch back to NCL (which it's rumored they might for a cruise later next year).

 

I just want to make sure that as part of this larger group that I'm not missing something and know where things are that are included in the fare and group things and all that. I'm a social butterfly but my first and foremost goal is seeing the sights. I doubt unless there's a sea day the next day that I'll be out at the disco onboard.

 

I'm also not used to having a fixed dining time. I've only had that once on Carnival and I couldn't stand it. I felt like a member in a cattle call. :cool: It's something I'll get used to though as this will be the longest voyage I've EVER done!!! :D

 

Did you book the over land tour to Cambodia? :)

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We have not booked any excursions yet, but we will not be going to Cambodia. I would like to see Angor Wat, but the sidetrip is pretty expensive and I don't want to pay for three days on the boat and then not be even there to use what I am paying for. But everyone is different, I suppose. Jay

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We have not booked any excursions yet, but we will not be going to Cambodia. I would like to see Angor Wat, but the sidetrip is pretty expensive and I don't want to pay for three days on the boat and then not be even there to use what I am paying for. But everyone is different, I suppose. Jay

 

As my fellow NCL loyalists have told me that I will probably only get to experience this once in my life so to go for it all. Angkor Wat is a great place and since I reside in a city which has the SECOND largest population of Cambodians nation-wide and having tons of friends, I feel this is a pilgrimage worthy of doing. Some of them have never been back to their native land and here I was presented with such an opportunity. Plus, snagging the last solo spot on that trip mad it all the more that I should do it. If I shouldn't have it would have been sold out! That's my look at it!

 

I re-read the tour for Cambodia too and I'm excited at the amount of temples we're going to get to see.

 

Are you doing the fixed late dining time or are you doing the FreeStyle dining option of dine when you want?

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Hi we will be cruising on Celebrity Millenium departing Singapore 03 March 2013, 14 nights to Hong Kong. If interested in meeting up on board then let us know.

Paolo & Ashley

 

It's a pretty busy itinerary we have but the sea days would be great! There's the Celebrity Meet & Greet thing which you could sign up for. The regular roll call for this voyage has information there. Plus, I guess we have to go hunting for a GLBT get together time on a board somewhere by Guest Services (so backwards from NCL)!! I think Pied Piper is going to have cocktails together at some point too. Are you part of their group?

 

I've noticed a lot of the Pied Piper rooms except a few ocean view have all now sold out! The ship is truly filling up! :)

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It's a pretty busy itinerary we have but the sea days would be great! There's the Celebrity Meet & Greet thing which you could sign up for. The regular roll call for this voyage has information there. Plus, I guess we have to go hunting for a GLBT get together time on a board somewhere by Guest Services (so backwards from NCL)!! I think Pied Piper is going to have cocktails together at some point too. Are you part of their group?

 

I've noticed a lot of the Pied Piper rooms except a few ocean view have all now sold out! The ship is truly filling up! :)

No we are not travelling as part of the Pied Piper group in fact when we first enquired with PP about booking through them we were told in no uncertain terms that although we are gay if we didnt book our cruise through PP we would be ignored by the group. Being Kiwi's we have no time for that type of attitude especially from other gay guys so we booked directly through Celebrity and we will make our own entertainment with other gay non group 'cruisers' lol no pun entended.

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Since I am with the PP group, we will have the late seating so we can sit with the rest of the PP group. We actually prefer it this way. On the Atlantis all gay cruise in Feb, we just didnt like the open seating and having to make small talk with different people every nite.

 

If you are part of the PP group, you will have PP hosted cocktails the first nite so you can meet everyone and decide where to meet each nite before dinner.

 

If you are not part of the PP group, you will not be ignored. On my last PP trip (Australia/NZ), there were 25 guys booked with PP and 6 others (as far as I could tell) who booked on their own. We had no problem with them joining us at cocktail time or sitting with us at shows. (One of the other guys was a actually a tour guide for another group!) However, if you are not booked thru PP, you cannnot sit with us at dinner, since we have pre-assigned fixed tables. And oddly enough, on the last PP cruise, we had 4 guys who booked thru PP, that did not want to sit with us. Go figure on that one (2 Canadians and 2 Dutch guys).

 

I am not sure if you can switch to PP at this point, but I would encourage you to do so. I can assure you that they are not as snobby as they might have sounded. I admit, the small staff can be a bit of a PIA and sometimes hard to work with, but they do not come on the cruise. The PP host is sort of a free-lancer with a nice welcoming personality, who gets a free cruise in exchange for organizing the group.

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