Pied Piper Cruises

Why does PP sail mostly Celebrity. I wished PP would sail on other lines.

We are also going on the Equinox August 21 on pied piper. Does anyone know how many are going on this trip? Which excursions should we book?? My partner and I have been on multiple cruises, gay and straight, but this is the first pied piper. What should we expect.

 

Bottom line, though: Pied Piper has hijacked this couple away from the RSVP/Atlantis charters. Believe it or not, there's a definite satisfaction derived from mingling with 'breeders' on a mixed cruise and showing them that their ancient prejudices against us are merely examples of ignorance!

We're proud to be ambassadors to their often closed society, disproving those inaccurate portrayals of us. And just as satisfying, we're often surprised at how totally accepted we are among them... indeed appreciated! We've made more than one potentially stodgy cruise a lot more fun for (some of) our straight fellow travelers.

 

Do THEM a favor! Show them that we don't have horns!:eek:

 

Wherever you go, and whoever you book with, at least do THIS: make it a point to hold hands walking around the decks, and dance at least one slow romantic number together in the disco before the cruise ends. We have ALWAYS done both of those on every one of our 20+ cruises, most of which were NOT gay chartered or groups.

I agree with this comment... recalling that Harvey Milk said something to the effect of, "if they know us they don't hate us..." I also enjoy just being open about who we are and letting my fellow cruisers figure it out. They are entitled to not have an alternative lifestyle in their face (even though theirs is 'in our face' every day...) but the interaction is helpful to our cause, and instructive to them.

I have organized small group cruises, and we've had some great experiences with staff and crew, both straight and gay, on our cruises.

A favorite story...

I had been chatting with another CC passenger on an upcoming cruise whose name happened to be 'Gaye.' So we giggled with each other that I could find her at the CC party by walking up to everyone and asking, 'are you Gaye?'

I shared the story with my partner.

The cruise director on our cruise was an Aussie, and his schtick was that whenever we saw him on the cruise, we were supposed to shout out to him, 'G'day mate!'

So at the CC party, I got there before my partner and happened to be standing in a group with both Gaye and the Cruise Director. My partner walked up and the stories collided when I asked my partner, 'what are you supposed to say?' and he... without missing a beat... turned to the Cruise Director and said, 'are you gay?' :eek:

Gaye and I instantly realized what had just happened and both spit out our drinks... the Cruise Director had a practiced blank stare... my partner didn't know what had just happened but realized he had made a social faux pax and looked at me terror stricken. I suggested that he might rather say, 'G'day mate!' Oye vey!

I later shared the story and a good laugh with the Cruise Director, and we all retold the story several times. And once more here! :p

We made some new friends... they didn't hate us.

We are also going on the Equinox August 21 on pied piper. Does anyone know how many are going on this trip? Which excursions should we book?? My partner and I have been on multiple cruises, gay and straight, but this is the first pied piper. What should we expect.

Hi Wildtaurus,

It looks like what excursions you want to go on will be down to you and what you want to do. PP e-mailed a list of Celebrity run trips which they thought might be of interest to the group but since most were all day events (9 and a half hours!), and we're there to have a relaxing holiday, you won't be seeing us on any of them.

We've been on 3 PP cruises and they've been as different as the posts on this thread. All good so far (that's why we're on the Equinox in 3 weeks time), but each with their own differences.

They usually start with a first night ice breaker (with free drinks), a farewell do (with free drinks) and some have a mid cruise get together (again with free drinks - it's surprising what you remember most about a cruise).

In Bermuda, Bruce organised a PP tour of the island and a trip to a local drag bar, which was having some bad press due to a vocal minority of bigots. In Hawaii, we sat with the host Tom who was so much fun, we booked for another PP cruise later the same year. On these smaller bookings, the group tends to get together in a bar before the evening meal where we can chat about how the day went.

The big Post-Thanksgiving cruise is a different beast. PP organises a number of events throughout the week so you don't get such a personal experience, but it was still fun.

I'm surprised there has been some bad press about PP on this thread, but as far as we're concerned we would recommend them and are even considering next year's Transatlantic in April.

Hope this helps and that we'll see you around the Equinox

A&R

Thank you for responding. I personally am not a huge excursion fan however my other half is. I'm ok with a relaxing day tour around each city. We have sailed on Atlantis and RSVP we wanted to do something different and on a smaller scale when it comes to the crowd. Don't get me wrong those cruises were amazing but they only range 7 days. We are both looking forward to this trip for sure. flying in from Seattle, WA on the 18th staying in Sitges for a few days before hopping on the ship. It will be a great vacation. about the bad press, i never follow them since we both do our research its like everywhere some people are never happy regardless .

thank you for the response

Glen and William

Just wanted to mention this to all that are reading this. I give credit to Derik his management of 900+ people every year. The hosts have to work every excursion so you might see them for a drink early in the night. One more very important fact if you don't book with pied piper don't even try and get into the events it wont happen. In five years I have only seen one person sneak in.....the rest of the ship really wants to party with us.

We still love PP and really have only one complaint: They seem to be locked into some arrangement with Celebrity and Cunard which means that they almost never have group cruises leaving from the west coast. We are sick to death of having to fly, knee-to-chin, in cramped airplanes! It's somewhat understandable since PP is located in New York, but Jeez, people! Do you really think there aren't enough gays on the west coast to come aboard a cruise in SAN FRANCISCO? If you ask me, and nobody did, their yearly huge Post-Thanksgiving cruise ought to leave from San Francisco... or at least from San Diego! If we west-coasters can fly to Florida why not ask east-coast PP travelers to embark from the most gay-friendly port in the world: SAN FRANCISCO? Wouldn't some of you east-coasters like to visit US for a change?

One thing sure as hell: you'll be a LOT more welcome here in California than in Florida !

We're so sick of flying that we're planning to take a cruise on the Grand Princess, leaving from San Francisco, and just skip PP this year. Pity... we LOVE their hosting and their management but the Grand is home-ported here. About time!!

Celebrity is obviously giving them a good deal, but Derek... have you even TRIED to bargain with Princess or (shudder!) NCL? HAL is a terrific line and they've been very friendly to this gay couple. Give 'em a call.

I'm just sayin'......:rolleyes:

We still love PP and really have only one complaint: They seem to be locked into some arrangement with Celebrity and Cunard which means that they almost never have group cruises leaving from the west coast. We are sick to death of having to fly, knee-to-chin, in cramped airplanes! It's somewhat understandable since PP is located in New York, but Jeez, people! Do you really think there aren't enough gays on the west coast to come aboard a cruise in SAN FRANCISCO? If you ask me, and nobody did, their yearly huge Post-Thanksgiving cruise ought to leave from San Francisco... or at least from San Diego! If we west-coasters can fly to Florida why not ask east-coast PP travelers to embark from the most gay-friendly port in the world: SAN FRANCISCO? Wouldn't some of you east-coasters like to visit US for a change?

 

One thing sure as hell: you'll be a LOT more welcome here in California than in Florida !

 

We're so sick of flying that we're planning to take a cruise on the Grand Princess, leaving from San Francisco, and just skip PP this year. Pity... we LOVE their hosting and their management but the Grand is home-ported here. About time!!

Celebrity is obviously giving them a good deal, but Derek... have you even TRIED to bargain with Princess or (shudder!) NCL? HAL is a terrific line and they've been very friendly to this gay couple. Give 'em a call.

 

I'm just sayin'......:rolleyes:

I'm on your side on this one, but why not use RCCL ships to.

Hey All,

I just want to say I'm supportive of Pied Piper. I joined them for the first time on the 2013 Asia cruise. I have to say I'm very happy about how the ship and the PP hosts were with me. I traveled alone and being the youngest single in the group it was a challenge to fit me into the dining arrangements but when all was said and done I met nearly everyone in the PP group! I dined at a new table every night and loved the rotation so I could meet new people. Carl and Ian were phenomenal hosts and constantly checked in with me to make sure I was having a great time. This cruise was by and far the BEST cruise of my entire cruising history (see the signature... I have traveled a lot)!!

The price and the extra amenities included made it worth it for a single person. Yes I would have liked a better method of communication with the shore-side operation but I understood it was a small office structure going in. I had a friend who sailed them before. They do the best they can and do reply to emails in a timely fashion. I'm happy it all worked out and I would highly recommend this company to anyone.

Celebrity is a great product and even the Millennium after all these years was a great host for our group. The staff couldn't have been more friendlier! :D Plus, I'm happy I switched from Atlantis to this because the Atlantis cruise experienced problems!

Just my two cents... :D

I do find that Pied Piper answer e-mail queries very quickly, which is great when you're fretting about cabins, payments and excursions.

And I've just found out that our Mediterranean cruise (sailing this Wednesday) has 2 hosts, Bruce and Ian.

Couldn't be happier

I will be on my first PP cruise this October (under the assumption Millie's pod transplant is a success). It is quite nice to hear your comments about PP and your experience with them. In the planning for the October cruise, I have corresponded frequently with Derek and he has always responded within 24 hours (usually, closer to 2-4 hours) and always with answers to my questions. To me, that bodes well for the experience come October.

And, this next cruise will also be my first "straight" cruise - all of my previous cruises have been with Atlantis (starting with the NCL Dawn in January 2003).

...I have corresponded frequently with Derek and he has always responded within 24 hours (usually, closer to 2-4 hours) and always with answers to my questions. ....all of my previous cruises have been with Atlantis (starting with the NCL Dawn in January 2003).

Hell, Derek even replies within hours on weekends! You won't find better management.

I hope I'm wrong, but I doubt your cruise from FTL to San Diego will be well populated with PP'ers. It doesn't need to be, so don't worry. I think the only PP cruise that is chock-full of brothers & sisters is the Post-Thanksgiving cruise which can have over 900 PP'ers. I also hope you're not expecting Atlantis-style madness. PP is much less wild and the participants tend to be older. This is perfect for my husband and me, but may not be exciting enough for younger guys who're used to RSVP/Atlantis hysteria. And... it'll cost you much less than the same trip on Atlantis would cost.

We take more straight cruises than we'd prefer, but only because PP rarely sails from the west coast, dammit, and also because we're retired we like to take longer cruises. If you find this first PP cruise of yours too "mild", don't scratch them off your list, though: take their Post-Thanksgiving cruise out of Florida next time and you'll have more fun and activities than on Atlantis! In either case, I doubt you'll be disappointed.

I will be on my first PP cruise this October (under the assumption Millie's pod transplant is a success). ...

We have friends going on this cruise, and for everyone's sake I hope the Millie is fixed on time!

Enjoy your trip!

Hell, Derek even replies within hours on weekends! You won't find better management.

 

I hope I'm wrong, but I doubt your cruise from FTL to San Diego will be well populated with PP'ers. It doesn't need to be, so don't worry. I think the only PP cruise that is chock-full of brothers & sisters is the Post-Thanksgiving cruise which can have over 900 PP'ers. I also hope you're not expecting Atlantis-style madness. PP is much less wild and the participants tend to be older. This is perfect for my husband and me, but may not be exciting enough for younger guys who're used to RSVP/Atlantis hysteria. And... it'll cost you much less than the same trip on Atlantis would cost.

 

We take more straight cruises than we'd prefer, but only because PP rarely sails from the west coast, dammit, and also because we're retired we like to take longer cruises. If you find this first PP cruise of yours too "mild", don't scratch them off your list, though: take their Post-Thanksgiving cruise out of Florida next time and you'll have more fun and activities than on Atlantis! In either case, I doubt you'll be disappointed.

I totally agree with you. We have been on two PP post Thanksgiving cruise and loved it. I wished they wouldn't charge for the use of their steam/sauna area. Do you remember if they charged on the PP cruise? I seem to remember it was open some nights just for PP. We also do mostly straight cruises to. We do most cruise lines and, see my signature.

Hi everyone! There is 10 if us from Orlando doing the post thanksgiving - first pp cruise for all of us and really looking forward to it! Tommy

Hell, Derek even replies within hours on weekends! You won't find better management.

 

I hope I'm wrong, but I doubt your cruise from FTL to San Diego will be well populated with PP'ers. It doesn't need to be, so don't worry. I think the only PP cruise that is chock-full of brothers & sisters is the Post-Thanksgiving cruise which can have over 900 PP'ers. I also hope you're not expecting Atlantis-style madness. PP is much less wild and the participants tend to be older. This is perfect for my husband and me, but may not be exciting enough for younger guys who're used to RSVP/Atlantis hysteria. And... it'll cost you much less than the same trip on Atlantis would cost.

 

We take more straight cruises than we'd prefer, but only because PP rarely sails from the west coast, dammit, and also because we're retired we like to take longer cruises. If you find this first PP cruise of yours too "mild", don't scratch them off your list, though: take their Post-Thanksgiving cruise out of Florida next time and you'll have more fun and activities than on Atlantis! In either case, I doubt you'll be disappointed.

I have no doubt this cruise will be much different than the Atlantis cruises I took - but, I'm looking forward to a bit quieter and more laid back experience. And, the Panama Cruise is one neither Atlantis nor RSVP will ever do (according to the owner). I do know that there are enough PPers on the Panama cruise so that it will be hosted - so, presumably, more than ten guys. I am looking forward to the PP experience.

I used to be retired (now back to work part time) but still have ample opportunity for extended time off - and, I like the longer cruises as well.

Oh, one last thing....the "sht" in hiker actually stands for Superior Hiking Trail (a 400-mile hiking bonanza along the north shore of Lake Superior). It's my favorite place for hiking :).

Carl

We have friends going on this cruise, and for everyone's sake I hope the Millie is fixed on time!

 

Enjoy your trip!

Very cool - we'll look forward to meeting them. :)

Carl

Went on first PP cruise Valparaiso to Buenos Aires had a great time with some wonderful people. Bruce hosted and did a terrific job. Met guys from Mexico, UK, USA, Canada and Virginia. Had to travel on my own. This time my hubby will going with me on Solstice thru PP on cruise Australia/New Zealand in January '14. We'll be in AKL on 2nd and leave SYD on 19th of Jan. Maybe will reunite with guys I met before. Hope so. Anyone from SoCal going? We live in Chula Vista.

I had my first cruise with Pied Piper last year---Valparaiso to Buenos Aires. It was a wonderful cruise with some great people. I will be joining 2 of the people I met on that cruise for another one to Southeast Asia in March. In addition to Pied Piper hosting cocktail parties, recommending tours, arranging dinner tables etc. their rates are more reasonable than those you can get directly with Celebrity. I highly recommend them.

I think I remember you. Was Bruce the host? I am from San Diego and, I believe, we are both retired. I was on my own. The last time I saw you was at the Buenos Aires airport. Look forward to seeing you again New Zealand/Australia cruise. If not, look forward to meeting you.

I think I remember you. Was Bruce the host? I am from San Diego and, I believe, we are both retired. I was on my own. The last time I saw you was at the Buenos Aires airport. Look forward to seeing you again New Zealand/Australia cruise. If not, look forward to meeting you.

Hi: Yes, Bruce was the host. I was with Pied Piper's on a Transatlantic in April/May of this year with Bruce again. It was another great cruise. The southeast Asian cruise I was on was March of this year. I am going on a New Zealand/Australian cruise in January but not with Pied Piper as it was too early in January for me. Sorry I will not be meeting up with you again on that cruise. Perhaps another one. I'm sure you'll have a great time, and I'm looking forward to mine as well on the Diamond Princess.

Too bad. I was looking forward to introducing you to hubby. Another time maybe. Enjoy your cruise!

We recently went on our first trip with Pied Piper to Alaska last month. Two weeks ago, I spent a good chunk of time crafting feedback to them with our experience, hoping they would hear the feedback and reply. Their lack of reply confirms our impression of them, and consequently, we will not travel with them again, or recommend them to friends.

September 7, 2013

Greetings:

Now that we’ve been home for a week, we wanted to take this opportunity to share some feedback about our experience on the Alaska cruise last week. As a customer service professional, I value feedback from customers, and it is in this spirit that I write to you.

Overall, we had a great time, and felt the package you offered was a great value for the money. Prior to the cruise, we appreciated Bruce’s very quick responses to our queries. We enjoyed meeting some new friends, and appreciated that it wasn’t an “all-gay” cruise. The train trip in Skagway was nice, especially with cars reserved just for the Pied Pipers. We found the ship to be beautiful and appreciated the drink package and the service by the ship staff.

Some feedback for you to consider:

We found the communication prior to and during the cruise very lacking.

We would have appreciated knowing more about the planned Pied Piper activities during the week in advance of the cruise. The email with the suggested excursions came way too late, long after we’d already booked our excursions, which we did early to ensure we got the ones we wanted.

It would have been nice to be able to connect with people in advance of the cruise, either through a Yahoo group, through Cruise Critic or Meet Me On Board—something I think you have done in the past.

Once aboard, there was a welcome letter from the cruise hosts, but it lacked last names and contact information. Reaching Derek via Guest Relations was not easy and it took two tries, with the second person having to keep us on hold for a number of minutes before he could figure out who Derek was.

Of the three cruise hosts, only one (the tall Dylan McDermott look-alike) sought us out and introduced himself, at the first cocktail party. We had to seek Derek out when we had a problem, and the third person never once said hello.

The evaluation sheet left in our cabin provided little room for comments—more space was devoted to wanting referrals—hence this email.

Our biggest disappointment was our dinner table assignment, which was compounded by Derek’s rude and very inadequate response to our dilemma. We were looking forward to sitting at a large table and having the opportunity to get to know others, especially since this was our first time with Pied Piper. We were very surprised to be seated at a four top, as were our tablemates. They were very pleasant and also wanted to be able to meet others. Derek was able to seat them at a larger table. I only wish he’d done the same for us.

The second night, Derek assigned another couple to sit with us; however, one of the men was very odd, to the point that Michael and I were both very uncomfortable and our dinner was miserable. We knew there was no way we were going to be able to tolerate a week sitting with this person and were desperate for a new table assignment. When I tried to reach Derek that evening, Guest Relations was unable to connect us. That was when I decided to email Bruce in the morning, as he’d responded quickly in the past. He did respond quickly, assuring us someone would contact us.

When I hadn’t heard from anyone by 5 or so later that day, I tried again through Guest Relations, and this time was able to reach Derek. He proceeded to chastise me for emailing Bruce and was obviously very bothered to have me calling him. When I expressed my frustration at not being able to easily reach him, his response was snotty and offensive--something to the effect of “Well you reached me now, didn’t you?”

Clearly, Derek has no clue about service recovery or how to make people feel welcome and cared for. He never once apologized, either for his response to us or for our dissatisfaction with our table assignment. His solution for that evening was to give me two other table numbers that had openings. Both were small tables and there was no clue if that was our solution for the remainder of the cruise. That was it.

Derek then made absolutely no effort to follow up with us to see if we were satisfied with the alternate arrangement. Since he was so unapproachable and nasty, on the subsequent nights, we ate at the buffet once, Murano once, and then had to look for openings on our own at the larger tables where there were people we’d come to know.

Other than the cocktail party on the first and last nights, the group activities and opportunities to get to know others were limited. We took it on ourselves to organize card games. We discovered by word of mouth that there was a group tour of the bridge, but only after there was no room left on the tour. We never received an invitation from the tour hosts to participate.

Overall, we had a great time, but honestly, not because of your hosts or the activities. Our experience with Derek was the low point of the cruise, and honestly, he should be ashamed of himself for his response to us.

I wish we were left with a more favorable impression. As we approach retirement, one of our primary goals is to travel more, and I wish we thought we could count on you to provide us with opportunities in the future.

Sincerely,

It would have been nice to be able to connect with people in advance of the cruise, either through a Yahoo group, through Cruise Critic or Meet Me On Board—something I think you have done in the past.

 

Our biggest disappointment was our dinner table assignment,

How many were in the group? were there near enought to even have a group on meet me on board or the other internet meet up sites? I'm on a cruise with at least 100 I kknow of, and only 2 so far there. Why didn't YOU start a groiup in any of these places?! :confused:

Table assignments, someone always ends up at the small table. In my cruise, we found people went specialty etc., and just rotated ourselves amongst tables each night. no big deal. I didn't need teacher to give me permission to move.

Sorry these relatively simple to fix on your own issues spoiled your trip, they don't amount to the lengthy dissertation you sent out I don't think.

I never understand why people expect the hosts to babysit...

I never understand why people expect the hosts to babysit...

Seems like Michael and Mark are somewhat high maintenance, and as such, Pied Piper is probably not for them. That stated, I took my first cruise with Pied Piper earlier this year. There were a couple of snags, but I was able to resolve them, not by calling or emailing, but by discussing the issues directly with our host.

I had a great trip and look forward to the Panama Canal cruise leaving Fort Lauderdale on October 7.

Seems like Michael and Mark are somewhat high maintenance, and as such, Pied Piper is probably not for them. That stated, I took my first cruise with Pied Piper earlier this year. There were a couple of snags, but I was able to resolve them, not by calling or emailing, but by discussing the issues directly with our host.

 

I had a great trip and look forward to the Panama Canal cruise leaving Fort Lauderdale on October 7.

I am assuming that everything Michael and Mark perceived of their cruise is true for them. Too bad. It was a lot of money to be so disappointed. But it happens. Hubby and I are veterans of 22 plus cruises. Some were great, some were good none bad. It depends mostly on the other passengers, your flexibility and ability to adapt. Just remember a cruise ship is not a canoe. You can get away from disagreeable people and/or situations. I've been on two Pied Piper cruises; hubby couldn't go so it seemed a good way to cruise with like minded people. The first was fantastic. Guys from around the world, some very nice, some very interesting. You know, like real life. Bruce was the host. He was attentive and arranged everything extremely well. He was personable and made me feel very welcome. No detail too small. The second cruise was very good. A good-sized group within our group were friends who traveled together and sort of kept to themselves. The remainder were very interesting and varied bunch although some tension between two couples did impact the rest. But not too much. Dennis was the host. He couldn't have been better. When I had questions/concerns he addressed them immediately. He really knew how to work with people of disparate needs and personalities. Not an easy thing to do. Because of these two guys, just because of them, hubby and I are going on cruise to New Zealand/Australia on Jan. 3rd. We expect the best, but if not we are not shy about changing dinner arrangements, avoiding unpleasantness, etc. If we have a bad time, we won't rebook. There are a lot of cruise options but so far my experiences with PP have been excellent thanks mostly to Bruce and Dennis. Really, the itineraries can be repeated without PP and there are always FOD. In fact, our last cruise in May on our own was super. We met two other couples, spent time together aboard and on land and had a wonderful time. Looking forward to Jan. and cruise with PP. Anyone else going with us?