ROLL CALL: Celebrity Equinox 10/18/2010 Pied Piper

[Bayotter]

Just booked it with Pied Piper. Great itinerary. Rates are still low. Anyone else?

[johhnnyt]

Yeah, I actually booked in in September 2009 while on the Constellation for a Pied Piper Trans Atlantic Crossing. About 20 of our Pied Piper group booked it at that time, which prompted Pied Piper to "sanction" it as an official Pied Piper group. The group we had was probably the best I've ever experienced on a Pied Piper cruise, so I know this Holy Land cruise will be FANTASTIC.

John

[Bayotter]

Hi John,

 

Yeah! I won't be the only one from Cruise Critic on board! -lol

 

I was just in Egypt 2 years ago and did the whole Nile River thing, but didn't get to Alexandria where I also wanted to go. So now I will be able to see it. I've never been to Israel, so that will be interesting too. I was never really that keen on spending a long time there with a land tour, so I think that the time there on this cruise will be just right for me.

 

Jamie

[vivavino]

I just sent an inquiry to PP today about this trip - looks like the C3's are currently very well priced compared to what Celebrity's site is saying right now.

 

I was delighted to see there was a gang already planning on it. It's the first time I've heard that customers drove a new itinerary with them - very good news.

 

I had previously booked the crossing from Rome, which leaves immediately after PP disembarks.... so I might be looking at my first back-to-back, and my first 4 weeks on a ship trip.

 

We shall see.

 

Cheers.

[Bayotter]

I am looking forward to this itinerary. I booked a C2. I have to say that I have become spoiled with the CC category, and they have always been priced well with PP. My last 3 cruises on Celebrity were in a CC category. My parents are coming along on this trip. So far, I will have a stateroom to myself. This will be their 3rd PP cruise. The first was a Scandinavia/Russia on Celebrity a few years ago, then we are leaving next month on the South America/Antarctica cruise which is an itinerary that my mother wanted. My father said that he would like to do the Eastern Med one day, and that's when I found this one. They both told me to book it right away. My Dad is 90 (my mother 76) and they get around just fine, so I am enjoying this time traveling with him while he is able.

 

Tomorrow, I am heading to Miami for my first Atlantis cruise. I have sailed with RSVP a number of times, and I really prefer an older crowd (Atlantis tending toward a younger crowd), but since I own a travel business and was offered a really low special rate, I figured I would check it out. Besides, I get to sail on one of RCCL's larger ships, the Liberty of the Seas, which I am interested in learning about.

[vivavino]

I found I prefer the gay group to the all-gay charters... with the exception of a TravelPride trip on Viking River, and the fabulous deal I got with RSVP for the QM2 crossing. I'm just not THAT much of a party animal.

 

I am looking forward to seeing how this develops.... if it works as planned I'll be with the PP group for the first leg, and my own small gang of friends for the crossing... should be fun. I'll post more when I know.

David.

[vivavino]

I lucked out - I was able to get the back-to-back booked, one night precruise in Rome, and the custom airfare I needed all lined up. This will be the highlight of my travel year, for sure.

[Bayotter]

That's great! What a wonderful trip that will be indeed. Looks like we have cruised together before. I was on the RSVP QM2 crossing also. My first crossing was on the QE2 with Pied Piper.

 

Since I am traveling with my parents (again), I had to fly with them. I have a ton of frequent flier miles, but they only had them with British Airways, so we have business class tickets to London, where we will overnight, but I still have to get us to Rome, probably also on BA. We will have 2 nights in Rome prior to the cruise to do some sightseeing. I have been before twice, my dad never, and my mother back in 1950! We will have 2 nights London on the return. Are you flying directly to London at the end of the cruise?

 

In 10 days, I leave for the Pied Piper South America/Antarctica cruise. Three days after I return, I fly back down South to Chile and will be a tour host for Hanns Ebensten Tours' Easter Island adventure. Have you heard of them before? I was on their Egypt trip a little while back, and because of my travel background and business, they asked if I would like to host one of their tours. Their tours are small group and very specialized. Accommodations are usually unique or very luxurious, or both! Needless to say, I am thrilled!

 

Jamie

[vivavino]

yes, we have certainly traveled on the same ship before.

 

I really lucked out on the airfare for this trip, too. I booked the air with the crossing for $849, and asked Bruce (my t/a at PP) to do a custom air request to get me nonstops TO Rome and FROM FLL where the crossing ends. It was less than $20 to get that done, and all my transfers were taken care of too.

 

I love it when things fall together.

 

I had cruised in the 1990's a few times, but my "conversion" was also on a PP trip - a QE2 crossing from England. That was 2000, in honor of my 40th birthday. Ten years and 24 cruises later.... LOL

[Bayotter]

We are running neck and neck with cruises. My cruise next week will be my 24th. I never counted my cruises until I got to about 18 and was shocked when I counted. It didn't seem I was on that many, but there it is.

 

You did end up with a great airfare for the trip. I'll probably finish mine up next month and start looking at transfers and pre-cruise hotel options.

 

I just made a major change to my cruise next week. I was supposed to be returning home at the end of the cruise on February 28, but I was asked to host a tour to Easter Island by a gay tour company. So I changed my return flight to leave from Santiago, Chile, and I will be staying on in South America to start the tour on Easter Island on March 6. This is a very exciting and unexpected change. I'm still working on some of the other details. I may get to see Iguazzu Falls after all, if I can work it out.

[vivavino]

That's a great opportunity.

I have known of Hans Ebenstein for years - they used to advertise in the magazine Christopher Street, which was an early literary "introduction". I think at that time, they were the only "family" travel.

 

Never traveled with them, though... I may have to figure out how to make that work. But there are SO many travel companies now.

 

Well, we're about to get 18 - 24" of snow in the next 36 hours. I am headed out for errands, and then working a few hours from home today.

 

Digging out is Sunday...

David.

[Bayotter]

Back from the Pied Piper Antarctica cruise, and 2 additional weeks in South America. I've been gone a month! Just reposting to see if any other folks are out there planning this cruise.

 

Hi David, hope you are surviving this wicked winter.

[will_greek]

Hi John. This is William from *************. Thanks for mentioning this site. I obviously found your thread.

 

Hi All !

I'm from Toronto, Canada. I have traveled quite a bit over the last decade. By the time of the Cruise, I will have dual Canadian-Greek Citizenship. So, in my many times in Greece, I obviously used a lot of ships. Mainly land-based trips (staying several nights at a destination) and using all modes of transport. Last July, I went on my first Cruise ever. I loved it. It was Atlantis Events - Baltic Cruise on the HALines Eurodam.

I now have the Cruise 'bug'. I am just discovering the different cruise lines as well as the gay tour operators. I have heard good things about Pied Piper. I would love to go with a gay group on a mainstream cruise (but would still travel in other ways as well). This thread answers one of my questions. This will be an official Piped Piper Guided Tour. I know none of you guys that have done so many Cruises/Lines, including Pied Piper Groups (especially those groups already booked on this cruise from another Pied Piper cruise). So, please be gentle;).

 

I look forward to meeting new guys and hopefully making new friends.

 

I did a share on Atlantis last year and my randomly assigned roommate and I got along swimmingly.

 

There doesn't seem to be a way to post a profile pic on this site?

 

I don't snore, do drugs, dont drink that much, like enjoying the ship days and some party evenings, like good shore excursions and of course good food. I like to dance. I also like quieter moments. I am healthy, lean and fit, 5-11, 150, dark hair, brown eyes, BMI 21, and considered by others attractive.

 

So, if anyone is looking for a roommate, please give me a shout. I can give you my personal email address and we can chat further and exchange pics, etc.

 

Best regards,

 

William.

[will_greek]

Hi All

 

I finally figured out how to get pics posted. So consider this attached to my long post about my background travel and looking for a roommate for this cruise.

 

The head-shot is me taken last July in St. Petersburg, Russia (in proximity to the "Church of the Spilled Blood").

 

The second body pic is me in my favourite backyard, Mykonos, Greece, from fall 2008 (Super Paradise Beach when it was still popular).

 

William.

[will_greek]

Hi Guys

 

Sorry...I forgot to add this pic. One of my favourite trips: The Amalfi Coast of Italy and Capri (plus Naples, Sorrento, Pompeii, Vesuvius).

 

This pic is taken about 1000 feet above sea level by the town of Positano on the Amalfi Coast. This panorama-like shot really captures the twists and turns and cliff side towns of the Amalfi Coast. The specs in the water are boats. On the lower left are hard to see, orange beach umbrellas.

 

Positano is where Madonna's roots are.

 

Cheers,

 

William.

[Bayotter]

Hi William,

 

Glad you found this site. Feel free to ask any questions here. As we get closer to the cruise, perhaps there will be more cruise mates posting here.

 

Jamie

(met you on Meet Me On Board)

[johhnnyt]

The Amalfi coast was so beautiful, I would have loved to spend more time there, but maybe someime in the future. Am starting to get a little excited about this trip even though quite a few months away. Have to start looking at planning private excursions, had a lot of luck with that in Russia. Airfares all seem to be up in the clouds but hopefully they should come back down by late Summer.

[will_greek]

Hi Johnny

 

I look forward to meeting you on October 18 (my latest vacation booking; I may do a Crossing in June on P.P., I'll see, to fill the gap).

 

At least you got a sample of the Coast and its towns and islands. Next step is to do a land trip.

 

My Ex and I always did land trips (also using boats) in the last decade. We wanted to spend several days and nites at particular locations and just soak up the experience. You haven't felt Capri unless you spend 2 nites there and see Anacapri and go to the top of Monte Solare (3000 feet above sea level, with 360 degree panoramas of southern Italy on a scary looking one person chair life that lasts 20 minutes and takes you up 1000 feet) (maybe you did this ?) and enjoy the restaurants that Hemingway and others were regulars in. Magical.

 

The same doesn't apply to Naples. It is tolerable for at most 2 nites.

 

We took: relaxing vacations, cultural vacations and adventure vacations. For the latter, we cycled through parts of The Loire Valley, Tuscany, hiked the Samaria Gorge in south western Crete (longest in Europe) etc. while we were still young, active, fit and healthy.

 

We always felt that we would do Cruises when we were retired at 55-60 and engage in a more sedentary journey. You know that is a perception problem with the mainstream industry.

 

When we broke up early last year, I thought I would go on my first Cruise, but I wouldnt go unless there were guys closer to my age and my gay tribe. I actually didn't know the Pied Piper way of traveling. I knew the cruise would be decisive - I would love it or hate it. But I loved it. So of course I went the Atlantis route in July to the Baltic.

 

Another magical place that a cruise couldnt take people is the Italian Lakes District north of Milan and southern Switzerland. Lake Como (Como town), Lake Lugano, Lake Garda (stayed in Sermione), Lake Maggiore (stayed in Stresa) and the smallest of the lakes Orta. These trip is honeymoon territory. The weather is great. Its filled with stars and regular people. And the mountains and water combination is breathtaking. There are ferry boats on Lake Garda in particular that can take you to so many wonderful quaint towns dotted right around the Lake. One highlight would be Limone and Salo. There is so much to do in Milan. Several nights to enjoy The Last Supper, La Scala, Cathedral, Galleria and surrounding towns. Recommend Verona and Padua (if you havent been).

 

Talking about my Greece...and different islands and the mainland..a separate chat...

 

Sorry for the diversion...

 

you are booking private excursions...does Celebrity and Pied Piper charge too much for its excursions ?

 

are you staying in Rome pre or post Cruise ?

 

do you know why I my $500 deposit to Pied Piper doesnt reserve my room? It does in other cruises. I had to pay another $900 deposit to reserve the room. Derek has avoided answering this question for some reason.

 

without asking for your room, I am curious as to what stateroom class you reserved on the Equinox ?

 

on the Crossing, I assume you can rent Tuxes on the Cunard QM2? Is it so formal, it gets stuffy or does Pied Piper liven things up ?

 

Thanks,

and regards,

Bill.

 

P.S. Italian Lakes pic. The Italian side near the Swiss border 3000 feet above Lake Maggiore and Lake Orta.

[johhnnyt]

Same here Will. I know it will be a fun voyage. Yeah like yourself looking for a short trip somewhere to bridge the gap, wasthinking maybe either San Diego, Toronto, or London, time will tell.

I used to do majority of land trips as well but these days with security at airports found the cruising a better use of my time, One of my favorite trips was a week I spent at my old lawyers house in Toulouse, doing nothing, it was great.

I think I will probably book private excursions as in the past have found them a better use of my time. I did it both in Russia and Denmark, and this way the limited time there is tailored to make use of every moment, I think this will be especially true in Egypt. If I remember right in Russia, it cost us $400pp for the 4 of us for 48 hours of a car/driver, a seperate guide/translator and that included all admissions etc.

I will probably stay in London pre-cruise for a few days, as my friend Richard has 16 flats in West Kensington, he rents out and is always nice enough to let me one when I visit.

I actually booked a B1 cabin and they upgraded me to an A1, looked at the CC and above but dollar for dollar and location wise, was happier with this choice. They always take great care with me anyway as I know their CEO (that gives the illusion that I am much more important than I am).

I usually bring along a tux, I got a good deal on an Armani years ago and it still fits. The formal night I always found fun, and the pied piper groups generally do liven up those nights as well.

 

 

Hi Johnny

 

I look forward to meeting you on October 18 (my latest vacation booking; I may do a Crossing in June on P.P., I'll see, to fill the gap).

 

At least you got a sample of the Coast and its towns and islands. Next step is to do a land trip.

 

My Ex and I always did land trips (also using boats) in the last decade. We wanted to spend several days and nites at particular locations and just soak up the experience. You haven't felt Capri unless you spend 2 nites there and see Anacapri and go to the top of Monte Solare (3000 feet above sea level, with 360 degree panoramas of southern Italy on a scary looking one person chair life that lasts 20 minutes and takes you up 1000 feet) (maybe you did this ?) and enjoy the restaurants that Hemingway and others were regulars in. Magical.

 

The same doesn't apply to Naples. It is tolerable for at most 2 nites.

 

We took: relaxing vacations, cultural vacations and adventure vacations. For the latter, we cycled through parts of The Loire Valley, Tuscany, hiked the Samaria Gorge in south western Crete (longest in Europe) etc. while we were still young, active, fit and healthy.

 

We always felt that we would do Cruises when we were retired at 55-60 and engage in a more sedentary journey. You know that is a perception problem with the mainstream industry.

 

When we broke up early last year, I thought I would go on my first Cruise, but I wouldnt go unless there were guys closer to my age and my gay tribe. I actually didn't know the Pied Piper way of traveling. I knew the cruise would be decisive - I would love it or hate it. But I loved it. So of course I went the Atlantis route in July to the Baltic.

 

Another magical place that a cruise couldnt take people is the Italian Lakes District north of Milan and southern Switzerland. Lake Como (Como town), Lake Lugano, Lake Garda (stayed in Sermione), Lake Maggiore (stayed in Stresa) and the smallest of the lakes Orta. These trip is honeymoon territory. The weather is great. Its filled with stars and regular people. And the mountains and water combination is breathtaking. There are ferry boats on Lake Garda in particular that can take you to so many wonderful quaint towns dotted right around the Lake. One highlight would be Limone and Salo. There is so much to do in Milan. Several nights to enjoy The Last Supper, La Scala, Cathedral, Galleria and surrounding towns. Recommend Verona and Padua (if you havent been).

 

Talking about my Greece...and different islands and the mainland..a separate chat...

 

Sorry for the diversion...

 

you are booking private excursions...does Celebrity and Pied Piper charge too much for its excursions ?

 

are you staying in Rome pre or post Cruise ?

 

do you know why I my $500 deposit to Pied Piper doesnt reserve my room? It does in other cruises. I had to pay another $900 deposit to reserve the room. Derek has avoided answering this question for some reason.

 

without asking for your room, I am curious as to what stateroom class you reserved on the Equinox ?

 

on the Crossing, I assume you can rent Tuxes on the Cunard QM2? Is it so formal, it gets stuffy or does Pied Piper liven things up ?

 

Thanks,

and regards,

Bill.

 

P.S. Italian Lakes pic. The Italian side near the Swiss border 3000 feet above Lake Maggiore and Lake Orta.

[BriSquared]

Two of us fro Miami looking forward to joining and a great trip!

[johhnnyt]

Might make that Bri4th as my friend Brian (attorney from DC), and Brian (principal from NY) will be onboard as well. Just a gut feeling but I think we're going to have a good sized group on this cruise. I think we'll have a really terrific vacation. My friend Dan sent me an email the other day, and said Equinox ship and crew were spectacular.

[BriSquared]

Funny ... BriSquared is a nickname from junior high when friends used to call me BriBri and then Bri-squared so there is only one Bri here and an Omar. So...for now it will be Bri-cubed...Miami, DC and NY

Ship is awesome.... we did the Solstice in August and booked this trip while on board ....loved the ship. The decor is more like a 5-star hotel rather than looking like there was a sale on tacky carpet :eek:

[vivavino]

For anyone that hasn't been on Solstice, here are a few photos from my.

I can't wait to be back on this class of ship - it really is my new favorite.

 

 

In other news, if you're a fan of these ships, there's a very good deal to be had on the Eclipse crossing April, 2011 from Miami to Southampton. A few folks I know have booked, though it's not a PP trip. :)

[johhnnyt]

Looks even prettier than I imagined. I think Brian is right about the 5 star hotel analogy. It kind of reminds me of a Mandarin Oriental hotel design, stylish but with a definite signature of its own style.

[vivavino]

The thing that I remember most about Solstice is the attention to detail. Just one example - the marble in the public bathrooms was "book matched" so that the seams ran continuously across the wall, from piece to piece.

 

That means someone planned for that, and tracked it all the way from source to installation. There were countless examples of that, big and small, that show how much effort and planning went into it.

 

Very cool.