Pied piper holy land cruise oct. 10, 2011

[rienreiter]

Just booked this Pied Piper Holy Land Cruise for Oct. of 2011 on the brand new Celebrity Silhouette. Any one else going?

 

Juan

[almostavirgin]

Just booked this Pied Piper Holy Land Cruise for Oct. of 2011 on the brand new Celebrity Silhouette. Any one else going?

 

Juan

 

 

Hi Juan,

 

Do you happen to know the itinerary for this cruise?

 

-Ray

[rienreiter]

Hi Ray:

 

Here is the itinerary. You can find it on both the Celebrity website and the Pied Piper website. It is on the Celebrity Silhouette (2 month old ship by then) departing Rome on Oct. 10, 2011.

 

Two friends of mine and I have already signed up. Have you done PP before? Was wondering what your impression of PP is. I have heard of PP many times but this will be my first time with them. Their prices are actually cheaper than going with Celebrity.

 

http://www.piedpipertravel.com/gaygroupcruises/cruise-info.php?id=46

 

Hope you can join us!

 

Juan

 

Date

Port/City

Activity

DescriptionMon, Oct 10

Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy Depart 5:00 PM Tue, Oct 11

Sicily (Palermo),ItalyDocked Arrive 9:00 AM Depart 6:00 PM Wed, Oct 12

At Sea Thu, Oct 13

At Sea Fri, Oct 14

Alexandria, EgyptDocked Arrive 7:00 AM Sat, Oct 15

Alexandria, EgyptDocked Depart 7:00 PM Sun, Oct 16

Jerusalem (Ashdod), IsraelDocked Arrive 10:00 AM Depart 10:00 PM Mon, Oct 17

Haifa, IsraelDocked Arrive 7:00 AM Depart 10:00 PM Tue, Oct 18

At Sea Wed, Oct 19

Mykonos, GreeceTendered Arrive 8:00 AM Depart 6:00 PM Thu, Oct 20

At Sea Fri, Oct 21

Naples/Capri, ItalyDocked Arrive 7:00 AM Depart 6:30 PM Sat, Oct 22

Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy Arrive 4:30 AM

[almostavirgin]

Hi Ray:

 

Here is the itinerary. You can find it on both the Celebrity website and the Pied Piper website. It is on the Celebrity Silhouette (2 month old ship by then) departing Rome on Oct. 10, 2011.

 

Two friends of mine and I have already signed up. Have you done PP before? Was wondering what your impression of PP is. I have heard of PP many times but this will be my first time with them. Their prices are actually cheaper than going with Celebrity.

 

http://www.piedpipertravel.com/gaygroupcruises/cruise-info.php?id=46

 

Hope you can join us!

 

Juan

 

Date

Port/City

Activity

DescriptionMon, Oct 10

Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy Depart 5:00 PM Tue, Oct 11

Sicily (Palermo),ItalyDocked Arrive 9:00 AM Depart 6:00 PM Wed, Oct 12

At Sea Thu, Oct 13

At Sea Fri, Oct 14

Alexandria, EgyptDocked Arrive 7:00 AM Sat, Oct 15

Alexandria, EgyptDocked Depart 7:00 PM Sun, Oct 16

Jerusalem (Ashdod), IsraelDocked Arrive 10:00 AM Depart 10:00 PM Mon, Oct 17

Haifa, IsraelDocked Arrive 7:00 AM Depart 10:00 PM Tue, Oct 18

At Sea Wed, Oct 19

Mykonos, GreeceTendered Arrive 8:00 AM Depart 6:00 PM Thu, Oct 20

At Sea Fri, Oct 21

Naples/Capri, ItalyDocked Arrive 7:00 AM Depart 6:30 PM Sat, Oct 22

Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy Arrive 4:30 AM

 

 

Hi Juan!

 

Thanks for responding! I like the itinerary a lot since 3 of the ports are in my bucket list - Rome, Cairo, and Jerusalem. I'm a relatively new cruiser, being in only 3 cruises, 2 of them with Atlantis. I've heard and read a lot about Pied Piper, but haven't tried it, but it definitely interests me. The cruise is still almost a year away, so it's still kinda early for me to make definite plans, but yeah, it would be nice to know fellow cruisers prior to the trip. Hope I can join you too! I'll be travelling alone, do you know if PP handles room-sharing options too?

 

-Ray

[rienreiter]

Ray:

 

I am a fairly avid veteran cruiser. My ex never wanted to go on a cruise but when I finally convinced him to do Alaska in 2003 he liked it and gave in to doing it once a year. That was not enough for me. For different resons, we went separate ways 2 years ago and I have been cruising as much as I can. I am somewhere near the vicinity of 40 cruises since 2003. Quite a lot!

 

I have never done Pied Piper either; this will be my first time. But I have met others who have sailed with them and they do recommend them. I booked this cruise with PP not only because it is a gay group but also because their pricing is lower than Celebrity's so you cannot go wrong. In some cases, the price difference is a few $100's. Definitely worth looking at.

 

They do offer a room mate pairing or cabin sharing program. They basically look for someone in your age range and whether you are a smoker or not. I sail alone also but I never share the cabin because you just never know who you are going to end up with. I do pay double but I have the peace of mind that I am alone in my cabin.

 

I did an Atlantis cruise about 2 years ago and I enjoyed it a lot! But 3 or 4 days of Atlantis is the most that I can handle. One week and I'm ready to get off the ship.

 

Hope you decide to join us!

 

Juan

[almostavirgin]

Ray:

 

I am a fairly avid veteran cruiser. My ex never wanted to go on a cruise but when I finally convinced him to do Alaska in 2003 he liked it and gave in to doing it once a year. That was not enough for me. For different resons, we went separate ways 2 years ago and I have been cruising as much as I can. I am somewhere near the vicinity of 40 cruises since 2003. Quite a lot!

 

I have never done Pied Piper either; this will be my first time. But I have met others who have sailed with them and they do recommend them. I booked this cruise with PP not only because it is a gay group but also because their pricing is lower than Celebrity's so you cannot go wrong. In some cases, the price difference is a few $100's. Definitely worth looking at.

 

They do offer a room mate pairing or cabin sharing program. They basically look for someone in your age range and whether you are a smoker or not. I sail alone also but I never share the cabin because you just never know who you are going to end up with. I do pay double but I have the peace of mind that I am alone in my cabin.

 

I did an Atlantis cruise about 2 years ago and I enjoyed it a lot! But 3 or 4 days of Atlantis is the most that I can handle. One week and I'm ready to get off the ship.

 

Hope you decide to join us!

 

Juan

 

 

Hi again Juan!

 

Calling yourself a FAIRLY AVID cruiser is an understatement! :D I've only had 3, hence, almost a virgin! :o

 

I've only heard good feedbacks about PP. My only concern is having to dress up for the formal dinners/nights. I have no problems with the dressing-up part itself, I actually enjoy it, but that would mean a lot more luggage to bring, especially since I would be travelling internationally. Where are you from, if I may ask?

 

You can't get a better deal with PP rates being even lower than Celebrity's! How can they do that?? I was on Celebrity Equinox on my second cruise, and that ship is simply amazing, and they really know how to pamper their guests. With even a newer ship, Silhouette, on this cruise gives me even more reason to go!

 

I've done the room-sharing thing on my first Atlantis cruise and it went well, although our similarity starts and ends with us being both smokers. He did his thing, I did mine, and we got along well. I understand your concerns about rooming-in with a stranger. If my roommate snores louder than I do, he'll be sleeping in the hallways, LOL. Well, I just consider room-sharing part of the adventure that goes with the cruise!

 

I'm still under that "Atlantis spell". I know it's not for everyone, but there are lot more things to do than partying. I went to a Bingo on my most recent cruise, hosted by Miss Richfield on skates, and I was in tears from laughing the whole time! To quote someone from this site, "A cruise is what you make it."

 

Well, let's keep in touch!

 

-Ray

[rienreiter]

Hi Ray:

 

I do try to be modest when I describe myself as to how I have cruised. I drop in the number and let the others guess. Believe me, there are others out there that have done a lot more in about the same amount of time as me. Living in Fort Lauderdale, I do have the luxury of doing some of those long weekend cruises. It's not like I've done 40 two week cruises. I've done 8 crossings, Alaska twice, Mexican Riviera twice.Panama Canal, Canada and New England, Mediterranean a couple of times, plus of course, the obligatory Caribbean cruises. Those are my least favorite as the Caribbean poses no excitement for me. But I do it because it is easy to ge away and relax for a couple of days and there is nothing better than being on a ship where you are pampered all day and do as much or as little as you want.

 

You're almost a virgin??? Well, I'm not going to go there. LOL

 

I'm really looking forward to this cruise not only because it will be my first PP experience which I have been wanting to do for some time, but also because I get to do Israel and Egypt at the same time. Travel for me is about visiting and learning about new places. I need a vacation when I arrive back home!

 

I have been lucky to not have to worry about the luggage as I have most always managed to get a business class ticket with miles and you have no baggage issue unless you are a queen that needs to bring 20 bags.

 

I'm sure you must already know that the Martini Bar is the place to be. And with PP we will have certain activities planned just for us and no one else.

 

I just realized that cruise lines no longer allow smoking in cabins so this should not be a criteria for matching people together. I still don't feel comfortable ending up with a complete stranger in my cabin. Unless we are going to be doing you know what every night, I would rather be alone and have peace of mind. I don't want to take the chance of sharing to save money and end up with someone that will ruin my cruise.

 

I remember bingo with Miss Richfield except on my cruise I think Cashetta was also along. It was fun because they had a really cute guy remove one article of clothing for every number they called.

 

Well, I'm going to be out of town for a few days so I won't be able to respond until Wednesday of next week. Have a great weekend and book this cruise!!!

 

Juan

[almostavirgin]

Hello Juan! I hope you have an enjoyable weekend! I'll respond longer when you get back on Wednesday. I don't want people to think we're hugging this thread to ourselves, LOL !!!!

 

-Ray

[almostavirgin]

Anybody home???

[rienreiter]

Hey! Sorry, have been quite busy since my return. Had a great time. Hope you are doing well.

 

Juan

[almostavirgin]

 

I just realized that cruise lines no longer allow smoking in cabins so this should not be a criteria for matching people together. I still don't feel comfortable ending up with a complete stranger in my cabin. Unless we are going to be doing you know what every night, I would rather be alone and have peace of mind. I don't want to take the chance of sharing to save money and end up with someone that will ruin my cruise.

 

Juan

 

 

Hello Juan,

 

I agree. Smoking as a sole basis for room-sharing doesn't make sense to me either.

 

Every night? ONLY?? What happens during the morning, and all the other times when you're not on shore??? ;):D:eek:

 

Welcome back!!!

 

-Ray

[rlo4934]

Hey there,

 

My partner and I aren't taking this particular Pied Piper cruise, but we are booked on their Aug 12, 2011 Mediterranean cruise on the Solstice. I've never done an Atlantis or RSVP before and always have taken mainstream cruises. My partner on the other hand only did Atlantis up till last year when I took him on a straight cruise. Not one gay person on the boat, that we saw, but we still had a good time. Hoping we get the best of both worlds on our upcoming cruise with Pied Piper. Love taking cruises!

[rienreiter]

Hello Ray: You are bad! I love a good sense of humor. Well, if he's really cute, of course there will be more action. Maybe all day long. LOL.

 

RLO: I've been on one Atlantis cruise only. This is my first Pied Piper. I have done a LOT of cruises. With the exception of the Atlantis cruise, all of them have been the standard mainstream cruises. Only on a couple did I not meet any FOD's. The problem is, at least in my case, when all or most of them are couples and they prefer to hang around alone rather than spending the occasional moment with others that they have just met. Sometimes, you can be on a ship with 5000 people but feel like you are all alone.

 

Have a GREAT Thanksgiving!!

[almostavirgin]

Hello Ray: You are bad! I love a good sense of humor. Well, if he's really cute, of course there will be more action. Maybe all day long. LOL.

 

RLO: I've been on one Atlantis cruise only. This is my first Pied Piper. I have done a LOT of cruises. With the exception of the Atlantis cruise, all of them have been the standard mainstream cruises. Only on a couple did I not meet any FOD's. The problem is, at least in my case, when all or most of them are couples and they prefer to hang around alone rather than spending the occasional moment with others that they have just met. Sometimes, you can be on a ship with 5000 people but feel like you are all alone.

 

Have a GREAT Thanksgiving!!

 

 

Hi again Juan!

 

Yeah, when I'm good, I'm good, but when I'm bad, I'm better! :p;):D

 

I know what you mean about being all alone. I've been there, so I don't want that to happen again by trying to get to know some cruisemates even prior to the cruise.

 

Happy Turkey Day too! Gobble gobble!

 

-Ray

[tigres25790]

hi guys

i too was looking at the pied piper holy land cruise...i'm going to have to travel alone now since my partner of 41 years passed away a couple months ago....we went on about forty cruises together and right now im in quite a stuper...im not sure i can go it alone but you guys are giving me hope

marty

[rienreiter]

Hello Marty:

 

So sorry to hear about your recent loss. Must be tough but life keeps on going.

 

If the PP group turns out to be a sizeable one, I'm just you'll be just fine. As soon as you start mingling, you'll forget that you are alone. I've done a lot of cruises alone and in my experience when people see that you are alone they sort of take you under their wing so that you do not feel left out.

 

Hope you can make it!

[JonAlone]

Juan...

 

all this talk about cabin rumpy-pumpy is making me glad I am on the Equinox in a few weeks..

 

The PiedPiper trip sounds good too,,, not sure if Cairo is an option now... and even if it is, it is a long way from the port... last time I docked in Alexandria on Brilliance of the Seas,(2 years ago) leaving Alexandia was delayed 3 hours due to the coaches not being back from Cairo!! A bit like docking in San Diego to see Hollywood...

 

Depending on my yacht sailing possibility, I may still join you on this one...

 

(to others)

 

Juan and his crew are very entertaining and a lot of fun.... I met them last year on Adventure of the Seas Transatlantic (travelling solo) and they really made my holiday...

[Marian Paroo]

I see you have a day in Haifa.

 

Ya wanna I should post a link to what's going on there, guys?

 

Gotta "warn" you, I think there is more action for lesbians there.

 

 

(I'm not going, I live here, but as I am gay and live in Israel, I thought I would offer).

[iom44]

Hello, we are a couple from Barcelona who are interested about private tours in Israel on these cruise days. Anyone? :D

 

Noelia&Ismael