Celebrity Infinity - Oct 24 2013 - T/A Harwich to Miami - Pied Piper sailing

[Turtles06]

I booked today. Have been with Pied Piper a half dozen times or so--looking forward to it, but...this is the first time I've sailed solo. So hoping for the friendliest of groups!

 

Welcome!

 

We seem to be quite a friendly bunch. Peter is even concerned enough about the well-being of those of us spending the night of Oct. 23 in Harwich that he has us on a suicide watch. ;) (Go to the main Roll Call for this discussion. :))

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1595127

 

We look forward to meeting you!

 

(I think we surely must have enough for Pied Piper to send a host, yes?)*

 

Judith

 

*Edited to add: I was typing while Peter posted the same thing; great minds think alike!

Edited May 1, 2013 by Turtles06

[jmarkkasper]

...yes, I HAVE found PP to be a friendly bunch. Really looking forward to the extended vacation with lots of sea days.

 

So, to introduce myself: 55 yo, was partnered for 20years, single for last ten. Twice retired. Left Ft. Lauderdale 2 years ago for a fun job in SC (I find I really like working)--CEO of small public foundation. Love the job--but withering socially. Sing with Greenville Gay Mens Chorus, but that is an hour away.

 

Both of my favorite cruises were PP: Baltic and Buenos Aires/Santiago. Others were less memorable locales, but good groups.

[Turtles06]

.

 

Both of my favorite cruises were PP: Baltic and Buenos Aires/Santiago. Others were less memorable locales, but good groups.

 

While we're at sea, I hope I can pick your brain about the Baltics. We've just booked with Celebrity for May 2014, and are quite excited about it. It's a long way off, but lots of planning to do!

[Mosot]

Hello All. I've just booked this cruise with some friends. Can someone please tell me what a pied piper sailing is? I see lots of references, but have no idea.

 

mosot

[Turtles06]

Hello All. I've just booked this cruise with some friends. Can someone please tell me what a pied piper sailing is? I see lots of references, but have no idea.

 

mosot

 

First, welcome aboard!

 

Second: Pied Piper is a gay/lesbian travel agency that books g/l groups (far more men than women, typically) onto certain cruises (including many with Celebrity). It's not a full ship charter, but a group booking. It could be a very small group or, in the case of PP's post-Thanksgiving cruise, on the order of 1,000.

 

If there are a sufficient number of people booked with PP (I think it's ten), then PP will send a host along on the cruise. The host will host some private activities for the PP group. These are open only to the folks who have booked through PP.

[Petert102]

NEW PP CROSSING JOINER

 

Our Friend Howard, from Manhattan, decided to join us today. It is his fIrst PP cruise and indeed his first cruise ever. Howard's reservation has just been confirmed by PP

 

Paul, Howard and I will all operate CC under my label as Paul and Howard are not big into new fangled communication methods

 

Mega Hugz to All

 

Peter

Edited May 7, 2013 by Petert102

[Turtles06]

Welcome aboard, Howard! Wonderfully adventurous to pick a TA as a first cruise; way to go!

[Hobie]

I'm committed to the cruise now!

 

Once I found out that I could book air to LHR with frequent flyer miles, I realized that I better lock that in before the offer was withdrawn.

 

As Peter told me, "booking a trip with FF miles is about as rare as raindrops in the Sahara desert!"

 

I also booked the bus transfer from my hotel in London to Harwich.

 

Thanks to Peter for his help and advice (and encouragement and enthusiasm).

 

I look forward to meeting all of you onboard the Infinity on Oct. 24!

 

Hobie.

Edited May 8, 2013 by Hobie

[Turtles06]

I'm committed to the cruise now!

 

Once I found out that I could book air to LHR with frequent flyer miles, I realized that I better lock that in before the offer was withdrawn.

 

As Peter told me, "booking a trip with FF miles is about as rare as raindrops in the Sahara desert!"

 

I also booked the bus transfer from my hotel in London to Harwich.

 

Thanks to Peter for his help and advice (and encouragement and enthusiasm).

 

I look forward to meeting all of you onboard the Infinity on Oct. 24!

 

Hobie.

 

Hi Hobie, I'm glad you've been able to work things out and will be joining us; we look forward to meeting you too.

 

We always use FF miles to book one way flights and have never had a problem (knock wood!). If you have the miles, it's a great way to buy the ticket, because the airlines don't penalize you for it being one way; it's literally half the number of miles you'd need for a RT ticket. Not true if you are paying cash for the one way flight, in which case, as you know, it costs well more than half a RT ticket.

[BlazerMB]

Hey Hobie! So happy that you have decided to stay with us! Peter...YES...Rhode Island is now the 10th state to legalize our marriages! Tom and I have discussed it.....a lot! We will get married....but probably not not right out of the chute! So...is he now my Fiance??? Still waiting for the DOMA decision! But, that being said, a cruise is as good as a honeymoon any time!!!! Peter, have you booked your hotel? We are leaning toward Thistle Marble Arch for the "convenience" of the ride home at night after a few drinks!

[BlazerMB]

P.S.....Turtles....we are using the last of my AA miles to fly Business Class to London. When I was working I had accumulated lots of miles. But now I am retired so this is the last trip "up front!" Miles are wonderful!!!!

[Petert102]

Hey Hobie! So happy that you have decided to stay with us! Peter...YES...Rhode Island is now the 10th state to legalize our marriages! Tom and I have discussed it.....a lot! We will get married....but probably not not right out of the chute! So...is he now my Fiance??? Still waiting for the DOMA decision! But, that being said, a cruise is as good as a honeymoon any time!!!! Peter, have you booked your hotel? We are leaning toward Thistle Marble Arch for the "convenience" of the ride home at night after a few drinks!

We are holding off a while to book the Marble Arch Thistle as it seems senseless to give them your money up-front, especially as the exchange rate is all over the place. We have booked the Harwich Bus with a Thistle pick-up, but then the Cumberland is next door and owned by the Thistle folk so we will be in one of the other. Yes the Thistle or the Cumberland is defintely the way to go as it is next the Shrine of Our Blessed Lady of Flowing Alcohol which is where we will be making Donations and Offerings at night and maybe if lucky, going on our knees in the downstairs sacred Grotto should there be a wonderous apparition for worship purposes !!!

 

Our Buddy Howard and maybe Hobie ( Glenn ) will be joining us at the Thistle for the convenience of Worship at the Shrine of our Blessed Lady of Flowing Alcohol, so we should have a mini-CC pre-sailing Prayer Meeting here...What Joy !!!! Who will volunteer to supply name tags and Mardi Gras Beads for the event ???? Should we meet in the Grotto ??? Thoughts ???

 

Mega Hugz

 

Peter

Edited May 10, 2013 by Petert102

[Turtles06]

Our Buddy Howard and maybe Hobie ( Glenn ) will be joining us at the Thistle for the convenience of Worship at the Shrine of our Blessed Lady of Flowing Alcohol, so we should have a mini-CC pre-sailing Prayer Meeting here...What Joy !!!! Who will volunteer to supply name tags and Mardi Gras Beads for the event ???? Should we meet in the Grotto ??? Thoughts ???

 

Mega Hugz

 

Peter

 

And while you are worshipping at the Shrine, please don't forget to send good thoughts to those of us on Suicide Watch up in Harwich. ;)

[Petert102]

HARWICH - PIER HOTEL SUICIDE WATCH

 

You Dear Ladies will not be far from our thoughts while we explore the sacred Grotto at Our Blessed Lady of Flowing Alcohol while in spiritual ( spirits=alcohol ) preparation and retreat for our Pilgrimages to the Holy Shrines at Santiago ( Vigo ) and Fatima ( Lisboa ). We will all be offering prayer for you to find a really sharp razor blade to put yourselves painlessly out of your misery at the Pier Hotel in Harwich. I must give you my cell phone number just in case you need a suicide intervention that night !!!!

 

When we call at Vigo, I am planning a mile walk on my knees to reach Santiago de Compostela, Paul, who will be supervising the spiritual aspect of my PENNANCE, cannot make up his mind if we need to pack whips so that he can punish me suitably during this part of our pilgrimage, did check Celebrity's website, it seems I cannot pack my hand-cuffs for the event as they are prohibited items on the ship like electrical extension cords and candles !!!! Oh well !!!!!

By the way, are there any other takers for my little spiritual venture ????

 

 

Hugz and Mega Mazels to all

 

Peter

Edited May 11, 2013 by Petert102

[Turtles06]

HARWICH - PIER HOTEL SUICIDE WATCH

 

You Dear Ladies will not be far from our thoughts while we explore the sacred Grotto at Our Blessed Lady of Flowing Alcohol while in spiritual ( spirits=alcohol ) preparation and retreat for our Pilgrimages to the Holy Shrines at Santiago ( Vigo ) and Fatima ( Lisboa ). We will all be offering prayer for you to find a really sharp razor blade to put yourselves painlessly out of your misery at the Pier Hotel in Harwich. I must give you my cell phone number just in case you need a suicide intervention that night !!!!

 

When we call at Vigo, I am planning a mile walk on my knees to reach Santiago de Compostela, Paul, who will be supervising the spiritual aspect of my PENNANCE, cannot make up his mind if we need to pack whips so that he can punish me suitably during this part of our pilgrimage, did check Celebrity's website, it seems I cannot pack my hand-cuffs for the event as they are prohibited items on the ship like electrical extension cords and candles !!!! Oh well !!!!!

By the way, are there any other takers for my little spiritual venture ????

 

 

Hugz and Mega Mazels to all

 

Peter

 

Ha! I think that since Eileen and I visited Santiago de Compostela last spring, we are covered in terms of penance for this trip at least. :)

[Hobie]

I really want to visit Santiago de Compostela. A good friend of mine is going on a 10 day, 100 mile walking pilgrimage this summer. It looks like a lot of fun.

 

The only problem is that the excursion, as described on the Celebrity web site, requires a bus trip of 1 1/2 hours from Vigo. I'm not sure that I want to be on a bus for 3 hours, although, I am sure that the route through the Spanish countryside is pretty.

 

Still plenty of time to decide!

Edited May 12, 2013 by Hobie

[Turtles06]

I really want to visit Santiago de Compostela. A good friend of mine is going on a 10 day, 100 mile walking pilgrimage this summer. It looks like a lot of fun.

 

The only problem is that the excursion, as described on the Celebrity web site, requires a bus trip of 1 1/2 hours from Vigo. I'm not sure that I want to be on a bus for 3 hours, although, I am sure that the route through the Spanish countryside is pretty.

 

Still plenty of time to decide!

 

Hobie, unless you have something else you really want to do in Vigo, I would highly recommend visiting Santiago de Compostela, particularly if you are interested in old churches and history. It's a UNESCO Wolrd Heritage site. Eileen and I were there last spring (out of La Coruña) and enjoyed the day. The medieval Cathedral is quite something to see, particularly from the outside, and the town itself has some wonderful quaint streets. If you do plan to visit, I recommend watching the Martin Sheen film "The Way" before you go.

 

It was quite fascinating to learn about the pilgrims, who come from hundreds of miles, walking, biking, you name it. Here are some very happy bikers who have just completed their pilgrimage:

 

 

 

(photo by turtles06)

[studhilo]

I think I'll take the train from Vigo to Santiago de Compostela. It takes about 1.5 hours. Probably much cheaper, more fun, and more comfortable than the tour bus. Perhaps we can get a group to go. Anyone interested?

Russ

[Petert102]

I think I'll take the train from Vigo to Santiago de Compostela. It takes about 1.5 hours. Probably much cheaper, more fun, and more comfortable than the tour bus. Perhaps we can get a group to go. Anyone interested?

Russ

Is that wise ? RENFE the spanish railroad company tells time using a sundial and it is cloudy most of the time in Galicia. I guess you could meet the boat next day in Lisboa. Keeping a timetable for trains is a foreign concept in Spain.

 

Sadly you Guys do not seem to be up for my on my knees tour of Santiago....

 

Peter

Edited May 12, 2013 by Petert102

[studhilo]

Is that wise ? RENFE the spanish railroad company tells time using a sundial and it is cloudy most of the time in Galicia. I guess you could meet the boat next day in Lisboa. Keeping a timetable for trains is a foreign concept in Spain.

 

Sadly you Guys do not seem to be up for my on my knees tour of Santiago....

 

Peter

 

You may be right. Looks like the train schedule (assuming they are on time) are not too friendly to cruise passengers. You would only have about 1.5 hours there before you would need to return. I think I'll hang out in Vigo and explore there.

[Hobie]

@Turtles06:

 

Thanks for the great picture. Thanks also for the recommendation for the Sheen movie. I'll try to find that movie.

 

[Mosot]

And the information. I assumed as much but wasn't sure. I'm not part of the group, but will be sailing on the 24th as well. Hopefully there will be some groups forming excursions. I used CC on a med cruise and we were able to put together some excellent tours.

 

 

First, welcome aboard!

 

Second: Pied Piper is a gay/lesbian travel agency that books g/l groups (far more men than women, typically) onto certain cruises (including many with Celebrity). It's not a full ship charter, but a group booking. It could be a very small group or, in the case of PP's post-Thanksgiving cruise, on the order of 1,000.

 

If there are a sufficient number of people booked with PP (I think it's ten), then PP will send a host along on the cruise. The host will host some private activities for the PP group. These are open only to the folks who have booked through PP.

[Turtles06]

And the information. I assumed as much but wasn't sure. I'm not part of the group, but will be sailing on the 24th as well. Hopefully there will be some groups forming excursions. I used CC on a med cruise and we were able to put together some excellent tours.

 

Hi Mosot,

 

Over on the "main" board Roll Call, there are in fact some people forming shore excursions. I think, though, that many of the ports on this trip will lend themselves to a DIY day.

[Petert102]

PIED PIPERS OWN SHORE EXCURSIONS

 

Remember Guys, before you book yourselves solid with the other main board or the Cruise Lines shore excursions, that PP also organizes their own shore excursions ESPECIALLY tailored for us, if you are interested it may be a good idea to drop Bruce or Derek an e-mail to see what they may be planning

 

Hugz

 

Peter

[Turtles06]

PIED PIPERS OWN SHORE EXCURSIONS

 

Remember Guys, before you book yourselves solid with the other main board or the Cruise Lines shore excursions, that PP also organizes their own shore excursions ESPECIALLY tailored for us, if you are interested it may be a good idea to drop Bruce or Derek an e-mail to see what they may be planning

 

Hugz

 

Peter

 

On our eastbound TA with PP last spring, PP had no excursions planned in advance that they could give us any info about. (In fact, I don't recall any at all. On board, Bruce may have recommended certain excursions through the ship.) That was our first PP cruise, so I don't know if that was typical or not.

 

I will say, though, that Bruce scored big when our ship was diverted at the last minute from Cobh (Ireland) to La Coruna, Spain. Obviously, no one had anything planned for La Coruna. Fortunately, Bruce was familiar with that port and immediately advised those of us with PP to book a ship's tour to Santiago de Compostela. Many of us did, and we had a fun day together.

 

Do any of you PP veterans have any info on whether we are likely to know about any PP shore excursions in advance?

Edited May 18, 2013 by Turtles06