Roll Call - Constellation 10/05/2005

[tnguys]

My partner and I are booked with the Pied Piper group on the Constellation October Canada/New England cruise. Anyone joining us?

[tnguys]

We're hoping this cruise is just too far out to get replies. We booked with Pied Piper hoping to meet other family who enjoy cruising as much as we do.

[tnguys]

Just trying again. Any other October 5th Constellation cruisers out there?

[garykool81]

You'll probably want to try posting again more towards late summer. By then, most people who are going to be on the ship will be booked and looking for fellow family. I have always had bad luck doing roll calls for fellow GLBT passengers this far out.

 

Best of luck!

[DaveM.]

tnguys,

 

My partner and I just signed up for this cruise, thru Pied Piper as well.

 

Looking forward to meeting you!

 

Dave and Brad

[tnguys]

Dave and Brad,

Great to see that we're not the only ones in the Pied Piper group! If you'd like to e-mail us and introduce yourselves, here's an address:

russmccormick@comcast.net

 

Russ and Don

[tnguys]

Bumping this back up to see if others may have signed up for this cruise.

[tnguys]

Bumping.

Anyone else on this cruise either through Pied Piper or another Travel agent?

[tnguys]

Bumping.

Anyone else on this cruise either through Pied Piper or another Travel agent?

[Brucemcdou]

Russ - we're not on that cruise, but we were on the 13-day Canada/NE on Connie last year. It was one of our best cruises and best vacations. Beautiful countryside and things to see, a great ship, and really nice fellow passengers. We really prefer the longer cruises now. We planned for cold, rainy weather in Canada and were pleasantly surprised. We had crisp clear fall weather about 2/3 of the time, and only drizzle a couple of days. We weren't with Pied Piper; I think they did the shorter 10-day cruise last year, but we ended up at a table with two other Gay couples and a straight couple. We had a blast and still keep in touch. We've travelled with Pied Piper groups in the past and liked the people we've met with them.Enjoy!

[tnguys]

Bruce -

Thanks for the info. Was your cruise last year around the same time as ours - early to mid October? What were the daily highs and lows like? My partner will wear shorts unless the temp gets down to freezing, but I tend to dress for the weather.

 

This will be our first Pied Piper group cruise, so we're really looking forward to meeting other family to share the cruise with.

 

Any suggestions for fun shore excursions on the Canada/NE itinerary?

 

Thanks!

Russ

[Brucemcdou]

Russ - We were on the Constellation, 13-days roundtrip out of NYC, so we left NY on Monday, Columbus Day, 10/11 and returned 10/25. We spent the three-day weekend in NY before boarding and had surprisingly warm weather there, around 70. For the first week as we went all the way north to Newfoundland (I don't think you go that far north this year) we had weather in the 50's and 60's, with lots of sunshine. Once we got to Quebec City we had drizzly/misty rain with temps in the 40's or 50's, and had rain or overcast part of every day on the return. That said, we'd expected chilly, rainy weather the whole trip, so brought warm clothes: a waterproof coat (I recommend with a hood) a fleece jacket or pullover (we live in them year-round here in SF) and some turtlenecks or a sweater or two.

 

Our coldest and most beautiful day was the visit to Saguenay Fjord, which was probably only in the 40's but it seems colder because you want to spend all your time on deck or on your balcony to see the limestone walls of the fjord. If you've ever viewed a glacier on a cruise to Alaska I'm sure you've done the same thing: no matter how bundled up you are you'll get cold if you're just standing on deck, in the wind, snapping pictures with your camera.

 

In terms of excursions, I don't think we had many of the same ports - our cruise emphasized the Atlantic provinces rather than New England, which is why we picked that one. Our one stop in the US was Newport, RI, where we took a guided walking tour of the colonial town - we'd already seen the summer "cottages" of the Robber Barons but that's worth it if you haven't already visited there. In Halifax we went on a bike excursion through a protected wetland and return along a former railroad right of way - a good trip. In St. John's we walked around on our own - there's a good museum that includes lots of info about the shipbuilding industry there, and we found a funky restaurant for lunch. We also got ourselves up to the "Reversing Falls" on the city bus - no need to pay for an excursion. In Quebec we biked along the St. Laurence (which is also along a busy highway) to the Montmorency falls, then biked back through older neighborhoods. We also took the excursion to the maple bush - a little touristy for us. In Sydney, NS we rented a car and drove up along the coast - beautiful! We picked up some bread and cheese and ate a picnic lunch on a deserted, windswept beach. In Newfoundland we took the hike along a falls, then stop for snack at an old resort - again, a little touristy.

 

The Constellation is a beautiful ship and we enjoyed great service. We also ate twice at Ocean Liners, the specialty restaurant. If you haven't been on a Celebrity M-class ship before then I strongly recommend you go there for a special occasion meal. I hope you have as as nice a time as we did, and that the weather cooperates for you.

[tnguys]

Does anyone know when Pied Piper sets up the chat area for a cruise that they've booked a group on? It's 2 months to go on this one so I'm hoping they set it up soon so folks in the group can introduce themselves.

[tnguys]

Wondering if anyone knows when we should expect to get our cruise documents. Sailing on Oct. 5 on the Celebrity Constellation with the Pied Piper group.

Thanks.

[Troy1_98]

The cruise tickets are usually issued 4-6 weeks prior to cruise. PP has a tendency to mail theirs out 4 weeks prior to cruise via first class mail (which takes about a week to West Coast).

[tnguys]

Thanks, Troy. My partner read that others on our cruise have started receiving their documents. I guess the holdup now will be how soon Pied Piper sends them our way. A month to go.. we can't believe it's finally almost here. We booked way back in January. Can't wait.