FAQs

How many people will be in the group?

It's not possible to know beforehand how many people will be in our groups as we still take reservations for each cruise up until the sailing date as long as there is still space available. Our groups in the past have ranged in size from fifteen passengers to as many as over nine hundred passengers!

Will the group be hosted?

As long as the group minimum space requirements (usually 10 passengers) are met, then an onboard Pied Piper tour host will be assigned.

What activities are offered for the group?

Our escorted sailings include our private group parties, arranged private dining tables, complimentary group photo (or photo CD for the very large groups), optional group shore excursions (for a small additional cost), and other private group functions. Warm weather cruises also include an outdoor party! All Pied Piper events are optional.

What do I wear on the cruise?

Dress codes vary by sailing, cruises on the Cunard ships tend to be more formal while sailings on the other lines tend to be less dressy. All cruises have at least one formal evening, so you will want to bring your formal wear! Other nights are informal, which means a tie and jacket. The less formal cruises will have 'elegant casual' evenings, which means a nice shirt and pants. During the day on all cruises, it's casual attire.

Can I bring my non-gay friends on the cruise?

Yes, everyone is welcome in our groups! If you would like to bring a non-gay family member or friend, by all means please do so. The rates are the same for all and everyone in the group will be invited to the Pied Piper group events.

Are women welcome in the groups?

Yes, we are glad to welcome women in our groups as well and we encourage women to sail with us. Although our groups tend to be mostly men, we are glad to see a larger percentage of women in our groups recently.

What is the average age of the group members?

As we do not ask our group members ages, we can not provide an average age for our group members for each cruise. Also, we do not feel that past experience will necessarily predict what the average age will be for a future gay group. We have found that our group members find friendship with each other no matter what their ages are!

Learn more about gay group cruises.

Can I use my existing travel agent to book a Pied Piper group cruise?

We understand that you may already have a trusted travel agent that you use for your travel arrangements. Therefore, we do accept reservations from other certified travel agencies and will pay a standard commission to the agent. Please have your agent call us directly to make your reservation. In fairness to us, though, we ask that you state from the beginning that you plan to use your own travel agent and we can not assign to an other agency a reservation that has already been made directly with us.

If I did not make a reservation with Pied Piper (either directly or through an other agency) can I still join in on the onboard Pied Piper activities?

Unfortunately, due to cruise line regulations, those passengers whose reservations are not part of the Pied Piper group can not be invited to the private Pied Piper onboard events. We regret that we can not make any exceptions to this rule and appreciate your understanding.

What if I already made a reservation for a particular cruise before I knew that a Pied Piper group would be onboard, can I still be a part of the group?

Yes, in most cases, we can arrange for your reservation to be transferred to Pied Piper so that you may be a part of the group. If you made your reservation directly with the cruise line, please call us with your reservation number. If you used your own travel agent, please have them call us to make the arrangements. This process can only be done prior to the final payment date of the cruise and is subject to cruise line approval.

What are the payment schedule and cancellation policies for reserving a Pied Piper group cruise?

As these vary by cruise line, please refer to the reservation form for each cruise where these policies are clearly stated. Please note that our policies may vary slightly from the cruise line's standard policy. Where this is a difference in the policy, the policy stated on our reservation form takes precedence.

What if I find a lower price for the cruise you are offering?

Pied Piper negotiates for all our group cruises the lowest available fare at the time we set up our group contracts and we do not charge an additional fare for all the extra onboard activities we arrange for our group members. Plus, we constantly monitor the cruise line fares to see if any lower fares become available and pass along these savings to our group members, subject to the cruise line's approval. We realize, though, that you may come across a lower fare that we are not aware of. If so, we ask that you bring it to our attention and, if it is from a legitimate source, we will match this fare. If you had made a reservation with us and a lower fare becomes available, we will adjust your booking accordingly, subject to the cruise line's approval. Adjustments to cruise fares are usually not made once the final payment has already been processed.