happy trailer

An Israeli passenger who tested positive and was treated in a Japanese hospital, was released from the hospital and then tested positive when he returned to Israel. He flew home on a commercial flight, and Israel has instructed everyone on his flight to self-quarantine for 14 days:
 

https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-returns-from-japan-after-bout-of-coronavirus-tests-positive-again/

Israel, whose only 2 cases (so far) of the virus are two passengers from Diamond Princess, has taken the extreme move of recommending that Israelis refrain from any foreign travel:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-unprecedented-move-israelis-advised-to-avoid-all-travel-over-virus-fears/

7 hours ago, JennAngel9 said:

“Additionally 1 of 11 Israeli citizens (who disembarked and traveled through Japan on commercial flights home) has been found positive for CV. “
 

The Israelis did not travel on commercial flights home, nor travel through Japan- they were met at the ship,  and came home on a private jet which was chartered by Israeli insurance companies.  Upon upon arrival in Israel, ambulances met them at the airport and immediately took them to hospital isolation units where they will be for at least two weeks. A second Israeli from that group has tested positive.  In addition four other Israelis remain in Japanese hospitals,  testing positive after Japan refused earlier requests by Israel to fly home all citizens.

 

BTW, Israel is taking strong measures to try to prevent outbreaks of the virus:  

- Only Israeli citizens are allowed to disembark from flights originating in Asia, and they are met by specially trained ambulance teams who transport them home for an imposed two week home quarantine where they are medically monitored. A seven year jail sentence has been announced for anyone who violates that quarantine.

 

- 200 schoolchildren and their teachers are currently under home quarantine because they were potentially exposed to the virus on school trips by a group of tourists from South Korea on a one week trip to Israel, who were at the same sites at the same time- the gov’t of South Korea notified Israel that several of those tourists tested positive when they returned home to South Korea.

 

- Israel has put out a travel advisory for Italy and is considering the same mandatory home quarantines for Israelis returning from Italy and several other countries as are currently in place for most Asian countries.
 

Even with all the measures being taken, the gov’t is preparing for what is seen as an inevitable spread of the virus. 
 

Quote

 

 

There’s a ‘dialysis traveler’ group on the popular social media site with a face.  Members trade info on dialysis centers in places around the world.  You could join that group, and post there.  Once you come up with a couple of possibilities, your dialysis center should be able to help you with the arrangements.

Just to add to the confusion, my 2 cents about JR's plan for 2 days from Ashdod.

First - it seems "too ambitious" - even for such a small country like Israel. Too much driving, too little time for visiting.

JB’s interest was as much or even more for the drive as the sites, so while I agree 1000% that his plans were very ambitious, there certainly are many options for lovely and unforgettable drives which are doable within his short timeframe.

Route nr. 2 is fine (for most parts). Caesarea is well worth a detour. Rosh Hanikra and its grottos (mentioned before) are  lovely. 

I don't know how come that nobody mentioned Agamon Hahula (please, google it ☺️). At this time of the year it is   most impressive - something which you would seldom (never?) see anywhere else in the world (except maybe Africa?). If you are into Nature - especially birds - don't miss the sunset tour. Amazing !

Positively, absolutely agree (and slapping my head for not mentioning it, although I seem to remember thinking of it!)!  A HUGE MUST for birders, and very highly recommended for everyone!  

All this on 2 conditions - that it's not during the Hanukka holidays here - and not on weekend. Than it will be much too crowded with "the natives". 

👍👍👍

Another suggestion for your trip:  

Since you’ve been to the Sea of Galilee, consider spending the overnight in Safad (Tzfat), especially if you’ve not been there before.

It’s a city of mystics, artists, hippies (and also regular people), filled with loads to see, as well as a variety of fun shopping and eating and sleeping opportunities.  Note that if you have mobility issues Safad can be challenging because it’s on a mountaintop with some steep inclines to maneuver as you explore.  Gorgeous views on the ride there and all around, making for a lovely drive.  

Another advantage to staying in Safad instead of nearer the Sea of Galilee is that it would fit in with a return to the ship via the coastal road instead of having to deal with Jerusalem traffic.  While I consider parts of the Jordan Valley Road (Rt90) to be absolutely breathtaking, taking it means you will need to drive through the Jerusalem area (there is a way to avoid that by going to Ashdod via the Dead Sea, but that would be a very long drive), and right now there is a huge amount of road construction in and around Jerusalem causing delays throughout the city and especially for several miles at the exit to Highway 1.  Your GPS could help you avoid some of that traffic, but at some point, unless you manage to be passing through the area during the very brief sweet spot between rush hours, you will likely be crawling for at least 30 minutes, and possibly over an hour.

Of course, you could still stay near the Sea of Galilee and return via the coastal road, but unless you have a compelling reason to stay there, or you have already been to Safad, I highly recommend considering a stay in the Safad area.

(For a tiny country, Israel offers a lot of great choices 😁!)

6 minutes ago, John Bull said:

And many thanks, happy trailer, for your follow-up post.

Just the sort of suggestions we were hoping for 

 

JB 

My pleasure.  Happy to help.

On 11/28/2019 at 4:41 PM, John Bull said:

 

(yes, we know it's not the quickest , but apart from wanting to visit the crusader castle at Acre we drive more for the journey than the destination, hence the route up the coast and totally avoiding the main Hwy 6  )

 

And is it tolerably interesting or scenic?

 

When we get close to Jerusalem, depending on time & weather, we'll consider re-visiting the Dead Sea or Jerusalem or simply head straight back to the ship. 

 

I do my best to help out on these boards.

Now I'm looking for help myself.

 

TIA

 

JB 

 

 

 

Since you are planning to see Acre (Akko), you might want to continue up the coast to Nahariyyah and then to Rosh Hanikra, with a possible slight detour on the way to Akko at Zichron Yaacov. 

Nahariyyah is a quiet, lovely small seaside town just north of Acre, with Rosh Hanikra a few miles past Nahariyyah.  There are beautiful grottos at Rosh Hanikra, with a cable car ride down to them.  You will also be on the border with Lebanon, and will have an interesting view of the sea border, as well as a stunning view back along the Israeli coastline.   Zichron Yaacov is an upscale suburb of Haifa, high above the coastal road with interesting boutiques and cafes as well as wineries.

If you wind up driving back toward Jerusalem via the Dead Sea area, stop at the town of Mitzpeh Yericho, which is the location of an attraction called the ‘Dead Sea Balcony’, with views on one side over the desert, and on the other of the Dead Sea, the city of Jericho, and the red mountains of Jordan.  You can sometimes also see Amman in the distance.  There is also a baptismal site as you begin the approach to the Dead Sea,  Qasr al-Yehud, which you pass by near Jericho.  It is on the Jordan River, and you can speak to people who are visiting it on the Jordanian side.  It’s a big favorite of our family.

HTH, and enjoy your visit!

Ruth

Edited to add: If you are into ancient Roman cities, you may want to visit Zippori which about half an hour inland from Akko. 

27 minutes ago, John Bull said:

One problem - call me dumb but nowhere on the internet can I find what a "limited access highway" is. 

Lots of websites & maps telling me which highways are "limited access", but not what or who is limited. 

Guessing it's not a restriction  on heavy goods vehicles or residents-only.

Do they require vehicle permits or minimum-occupancy or minimum travel distance?

Or is it an Israeli / Palestinian thing?

 

Living here 20 years, and I had to google ‘limited access roads’ to find out what the heck they were.  Absolutely nothing political about them- a limited access road is the same all over the world:  It’s simply an inter-city highway which doesn’t have a lot of entry/exit points (therefore limiting access to the highway).  The only affect they will have on your plans is traffic during rush hours, or congestion due to an accident.  Keep in mind though that highway exits in Israel can be spaced very far apart, and you often don’t get much notice about an upcoming exit, so if you miss your exit you may have to travel quite a distance in order to get back on route.

 

The krunch question is whether "limited access" roads will affect our plans.

We'd be very grateful for an answer to that.

 

JB 

That cleared it up for me, hope it did for you, too!  Will see if I can help out with more of your post.

24 minutes ago, jmnathan said:

 

We have requested Kosher meals in the past but as we're happy to not always eat meat we are comfortable with vegetarian or fish. I do find that it's in the Windjammer that things get more difficult, by and large in the main dining room they are very good.

JSYK, there was a fish selection available for each of his meals, including for lunches in the WJ.  My husband just added that there was also a pasta option for each meal. 

4 hours ago, jmnathan said:

That's good to see. I stick to a Kosher diet so can not have any of the meat and only certain fish are permitted so food can sometimes be a challenge. My particular gripe is when it comes to dessert and whether or not items contain gelatine. A lot of the staff onboard the various lines we've cruised have been a bit clueless around this, but in fairness RC seems to be the best of the lot (Princess were excpetionally bad in this regard!).

I am vegan and on the very restrictive renal diet, and my husband, who is not vegan, keeps strictly kosher.  We were on Symphony when she sailed the Med, and contacted special needs a few weeks before our cruise to notify them of our dietary needs.

We were both very pleased with all our meals.  The head waiter came to our table each night to discuss our options for the following night’s meal.  My husband had several choices for each meal, and each was a fully sealed 3 course meal, including an excellent dessert (and disposable serving ware).  Although it sounds like you eat food prepared in the regular kitchen, but restrict yourself to only kosher ingredients, I suggest that before your next cruise, you contact the Special Needs department and request kosher meals; you should receive similar 3 course sealed meals.  Please note that the meals he was served were a much, much better quality than regular airline meals!  AFAIK, this is possible for all mainstream lines.  (You might have a slightly different experience if sailing the Caribbean, as the meals we received were from providers in the UK and Europe.). 

The headwaiter and chef bowled me over with my meals. I gave them the very small list of ingredients I am permitted, gave the chef a few suggestions of simple meals I would enjoy, and told him to prepare whatever would be easiest within my limits.   Although salt is off my allowed list, he created tasty meals, and once I mentioned that I enjoy Indian flavors, he gave me a taste of heaven!  Add to that a flourless vegan chocolate cake that was so good I requested it each night along with berries.  

I have been sailing vegan for 10 years with mixed results, but after a very unpleasant dining experience on a Med cruise a few years ago, I shied away from cruises for a while. When we decided to cruise again,  based on my last experience I decided to be very proactive, and, of course, the new need to follow the renal diet gave me so many limitations that being proactive became a necessity.  I boarded with some ‘meal trepidation’ but was happily hooked by the end of our first dinner on board :-).

Imo, what badtwin says is not an excellent post at all; it doesn't say it all at all. He/she fails to take into account what the effects of "jostling" can do to an elderly or impaired human being. My husband is 89, and if what happened to us several decades ago happened to us now, it would likely be a very serious situation.

 

I have cancelled our pre-cruise stay in Barcelona, as much as we enjoyed many aspects of the city: just not worth the danger to him (and I ain't so young myself).

Everyone needs to do what makes then feel most comfortable. As for me, I’m not anywhere near even a small thought of cancelling; I’m just expressing a particular concern that you and I share. I know the damage that a rough jostle would have the potential to cause me, so can relate to your worries re someone who is close to 90.

I don’t think you need to worry about being knocked down or jostled. Almost all the attempts on tourists are by using distraction. If they bump into you it’s to desensitize you to be bumped but it’s nothing rough.

Thanks. That’s what I thought, until I read this on the other thread:

“A friend was cautious when sightseeing, zippered pockets, no jewelry. In the Gothic area, someone kneed the back of his leg and he fell, they stole a cheap wristwatch off his wrist. He hurt his elbow and hip in the fall. It can happen to anyone in so many different ways.”

Nowadays I need to use a cane or hiking poles to get around. When I was fully mobile, I often travelled solo and took the usual precautions and was fine. But now I figure I’ll be a particularly tempting target. Being pickpocketed is not my fear, as I’ll still carry the minimum cash etc and have it protected- but I am concerned about being jostled or knocked down in a pickpocketing attempt, and my husband and I are trying to figure out how to cope with that scenario, and how to lesson the chances of being rough handled, an experience which was told by a poster in the thread asking if anyone had been pickpocketed..

Would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions..

I always take a photo of both our carryons and checked bags after they are all packed and ready to go. That was a big help when I lost my luggage- both at at the lost luggage claim desk at the airport when they asked for a description of my bag, and at the hotel where the airline was going to deliver my bags while I was away on an overnight trip. It was also a huge help the time my luggage was delayed- at the claims desk, the clerk was delighted to have a photo to help him spot my bag, and I wound up getting my bag before others on line ahead of me.

Another thing I do, as noted in a previous post, is to always check the luggage tag that the check in agent places on my bag! I learned that a long time ago when I was a teen traveling solo via a stopover, and noticed right before my bag was about to be placed on the belt that the tag had it going only as far as the layover city.

I’m also firmly in the camp of placing your full itinerary and contact info -but never your home address!- in an outside pocket and also the top inside of each bag. My understanding is that airlines will check both places to help locate the owner of a ‘misplaced’ bag.

BTW- bags are often left standing on a rainy tarmac during loading/unloading. I line my suitcases and carryons with a plastic bag or bags. I’ve seen bags being rained on, and know people whose bags were soaked through when they took them off the baggage carousel.

Thank you so much! I found several videos on You Tube that show the dock and waterfront areas, and it definitely looks doable for me. I guess the restrictions that RCI posted referred mainly about being able to get on an off the boat, and that if you were in a wheelchair the hill to the center of town looks like it has a step every now and then, making things difficult. But I shouldn’t have any problem at all navigating the waterfront area, or even walking a block or so up into town- and with my husband’s help I should be fine getting on and off the boat.

We’re going to DIY instead of going through RCI. The cost difference is significant, but just as important is timing- with the RCI excursion you are only in Portovenere from around 1:00-3:00 and we want to have the freedom to go in the morning and stay for as long (or as short) as we want.

I’m sure we would have a fine day if we stuck with our original plan of walking around La Spezia, but as soon as I read about Portovenere I knew it was our type of place. It’s great to hear that it should be fine for us to visit!

Thanks again!

Ruth

We have a port stop in La Spezia this October, and are trying figure out our best options for the day.

I have some mobility and stamina issues, and although I manage fairly well by using hiking poles, I couldn’t manage a full day of touring, even if most of the time was spent sitting.

We gave some thought to spending a couple of hours exploring the town of La Spezia, with frequent people watching breaks, but I’m wondering if I would be able to handle a short visit to Portovenere.

I’ve read that there is a direct bus to Portovenere from La Spezia. RCI is offering a short ‘DIY’ excursion with transportation via motorboat, but they caution that it is an uphill walk from the dock to the center of town, and say the excursion should not be booked by people in wheelchairs or by those with limited mobility.

Setting aside the cost difference between the two options-

Is it practical for me to think about visiting Portovenere? I figure it would be a way to get a taste of Cinque Terre, and add a specialness to our day.

If we decide to go, is there a difference going by bus or by boat? I can manage a hill, but a series of steep hills would be tough so we wouldn’t go climbing in search of the best views. Does the location of the bus stop in Portovenere involve a steep hill into and back from the center of town? Is the arrival by boat much more picturesque than by bus? Is the hill from the dock very long and/or very steep?

Grateful for any reflections, thoughts or advice!

Ruth

..Reiterating my point.

Yup, that does it.

Marian- it's all yours.

BTW, sandinmyshoes: My feelings weren't hurt at all. You do realize that I started this thread to be helpful, and I put a great deal of thought, effort, and time into my responses. Being snarky to someone who happily volunteers to help you with your trip planning is surely not what your mother taught you. I know my mother taught me that a thank you given in a timely manner speaks to character. All you needed to do was to drop by with a super quick 'Thank you! I can't wait to take a closer look at your info!' My time is valuable, too.

Respond as you will, snarky or whatever. I won't be around to read it. Nine years of giving my time with a smile, even through trying times. You're not the first to have me shaking my head. But you are the last.

Peace to all.

Well put!

We do our best, don't we, Marian :D:halo:.

But still no thank you nor acknowledgement, even though she has been online since I posted, which is why I've been going longer and longer stretches without checking or responding on this thread.

(A little common courtesy goes a long way, CC'ers- and its absence is noted. So if you pose a question, and don't get an answer, or it takes a while to get one...)

No need at all to make the trip to Jerusalem, especially since you'll be visiting all the major sites with your group.

Carmel Market will definitely give you the experience you are looking for. It's much smaller than Machane Yehuda, but still offers plenty of food to sample, and local culture to soak in. (Note that the food vendors are mainly concentrated at the lower end of the market.)

The area around Shuk HaCarmel is fun to explore, or you can take a short walk to the Neve Tzedek neighborhood where winding streets are filled with cafes, galleries, and boutiques. As you approach Neve Tzedek you'll pass tree-lined Rothschild Blvd, which itself is a delightful place to walk and experience Tel Aviv life.

If you are feeling ambitious, from the Carmel Market walk two blocks to the sea, and stroll the promenade to Jaffa (be sure to walk all the way through the park to get to the promenade toward Jaffa, not just the sidewalk which runs alongside the bike lanes.). It's a leisurely 20 minute stroll to Jaffa, where you could spend hours exploring the twisty streets and stairways, discovering galleries, cafes, and museums.

And, of course, there's always the beach :-)

When we need a quick getaway, we often turn to Tel Aviv, where we spend a happy couple of hours walking the promenade or exploring Neve Tzedek, after filling our stomachs at the Carmel Market.

... I am wanting to do a 1/2 day tour of Jerusalem including the Muchane Yehuda before my official one week long tour begins. Since you are a local, can you suggest anyone good who understands an English pallet? I'm thinking I might prefer a woman. I would like to try new foods in the souk, but don't want to go too far out there. I have a temperamental traveler's stomach and do not want to get sick.

Thank you for helping people on here!

It looks like Cruise Citic doesn't allow locals to recommend businesses, but I think it's OK for me to tell you that you can do an independent tasting tour of Machane Yehuda. You should be able to find information about it by googling. If you will be there early in the week, especially Sunday-Wednesday mornings when it's not too crowded, it's pretty easy to walk around on your own and talk to the vendors and enjoy some free nibbles. Most of the vendors in the shuk speak at least some English, and those who don't will simply ask someone nearby to translate, or a passerby will happily help out. If by 'English palate' you mean you don't like spicy food, just be sure to let people know that. But please be open to trying new things- the food here is wonderful!

Take advantage of all you can and enjoy life to its fullest now, while you have the resources and circumstances. Take it from one who knows how quickly things can change. Fortunately I made it to many of the places on the top of my bucket list via land travel, and had discovered the joys of extended time at sea, before a diagnosis snapped travel away. I'm ever grateful for all the travel I was able to do and relish those memories, but everyone who knows me learned a stark and hopefully eye-opening lesson that they are taking to heart (as I am- I'm still chasing my dreams and doing as much as I can without regret and without any 'woe is me!').

Where in New Jersey did you live? We live in Florida 21 years and before near Princeton.

I'm originally from northern NJ, but that's twenty years ago :-).

How have recent events in Jerusalem impacted cruises? We have a reservation October 31,2017 and I'm afraid the ship won't go to Israel?

Israel is having a banner year in tourism, and we are seeing busses filled with tourists everywhere.

Things can flare up here at anytime, but also calm down as quickly. October is a ways off, and there is no predicting what the situation will be when you are here, but there is one guarantee - Israel takes great care to protect its visitors, and everything will be done to keep you safe. This might entail adjustments in your itinerary, but think of that as the opportunity to see places you might have missed otherwise :-).

I'd be remiss if I didn't post this...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2276902

Hope your experience does not match mine!!