Currently on Nautica - Mumbai to Athens

[osandomir]

Joe - thank you for sharing your cruise experience and beautiful photos with us. We also booked the Mumbai to Rome cruise next year, and your posts make me even more excited. It's been long time since we visited Israel. We are so looking forward to returning there. It'll be great itinerary.All other wonderful ports except those in Europe will be new to us.

 

Olga

[SusanNJ]

Enjoyed your photos. Going on Nautica for the first time in January. Interested in your take on food, service and any other input you may have. Thanks.

[JoePDX]

Hi All -

 

First, thank you for all the kind words. Travel is a great gift and being able to share it has been fun. After this trip our country count should be close to 50....all over the last 16 years.

 

And yes, all of the pictures I have posted here have been taken with my iPhone. Sorry for the crazy auto corrects of some words...

 

We had a great overnight in Jerusalem. Friday evening we attended Shabbat services at a local synagogue with some of our new friends. Saturday our guide focused on the Christian and Muslim quarters of the city. But we started the day on the Mount of Olives. What incredible views!

 

 

Then we made a quick stop at the Church of Gethsemane.

 

 

Then we were dropped off at the Jaffa Gate to start our old city exploration. First stop was the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

 

 

 

 

Then we wandered the Muslim Market and had a great lunch of shawarma and falafels along with a plethora of salads to add to our pita breads. Yum!

 

 

We departed Haifa right on time at 5:00 pm. Tomorrow is Limassol, Cyprus. Word has it the Gala Tea will be tomorrow too as we cast off at 3:00 pm.

 

Joe (with Jeff in tow)

 

 

 

 

 

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[JoePDX]

Enjoyed your photos. Going on Nautica for the first time in January. Interested in your take on food, service and any other input you may have. Thanks.

 

Food has been very good...best we have ever had on a cruise. The staff are always smiling and eager to make sure you are well taken care of. The ship is beautiful. Entertainment has been pretty good to even excellent.

 

A quick story - while outside the Wailing Wall we ran into one of the crew. We asked him about his experience in Jerusalem. He said it was his first time there-we said "us too". As we got ready to move on we thanked him for his wonderful service. His response "you remember me?" We said of course we do.....and we are very thankful. We ran into him onboard tonight-and greeted him just as warmly.

 

What I have encountered which makes me steaming mad - is fellow passengers demeaning and raising their voices at the staff. Crew go to great lengths to make sure we are taken care of. Decorum is always in order.....sadly we have seen some times when civility was not present...

 

just my two cents....

 

Joe

[JoePDX]

joe---excellent photos...and we're really enjoying traveling with you before we do it "for reals." We've been to Israel and so we'd love to just wander Jerusalem and spend the night there (too much time back and forthing.)

 

O used to do a shorex called "Jerusalem on your own" which was essentially transportation there and back. But, I've heard from a good source that this isn't offered nor will it be. Don't even really want a guide; been there/done that.....

 

wonder if taking the bus is still the way to go....? So do you have any good ideas?

 

I will check our blue book, but I don't remember one. But I will let you know. If I don't get back to you prompt me when I do the final cruise review with all my sources.

 

Talked to one passenger tonight who did the day tour in Jerusalem and she said it was not good-poor guide. Mostly time management so they didn't see much.

 

We had 8 in our group with a guide who is working on his PhD dissertation-he was excellent. Sadly he won't go into Academia because he wouldn't be able to support his family. That is sad. He had such enthusiasm for what he shared with us. But good for us that he is a registered guide...

 

Joe

Edited April 29, 2017 by JoePDX

[JoePDX]

Joe,

Your enthusiasm, photos and descriptions have inspired me- I've always been interested in this part of the world. As of yesterday I am now on the waitlist for this portion on the Around the World itinerary for 2019. Thanks for taking the time to let us all join you

 

Congratulations! We have really enjoyed every port.

 

Insignia, on her 2017 ATW, is around a week or so behind us, visiting many of the same ports....

 

Joe

[cbb]

joe, i think i mentioned it on my thread and on our blog how obnoxious some people were. Since we were on for a long time we got to know the staff and crew very well, and to hear the way they were treated made me so angry. "Get me a glass", "get me another napkin"..."GET, GET"...but never "thank you" .

 

The ATW people all talked about the complainers and went out of their way to say 'please', 'thank you', 'you're doing great' and go out of our way to complement them. We all made sure we put down their names on the cruise surveys and many high ranking people on board told me that it is a big deal....so

 

if you have gotten to know crew on board make sure you do a shout-out by name in the surveys....so many of them came up to me later and said 'thank you.' And of course, their service to us got even more personalized...they're so sweet and try so hard...and most of them are college graduates. One of the Terrace servers had a degree in Economics, another in engineering...make more $ on board than doing their profession at home.

[buggins0402]

CBB, we DIYed Haifa back a few years ago. We took the train to Tel Aviv ( train station is right next to the port in Haifa) and in Tel Aviv walked across the street to the bus station for a bus to Jerusalem. It was very easy, except finding an ATM in Haifa for the currency needed for the bus ( found one in the Tel Aviv train station).

 

We spent the night off ship. Our ship was supposed to move to Ashdod, but Hamas had different ideas, so our ship stayed in Haifa. We had planned a transfer to Ashdod with another couple, but instead we reversed our original route.

[cbb]

buggins0402....excellent advice and information. This is what ccritic is good for...thank you so much! I'd read about bus rides from Haifa to J but it seemed like a lot of switching so your advice is exactly what i've been looking for.

 

i also looked at hiring a car/driver to make the trip but was seeing $600 + the cost of driver's overnight in a J hotel...so thought that was a big NO!!!

 

thanks again!!!!

[JoePDX]

buggins0402....excellent advice and information. This is what ccritic is good for...thank you so much! I'd read about bus rides from Haifa to J but it seemed like a lot of switching so your advice is exactly what i've been looking for.

 

i also looked at hiring a car/driver to make the trip but was seeing $600 + the cost of driver's overnight in a J hotel...so thought that was a big NO!!!

 

thanks again!!!!

 

They are currently building a high speed train between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem that will take 28 minutes. Not sure when it opens.

 

Joe

[cbb]

high speed train....exactly what we need!! Joe, make this happen. I'm holding you personally responsible for getting this built by next May 17-18.

 

good posts!!

[JoePDX]

Hi-

 

We had a quick stop in Limassol, Cyprus today. Weather was overcast and in the high 70s. Another private tour- this one for Jeff and I and another couple. First we visited the Temple of Apollo.

 

 

Next stop was the ancient city of Kourion.

 

 

 

Then we stopped at Kolossi Castle which was purchased by the Knights Templar in 1306.

 

 

 

Our last stop was the mountain village of Omodos.

 

 

Now we are on our way to Patmos, Greece arriving around 2:00 pm tomorrow.

 

Off to the Gala Tea. Life onboard Nautica is good!

 

Joe (with Jeff in tow)

 

 

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[buggins0402]

high speed train....exactly what we need!! Joe, make this happen. I'm holding you personally responsible for getting this built by next May 17-18.

 

good posts!!

 

I did a google search...looks like sometime in 2018 it will start.

 

I can't remember why we settled on the train/bus combo from Haifa, but I do remember using the TripAdvisor country board for the planning so I was probably advised to do this by one of the local experts. The TripAdvisor board for Israel was very good - one of the most helpful boards I encountered. The bus from Tel Aviv is so frequent that as soon as one leaves the next one starts loading. One thing to keep in mind is that as soon as Shabbat starts, public transportation stops. We ran into this issue on our unexpected return by public transportation.

[cbb]

buggins0402,

after reading your note i immediately went to the Jerusalem boards and read the info on how to get there from Haifa. They all said the same as you.....

 

as long as we are back to the ship well before sunset on Friday, we should be ok with using the public transport, correct?

 

thanks again for the info. c

[buggins0402]

buggins0402,

after reading your note i immediately went to the Jerusalem boards and read the info on how to get there from Haifa. They all said the same as you.....

 

as long as we are back to the ship well before sunset on Friday, we should be ok with using the public transport, correct?

 

thanks again for the info. c

 

We were there in November and I seem to recall aiming for a train from Tel Aviv that was before 2 pm. It was the second to last train. The couple with whom were going to share a transfer to Ashdod just made the last train, running with the doors closing around them. They were Muslim and the husband wanted to attend the service at the Mosque...it ran a bit longer than they thought it would.

 

Once we were in Jerusalem, we found a driver option for the return to Haifa that was only about $140 (Arab driver) but we decided to just return a bit earlier by public transportation.

[JoePDX]

Had a great day in Patmos on Monday. We arrived at 2:00pm and docked rather than tendering. The entry channel to the bay is quite narrow. Captain Melnikov spun the ship 180 degrees and backed up to the pier. Patmos is a small island with less than 3,000 inhabitants. Well known as the site where John wrote Revelations. No tour in this port for us, we got off and wandered the town of Skala which is right by the pier. Had a greek salad at a table in the sand and waded in the bay. Small fish nibbling at my feet....Jeff called them vampire fish....and didn't spend much time wading.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited May 2, 2017 by JoePDX

[JoePDX]

Today was Rhodes. Beautiful! We did a three hour Segway tour. Always fun to ride a Segway. Then visited the Grand Masters Palace. We have visited several places with a Knights Templar connection on this trip. Weather was perfect with a high of 72. We did not win any points at Trivia... Dinner tonight in Toscana. Started packing.... Boo! Enroute to Santorini our last stop and last day of the cruise.

 

The last photo shows how I make my daily sticky bun calorie free and very healthy!

 

Joe (with Jeff in tow)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[cbb]

more great pictures Joe!!! Don't you love Rhodes? It is so gorgeous!!!

 

Know you're sorry to leave the ship--just throw a mini tantrum and refuse to get off....don't think O will drag you off the ship, but you may lose your cabin to someone else!!!

[readteacher1]

I will miss reading your adventures! I look forward to it each morning! It brings back fond memories of past cruises on Oceania and gives me something to look forward to! Thank you Joe!

 

 

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[JoePDX]

What can I say about Santorini? It's beautiful, rugged, sun kissed, full of history. Did I say beautiful. Yes? Well I will say it again. Beautiful.

 

This tender just dropped us off at the ship...

 

 

 

 

 

And so it ends.. an amazing 20 days on Nautica. Tomorrow we arrive Athens and say so long for now... We booked our next trip on Nautica today, an 18 nighter from Singapore to Dubai....

 

 

Review will follow....

 

Joe & Jeff

 

 

 

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[cbb]

safe travels y'all!

[nvgal]

What can I say about Santorini? It's beautiful, rugged, sun kissed, full of history. Did I say beautiful. Yes? Well I will say it again. Beautiful.

 

This tender just dropped us off at the ship...

 

 

 

 

 

And so it ends.. an amazing 20 days on Nautica. Tomorrow we arrive Athens and say so long for now... We booked our next trip on Nautica today, an 18 nighter from Singapore to Dubai....

 

 

Review will follow....

 

Joe & Jeff

 

 

 

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Joe and Jeff - have had fun reading about your adventure on Insignia. Travel safely. We will be on Sirena in 2 weeks.

[Marseydotes]

Wow--just scanned the entire thread. I am drooling (not for the sticky buns, either!)

Thanks, Joe. Maybe 2019........

[JoePDX]

Somehow I squeezed our three weeks worth of stuff along with some very meager purchases back into the suitcases and had them in the hall only 5 minutes late. I think I will sleep good tonight....

 

 

Joe & Jeff

 

 

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[cbb]

Joe- re: luggage

 

ATW people just didn't worry--they went out and bought extra suitcases!!! Especially works if you are a Floridian or not flying home!!! (or they got off in a US port towards the end of the cruise and went to UPS or other delivery service and got rid of a bunch of suitcases/boxes.

 

remember this when you sail ATW!!!!