Port report - Ashdod - Masada & Dead Sea

[MercedMike]

We just returned from a wonderful cruise to the Holy Land! You can see my trip report and pictures, and the guides we used, at

http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/holyland2.html

 

I wanted to post a more complete report here since many questions are asked. First -- we turned our passports in to the ship on embarkation, and the day before we arrived in Israel reclaimed them and stood in line a bit to see an Israeli immigration official and get a landing card to carry with the passport. No bother, no worry, very easy.

 

There are basically three major attractions within easy reach of the ports in Israel -- Jerusalem, Masada, and Nazareth/Gallilee. With only two ports, you have to make a choice!

 

The only way the ship's tours worked was Nazareth from Haifa, and either Jerusalem OR Masada from Ashdod. That didn't suit our choice, which is the main reason we booked with a private tour company. We went to Masada/Dead Sea from Ashdod, and Jerusalem from Haifa. It worked very well for us.

 

We were met at Haifa by a very nice minivan for our party of four. We drove off into the Negev, the Southern desert, passing Gath and Beersheva on the way. As we entered the Judean mountains the scenery was positively spectacular, and soon we were looking down on the Dead Sea and across it to Jordan. Driving into the valley we first went to Masada. I think the story is well known, of the Zealots who held out against the Romans for three years before finally committing suicide rather than surrender. Our guide was obviously very moved by it, and some of the few political remarks she made came when she said Israel is resolved never again to lose Masada.

 

We took the cable car up, and had a nice tour, with spectacular views. As I am somewhat mobility limited, we took it nice and slow and I had no problem seeing the major parts of the excavation.

 

Descending from the cliff, we drove to En Gedi, the oasis where King Saul pursued David. It is quite a sight. En Gedi means Spring of the Ibex, and we were lucky to see a herd of them.

 

Then we went to a luxury hotel on the Dead Sea, for a nice buffet lunch and the spa. This is pretty well covered on my web page. It was very interesting. After our swim, we made the two hour ride back to the ship in good time.

 

It was a very interesting trip and one I thoroughly recommend! I'lll report on Haifa and Jerusalem in another post.

[lolita123]

My husband and I are taking a Princess cruise in May. We do not enjoy going on the cruise tours due to the large size and would like to go on our own with or without a tour guide.

 

The destinations are Alexandria 7 am- 8pm, Port Said 10 am -8 pm, Ashdod 7am - 8 pm and Haifa 7 am - 8 pm. Please let me know if it is possible to go on our own and if so would we need to get a cab at the dock(s).

 

Any information would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

[MercedMike]

You will love that cruise!

 

Did you read our whole report at

http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/holyland.html

 

There is lots and lots of great information there, including the private guides we used, who were wonderful.

 

I really would not recommend doing any of those ports on your own. Ashdod and Haifa are both pretty far from the main attractions, Jerusalem, Nazareth and the Dead Sea. Just getting there would be fairly complicated. Especially in Jerusalem, there are sooooo many things to see that you really need a guide who knows all the ins and outs.

 

If you want to go to Cairo from Port Said or Alexandria, it is a three to three and a half hour drive. Again, there is soooo much to see that a guide, and a GREAT driver, are very necessary.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[Karkies25]

My husband and I are taking a Princess cruise in May. We do not enjoy going on the cruise tours due to the large size and would like to go on our own with or without a tour guide.

 

The destinations are Alexandria 7 am- 8pm, Port Said 10 am -8 pm, Ashdod 7am - 8 pm and Haifa 7 am - 8 pm. Please let me know if it is possible to go on our own and if so would we need to get a cab at the dock(s).

 

Any information would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

Hi!

 

We are on the Pacific Princess "Holy Land" departing Athens on May 20,2008.

 

We have arranged a private overnight tour in Egypt (Stops: Port Said and Alexandria) with DeCastro to see the pyramids/Cairo/etc. Not sure if that is your cruise as well, however you are welcome to join us. Check out the roll call area: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=614772

 

Happy Travel Planning!

[lolita123]

thanks everyone for the information. After reading numberous emails I agree that we need to hire a tour guide. I will check out your site

 

We are on the May 8 Princess Pacific cruise or otherwise we would accept your kind offer to join you.

 

I'm not real familiar with roll call site but I will investigate to see if there are others that wish to do the same thing we are doing.

 

Thanks

[lolita123]

It appears from all the Cruise Critic site you have a wealth of knowledge.

I have booked our trip in Egypt with a tour group and used my Marriott points for the hotel.

 

I'm working with Avitour. It appears we have the oposition cruise that you had. We arrive in Ashdod on May 14th and depart Haifa on the 15th. However, your tour sounds perfect.

 

In emailing Avitour they request a $100 non-refundable deposit and 50% due 3 months prior to the trip. The price for my husband and I just for transportation and guide is $860 for the 2 days. I'm trying to get more individuals to join our group to reduce the cost for all of us but I thought compared to Egypt this was rather high.

 

I understood that the hotel was additional. There is a 60 year anniversary in May so hotels are being booked. I need to make the reservations asap.

 

I would appreciate your feedback if that is reasonable based on your experience with them.

[MercedMike]

It appears from all the Cruise Critic site you have a wealth of knowledge.

I have booked our trip in Egypt with a tour group and used my Marriott points for the hotel.

 

I'm working with Avitour. It appears we have the oposition cruise that you had. We arrive in Ashdod on May 14th and depart Haifa on the 15th. However, your tour sounds perfect.

 

In emailing Avitour they request a $100 non-refundable deposit and 50% due 3 months prior to the trip. The price for my husband and I just for transportation and guide is $860 for the 2 days. I'm trying to get more individuals to join our group to reduce the cost for all of us but I thought compared to Egypt this was rather high.

 

I understood that the hotel was additional. There is a 60 year anniversary in May so hotels are being booked. I need to make the reservations asap.

 

I would appreciate your feedback if that is reasonable based on your experience with them.

 

We did not stay in a hotel, but went back to the ship each day. AIRC, the price was pretty much in line with yours. We were a group of four so it divided up a bit better.

 

I am pretty sure that we paid the entire amount in advance by credit card. The only extra we carried was to tip the guide.

 

I think it is a reputable company. We had some slight confusion about where to meet our guide in the morning, and we called Avi at the number he gave and he fixed it right up.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[Daphna101]

Hi,

 

My name is Daphna and my husband and I will be on the Holyland cruise Sept 08. Actually, I am Israeli.

 

Karkies: I am curious as to the rate your recieved from Decastro for your 2 night tour. I have yet to contact them. We will be first in Alexandria and then in Port Said. I have hear many good things about them. Are you going to see the Pyramid sound and light show? How many people in your group.

 

Thanks again , I promise to share info as I accquire it as well

 

Daphna

[Karkies25]

Hi Daphna,

 

The cost we were quoted was US$255 + $40 (entrance fees). We are not really shoppers or want to see the rug/paper making so we tailored our tour to what we want to see.

 

*************************

Here are the itinerary details:

 

Day 1

Morning meet Decastro Tours Representative on Port Said Port

Holding a signboard with Decastro Tours Name and your name

Join the convoy and escort to Cairo by A/C Private deluxe Van

Arrival to Cairo after 2hours and 30min driving

Upon arrival start to visit the Step Pyramid of Sakkara.

Escort to the Pyramids area and start to visit The Three Great Pyramids , Sphinx and the Granite Temple

Optional to have Camel Ride or Visit inside the Great Pyramid

Lunch at a Local restaurant.

After Lunch escort to Khan El Khalili Bazaars for Shopping.

Escort to the Hotel.

Evening: Meet De Castro Tours representative and escort to have dinner at a 5* Nile cruise sailing for 2 hours and enjoy the belly dancer and the folkloric show.

After the show escort to the hotel.

Overnight in Cairo (Nile Hilton, for early entry to the Museum the next day)

 

 

Day 02

Morning: Breakfast.

Meet De Castro Tours representative and start the full guided tour to visit

the Egyptian Museum and explore its sections Visit the Golden collection of King TUT with Optional visit the Royal Mummies Room

 

Escort to Old Islamic Cairo and start to visit " The Citadel and Mohammed Ali Alabaster Mosque"

Escort back to Alexandria port at 2:00 PM.

Arrival at Alexandria Port at 5:00 PM.

 

* Package Includes:

·All the transfers mentioned per itinerary will be by A/C Deluxe Mini Bus.

·All the Guided Excursions mentioned per itinerary will be by A/C Deluxe Mini Bus

·Egyptologist "Tour Guide" Licensed English Speaking

·One Night in hotel in Cairo on bed and breakfast basis

· Lunch at local restaurent (drinks are extra).

·Taxes

· Dinner cruise with transfers and full oriental show

 

Package excludes

 

·Flights

·Personal Expenses

·Optional items mentioned per itinerary

· All the sightseeing entrance fees mentioned per itinerary.it will cost around 40 USD

·Tips

***********************

 

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

Happy Travel Planning!

[Daphna101]

Thanks Karkies,

 

Cant wait to hear more about your trip.

 

Will check out your roll call for tips.

 

Daphna

[Moonglow]

After reading your review about your tour with Avitours in Israel we booked a 2 day tour with them. I am hoping you can answer a couple of questions for me. Concerning the tip for driver/guide, did you use Israeli money or American dollars? Also, when you paid the balance by credit card, did you fax, mail, or e-mail your credit card info? I know we will have to convert money either by ATM or bank, so it should not be a problem either way. We are spending the night in Jerusalem and are on the Pacific Princess November 4, 2008. To anyone else reading this post, we have room for 4 more on the tour. I have also posted this on the roll-call board.

 

Carol

[MercedMike]

After reading your review about your tour with Avitours in Israel we booked a 2 day tour with them. I am hoping you can answer a couple of questions for me. Concerning the tip for driver/guide, did you use Israeli money or American dollars? Also, when you paid the balance by credit card, did you fax, mail, or e-mail your credit card info? I know we will have to convert money either by ATM or bank, so it should not be a problem either way. We are spending the night in Jerusalem and are on the Pacific Princess November 4, 2008. To anyone else reading this post, we have room for 4 more on the tour. I have also posted this on the roll-call board.

 

Carol

 

We tipped the guide in US dollars. Everywhere in Israel, including at Masada and the Dead Sea hotel, we used our credit cards. We never had any Israeli shekels at all.

 

We emailed our credit card info. If you want to, most likely your credit card has a secure email service where they will give you a one time use number to email to them.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[Moonglow]

MercedMike, thanks for the fast reply. So far, Avitours has been fast and efficient to deal with and I am looking forward to the tour as the highlight of our trip.

Thanks

Carol

[suzieque]

Merced Mike,

I have booked with Avitours for our 2 days in israel this coming August. We arrive in Haifa and leave from Haifa. I was quoted $900 for the 2 of us, plus our hotel and Avi's hotel room. Expensive, but well worth it in my opinion as I've never been to Israel and I want to see it with a great guide! My question is how much did you tip for the 2 days? Robyne indicated in her e-mail that tipping is 15-25%!! That seemed like a rather high range!! Could you share with me what you did? I know tipping can be a sensitive subject...if you prefer to respond privately, my e-mail is sprovo@apr.com or sprovo@gmail.com I would greatly appreciate your advice on this. Also, we are using nileblue in Egypt for a 1 1/2 day tour there. Tipping advice there too would be appreciated:-)

Best Regards,

Suzie

[juliejoe]

Mike - did you get my e-mail?

 

I am getting totally discouraged and expecting we'll have to do Princess tours in Jerusalem for our Holy Land cruise in October. I've not been able to get a response from Avitours - or any other tour operator in Israel. I watch my spam box, in case a reply should go there.

 

Since others have been able to contact Avitours - I've no clue why I can't.

 

Any ideas?

 

Julie

[Moonglow]

Julie

Did you use avitours.il@gmail.com? That is the e-mail address I have been using.

Carol

[juliejoe]

Thanks Carol. Yes, that's the e-mail I used. I also used the contact us link on their website. I've e-mailed Mike and asked him to send them an e-mail asking them to e-mail me. I haven't heard from Mike or them, so I don't know if he got my e-mail either. Strange. I'm sending and receiving from others.

[MercedMike]

Merced Mike,

I have booked with Avitours for our 2 days in israel this coming August. We arrive in Haifa and leave from Haifa. I was quoted $900 for the 2 of us, plus our hotel and Avi's hotel room. Expensive, but well worth it in my opinion as I've never been to Israel and I want to see it with a great guide! My question is how much did you tip for the 2 days? Robyne indicated in her e-mail that tipping is 15-25%!! That seemed like a rather high range!! Could you share with me what you did? I know tipping can be a sensitive subject...if you prefer to respond privately, my e-mail is sprovo@apr.com or sprovo@gmail.com I would greatly appreciate your advice on this. Also, we are using nileblue in Egypt for a 1 1/2 day tour there. Tipping advice there too would be appreciated:-)

Best Regards,

Suzie

 

Tipping is very personal. I think in general I would say 10-20% is appropriate, and often the service of the guide is so good I go towards the top of that. If they were on a bus with 40 people and got $5 each, that would be $200 for them.

 

In Egypt we split that between them and tipped our driver as much as we did our guide. He worked miracles in Cairo traffic for us!

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[MercedMike]

Mike - did you get my e-mail?

 

I am getting totally discouraged and expecting we'll have to do Princess tours in Jerusalem for our Holy Land cruise in October. I've not been able to get a response from Avitours - or any other tour operator in Israel. I watch my spam box, in case a reply should go there.

 

Since others have been able to contact Avitours - I've no clue why I can't.

 

Any ideas?

 

Julie

 

HMMM -- no, I didn't get an email from you. Somehow it seems you might have an outgoing mail problem.

 

Perhaps you need to check with your server. Or do you have an alternate email address?

 

Sorry ...

 

Mike

[juliejoe]

Mike,

 

I clicked on a link on cruise site. Perhaps that's my problem. I had asked you to contact Avitours for me and ask them to e-mail me. I thought I had attempted to contact them using their e-mail address, but perhaps I only tried to use links to their e-mail.

 

I'm going to try now to send them an e-mail directly from my yahoo account.

 

Julie

[juliejoe]

Success! Robyne answered me right away. She won't be in the office today but will get back to me tomorrow. It seems they are blanketed with snow.

 

I won't be expecting e-mail links to work for me anymore.

 

Julie

[MercedMike]

Success! Robyne answered me right away. She won't be in the office today but will get back to me tomorrow. It seems they are blanketed with snow.

 

I won't be expecting e-mail links to work for me anymore.

 

Julie

 

You know, links on a web page normally open a "default" email program, usually Outlook Express. You then have to have the "default" program set up to contact your server. If the settings are not right, or if the "default" program is not the one you usually lose, the email can fly off into cyberspace and never be seen again!!

 

If you are not sure how your options are set, it is much better to copy the email address into your usual email program and send it that way. It gets confusing, doesn't it?

 

Robyne is the one we worked with and she is a delight. She will get it just right for you, I know!

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[juliejoe]

Thanks Mike. I look forward to working with Robyne. Both Robyne and a friend (who lives in Jerusalem) of a friend of our TA suggested we stay overnight in Jerusalem. We had been thinking of just doing the 2 days as you did, but believe we will stretch our time a bit and follow their advice.

 

After reading your review and seeing your pictures I was determined to reach a private guide so we could see Jerusalem and Masada.

 

I've had another look at your AU/NZ review and enjoyed it. I'm right proud to have taken the picture of the two of you with our guide Stuart and the kangaroo. We were really fortunate to have gotten to Talune before they closed.