Help in Haifa

[RJB]

This Aug. we will be in Haifa and are looking for a private guide for a 2 day tour. A:) ny help would be appreciated

[alanmal]

This Aug. we will be in Haifa and are looking for a private guide for a 2 day tour. A:) ny help would be appreciated

 

 

We are using Robyne at avitours.il@gmail.com, on our May cruise, who comes highly recommended from previous cruisers on the board.

 

Al :D

[MercedMike]

We had a great experience with Avitours. Robyne is the contact person and she is a delight, but she is not actually the guide.

 

We had two different guides in two ports and loved them both.

 

Check out our review and pics at http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/holyland2.html

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[CruiseOs]

This Aug. we will be in Haifa and are looking for a private guide for a 2 day tour. A:) ny help would be appreciated

 

We are booking with Robyne at Avitours, also. See Pacific Princess 05/20/08 Roll Call for quotes from her emails to us. Their prices just went up this week by more than 25%. I guess everyone has raised their rates (per Robyne; due to the 60th anniversary, weak dollar, and cost of gas) but would appreciate anyone else's first hand knowledge before we send in our deposit. We loved Mike's review and hope for a similarly great tour! Thanks, Mike! We have room for two more people!

[alanmal]

We are booked for the 5/8/2008 cruise, she has not said anything about raising her rates. Yet.

 

Al :D

[CruiseOs]

We are booked for the 5/8/2008 cruise, she has not said anything about raising her rates. Yet.

 

Al :D

Hi Al,

I doubt they will change the rate they quoted you. They seem very honorable to me. When I emailed the much lower price I saw here for the May 8th sailing Robyne replied that the prices went up last week. If all the tour companies have raised their rates by 25% or more we will go with Avitours. But that's alot of money for just two people and we will seriously consider other companies who offer the same tour for $860-900 rather than $1190, if CC members can recommend any. It would be great to get a group to share expenses but at this late date we realize that may not happen. Thanks for you reply.

Rose

[alanmal]

Hi Al,

I doubt they will change the rate they quoted you. They seem very honorable to me. When I emailed the much lower price I saw here for the May 8th sailing Robyne replied that the prices went up last week. If all the tour companies have raised their rates by 25% or more we will go with Avitours. But that's alot of money for just two people and we will seriously consider other companies who offer the same tour for $860-900 rather than $1190, if CC members can recommend any. It would be great to get a group to share expenses but at this late date we realize that may not happen. Thanks for you reply.

Rose

 

Are there no private tours set up on your sailing that you can join or if you have enough people free people you can start a private tour group.

 

I have arranged for private tours in all ports except Santorini (all 4 couple are doing seperate things). These other 3 couples and maybe a 5th couple got together on the CC site for the May 8th sailing. We have done this many time in our past cruises with private tours.

 

Post on your cruise site that you want to join or form a group.

 

I know that there are at least 3 other private groups on my sailing. so yours has to have a bunch also.

 

Al :D

[CruiseOs]

Are there no private tours set up on your sailing that you can join or if you have enough people free people you can start a private tour group.

 

I have arranged for private tours in all ports except Santorini (all 4 couple are doing seperate things). These other 3 couples and maybe a 5th couple got together on the CC site for the May 8th sailing. We have done this many time in our past cruises with private tours.

 

Post on your cruise site that you want to join or form a group.

 

I know that there are at least 3 other private groups on my sailing. so yours has to have a bunch also.

 

Al :D

Thanks, Al.

I started the Roll Call last August and it has had very limited participation. I'm not sure why but I have seen that happen before. Sometimes they get rolling late. I was away from the CC boards for a few months due to surgery and was surprised at the low number of replies when I logged back on. My husband and I did join an existing group for Egypt. We've joined and/or started other tour groups on other cruises with great success. I just posted an invitation to join our tour in Israel yesterday. I didn't have time to research it sooner and so I didn't expect a time crunch nearly four months in advance. It seems to be an unusual situation. According to Robyne there may not be time to gather replies before the hotels and tour companies fill up due to the 60th year independence celebrations in late May. I posted quotes from her to that effect in the Pacific Princess 05/20/08 Roll Call. I wanted to pass her higher cost/less availability information along on this board in case it helps others act sooner than I did. And if that is not other members' current experience I will benefit from knowing!

Rose

[PMJ]

I am looking at booking with Avitours in August. Price for overnight for 2 (from the cruise ship) is 1550. And they want a deposit of 1/2 3 months before the cruise. Is that typical of Israel? No one else has requested a deposit.

PMJ

[alanmal]

I am looking at booking with Avitours in August. Price for overnight for 2 (from the cruise ship) is 1550. And they want a deposit of 1/2 3 months before the cruise. Is that typical of Israel? No one else has requested a deposit.

PMJ

 

Typical of a lot of companies in different parts of the world, we paid full price 3 months before for tours in the orient with our group on the Sapphire Princess in November. When we missed the 2 ports due to Typhoons we got the money back because of using credit cards. They do not want to lose this pathway for payment.

 

Al :D

 

PS: We are fully paid with credit cards for our group of 8 on the May 8th sailing for:

 

Esephus

Patmos

Venice Airport to ship van for 4 people

Athens pier to airport van for 4 people

Israel real soon 1/2

On the other hand Egypt pay there

Split pay there

Santorini, we are all doing our own thing, because some have been there before.

[PMJ]

Does anyone have any experience with this tour company in Israel, pros or cons? I have read a lot of reviews of Avi Tours, but not this company.

Thanks!