Cruise Critic member in Israel, happy to answer questions

[happy trailer]

Hi everyone,

 

I had a few moments to check in today, and when I saw that

there have been a few posters who missed my note about

my spring travels, I decided to post a reminder so that they

could post elsewhere, too (I don't anyone to feel 'ignored' :-)).

 

I happen to be heading home to Israel tomorrow, but I'm

heading back to some challenging surgery, so it's going

to be quite a while before I'm posting here again.

 

So- hoping that you find answers to your questions from

all the helpful CC'ers, and wishing all happy travels :-)

 

I know you're going to love visiting Israel!

 

Ruth

[motib]

Hi Ruth,

 

Hi Ruth,

I have been reading as much as possible, I just booked a trip 2 days ago and I'm trying to catch up on research. We are coming in Oct 8th Friday to Ashdod, Oct 9th and 10 our ship will be in Haifa. We are planing to spend the first night in Jerusalem not sure on 2nd.

1. Where to stay? Suggestions what to see. We are interested in Christian and Jewish sites.

2. Should we stay 2 nights in Jerusalem or spend one towards Tiberias or near there?

We will have 3 days and want spend time wisely.

Any suggestions would be great. We would like a place to stay that we can still see the sites and clean and nice but middle of the road, not too expensive.

Thanks Trish

 

 

 

 

Coming on the Insignia you have a rare opportunity to enjoy 3 whole days in Israel, so you right to want to plan it in advance. One thing you must take into consideration is that it is going to be during the weekend. Most Jewish sites are closed on Saturday (Sabbath) so I recommend you to start with Jerusalem first on Friday. Have a full day in Jerusalem going through Jewish sites on Friday morning and Christian site in the afternoon.

The problem with accommodation is that most hotels sells only 2 nights on weekend and I don’t think you have to take to nights. Try and find hotel for only Friday night either in Jerusalem or even the Dead Sea (1hr drive from Jerusalem at the end of your day tour) and spend your second day at the Dead Sea (usually it is done the opposite starting from the Dead Sea, but since it is Friday-Saturday it is better to do it that way).

Your second night spend on your ship in Haifa (2.5-3hr drive from the Dead Sea) what will allow you to have a full day for the north.

 

[motib]

Hi there,

 

 

We would to see Tel-Aviv from Haifa since we plan to join a small group from Ashdod to see Jerusalem. We will have about 10 hours to do so. The travel agency suggested that we go the taxi route since it might be less than their minimum of $450 for the day. We have been quoted between $220 - 250 by taxi companies. How reliable are the taxi drivers in Tel-Aviv since we would not want to scramble on the day if there is a no show.

 

 

Lani Boris

Your input/suggestions as a expat would be so much appreciated as this our first, and might be the only time we get to visit Israel. Thank you.

 

 

Don't take a taxi for 220-250$!

The official price for a fixed price taxi from Haifa to Tel Aviv is 347NIS that is 95$USD according to today's rate!

Don't take taxi at all. You have a train station – Merkaz Hashmona - 20 meter to the right of the terminal's exit where you can take a train that runs every 20-30 min to Tel Aviv. It is 1hr ride (faster than driving through the traffic at the entrance to the city in the morning!!).

Depending on where you want to get to in Tel Aviv chose one of the 4 station there.

[motib]

Hi Ruth,

 

Thanks for your insights! We will be traveling to Israel in mid-October. Our ship will dock in Haifa for one day then travel overnight to Ashdod. We're trying to figure out whether to do a day tour out of each port or make it a 2-day excursion and stay overnight in Jerusalem. Having never been there, we don't know if staying overnight in Jerusalem would be worthwhile since we'd be seeing it the next day on tour though we'd miss part of the scenery driving from the northern region to Jerusalem - what are your thoughts? Also, can you tell us what the weather typically is in this region in mid-October?

Thanks!

Connie

 

 

Having 2 days, one in Haifa and one in Ashdod, you have several options. But, before you chose one you must decide about your priorities. If you want to see the north of Israel like Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee I wouldn't do an overnight in Jerusalem. In that case take one day excursion from each port, from Haifa to the north and from Ashdod to Jerusalem.

 

 

If you don't mind not going to the north of Israel, an overnight will be an option in order to have more time in Jerusalem (with or without Bethlehem), or having a day at the Dead Sea area from Jerusalem on the second day.

It is also possible to have a day tour from Haifa to Jerusalem and back to the ship. Some cruise companies offer such excursion because that allows the passenger to take the Masada and the Dead Sea excursion on the second day.

Are you planning to do it on a private tour or with the ship excursion?

[motib]

Hi Ruth. We are 2 seniors, 74 and 68 visiting on Oct 12 and 13. Our ship arrives in Ashdod at 10:am on the 12th and we are in Haifa on the 13th at 7:am. The most important places my husband wants to see are Masada and the Wailing Wall. we would also like to see other jewish sights if there is time. We do not want to stay overnight unless we must. Do you have any suggestions.

 

Wanting to see both Masada and Jewish sites in Jerusalem means that you will have to take a private tour and since your ship is leaving Ashdod at 22:00 it is possible to do it on 1 day. But, as an elderly couple you must know that this is a long excursion with a lot of walking, also, in October it turns dark at 17:30 so you'll have less daylight hours.

If it is important to you to see both Masada and Jerusalem an overnight will be the best option. Of course it all comes to the issue of cost since again a private tour will be the best way to do it. On day one you should do the Masada and the Dead Sea area. Spend the night in Jerusalem. On day two have a full day in Jerusalem, you can arrange an itinerary which will be all "Jewish Heritage" including maybe even Yad Vashem. You will not need to rush through the day since your ship is leaving Haifa at 22:00 too.

[cruisecookie]

Motib: What is the approximate taxi fare (in US dollars and shekels) from the airport to The Carlton Hotel on the Tel Aviv beach? We will be two people with 1 suitcase and 1 carry-on bag each. Is it customary to tip the driver? How much? Thanks.

[weston gal]

Ruth: Thanks for your help and prompt response. What would a private tour and overnight stay cost? Also, what kind of walking do you mean? My husband walks with a cane and has problems walking up and down steep hills. Isn't there a cable car that takes you up to the top at Masada? How long is the drive from Ashdod to Masada? Are you saying that it's not advisable to go there from Haifa? If we do stay overnight, would it be better to go to Masada on the second day, since we dock at 10:00am in Ashdod the first day?

[motib]

Motib: What is the approximate taxi fare (in US dollars and shekels) from the airport to The Carlton Hotel on the Tel Aviv beach? We will be two people with 1 suitcase and 1 carry-on bag each. Is it customary to tip the driver? How much? Thanks.

 

only authorised taxi can take passengers from the airport. no problem to find the taxi station.

to Haifa and Jerusalem there is a Sherut Taxi Service (shared taxi) but not to Tel Aviv.

the prices from the airport to most location in Israel are fixed.

To any location in Tel Aviv the price is 120-137NIS according to the time of the day (1$=3.7NIS).

for 1 suitcase you'll add 3.6NIS.

no extra charge for carry-on bags.

Edited April 19, 2010 by motib

[motib]

Ruth: Thanks for your help and prompt response. What would a private tour and overnight stay cost? Also, what kind of walking do you mean? My husband walks with a cane and has problems walking up and down steep hills. Isn't there a cable car that takes you up to the top at Masada? How long is the drive from Ashdod to Masada? Are you saying that it's not advisable to go there from Haifa? If we do stay overnight, would it be better to go to Masada on the second day, since we dock at 10:00am in Ashdod the first day?

 

Hello weston gal

It is me who answered you....

At Masada it is true that the cable takes you up but the tour on the mountain itself is a walking tour with some uphill and stairs. There are special path for wheelchairs so it won't be a problem. In the Old City of Jerusalem it is a different story since you have stairs and uphill and downhill street and it all walking.

It takes 2hr to drive from Ashdod straight to Masada and 3.5hr from Haifa. Therefore it is advisable to do the Masada part from Ashdod and not from Haifa.

If you are doing an overnight then you should go first to Masada on the first day as I wrote.

Regarding the cost, you are looking at around 550-600$ per day for a guide with a car, not including sites admissions and meals. Accommodation cost will be from 200$ and up depending on the class of the hotel you'll chose.

[trishs]

Coming on the Insignia you have a rare opportunity to enjoy 3 whole days in Israel, so you right to want to plan it in advance. One thing you must take into consideration is that it is going to be during the weekend. Most Jewish sites are closed on Saturday (Sabbath) so I recommend you to start with Jerusalem first on Friday. Have a full day in Jerusalem going through Jewish sites on Friday morning and Christian site in the afternoon.

The problem with accommodation is that most hotels sells only 2 nights on weekend and I don’t think you have to take to nights. Try and find hotel for only Friday night either in Jerusalem or even the Dead Sea (1hr drive from Jerusalem at the end of your day tour) and spend your second day at the Dead Sea (usually it is done the opposite starting from the Dead Sea, but since it is Friday-Saturday it is better to do it that way).

Your second night spend on your ship in Haifa (2.5-3hr drive from the Dead Sea) what will allow you to have a full day for the north.

 

 

Thanks for your info. We will take your advise and see Jerusalem on Friday and do dead sea on Sat then back to ship to Haifa, then full day for the north it makes great sense. I booked the Harmony Hotel. Do you think we should try to do Bethlehem? We don't want to shop but it looks like that would be part of the deal?

Thanks Trish

[motib]

Thanks for your info. We will take your advise and see Jerusalem on Friday and do dead sea on Sat then back to ship to Haifa, then full day for the north it makes great sense. I booked the Harmony Hotel. Do you think we should try to do Bethlehem? We don't want to shop but it looks like that would be part of the deal?

Thanks Trish

 

You can have Bethlehem in your itinerary if it is important to you. The thing is that in order to get there you need to cross to PA territories. There is no security problem with it but if you have an Israeli guide he won't be able to take you there and a Palestinian guide is need. It can be arrange but you are right that will involve the "must" visit to the local shop.

[Xoe]

A friend and I will be on Celebrity Equinox in October, docked at Haifa one day and at Ashdod the next. We would like an overnight in Jerusalem, and have a reservation at the Harmony Hotel. One possibility we're exploring is arranging transport from Ashdod to Jerusalem, with an overview of Tel Aviv and a walk through Jaffa, then to our hotel so as to have several hours that day to explore Jerusalem on our own. Next day, we would be seeking a tour starting by being picked up at our hotel and ending at 5:00 back at our ship at Ashdod.

 

Do you have suggestions for transport from the ship at Haifa to our Jerusalem hotel, with a bit of sightseeing at Tel Aviv/Jaffa? Would a taxi be prohibitive? Are there other options?

 

Any help you can offer will be appreciated! If easier to answer by direct email, send a note to freda@whidbey.com. Thanks!

[motib]

A friend and I will be on Celebrity Equinox in October, docked at Haifa one day and at Ashdod the next. We would like an overnight in Jerusalem, and have a reservation at the Harmony Hotel. One possibility we're exploring is arranging transport from Ashdod to Jerusalem, with an overview of Tel Aviv and a walk through Jaffa, then to our hotel so as to have several hours that day to explore Jerusalem on our own. Next day, we would be seeking a tour starting by being picked up at our hotel and ending at 5:00 back at our ship at Ashdod.

 

Do you have suggestions for transport from the ship at Haifa to our Jerusalem hotel, with a bit of sightseeing at Tel Aviv/Jaffa? Would a taxi be prohibitive? Are there other options?

 

Any help you can offer will be appreciated! If easier to answer by direct email, send a note to freda@whidbey.com. Thanks!

 

As far as I know, Ruth is not on line recently so I will try to answer...

From Haifa port, if you want to go to Jerusalem via Tel Aviv independently there is no easier thing to do. As you come out of the terminal and of the bridge leading from the terminal to the street, you'll see the train station to your right. You have trains to Tel Aviv every 20-30min. From Tel Aviv you can take a bus from CBS to Jerusalem. No need to use a taxi for that day.

Getting back to Ashdod is a deferent story, especially getting into the port which is much bigger than Haifa port. If you are taking a private tour on the second day relying on the guide to drive you back to Ashdod make sure your guide arranged himself a pass allowing him to take you into the port all the way to your ship's pier.

Your ship leaves Ashdod at 19:30 and that means you must leave Jerusalem no later than 17:30 to be on the safe side, that of course if you have transportation into the port.

[happy trailer]

Thanks, Moti, for jumping in :)

 

I've got a long night ahead of me, so thought I'd spend some pleasant time perusing CC.

 

I'm not going to be answering questions for a while- I have a biopsy in the morning, then a long wait for the results (hoping hoping HOPING they're all negative); then, in any case, I'm facing some tricky surgery.

 

While you might notice that I'm online every now and then, that will be me looking for some distraction; I can't guarantee I'll be in the mind set to answer questions, but I will if I can. Fortunately, in the meantime, there are plenty of friendly and knowledgeable CC'ers who I'm sure will be happy to answer any questions that pop up :)

 

So, wish me luck.. and happy travels!

 

Ruth

 

(I'll likely be posting occasional updates on my twitter account: paint2travel , so you may be able to get an idea of when I'll be back 'full time' on CC ;))

[treesah]

Hi, Ruth,

 

We'll be on a cruise in October which will dock in Ashdod and Haifa so I'm researching my options. I read your post and I want to send you a hug and my best wishes for a speedy and successful recovery. Hopefully the results will be negative. You are right, patience is a virtue.

[happy trailer]

Hi, Ruth,

 

We'll be on a cruise in October which will dock in Ashdod and Haifa so I'm researching my options. I read your post and I want to send you a hug and my best wishes for a speedy and successful recovery. Hopefully the results will be negative. You are right, patience is a virtue.

 

 

Thank you for your hug and your kind words :). I can't tell you how meaningful it is to receive them from someone on this forum..

 

Ruth

[bookpusher]

Hi everyone,

 

I wanted to introduce myself and let you know I'd be happy to answer questions you have about Israel and visiting Israel. (I'm not a travel agent nor am I associated with any agent, I'm just a smiling resident happy to help out.)

 

I moved to Israel from New Jersey almost 10 years ago, and live in a Jerusalem suburb. [i'm about to take my first cruise- to the Mexican Riviera :-).]

 

I'll try to check this board a couple of times a week, and while I'm sure I don't have the answers to all your questions, I'll be happy to answer those I can.

 

Israel is a beautiful country, and I'm sure you're going to love every moment of it!

 

[That's a pic of my town in my signature- we live in the Jerusalem hills.]

 

Thanks for your kindness in sharing all this info. If you had to choose between visiting Jerusalem/Bethlehem or Jerusalem/Dead Sea, which would you choose and why? We hate to miss Bethlehem (for obvious reasons) but I haven't seen a tour that offers all three spots. We will only have one day in the area; ship docks at Ashdod. Our ship does not overnight. We are torn as to which tour to choose. Thanks for your input.

Edited June 8, 2010 by bookpusher

[QueensChick]

Ruth... In case you stop by, just thought I'd send you some positive vibes. I hope things are well. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

 

-Yvonne

[happy trailer]

Ruth... In case you stop by, just thought I'd send you some positive vibes. I hope things are well. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

 

-Yvonne

 

 

Thank you so much, Yvonne!

 

It took a month to get the results, but the biopsy was negative :D:D:D

 

I've still got some complicated surgery ahead, but I'm not complaining!

 

In the meantime, I'm jumping ahead with my life, and dreaming of my next set of destinations :).

[cruisemom42]

Thank you so much, Yvonne!

 

It took a month to get the results, but the biopsy was negative :D:D:D

 

I've still got some complicated surgery ahead, but I'm not complaining!

 

In the meantime, I'm jumping ahead with my life, and dreaming of my next set of destinations :).

 

That's great news -- thanks for stopping by to let us know! :)

[QueensChick]

In the meantime, I'm jumping ahead with my life, and dreaming of my next set of destinations :).

 

Keep dreaming Ruth... sometimes that's the best part. :D

I'm so glad you've had good news and I hope the surgery is a ringing success . Take care.

 

-Yvonne

[bookpusher]

Thanks for your kindness in sharing all this info. If you had to choose between visiting Jerusalem/Bethlehem or Jerusalem/Dead Sea, which would you choose and why? We hate to miss Bethlehem (for obvious reasons) but I haven't seen a tour that offers all three spots. We will only have one day in the area; ship docks at Ashdod. Our ship does not overnight. We are torn as to which tour to choose. Thanks for your input.

 

Any thoughts? Thanks to all.

[chong1948]

Hi happy trailer

 

We will visit your great city in December and we haven't made up our minds what itinerary we want to follow and thought maybe you could help.

 

We are all secular and would like to see the "highlights" that your city has to offer and have time to do some shopping.

 

Are you familiar with Sandeman's New Jerusalem Free Tour and if so what do you think of combining it with the city tour with Egged Tours?

 

We are also considering the following tours:

1. Old and New Jerusalem

Is this too much Jeruslem?

2. Jerusalem and Bethlehem

GTI doesn't think waiting in the lines is the best use of our limited time.

What's your thought?

3. Jerusalem and Dead Sea

My concern is the duration and it doesn't leave much time for shopping but if it's our best option we will do it.

 

Any suggestions for shopping and restaurants for lunch?

 

Thanks in advance

 

 

Calvin

[poohkey]

I noticed that you did not mention Bethlehem. Is that a place you would not recommend to visit?

[expatmama]

Hi happy trailer

 

We will visit your great city in December and we haven't made up our minds what itinerary we want to follow and thought maybe you could help.

 

We are all secular and would like to see the "highlights" that your city has to offer and have time to do some shopping.

 

Are you familiar with Sandeman's New Jerusalem Free Tour and if so what do you think of combining it with the city tour with Egged Tours?

 

We are also considering the following tours:

1. Old and New Jerusalem

Is this too much Jeruslem?

2. Jerusalem and Bethlehem

GTI doesn't think waiting in the lines is the best use of our limited time.

What's your thought?

3. Jerusalem and Dead Sea

My concern is the duration and it doesn't leave much time for shopping but if it's our best option we will do it.

 

Any suggestions for shopping and restaurants for lunch?

 

Thanks in advance

 

 

Calvin

 

Im obviously not happy trailer, but I also live in israel, and since its been a couple weeks since you posted, I thought i would try to help you out also.

 

Ive never done Sandemans tour. Tours can be a great way to get around, especially if you are only there a day. I have heard good things about most of eggeds tours.

 

about your options:

 

1. Old and New Jerusalem

Never too much Jerusalem, even for the secular traveler. Ill assume its just one day? or is is two? Either way there is plenty to see and do in old and new jerusalem. The old city, the city of David, shopping in the new city, the mount of olives... all good options. The weather in December can be iffy in Jerusalem (it does snow), so this might be a good option if its only one day

2. Jerusalem and Bethlehem

not your best option, unless you REALLY have a desire to see Bethlehem.

3. Jerusalem and Dead Sea

Its a long trip, but well worth it. Just the dead sea or also masada? If its one day and just the dead sea, I would stick with option #1. if its two days, this is a better option, as the south shows you a very different side of the country