Israel ...on quest or a land tour?

[Redtravel]

Help me decide. The holyland tour seems nice. I am concerned about the Friday stop in Jersusalem. Although the ship stays late, on Friday it may be difficult to tour. My other option is to take a 2 week land tour of Israel. I have not been to Israel previously. If anyone has visited the Holyland, help me decide what is a more interesting option.

[orchestrapal]

As far a Friday in Israel: All businesses close at noon as well as most sights of Jewish interest, museums and synagogues etc. Most Christian sights should remain open. When you leave Jerusalem for other parts of the country many things will be open. If you plan your day correctly you will have no trouble but that being said, one day in Israel is even less than a taste!

[TravelerThom]

Help me decide. The holyland tour seems nice. I am concerned about the Friday stop in Jersusalem. Although the ship stays late, on Friday it may be difficult to tour. My other option is to take a 2 week land tour of Israel. I have not been to Israel previously. If anyone has visited the Holyland, help me decide what is a more interesting option.Sorry, but this is like comparing oranges to yogurt. I love cruising with Azamara, and a two week tour of Israel sounds like an appropriate amount of time to get a reasonably good overview of Israel. You'll really have to make a decision whether you want a wonderful cruise with some short glimpses of a number of places, or more depth at one location. The best option is to do both of these:rolleyes:

Thom

[donaldsc]

Let me restate the question in a slightly different way - I want to see western United States. I have 2 choices - a cruise that spends 1 day in Los Angeles and then goes somewhere else off country or a land trip that tours California, Oregon, and Washington.

You need to decide which will provide the best experience for you.

DON

[grandmarb]

Help me decide. The holyland tour seems nice. I am concerned about the Friday stop in Jersusalem. Although the ship stays late, on Friday it may be difficult to tour. My other option is to take a 2 week land tour of Israel. I have not been to Israel previously. If anyone has visited the Holyland, help me decide what is a more interesting option.
Take the land tour and stay 3 weeks. Went last summer and ran out of time to see all the beautiful sites. So much to see and so little time.

[greeneg]

Having done both, if Israel is important to you, then you cannot possibly really appreciate it in one or two days. You can at best, begin to appreciate what you have missed. As an additional thought, Ashdod is an hour minimum from Jerusalem which cuts your day there shorter still.

Take the land tour, you will never regret it.

[rodan]

I spent 2 weeks in Israel this past May (09). I signed up for a 12 day Holy land cruise with Azamara for May 29,2010. We have 2 nights in Israel and since I was just there I know exactly what I want to see in those 2 days ( from Ashdod and Haifa) and will be able to use that time very productively. The point is once you have been there not only will you most probably love it but a return via a cruise will be that much more enjoyable. You will know exactly what you can do with the limited time there but will enjoy it more without the pressures of what you can accomplish in only 2 days time. Just my thoughts but whatever you decide I am sure you will have a great time.


Peace,
Rodan

[Meiying]

We go to Israel at least once a year and we usually stay for a minimum of three weeks. Even so, we feel like we never have enough time to do and see all the things that Israel has to offer. (Amazing for a country that is the same size as New Jersey!) One day on a Friday is really not enough time especially since the majority of things close down for Shabbat.

If we were given the choice we would spend the 2 weeks in Israel At the same time, the Quest itinerary does go to some other wonderful ports. Either way you decide, I am sure it will be wonderful.

[Redtravel]

Thanks to your responses. Does anyone have a suggestion of a good jewish tour for adults? Since I am retired, I can travel at anytime during the year. Is there any time that is better for touring? I like to tour with small small groups ( less than 30 ). I have been on Odysseys Unlimited tours in the past. They are starting group tours in Israel this year. However, since this tour company hasn't been doing Israel, I would rather use a reliable company with a known track record.

[orchestrapal]

Check with Hadassah and WWW. Ayelet.com.
Both run tours all year and are worth a look.
Jewish Federation in many cities also run the type of tour you may be looking for.
Of course all the tour companies such as Tauck run non-specifically Jewish tours.
Good luck.:D

[Redtravel]

Thanks for your response. I belong to Hadassah and will check their tours. Tauck is new to Israel. I have taken their tours. They are usually large, can have kids, and vary in quality...some good, some really bad. Their customer service is terrible. We took an Alps tour which was a disaster...and they did not provide services. As a result, I will never trust them again.

[orchestrapal]

You may also want to check out WWW.GilTravel.com located in Philadelphia. They do nothing but Israel and are real pros.:)

[rodan]

Dear Red travel,
We had excellent results at a great price with MY Turn In Israel. Here is the web address: http://www.authenticisrael.com/my_turn_in_israel.html. Good luck!

Rodan

[mamaofami]

Take the land tour. There's so much to see and do and you can't possibly do it all in one or two days.We went years ago with a group fromNew Jersey. it was actually a Bar and Bat Mitzvah tour and there was one bus of adults with no children. We did get up very early in the morning to go to Masada where the Bar Mitzvahs were held. it was very moving and we were down from there by 8AM before it got too hot. Besides the tours mentioned, there's also UJA which runs very good tours.

[Jade13]

Thanks for your response. I belong to Hadassah and will check their tours. Tauck is new to Israel. I have taken their tours. They are usually large, can have kids, and vary in quality...some good, some really bad. Their customer service is terrible. We took an Alps tour which was a disaster...and they did not provide services. As a result, I will never trust them again.

Wow. My parents used them for Canada. I thought they were a first class operation. What happened in the alps???

[Redtravel]

Thanks for the input. We are booked on a 2 week land tour with a small group of adults. With the recent increase in cruise fares, it made our decision that much easier.

[Millerhm01]

I spent 2 weeks in Israel this past May (09). I signed up for a 12 day Holy land cruise with Azamara for May 29,2010. We have 2 nights in Israel and since I was just there I know exactly what I want to see in those 2 days ( from Ashdod and Haifa) and will be able to use that time very productively. The point is once you have been there not only will you most probably love it but a return via a cruise will be that much more enjoyable. You will know exactly what you can do with the limited time there but will enjoy it more without the pressures of what you can accomplish in only 2 days time. Just my thoughts but whatever you decide I am sure you will have a great time.


Peace,
Rodan
Rodan,

My wife & I will be on that cruise as well. Unlike you, we've never been to Israel and would welcome your thoughts on how to best approach the two days we'll have there.

I can be reached at Millerhm01@gmail.com

Many thanks.

Howard Miller

[greeneg]

When we were in Israel last year on the Journey, six of us grouped up, and hired our own guide for the two days that we were there. He met the ship in both Haifa ( we toured the North with emphasis on Sfat) and in Ashdod ( day in Jerusalem) and was just outstanding. Splitting his fee six ways made the cost practical and we had a very memorable visit.

I think that that is the way to get the most out of your time.

Ed Green

[piscean]

When we were in Israel last year on the Journey, six of us grouped up, and hired our own guide for the two days that we were there. He met the ship in both Haifa ( we toured the North with emphasis on Sfat) and in Ashdod ( day in Jerusalem) and was just outstanding. Splitting his fee six ways made the cost practical and we had a very memorable visit.

I think that that is the way to get the most out of your time.

Ed Green

Ed your guide was so popular he was booked up early! We took the ships tours which were OK.
Carol

[Millerhm01]

When we were in Israel last year on the Journey, six of us grouped up, and hired our own guide for the two days that we were there. He met the ship in both Haifa ( we toured the North with emphasis on Sfat) and in Ashdod ( day in Jerusalem) and was just outstanding. Splitting his fee six ways made the cost practical and we had a very memorable visit.

I think that that is the way to get the most out of your time.

Ed Green
Ed:

Would appreciate the name of your tour guide when in Israel. This will be a first visit for Marla & I, and we really want to make the most of our two days in the ports of Ashdod and Haifa. Many thanks.

Howard Miller
Millerhm01@gmail.com

[Millerhm01]

Hi Howard - and anyone else reading this,
I have a great recommendation for a guide for your trip in Israel.
I was there with my husband and some friends of ours last October and we hired a guide named Haim Sabag. He has something like 20 years of experience guiding in Israel and as a result he is incredibly knowledgeable - The perfect combination of professional and fun. If you're interested, his website is:
http://israeli-tour.com/
Good luck with your planning, it's sure to be an amazing trip for you.
All the best,
Hillary
Thanks, Hillary, for the recommendation. Since I last posted, have had contact with several folks who will be cruising with us, and now have a highly recommended guide in place for our two days in Israel. Appreciate your help.

[dillsy]

Ed,

I would appreciate the name of your guide too. There are four of us in our group for the October Holy Land Cruise.

Thanks,
Jen

[greeneg]

Ed,

I would appreciate the name of your guide too. There are four of us in our group for the October Holy Land Cruise.

Thanks,
Jen

Jen be glad to supply the information but you'll have to contact me off these Boards.

Ed Green

egreen1@carolinaDOTrrDOTcom