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Thank you for the links. That is the city website I used for the on-line form request and email addresses. I will write to Access Israel.

 

So many of you on this thread have been so responsive and helpful I find it difficult to understand why the people that should be responding do not. It sort of makes a person feel unwelcome. We fully understand when things do not meet our needs and are willing to change or make our plans based on what is available. It is just the lack of response I find so frustrating. I did receive one email from the City of Haifa... the City Secretary forwarded my request to another department and copied it to me.

 

I'm sure that we will be able to see some areas of Haifa. Based on all the information available, the route we are considering is the one most likely wheelchair accessible.

 

Again, thanks for the link.

 

Betty

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So many of you on this thread have been so responsive and helpful I find it difficult to understand why the people that should be responding do not. It sort of makes a person feel unwelcome. ...

 

I'm sure that we will be able to see some areas of Haifa. Based on all the information available, the route we are considering is the one most likely wheelchair accessible.

 

Again, thanks for the link.

 

Betty

 

Betty, don't forget that the language barrier may also create delays. As you know, English is not an official language here, so (apart of the Official Office of Tourism) the actual person who have received your email (let's say in Egged) may not feel "comfortable" with answering in English - even if they know all the answers on spot and don't need additional time to find out.

In that case, your email would be forwarded to somebody who can. And then there is the matter of the weekend (Friday and Saturday).

Hopefully, you'll get more answers soon!

Have a great trip

Miriam

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Yes, I fully understand language barriers. Normally I allow two or three weeks for anyplace to respond. In the case of Haifa, my first requests were sent in April and May to city and bus company. Assuming their summer months would be busy, did not send any follow-up request until late August.

 

I am aware that most European countries and many other countries teach English in school. Also, that they teach the “Queens” English which is a lot different than the slang we speak. If I believe there is a problem, I will use BabelFish or Google and send my request in both English and the language of the country I am writing to.

 

Also, if I realize some responding are having difficulties, we will spend considerable communications verifying the details. Those that I am corresponding with seem just as anxious as I to have details correct.

 

A couple of our best trips were with someone that did not speak any English and we did not speak their language. I will admit that we did worry a tad bit that we would be picked up at the time and place we selected. People are all over the world are wonderful.

 

Thank you so much for your assistance.

 

Betty

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Thanks again for the link to Access Israel. I did receive a response and apparently did stir up things in Haifa. Also, at some point in the near future, the bus company will be required to open its doors to mobility scooters. Meantime we have come with a solution that should work.

 

 

As I suspected, the cable car is accessible. We could probably get to the cable car on our own without transport, however the train is now showing a route that would make things easier. I have ask Access Israel to verify that because the train was not accessible at both stations when I checked last April.

 

 

Being able to make the complete circle should be a lovely tour. And getting to the top of the mountain should provide some beautiful views. More important, wandering around on our own allows us an opportunity to meet the locals. It does not matter how different our cultures may be, people all over are wonderful.

 

 

Betty

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi Ruth, Miriam and the many of you living in Israel who are helping the novice travelers to your beautiful country (and I DO hope and pray it stays that way for all your citizens).

 

A few questions. We're arriving in Hafia on 9 August 2013 and leaving on 11 August at 11 PM. I found the trains going to Jerusalem - with a change - but cannot find a schedule. We plan to go when we dock, stay two night at Dan Panorama and come back on the 11th. (No ship tours! Too long in busses). So, if any of you can please, where can I find a schedule? Where shall we eat - good food, fairly reasonable? A reputable, English speaking tour guide? And any other hints you can give me.

 

We will be on the Oceania Riviera. Can't wait. So excited to come.

 

Lynne Coppoletta

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A few questions. We're arriving in Hafia on 9 August 2013 and leaving on 11 August at 11 PM. I found the trains going to Jerusalem - with a change - but cannot find a schedule. We plan to go when we dock, stay two night at Dan Panorama and come back on the 11th. (No ship tours! Too long in busses). So, if any of you can please, where can I find a schedule? Where shall we eat - good food, fairly reasonable? A reputable, English speaking tour guide? And any other hints you can give me.

 

Lynne Coppoletta

 

Lynne: You can take the train all the way, but it will take you significantly less time to either (1) take the direct bus from Haifa to Jerusalem or (2) take the train from Haifa to Tel Aviv and then change to the bus from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

 

Train: http://www.rail.co.il/EN/Pages/Homepage.aspx

 

Bus: http://www.egged.co.il/Eng/

 

Enjoy your trip.

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The train to Jerusalem doesn't have the best of schedules and has a very indirect route.

 

This, on the other hand, allows you to see some really nice scenery.

 

I would recommend, if you have the time, one way by train, and one way by bus if you can squeeze that in.

 

If not, both ways by bus.

 

Best wishes for a Joyful New Year!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello!

 

I will be on a Red Sea cruise which stops in Eilat in February (on a German ship, the AIDAmar). Does anyone know of a private tour from Eilat, or example to Masada and/or the Dead Sea?

 

Thanks very much in advance, and Happy New Year!

 

Tanja

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Hello!

 

I will be on a Red Sea cruise which stops in Eilat in February (on a German ship, the AIDAmar). Does anyone know of a private tour from Eilat, or example to Masada and/or the Dead Sea?

 

Thanks very much in advance, and Happy New Year!

 

Tanja

 

 

Hi Tanja!

 

Here are 2 operators that I found..

 

http://www.fun-time.org.il/

 

http://www.ahalan.co.il/from-the-port-of-eilat.html

 

I think that it's preferable that you contact them yourself and ask all the right questions - and then see how they impress you... :)

 

Maybe others will find some additional companies?

 

enjoy your cruise and your visit here!

 

miriam

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  • 2 weeks later...

Shalom Ruth (is that right?:p)

 

I believe we "spoke" on the Australian thread when someone was being rather silly about the situation in Israel before christmas and expecting you to have a crystal ball.

 

Anyway, this is what we have planned for our two day stop in Israel on the Holy Lands Cruise in July.

 

Tuesday: Haifa: Christian tour of Northern Israel. You can visit such beautiful and fascinating places as Nazareth, Capernaum, Tabgha, Sea of Galilee, Kibbutz, Mount of Beatitudes, Jordan River, and Haifa.

 

Wednesday: Ashdod: Jerusalem The Old City - we particularly want to visit the Western Wall, and a more Jewish experience. Then in the afternoon, visit the Dead Sea for a float!

 

We have approached Guided Tours Israel.

 

Any comments or concerns etc?

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Hello,

 

Firstly can I say I hope alll has now settled down in Israel for your sakes as well as ours. It must be awful to live in such circumstances.

 

We are due in Haifa on the 18th and 19th February. Since the 18th has been rescheduled from Ashdod, the ship is running tours to Jerusalem that day. I have contacted P&O to ask about timings and they insist timings will be the same (1 hour was allowed for the journey to Jerusalem). Given that it appears to be 137 miles (~220 Km) from Haifa we presume that will not be the case, so have decided to spend that day in the Haifa area and do a land based holiday to Jerusalem another time. The second day we will probably do a ship's tour to Nazareth and Galilee as we have a very large onboard spend, but to use the onboard spend, we cannot book the trip until we embark on the 6th Feb, so there is a possibility that the tour may be fully booked by then.

 

We are thinking of taking the train to Akko on the 18th and spending some time in Haifa later if time allows - perhaps staying ashore in the evening.

 

We have read that trains are good in Israel and the trains to Akko seem to leave once an hour. Will the staff in the station speak English and do we just go to a ticket booth to buy a return ticket before the journey, or is ticketing done by machine in Israel - if so, how does the system work? We will probably have some local currency with us, or manage to use an ATM first.

 

We have also thought about the Tel Aviv/Jaffa area, which we may do on the first day if we cannot book the Nazareth trip (the ship will probably leave about 6pm on the 19th). We do not want an onerous itinerary ashore as we have 8 days in port out of 9 consecutive days at that stage, which are all new ports to us. Would we be better leaving the Tel Aviv area until we do a land trip to Jerusalem?

 

Sorry about the lengthy posting, but your brief thoughts would be appreciated.

 

Barbara

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Hello,

 

Firstly can I say I hope alll has now settled down in Israel for your sakes as well as ours. It must be awful to live in such circumstances.

 

Yes, elections are over!! :D (I realize that isn't what you meant though - yes things are quiet, thank you - one learns how to do it, just as the Brits learned to get through the Blitz.)

 

We are due in Haifa on the 18th and 19th February. Since the 18th has been rescheduled from Ashdod, the ship is running tours to Jerusalem that day. I have contacted P&O to ask about timings and they insist timings will be the same (1 hour was allowed for the journey to Jerusalem). Given that it appears to be 137 miles (~220 Km) from Haifa we presume that will not be the case, so have decided to spend that day in the Haifa area and do a land based holiday to Jerusalem another time. The second day we will probably do a ship's tour to Nazareth and Galilee as we have a very large onboard spend, but to use the onboard spend, we cannot book the trip until we embark on the 6th Feb, so there is a possibility that the tour may be fully booked by then.

 

Given the whole issue of port security, I would say take the organized tours, it will save you time and worry about getting back before the ship sails if your tour is on that that. I am not a go along with the crowd type person, but I know when I am beat!

 

We are thinking of taking the train to Akko on the 18th and spending some time in Haifa later if time allows - perhaps staying ashore in the evening.

 

We have read that trains are good in Israel and the trains to Akko seem to leave once an hour. Will the staff in the station speak English and do we just go to a ticket booth to buy a return ticket before the journey, or is ticketing done by machine in Israel - if so, how does the system work? We will probably have some local currency with us, or manage to use an ATM first.

 

Train service is good, and the ticket clerks know at least nominal English. There are also machines at the station which take foreign credit cards. They speak a fluent English. You MUST buy a ticket before boarding. If you buy one on board there is a very stiff surcharge.

 

We have also thought about the Tel Aviv/Jaffa area, which we may do on the first day if we cannot book the Nazareth trip (the ship will probably leave about 6pm on the 19th). We do not want an onerous itinerary ashore as we have 8 days in port out of 9 consecutive days at that stage, which are all new ports to us. Would we be better leaving the Tel Aviv area until we do a land trip to Jerusalem?

 

Depends on what is important to you. I'm from Tel Aviv, so of course I am going to say TEL AVIV! TEL AVIV! We are in the final stretch in Citibanks Top Cities of the World Competition, too, and I forget which travel site or which magazine it is that awarded us the 7th best beach in the world status. We are also in the top ten for gay tourism, if that interests you (it means we got cool stuff for everybody).

 

Sorry about the lengthy posting, but your brief thoughts would be appreciated.

 

Barbara

 

Post as long a post as you want, and I'll try to get back to you with some useful links asap.

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Thank you for that Marion.

 

I know what you mean by elections - at least what we have in Britain is a trivial event compared to the American system and, of course, your politicians are very important to everyone's daily life, given the political problems of a country in the location Israel is situated.

 

I think we will probably leave Tel Aviv this time and, circumstances permitting, will consider a land based holiday which we could probably arrange ourselves to include Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Cruise stops are not the best way to see and experience a country.

 

Particular thanks for the train details. We once had great problems with an automated system in Lille, France, even though my husband speaks fluent French. We did not have the correct coins and even felt uncertain about the system which was fully automated. We were going into the centre for dinner from a hotel on the outskirts, so there were not even any locals around to help, as it was evening in a residential area. We discovered later that even the train was without a driver and that was some years ago!

 

I wish you a peaceful 2013 (and beyond),

 

Barbara

Edited by tring
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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Anyone considering going to Jerusalem, please do so. It does not matter what your beliefs or religion may be, the experience cannot be compared with anyplace else. There is the immense feeling of love and compassion that everyone seems to share. For the historical buffs, you can see it all.

We made the trip from Haifa and even had time to make a short stop at the Dead Sea. Since two of us are disabled, we toured with Israel4All. Eli manage to make sure we got over a few bumps in the road and were able to see everything. My sincere appreciation for all his work.

Also, I would like to thank all those from Israel on this thread offering information. I personally found your input to be very valuable. Thank you!

Betty

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  • 2 weeks later...

I would just like to thank Marian Paroo again for her help.

 

The train journey to Akko went very well, but unfortunately the days of docking were changed to a Fri -Sat so it caused a small hiccup as the trains do not run from Akko to Haifa from 2pm on Friday to sundown on Saturday because of the Sabbath. We were told this ahead of time on the ship, so knew we would have to return earlier than planned, or get another form of transport back. With the advice of tourist information staff and local people we were able to get a cheroot (shared taxi) back to Haifa with 'special' taxis to and from the cheroot. It worked very well and we were very impressed with the helpfulness of the local people over that.

 

Now we are thinking of arranging a future land stay in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, possibly by our own arrangements, travelling by train between the two. Any suggestions of decent, but reasonably priced hotels regarding location and quality of stay. We are in our 60's so are not looking for anything too basic.

 

Thanks again for the help,

 

Barbara

Edited by tring
spelling mistake
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I would just like to thank Marian Paroo again for her help.

 

The train journey to Akko went very well, but unfortunately the days of docking were changed to a Fri -Sat so it caused a small hiccup as the trains do not run from Akko to Haifa from 2pm on Friday to sundown on Saturday because of the Sabbath. We were told this ahead of time on the ship, so knew we would have to return earlier than planned, or get another form of transport back. With the advice of tourist information staff and local people we were able to get a cheroot (shared taxi) back to Haifa with 'special' taxis to and from the cheroot. It worked very well and we were very impressed with the helpfulness of the local people over that.

 

Now we are thinking of arranging a future land stay in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, possibly by our own arrangements, travelling by train between the two. Any suggestions of decent, but reasonably priced hotels regarding location and quality of stay. We are in our 60's so are not looking for anything too basic.

 

Thanks again for the help,

 

Barbara

 

 

My pleasure. Your spelling "Cheroot" like the See-gar had me smiling. It's Sherut. And speaking of see-gars, they sell Havanas here, and that is all I am going to say. ;)

 

Travelling between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem by train is not practical. Long trip (but beautiful) and the trains don't run very frequently at all. Best stick with sheruts for that run.

 

 

Do you intend for J"m or for Tel Aviv to be your base? I can't make suggestions for Jerusalem, but I can for Tel Aviv.

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Marian

 

Thank you for your reply and correction of my spelling of Sherut. We had not long returned and I was keen to thank you again and let you know how well the trip went. We have since been to stay with my husband's parents for a few days and have just returned from there, so are still tired.

 

Regarding a land stay, it would be at least a year until we looked at it, but we would probably want something like two or three nights in Tel Aviv and perhaps five or six nights in Jerusalem as we would like to visit Bethlehem and Massada from there and we like to travel at leisure with an opportunity to take in the surroudings and the people etc. Our guide from the 'Nazareth and Galilee' trip said that there is currently an aggreement for free movement accross the Israel/Jordan border for travel purposes, so we have wondered if it would be feasible to couple a trip from the UK to both southern Israel and Jordan (Petra mainly), and perhaps even a bit of free time in a beach hotel (or something similar that may be inland) in either Israel or Jordan. We realise that the cheapest and easiest way to travel would probably be by organised tour, but we do not like being rushed and fussed and have a particular aversion to early morning starts - especially on a daily basis.

 

Any land based trip would obviously need much research beforehand, but we were just wondering how feasible independent travelling would be and what sort of Hotel costs are likely to be incurred.

 

Travelling by Sherut with luggage sounds difficult, unless we coud pay more for luggage space.

 

Thanks again,

 

Barbara

Edited by tring
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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi,

 

My Mom and I will be back in Israel in November of this year. We actually visited last year while on Mariner of the Seas, this year on the Rotterdam. We did two excellent tours last year that encompassed pretty much everything we wanted to see.

This go around, we think we'd like to do a Dead Sea Spa day, as we did Dead Sea & Masada last year and can't think of a really good reason to revisit Masada.

We are in Ashdod one day and Haifa the next. It seems the Dead Sea would be a better bet from Ashdod. Is it doable from Ashdod? Do you know if there is transportation to the Dead Sea from Ashdod? Is the Dead Sea a good idea in early November?

Thanks for any assistance.

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Hi,

 

We did two excellent tours last year that encompassed pretty much everything we wanted to see.

This go around, we think we'd like to do a Dead Sea Spa day,

 

 

I urge you to reconsider this plan. Revisit Jerusalem. You could spend 3 weeks there and not see everything of interest. If you tell us what you visited, we could make some recommendations for additional fascinating sights.

 

We spent 1/2 day at the Ein Gedi Spa. It was fine, but rather mundane. Jerusalem is totally unique.

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