Would You Take a Cruise to the Holy Land?

As violence in the Holy Land continues, cruise lines are not yet prepared to say whether Holy Land itineraries will be altered. If you were booked on a cruise that was scheduled to call in Holy Land ports, how would you handle it? Vote in our poll and post your opinions.

We did this cruise several years ago and I wouldn't hesitate doing it again.

The cruise lines will make the right decision when the time comes should things worsen.

I wouldn't go to Israel on a cruise; I'd want more time there, so would only go on a land tour. But, I'd go now; they really need the tourist dollars, and I want to support them.

I would love to see Israel as well. But, the security of my family and me come first. I would not go while bombs are falling (like now!).

I just cancelled a cruise I had booked that stops in both Haifa and Ashdod, and switched to a Baltics itinerary. Ashdod is currently under rocket attack by Hamas. To be honest, I didn't cancel because of the increased risk - there were other reasons. But now that the unrest there has heated up, I'm happy that I did.

If you booked due to faith then go.

Have faith that your God will protect you.

If you booked for historical reasons,,,,,,,

I might wait. History will be there for a while

As violence in the Holy Land continues, cruise lines are not yet prepared to say whether Holy Land itineraries will be altered. If you were booked on a cruise that was scheduled to call in Holy Land ports, how would you handle it? Vote in our poll and post your opinions.

I certainly would not walk through a firefight in downtown Baghdad, or Beirut but is there anyplace in the world we could be absolutely, positively guaranteed we could not be in harms way?

Yes I would go. But I am assuming you are talking about a few months from now. As we have all learned world events change rather quickly. We visited Israel in the Spring of 2007. It was wonderful. Less than nine months earlier they were engaged in battle. If you asked would you visit Israel this very moment the answer would be no but then again the cruise ships wouldn't either until things get back under control.

Keith

No. I would not. My DH travels numerous times a year to both Israel and Saudi Arabia. His company has currently suspended travel to Israel. This is very bad as his company's headquarters are in Tel Aviv.

say I was in the market for this itinerary...I would pass for now and make the trip when the area seemed a bit more stable

We're booked on a cruise that has Ashdod/Jerusalen as one of the stops - we aren't cancelling the trip, but are sure the cruise line would not put us in harms way. If there are still bombs going off in that area of the world, we know that our hope of stopping in Israel will have to be realized on another trip. We will make the best of the situation knowing that we'll have to book yet another cruise . . . darn! :D

Smooth Sailing! :):):)

As violence in the Holy Land continues, cruise lines are not yet prepared to say whether Holy Land itineraries will be altered. If you were booked on a cruise that was scheduled to call in Holy Land ports, how would you handle it? Vote in our poll and post your opinions.

We are booked for October 2009. Will not change anything. Have travelled in Israel 12 times or more over past 20 years and by ship 3 times. Once our ship rerouted us to Istanbul, other two times we went to Ashdod and Haifa no problem. The ship know when to change the itinerary. So my advise is sit tight and see what the cruise lines does. Plus, the Israelies don't want tourists there if there is a problem, so they will tell the cruise line to reroute if necessary.

If viisiting Israel was the prime focus of the cruise, I would hold off awhile and see if things calm down in the region. Or, book another cruise for this year and plan to visit Israel another time. We just visited Ashdod and Haifa on Azamara in September, and those two ports were the highlight of the cruise for us. We would have been very disappointed to miss Israel. I agree that the cruise lines will change the itinerary and not put the passengers, crew or the ship in harms way.

While I would love to visit the Holy Land one day, I don't know if it will ever be safe enough in my lifetime. There is just too much risk for me to even consider it right now.

I am not only concerned with visiting the Holy Lands, but all countries that could be involved in the conflict. We were seriously considering a cruise that would have stops in Egypt and Turkey in the late spring. I am hesistant because in times of extreme conflict as we are seeing today, the violence spreads to other nations and attacks on tourists ramp up. I don't know, I really have wanted to see the Pyramids my entire life and I finally got the nerve to go, but now I am very hesitant. Hopefully there will be a cease fire and some sort of resolution for the good of everyone. (wishful thinking, I know):o

If you want to see Israel, these cruises won't come close to a satisfying experience. If you want to see Christian sites, Jewish sites, archeological sites, or just sites of beauty, a week for each is barely enough.

Israel is only a small part of any of these cruises. Thus, I would go, knowing that the cruise line would avoid danger, be it at Ashdod or in Egypt or in Greece.

Yes, someday I would like the pleasure of cruising there. I feel the same as others that the cruise lines would not put passengers in harms way.

We are booked on a cruise that has two stops in Israel in October 2009. It would be nice to see but if it's unsafe HAL will change the ports. It's a long way off.

A total of seventeen family members went on a Princess Holy land tour in 1997, and it was the trip of a lifetime. Two weeks before we went a group of twenty greek tourists were killed in Egypt. The night before we docked the captain gathered everyone and took a vote on weather we wanted to dock. It was unanimous, everone wanted to dock. Thw whole ship took one tour, and the crew greated us with such fanfare when we returned to the ship.

Many family and friends who did not go with us have looked back with sorrow, wishing they had of gone then. As they say a bird in the hand is worth three in the bush. I would follow what your heart is saying. :o

Go and enjoy....probably a better chance something would happen with pirates off the coast of Africa.

Voted to follow the cruise line lead...Let's face it.. if the port stop goes awry, the bad PR and resulting loss of business is going to hit the cruise lines right in the bottom line. So it is in their best interest to maintain a vigilant posture and make an informed decision about the port(s).

No!

Have a group booked on the Equinox this fall..... after talking to some of our group members, we would probably take another approach..... just make sure we have plenty of bottled water, and our own uzi's..... and lets just get on with the shore excursions.

I'm booked to go to Isreal and Egypt this July. Princess says it's up to the captain to decide if we make port. The whole reason for the trip is Isreal and Egypt, if there is a chance we won't make it there, I will have to find a plan B. But that means deciding before final payment (April) and a lot can change between then and July, so I'm really up in the air right now. We'll just have to wait and see how it plays out over the next few months.

I would keep my reservations, Israel will not let cruise lines enter a port if it's deemed unsafe. Haifa is far away from Gaza and so is Jerusalem. But, two days in Israel is not enough, so I would go for a land tour and stay away from dangerous areas.