baylin

Hi Ruth

I picked this site as it seems to be the one that you were most recently on. I just wanted to say hello to you hope all is well and to thank you so much for all those posts on what to do while in Israel. When I posted the first time I had not been to Israel before and knowing

what where the must sees, what to expect and what was plausible was so very helpful. That was all for a trip in late October of 2011. Since we are going again next November for 3 days I started rereading your posts from back in the day (2009) and found them all the more interesting and informative having been to many of the venues. All to say that having read about 6 months of posts I felt a desire to say thank you for your kindness and sharing and the same to you fellow posters. Ross

Hi Ruth

Preceding our day in Haifa we have two exhausting days in Cairo and Alexandria and then two days in Jerusalem and the area. In Haifa I would like to have a relaxing time with my wife and two adult children. There for the day any suggestions on how to accomplish the laid back day?

Thanks

Ross

 

Another idea would be to leave Jerusalem at 3:30 and go to Tel Aviv for sunset on the beach- there's a lovely promenade that goes for a couple of miles from the Old Port of Jaffa to the newly revised and very trendy Tel Aviv port. Many, many stores and restaurants will be open, and the beaches should still be fairly lively. Travel time back to your ship should be only about half an hour, so you'll be able to spend a couple of hours strolling and relaxing and enjoying the sunset.

 

HTH!

Thanks Ruth for the suggestions both are nice fits.

Will be back for more advice as we have a day in Haifa in which I would rather wander with my family without a guide but first i will look back on your past posts and see what information I can gather from there.

Ross

Hi Ruth

We have a private tour guide who has planned this two day tour while in the Port Ashdod Thursday and Friday and customized to our needs and wishes. But there is some free time at the end that I am not sure as to what to suggest.

Two Day Israel Cruise Excursion Thursday, October 25th

10:00 Meet at the Ashdod port

11:15 Arrive at the Western Wall in Jerusalem

Head underground for the Western Wall Tunnels Tour

Walk along sections of the Via Dolorosa and through the bustling Arab Shuk

1:15 Stroll down the ancient Roman Cardo

Enter the Jewish Quarter; take a break to enjoy the local cuisine

Explore the City of David – the original Jerusalem

4:30 Visit Yad Vashem

8:00 Arrive back in Ashdod

Friday, October 26th

7:15 Leave the Ashdod Port

8:15 Panoramic View of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives

10:15 Arrive at Masada – introductory movie, cable car up the mountain, tour of the fortress

12:30 Enjoy the relaxing therapeutic waters of the Dead Sea

3:30 Arrive in Jerusalem

It being Friday and 3:30 in Jerusalem is there anything that is a must see for perhaps 2-3 hours as the ship leaves at 9:00 PM that evening?

I welcome Ruth or anyone else who wishes to make a suggestion

Thanks

Ross

If you are already 6 people you should hire a private guide with a car. For a 6 seats minivan the cost is 600$USD so you are talking about 200$USD for the 2 days. Cheaper than the ship's price and you get a private tour!

Adding more people will not reduce your price a lot because then you'll need a bigger vehicle. For a group of 10-16 people you can expect a cost of around 90$ per person/day.

As for what you include in such a tour it is depend on when you are coming which ports will you be at and how long is you be staying.

write here the details of your arrival and I'll will tell you whether it is possible to add the Dead Sea to your Itinerary.

We are arriving 11:00 a.m. Ashdod on October 30 and will be departing at October 31 at 10:00 p.m.

We will be in Jerusalem / Tel Aviv (Ashdod), Israel from October 30 11:00am to October 31 10:00pm so a good day and half. We are six people and sure to recruit an additional 4 people to make the magical 10. What is the most effective and cost efficient way to see what there is to see. Would it be wise to hire a guide and transportation? If there were 10 persons in this group would the cost be $100 per person $200 over those two days with the idea of getting a strong flavour of the region. The only definite would be the Wall and probably Bethlehem. Masada and the Dead Sea seemed to be more for those who have unlimited time.

Look forward to the replies from Ruth and other

Thanks

Ross