jlajr

Again, as a technical writer, I find this amusing. Does anyone else?

On 3/3/2023 at 12:18 AM, irvington said:

This has probably been addressed before, but is there a way to search the Celebrity site for those solo cabins? I'd love to be able to see what they have for solo cabins in say April of '24.

Not exactly the same, but on the mobile version of their site, it is possible to specify one guest on the search criteria. I didn't see that available on the desktop version of their web site.

On 3/13/2023 at 1:42 AM, singleflyer said:

Curious what is considered by folks on this forum as a "good" deal for solo travelers?  

 

I know this is completely subjective and depends on the cruise line, route etc.  But as I am new to cruising, I am trying to gather data on what would make for a good deal.  

 

Commenter above me mentioned cost per day.  

 

How do you decide if it is a deal or not?

I also look first at price per night. (As a technical writer, I notice that cruise lines can include embarkation and disembarkation in the number of days. I believe number of nights is more accurate and relevant. 😉 )

Usually, an attractive price per night reflects a low or zero solo supplement.

I, too, use USD 100 / night including taxes and port fees as a sort of guideline that I might consider breaking depending on the itinerary and season. However, in general, I naturally avoid itineraries / seasons that drive the price up.

For example, I'm booked on a 16-night repositioning cruise from Barcelona to Kiel, Germany, on Costa Firenze, May 3-19, 2023. Euro 999 in an outside cabin. Not just any outside cabin. This outside cabin, 11203.

During my research, I came across an eight-night cruise on MSC Poesia from Barcelona to Warnemunde with a base inside guarantee cabin, double occupancy price of USD 119. Solo price including taxes and port fees: USD 394 or USD 50 / night. Pretty awesome, if you ask me.

I know this is off-topic, but I thought that some of you might be interested in this. MSC Lirica is sailing from Haifa from April-October, 2022.
I'm thinking about the October 20-27 sailing, after Sukkot.
IB Inside Guarantee
double occupancy USD 559 pp
solo occupancy USD 639
Not bad, considering all I have to do is hop on a train to get to the cruise ship...

Probably not relevant to any of you, but just in case:
MSC Lirica roundtrip from Haifa, October 20-27, 2022
IB Inside Guarantee
double occupancy USD 559 pp
solo occupancy USD 639
single supplement ~ 114%
It's possible other sailings from Haifa (April-October) have similar low single supplements.
 

14 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

... I tried to google the ferry from Haifa to Akko, and found a website, but unless I'm using a bad browser or something, I can't find a way to get to translated from Hebrew to English.  So can anyone give me a suggestion on that?  

 

If you are using Google Chrome on a PC, you should be able to use Google Translate. You can try right-clicking on the page and see whether Translate page to English appears as an option.

Here is some information in English on the Old Akko website - https://www.akko.org.il/en/attraction/akko-haifa-akko-ferry/

On 4/11/2022 at 7:01 PM, Markanddonna said:

We will be disembarking from a 12 day cruise from Rome in Haifa. We've been to Israel, so we want to spend time visiting places we didn't get to or wish to revisit:

Priority and New: Banias and Tell Dan

          City of David

          Explore more in Jerusalem to visit museums

         

Revisit: A Christian focused visit to the Galilee 

          Akko 

 

My question: where should we base ourselves? We will not be driving but using tours and drivers. Jerusalem seems like perhaps the best city. Since we are in our seventies, we don't want to be schlepping luggage around Israel.

 

Any moderately priced hotels to recommend?

 

Thanks!

That's kind of a difficult needle to thread. Banias and Tel Dan are close to the northern border of Israel, while Jerusalem is in the center. We're a small country, but if you base yourself in one place, that's still a lot of driving. I can recommend a tour guide that provides transportation, but that might not completely resolve the issue of schlepping luggage.
Maybe the best compromise is to stay up north a few days and stay in Jerusalem a few days.
I have had wonderful experiences at a number of moderately priced hotels / accommodation up north and in Jerusalem, including:

• Ohalo Manor - On the southwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, within walking distance from the Yardenit Baptismal Site on the Jordan River. Not cheap, but tremendous value for a fantastic place in a great location.
• Vered HaGalil - Also a little more expensive than I usually spend on accommodation, but also well worth it. On a farm, they offer cabins overlooking the northern Sea of Galilee. It was pretty amazing to wake up with horses grazing a few feet from the cabin and watch the sun come up over the Golan Heights to the east. Great outdoor pool, too.
• Dona Gracia - In Tiberias, it's a hotel and museum dedicated to an extraordinary Jewish woman I had never heard of growing up, including seven years in Jewish day schools and a lot of Jewish history education. Incredibly interesting, although not a five-star hotel by any means.
• Rimonim Nazareth - Appears to be closed right now. Decent location, within walking distance of the Old City and Mary's / Miriam's Well. A little expensive for the quality of hotel. However, I was there for only one night in 2015; it might be better now.
• Israel Youth Hostel Association Beit She'an  / Rabin Guest House in Jerusalem - I have stayed in a number of the IYHA hostels and I enjoy their consistent high-quality, no-frills accommodation.
• HaPa'amonim Studios - I believe there are two HaPa'monim properties; one is a hotel and the other offers apartments. I stayed in an apartment, which is in a building without an elevator, so unless you get a ground-floor apartment, it might not good for you. Right on King George Street downtown, so great location. I stayed there last year for Israel's Independence Day. Perfect.
• Hotel La Perle - Location, location, location. Right off of Ben Yehuda, King George, and Yaffo streets downtown. I stayed in a tiny, functional single room. I don't think they have any rooms on the ground floor, and I don't remember there being an elevator. I stayed there for Israel's Independence Day a few years ago. Fun.
• ibis Styles Jerusalem - There are now three ibis properties in Jerusalem - maybe four. I haven't stayed here, but when I stayed at La Perle around the corner, the ibis Styles on Ben-Yehuda Street had a 1+1 Happy Hour in their ninth-floor bar / dining room with terrace. That was awesome.
• Little House in Baka - On Derekh Hebron, not downtown, a charming bed and breakfast in a charming neighborhood. Wonderful promenades with breathtaking views of the Old City within walking distance.
• National Hotel East Jerusalem - A couple of blocks from Nablus Gate, a decent hotel with a rooftop dining room.
• Shalom Hotel Jerusalem (former Rimonim Jerusalem) - A decent hotel in Bayit Vegan, so not downtown. Compared to the other places I have stayed, their locations, and their prices, I would not recommend this hotel - unless they have improved since I stayed there in 2015.

In a couple of weeks, I will be staying at Beit Nofesh (Vacation Home) Weiss in Beit Hillel near Kiryat Shmona; the Jordan Valley Birding Lodge in Kfar Ruppin near Beit She'an; and at the Kaplan Hotel in downtown Jerusalem. Unfortunately, all I can write about them is that they look great and are reasonably priced for the week before and during Israel's Memorial and Independence days...

6 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Hello!  I'll be coming to Israel for the first time in May, with two days in Haifa and one day in Ashdod.  I've made plans for tours on two of those days, but will have a free day in Haifa to do what I want.  I'm thinking of either going to Acre (Akko?) on the train or go to the Bahai Gardens.  But I haven't figured out how hard or easy it is to get from the cruise port to the train station or the Gardens.  I like to do as much as possible by public transportation, but if it's too difficult, or too much walking, I'll take a cab to the top of the gardens.  

 

But since you're providing lots of good information, I thought I'd ask if you know how difficult it is to 1) walk to the train station in Haifa, which appears close on a map but may have fences, major highways, etc. in the way to make it difficult!  2) Will I be able to use a credit card at the train station closest to the port?   3) If I want to go to the Gardens, is there any alternative to taking a cab?  Would you be able to guess at how much a cab may cost?  And do I need shekels or do most cabs take credit cards?   4) We're in Haifa in the middle of the cruise, so not embarking or disembarking.  Would you (or someone else) happen to know if we'll have to go through the terminal, show our paperwork, etc. --  or is clearance done ahead of time by the port authorities via looking at passenger manifests?  

 

I'm hoping that since one of Oceania's ships is scheduled to stop in Haifa next month, I can find a tiny bit of information from people on that cruise. But that's an "if" for sure.  Anything you can tell me would be great. Thank you.

• In general, whether public transportation is available depends on whether that day is Friday, Saturday, a holiday eve, or a holiday. On those days, there is limited public transportation in Haifa itself, but trains do not run.
• The Haifa Center - HaShmona train station, as it is known on Google Maps, is right next to the gate to the cruise terminal (Gate 5). 
• You can use a MasterCard or Visa credit card for paper train tickets and other public transportation. I believe at this point, all non-train public transportation requires what is called a plastic Rav Kav card. For example, if you want a one-day pass ("contract") for public transportation in Haifa, I believe you need to get a Rav Kav card and load the pass onto it. I'm guessing / hoping that you will be able to get a card onboard or at the cruise terminal. If not, I think you would need to go to a "manned" Rav Kav kiosk or cashier. For more information about the Rav Kav card, see https://ravkavonline.co.il/en/public-transport-in-israel. I do apologize for their use of English... If anything's not clear, let us know.
• If that seems like or turns out to be too much trouble, you can walk from the cruise terminal to the bottom of the Baha'i Gardens, through the German Colony, which - if you don't stop along the way - should not take more than 20 minutes.
• There could be a ferry from the cruise terminal to / from Acre, but I don't know if it is running at all at this point. Even if it is, weather and the sea's condition would determine whether it is running that day.
• I don't know whether, in general or specifically at this point, you have to go through the terminal and show your paperwork or the cruise line gets clearance ahead of time.
• For more general information, which might not be updated to reflect the current situation, see https://www.haifaport.co.il/en/tourism/.

I can personally recommend a tour guide who provides transportation - https://www.garytheguide.com/ - but that might not be what you're looking for. I did a Google search for Ashdod private transportation and one of the results might be interesting to you and your fellow cruisers - https://www.visit.ashdod.muni.il/wp-content/uploads/travelers-guide/en/.

14 hours ago, jhenry1 said:

I am interested in when will cruise ships be allowed in

According to the schedule at https://www.haifaport.co.il/en/cruise-schedule/, the first cruise ship is arriving on April 4. 

According to the editor of The Jerusalem Report, on March 1, Israel is opening to unvaccinated tourists. 

On 10/26/2021 at 2:24 PM, elaine5 said:

hello. I was wondering if early Sept (2022) is too hot? We have been in Rome in August. Do the nights typically cool down a bit? The timing works well for us to visit (Haifa and Ashdod), but we don't want to be miserable while touring. thanks, Elaine

One person's too hot is another's comfortably warm. 😉 

September is usually comfortably warm to me during the day, but can be uncomfortably hot for many I know. At night, it can cool off, but how much depends on exactly where. Israel has a number of climates; Galilee mountains, Mediterranean shore, Jerusalem hills, Negev desert, and Dead Sea and Gulf of Eilat shorelines to name a few. Higher up and further from a coast line, the more it will cool off, in general.

3 hours ago, Markanddonna said:

For those of you hoping to go to Israel on a cruise, be aware that you are taking a gamble during covid. We took a fantastic cruise in Nov 2019 with three days in Israel. We then booked a Nov 2021 cruise with a similar itinerary. Knowing that the cruise line could just cancel the Israeli port stops at any point, we decided to cancel before final payment since Israel was going through a surge. Good thing! The cruise line dropped the two ports in Israel less than a month later. If Israel is your goal, take a land trip.

For those of you hoping to go to <insert any country where you do not live> on a cruise, be aware that you are taking a gamble during covid... 😉 

As far as entering Israel via air or land as opposed to sea, as 4774Papa wrote, Israel is planning to resume in November allowing non-Israeli citizens to enter the country without special permission. "Planning" to of course being the operative word. Again, 😉. 

On 10/18/2021 at 8:53 PM, MNmariner said:

We have decided to book the Norte Dame Jerusalem Center for our visit. Looks like the perfect hotel for us. Thanks again. 

That's great. I'm glad I could help. I hope you enjoy it and the rest of your stay in Jerusalem.

On 10/16/2021 at 10:13 PM, MNmariner said:

We are planning on going into Jerusalem for 2 nights on a 3 days stop in Israel. We’ve been to Israel on 2 previous cruises and thought it would be fun to spend the extra time in Jerusalem. 
 

My question is choice of restaurants in the Old City. We would like to stay in the Old City but wondering if we will be able to find restaurants. We don’t want fine dining - prefer local places. 
 

Thank you

While many Old City restaurants might close early in the evening, from my knowledge of the Jewish, Armenian, and Christian quarters, there are plenty of places to eat during the day, local and otherwise. There are also plenty of restaurants right outside the walls or within a short walk, that do not close that early.
Allow me to suggest a few places to go that might not be as well known as other places - and that happen to be above street level:

• Ramparts walk - https://www.itraveljerusalem.com/ent/ramparts-walk/
• Rooftop - https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g293983-i2582-k7185936-Rooftop_walks_in_the_Old_City_of_Jerusalem-Jerusalem_Jerusalem_District.html
• Notre Dame Jerusalem Center rooftop observation deck / Cheese and Wine restaurant - https://www.notredamecenter.org/

On 8/1/2021 at 1:01 AM, floridafolks said:

Is there anything in local media saying when cruise ships will be permitted to dock-especially interested if only ship tours permitted or private tours to be permitted. Is seems Israeli ports are being eliminated for near upcoming cruises. 

I wish I could help you, but I don't consume local or any other so-called news media. 😉 

On 7/19/2021 at 3:21 PM, jhenry1 said:

We are scheduled to spend 4 days in Jerusalem after a cruise in May of 2022. What is the situation there in terms of unrest? We have tried several times to do Holy Lands and always a problem. At age 76 hoping this time we can do this as on our bucket list. Staying at King David hotel and have a tour guide each day. They are meeting at port in Haifa . Tour Israel is the company. Fill us in on what is happening as far as Covid and will we need to be tested in order to leave country? Any info would be helpful.

 

Kandy and Ron from Texas

The situation(s) in May 2022 could be very different than the situation(s) right now. I know that makes planning difficult.

15 hours ago, flysail said:

Hi Happy trailer,

I am taking a cruyise next year which takes in Israel. A lunch in a hotel in Jerusalem is included in the excursion. I am totally unaware of what kind of food they have in Israel. I have a dickey stomach, very sensitive. Will I be able to have plain non-spicy food or even gluten free ?? 

 

Thank You, Flysail cool cruiser senior citizen

I recommend notifying the cruise line / excursion operator. There's plenty of non-spicy and gluten-free food available in Israel - for example, plain humous and plain tehina - but that lunch might not include any without a special request.

Assuming the ship docks at the cruise ship terminal at the Port of Haifa, the Haifa-Akko ferry departs from the same gate (5) as the terminal. For more information, including the schedule, see http://www.malkatakko.co.il/קו-השייט-עכו-חיפה. It's in Hebrew, but if you are using Chrome, you should be able to use Google Translate. The Akko train station is about a 20-minute walk or a short bus / taxi ride away away from the Old City walls: https://goo.gl/maps/mkE3kaXPtzxYYujL7.

There is very good public transportation from the Port of Haifa, if you want to go that route. You could go up to Acre, for example, by train - although the station is not right next to the Old City. Similarly, there is a train station in Binyamina, about a 15-20 minute drive from Caesarea. The question then becomes, how to get there and back. Taxi or maybe bus. Google Maps is almost always accurate regarding public transportation, in my experience. Then, the question becomes, how much time do you have.
On the other hand, I can recommend a good friend of mine who is a tour guide - https://www.garytheguide.com/.

11 hours ago, bennybear said:

Just wondering how doable a trip to Masada is from either Haifa or Ashdod?  

In one day, from either port would be difficult using public transportation; maybe renting a car would work. Over two days, depending on the ship's docking/departing schedule, you could look into Masada tours offered by, for example, Abraham Hostels/Tours or Egged Tours.
If trying to do it in one day, you would likely be at Masada in the middle of the day. There is very little shade on top of the mountain. During the summer, it could be uncomfortably hot for you. While there is a visitors center on the east side of the site - which could take longer to get to/from - sometimes they do close the trails and maybe the top of the mountain due to heat.

14 hours ago, mef_57 said:

I have moved my cancelled April 2020 Dubai to Venice cruise to April 2021.  I thought the hardest part was going to be respecting Ramadan, but the itinerary has us in Haifa on a Friday/Saturday  so public transport is going to be challenging to visit Jerusalem.  There is only me, so private taxi back to port on Saturday is pricey, and the local shared vans go to Tel Aviv then Haifa and wait until full - so a little risky.

At present, there is no ship tour to Jerusalem listed, though something might come up on the Roll Call, but as it is MSC, the roll call was pretty small for 2020's sailing.

I could live without Jerusalem, but with 2 days in port, it seems such a loss to not try to take advantage of the time.

I may just visit Haifa and arrange a bird guide for Saturday for the day, but open to suggestions or alternative.

Thanks.

That's a tough one, mef_57. The first thought that came to my mind is renting a car, but I don't know if any rental car offices in Haifa are open on Saturdays. Maybe, just maybe, you could take the train to Ben-Gurion Airport on Friday, rent the car from and return it there, and then take a shared taxi from the airport back to Haifa on Saturday.
All in all, it might be easier and might not cost that much more to hire a guide/private/small group tour. Or, you might want to "nag" MSC into offering a tour to Jerusalem.

3 hours ago, lolama12 said:

Hi, my wife would really like to visit the holy land. My sister said she would go If we could do it using a cruise. My wife would agree to a cruise if we could do several excursions there. Any recommendations as to Cruise Lines or packages? My wife had cancer and is doing well now. She would like to go there to give the lord thanks!

A repositioning cruise might stop in both Eilat and Haifa/Ashdod, giving you the opportunity for multiple excursions. As mentioned in a previous post, it is even possible to get an excursion to Jerusalem from Eilat. As far as I know, most cruises to Israel stop for one or two days; sometimes they stop in Haifa and Ashdod (or vice versa), allowing passengers to overnight in Jerusalem or somewhere else and meet back up with the ship in the other port. I don't remember seeing cruises with stays longer than one overnight in any Israeli port, although there could be expedition cruises that do so.
As far as lines offering cruises to Israel, I recommend looking at pages on the Cruise Critic website that provide this information. For example, for cruises to Jerusalem (Ashdod), https://www.cruisecritic.com/cruiseto/cruiseitineraries.cfm?portofcall=470.

Digging a little further, I see Azamara is offering a nine-night Israel Intensive Voyage departing from Athens on April 14, 2020, returning to Athens, that includes overnight stays in both Haifa and Ashdod, for a total of four days in Israel.

11 hours ago, mef_57 said:

Unlike others with overnight stops, I have one port day in Eilat late April. Ship offers 2 tours to Jerusalem. Very similar itinerary except one flies one way and returns by bus. The other is bus both ways. both are 13 or 14 hours long.  I am intrigued with the busing in order to see the landscape, but thinking the flight may give more time in Jerusalem (description states flight and airport process is about 2 hours). My worry is if flight is going to Jerusalem and bus is return, leaving Jerusalem at 5 or 6 pm won't allow enough time to see the landscape.

Can you make any recommendation either way?

Thank you.

I personally don't think flying would take significantly less time than the bus. Ben Gurion Airport is about 50 km (30 miles) from Jerusalem, and there can be heavy traffic on either of the two highways. On the other hand, I sometimes fly between TLV and Eilat because I enjoy the experience, seeing the landscape that way, as you mentioned. As far as I'm concerned, the flights are great (and relatively inexpensive) flightseeing tours, with the flight path usually over Jerusalem and the Old City; the Arava (the valley between Israel and Jordan); and the Dead Sea. Breathtaking.

16 hours ago, epixx said:

Stay overnight in Jerusalem due to the time (about 2.5 hours each way) required for travel.

 

Take the train from Merkaz HaShmona Station, which is just outside port terminal, directly to Tel Aviv HaHagana Station.  From there take the direct train to Jerusalem Yitzhak Navon Station.  

Timetables: https://www.rail.co.il/en

 

From Yitzah Navon Station either take the light rail, walk, or take a taxi to your destination.

The trip is very easy for a tourist.  Enjoy.

There is also a longer, slower, arguably more-scenic line from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem's Malha neighborhood (stations at the biblical zoo and close to the mall and stadiums there), through a couple of valleys (Sorek and Refai'm), but it does require switching trains in Beit Shemesh. You could do it in one direction, just to experience the ride through the valleys.