Cruise Critic member in Israel, happy to answer questions

While you can hike up Masada, you'll be relieved to know there is a cable car to take you to the top :-)

Thank you, Ruth, for taking the time to provide all helpful information.

I'll just make a minor clarification regarding Massada. While the most popular approach to the top is from the east (the Dead Sea side) - where there is a cable car, a museum (and a small mall, I think), and what appears to be a lovely youth hostel with an outdoor pool at the base - it is also possible to reach the top of Massada from the west (accessed via Arad). There is no cable car from this side, but the walk up is shorter, maybe 20 minutes if memory serves me accurately, albeit quite steep, aka the Roman Ramp or Path.

Thank you, Ruth, for taking the time to provide all helpful information.

 

I'll just make a minor clarification regarding Massada. While the most popular approach to the top is from the east (the Dead Sea side) - where there is a cable car, a museum (and a small mall, I think), and what appears to be a lovely youth hostel with an outdoor pool at the base - it is also possible to reach the top of Massada from the west (accessed via Arad). There is no cable car from this side, but the walk up is shorter, maybe 20 minutes if memory serves me accurately, albeit quite steep, aka the Roman Ramp or Path.

[Note to all: This response is not meant to be obnoxious! Note to jlajr: זה לגמרי לא משהוא בקש!]

"This is probably a moronic query but I was wondering how you get up to the fortress - sure hope we don't have to hike." That's why I made no mention of either the snake path nor the Roman Ramp ;).

[Note to all: This response is not meant to be obnoxious! Note to jlajr: זה לגמרי לא משהוא בקש!]

 

"This is probably a moronic query but I was wondering how you get up to the fortress - sure hope we don't have to hike." That's why I made no mention of either the snake path nor the Roman Ramp ;).

This is also not meant to be obnoxious, but you didn't specify from which side of Massada it is possible to take a cable car, which is, in my opinion, relevant - and arguably significant - information למשהוא בקש.

If by chance someone reads this thread and for whatever reason arrives from the west, they have no choice but to hike up.

If I may add my own 2 agorot to this thread.

Nobody arrives at Massada from Arad "by chance" . Unless you really CHOOSE to do that - because you WANT to hike. ( even more so - if you come from Jerusalem; going to Arad would be quite a detour).

The cable car is very convenient.. And there is indeed a very nice small Museum there - and a cafeteria too.

About the Jewish Holidays. if you are not very religious, it would be probably better to stay in Tel Aviv and not in Jerusalem during Yom Kippur. I assume that your hotel will still feed you, if you choose not to fast.:)

if i may add my own 2 agorot to this thread.

Nobody arrives at massada from arad "by chance" . Unless you really choose to do that - because you want to hike. ( even more so - if you come from jerusalem; going to arad would be quite a detour).

The cable car is very convenient.. And there is indeed a very nice small museum there - and a cafeteria too.

About the jewish holidays. If you are not very religious, it would be probably better to stay in tel aviv and not in jerusalem during yom kippur. I assume that your hotel will still feed you, if you choose not to fast.:)

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

If I may add my own 2 agorot to this thread..:)

Not meaning to be sarcastic but Agorots are no longer legal currency here in Israel. You would have to add 20 agorot :D:D

When in Ashdod we intend booking a taxi into Jerusalem.

There are conflicting reports regarding where the taxis pick up from, will it be at the ship or at the port gates. Also conflicting reports if we can expect a free shuttle bus to take us from the ship to the port gate or if is an easy walk.

Any help would be appreciated, we will be on the Celebrity Silhouette 1st November.

We were there 2 years ago. Mandatory free shuttle to port gates. You will find taxis there. Pirt will not allow private taxis on to port grounds. We took a taxi to train station then to Tel Aviv for the day.

Not meaning to be sarcastic but Agorots are no longer legal currency here in Israel. You would have to add 20 agorot :D:D

10 ag coin is still legal tender.

Shanna Tova, you all !

We are a group of six cruising to Haifa on Oct 30; then Ashdod Oct 31 & Nov 1. We'd like a private tour company or private guide who can accommodate six people for all three days. (Tried GTI, but they were full.)

Can you recommend a guide?

We are a group of six cruising to Haifa on Oct 30; then Ashdod Oct 31 & Nov 1. We'd like a private tour company or private guide who can accommodate six people for all three days. (Tried GTI, but they were full.)

 

Can you recommend a guide?

Try contacting Travel Israel Info on http://www.travel-israel.info.

You are coming on busy time. On your date the Regent Explorer is in Israel too doing embarkation and most of the guides will be unavailable so I wouldn't wait too long!

We are a group of six cruising to Haifa on Oct 30; then Ashdod Oct 31 & Nov 1. We'd like a private tour company or private guide who can accommodate six people for all three days. (Tried GTI, but they were full.)

 

Can you recommend a guide?

Dave

We are a group of six cruising to Haifa on Oct 30; then Ashdod Oct 31 & Nov 1. We'd like a private tour company or private guide who can accommodate six people for all three days. (Tried GTI, but they were full.)

 

Can you recommend a guide?

A friend of mine is a professional guide: https://www.facebook.com/GaryTheGuide/.

Hi everyone,

 

I wanted to introduce myself and let you know I'd be happy to answer questions you have about Israel and visiting Israel. (I'm not a travel agent nor am I associated with any agent, I'm just a smiling resident happy to help out.)

 

I moved to Israel from New Jersey almost 10 years ago, and live in a Jerusalem suburb. [i'm about to take my first cruise- to the Mexican Riviera :-).]

 

I'll try to check this board a couple of times a week, and while I'm sure I don't have the answers to all your questions, I'll be happy to answer those I can.

 

Israel is a beautiful country, and I'm sure you're going to love every moment of it!

 

[That's a pic of my town in my signature- we live in the Jerusalem hills.]

Hello Ruth.

We call into Israel on our cruise, but only for a day. our cruise ends in the UAE. I wanted to call into a Supermarket whilst in Israel and bring some Dried Kosher food back with me. eg matzos meal, matzos ball mix, chicken soup etc. Would you know if these are readily available and what are supermarket prices like .Also is there a national chain of supermarkets,what in your opinion is the best?

I can't get Kosher food here and would love to be able to bring some home.

Many thanks in advance.

Hello Ruth.

We call into Israel on our cruise, but only for a day. our cruise ends in the UAE. I wanted to call into a Supermarket whilst in Israel and bring some Dried Kosher food back with me. eg matzos meal, matzos ball mix, chicken soup etc. Would you know if these are readily available and what are supermarket prices like .Also is there a national chain of supermarkets,what in your opinion is the best?

I can't get Kosher food here and would love to be able to bring some home.

Many thanks in advance.

Shana Tova!! For the purchase you want to make, any supermarket (and even a grocery store) will be fine- there may be some differences in prices from chain to chain, but those differences will only total a few Euro. Are you planning to do any touring? If so, your guide can direct you to a supermarket; if you are on a private tour he or she can do the shopping with you to make it fast and easy. If you are planning to stay near the port that day, or walk around on your own, the tour deck on the ship should be able to direct you to the nearest supermarket (if not, anyone you meet on the street will be happy to direct you.)

You should have no trouble finding any of the things you have listed. In most supermarkets, the matza meal will be in bags on the same shelves as the bread crumbs and schnitzel coating; the matzo ball mix will be by the soup mixes. Almost all stores carry matza year round, but you might have to ask for it as it is usually only on display around Passover. Note that while I'm pretty sure the matza will be Kosher for Passover no matter when you buy it, you might need to check the matza meal. Many items will not have any English on them, but they will have pictures on the labels- and other shoppers will be happy to read and interpret labels for you.

Have fun shopping- and make sure to pick up some Israeli snacks, too! Bamba and chocolate spread especially say, 'Israel' :-)

One thing you may need to check on is if you will have any issues bringing Israeli products into the UAE. We have had occasional issues bringing things into Jordan.

HTH!

Hi do you know if it's easy to get to the train station from the Haifa port? We would like to take the train down to tel aviv

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Hello Ruth and many thanks for the information, it was very helpful. I'd rather not risk any awkward situations with the Arab customs

I'll wait until March when we visit Israel again on the return journey from Dubai. but i can have a look around the grocery stores in Nov. I will try the snacks.

I have been to Jerusalem on a tour and we visited Masada and the dead sea as an excursion last year so this time will just spend the day in Eilat.

once again many thanks. :)

Hi do you know if it's easy to get to the train station from the Haifa port? We would like to take the train down to tel aviv

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The Haifa Center HaShmona train station is right next to the Haifa port passenger terminal. The following link shows where the station is: https://goo.gl/maps/aPxsfgMqWR72. Unfortunately, the passenger terminal does not appear on the Google Maps map view. However, it does appear in the satellite view, along with the pedestrian bridge that connects it to Derech Ha'Atsma'ut.

Remember that trains do not run on Shabbat or on Jewish religious holidays, and that the train to/from Tel Aviv takes about an hour, I think. Meaning, on Fridays or a holiday eve, the last train from Tel Aviv that reaches Haifa Center HaShmona might depart Tel Aviv at 12:00 or 13:00 in the winter. (On the other hand, trains do run on non-religious national holidays, Yom Ha'Atsma'ut and Yom Hazikaron.)

For more information about Israel Railways, see http://rail.co.il/EN/Pages/Homepage.aspx.

The Haifa Center HaShmona train station is right next to the Haifa port passenger terminal. The following link shows where the station is: https://goo.gl/maps/aPxsfgMqWR72. Unfortunately, the passenger terminal does not appear on the Google Maps map view. However, it does appear in the satellite view, along with the pedestrian bridge that connects it to Derech Ha'Atsma'ut.

 

Remember that trains do not run on Shabbat or on Jewish religious holidays, and that the train to/from Tel Aviv takes about an hour, I think. Meaning, on Fridays or a holiday eve, the last train from Tel Aviv that reaches Haifa Center HaShmona might depart Tel Aviv at 12:00 or 13:00 in the winter. (On the other hand, trains do run on non-religious national holidays, Yom Ha'Atsma'ut and Yom Hazikaron.)

 

For more information about Israel Railways, see http://rail.co.il/EN/Pages/Homepage.aspx.

Thanks for this helpful information, we are in Haifa on wed 26th October... do you know if this is a holiday?

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Thanks for this helpful information, we are in Haifa on wed 26th October... do you know if this is a holiday?

 

 

 

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No holiday on the 26th; they all end a couple of days before, so public transportation will be on regular schedules during your visit.

Hello Ruth and many thanks for the information, it was very helpful. I'd rather not risk any awkward situations with the Arab customs

I'll wait until March when we visit Israel again on the return journey from Dubai. but i can have a look around the grocery stores in Nov. I will try the snacks.

 

I have been to Jerusalem on a tour and we visited Masada and the dead sea as an excursion last year so this time will just spend the day in Eilat.

once again many thanks. :)

My pleasure :). You'll likely need to venture into Eilat's residential areas to find a supermarket, but I always like going off the beaten tourist route when I travel.

Enjoy your visits- and shopping and snacking!

No holiday on the 26th; they all end a couple of days before, so public transportation will be on regular schedules during your visit.

Fantastic! Do you recommend purchasing train tickets in advance?

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We're scheduled to visit Masada in a few weeks. But the trip' from Ashdod is a bit long. For people who have done it... Is it worth it?

Fantastic! Do you recommend purchasing train tickets in advance?

 

 

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You cannot purchase train tickets in advance in Israel.

In the station you can purchase using credit card or NIS in cash.

We're scheduled to visit Masada in a few weeks. But the trip' from Ashdod is a bit long. For people who have done it... Is it worth it?

The trip to Masada is indeed a long trip (around 2 hours) how ever, no doubts, it worth it!

Masada is one of the most important, famous and visited site in Israel!

Don't miss it!