Bethlehem and the Dead Sea

[kiwicruiser]

I have been told by a tour provider that it's almost impossible to go to both Bethlehem and the Dead Sea in the same day without seriously limiting the sites that can be seen in Jerusalem due to the long queues at the Church of the Nativity when a cruise ship is in port.

 

Has anyone had any experience of this? is there a reputable and professional tour provider that will include Bethlehem, the Dead Sea and Jerusalem in the one day without sacrificing the Must Do sites in Jerusalem?

[motib]

I have been told by a tour provider that it's almost impossible to go to both Bethlehem and the Dead Sea in the same day without seriously limiting the sites that can be seen in Jerusalem due to the long queues at the Church of the Nativity when a cruise ship is in port.

 

Has anyone had any experience of this? is there a reputable and professional tour provider that will include Bethlehem, the Dead Sea and Jerusalem in the one day without sacrificing the Must Do sites in Jerusalem?

 

You are asking for too much.

When you're in Beth Lehem you're in the hands of the locals since the Israeli guides are not going into Beth Lehem. Even without the queues in the church it is imposible to visit at that day Jerusalem Beth Lehem and the dead sea.

Most tour will combine Jerusalem and Beth Lehem in one tour.

Listen to your tour provider, he is right!

[Ephraim]

There's no way to do it without actually sitting in the bus and watching it all through the window. To be honest, Jerusalem and Bethlehem (Beit-Lekhem) are pretty close to each other. But the dead sea is quite a distance off.

 

It's wonderful to cruise, but it's just not the way to see a country... just a way to get a taste for it. You can't expect to see all of Israel in a day. Frankly, even a day for just Jerusalem is asking for the impossible.... it's just a taste of it.

[MercedMike]

This is really not doable. Just a quick overview of Jerusalem takes a whole day, with time for maybe a quick stop at Bethlehem. The Dead Sea, if you include Masada, takes another whole day. I don't think a reputable tour operator would suggest trying to do it all in a single day.

 

We used two days and had a great time. Check out our review and pics at http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/holyland2.html

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[cruisin'tex]

This is really not doable. Just a quick overview of Jerusalem takes a whole day, with time for maybe a quick stop at Bethlehem. The Dead Sea, if you include Masada, takes another whole day. I don't think a reputable tour operator would suggest trying to do it all in a single day.

 

We used two days and had a great time. Check out our review and pics at http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/holyland2.html

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

 

Great review and photos.

[kiwicruiser]

Thanks for the advice everyone. It sounds like taking the two days to do both Bethlehem and the Dead Sea is the way to go.

 

Has anyone ever stayed overnight in Jerusalem either via a ships' tour or independently?

 

Is it possible to do Bethlehem, Jerusalem and the Dead Sea over two days?

[ldog]

We are just back from two days in Israel off the Rotterdam.

 

We teamed up with another couple from our roll call and hired a guide for the two days. We used

Guided Tours Israel

www.GuidedToursIsrael.com

 

to arrange the guide for us. We had Motti Barness who drove us in a very new Land Rover. His email is K9@013.net.il

 

We were met at the ship in Haifa... drove to Caesarea and then Jerusalem... We booked rooms at YMCA Three Arches hotel independently. After checking in we did a long walking tour of the old city which included most of the major sites.

 

The next morning we were almost first in line to see the Temple Mount and then we went to Gethsemane and the Mount of Olives.

 

We then drove to the Dead Sea and had a float followed by lunch and a tour of Masada. Then Motti drove us to the ship at Ashdod.

 

It was a very full two days and our brains were reeling with history and sights.

 

We paid about $150 each per day which did not include entrances or meals. We saw lots more than anyone on the HAL excursions and learned a lot too.

[kiwicruiser]

Thanks for the feedback off Rotterdam. We have just confirmed the same two day tour with Guided Tours so looks like we have made the right decison.

[MercedMike]

Are you healthy, fit, and able to move fast, up and down hills and stairs? Are you satisfied with a quick look and a quick picture and then moving on? If so, that trip will work very well for you.

 

We are not that type of tourists. Some of us move slowly, some like to savor views, archeological sites, and experiences. Some like to contemplate and feel the atmosphere, especially at religious sites. For tourists of that type, your tour is far too energetic and fast moving.

 

In our two day tour, designed to our specifications by Avitours, we drove through the Negev, past Beersheba, to En Gedi, then to Masada for a long tour, then to a great Dead Sea hotel for that experience at leisure. We returned to the ship, and the next day went to Jerusalem by way of Mount Scopus, toured Gethsemane, Mount Moria and Mount Zion and walked the Way of the Cross. That pretty well filled up that day.

 

There is, of course, a whole list of sites that we missed. We picked and prioritized what WE wanted to do and then did it in the way we liked.

 

Check out our review and pics at http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/holyland2.html

 

Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks. YMMV.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!