Which is better - 1 port or 2 for Israel?

[Travelalot2]

We are trying to decide on cruises - some go to Ashod for 2 nights, some to Ashod for 1 night and then to Haifa for 1 night. We are not real religious people but are certainly interested in history - including that of Jesus Christ. Which itinerary would be best?

[cruisemom42]

There is not a huge difference either way, as distances in Israel are not large. That being said, it's easiest to see Jerusalem (and possibly Bethlehem or the Dead Sea) from Ashdod, and it's easier to see the Northern Israel sites (Nazareth, Sea of Galilee, Akko, etc) from Haifa.

[Keith1010]

Either one will be a good choice.

 

The advantage of sailing into the two ports is that it places you a bit closer to certain places.

 

To me the advantage of the overnight in Ashdod is being able to spend more time in places such as Jerusalem either by staying over the first night in Jerusalem rather than going back and forth to the ship which takes around 75 minutes each way depending on traffic. Even if you don't stay downtown, the advantage is the second day since the ship is already in port and the ship already cleared you can begin the second day of tours quite early without having to wait to arrive to port and to be cleared.

 

Keith

[Travelalot2]

If the ship docked in Ashod the first night and Haifa the second night, could you still spend the night in Jerusalem and then catch the ship in Haifa? How long of a drive is it to Haifa from Jerusalem? Would you stop and see the sights mentioned above closer to Haifa on the way back to the ship, or, are they a different direction?

[motib]

If the ship docked in Ashod the first night and Haifa the second night, could you still spend the night in Jerusalem and then catch the ship in Haifa? How long of a drive is it to Haifa from Jerusalem? Would you stop and see the sights mentioned above closer to Haifa on the way back to the ship, or, are they a different direction?

 

I see no reason spending extra money on overnight in Israel.

You need to sort out, first of all, what you want to see and choose the cruise accordingly.

An overnight in Ashdod allows you to either explore more Jerusalem or use the second day to go to Masada and the Dead Sea Area. it is optional to visit the north from Ashdod but you must expect 2.5hrs drive each day and i would have done it on the first day when you are not limit on your arrival time back to the ship.

A day in Haifa allows you to visit the north of Israel including Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee.

You can have an overnight even if the ship docks in the ports. it is around 2hrs drive from Jerusalem to Haifa. On an overnight you can have a full day and evening in Jerusalem and on the next day to visit the Dead Sea for a short "floating experience" before heading north via the Jordan Valley to the Sea of Galilee and the Lower Galilee area, including Nazareth. before getting back to Haifa.

If the ship is doing overnight in Ashdod

Now, doing that on your own is impossible considering the fact that you'll need a car and even if you'll rent one, you'll have to return it in Haifa no later then 17:00 when the office is closed. Also, you are going to spend quite a lot of time getting from the port in Ashdod to the rental office.

Altogether, if you are thinking of an overnight tour, hiring a private guide or joining an organized one will be a smarter option!

[rsquare]

If the ship docked in Ashod the first night and Haifa the second night, could you still spend the night in Jerusalem and then catch the ship in Haifa?

 

Yes, that's exactly what we did. We joined some Roll Call friends who were taking a sherut (shared passenger van) into Jerusalem, and they were able to drop us off near our hotel, the Harmony. Since getting out of Ashdod port took a while, by the time we checked in we were ready for lunch. We then walked down to the Old City and spent the rest of the day in the Souk and in an archeological museum in the Jewish Quarter, returning for dinner and a walk around the pedestrianized area of Ben Yehuda street. There are obviously tons more things to do in Jerusalem, but this was our third visit, and we were filling in some blanks from the first two trips.

 

The next morning our guide picked us up early in a rented car, and we drove up the Jordan River Valley (about 2 hours) to the ruins at Beit She'an (termed by some "the Pompeii of Israel"), spending an hour or two there. Next we saw the well-preserved mosaic floor of an ancient synagogue at Beit Alfa, had lunch at a rural roadside restaurant nearby, and went on to visit the Talmudic-era burial caves at Beit She'arim. From there, we drove to Haifa, looked around the city and famous Bahai Gardens, and were dropped off, exhausted from the 101 degree heat, at the cruise terminal which is right downtown. Had we been Christian, it would have been just as easy to see some of the many sights of Christian interest in the Galilee such as Nazareth, Capernaum, the so-called "Jesus boat" at Kibbutz Ginossar, etc.

 

So (not for the first time) I wind up disagreeing with Motib. I think that an overnight in Israel makes a lot of sense, and I would select the cruise that goes to Ashdod then Haifa over two days in Ashdod, since it allows you to head north to meet your ship without forcing a return trip back south to reboard. However, my advice comes from the perspective of having already seen the main south-of-Jerusalem sights (Masada, Ein Gedi, Dead Sea); if these are important to you, then a two-day call at Ashdod makes sense.