msc trips to israel and petra

[smokin tiger]

we have just booked msc for december to egypt and holy land we are thinking of doing the 12 hr israel and 9 hr petra tours and wondered if anyone had done these and their thoughts on them also prices for tours state starting from and wondered if you book prior to sailing if you know what price you are getting

[sayaguru]

Edited as I thought I was on NCL page.

 

I went with NCL to Israel. We had 2 days in Israel. It was amazing. We organised an overnight stay in Jerusalem. Look on the Roll call for Jade- April 6 if interested in trips the group organised. MUCH cheaper than the cruise tour and small groups (not a huge bus load).

 

Make sure you go to Masada in Israel. That was a highlight for me.

[DEL67]

I assume that you doing the Armonia Red Sea cruise. We did that cruise in March. We did not take any MSC tours, not only because we prefer private tours, but also because I had read that since English speaking passengers are usually in the minority on MSC, English may not be the guides' strong point and they can be difficult to understand.

 

From Eilat Isreal we took a private group tour to the Dead Sea and Massada which we really enjoyed. My memory is that people who did take the Jerusalem tour felt it was a long day, but enjoyed it.

 

We also took a private tour to Petra. It cost just a little less than the ship tour, but it was just the 2 of us and I find riding in a car much more pleasant then a bus. In addition we arrived in Petra before the ship tours, spent more time than they did there and were still back at the ship earlier than they were.

 

Note: If you do decide to take a private tour to Petra, make sure it includes the tickets and a guide because the ticket $75 per person.

[papcx]

Edited as I thought I was on NCL page.

 

I went with NCL to Israel. We had 2 days in Israel. It was amazing. We organised an overnight stay in Jerusalem. Look on the Roll call for Jade- April 6 if interested in trips the group organised. MUCH cheaper than the cruise tour and small groups (not a huge bus load).

 

Make sure you go to Masada in Israel. That was a highlight for me.

 

I agree Masada is truly stunning. Follow it with a swim/float in the Dead Sea and you've got a day your remember for ever!