Markanddonna

I second Guided Tours Israel.  I used them for four different ship excursions. Very efficient, reasonable prices, small vans, etc. and great guides. I used Bein Harim for two days, and there were SO many problems, including the worst tour guide we have ever experienced.

I sailed for 17 days in Jan and Feb 2023 on the Divina MSC ship Styles27 was talking about. Before you criticize her, please realize that her comments (IMHO) are entirely accurate about the rude and surly passengers. The violaters were NOT the Europeans but passengers from central and south America and the Miami crowd. The Europeans were equally aghast at the behavior. I saw my first pool deck fight where security was called, and also was bullied twice by people who wanted my table and chairs!  (we were SITTING in them!)  Like Styles27 said, the crew was overworked but pleasant, all things considered.

That experience prompted us to ax the western Caribbean, Mexico, central and south America off our future travel plans. 

We sailed for a short cruise three weeks after that one on the Meraviglia out of Port Canaveral, where the passengers (mostly USA and Canadians) were the nicest, most pleasant group I have ever sailed with. The cruise experience with MSC was fraught with cutbacks on both ships. I have sailed on the Divina three previous times, and these cutbacks were significant. It used to be my favorite MSC ship.

In January and February of this year, I was on a sailing where a pool attendant vigorously controlled chair hogs. I witnessed it early on in an adult area where he confronted a man who was ready to put down five towels early in the morning. The crew member won and I noted folded towels and books at the side of the pool on other days. He was a big dude. The main pool area was not monitored.

While you might think this is great, it turned many of the passengers very surly. It was the worst, rudest group I had ever traveled with (mostly central and south Americans.) I witnessed the first fight at the pool and experienced hostility from those who wanted our chairs- the ones we SITTING IN, not saving! It was unreal. 

We have cruised to Israel twice and gotten off in both of these ports, as recently as Nov 22.  No one ever asked about insurance.

We also worried about Israel being removed from our itinerary when we first went there. It can happen but the problems aren't in most places you would go. We walked the Kidron Valley last November and would do it again. Just don't wear a yamake and stay away from mosques and synagogues. These problems are pretty predictable and as a tourist, all these problems give you insight into what the people there worry abour daily. We have seen several protests in Europe, two violent. 

The ship is booking it across the Atlantic, so the wind chill enters into our perception. We generally have had nice crossings six times but it isn't the Caribbean.

I like watching youtube videos for researching our cruises and land trips. What I avoid or discredit:

- bloggers who spend 45 minutes chattering excessively when 15 would be sufficient

- youngish bloggers (almost always young women being videoed by their boyfriends) who spend much of the video seemingly posing for future modeling jobs

- bloggers who fawn over everything

5 minutes ago, chisoxfan said:

Thank you Dani,

It would be nice if there was no conflict - we must sometime seem to be indifferent to the decades long struggles as long as our two day tours go off smoothly. 

I put off going to Israel for years. When you are there, you see the religious and political tensions all over but these people have learned to coexist. One observation is that you can't compare America's political issues and groups to Israel's. Their far right are the ultra conservative and Hasidics and those who support Israels living in Palestinian occupied territory. The religious right want to keep their military exemption and government subsidies to attend yeshiva and not work. These groups are how Netanyahu got back in power. 

At GTI, contact Leo to see if you can customize your tours.For example, the ship tour only offered Caesarea or Akko, each a half day. With GTI, we got both, including the B'hai Gardens and the aqueducts. We paid a lot less too. They are very reliable.

22 hours ago, motherof2 said:

We are a couple ages 76 and 75 and have been on 3 cruises ( each a different cruise line) in the last 9 months and have come home healthy after each one. We are both fully vaccinated and have not had Covid ( to the best of our knowledge). We were mindful of people around us, tried to social distance like sitting in less desirable seats in theaters so as to be farther away from the crowds. But we ate in dining rooms, buffets, etc, and just changed places when we became aware of people coughing a lot. We didn’t see much evidence of constant room service outside doors of cabins near us ( could be evidence of quarantine). We recommend cruising when there’s less likely to be alot of children, although we were on a mega ship last June and still remained healthy. Wash hands frequently, bring Covid tests with you, and be aware of your surroundings. Cruising remains a wonderful way to vacation. 

Your story sounds like how we roll and our experiences. On our Jan 2023 to Central and South America, the cruise director had COVID. My DH had a URI and was treated in the medical center several times. There was quite a line in the crew area to receive medical attention.

In November, I saw two security guards questioning a lady who kept her "do not disturb" sign on for a few days. They were right. She was hiding that she had COVID and didn't want to be quarantined. I asked my cabin attendant if it was true that they would report us if they saw evidence of real illness and he said it was true. 

1 hour ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

I haven't seen a hypnotist onboard in probably a decade+ (not HAL). When I did, it was painful (painfully funny and shocking) to watch, particularly the adult shows. They were definitely hypnotized, as several of them were doing things which I can pretty much guarantee someone would not do if they were just playing along. I mean, men and women on the stage crawling around on all fours, and "greeting/getting to know other (dogs)"  as dogs do... oh my...

 

Moral of this story... why in the HECK would someone volunteer to come up for a comedy skit ?? !!!

 

Tom

One mystery: how did the lady in the dress manage to sit lady like while relaxing all other body parts?

22 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

I can see it now... "You're having the time of your life. This is the best cruise ever..."  LOL

 

Tom

Funny...this was actually a really enjoyable show.

The cutbacks issue has been seen on most ships. Older cruisers remember how it was in the past with a better experience while the younger ones don't realize the differences. It's all a matter of what we will accept in the future. 

57 minutes ago, Loracpin2 said:

 

https://turkisharchaeonews.net/object/house-virgin-mary-ephesus

Thank you for the article. It was very interesting. I have read most of that before, but the article also indicates that the facts are weak.: "The Roman Catholic Church has never pronounced on the authenticity of the house, for the lack of scientifically acceptable evidence."  The Roman Catholic Church bases much of its theology on tradition, and that is where this story falls. 

One sees quite a few things in the Holy Land that may not be authentic. Another is the streets of the Via Delarosa in Jerusalem. Those are not the streets of Jesus, but were built during the Middle Ages. Still, we know that Jesus was in Jerusalem, but about 30 feet under that street.  A more authentic pavement from Roman times is under the  Ecco Homo Convent in Jerusalem.

1 hour ago, Loracpin2 said:

Does this mean that we Roman Catholics are the only ones who would believe the Blessed Mother (Virgin Mary) lived there??? I can tell you our visit there was one of the most overwheling experiences of my life!!!

BTW, The Apostle John arrived in Ephesus around 70 AD for his first missionary trip. Mary would have been about 90 years old. Very unlikely she lived that long and wouldn't have been able to make that arduous trip to Ephesus and then up the mountain. The New Testament is silent on Mary after Pentecost. Because of this fact, I believe Mary died in Jerusalem.

Protestants honor Mary, but not to the extent as Roman Catholics. I was a Roman Catholic for 45 years, so I am familiar with the Virgin Mary. My take on the site of the House of the Virgin Mary is based on the history of the German nun's vision. The church in Jerusalem also claims Mary lived and died in Jerusalem. There is no historical evidence that Mary ever went to Ephesus, including in the scriptures. I'm happy that you were blessed by the visit. 

We did Hobbiton from Auckland with a tour company about five years ago. 

On 3/23/2023 at 4:24 PM, mozfoz said:

From Port of Ashdod to Jerusalem is the line 5 bus  which costs ₪ 21 and takes about 90 minutes. Easy and reliable is questionable. To get from Port of Ashdod to Jerusalem with a  taxi takes 50 min and costs approximately ₪ 400. If a taxi driver were to wait around for you to return there will be cost added. Your best bet for a reliable, easy and cost effective ride is to a hired driver and  divide the cost among your 4 person party.

I would hire a taxi. Actually, you can use Google maps very effectively in the old City. I would recommend asking the taxi to take you to the top of the Mount of Olives, walk down, go through Kidron Valley to the City of David, have lunch and then walk through the old city on your own. We did that in one day. If you have time, go to the Ecco Homo Convent to see the Roman streets of Jesus' time. The streets you walk on, like the via Delarosa, are not the streets of Jesus' time, but medieval construction. Get authentic! Did this in Nov 2022. I believe the app for taxis in Israel is Gett. 

17 hours ago, insidecabin said:

When you say not American on cruises  from Miami, do you mean more people that flew in from abroad like from Europe?

Most of the passengers on our two Divina cruises out of Miami were likely not from Europe. The majority were from Central and South America. A few from Italy, Germany, and other European countries. The majority were pushy and rude. Worst group of passengers in our 30+ cruises. A sweet couple from the Netherlands commented on how shocking they were. We axed any plans for a cruise to South America because of this experience.

English was the only language for announcements on the Meraviglia. The Divina had five. Portuguese, Spanish, English, Italian and German. 

I would recommend using Guided Tours Israel to visit Israel. Go to the Galilee region from Haifa and maybe stay in Jerusalem overnight. They will take you in small groups in a van. Those big bus ship excursions are so sad. I feel sorry for them when walking through the old city area. Day one do old city and Bethlehem and the next day do the Mount of Olives and the City of David and maybe the Israel Museum. If you are not Christian, maybe do Caesarea and Akko with the B'hai Gardens. 

For Ephesus, get a small group tour. If there for a full day, also  visit the terrace houses and the ruins of the church of St. John. The house of the Virgin Mary has little archaeology to back up the claims. It is best for Roman Catholics. 

I did a recent review of the Meraviglia under Reviews. This review is quite fair but I didn't think the food was very good. 

The passengers out of Port Canaveral were overwhelmingly Americans and very pleasant. Perhaps the most pleasant we have ever encountered.  Not at all like the groups who sail MSC out of Miami. 

20 hours ago, wcook said:

I don’t have any good suggestions, but I feel there’s a joke here somewhere. A family member a friend and a priest walk into a Polish bar…

Love this.  I speak no Polish, and I bet if I tried to make a joke like this that no one who speaks Polish would understand...

BTW, I'm not Roman Catholic and bet I'm the only Protestant even invited to dinner at a priest's home.  I'm also a writer, so that tends to open doors when I am researching...

Many Europeans are much more guarded and seemingly not friendly to strangers. In some parts, smiling at others you don't know indicates you are a simpleton. These same people are usually very kind and sweet if you are properly introduced and spend time with them. Most of us don't have that opportunity.

I will be visiting family, a friend, and a priest in Poland in May. Does anyone have any great gift ideas that don't weigh a lot?