HAPPY RETIREES Posted July 29, 2010 #1 Share Posted July 29, 2010 We are on 2011 world into Aqaba We thought there might be a tour into Jerusalem its olny 190 miles away has anyone done this trip besides Lawrence of Arabia. Is there much todo in Aqaba? :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cruisemom42 Posted July 29, 2010 #2 Share Posted July 29, 2010 I believe the main reason for stopping in Aqaba is to see Petra in Jordan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maryandi Posted July 29, 2010 #3 Share Posted July 29, 2010 Yes, Petra is why anyone goes there. It was wonderful. MaryAnn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjones Posted July 30, 2010 #4 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Petra is awesome, but Aqaba also offers snorkling and scuba around some reefs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billie5 Posted July 30, 2010 #5 Share Posted July 30, 2010 I so want a cruise which stops in Aqaba to see one of the greatest man-made wonders of the world (number 12 on my list of man-made wonders), but my wife is too afraid of the "danger" of making a trip to Petra. Can any of you who have done this give me any words I might tell my wife to assuage her (in my opinion completely unfounded) anxiety? Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyglobetrotter Posted July 30, 2010 #6 Share Posted July 30, 2010 I so want a cruise which stops in Aqaba to see one of the greatest man-made wonders of the world (number 12 on my list of man-made wonders), but my wife is too afraid of the "danger" of making a trip to Petra. Can any of you who have done this give me any words I might tell my wife to assuage her (in my opinion completely unfounded) anxiety? Bill We spent a few days in Jordan in 2000 and overnighted in Petra (town). We never felt unsafe. Jordan is simply wonderful to visit. However, the ship tours is recommended for this port. My husband and I are also on the WC 2011. We are staying in Aqaba this time around. Louise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyglobetrotter Posted July 30, 2010 #7 Share Posted July 30, 2010 We are on 2011 world into Aqaba We thought there might be a tour into Jerusalem its olny 190 miles away has anyone done this trip besides Lawrence of Arabia. Is there much todo in Aqaba? :) It is tricky (read politically difficult) to cross from Jordan into Israel and then to go back to Jordan again in a single day. This is why no HAL tours are offered into Israel. Not feasible according to me and in all cases, it would not be a good idea anyway to get an Israel stamp in your passport....this detail could prevent you from being allowed to disembark in some other ports of the WC. When we visited Israel in 2000, we crossed into Jordan for one week and it was a real headache. Our Israel guide had to stay behind in Israel and when we came back to continue the tour in Israel, the members of our group were seached and interrogated for over one hour. Israel is a trip in itself. Go another time. Check with your TA (about the stamp to be avoided in your passport and the difficulty to enter Istrael direvcty from a muslim country) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwissMyst Posted July 30, 2010 #8 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Two places outside Aqaba: - Wadi Rum which is where Lawrence of Arabia was filmed and Petra - which should not be missed - it does take some walking so if this is not easy for you, be sure to see how this can be accommodated. Scuba/snorkeling in Aqaba is one of the main draws staying in town itself, as well as poking around its older part of town and fort. Food is great but there is little of merit in the town itself other than a warm vacation destination, particularly if you are a diver. One of the more famous spots is called the Saudi Border Wall where you can see the Saudi Arabia border station while they got to look at us female divers getting into our wetsuits - Alcazar Hotel has a dive/swim resort Club Murjan, out of town to enjoy getting away from it all. http://www.alcazarhotel.com/clubmurjan.htm It will be a very rushed trip and a lot of driving but Petra is the key spot down here. However, Jordan is so fascinating and so easy to get around that this whole country is a worthy destination for a return visit on your own. Some of the nicest and most welcoming people you will meet anywhere. Low costs, great food, dazzling historical sights, safe, English widely spoken, Tourism Police at all main spots, and really nice Euro standard hotels - this country has it all for the tourist. And they like them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nijh Posted July 31, 2010 #9 Share Posted July 31, 2010 We are on 2011 world into Aqaba We thought there might be a tour into Jerusalem its olny 190 miles away has anyone done this trip besides Lawrence of Arabia. Is there much todo in Aqaba? :) As others have said - Petra, forget anything else for Aqaba, Petra is one of the most fantastic places you will ever visit. Can any of you who have done this give me any words I might tell my wife to assuage her (in my opinion completely unfounded) anxiety? I'd love to tell you something to assuage her fears, but I simply don't know what those fears are, there are so many places in the world that one could class as dangerous, but Jordan on a tourist route is not one of them. If you're going to hang around the Israeli border and make vaguely threating gestures then that's another matter, but a tourist bus, in convoy with perhaps another 10 or so on a 2 hour drive - no problem at all. In fact if you have any problem I'll come out and rescue you myself :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billie5 Posted July 31, 2010 #10 Share Posted July 31, 2010 If nijh stands for ninja, I might take you up on that. :) Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nijh Posted July 31, 2010 #11 Share Posted July 31, 2010 If nijh stands for ninja, I might take you up on that. :) Bill :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenny wren Posted July 31, 2010 #12 Share Posted July 31, 2010 We felt very safe in Jordan when calling in at Aqaba...on our first visit we went to Petra on a ships trip, on another occasion we did a trip to a nature reserve and we also spent some time just wandering on our own in Aqaba...never did we feel under any threat from anyone...not even hassle from the shopkeepers!! To visit Jerusalem it is probably best to choose an itinerary which goes to Ashdod on the Eastern Mediterranean coast ....we called here on a Thomson cruise this year...but I believe Celebrity and perhaps RCI also call there. We visited Ashdod and Haifa and no Israeli stamp was put in our passport!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjones Posted July 31, 2010 #13 Share Posted July 31, 2010 I was in Jordan with a tour group. It was so interesting, I returned the next year alone, a 67-y.o. female. I hired a guide for Petra but was otherwise alone. I never felt threatened or intimidated (but I travel solo most of the time, so I'm somewhat used to being out of comfort zones). You should be fine if you stick with a tour group. Jordan is part of the Holy Land and has many wonderful sites. Petra is fascinating, especially with a knowledgeable guide. Jordan and Egypt depend on tourism economically, so the governments work very hard to promote tourist safety. However, radicals can appear anywhere - New York, for instance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CtheW0rld Posted August 1, 2010 #14 Share Posted August 1, 2010 pera is amazing. i took a ship's tour and never felt unsafe. some crew members took a cab and they had much more time at petra than we did. we were specifically told NOT to cross into israel. if we did, we were told we would not be allowed back onto the ship because so many countries deny entry if you have an israel stamp in your passport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cruisemom42 Posted August 1, 2010 #15 Share Posted August 1, 2010 Not feasible according to me and in all cases, it would not be a good idea anyway to get an Israel stamp in your passport....this detail could prevent you from being allowed to disembark in some other ports of the WC. .... Check with your TA (about the stamp to be avoided in your passport and the difficulty to enter Istrael direvcty from a muslim country) We visited Ashdod and Haifa and no Israeli stamp was put in our passport!! we were specifically told NOT to cross into israel. if we did, we were told we would not be allowed back onto the ship because so many countries deny entry if you have an israel stamp in your passport. I am confused. Is crossing into Israel from Jordan different than doing so from other places? I have read specifically (as relates to the cruise I'm taking in September) that Israeli authorities will not stamp your passport, but instead will give you a separate piece of paper to avoid this problem. I am planning a land visit to Israel in March and I have heard the same is true when arriving at the airport -- just request that they not stamp your passport, and they will do it. However, I am also going to Jordan for a few days while I'm there. Does this mean that they WILL stamp your passport going back from Jordan to Israel? :confused::confused: Why would it be different from other places? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenny wren Posted August 1, 2010 #16 Share Posted August 1, 2010 [ However, I am also going to Jordan for a few days while I'm there. Does this mean that they WILL stamp your passport going back from Jordan to Israel? :confused::confused: Why would it be different from other places? It might be worth giving your Israeli Embassy a call and asking them what the situation will be ! We have been to Israel by air and our passports were stamped....we have also been by sea and our passports were not stamped...our understanding was (this was several years ago) that it was not an easy task crossing into Jordan and returning to Israel over land so we did not do it !!:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cruisemom42 Posted August 1, 2010 #17 Share Posted August 1, 2010 [ However, I am also going to Jordan for a few days while I'm there. Does this mean that they WILL stamp your passport going back from Jordan to Israel? :confused::confused: Why would it be different from other places? It might be worth giving your Israeli Embassy a call and asking them what the situation will be ! We have been to Israel by air and our passports were stamped....we have also been by sea and our passports were not stamped...our understanding was (this was several years ago) that it was not an easy task crossing into Jordan and returning to Israel over land so we did not do it !!:) Thanks; a good idea re: contacting the embassy. I am going on a 3-day tour into Jordan from Israel; my understanding is that they facilitate the crossing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwissMyst Posted August 1, 2010 #18 Share Posted August 1, 2010 I remember going to Russia back in the cold war days of the 1970's and they did not stamp the passport but a separate form, which you had to carry and return after departure. So the passport was silent about any travel to Russia -- don't know if this was their requirement, their foreign policy statement, or some sort of treaty arrangement, or if it only applied to US citizens. And this also applied to other Warsaw Pact countries as well at that time as I also did not get a Yugoslavia stamp on a cruise ship stop for the same reasons, just a slip of paper stamped instead. Wonder if this is possible to avoid all the Israeli passport stamp controversy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-Roo-Zers Posted August 2, 2010 #19 Share Posted August 2, 2010 We are on 2011 world into Aqaba We thought there might be a tour into Jerusalem its olny 190 miles away has anyone done this trip besides Lawrence of Arabia. Is there much todo in Aqaba? :) Agree entirely re Petra - it is a must see! We did a tour from the ship (Oceania) and there was lots of walking, although we missed out on seeing lots and we didn't know how much was on offer. In hindsight, we would have given up lunch if we had know what else was on offer. Our guide moved at a decent pace, and if you suffer from mobility problems, I would be wary. Some people opted for the horse and carriage rides, but we watched in horror as the occupants were flung around as if they were in a "spin dryer". Just be warned! Petra was one of the highlights of our cruise. Highly recommended. When you first see the treasury .... ahhh ... it is something I will never forget!! Please go and let us all know what you thought!! Nicki Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nijh Posted August 2, 2010 #20 Share Posted August 2, 2010 .....no problem at all. In fact if you have any problem I'll come out and rescue you myself :) Aah.... :o http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-10807166 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy trailer Posted August 2, 2010 #21 Share Posted August 2, 2010 Aah.... :o http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-10807166 It's only the second or third time this has ever happened; in general both Aqaba and Eilat are free of terror attacks and rockets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy trailer Posted August 2, 2010 #22 Share Posted August 2, 2010 I am going on a 3-day tour into Jordan from Israel; my understanding is that they facilitate the crossing. Hi Cynthia, Crossing from Israel to Jordan and back via either air or land is easy, and done every day by Israelis and tourists from all over the world. DH makes the trip by air and also via the northern crossing, but he once crossed at Allenby (near Jerusalem) and saw diplomats having stamps put on separate sheets of paper rather than inside their passports, so I imagine you could probably ask for the same at any border crossing. I have heard of non- Israeli independent 'day trip' tourists having a bit of a delay crossing back into Israel by land, but never of anyone who stayed overnight in Jordan having a problem or any sort of delay returning to Israel. Israeli friends who went on one day organized tours from Eilat to Petra also reported no problems; I would imagine that if you are on any sort of organized tour you'll have an easy crossing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nijh Posted August 2, 2010 #23 Share Posted August 2, 2010 It's only the second or third time this has ever happened; in general both Aqaba and Eilat are free of terror attacks and rockets. Easy for you to say - you're not the one trying on Ninja suits ready for an extraction of billie5 :D Seriously though, happy trailer is right, this kind of thing is a rare occurence and it should never put anyone off visiting somewhere, otherwise they win and we sit at home looking at pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy trailer Posted August 2, 2010 #24 Share Posted August 2, 2010 Easy for you to say - you're not the one trying on Ninja suits ready for an extraction of billie5 :D. Know you're joking, but...um.. if you notice, I do live in Israel..:rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nijh Posted August 2, 2010 #25 Share Posted August 2, 2010 Know you're joking, but...um.. if you notice, I do live in Israel..:rolleyes: I did notice - I was just referring to earlier posts on page 1 where I offered to rescue Bill and his wife. No offence meant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.