Beirut, Lebanon shore excursions

[Capricruiser]

I'm thinking about booking an MSC cruise for April/May 2011 that has a port call at Beirut. I can't find hardly anything about Beirut as a cruise port. Does anyone have any experiences to share, particularly regarding shore excursions?

[cruisemom42]

Beirut is not a common port of call for most ships, so you probably won't find much information here. I am on a cruise leaving in a few weeks that calls in to Beirut, and I am doing a full-day tour of the ancient ruins of Baalbeck (or Heliopolis), which dates mainly from Roman times and are quite extensive. This is one of the main reasons why I decided to take this cruise, together with the chance to see Palmyra in Syria.

[Kerry's Girls]

Beirut is not a common port of call for most ships, so you probably won't find much information here. I am on a cruise leaving in a few weeks that calls in to Beirut, and I am doing a full-day tour of the ancient ruins of Baalbeck (or Heliopolis), which dates mainly from Roman times and are quite extensive. This is one of the main reasons why I decided to take this cruise, together with the chance to see Palmyra in Syria.

 

What line is this? It sounds amazing!

 

Best,

Mia

[Capricruiser]

Cruisemom, thanks for the info. I'm hoping that MSC will offer a tour to Baalbek because I too have always wanted to visit there. I agree that you don't see Beirut on cruise itineraries and for this reason I jumped when I found this cruise in the new MSC catalog. I echo Kerrygirls' question, what line/ship are you booked on?

[jotabecu]

Hapag Lloyd also stops in Beirut.

 

 

http://www.hl-cruises.com/redwork/do.php?layoutid=100&node=161156&language=2

[cruisemom42]

I am on the new specialty cruise line called Voyages to Antiquity. Their ship, Aegean Odyssey is very small, carrying just under 600 passengers max. They have an interesting premise -- the trips are in-depth, with guest lecturers on board, and almost all shore excursions are included in the cost of the cruise. In addition, wine is free with dinner, and no gratuities. Most of their cruises are 10-14 days, although you can string several together.

 

In the Spring/Summer they did a lot of the more northern Mediterranean ports, but their last few cruises of the season feature North African and Middle Eastern ports. The cruise I am on starts in Cairo (hotel) then Luxor (hotel), then we join our ship in Safaga, cruise through the Suez canal (after visiting St. Catherine's Monastery), overnight in Syria (to see Krak des Chevaliers, Palmyra, and Aleppo), then Beirut (Baalbek), Antalya, Crete, and we finish in Athens.

 

Unfortunately, the company got a bit of a rocky start this season and got some bad reviews. I was lucky enough to book at the beginning and got a very good rate with no single supplement. My airfare was included (and I think they are still offering that on cruises next year if you book by the end of December 2010).

 

When all equivalent costs are compared (e.g., cost of cruise plus excursions plus airfare plus gratuities, etc), this very unusual cruise will actually end up costing significantly less than the HAL Eastern Med/Israel cruise I recently completed....;)

 

Everything I've heard about them lately points to the fact that they've cleared up any early problems and I can expect a wonderful cruise. I have already tentatively reserved a cabin for their cruise next year to North Africa, as Leptis Magna is another place that has long been high on my list of places to visit.

 

In case you want to read more, this is their website:

 

http://us.voyagestoantiquity.com/

 

 

I'm really looking forward to it!

[jotabecu]

I am on the new specialty cruise line called Voyages to Antiquity. Their ship, Aegean Odyssey is very small, carrying just under 600 passengers max. They have an interesting premise -- the trips are in-depth, with guest lecturers on board, and almost all shore excursions are included in the cost of the cruise. In addition, wine is free with dinner, and no gratuities. Most of their cruises are 10-14 days, although you can string several together.

 

In the Spring/Summer they did a lot of the more northern Mediterranean ports, but their last few cruises of the season feature North African and Middle Eastern ports. The cruise I am on starts in Cairo (hotel) then Luxor (hotel), then we join our ship in Safaga, cruise through the Suez canal (after visiting St. Catherine's Monastery), overnight in Syria (to see Krak des Chevaliers, Palmyra, and Aleppo), then Beirut (Baalbek), Antalya, Crete, and we finish in Athens.

 

Unfortunately, the company got a bit of a rocky start this season and got some bad reviews. I was lucky enough to book at the beginning and got a very good rate with no single supplement. My airfare was included (and I think they are still offering that on cruises next year if you book by the end of December 2010).

 

When all equivalent costs are compared (e.g., cost of cruise plus excursions plus airfare plus gratuities, etc), this very unusual cruise will actually end up costing significantly less than the HAL Eastern Med/Israel cruise I recently completed....;)

 

Everything I've heard about them lately points to the fact that they've cleared up any early problems and I can expect a wonderful cruise. I have already tentatively reserved a cabin for their cruise next year to North Africa, as Leptis Magna is another place that has long been high on my list of places to visit.

 

In case you want to read more, this is their website:

 

http://us.voyagestoantiquity.com/

 

 

I'm really looking forward to it!

 

 

 

I have been looking at their trips and will consider booking with them 2011 or more likely 2012.

[cruisemom42]

Cruisemom, thanks for the info. I'm hoping that MSC will offer a tour to Baalbek because I too have always wanted to visit there. I agree that you don't see Beirut on cruise itineraries and for this reason I jumped when I found this cruise in the new MSC catalog. I echo Kerrygirls' question, what line/ship are you booked on?

 

It sounds like the tour we're getting to Baalbek is a standard sort of full-day tour, so hopefully they will also offer it on your MSC cruise. How long are you in port?

 

 

I have been looking at their trips and will consider booking with them 2011 or more likely 2012.

 

I plan to post a full review here when I get back, if you're interested I'll try to remember to update this post with a link when it gets published.

[jotabecu]

It sounds like the tour we're getting to Baalbek is a standard sort of full-day tour, so hopefully they will also offer it on your MSC cruise. How long are you in port?

 

 

 

 

I plan to post a full review here when I get back, if you're interested I'll try to remember to update this post with a link when it gets published.

 

Thanks.

I also ordered the current brochure.

[Capricruiser]

It sounds like the tour we're getting to Baalbek is a standard sort of full-day tour, so hopefully they will also offer it on your MSC cruise. How long are you in port?

 

The MSC Melody will be at Beirut from 07.00 to 17.00 so with ten hours I hope to make it to Baalbek.

I looked up your cruise line's website and it appears very interesting. Regarding Leptis Magna, we visited there a couple weeks ago off the Costa Mediterranea. The tour offered by the Libyans took about seven hours and included lunch served under a huge tent. The site is fantastic but the tour organizers weren't geared up for such a large number of excursionists and we literally swamped Leptis with buses and tour groups. Hope you get there soon.

[7continentKaren]

Were there Americans on board your trip to Libya and, if so, were they allowed off the ship? Also, have a great time on Romantica. We took that cruise in March, 2010. Broke my foot on Praslin so be aware that some of their hikes can be somewhat rigorous. Fabulous itinerary. We did a back to back and added Mauritius to Singapore. Ship is not what you are going for! Food is nasty. Try to get lunch at your stops as a special treat.

[Capricruiser]

Thanks Karen for your reply.

1. Americans at Libya. Yes, there were three and one of them was me. Absolutely no problems going ashore.

2. I've read your other posts about your Praslin experiences and I'll definitely be careful not to step on coconuts.

3. Having sailed on many Costa ships I find it hard to believe that the Romantica's kitchen turns out nasty food. I've always found it to be quite good, especially in the MDR.

Anyone for Beirut?

[7continentKaren]

Food on Romantica depends on your grease tolerance. Mine was low after a gall bladder operation. Food was floating in grease, esp on the buffet line. In the pizza restaurant, they served pepperoni pizza with hot dog slices passing for pepperoni. Said pepperoni only means sausage and hot dogs are sausage! You tell me...

[cruisemom42]

I recently returned from a cruise with Voyages to Antiquity. Included in the cost of the cruise was a full-day excursion to ancient Baalbek. No other excursions were offered, although the ship made available some helpful information on the sites and getting around in Beirut for anyone who did not wish to take the excursion.

 

We were warned in advance that the site is about 2 hours by bus. We left the ship after an hour's delay. (Syrian authorities decided that morning they needed copies of all our passports, apparently never mentioned in any pre-cruise discussions with VtoA!) The bus sped quickly through Beirut and we didn't get to see much of it; what we did see looked sadly ravaged.

 

Straightaway we started to climb up into the mountains. Our guide told us that most Lebanese in the area have a winter home on the coast (i.e., around Beirut) and a summer home in the mountains to escape the heat. Indeed, we did see some nice looking homes made from local stone as we drove past.

 

We were soon driving through the heartland of Hezbollah, which unfortunately surrounds the entire area (the Beka'a Valley) around the site of Baalbek. In addition to the many banners and posters of Hezbollah leaders) and of course Hezbollah flags, it's amazing to see so many high-end Mercedes and BMW cars -- all with dark windows -- everywhere in this area. I tried to do a little research as to whether the cars are bought with the large amount of funding for Hezbollah coming out of Iran and Syria, whether it's a result of other illegal activities (drug smuggling was suggested), or something else. At any rate, it's unnerving, and on every block is an auto repair shop or garage to service all the luxury cars.

 

In just under 2 hours, we arrived at Baalbek. We stopped first at the site of one of the ancient quarries used to obtain the massive stones used to build the temples. One huge foundation stone was left at the site, half-buried, never used for some reason. Its size boggles the mind -- its weight is estimated at 1,000 tons and it may be one of the largest monolithic stones ever quarried. Local Arabic legend says that a pregnant woman appeared at the site and told them she knew how the stone could be moved if they would provide her with food and shelter until her child was born. Apparently this was just a ruse, as the stone stiill remains....

 

After this, we drove about a mile to the Baalbek site. It is simply enormous. Most of the ruins date from the Roman period. However, the scale of the building resembles no other Roman-era ruins I've seen; perhaps more like the monumental scale of some Egyptian temples. Our guide was very good and walked us through the huge gate, into the Great Court, and around the ruins of the Temple of Baal (which eventually became equated with Jupiter by the Romans), all the while explaining what a huge "tourist attraction" it was in ancient times. Hundreds of religious pilgrims visited it each day. He told us how they would have been instructed what to do at the temple, where they bought their sacrifical lamb or chicken, and how the sacrifices took place.

 

We then thoroughly explored the much-less ruined temple of Bacchus, to the side. This gigantic temple is still smaller than the Baal/Jupiter temple would've been. The ornate carvings, columns, and interior/exterior architectural elements are very well-preserved. The weather was beautiful, mild, sunny, and great for photos. We had ample time with our guide and then a few minutes for photos before leaving the site.

 

After this, it was already around 2:00 pm and we had another longish drive to lunch, which was at a restaurant in Zahleh, overlooking a scenic river (not too scenic when we were there, due to severe drought over the past several months). The food was delicious, served family-style, and included a large variety of mezzes, grilled meats and kofta, rice, etc. At the entrance of the restaurant, you could see the fresh pita bread being made.

 

After this, we headed back to Beirut to board the ship. By the time we once again reached the city (around 5:00 pm), it was already dark, so again we did not see much of it. However, the trip to Baalbek was definitely one I will long remember. The sheer size of it has to be experienced to be believed.

[Capricruiser]

Cruisemom, thanks for your Baalbek report. I'm looking forward to the same experience in May 2011. At least then the days will be longer and lighter so I'll have a chance to see a bit of Beirut as we roll through.

[Capricruiser]

I'm happy to report that MSC has finally published the rèsume of their Baalbek shore excursion on 3 May: Two hours by bus from Beirut (leave ship approx 07.30) to Baalbek, visit site, lunch, back to Beirut for a drive around, back on ship by 17.00. Adult cost €97.00. Hope it goes well, I'm really looking forward to it.

[cruisemom42]

I know you will enjoy it. Here are a couple of photos I took there:

 

 

 

 

Note how tiny the people appear at the base of the column on the far right. :D

[Capricruiser]

Beautiful photos Cruisemom. Thanks for sharing.

[Capricruiser]

My one day in Lebanon was a very positive experience and the visit to Baalbek was awesome even though I've seen hundreds of other Roman antiquity sites, large and small. In our two hour bus trip across Lebanon from Beirut to Baalbek, several things have remained fixed in my mind: Lebanon is a small but beautiful country with green fields, forests, and spectacular mountain scenery. Many, many buildings in the countryside are abandoned with ample evidence of the civil war that ended little more than a decade ago - walls with shrapnel and bullet holes abound. Lebanese military presence everywhere. Much infrastructure construction is going on and the major cross-country roads are becoming four-lane divided motorways. Downtown Beirut itself has been almost totally restored to its former splendor with neat little outside cafès and chic shops and restaurants that make you think you're in Paris. In short, it's a country that would be well worth returning to for a stay of at least a week or more.

[cruisemom42]

Glad you made it there and that you reported back.

 

Isn't Baalbek "monumental"? (Makes you realize how overused that word is......;)