Celebrity Constellation November 6 2011: advice for shore excursions?

[Jungatheart]

Hi, my husband & I have done 25 cruises in the past 10 years and our favorite way to travel. We've just booked this cruise as a way to get to East Coast USA for Christmas without flying (also doing Celebrity Solstice from November 28th to Florida with 8 days in Barcelona). Most times, we do our own research and either bargain with the locals once we get off the ship for excursions or rent scooters, hop on a tram, etc. However, we are really out of our element on this cruise. We are not religious, but drawn to art history and being open to the whole experience, as we will probably never go back. There is an overnight in Jerusalem, even though the port is listed as: Jerusalem/TelAviv (Ashdod), which all look very far apart! So does the boat get into Ashdod or Tel Aviv? We do not want to do an overnight private tour, but wondering if we should play it safe and go with the masses onto a Celebrity excursion or book with a private agency? The second port is "Nazareth/Galilee (Haifa) which seem so many options. We would like to just cram as much as we can and have someone give us the history and take in the beauty but I am mystified as to which itinerary to choose. Again, play it safe with Celebrity or take a risk? We are also budget-minded and don't have alot of cash to just fork out for a private van. Also wary of the ship arriving on time or Celebrity letting all of their own excurion people out first and us missing out for whatever reason. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[Bonnie J.]

Check with the Roll Call here on cruisecritic and see what others are doing. From Roll Calls we have set up our own private sunset snorkeling in Aruba, feeding turtles in Barbadoes having a cabbie drive us all over Nassau, etc.

[cruisemom42]

In Israel, the southern port you'll be in is Ashdod, which is a good distance from Jerusalem (about 90 minutes). Tel Aviv is further south along the coast, not sure exactly how long it will take from Ashdod if you want to go there directly.

 

Similarly, the northern port is Haifa, which is a jumping off spot for many sites, including Nazareth/Galilee, but again that area is a long way from the port itself. From Haifa you could also see Akko (Acre, the crusader city), or Caesarea, the famous Roman-era port constructed by Herod the Great and named for Caesar Augustus.

 

I would definitely consider a private tour here. If you read this board (the Africa/Middle East forum), you'll find a lot of recommendations for private tours and semi-private tours. I found the ships' tours (especially the overnights) to be very expensive through the cruiseline and most do not see as much as you could see on your own with a private guide -- even if you go back to the ship at night. Which is perfectly feasible for most itineraries and avoids an additional expense.

 

One thing you do need to do, however, if you want to go with a private tour -- make your arrangements in advance. Israel strictly regulates their private guides. They must be licensed and the cost doesn't vary much from guide to guide. You will not find guides waiting in port to make a deal on a day's tour. Often, I've read on here (and experienced myself) that the best guides book up early and even the semi-private tours that many take can fill up.

 

Hope this helps a bit!

[celyvabeach]

Hi, my husband & I have done 25 cruises in the past 10 years and our favorite way to travel. We've just booked this cruise as a way to get to East Coast USA for Christmas without flying (also doing Celebrity Solstice from November 28th to Florida with 8 days in Barcelona). Most times, we do our own research and either bargain with the locals once we get off the ship for excursions or rent scooters, hop on a tram, etc. However, we are really out of our element on this cruise. We are not religious, but drawn to art history and being open to the whole experience, as we will probably never go back. There is an overnight in Jerusalem, even though the port is listed as: Jerusalem/TelAviv (Ashdod), which all look very far apart! So does the boat get into Ashdod or Tel Aviv? We do not want to do an overnight private tour, but wondering if we should play it safe and go with the masses onto a Celebrity excursion or book with a private agency? The second port is "Nazareth/Galilee (Haifa) which seem so many options. We would like to just cram as much as we can and have someone give us the history and take in the beauty but I am mystified as to which itinerary to choose. Again, play it safe with Celebrity or take a risk? We are also budget-minded and don't have alot of cash to just fork out for a private van. Also wary of the ship arriving on time or Celebrity letting all of their own excurion people out first and us missing out for whatever reason. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

 

 

Please join the Nov 6th roll call. It a very active, friendly and helpful one with 83 pages of posts right now. People are still forming groups for private tours. Don't book with Celebrity it costs twice as much!

[Jungatheart]

Thanks so much for your advice! Even though we've done heaps of cruises, I welcome advice on how to join the "Roll Call" and joining others on shore excursions on the November 6th Celebrity Constellation with others---is it too late? Thanks very much!

[cruisemom42]

Thanks so much for your advice! Even though we've done heaps of cruises, I welcome advice on how to join the "Roll Call" and joining others on shore excursions on the November 6th Celebrity Constellation with others---is it too late? Thanks very much!

 

Here is a link to your roll call:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1304519

 

 

Or you can find it by going to the Roll Calls section (on the page that lists all the forums), then select Celebrity, then Constellation, and finally look for the thread with your sailing date.

 

It's not too late to join up, don't worry!

[celyvabeach]

Thanks so much for your advice! Even though we've done heaps of cruises, I welcome advice on how to join the "Roll Call" and joining others on shore excursions on the November 6th Celebrity Constellation with others---is it too late? Thanks very much!

 

 

 

Don't worry it's not too late. We have newcomers on the roll call and they are still forming excursion groups. Believe me it's a very helpful group you'll be glad you joined! Just ask and someone will direct you. And don't forget to join the "Connections Party" aka Meet & Greet there are 111 people signed up.

[Jungatheart]

Hi again, new to CC and the more I read the postings, the more questions I have! Just read some older postings on difficulty getting onshore with the local authorities if you are not on a ship excursion. Someone from a Royal Caribbean cruise posted that if you were not on RCCL excursion, you had to reserve and pay $20 to just get on a bus that will take you from the ship to the port! Same thing happened to us on RCCL in St. Petersburg, where we basically were forced into buying one of the ship's tours just to see the city. While I've been spending hours reading postings and looking into GTI's offerings, now I am second-guessing if Celebrity is going to do the same. Does anyone know what the deal is with going onshore at Ashdod and if a free shuttle will be provided by Celebrity? Many thanks in advance! Valerie

[cruisemom42]

Hi again, new to CC and the more I read the postings, the more questions I have! Just read some older postings on difficulty getting onshore with the local authorities if you are not on a ship excursion. Someone from a Royal Caribbean cruise posted that if you were not on RCCL excursion, you had to reserve and pay $20 to just get on a bus that will take you from the ship to the port! Same thing happened to us on RCCL in St. Petersburg, where we basically were forced into buying one of the ship's tours just to see the city. While I've been spending hours reading postings and looking into GTI's offerings, now I am second-guessing if Celebrity is going to do the same. Does anyone know what the deal is with going onshore at Ashdod and if a free shuttle will be provided by Celebrity? Many thanks in advance! Valerie

 

 

I'm not sure if I am correctly reading your post, but I will share the info that I have and perhaps you can clarify.

 

Are you talking about a difficulty in actually exiting the ship? Or in getting out of the port area to where taxis wait? Or are you talking about a shuttle into Jerusalem?? :confused:

 

On Holland America (HAL) -- and I've read that the other mass-market large cruises are similar -- you will have Israeli personnel board your ship prior to arrival in Israel. They will meet with every passenger, review your passport, ask you questions, and then will clear you. I cannot now remember exactly, but I believe you were given a piece of paper documenting that you were cleared (they did not stamp passports; there are some reasons why not everyone wants an Israeli stamp).

 

With that done on the day prior to arrival, HAL did not put any obstacles in the path of anyone wishing to exit the ship to meet a private tour or to DIY. However, they DID only have one gangway open and it took a while to get everyone off and sorted out. A few times, they stopped the flow of folks getting off to let a HAL tour group get through.

 

I had arranged for a private guide for a small group from our roll call. Once we exited the ship and walked through the terminal (where there was a checkpoint to look at your passport), our guide was waiting with our vehicle on the other side. I understand this is common and as long as you have a licensed guide, he/she should have no problem meeting you at this point.

 

If you are wanting to know about a ship shuttle to the port entrance, I do not believe one was offered. However, if you are asking about a ship shuttle from Ashdod to Jerusalem, it is a trip that takes 90 minutes to as much as 2 hours depending on traffic, and I doubt there is any cruiseline that would provide a free shuttle. Some may offer a "transportation only" option, but if that's the case, be prepared to pay for it, probably as much as $60 or more per person.

 

There is one taxi company that is allowed to access the port at Ashdod, and you can make arrangements for them to transport you to Jerusalem (and often can arrange with them to pick you up at a specific time and place for the drive back). If you get a ride back with a different taxi company, they can only drop you off at the port gate and you may have to walk quite a distance to your ship. This is all due to security restrictions in Israel and has nothing to do with the ship or cruiseline.

 

I hope that answers you questions at least somewhat. I'm not sure what you mean about St. Petersburg being similar as that is a visa situation with Russia and has nothing to do with the ship itself. If you don't have a visa, you can't get off the ship on your own. However, it is easy enough to arrange a private tour in advance, and all the reputable agencies cover you in that situation (e.g., you don't have to arrange your own visa).

[Packtogo]

I'm new to the boards, is anyone planning on private tours in Israel.....would be very interested in joining. We are thinking possibly about doing an overnight in Jerusalem.

[celyvabeach]

I'm new to the boards, is anyone planning on private tours in Israel.....would be very interested in joining. We are thinking possibly about doing an overnight in Jerusalem.

 

 

 

Please read post #6 on how to join your roll call. There's a very active roll call for the Nov 6th Holy Land cruise if you are on that sailing. You can still join private tours that the late comers are forming.