Ashdod and larnaca ports

[028snowball]

We are a family of 4.(3yr &1yr) Cruising on the celebration in September we plan on booking a few excursions but as you all know they can be pricey. Is there anything in Ashdod port or nearby to do even for a nice walk? And same with the larnaca port? Don't mind getting a taxi if it's not too far all suggestions welcome

[028snowball]

Any other suggestions welcome

[mollymoomoo]

We did this cruise last September on the Celebration. There is a good beach with plenty of sunbeds at Larnaca. Sea was lovely and warm. Thomson had a shuttle bus going there, didn't take long. Stayed on the ship at Ashdod, not a pretty port! Rhodes town is lovely and the ship docks right there!

[028snowball]

Thanks off the reply I think thomson seem to charge £18 for a beach transfer so will cost us £50 in Cyprus to go to a beach mag just decide to stay onboard and make good use of a quieter ship. I see you have been on celebration before can you remember if the children's pool is enclosed or is it near open rails?

[livingston]

We are on the Celebration in June Also going to Larnaca and Ashod If you send me details of anything you want toknow fron these ports I will try to find for you

[mollymoomoo]

Hi 028Snowball

Have replied on your other thread about the pools. It was only a couple of pounds to the beach as it was only a few minutes away by the shuttle bus. can't remember the exact price, the children might go free.

[naishie]

Went to Ashdod on spirit in April

Get the shuttle bus into Ashdod and 10 mins walk to the beach through a very nice park.

The beach is large and very clean with a promenade that you can walk along with some bars.

The shopping malls where the bus drops you off are also very good but expensive

[seaninplymouth]

I was on celebration earlier this month, the shuttle to Larnaca was £5 return each, quite a few shops, bars and restaurants as well as a very nice beach; definitely worth a fiver. The shuttle to Ashdod was free, Ashdod is like a normal city centre apart from the security barriers when trying to get in to the malls, they have all the shops you would expect to find at home. it's a short walk from the shuttle stop to the beach which again is worth a visit. It is much less conservative than Jerusalem - shorts and vests seem the norm. The duty free at the port was closed when we got to Ashdod. Lots of open wifi networks in both places to keep in touch with people at home and making facebook friends jealous with all your holiday snaps!

[028snowball]

Excellent replies everyone I was hoping there would be shuttles etc to nearby towns/beaches it'll save me a small fortune doing it this way are the shuttles in dependant companies just at the ports and easy to find?

[seaninplymouth]

The Ashdod shuttle was about one every 20 minutes in each direction, no prior booking needed but expect a lot of people to be on excursions - they will get priority when going through customs it took them about 2 hours to get everyone through customs, it is necessary even if you are not going ashore to go through passport control. Make sure you keep your passports on you when going into Israel to get back on board.

 

For the Larnaca shuttle you had to book at the main reception. They will give you a ticket which wasn't checked when we got on the bus at either end. The shuttles start and end at the ships gang way

Edited May 20, 2014 by seaninplymouth

[joeholiday2]

Don't do the Thomson beach transfer, the beach at Larnaca is nice, and you have the town centre just behind the prom too if you need some shopping.

[ronjae]

We are on the Celebration in June Also going to Larnaca and Ashod If you send me details of anything you want toknow fron these ports I will try to find for you

When are you on Livingston? We go 16th June for 2 weeks. Been on Dream twice but first time on Celebration.

[028snowball]

Great replies great info for the larnaca bus you say book at main reception is this at the port or do you mean onboard?

 

Also with the Ashdod shuttle I'm I better leaving it til mid morning maybe to avoid any wait times?

[028snowball]

Did you pay in there currency also or do they take euro ?

[joeholiday2]

Book the shuttles on board at ship's reception, they will charge it to your onboard account, no money changes hands on the ship, it all goes onto your account.

 

BTW, you may not know this but if you pay for your onboard account using a credit card they will charge you 2% extra, it's best to use a debit card as they don't charge for that. If you want to pay in cash you will be asked to deposit £200 when you board.

[seaninplymouth]

I would leave the Ashdod shuttle until later in the day. They will get everyone off the boat in the morning to go through passport control, most people think "we're off now so may as well wait for a shuttle" You will be waiting for ages if you do this and you're very limited as to where you can go in the port.

[028snowball]

I would leave the Ashdod shuttle until later in the day. They will get everyone off the boat in the morning to go through passport control, most people think "we're off now so may as well wait for a shuttle" You will be waiting for ages if you do this and you're very limited as to where you can go in the port.

 

Thanks for all you replies you've been a great help I will probably do all you've suggested

[livingston]

Hi Ronjae We are on from the 9th for a week. second week we are spending in Icmeler so we will be leaving ship as you boardbeen on Celebration once before Just hope its as good as it was then

[ronjae]

Hi Ronjae We are on from the 9th for a week. second week we are spending in Icmeler so we will be leaving ship as you boardbeen on Celebration once before Just hope its as good as it was then

 

Hi livingston, Hope you have a great time. We're looking forward to Celebration-wanted a change of itinerary this time. I'm sure we'll enjoy her as much as Dream.

[mtt]

last month on the spirit the ashdod shuttle bus driver dropped a woman off at the beach, but you have to walk to the shopping centre for coach back, the shopping centre was a waste of time though, not very good at all

[stokie96]

We are just about to book the Spirit for October and one of the ports is Ashdod, from there you can do tours of Jerusalem and Bethlehem I found a company called Tour Israel on Trip Advisor they have excellent reviews. We have used private tour companies on other cruises and they are normally cheaper than the ships tours and use smaller buses maybe up to 16 people.

Maybe a long day for the kids though

[dronnygirl]

We have just arrived back from this trip. We waited to see how far it is to walk into Larnaca rather than pay the £5 return shuttle. However, even though it doesn't look far, you have to walk about 15 mins to the port exit taking you in the opposite direction of the town. At the port gates there are taxis waiting and so we decided to take a taxi into the town (8 euros) - we then walked all round the town and decided to walk back to the ship. Quite tiring as it was very hot. With hindsight, we'd definitely book the shuttle for £5 from destination services (in the coffee lounge) but you need to book a couple of days before as the morning shuttles were booked up.

Ashdod - the free shuttle is brilliant and start at 9am. We took the bus at around 9.30 and got off in the town. We walked down the road (took a map from reception) and through a lovely park to the beach. Lovely beach and promenade, we had a drink in a cafe and people watched. Note the cafes take Shekels. The whole area is very new and much building but we enjoyed our morning out. The shopping centre is not worth visiting.

Anyone wanting to visit Tel Aviv can take the shuttle into Ashdod and there are taxis waiting at the bus stop. You can take a taxi into Tel Aviv and, on your return, ask the driver to drop you at the Sea Mall shopping centre where you can take the shuttle back to the ship. Unless taxis pay the large fee to enter the docks they are not allowed and you would need to be on the shuttle for re-entry into the docks as security would not just let you wander.