Odyssey of the seas Holy land cruise, my thoughts.

[Shrewsbury on Tour]

Good afternoon/ evening to all.

 

I have asked plenty of questions prior to this cruise, would be more than happy to answer any questions that anyone has about the odyssey or the itinerary itself. My thoughts as follows.

 

Positives…

Very quick boarding 

Great drinks

Speciality restaurants great apart from Wonderland!!!! Dining package worked in Pub, Playmakers and Wine Bar. Fantastic.
Non management staff, awesome as always.They make the cruise. Bravo

Exceptional bar staff.

Not busy, no queues etc

Fantastic stateroom. Immaculate every day.
Flowrider, Bumper cars, Ifly awesome.

Great ports apart from Haifa and Dead Sea (Ashdod)

Good quizzes and varied entertainment.

Plenty of seating.

Stand out members of staff…

La Toyah and George in the Pub

Joanna in the Schooner

They went above and beyond.

Negatives….

Wonderland worst restaurant I’ve been to, style over substance. Some food just not edible. Tomato water simply vulgar… It’s just not good. 

 

Cruise director and Activity manager, only show their face at premium venues 270 and theatres . Never seen in bars for quizzes etc, Just don’t get how some folk swoon all over them. Just not good enough.

 

Too much shopping, it’s like a shopping centre selling tat all day and night. Selling so called brands at 80% off it’s just a con, hundreds fall for it… Needs a another resturant and bar instead of all the retail outlets. Even the normal goods in duty free are 3 to 4 times more expensive than back home.

 

Toilet paper, bloody hell. Please use a different brand. It’s like grease proof paper.

Haifa, absolute waste of a port it’s just a visa stop port. 

£12 for a pint in Israel wow…
Dead Sea, is a complete dump, and that’s being nice, it’s disgusting vile cess pit.

 

Overall, despite above. We loved the ship and the cruise. The day to day staff fly the flag.

Sad to be back home. Roll on next cruise.

 

Cheers

 

 

 

[Jkaczanowski]

We’re booked Odyssey Holy Land May 2023.  If you don’t mind me asking, what were the waits like getting off the ship in Ashdod and Haifa?

[Shrewsbury on Tour]

Hi,

We docked at Haifa first, everyone has leave the ship to get their Israel visa. Some get straight back on, some go on excursions some go independently into Haifa. You collect a ticket the day before, a lot of folks who booked independent excursions lost out because they did not leave the ship until 3pm. 

 

We went into Haifa, asides from the German colony garden which was closed. There’s nothing there.

 

Ashdod, we booked a independent tour with a local company. Got off fine, it’s busy but ok. The old Jerusalem is incredible. As mentioned earlier the Dead Sea is not.

 

 Thanks 

[dani negreanu]

2 hours ago, Shrewsbury on Tour said:

Great ports apart from Haifa and Dead Sea (Ashdod)

 

Calling the port of Ashdod "Dead Sea" is like calling La Spezia "Firenze"....

[time4u2go]

3 hours ago, Shrewsbury on Tour said:

Dead Sea, is a complete dump, and that’s being nice, it’s disgusting vile cess pit.

I'm curious what exactly you mean by this. The Dead Sea is quite large. I have been several times and it's pretty much what I expected.

[Ashland]

Interesting comments...this just reinforces that this itinerary isn't one to add to my list.

[xpcdoojk]

Some should travel and some should stay home.  

 

Reminds me after watching the Ring thing on Prime, the expression that all who wander are not lost, but some are.🤣

 

 

[Tin can]

On 10/19/2022 at 9:33 PM, Shrewsbury on Tour said:

 

We docked at Haifa first, everyone has leave the ship to get their Israel visa. Some get straight back on, some go on excursions some go independently into Haifa. You collect a ticket the day before, a lot of folks who booked independent excursions lost out because they did not leave the ship until 3pm. 

 

 

 

This is an old thread that I found and hopefully your still about.  I'm curious why it took so long to get off the ship in Israel as you have confirmed what I have read elsewhere that independent tour folk have missed their trips. I'm a bit confused at the requirement for a ticket to leave the ship.

 

I'm looking at a 2024 Holy Land trip that only stops in Ashod for a day, Jerusalem DIY is possible from there but not if stuck on the ship until late afternoon.

[FionaMG]

1 hour ago, Tin can said:

 

This is an old thread that I found and hopefully your still about.  I'm curious why it took so long to get off the ship in Israel as you have confirmed what I have read elsewhere that independent tour folk have missed their trips. I'm a bit confused at the requirement for a ticket to leave the ship.

 

I'm looking at a 2024 Holy Land trip that only stops in Ashod for a day, Jerusalem DIY is possible from there but not if stuck on the ship until late afternoon.

I know the answer to this because coincidentally I was reading a blog post elsewhere just yesterday that mentioned it.

Apparently the Israeli authorities require everyone arriving on a cruise ship to do face-to-face immigration and on a big ship that can take hours. The blogger in question heard about this in advance and discovered that you get priority if you've booked an excursion through the ship. They cancelled their independent arrangements and booked a ship-sponsored tour instead and had no issues. They said if ever there was a place where it paid off to book through the ship, this was it. 

[Tin can]

39 minutes ago, FionaMG said:

I know the answer to this because coincidentally I was reading a blog post elsewhere just yesterday that mentioned it.

Apparently the Israeli authorities require everyone arriving on a cruise ship to do face-to-face immigration and on a big ship that can take hours. The blogger in question heard about this in advance and discovered that you get priority if you've booked an excursion through the ship. They cancelled their independent arrangements and booked a ship-sponsored tour instead and had no issues. They said if ever there was a place where it paid off to book through the ship, this was it. 

 

Thank you for confirming that, its very useful.

 

I do quite fancy DIY Jerusalem as it seems straight forward from Ashdod and I dont think it suits large bus sightseeing. A ship tour needs considering though as nothing would be worse than being stuck on the ship.

 

I'm wondering if a suite concierge can help getting off the ship like they can with normal tenders. I have a rough idea what 3no Jerusalem ship tours would cost and that cost added to our stateroom purchase for the cruise we are looking at wouldn't be too far off upgrading to a qualifying suite.

 

Thank you again for your quick response to the query.

Edited November 23, 2022 by Tin can

[dani negreanu]

1 hour ago, Tin can said:

I do quite fancy DIY Jerusalem as it seems straight forward from Ashdod

 

 The key word here is "seems"....

 

The main points of interest in Jerusalem are in the old city, with narrow streets/lanes.

 

Besides, the traffic to and from Jerusalem is horrendous.

 

In one word (or two), I wouldn't attempt it alone. A reliable private tour company + suite with priority perks will be the only way to go.

 

On second thoughts -- you don't have another stop in Haifa? That will give you the advantage of spending the night in Jerusalem and then travel from there to Haifa, to board the ship again.

[njkruzer]

On 10/19/2022 at 3:33 PM, Shrewsbury on Tour said:

Hi,

We docked at Haifa first, everyone has leave the ship to get their Israel visa. Some get straight back on, some go on excursions some go independently into Haifa. You collect a ticket the day before, a lot of folks who booked independent excursions lost out because they did not leave the ship until 3pm. 

 

We went into Haifa, asides from the German colony garden which was closed. There’s nothing there.

 

Ashdod, we booked a independent tour with a local company. Got off fine, it’s busy but ok. The old Jerusalem is incredible. As mentioned earlier the Dead Sea is not.

 

 Thanks 

I'm confused.  You don't need a visa for Israel. We've been there a few times. They give you something so you don't need to pay taxes at hotel, but for US citizens no visa. Sounds like something we did in St. Petersburg where we did need a visa.

[dani negreanu]

5 hours ago, njkruzer said:

I'm confused.

 

It's not a visa. It's a "piece of paper" (border control) you'll have to keep with your passport, in order to gain entry.

 

That's instead of stamping your passport with an Israeli entry, should you need to travel to Arab countries, which "frown upon" those who had visited Israel.....

[Tin can]

18 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 

 The key word here is "seems"....

 

The main points of interest in Jerusalem are in the old city, with narrow streets/lanes.

 

Besides, the traffic to and from Jerusalem is horrendous.

 

In one word (or two), I wouldn't attempt it alone. A reliable private tour company + suite with priority perks will be the only way to go.

 

On second thoughts -- you don't have another stop in Haifa? That will give you the advantage of spending the night in Jerusalem and then travel from there to Haifa, to board the ship again.

 

Thank you for that, you make a good point about it 'seeming' simple.

 

Would you always recommend a guide for Jerusalem, another option is we visit on a land holiday from the UK. We always tour ourselves but I think with so much religious history we may miss some important facts and arranging entrance to some of the important sites may be difficult.

 

Thank you again for your advice.

[dani negreanu]

1 hour ago, Tin can said:

We always tour ourselves but I think with so much religious history

 

We're also DIY people, but a one day visit to Jerusalem wouldn't do it justice. There are places were a skilled guide would be worthwhile.

 

For just a day in Israel, you might think of a relaxing day at the Dead Sea, and a land vacation in Jerusalem, and other religious places, in your own pace.

[njkruzer]

5 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 

It's not a visa. It's a "piece of paper" (border control) you'll have to keep with your passport, in order to gain entry.

 

That's instead of stamping your passport with an Israeli entry, should you need to travel to Arab countries, which "frown upon" those who had visited Israel.....

Ok.  Remember that but I remember it as the slip I gave to the hotel so they didn't charge us tax!

[dani negreanu]

45 minutes ago, njkruzer said:

Ok.  Remember that but I remember it as the slip I gave to the hotel so they didn't charge us tax!

 

That's the "visa" 😉

[njkruzer]

20 minutes ago, dani negreanu said:

 

That's the "visa" 😉

Got it!