which ship for Israel and Turkey (Ephesus&Jerusalem) 2024

[MCARAB1]

NCL has 3 ships for October 2024 with stops for Turkey and Israel. The Dawn, Getaway,and Epic. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[ColeThornton]

They're all good ships. It would be helpful if you described your traveling party and what you like to do for people here to make recommendations.

[MCARAB1]

just my husband and self-will be 71 and 73 and he has knee issues but I’m very active. Really interested in Ephesus and Jerusalem for historical reasons 

[complawyer]

we're booked on the b2b dawn. trieste to athens, athens to tel aviv. each leg is 10 days next oct 2024

 

the getaway has always been one of my favorite ships, but due to the itineraries on the dawn i chose her.

 

by the way, the ruins at ephesus are amazing. dawn disembarks in tel aviv,,  but we intend to spend a 

few days in jerusalem. also trying to arrange any type of bus tour into jordan so we can possibly see petra. also flying into venice a few days prior to sailing

[yakcruiser]

The Dawn is a smaller more intimate ship. The Getaway is larger with more to do onboard. The Epic is also larger and very...lets say quirky. People either love the Epic or hate her.    Personally I would go with the cruise that gives you the most time in Israel. It still will not be enough time.

[MCARAB1]

thanks for the info. after more discussion, we decided we’re not that interested in the 2 ports in Egypt so will either be the NCL Epic or Celebrity Silhouette 

[complawyer]

mcaraba1. to each his own (i guess) but how can you not be interested in the Egyptian ports? seeing the great pyramids and the sphinx as well as cruising down the Nile has always been on my bucket list.

I don't understand how someone can go to Jerusalem and forego  Egypt when they're so close.

personally, I think you're doing yourself a major disservice, but again, that's just MHO

 

regardless, which ever cruise you finally choose, have a great time, and Bon Voyage!

[MCARAB1]

thanks for your input 🙂 After discussing options we’ve decided with either the Celebrity Silhouette which skips multiple ports but does go to Alexandria Egypt or the NCL Epic. Now it’s up to our cruise agent/advisor to get us the details on pricing and available cabins so SHOULD have a cruise for 2024 booked in a couple of weeks 

[DCGuy64]

3 hours ago, complawyer said:

mcaraba1. to each his own (i guess) but how can you not be interested in the Egyptian ports? seeing the great pyramids and the sphinx as well as cruising down the Nile has always been on my bucket list.

I don't understand how someone can go to Jerusalem and forego  Egypt when they're so close.

personally, I think you're doing yourself a major disservice, but again, that's just MHO

 

regardless, which ever cruise you finally choose, have a great time, and Bon Voyage!

I would agree, seeing Egypt would be amazing. I've never been, but a friend of mine was there in February. He said the stench of the camels and the throng of vendors with their hands constantly out was enough for him not to go back anytime soon!

[MCARAB1]

SO  I  Finally made a decision after reviewing all options between NCL and Celebrity for an itinerary that includes Ephesus and Jerusalem. WE’RE booked on NCL Dawn for 10/27 leaving from Athens and returning home (Victoria, Texas) from Istanbul. We have plenty of time to review excursion options for Port Said, Egypt as not too sure about that one but everything else is either on my bucket list or a bonus. We’re booked on an aft balcony on deck 10. Wanted to try this as have seen positive posts about views from this cabin location.

 

Any suggestions, recommendations or tips for the cabin, ship, or ports will be greatly appreciated.

[MCARAB1]

SORRY forgot to include year which is 2024. 

[complawyer]

hey, mcarab1, better check the itinerary. we're on the b2k venice to athens, athens to (and here's where you better check), the final port for this cruise is tel aviv, not istanbul

[MCARAB1]

You’re SO RIGHT. It was confusing looking back and forth between the 3 NCL ships and the Celebrity Silhouette. I’m really happy with our final decision and looking forward to the Sunset Veranda cabin 10230. Did note that the Thermal Spa is directly above it. On the NCL Beyond the spa was at the bow so didn’t even consider that it might be the next deck directly above. I do recall the Thermal Spa normally closed at 10pm on the Beyond so hopefully there won’t be a lot of noise overhead when we’re ready for bed.

 

Any info about pros/cons for these cabins/aft locations is greatly appreciated.

[MCARAB1]

BIG THANKS to complawyer and looking forward to meeting you on this cruise. We’re thinking about privately booking shore excursions so recommendations are appreciated.

[complawyer]

i dont want to interfere, but we've been on the dawn a few times (just got off a b2b on her), but maybe youre confusing the ships again. Dawn doesnt have a "sunset veranda cabin". On the dawn, some 2 bedroom suites get named after precious gems, but thats the extent of it.

what we usually do at most ports is hire a taxi. collectively, they seen to charge much less than a shore excursion. for the exception, im planning to take the excursions offered for alexandria and port said. 

my bucket list has always included the pyramids, and the sphinx. 

 

also, i dont think the "2" digit in the 3rd spot appears on any ncl cabin ( i could be wrong,, however)

[complawyer]

i stand corrected. please disregard the last sentence in my prior post

[MCARAB1]

20 hours ago, complawyer said:

hey, mcarab1, better check the itinerary. we're on the b2k venice to athens, athens to (and here's where you better check), the final port for this cruise is tel aviv, not istanbul

Thanks again, we’re in a aft balcony listed as SV on some sites but what ever it’s called it has a large balcony and cabin is larger than same location on 9 and 8

 

I have fun planning travels while Gary just goes unless he has a specific itinerary in mind 

 

Plenty of time to look forward to 10/2024

[complawyer]

my wife says im extra anal when it comes to booking cruises, hotels and airfare. while we're also excited to be able to see egypt, im also planning on spending a few extra days in jerusalem, and seeing if there are any tours to petra in jordan.

 

our mutual cruise leaves athens on oct 27th. if you have the time and inclination, check out the cruise 10 days prior, from venice to athens. if youve never been to venice, i think its a must see. this leg of the b2b also offers some amazing ports. we love santorini, mykonos and dubruvnik.

 

if you end up looking for me, im the one with a glass of champagne in one hand and an ice cold heineken in the other. 

 

we'll probably get off the ship in athens, grab a cab to the acropolis for a few hrs, then head on back for round 2.

btw, im prejudiced) but i think you made the right choice. i always pick ncl because in my opinion. it gives you the best  "bang for your buck"

[Turtles06]

On 8/26/2023 at 2:05 PM, MCARAB1 said:

BIG THANKS to complawyer and looking forward to meeting you on this cruise. We’re thinking about privately booking shore excursions so recommendations are appreciated.

That discussion is more appropriate for your Roll Call, and also the relevant Ports of Call forums. 

[9tee2Sea]

11 hours ago, complawyer said:

my wife says im extra anal when it comes to booking cruises, hotels and airfare. while we're also excited to be able to see egypt, im also planning on spending a few extra days in jerusalem, and seeing if there are any tours to petra in jordan.

 

our mutual cruise leaves athens on oct 27th. if you have the time and inclination, check out the cruise 10 days prior, from venice to athens. if youve never been to venice, i think its a must see. this leg of the b2b also offers some amazing ports. we love santorini, mykonos and dubruvnik.

 

if you end up looking for me, im the one with a glass of champagne in one hand and an ice cold heineken in the other. 

 

we'll probably get off the ship in athens, grab a cab to the acropolis for a few hrs, then head on back for round 2.

btw, im prejudiced) but i think you made the right choice. i always pick ncl because in my opinion. it gives you the best  "bang for your buck"

just beware of horrible traffic and crowds in Athens.   2 hours might just not be enough time. 

[complawyer]

turtles06. hey! was this comment even necessary? they were just saying thanks, for clarifying the port of disembarkation. what are the chances of actually meeting each other on the ship, unless cabin information is exchanged?

 

any way thank you for pointing out your information! im sure i wont be the only one with champagne and/or heineken. by the way, are you on this cruise? 

[MCARAB1]

Sorry for any confusion on proper protocol on posting. I’m not real tech savvy and don’t understand how to use this site to get information or ask questions. Would love to know the actual steps to take to find information about port stops and independent contractors for excursions and hotels as NCL doesn’t show options for pre cruise stay as definitely want to schedule flights to arrive the day before embarking just in case any flight delays 

thanks again to complawyer!

[Crazy planning mom]

1 hour ago, MCARAB1 said:

Sorry for any confusion on proper protocol on posting. I’m not real tech savvy and don’t understand how to use this site to get information or ask questions. Would love to know the actual steps to take to find information about port stops and independent contractors for excursions and hotels as NCL doesn’t show options for pre cruise stay as definitely want to schedule flights to arrive the day before embarking just in case any flight delays 

thanks again to complawyer!

We took a similar cruise on the Jade last year.  We stayed at the beautiful AVA Boutique Hotel in Athens which was a short walk from the Acropolis.  Link-  https://www.avahotel.gr/  For more information on Greece ports visits the Greece forum  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/463-greece-ports/

In Israel, I highly recommend Guided Tours Israel.  We had a wonderful tour with them.  Here is the link" - https://www.guidedtoursisrael.com/

For more information on Israel visit the link below and Tripadvisor also.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/19-africa-amp-middle-east/

Edited August 31, 2023 by Crazy planning mom

[MCARAB1]

WOW. thanks for the help❤️. I’ll definitely check these out and appreciate ANY recommendations/suggestions as so far nothing on NCL yet for pre cruise help or Israel shore excursions 

[complawyer]

mcarab1. just chiming in again. to simplify, pick a port, and google any question that comes to mind. ie what to do in (fill in the port).  if youre planning in fly in early, or stay a few days after cruise, again google for hotels. you can type in a major chain, use a hotel booking website. as we usually fly in a few days early if leaving from a port outside the u.s. i google shuttle services.

 

believe me, it works, and you dont need to be a technological wizard to figure it out. as the cruise gets closer, (and we have over a year +) i'd be more than happy to help you out.  last year we stayed atr a marriott before and after our cruise from athens, next year we're planning on staying over in jerusalem for a few extra days. im planning on checking google next summer, to see if there are any 1 day tours to jordon (petra).

 

as the date grows closer, and you think i can be of any  help (especially if you tell me what specifically youre interested in, i'll give you my email address and we can go from there.

 

if im over reaching, i apologize up front