Israel cruises

[Cruisers47]

Hi

we we’re on the RC to Israel this weekend last year.

 

we feel for all the people in that area.   We had a lovely cruise and met all races of people!  
all were lovely.

 

on that cruise there were lots of people who were getting off the ship to do their own thing as we were there for three days.  
I read somebody saying their excursion was called back to the ship after three hours.

i do hope everybody is safe.   I think the boats were leaving as soon as possible so do not know what would happen if you were not on a boat excursion.

 

terrible situation.  Hope people are safe and this ends soon, but I don’t think so.

 

Eileen

[Cbtours]

9 minutes ago, Cruisers47 said:

Hi

we we’re on the RC to Israel this weekend last year.

 

we feel for all the people in that area.   We had a lovely cruise and met all races of people!  
all were lovely.

 

on that cruise there were lots of people who were getting off the ship to do their own thing as we were there for three days.  
I read somebody saying their excursion was called back to the ship after three hours.

i do hope everybody is safe.   I think the boats were leaving as soon as possible so do not know what would happen if you were not on a boat excursion.

 

terrible situation.  Hope people are safe and this ends soon, but I don’t think so.

 

Eileen

Very sad for everyone involved 🙏🏻

[Cruisers47]

I just had a look on CC and RC was not getting to the Israeli ports until 10th so they were able to stop elsewhere but I am sure there are other boats there.   
 

Eileen 

[arxcards]

1 hour ago, Cruisers47 said:

I just had a look on CC and RC was not getting to the Israeli ports until 10th so they were able to stop elsewhere but I am sure there are other boats there.   
 

Eileen 

I also hope everyone is OK, and every effort would be made to give any ships a safe passage. 

- Nautica was in Haifa on Fri/Sat, and was due in Ashdod yesterday, but diverted well away towards their next port of Limossol. The ship is safely approaching there now.

- Norwegian Gem was scheduled to be in Ashdod yesterday. Currently berthed in Limossol, per schedule.

- Celebrity Apex - Scheduled to be in Haifa yesterday, and Ashdod today/tomorrow. Currently berthed in Limossol

- Rhapsody of the Seas. Due to end her current cruise in Haifa later today, and is en route. I hope they play it safe.

- Nieuw Statendam was in Haifa Sat/Sun, and was due in Ashdod today & tomorrow. Just about to arrive in Alanya, Turkey instead

- Norwegian Jade, Odyssey of the Seas & Mein Schiff 5 are due in Ashdod in the coming days, but would likely be making other plans. 

[Cruisers47]

1 minute ago, arxcards said:

I also hope everyone is OK, and every effort would be made to give any ships a safe passage. 

- Nautica was in Haifa on Fri/Sat, and was due in Ashdod yesterday, but diverted well away towards their next port of Limossol. The ship is safely approaching there now.

- Norwegian Gem was scheduled to be in Ashdod yesterday. Currently berthed in Limossol, per schedule.

- Celebrity Apex - Scheduled to be in Haifa yesterday, and Ashdod today/tomorrow. Currently berthed in Limossol

- Rhapsody of the Seas. Due to end her current cruise in Haifa later today, and is en route. I hope they play it safe.

- Nieuw Statendam was in Haifa Sat/Sun, and was due in Ashdod today & tomorrow. Just about to arrive in Alanya, Turkey instead

- Norwegian Jade, Odyssey of the Seas & Mein Schiff 5 are due in Ashdod in the coming days, but would likely be making other plans. 

Your research is very good.   We were on a cruise to Israel  quite a few years ago as well and there were people on that cruise that told us it was their third attempt to get there.   The cruise ships are very good at judging safety so I  am sure they will all turn back.   
 

we now see how lucky we have been in our cruises over the last 15 years.  We have been to St Petersburg, China , Israel, Odessa and a few other Black Sea ports.  This year we have done two to the Med.   For the next 18 months we are sticking to good old Oz with the odd one to Singapore and Hawaii.

 

Eileen

[arxcards]

7 minutes ago, Cruisers47 said:

Your research is very good.   We were on a cruise to Israel  quite a few years ago as well and there were people on that cruise that told us it was their third attempt to get there.   The cruise ships are very good at judging safety so I  am sure they will all turn back.   
 

we now see how lucky we have been in our cruises over the last 15 years.  We have been to St Petersburg, China , Israel, Odessa and a few other Black Sea ports.  This year we have done two to the Med.   For the next 18 months we are sticking to good old Oz with the odd one to Singapore and Hawaii.

 

Eileen

Would love to do Odessa, or should I say it would have been nice to have done Odessa. Our half world cruise is the "calmer" half - From Dover, Norway, Greenland, Iceland, Canada, US, Panama, Peru, Pacific to home. Apart from that, we are planning exciting cruises to QLD & PNG.

[arxcards]

18 minutes ago, Cruisers47 said:

Your research is very good.   We were on a cruise to Israel  quite a few years ago as well and there were people on that cruise that told us it was their third attempt to get there.   The cruise ships are very good at judging safety so I  am sure they will all turn back.   
 

we now see how lucky we have been in our cruises over the last 15 years.  We have been to St Petersburg, China , Israel, Odessa and a few other Black Sea ports.  This year we have done two to the Med.   For the next 18 months we are sticking to good old Oz with the odd one to Singapore and Hawaii.

 

Eileen

Odyssey of the Seas was meant to be on a sea day heading towards Haifa today, but are berthed in Turkey (Bodrum) instead. Ship stalking is a fun hobby.

 

[Cruisers47]

1 minute ago, arxcards said:

Odyssey of the Seas was meant to be on a sea day heading towards Haifa today, but are berthed in Turkey (Bodrum) instead. Ship stalking is a fun hobby.

 

We were on Odyssey of the Seas on our cruise last year to Israel.  A very nice ship and a lovely cruise.

 

which ship are you on for your half world cruise.   Most people on this website tend to be Princess people.   We are RC.   The free drinks make all the difference.  Ha ha .  On our last cruise from Japan to Singapore we were talking to a couple on a B2B and their drinks package was $3600.  That’s a good part of another cruise!🥶

[arxcards]

22 minutes ago, Cruisers47 said:

We were on Odyssey of the Seas on our cruise last year to Israel.  A very nice ship and a lovely cruise.

 

which ship are you on for your half world cruise.   Most people on this website tend to be Princess people.   We are RC.   The free drinks make all the difference.  Ha ha .  On our last cruise from Japan to Singapore we were talking to a couple on a B2B and their drinks package was $3600.  That’s a good part of another cruise!🥶

We are cruise people. Yes, the free drinks would make all the difference, but we are a handful of days short of Diamond. Plan B would be have us booking another suite, but they have jumped prices a heap, especially the inclusive Star Class ones.

 

The half World is on Crown Princess.

[NSWP]

Be no cruises anywhere Israel for a while. Let us hope this one finishes quickly and does not drag on like Russia/Ukraine war.

 

[lyndarra]

I did a week tour of Israel in 2018 (one of four countries visited on one tour). Not impressed. I imagine it would be ok for someone interested in biblical history - which I am not - but that was pretty much the emphasis put on it by the tour guide. I accept that's why most would go there. I would not be interested in going again. Turkiye on the other hand, I have been to twice and would go again - much more interesting country with more history and archaeology.

[Cruisers47]

10 minutes ago, lyndarra said:

I did a week tour of Israel in 2018 (one of four countries visited on one tour). Not impressed. I imagine it would be ok for someone interested in biblical history - which I am not - but that was pretty much the emphasis put on it by the tour guide. I accept that's why most would go there. I would not be interested in going again. Turkiye on the other hand, I have been to twice and would go again - much more interesting country with more history and archaeology.

We are definitely not religious but really enjoyed Israel.   We had an excellent  Jewish tour guide on an Oceania tour .   He said you should view these places with your heart and not with your brain.   I think that a lot depends on your tour guide.  Other people did not have good tour guides.  We were just interested in all the places that we had heard about in school, that was in the UK.  We saw different places the second time.   Really enjoyed seeing all the people being baptised in the river Jordan,   Each to their own!

 

Eileen

[Aussieflyer]

There are several places we choose not to visit. It is purely our choice and I do not worry about other who to visit. Israel and the Middle East are on our 'no go' list.

I would expect though that itineraries will be amended due to this recent outbreak, especially as Israel has stated it is at war. Cruise lines will be very keen not to visit ports where there is even a hint of unrest.

[lyndarra]

14 hours ago, Cruisers47 said:

We are definitely not religious but really enjoyed Israel.   We had an excellent  Jewish tour guide on an Oceania tour .   He said you should view these places with your heart and not with your brain.   I think that a lot depends on your tour guide.  Other people did not have good tour guides.  We were just interested in all the places that we had heard about in school, that was in the UK.  We saw different places the second time.   Really enjoyed seeing all the people being baptised in the river Jordan,   Each to their own!

 

Eileen

You are quite right, the tour guide can make a huge difference to one's experience. Thankfully, most I have come across have been excellent, but sadly, not the one in Israel.

I do like seeing and where possible, experiencing different customs and lifestyles in various countries and I did learn a lot in Israel. An amusing one, to me, was at my hotel in Tel Aviv. On Fridays the lift stops at every floor going up or down. Friday, or shabbat, is their holy day on which work should not be done which includes pressing the lift button. "To each their own."

 

[Ondine]

6 hours ago, lyndarra said:

 

I do like seeing and where possible, experiencing different customs and lifestyles in various countries and I did learn a lot in Israel. An amusing one, to me, was at my hotel in Tel Aviv. On Fridays the lift stops at every floor going up or down. Friday, or shabbat, is their holy day on which work should not be done which includes pressing the lift button. "To each their own."

 

 

I live in an area with more than 60% Jewish people.  Friday and Saturdays pedestrian buttons at crossings are set to automatically turn green because they cannot press the buttons.  I have also been stopped in the street by a Rabbi and asked to enter the Synagogue and turn on the lights for them because the last person leaving the night before forgot to leave them on and they cannot turn them on.  That has happened several times.

[joejoe 59]

22 hours ago, arxcards said:

Odyssey of the Seas was meant to be on a sea day heading towards Haifa today, but are berthed in Turkey (Bodrum) instead. Ship stalking is a fun hobby.

 

You are very good at it😁

[Cruisers47]

1 hour ago, Ondine said:

 

I live in an area with more than 60% Jewish people.  Friday and Saturdays pedestrian buttons at crossings are set to automatically turn green because they cannot press the buttons.  I have also been stopped in the street by a Rabbi and asked to enter the Synagogue and turn on the lights for them because the last person leaving the night before forgot to leave them on and they cannot turn them on.  That has happened several times.

That is very interesting.    How good is CC you learn something new everyday.   Thankyou.

 

Eileen

[OzKiwiJJ]

4 hours ago, Ondine said:

 

I live in an area with more than 60% Jewish people.  Friday and Saturdays pedestrian buttons at crossings are set to automatically turn green because they cannot press the buttons.  I have also been stopped in the street by a Rabbi and asked to enter the Synagogue and turn on the lights for them because the last person leaving the night before forgot to leave them on and they cannot turn them on.  That has happened several times.

I've never been able to understand that rule. My understanding is that it's a 'do no work on the Sabbath" rule that has been in place long before electricity was discovered. I really don't understand how flicking a switch is "work". We used to own a rental property in Elsternwick, VIC. There were a few Jewish people living in the block of flats and we had real security issues with one family who would chock the security door, into one half of the block, open on Saturdays because their friends liked to visit them on that day but wouldn't/couldn't press the outside doorbell to get access. This meant that anyone could access that part of the building and we had troublemakers living in the other part who would regularly damage carpets and other fittings in the stairways. It was a real problem. 😡

[MicCanberra]

On 10/9/2023 at 3:46 PM, Cruisers47 said:

We were on Odyssey of the Seas on our cruise last year to Israel.  A very nice ship and a lovely cruise.

 

which ship are you on for your half world cruise.   Most people on this website tend to be Princess people.   We are RC.   The free drinks make all the difference.  Ha ha .  On our last cruise from Japan to Singapore we were talking to a couple on a B2B and their drinks package was $3600.  That’s a good part of another cruise!🥶

We cruise with almost anyone really if the itinerary is right but the free drinks on RC and Celebrity are a nice perk.

[MicCanberra]

On 10/9/2023 at 3:30 PM, arxcards said:

Would love to do Odessa, or should I say it would have been nice to have done Odessa. Our half world cruise is the "calmer" half - 

We missed Odessa earlier this year on our Black Sea cruise, it was dropped early as soon as the war broke out but then just after final payment, the Romanian and Bulgarian ports were dropped as well. It turned into a Greek and Turkiye cruise.

It was a shame for us but absolutely nothing compared to those more directly affected by the war.

[richmke]

12 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I've never been able to understand that rule. My understanding is that it's a 'do no work on the Sabbath" rule that has been in place long before electricity was discovered. 

Exodus 35:1-3 "Do not light a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day." Mechanical light switches have a spark (internal) when the wires make or break contact. Some interpret that as "lighting" or "kindling" a fire. 

[arxcards]

17 hours ago, Ondine said:

 

I live in an area with more than 60% Jewish people.  Friday and Saturdays pedestrian buttons at crossings are set to automatically turn green because they cannot press the buttons.  I have also been stopped in the street by a Rabbi and asked to enter the Synagogue and turn on the lights for them because the last person leaving the night before forgot to leave them on and they cannot turn them on.  That has happened several times.

Isn't asking others to do the work for you also forbidden? 

[arxcards]

1 hour ago, MicCanberra said:

We missed Odessa earlier this year on our Black Sea cruise, it was dropped early as soon as the war broke out but then just after final payment, the Romanian and Bulgarian ports were dropped as well. It turned into a Greek and Turkiye cruise.

It was a shame for us but absolutely nothing compared to those more directly affected by the war.

There has to be initial disappointment, but nearly always for good reason. Russian ports, Black Sea ports, Maui, and now Holy Land cruises. Rabaul was skipped by Pacific Encounter a few days ago, apparently due to unrest.

 

While it might get a bit repetitive cruising the same ports, how good have we got it in this part of the world when we are usually only contending with weather and dirty hulls.

[Cruisers47]

1 hour ago, MicCanberra said:

We missed Odessa earlier this year on our Black Sea cruise, it was dropped early as soon as the war broke out but then just after final payment, the Romanian and Bulgarian ports were dropped as well. It turned into a Greek and Turkiye cruise.

It was a shame for us but absolutely nothing compared to those more directly affected by the war.

There are so many places that we cannot go nowadays.   Being a baby boomer we are so lucky that we were able to travel all over the world at a time when there was reasonable peace unlike now.   
 

Hope all these poor people who live in war torn areas can have some peace soon.

 

Eileen

[MicCanberra]

1 hour ago, arxcards said:

There has to be initial disappointment, but nearly always for good reason. Russian ports, Black Sea ports, Maui, and now Holy Land cruises. Rabaul was skipped by Pacific Encounter a few days ago, apparently due to unrest.

 

While it might get a bit repetitive cruising the same ports, how good have we got it in this part of the world when we are usually only contending with weather and dirty hulls.

Yes, in comparison it is nothing.