Holy Land Cruise on the Azamara Quest - Excursions - Part 3

Posted by Paul R Laflin on Thu 17th November 2011 at 06:43 PM, Filed in

Azamara provides an excellent selection of tours and excursions at each port, to suit all tastes. In addition, for those who just want to wander around the destinations, there is a complimentary shuttle service from the port (or tendered station) to the nearby location centres. These run to and from their destination every 20 – 30 minutes, so there is no need to have to worry about strict timetables (other than the time of the last one back to ship of course). Individual guides are available for each location, these include street maps and places of interest.

On our cruise we opted for two particular excursions taking us in to the various areas of the Holy Land.

The first from the port in Haifa (Israel) took us to Nazareth and Galilee following the Ministry of Jesus. We travelled to Galilee, Israel’s luscious region and scene of Jesus’ youth. Here Jesus was baptized, preached and performed many of his miracles. We visited many sacred sites including the River Jordan, the Mount of Beatitudes, the Church of Multiplication, Capernaum and the Basilica of Annunciation.

From these sites we were able to imagine Jesus’ immersion by John the Baptist, the delivering of the Sermon on the Mount, the miracle of the two fish and five loaves, and the appearance of Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary.
Our second excursion, two days later, was from Ashdod from which we ventured to Jerusalem and Bethlehem. We visited sacred sites including The Garden of Gethsemane, The Western or Wailing Wall, the Via Dolorosa, The Church of the Holy Sepulcher and Bethlehem.

Here we shared the site of the betrayal of Jesus by Judas, the walk of the various stations of the cross to the crucifixion, the site of the crucifixion, the tomb and then on to Jerusalem and the Church of Nativity where Jesus was born.

                               
We were lucky enough to visit the grotto – the actual place of Jesus’ birth and where he was laid in a manger – this is not always possible depending on crowds and timing.

On both tours we were collected from alongside the docked ship by coaches (fully air conditioned thankfully) with guides provided from a local tour company.
The guides were extremely knowledgeable on all aspects of the places we visited and were also able to provide a broader regional context.
For us, we found both excursions to be very informative and moving. The tour guides talked and described constantly throughout a very long day, but as one guide so aptly described the purpose of the tours, ‘we are not here to drink the ocean – only to get wet’ and ‘it is not necessary to understand all you see and hear – only to realise it’.

On both tours we were treated to a very pleasant lunch (including wine) at a Kibbutz as well as having opportunities to shop for locally produced souvenirs. There were many roadside sellers at the points of interest who sold imported products and advice was given by the guides as to what to buy and what not to. Our arrival back at ship was hassle free and after our long and tiring day we were greeted by the friendly faces of the ship’s crew, a glass of champagne, a cold towel and a jazz band!

As already mentioned above, there are a variety of tours available to suit all cruisers and there is a very detailed presentation, with visuals, of each one given at the beginning of the cruise by the excursions director. It is advisable to attend this before deciding on your tour(s).

There are also daily presentations on the history of the areas surrounding the destinations.

Read all of our reviews about the Holy Land Cruise with Azamara Quest:

Holy Land Cruise on the Azamara Quest - Part 1

Holy Land Cruise on the Azamara Quest - Food and Drink - Part 2

Holy Land Cruise on the Azamara Quest - Excursions - Part 3

Holy Land Cruise on the Azamara Quest - Entertainment - Part 4

READER COMMENTS:

No comments yet.