What we learned from our tour
Part 1
We flew American Airlines, Philadelphia to Miami to Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv airport was busy with a lack of directional signage when exciting the plane.
As soon as you start walking you see large groups congregating with tour company leaders. Unless you know beforehand that you need to procure a small card which is your ‘Israel visa’, You can easily miss the small self kiosks that look like Global Entry kiosks. You lay your passport on the machine and have your picture taken and the machine prints out a business size card that has your passport photo on it. You then proceed further amongst the crowds and look for the ‘ mosaics’ where Tauck tells you the Tauck contact will be. These mosaics turned out to be quite small and bland above an exit area and not obvious at all, crowded with more groups and a couple of people holding signs. We were just about to call the local contact when we spotted a man holding two signs with four different tour company names on them, all black print , one said Tauck…not the usual proper green Tauck logo. One of the others was Viking. Seven people including us congregated by him. We were the only Tauck people. Three had not gotten their little Israel Visa cards so we had to go as a group and get those first. Then we bypassed the crowds in the general passport control which our funny guide Mars said he saved us a two hour line, and went thru I guess a VIP control with no line at all. More walking to a transport area and then another wait for our driver . It took us about 40 minutes through fairly heavy traffic to get to the hotel.
Comments
ISRAEL AND JORDAN
WHAT WE LEARNED
Part 2
We recently returned from this tour. As many people have mentioned before, it s a fantastic tour. Of all the tours we have taken with Tauck, this includes the most walking. People might want to be aware that most every day averages about 14000 to 17000 steps… on the days we checked anyway. There are many steps and uneven surfaces and Roman road type surfaces. If you have any doubts about your walking abilities, there is no alternative transport to get you near the sites, not always ramps and so on, many of the restaurant bathrooms are up or down flights of stairs and there are no elevators.
The city of Jerusalem you can only walk. Jerash and Caesarea require lots of walking and the buses cannot park very near. If you have any concerns, may I suggest you call Tauck and ask to speak to one of their representatives that has been there. The coordinator at Tauck who covers the region was on our tour to check out everything herself, so would be able to give you her first hand observations of any mobile challenges. You need to provide an honest assessment of your abilities.
When we had checked into our hotel In Jerusalem, our TD offered a walk to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher around 5-30pm which from experience he found was often a quieter time with a shorter line to visit the burial cave of Jesus. It is an absolutely packed like sardines line which funnels down to a single file. We waited about 45 minutes….compare this to the line when we made our tour’s visit to the church when the line was apparent 5 hours long…..so your only chance to see the burial cave is with the TD or in other free time.
We made on line reservations for the tour of the tunnels at the Western Wall. You cannot get tickets at the location. It was an excellent tour and lasted about 70 minutes.
The Baha’i Gardens in Haifa consist of 700 steep steps down….you do not walk up them again.
The hotel at the Dead Sea, I am surprised that nobody mentioned how far you are required to walk from your room to the sea. It is about half to three quarters of a mile. You can get a golf cart ride so far down but then there are over 200 steps down to the beach….someone on our tour counted…..our rooms were on two floors, we were on the second floor, we could see a lovely swimming pool below us labeled private pool but we could not find how to access it, there was a gate which required a code, so we thought it must be for ground floor people, so we were rather annoyed. After we gave up, we texted our TD and he gave us the code but it was too late for that day. Suggest if you want to swim you request a ground floor room and you can get to it from your terrace.
The walk to the Petra monuments was set at a very slow pace, quite honestly too slow for us. The surfaces included lots of uneven Roman pavers but a fairly flat walking experience. Bu the end of this, my fairly old Merrill closed toe hiking sandals finally were destroyed, I threw them out.
The entire stay of the tour had unusually cold weather and we had rain for a day in Jerusalem and an evening at the Dead Sea. Our layers were on and off most days. It was much better than being too hot when you have to walk so much, so it was not a negative for us.
We highly recommended the optional tour of Jerash, for us it rivaled Pompeii and was one of the highlights.
The bus in Israel. The legroom was tight. In Jordan it was like first class leg room. Both buses had wifi. Most bus rides were not long except when going to and from Petra which was 31/2 hours. There is no toilet on the Israel bus. I did not see anyone use the one on the Jordan bus and it was never mentioned as being available. Rest stops were reasonably spaced.
May we recommended the restaurant Manta Ray on the beach in Tel Aviv, thank you Smiling Sam! And Deja Bu in Jerusalem, just very near the hotel on the opposite side of the road, modern and hip, great menu and good service. All restaurants did not require ‘dress up’ clothing.
The service at the Waldorf hotel was a disappointment. There appeared to be plenty of waiters but they were obviously inexperienced. When you have to ask for your first cup of coffee four times and often two times or chase anyone down to help you, it’s not a five star experience. One of us ordered white wine and got red and so on. Apparently the staff change frequently. Getting any type of fluid refreshment continued to be a challenge, I got my requested Earl Grey tea maybe one out of five tries. Several hotels had these fluid challenges. At our last hotel at the fancy Italian, a glass of water was about 6 ounces and we had to keep asking for more, it was not offered voluntarily. Portions everywhere were huge, a large selection of mezze that filled you up even before the main course. Many meals were family style or buffet.
Binoculars….we now recommend not taking them. The TD warned us to put them in checked luggage, but when several of us got to Amman airport, we had to open the checked luggage, they were inspected, my husband’s passport was taken away and checked over. CPAP machines were inspected and so on.
The local tour guides are beyond excellent on this tour! All three major religions based on the belief of one god were covered and also the Baha’i faith. Just a wonderful trip.
I will be happy to answer questions but I can’t be relied upon to give you specific times we finished walks and things like that because I don’t note them down.
If anyone else can correct me on details, please do so.
Thanks for the great review, British. Your summary brought back great memories of the trip I took in 2018. I’d take this trip again if my bucket list weren’t so long.
British - I just had to laugh this morning because the very same thing happened to my husband at Amman airport in 2016. He was detained for nearly an hour because of binoculars. It certainly wasn't funny at the time because I was already on the plane thinking he would be joining me any minute. A lady in another row was friends with the pilot and she just walked into the cockpit and explained our situation with him. He promised me that he would not leave without my husband but it was very scary at the time. I guess things haven't changed. We were on Royal Jordanian airlines.
Thanks for the review, British. We were there last May, and arrival procedures were different as they were still testing for Covid. I totally agree with your recommendation of the optional trip to Jerash—only half of our group went, but it definitely was a highlight. Although there are the 700 steps down at the Baha’i Gardens, it was totally worth it—the gardens are magnificent! I recall this tour having more walking than any of our previous tours. Great report from you, and great memories for me.
thanks for all the tips, British. We are going april 2024 and can't wait. Last time was 1997 with 350 people. Smiling Sam, are you from Tucson? This will be our 10 Tauck. Going to Paris-Normandy this fall (#9). Any tips on either tour would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks British - I am doing this tour in March 2024. I will keep this info in my file to refresh my memory. My best to Mr. British.
To Allankravitz: I just noticed your comment about the Paris / Normandy trip in the fall. I will be on the September 19 departure (small group). Will you be with that group?
allankravitz - Yes, we've lived in Tucson for about 25 years. Here are a few 'tips' for the Israel/Jordan tour, from a 2019 perspective.
1) One day in Tel Aviv, for dinner you are on your own dollar. Get a reservation at a restaurant you like as soon as you can. If you wait and just show up at the restaurant you might be turned away. We liked (and I think British did as well), Manta Ray, on the beach across from the hotel. Some people in our group who didn't get reservations early were turned away at the Manta Ray.
2) If you like markets, then spending some free time at the Ha Carmel market, near the hotel in Tel Aviv is fun
3) Be sure to do the optional excursion to Jerash.
4) If at all possible swim/float in the Dead Sea. It is a bit of a walk from the rooms to the beach, but the experience of it was worth it to me. In Antarctica they hold a sign indicating it's their 7th Continent, in Iceland you hold a sign that says I Crossed the Arctic Circle. Perhaps on this tour they should have a sign that says I Swam/Floated in the Dead Sea.
5) Try the fresh squeezed pomegranate juice if offered. We were offered, by Tauck, both in Acco and Petra.
It's a great tour!
Thanks again for the info. We are going on the September 23rd Paris to Normandy. Israel is scheduled for the April 4, 2024 tour. We are in Saddlebrooke for the las 13 years. Love Arizona.
I arrived early for my Israel & Jordan tour in 2020. One day, I walked from Tel Aviv to Jaffa, and on the way back, probably mid-afternoon, popped into Manta Ray for a late lunch. No reservation needed. That might be another option if you really want to try that restaurant. (I also poked around the HaCarmel Market.). When I was at the Dead Sea on that trip, we weren't allowed to go in the water because of high winds, but a kindly lifeguard, Hassan, let me swish my foot around in it and gave me a chunk of salt from the Dead Sea. The salt is on display in my family room, along with a chunk of salt given to me by the "Dyadya Moroz" character at the Wieliczka Salt Mines from another Tauck trip. (I did get to float/paddle around on my back in the Dead Sea on my recent "Jerusalem, the Red Sea & Petra" tour.)
Smiling Sam and AllanKravitz - We have lived in Tucson for over 43 years and just love it!
Noreen, based on your avatar picture, then you must have been born in Tucson!!
Smiling Sam - Thank you for the nice compliment but I was born in Cork, Ireland and I am 73 years old but I am fortunate that I am in good health and walk four miles up and down hills in my neighborhood five to six times a week. This is the reason we are travelling a lot more and have four Tauck trips this year and four next year. Time is not on our side!
Noreen: You’re 73 years young; not 73 years old. 73 is the new 53! I make it an effort not to speak about getting older. If I dwell on that as many of my friends do, I’ll believe it. I’ve also had cancer at a young age when I was in my 50’s and I truly believe it’s how we take care of ourselves and attitude.
Words of wisdom, OT34. I have a theory that works for me: have friends who are a wee bit older and try to keep up with them...
Thank you for all of your comments and suggestions everyone!
British- My husband and I are heading to Israel and Jordan the end of April. This is our first Tauck tour as we have always been “do it yourself” world travelers in the past. We are keeping an eye on the news in Israel. So looking forward to our next adventure!
OurTravels34 - I am 73 not 53 and this is the reason we are taking so many yearly trips. I am so grateful and happy to be able to travel and will continue to do so as long as I am healthy. We all age differently. Unfortunately, I have some friends that cannot travel due to health issues and others that are a lot older than I am that are currently on a world cruise with Siversea. Just enjoy each and every day.
Goat24, how was your experience in Israel andJordan- pros/cons? Would you travel with Tauck again?
British, thank you as usual for your helpful advice! Allan K, there are reviews and lots of information on the Normandy trip over in the Normandy, Brittany, Paris & Loire Valley thread. We had a great trip there in 2021.
Heading on this tour in a few days. Oct 8 for Oct 10 tour. Flying into Tel Aviv. Any recommendations for our free time before tour starts appreciated.
We walked along the promenade towards Jaffa. Tauck only spends a very short time there, so that might ba an option for you.
I rented a bike and biked down the seaside path to Jaffa, and back. It's pretty flat. I did bike up some hills in Jaffa.
If you're staying at the David Intercontinental, visit Carmel market, located a few blocks behind the hotel, away from the beach.
I, too, walked to Jaffa along the seashore, then walked around Jaffa, and on the way back to Tel Aviv stopped for a beer and mezze at Manta Ray restaurant right on the beach. I recommend it. I, too, went to Carmel market and went to a craft market at Nahalat Binyamin Pedestrian Mall, which hosts the craft market on Tuesdays and Fridays. I did this in March 2020, just before the world shut down, and don't know whether the craft market is still operating.
FYI - If you want to eat dinner at the Manta Ray restaurant on the beach you should get a reservation ahead of time. They can get you a reservation in the hotel (if staying at the David Intercontinental).
We did that tour in 2017 - https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2017Israel-01.htm
Mark Goldsmith-Holt was our TD.
Thanks for all the great responses! One more question, how much Israeli money did you actually use on trip? I plan on using credit card whenever possible.
I used zero Israeli money. I used credit card for any purchases.
We had $150 worth of Shekels and did spend them. Cafes, snacks, etc.
I agree with Lotusgirl…glad I had them for small purchases.