From Vatican to Holy Land on Azamara Journey

My husband, Bob, and I took a cruise from Italy to Israel aboard the Azamara Journey of Azamara Cruises (Miami, FL; 877/999-9553).

We had a balcony room, and the trip cost $3,499 per person (plus $137 in taxes), which included gratuities, drinks (but not specialty drinks) and a shore excursion. Insurance with Travel Guard cost $327 each. We purchased air travel through Azamara and ChoiceAir, paying $1,274 each and each getting a ship’s credit of $500. 

On Oct. 4, 2013, we flew from the East Coast to Italy and stayed three nights in Civitavecchia, location of the port for Rome. At €80 per night, Hotel Traghetto (Via Braccianese Claudia, 2, 00053 Civitavecchia, Rome, Italy; phone +39 0766 25920) was a good hotel to stay in before a cruise, as it was near the port, the train station and many restaurants. 

The hotel arranged for a taxi from the airport to the hotel with Traiano Taxi (phone +39 320 3472348) for €100 (near $138). They also arranged for a shuttle to the ship at €5 each.

From the hotel, we booked a taxi to go sightseeing for four hours in Tarquinia — museums, beaches, etc. (€120). 

The following day we took a tour of Rome that we had prebooked with Movartis (phone +390645421775). The cost was €320 for a full day, including pickup and drop-off at the hotel.

Our driver, Amor, was excellent and very informative; he adapted the day according to our wishes. We had been to Rome several times before so visited only nontourist sites. Amor drove us down many streets that buses and vans were unable to access.

On Oct. 8 we boarded the Azamara Journey for our 11-night cruise. 

The next day, in Sorrento, we took a tour that we had prebooked through Aldo Limos (phone +39 333 3083522). We paid €280 cash. We were met at the dock by Tony, who drove us along the Almalfi Coast, stopping in Positano, Almalfi and Ravello.

Our next port would have been Catania, Sicily, but because of rough waters passengers were tendered to Naxos, Sicily, instead. 

We had arranged a day of sightseeing through Sicily Life (phone +393284137533) for €280. Alex, our driver, took us through several villages. In Savoca we saw the church and the bar (Bar Vitelli) that were made famous in the movie “The Godfather.”

That evening, compliments of Azamara, we had an amazing evening at Castello di San Marco, a 17th-century estate on the Ionian Sea. Wine and champagne flowed all evening by the pool. We were entertained by a folklore show and music, then ate a Sicilian dinner, which included fish and limoncello (a citrus liqueur), inside the castle,

After docking in Valletta, Malta, Bob and I took the ship’s “Island Panoramas Tour.” Having booked this excursion before boarding, we paid only $57 each.

The tour was well done, but sitting in the backseat of the minibus over the axle was uncomfortable. We were driven around the island and by fishing markets in Valletta, then left in town to shop. We had quite a walk back to the ship, and since the ship was behind a fence, we couldn’t catch a cab. For anyone with a mobility problem, this would not be a good idea. (The tour description said you had to be able to walk 300 yards.)

After two days at sea, on Oct. 14 we reached the port of Ashdod, Israel, where we had arranged to meet a driver/guide for a 3-day tour. Eric Tomer (phone +972 54 6909553 or email tomertours4u@gmail.com) picked us up at the port, but, since he was unable to go into Palestine, he arranged for a driver to take us to Bethlehem and serve as our guide there.

We saw the Shepherds’ Fields and the Church of the Nativity (one of the oldest-surviving Christian churches in the Holy Land). With our guide, we were able to tour the church and visit (without standing in a line for two to three hours) what is purported to be the grotto where Jesus was born.

We then drove back to Israel and met Eric, who took us to the Old City in Jerusalem, where we spent the rest of the day.

We saw the Church of the Holy Sepulchre; what are claimed to be the sites of Christ’s crucifixion, entombment and resurrection as well as the Last Supper room and King David’s tomb; the Stations of the Cross, and the Western Wall. We walked through the city and just wished we had more time, as there was so much to absorb. It was an hour-long drive back to the port.

The next day, Eric drove us to Masada, the last refuge of Jewish zealots who held out against Romans for three years in this mountain fortress built by Herod in the Judean Desert. We took a cable car (65 shekels) to the fortress, but we could have walked… in 100-degree heat. 

At the Dead Sea, where we visited the Ahava flagship store, which carried Dead Sea cosmetics plus spices, T-shirts and books and also had a buffet restaurant.

The next morning, Eric picked us up in Haifa at 7 and drove to Nazareth. We visited the Basilica of the Annunciation (one of the largest Christian churches in the Middle East), where the Archangel Gabriel is said to have appeared to the Virgin Mary.

In Kibbutz Ginosar at the Sea of Galilee, we saw the ancient Galilee Boat, or Jesus Boat, believed to be the type that was used by the Disciples.

We also stopped at the Yardenit baptismal site on the Jordan River, where it is said Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. You could purchase a white gown for $10 and be baptized there, having it recorded on a DVD.

In Capernaum, we had lunch.

For the three days of touring, we paid Eric $1,950 plus tip (the price would have covered up to six people). It was money well spent. Having a driver/guide helped us get up close to things without much walking, and we felt totally safe the entire time we were in Israel.

In the Haifa port, we took a cab to the Bahá’í Gardens. You could also take a bus around town; there were maps and info in the port building.

Our last stop, on Oct. 18, was Athens. For €70, Tepapahe Enypoe, or Spiros (taxiingreece@gmail.com), provided two hours of sightseeing, then drove us to the airport. We had used this driver before, in April, and he’s excellent.

I did a lot of research before leaving on our trip. Anyone with questions can email me through ITN.

JUNE DIEHL

Franklin, MA