Exclusive Best of Jerusalem and Bethlehem

My wife doesn't do walking so she missed the 2 hour walk through Jerusalem, but I enjoyed it. Sadly the Dome of the Rock was no longer available. It was easy to access last time. 50 years ago. Be prepared for masses of tourists to jostle your way through. Sly was a knowledgeable guide.

It was an excellent tour which touched on many important sites in Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The only drawback was, because of the crowds, it was sometimes difficult to hear what the guide was saying. He was very knowledgeable, so it was a shame to miss anything. I would suggest that an intercom system be employed, as many of the tours in the area did.

We were concerned that this excursion was not endorsed by Royal Caribbean when we printed it off for use. We were dropped at the Mount of Olives, a wonderful vista before us and a daunting task to walk 10 kms through the Old City. Since it was the Thursday before Easter there were 1000's of people. We all managed to touch the Western Wall and each of us were gathered easily and taken right through the Old City, passing the Stations of the Cross. In Bethlehem and with an additional Palestinian Guide we were taken to the Church of the Nativity where he was able to get us into the grotto to see where Jesus was supposed to have been born and the manger area. Wonderful and very moving. At the end of the day we reflected.on how busy our day had been, the walking just breezed by and the historical significance of our journey was not forgotten. We thank our guide and the privilage of being in Jerusalem and Bethlehem at such a significant time.

Guide was very experienced and knowledgeable. Guide did very good job of explaining tensions among Muslims, Jews and various Christians. He kept us close to the historic areas but away from religious groups that were demonstrating. Passing through the wall between Jerusalem and West Bank was quick and uneventful. Our Bethlehem guide was well educated and very knowledgeable. The tour was completed with ample time to return to the ship. There were several weddings and Bar Mitzvahs while we were there.