| |
 |
| |
|
 |
|
| |
Experience the travels of Paul in Ephesus, Corinth, Athens and Rome. Follow the footsteps of Christ with a full tour of the Holy Lands.
We have combined an 8 day cruise with a 6 day land tour of the Holy Lands. The cruise will take you to Ephesus, Turkey; Corinth, Greece; Athens, Greece; Rome, Italy; Sovona, Italy and Olympia, Greece. Then spend 6 full days of touring by bus throughout all of Israel. Your Israel land tour includes all the important religious sites inside of Israel, including Galilee and Jerusalem.
A Holy Land cruise without combining it with a land tour is a crime. A cruise will only stop for one day at one or sometimes two ports in Israel. By the time you travel from the coast to Galilee or Jerusalem, you really only get a partial day of touring. One or two partial days of touring in Israel is a major mistake you will regret!
What an opportunity to enjoy the luxury of a cruise through the Mediterranean, touring some of the best cities in Italy, Greece & Turkey, all combined with the travels of Paul and other Apostles. You also have the advantage of being able to leave the ship so you can do a complete tour of the Holy Lands. This is the first time a cruise in the Mediterranean has been combined with a complete tour of the Holy Lands! It really is having your cake and eating it to. We have combined the best of both worlds!
The land portion of you tour includes all of the important sites in Israel such as Jerusalem, Garden Tomb, Galilee, Bethlehem and more. It also includes an option to travel to Jordan and Petra.
This once-in-a-lifetime tour will visit many sites that others are not able to see when they go to Israel. For example: The City of Lehi excavations, located a short distance down from Jerusalem. This is where caves were discovered with writings on the inside walls. It was determined that the writings were by a prophet in hiding that date approx. 600 BC. The Arabs have considered the hill above the cave to be a sacred place. As they put it – “before Mohammed there was a great prophet named Lehi and he taught from that hill." Even the archeologists in Jerusalem now call the area Beit Lehi. With the Lehi excavations being on an army base, we are the only ones that have received permission to visit the site.
“Whisper Perfect” receivers
Everyone on this tour will have their own individual “whisper perfect” receiver. You will be able to hear every word clearly spoken by our guides and educators, even when you step away from the group to take that important picture. You will have them on both the cruise and land tour.
Visiting the Holy Land is a life changing experience. You will never read the scriptures in quite the same way after walking in the footsteps of prophets, apostles, and the Savior. The men and women whose stories have inspired us since childhood come to life in a manner that is remarkable and penetrating. When Jesus walked to Emmaus with two of his disciples they later remarked, “Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” We feel confident you too will feel the power of the Bible’s familiar stories as you experience the sights and sounds of the land that gave to us our shared spiritual heritage. After visiting the lands of the scriptures you will always feel a certain unique homesickness for them and a longing to return.
Others Price: No one else has this combination
Fun For Less Regular Price: $3,015
Fun For Less Discount Price: $2,895
Call for our deeply discounted airfare.
|
Optional Package #1 Transfers, tours & shore excursions: $499
With this package you receive all tours in Rome, all shore excursions, all transfers. It is tremendously less than what you would pay to the cruise ship for the same services. Our transfers, tours and shore excursions are a lot less than the ship charges. This really is a great deal so take advantage of it! Here is what is included in our Optional Package #1
|
| • |
2 days of touring in Rome including the Vatican Museum, Coliseum and Forum |
| • |
All shore excursions in Ephesus, Rome, Corinth, Athens, Olympia & Sovona. Includes All buses, guides and entrance fees |
| • |
All transfers to and from airports, hotels and ship |
| • |
Fun For Less Tour Staff |
Optional Package #2 Petra & Jordan Extension: $990 (Includes Option #1)
With this package you have all of option #1 of tours, transfers and shore excursions PLUS 3 additional nights of hotel, tours, buses and guides in Jordan. In Jordan you will visit Christ’s baptismal site, swim in the Dead Sea, visit Mt. Nebo and explore Petra, voted one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Here is what is included in our Optional Package #2
| • |
Includes, all tours, shore excursions, transfers, etc. included in Option #1 |
| • |
3 additional nights deluxe hotel |
| • |
All tours, buses, entrance fees and guides throughout Jordan |
| • |
Fun For Less Tour Staff |
|
| DAY
BY DAY ITINERARY
Remember what Dr. Wilcox always says: “The itinerary is final when we get home!”
Day 1: Sat. April 23: Today we fly from our various USA cities to Rome Italy .
Day 2: Sun: April 24: This morning we arrive into Rome. The hotel is included – we feel it is critical everyone arrives one day before the cruise starts. We will have a full day of touring for those that have signed up on our Option Package #1 – Pantheon, Forum and Coliseum.
Day 3: Mon. April 25: Full day of touring for those that have signed up for our optional full day of touring which includes the Vatican Museum and Rome City Tour. We will then travel to the ship.
Day 4: Tue: April 26: Optional shore excursion to Sovona, Italy is included in option package #1 & 2.
Day 5: Wed. April 27: Today will be a fun day at sea. We will enjoy a lecture from our Guest Educator on Paul and the Apostles. Plenty of time to enjoy the ship and entertainment.
Day 6: Thu. April 28: Optional shore excursion to Olympia is included in Optional Package #1 & 2. We will visit the site of the birthplace of the first Olympics. There are wonderful old ruins to see and hear about.
Day 7: Fri. April 29: Optional shore excursion to Athens & Corinth is included in Optional Package #1 & 2. We will visit Mars Hill where Paul taught, the Acropolis and the ancient city of Corinth.
Day 8: Sat. April 30: Optional shore excursion to Ephesus, Turkey is included in Optional Package #1 & 2. The ancient ruins of Ephesus are some of the best in the world. You will have time to visit and explore these ruins.
Day 9: Sun. May 1: Fun Day at sea. We will study with our educator about Paul and the apostles you will also have plenty of time for fun and ship entertainment.
Day 10: Mon. May 2: Early this morning we will depart the ship and head north along the Mediterranean Sea. Our focus will be on the Apostles Peter and Paul as we discover Caesarea. Here the Roman centurion, Cornelius, became the first gentile convert to Christianity and Paul related his account of his vision on the road to Damascus to King Agrippa. We will visit the picturesque old Roman aqueduct and let you wade in the Mediterranean Sea. We conclude our visit to Caesarea at the Roman theatre and hippodrome where chariot races were held. Time permitting we will stop in Netanya where the Presidents of the LDS Church and those who dedicated the Holy Land are honored in a special memorial. We then travel to the new city of Jerusalem and visit the Shrine of the Book where the Dead Sea Scrolls are located, and the Model City, a reproduction of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus. The day will end at your hotel in Jerusalem.
Day 11: Tue. May 3: This morning we drive a few miles to Bethlehem where we will remember the wondrous account of the Savior’s birth as recorded in Matthew and Luke and retold each Christmas. We will walk through the Church of the Nativity and sing Christmas carols. We will visit the Jerusalem Center and then on to Hezekiah’s Tunnel, built over 2500 years ago to secure the water supply of Jerusalem during the Assyrian siege. You will need a flashlight for the tunnel. At its end we find the Pool of Siloam where the man born blind washed as instructed by Jesus and came away with his sight. You will have time today to explore the old city and shop before returning to your hotel in Jerusalem.
Day 12: Wed. May 4: Today we will follow the events of the last day of Christ’s life. We will start the day with the stunning view of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. We then visit the Jerusalem Center. Today we reach the spiritual pinnacle of our pilgrimage as we retrace the footsteps of our Savior during the last hours of his life and feel the deep appreciation these places create for the sacrifice of the Son of God. We begin on Mt. Zion at the traditional site of the Upper Room where the Last Supper was shared with devoted apostles. We visit St. Peter in Gallicantu, the possible site of the cock’s crowing and the Palace of Caiaphas where Jesus was tried. From there we descend into the Kidron Valley to visit Gethsemane, the Garden of the Savior’s deepest prayers. In the afternoon we will enter the Old City and continue the last hours of the Savior’s life. We will visit The Church of St Anne where the Pools of Bethesda were located. Here Jesus commanded the impotent man to take up his bed and walk. We visit the Convent of the Sisters of Sion, the location of the Antonia Fortress where Pilate tried the Savior. Our highlight day concludes at Golgotha and the Garden Tomb where we will have time to ponder the Resurrection and final triumph of Christ.
Day 13: Thu. May 5: Our attention today is drawn to the Old City of Jerusalem. We will explore the ruins located south of the Temple Mound where you can walk the sidewalks and stairs of Jesus’ time. We will climb the Temple Mount where both Solomon’s and Herod’s temples once stood and where the magnificent Dome of the Rock and Al Aksa Mosques now stand. We will stop at the Western Wall, the most sacred site for the Jewish faith. You can write a prayer on a piece of paper and place it into the cracks of the wall as millions have done before you. We will then drive south for our unique visit at Beit Lehi to experience an archeological dig firsthand. We will stop at the Valley of Elah where David fought Goliath then continue on to the dig. Our visit to Beit Lehi includes beautiful early Christian mosaics, oil presses, a mikvah (a ritual bath) and the recently discovered columbary where doves were raised by the thousands for sacrifice at the Temple. There is also a New Testament period stable which will give you one of the best settings for the birth of the Savior. You can explore a remarkable site few get to visit. This is also the area where Samson roamed and fought his foes, the Philistines. Keep your eyes open for foxes which Samson used to burn the Philistine crops. We continue on to the Galilee to overnight.
Day 14: Fri: May 6: Our journey today takes us north of the Sea of Galilee. We begin by visiting Capernaum where so many wonderful events and teachings of the Savior took place. We then stop at the Mount of Beatitudes where we will ponder the great truths delivered by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. Driving to the far north of Israel we pass the Canaanite city of Hazor on our way to Tel Dan. Here Jeroboam erected a golden calf for the Israelites to worship, marking the beginning of a road that would end with the “lost ten tribes.” The restored walls and gates give us an excellent idea of the fortifications Joshua would have faced as he conquered the land. We will visit Banias, known as Caesarea Philippi in the days of Jesus where he asked his disciples, “Whom do ye say that I am?” Our day would not be complete without a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee where we can discuss Jesus walking on the water and stilling the storm. At the end of the day we will return to our hotel on the Galilee.
Day 15: Sat: May 7: This morning we will also travel to Ein Harod, the spring where Gideon chose his three hundred men before routing the Midianites. Then it is on to the top of Mt Carmel where Elijah had his historic confrontation with the priests of Baal with its dramatic conclusion. We travel on to Nazareth, home of the Savior for thirty years of his life. Our day ends with a sweeping view of the Jezreel Valley from Nazareth dominated by Mt. Tabor where we will discuss the transfiguration of the Savior. Deborah and Barak gathered their forces at Mt Tabor and defeated Sisera’s iron chariots. We will also visit today the Arbel Cliff for a fantastic overview of the Sea of Galilee. This evening we will head to the International airport in Tel Aviv to board our flight home OR overnight in the hotel in Galilee as part of the optional Extension in Jordan that will start early tomorrow morning.
Day 16: Sun: May 8: Arrive back into the US and on to your homes.
Day 15: Sat: May 7: Same as day 15 above – at the end of the day you would not accompany the group to the airport for their flight home. We will overnight in Galilee.
Day 16: Sun: May 8: This morning early we will travel to the border between Israel and Jordan. Crossing into Jordan we will visit Jerash, some of the best Roman ruins outside of Rome. We will also visit the real baptismal site where it is believed Jesus was baptized on the Jordan side of the Jordan river near the dead Sea. Located near by is a wonderful beach resort on the Dead Sea. You will have time to float in the Dead Sea. We will continue to the top of Mt. Nebo for a view of Israel as Moses saw it. We will continue traveling to Petra where we will spend two nights.
Day 17: Mon: May 9: This morning we explore Petra, the newly voted “Wonder of the World.” We will walk down the narrow canyon to the breathtaking view of the Treasury, Petra’s most famous landmark. You will have time a full day to explore and hike all the ruins around Petra. This will be one of your highlights; Petra is so impressive it would be worth a whole trip just to visit these ruins. We will overnight again in Petra area.
Day 18: Tue: May 10: Late check out as we work our way back to Amman. We will enjoy a city tour of Amman and some time to shop, before going to the airport for our flight back to the US & Home.
Day 19: Wed: May 11: Arrive back to the US and on to your homes.
|
|
If you are not
yet a member of Fun For Less Tours Click
Here for membership information.
|
|
|
