Crystal Cruises is unveiling its first ever Crystal Overland Adventures from Ashdod on its Holy Land cruise this fall. A choice of three three-night journeys transport travelers to such revered sites as the 2,000 year old Rose City of Petra, the Pharaohs’ tombs in Luxor’s Valley of the Kings and the Dead Sea, among other astonishing destinations where Christian, Jewish and Islamic civilizations took root. The 12-day cruise sails from Athens to Venice October 8 aboard Crystal Serenity, with visits to Santorini, Rhodes, Corfu and Dubrovnik.
“With more than five millennia of history to explore, guests are able to lose themselves in the rich culture of these destinations with completely authentic experiences, and three full days to soak it all in,” says John Stoll, director, land programs.
Rejoining the ship in Alexandria, Egypt, all three of the new programs feature the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem’s Time Elevator and Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Sphinx and Great Pyramid of Giza, plus Cairo’s Egyptian Museum, with more than 100,000 relics. Attractions specific to each program include:
* NEW! Israel, Petra & Cairo –Jordan’s Petra, the archaeological site hidden for thousands of years, and whose only entrance is through the Siq, a narrow gorge of spectacular beauty;
* NEW! Israel, Luxor & Cairo – Luxor’s Valley of Kings, where Tutankhamen’s tomb was unearthed; and the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, the only female pharaoh in history; and
* NEW! Israel In-depth & Cairo – Masada, a fortress built by King Herod; and the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth with more salt and minerals than any other body of water in the world.
The cruise features an Ancient Civilizations Experiences of Discovery focus with guest archeologists and experts providing regional background on board, as well as during select excursions ashore. More than a dozen partial- and full-day excursions from Ashdod are also offered, several of them brand new.
Fares for the Israel and Egypt Crystal Overland Adventures start at $3,679 per person; cruise fares start at $4,940 per person, both double occupancy, including $1,000 per person All Inclusive – As You Wish onboard credits.
