Crossing the Suez Canal: Egypt, Jordan & Israel Cruise from Tel Aviv

Welcome to Tel Aviv. You’ll be transferred to the ship by our private driver with embarkation at 1:30 p.m. If you arrive early, you might want to explore this city on the Mediterranean coast. There are thousands of 1930s Bauhaus buildings clustered in the White City area, while the Eretz Israel Museum is focused on Israel’s archaeology, crafts, and folklore. It includes an on-site excavation of ruins from the 12th-century BC. After boarding the ship, you’ll have time to check out the facilities, settle in, and enjoy a welcome dinner with introductions and an overview of what to expect.

After a night at sea, we’ll reach Port Said in the morning. Here you can enjoy an optional full-day excursion to Cairo, with visits to many bucket-list landmarks. Explore Giza and its many ancient monuments, including the largest and oldest of the pyramids, Great Pyramid of Giza. Wander through the complex of ancient Egyptian mortuary, marvel at the Great Sphinx, and other huge pyramids and temples. You’ll re-board the ship by 10:00 p.m. so we can join the Canal Convoy at 10:30 p.m. with an overnight crossing on the Suez Canal, which links the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea.

• Optional Excursion Tour of Giza and Cairo

You’ll continue crossing the Suez Canal, one of the world’s most important waterways and part of the Silk Road that links Europe with Asia, spending the day on the ship. This is the perfect opportunity to unwind, perhaps soaking up the sun and enjoying the views from the Upper Deck, socializing with your fellow passengers in the comfortable lounge, or retreating to your cabin sanctuary, perhaps finally finishing that book. We’ll exit the canal at Suez, cruising toward Hurghada, overnighting at sea.

Enjoy a leisurely morning on the ship. We’ll arrive about mid-day in El Gouna or Gubail where you’ll enjoy your first swim stop. If you’d like, you can take advantage of the snorkeling gear to view the myriad of marine life, from colorful fish to dolphins. Back onboard the ship, having worked up an appetite, we’ll serve a BBQ feast to help you re-energize before continuing our journey to Hurghada, where we’ll overnight in port. The beach resort town along the Red Sea coast is known for its long stretch of sands, old town with traditional souks, bars, and restaurants.

This morning you’ll disembark the ship to travel by bus to the ancient city of Luxor along the banks of the Nile River. Your accommodation will be provided at a deluxe hotel which is included in your trip. Optionally, you can join an excursion that will bring you to the ancient city of Thebes after getting settled in. It was once the pharaohs’ capital at the height of their peak between the 16th- and 11th-centuries BC. The treasure-filled tombs and soaring temples shine a light on one of the greatest civilizations in history. After exploring, return to your hotel for the evening.

• Optional Excursion Tour of Karnak & Luxor

Another optional excursion is available today, this one to the Valley of the Kings, a royal burial ground used for nearly 500 years from 1539 to 1075 BC for pharaohs like Tutankhamun and Ramses II, high priests, queens, and other powerful nobles. It’s like stepping into the pages of an ancient history book, witnessing sites few get to marvel at in person. You’ll see the two huge stone statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III, here since 1350 BC, and the only temple that was dedicated to a female pharaoh, Hatshepsut before returning to the ship that awaits in Hurghada, with our night spent at sea.

• Optional Excursion Tour of the Valley of the Kings

Enjoy a leisurely morning at sea before we arrive in Aqaba at mid-day. Here you’ll have an optional excursion to UNESCO-listed Wadi Rum, also known as the Valley of the Moon.” Jordan’s largest desert valley is a vast landscape with dramatic cliffs, sandstone arches, and narrow gorgeous. Its other-worldly looks have made it a popular filming site, especially for sci-fi films. It was the setting for most of the scenes in the epic “Lawrence of Arabia.” It’s been inhabited by various cultures since prehistoric times, with glimpses of the past seen in rock paintings. After touring, you’ll reboard the ship, overnighting in port.

• Optional Excursion Tour of Wadi Rum

With a week behind us, your final breakfast will be served on the ship before disembarkation at 9 a.m. You’ll have a number of options afterward, including an optional land tour in Jordan that ends in Amman or Tel Aviv. Or take an optional full-day transfer/excursion to Jerusalem or Tel Aviv, stopping in Masada for lunch. Just let our expert travel staff know what you’d like and they’ll make the arrangements for you.