jacketwatch

Has anyone ever cruise in this area during this time period? We are looking at a cruise on the X Constellation which is quite appealing but I'd like to be a bit more certain about weather then. I would imagine its cooler and less crowded. Any opinions please. Thank you. Larry

Eschew

Hey Larry, welcome back!

As you know, we were there in October. I spoke to the local about the weather (as we wnated to return again in May) and the results are all depends on where you are.

Athens would be cool & maybe rainy, between around 60-65. The islands would be a touch warmer. In November, your days gets really short.

Israel and Egypt would be around 70-75. If you end the trip in Rome, it would be only around 50-60 there. It was around 60 when we left Rome on Oct 23 and the locals were wearing heavy jackets already.

Certain places would still be crowded regardless of season. It would be just not as crowded as July & August. I thought it was pretty crowded at the Acropolis but the tour guide told us that it was a slow day. Can't imagine what a busy day would be like.

You can find the link to my trip report here.
http://www.fodors.com/community/crui...in-october.cfm

jacketwatch

Thanks E. I tried to keep up w/ the TR and now I can finish it. The cruise we're looking at now starts our of istanbul. I don't know why i missed it the first time I looked but its on the Constellation for 12 days embarking in late Oct. the temps don't bother me but the shorter days are a bit of a concern. However I think overall it should be fine. If you click my name you'll find pics of out trip BTW. Its alot of family stuff but there are some nice shots of Delhi, Amritsar and HK of course. 60 and heavy jackets?? Just like winter in India. The natives find this pretty chilly but for us its nice. Conversely we could not do well with the 115F in the summer. What I like about this cruise is the itinarary. I mean Istanbul, Athens and two days each in Alexandria and Ashdod. Great sites packed into one.
Cheers, Larry

Eschew

Hi Larry, I checked out your pics and had made comemnts ...

We were swimming in Florida on the beach (70) and people walked by with fur coats thinking we were crazy.

I peeked at your itenary for Constellation.

11 am arrival at Piraeus would give you barely enough time to get to Athens, see Acropolis, shop at Plaka, and bus back to the ship. Piraeus is about an hour away from Athens, depending on traffic. You probably won't have time to see the new Acropolis museum. It gets dark around 6 pm in mid October.

With 2 days in Alexandria, you can see Alexandria on day one, take a late train to Cairo and stay overnight, see Giza and take train back to Alexandria. You really only have half day (morning) in Cairo due to ship leaving at 7 pm.

For Ashdod, a day in Jerusalem, a day to Dead Sea and Masada would be it.

Never been to Rhodes and as to Ephesus, don't miss the Terrace houses.

Maybe I should convince my DW to take this trip ... the timing is right for me in late October early November.

Egypt_advisor

Hi Larry,
If i will give you my advice about the 2 days tour in Egypt,,I don't recommend that taking a trian to Cairo,but you can have an overnight tour to Cairo ,Leave the ship early in the morning ,do Cairo tour stay at the hotel in Cairo and the next day you have the choice to visit more places in Cairo or go back to visit the Alexandria ............or you can have just A day tour to Cairo then back to ship,next day you do tour Alexandria.....I wish this will help.

jacketwatch

Thanks for the reply. It seems like staying overnight in Cairo is the best idea. Larry

qwovadis

You are right generally cooler less crowded

www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/israel

been there in fall several times Oct/Nov good usually

lower temps little rain... Itinerary/Celebrity is good

for a big ship Travel Dynamics has some wonderful

smaller ships I have taken also if budget is good.

But generally a great cool time to go unless you get

an early cold front with lots of rain but pretty rare.

Happy Planning,

P_M

I took a similar cruise in Nov 2000 and the weather was great.

I agree not to miss the Terrace Houses in Ephesus. There is an extra charge but it is worth it.

In Rhodes be sure to visit the Old Town and the Medieval Castle. Also see the harbor where it is believed the Colossus of Rhodes once stood. If you are unfamiliar with that you should look it up. I am not much of a shopper but I went nuts buying gold jewelry in Rhodes.

I was in Istanbul in December 2008 and on the first day I didn't wear a coat. Maybe it was unseasonably warm, but when a Southern gal like me doesn't need a coat, you know it's not cold. I was there another time in November and it was colder but still not bad. The Topkapi (sp?) Palace is the big don't-miss in Istanbul. Get the audio guide and pay the extra charge to see the harem. My favorite thing about Istanbul (this is silly) was the roasted chestnuts I bought from vendors. I could eat those every day of my life and never get tired of them. I told you it is silly.

For weather stats see:

www.weatherbase.com

Have a great trip.

jacketwatch

Thank you. It seems like the temps will be a non issue