Margaret Morse Tours in Israel 2012? Think Again!

Old Nov 19th, 2012, 03:33 AM
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Margaret Morse Tours in Israel 2012? Think Again!

Margaret Morse Tours 2012?..... Think Again

Perhaps at one time this was the tour to go. This is no longer the
case. Although our tour guide was excellent, not all tour guides were equal.
Specifically, a tour guide named David repeatedly left people on his bus standing in
blistering heat with no seating to deliver his history speeches. He
was arrogant and calculated . If you decide on this tour, ask for Allan or Bruce.
All Margaret Morse tour buses are cramped. I'm 5'2 and had little leg room.
The tour seats didn't have a pocket to hold bottled water or purchases made. In order to store
items you would need to share what little seating space you do have with the rest of your items.
Now comes the hotel and food portion of the magnificent Morse tours. Besides having
cattle buffet lines for 2 1/2 weeks the special dining events were nothing short of amazing.
Dining with Druid Arabs that grabbed food off buffet tables with their
hands left me wondering why reservations were made at this kibbutz motel/hotel. When I complained to Robyn Morse
regarding people taking food off the buffet with their hands, Robyn responded with surely I must have eaten at a
buffet where people did that before!...... HUH?
I, somehow for the most part, had decent rooms, but beware! Margaret Morse does not provide all travelers
with equal rooms. Some travelers were put up in the old tower at the kibbutz with dirty, torn bedding and facilities
that did not work. Refunds are being requested.

In one of the rooms I shared with another female the bathroom was so small, that we felt it necessary
to complain for a larger bathroom to Wendy Morse.
Wendy's response was, that we should not use the bathroom at the same time. Second HUH????
Eventually we were given a suite when we reminded Wendy we are from the Fort Lauderdale area where Margaret Morse operates her
bookings from. We were just told not to tell anyone, when in fact other people did receive suites for reasons unknown.

Another magnificent dining experience was at an all you can eat menu
for $10.00. That meal mostly had diners begging for food. Why would this place be recommended?

There were 2 dining out experiences that were paid for by Margaret Morse Tours.
All were falafel and greasy kabobs, The last and least "special dining event" that was touted in Margaret Morses itinerary
was held in a little ghetto Mediterranean restaurant in Tel Aviv our last night there. This special event was quite a hilly hike for seniors.
The buses could not get down the narrow hilly streets so we were told to get off the bus walk to the restaurant on a dark graffiti ridden street.
The owner of that restaurant was out and out nasty ordering people where to sit.

I would like to end my review with a kudos for my bus driver Akiv, who landed
us safely to every event, my tour guide Allan who did a great job guiding, and the
planning and visiting of the major important events and historical sites to see in Israel.
I just don't know if you would be better off spending the same $$$ elsewhere.
This tour group was mediocre at best.
Jamblue is offline  
Old Nov 19th, 2012, 07:59 PM
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We also went to Israel with MargRet Morse tours. Our family has done travel throughout Asia, Africa, Europe, South America. We are experienced travelers who mostly travel independently and stay in top hotels. We found the Morse tour comfortable, good hotels, good restaurants and meals. The touring was well planned and the children had an excellent time with the counselors. I have participated on this board for about 10 years. I have high expectations for the accommodations on my trips. I wrote a trip report praising the Morse tour when we returned the end of August.
Elainee is offline  
Old Nov 20th, 2012, 03:34 PM
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"Dining with Druid Arabs"

Pardon my curiosity, I always thought that a "Druid Arabian" is a breed of horses.

You probably shared food with Druzes - how said, you haven't even learned the proper name. Very interesting culture and religion, our tour guide told us about them, not Morse though.
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Old Nov 20th, 2012, 03:35 PM
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And now I made a typo, this must be contagious I mean to say, how sad you haven't learned the proper name. Sad, not said.
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Old Nov 25th, 2012, 03:19 AM
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This was not a tour with children. It's an entirely different tour and itinerary. As far as your curiosity regarding who I was dining with Dayenu.......Druids vs Druze

"Cultures in which prophecy played an important role include the Assyrians, Celts, Chaldeans, Chinese, Druids, Egyptians, Greeks, Hebrews, Indians, indigineous North Americans, Mayans, Tibetans, and many in the Christian and Muslim traditions, among others."
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Old Nov 25th, 2012, 04:53 AM
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Hmmmm.....
"A druid was a member of the priestly class in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul (France), and possibly other parts of Celtic Europe and Galatia during the Iron Age and possibly earlier."
"Druze, also spelled Druse, Arabic plural Durūz, singular Darazi, relatively small Middle Eastern religious sect characterized by an eclectic system of doctrines and by a cohesion and loyalty among its members (at times politically significant) that have enabled them to maintain through almost a thousand years of turbulent history their close-knit identity and distinctive faith."
So the are NOT the same at all.
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Old Nov 26th, 2012, 02:31 AM
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I have to disagree...

"The Druze are rather like Druids, and also like Freemasons. In fact, some say that Templar Knights were initiated into Druze orders, and thus Freemasonry was born. It must be pointed out that the Druze were much given to making vehement warfare against the Crusaders."
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