Queen Elizabeth ocean liner (archives)
Photo: Shutterstock
Queen Elizabeth cruise ship arrives in Israel
Maiden voyage of world's most famous and luxurious ocean liner to Holy Land deemed a success. Each of 2,092 passengers pays tens of thousands of dollars for two and a half weeks of pleasure
The world's most famous and luxurious cruise ship, Queen Elizabeth, arrived in Israel
on Sunday carrying 2,092 tourists.
About 85% of the rooms have a sea view or face the decks, and 71% include balconies.
The floating "city of pleasure" has 14 floors and 12 decks on which passengers can stroll, sunbathe or sit and watch the blue sea. It also includes a golf course, swimming pools, gyms, an amphitheater, a cinema, three dance clubs, dining halls, four chef restaurants, cafés, a casino and luxury shops.
Breaking Records
Ahiya Raved
Mideast unrest brings 40,000 tourists to northern seaport in October – nearly as many as in entire 2010
If you wish to spend the cruise in one of the ship's suites, you'll be asked to bid farewell to some NIS 156,000 (about $43,000) per person for a two-and-a-half-week sail. A "standard cabin" will cost tens of thousands of dollars.
The ship has 900 crewmembers – almost one crewmember for every two passengers. Due to its reputation, Queen Elizabeth serves as a model for building cruise ships.
The maiden voyage to Israel has been deemed a success, with all cabins booked. During their two-day stay in the Holy Land, the tourists will visit Jerusalem, Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea.
The ship left Southampton, England for a two-and-a-half-week cruise and will also be visiting Gibraltar, Port Said, Rhodes, Athens, Cyprus and Malaga.
As this is its first visit to Israel, the ship was greeted at the Haifa Port with jets of water sprinkled by two Israeli ships.
The original Queen Elizabeth ship has been turned into a floating hotel in Dubai. The new ocean liner is operated by English shipping company Cunard, which is represented in Israel by AMA.
Company official Eitan Ivan said over the weekend, "Queen Elizabeth's arrival is a 'seal of approval' for international tourism to Israel." He added that the ship was expected to visit Israel at least twice throughout 2012.
- Follow Ynetnews on Facebook
