Israel Package Featuring a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

05/01/2019

Air fare arrangements need improving

Service

Having used Collette for the fourth time this trip I was hoping the flying options would have improved. You either have the choice of flung coach or business. One is too cramped for my legs and the other is too rich for my wallet. Flying coach plus or premium is how I prefer to fly long distances, but Collette will not work our these arrangements. I was able to fly with my group and obtain my own air fare.
Tour

Our group was made ups of christian travelers, most being Catholic, but our guide throughout the Holy was Muslim. He was an excellent guide and knew all the details of the holy sites, even quoting the Bible quite often, but some of our group would have preferred a christian or Catholic guide. One complaint was most of the hotel arrangements did not feel like 4 star hotels even though the booklet listed them as being such. Also, our first day in Jerusalem was a total waste, we arrive before noon and did nothing until dinner that night. Collette could have arranged at least to transport those of us who arrived early into Tel Aviv to see the sites, instead of hanging out in an out of the way hotel that provided no option within walking distance.

04/11/2019

Service

I received all the required information in a timely fashion. I was able to make changes without any problem.
Tour

The knowledge, organization and character of the tour guide and driver were instrumental in appreciating the incredible sights and history.

04/07/2019

Service

Overall was pretty good! My only concern was at the Leonardo hotel in Jerusalén, there was a bed bug in my bed and ants in the bathroom! Attached is a video of the bed bug.
Tour

Was a great time! Nice memories

Thank you for traveling with Collette to Israel. A member of the Guest Relations Team will be reaching out to discuss your feedback.

Collette Support

04/06/2019

Service

Enjoyed the pick-up and delivery service to and from the airport. The pick-up in Te Aviv and delivery back to the airport. The hotels were ok not great. The food at the hotels was substandard, usually cold when it should have been hot. The service at the hotels was not great; we usually had to handle our own luggage if we wanted to make the bus on time. The arrangements by Collette were great.
Tour

There were too many sites scheduled each day. We had little time at each site. Would have enjoyed either more time there so we could take in all of the sites with more time or less sites with more time at each site. The religious sites selected were good. Did not enjoy having to go shopping at pre-selected sites. Would have rather enjoyed more free time to shop on our own.

Thank you for traveling with Collette to Israel. Your feedback will be reviewed by the Product Design Team in order to enhance the overall touring experience for our guests.

Collette Support

04/06/2019

A great tour company!

Service

The tour guide was knowledgeable and knew the tour sites well. The transportation starting from home, airports, transfers and sites was exceptional! The food provided was delicious and true to the regions we visited. The only thing I would change would be to allow some down time between one or two days of tours. The days were long and packed with information while moving from place to place.
Tour

The places we visited were exactly what we signed up for and well organized. Visiting the Dead Sea as an optional tour was a highlight but I wish we could have spent more time there as that was the only free day we had.

03/19/2019

A trip of a lifetime.

Service

The service was wonderful. The hotels were comfortable. The pilgrimage was tiring. Up early and on the go all day. Came back each night exhausted but thrilled with all the beautiful sights. The food was good. The airline made the trip very comfortable. The flight was long but I was able to sleep.
Tour

The tour was wonderful. Jerusalem was my favorite experience seeing all the sacred sights where Jesus was. I loved going to Jordan. Petra was my favorite experience.

03/17/2019

Service

Christian tour should not be put in Hasidic hotel that observes sabbath H rules and kosher dietary constraints
Tour

Tour guide Eddie was very good and accomotating.

Thank you for traveling with Collette to Israel and for providing us with this valuable feedback. Your comments will be reviewed in order to improve the overall touring experience for our guests.

Collette Support

03/14/2019

I would give it a #3 out of #10!

Service

Hotel and food were kosher ... I would have preferred better quality food and hotels. Tour was very busy with 5 AM wake up and returning back to hotel near dinner time. We weren’t given any itinerary with specific timeframe of our activities. Eddy and Joe were great, but I would have plan it differently... If I only knew!
Tour

Too much information it was getting overwhelming.. you’d forget what you were looking at.

Thank you for traveling with Collette to Israel. Your feedback will be reviewed by the Product Design Team in order to improve the overall touring experience for our guests.

Collette Support

03/11/2019

Service

i was not happy how our tour guide behavior. He was very pushy where we should shop, waiting for his kick back. i was told by Rusty Brandt, that Collette backs us on any purchases for returning items and for me to wait till i got back for doing a return. I have not heard about my return and was charged back for product stocking fee of $85.00 return shipping was $37.00. So no, I am not happy. I also got sick and missed one whole day of trip, don’t know yet whether i will be refunded. Sarita Tijerina
Tour

Holy Sepulchral , and the surrounding areas

Thank you for traveling with Collette to Israel. We are very sorry to hear about the disappointment you experienced while on tour. We are aware you have been in contact with a member of the Guest Relations Team in regards to these issues. Your feedback will be reviewed in order to improve the overall touring experience for our guests.

Collette Support

03/11/2019

I would not take a Colette tour based on experience of inadequate hotels

Service

All the hotels that Colette used were "old" & needed to be remodeled badly!!! The first hotel the shower head was clogged & barely any water came out. The second hotel only had the heat on in the rooms. When we tried to put on the air conditioner or fan it would only throw out hot air. We were told that the air conditioner would only be turned on in April. If it was warm or stuffy in our room then we had to open the slider type window. Needless to say bugs flew in the room & we could hear all the outside noises! Not a good solution! The third hotel also did not have the air conditioner turned on. So again we were at the mercy of opening the window because of the warmth & stuffiness in the room! There were no vent switches in any of the hotel bathrooms! Which only aggravated the stuffiness & warmth every time one bathed. The buffet type food for breakfast & dinner was ok. But after awhile it was the same ol thing each day & that got old quickly! A greater variety of food needs to be available. As well as some good ol standbys for those who are alittle homesick for mac & cheese or a burger.
Tour

The tours were "too rushed" & "too much" was packed into each day! I felt like I really didn't get to enjoy my surroundings because we were "always" on a very tight schedule to complete seeing all the venues each day! Very little free time & NO down time at all!!! By the time all was said & done I was ready to go home & completely exhausted!! We walked each day 3 to 4 miles. That didn't include the time spent waiting in line for an hour or two to get into a venue. The two most memorable experiences were at the Sea of Galilee when we rode a boat for almost an hour (yea)! The Dead Sea experience was also nice because we were able to spend a whole hour relaxing & lounging there without being rushed to leave. We even got to ride some camels!

Thank you for traveling with Collette to Israel. We are very sorry to hear about your experience on tour with us. A member of the Guest Relations Team will be reaching out to discuss your feedback.

Collette Support

03/02/2019

Service was great

Service

Yes
Tour

Because service was great

02/17/2019

Service

The pilgrimage to Israel was the best group trip I have ever been on thus far. Such a wonderful experience to share among new friends. Our guide was tremendous, and I would recommend this trip to everyone.
Tour

The tour had a lot of excursions which kept us busy. We had only one day of rain, and we made the most of that day

02/07/2019

A well-organized, amazing pilgrimage.

Service

The whole management team was most helpful when I called with questions, prompt with answers or help as needed, provided great support through the agent I worked with. I could not have been more pleased. The hotel accommodations were excellent. Our tour guide was most knowledgeable. I look forward to my next trip with Collette!
Tour

All of the Holy Sites visited left a deep impression on those traveling with me and myself. Of the Masses I celebrated, the highlight was at Bethlehem, only about one hundred feet away from the Grotto of the Nativity of Jesus we visited afterwards. Our tour guide was most knowledgeable and the historical and religious background he supplied at each site made the visit that much more significant.

02/03/2019

An Unforgettable Pilgrimage

Service

The hotel selection was great, and the pace and the tour guide were exceptional.
Tour

The hotels, pace and tour guide Bilegh Jazi were great.

02/03/2019

Service

Nasar, our guide, was excellent!
Tour

Sea of Galilee and the knowledge of nasar the tour guide.

02/02/2019

Israel - 3rd time is the charm

Service

Overall it was a great experience. There was one minor glitch in communication, but we were able to cope with that. As the group leader, I had been told that a group of 6 would be joining us so I prepared enough materials for 32 people. Unfortunately once in TelAviv, I learned there were another 5 people added to the group. I always print extra materials but it ended up that 2 people did not receive my group song book or a book of prayers that focused on the Holy Land. A few had to share and it was not a big deal; however, when I lead groups I plan for excellence and this reflected poorly on me (in my opinion). This was the 3rd time to visit Israel and definitely the best mostly due to our tour guide Billy. He was excellent. A few had a minor issue that a Muslim would lead a Catholic group but I thought he did a very good job. Maybe I'm just more accepting of others of different faiths?
Tour

Excellent! The tour manager went above and beyond for our group

02/01/2019

Service

At our ONLY meeting with a Colette Rep he really did not have the answers to a lot people's questions. He seemed uncertain how things would work and relied on our group guide a lot for answers. The hotels we stayed in were not the most conducive to the size or our group nor accommodating. Water on the bus was absolutely terrible!!!! People had to purchase their own bottled water bc the water supplied by bus was awful. Restaurant selection was not very good - everything was the same. Everything was rushed because there were too many sights planned in too little days to do the sightseeing in.
Tour

Too little time to see and experience everything that was scheduled in this tour. Tour should have been 12 days not 9 or less should have been scheduled.

Thank you for traveling with Collette to Israel. Your feedback will be reviewed by the Product Design Team for Israel in order to improve the overall touring experience our guests.

Collette Support

02/01/2019

Service

First class all the way. second trip with Collette and just as good as the first. Hotels, food, transportation, planning: all great. Crowded places and too many other visitors trying to see and do the same things were the only drawbacks to the trip. Would do it again with Collette but would select the off season to do it.
Tour

look at previous statement

02/01/2019

Service

Did a good job in following promised itinerary. Tour guide was extremely knowledgeable.
Tour

Enjoyed overall experience.

02/01/2019

Service

Yes I would use Collette again. Tour was a little too rushed.
Tour

Well organized. Masada tour was my favorite part. Our guide was excellent. Extremely knowledgeable and courteous. I thought too many stops were packed into each day. I feel I could have had a more enjoyable time if we visited fewer sites but spent more time in each. I feel we needed more free time to explore the sites in depth. Some are just a blurred memory.

02/01/2019

Pretty good tour enjoyable

Service

I went on a Catholic pilgrimage to the Holy Lands. The flyer mentioned being able to renew your wedding vows at Cana. Apparently this is available if you set it up in advance. I thought it was on our tour but it wasn’t. I wanted to see Christ’s tomb this was listed on the tour. I was only able to see it because I got a cab went myself early in the morning and then took a cab to catch the tour bus. Again if it was planned in advance we could have had mass and then seen the tomb immediately following if someone had set it up. I went and waited hours twice until I got in. I was never able to get to see the site of His crucifixion. Once again it should have been planned better
Tour

Could have been planned better.

01/19/2019

Very disappointing hotels and food. The advertising was 4 star but not so

Service

I wrote a letter and received a phone measage.. When I called back I never heard back from Collette. The food was reheated from the night before. The rooms were worn and not 4 star. I tried to use the front desk for local restaurants and they weren’t helpful.
Tour

Guide didn’t speak clear English. Best experience was day off from tour. Got to Holy Sepulcher early morning and enjoyed church. Itinerary changed several times. Nice booklet but not followed.

Thank you for traveling with Collette to Israel. A member of the Guest Relations Team will be reaching out to discuss your feedback.

Collette Support

01/18/2019

Holy Land Pilgrimage

Service

It was a wonderful trip. We packed in a lot in 8 days. There were some changes in scheduling at times, but everything worked out for the best. The guides were knowledgeable, the Foisies of TravelVision were very helpful and accommodating. Hotels were very good, particularly the last one we stayed in with wonderful dining experiences. It was truly a trip of a lifetime.
Tour

Bethlehem, Cana, Nazareth, Jerusalem..each day was a fascinating experience. Everything we saw and did was educational and spiritually invigorating and brought us back to a most historical time of early Christianity in its scriptural context. It was interesting, too, to see other facets of Israel in contemporary times, to learn more about the different faiths and people who inhabited the land and still do today.

01/18/2019

Good tour, well organized. Currency was an issue. Too steered shopping.

Service

Navigating the airports, flights and hotel info was really good and well organized. Our tour guide (Raed Makhouli) in Israel was Outstanding and extremely knowledgeable. However, it would be helpful for Collette to better inform guests regarding the use of Credit Cards and US dollars before departing for Israel. About half of our group was unable to use the ATM at the hotel to exchange for shekels. And many of the retail vendors did not take Credit Cards. This made it very disappointing when buying merchandise to bring back. We would have exchanged our money at a bank in the US before departing if we had known and understood what would happen when we were in Israel. It would have been appreciated if we were allowed a small amount of time on each day's tour to frequent the local food stands and vendors instead of being steered to only pre-determined places to eat and shop. I realized the immensity of packing a lot of sites and experiences into each day, but some of the flavor of the Israeli experience was lost on the strict pre-determined schedule. The only day to explore Jerusalem and the city/culture was also the day that you had to make a choice ... a free day in Jerusalem or lose the day at the Dead Sea. I personally would have rather skipped Akko (Acre), the Knights of the Templar, in order to spend some time enjoying the food stands and merchandise vendors in the cities. I would have enjoyed seeing more of Jaffa and walking the streets and seaport. I know our trip was a religious pilgrimage tour, but a little of the current Israel would have been nice too.
Tour

Memorable experiences were the special holy sites: Jaffa, Basilica of the Annunciation, Town of Jesus - Nazareth, Primacy of Peter, Sea of Galilee boat ride, Mount Tabor, Shepherd's Field, Basilica of Nativity, Masada, Dead Sea, Church of the Holy Sepchular, Mount of the Beatitudes, Jordan River, Gethsemane), the amazing landscape and foods. I would have preferred to leave out Akko/Acre & Caesarea Maritime and spent more time in Jaffa. I would certainly take other tours with Collette again..

01/18/2019

Service

The pace was too fast and we could not take advantage of enjoying the sites we visited. Jerusalem was too crowded with people and we could not see all that we came to see because we were just shoved around by people and did not have time to visit all the sites because of the number of people. We had to leave and move on before we could even get into places that had a 3 - 4 hrs. wait-line to get inside.
Tour

I was in Jerusalem 25 years ago and it was nothing like this trip. We were able to go into sites that have now been closed to the public. It was a "holy" experience. Everything has gotten too commercial. Did enjoy Masada and the Dead Sea which I did not visit before.

01/18/2019

Service

The service in Israel was top notch...made especially good by our guide who was phenomenal. I did find the tour a bit rushed as we seemed to pile in a lot of sites per day. Things changed in Jordan. Now as for destination..I fell in love with Jordan...I would go back in a heartbeat. Our guide was good but we had no whisperers so when we arrived at a site, we couldn’t hear what he was saying unless you were right next to him. And our last night in Jordan was scary. There was no rep at the hotel so when our tour leader went in to see about our rooms, the bus driver took off with us...I guess to find a better parking spot but he just kept driving and he wouldn’t say where he was taking us. When he finally turned around and went back, I personally, was ill with relief. I don’t like being that frightened. Overall it was a good tour.
Tour

The trip to Wadi Rum...spectacular!!! If I ever went back I would want to stay overnight to view the stars ...the guide I talked to said it is magical.

01/18/2019

Service

The pre-trip information was very confusing because it was incorrect most of the time. There was no information in the app for the tour extension.
Tour

The actual trip was well organized and enjoyable. The local guides provided great background information and they were able to make changes to the order of site visits when necessary.

01/18/2019

Service

Way too rushed.
Tour

It was too rushed and was more of a tour than a pilgrimage

01/18/2019

Service

Highly comprehensive and informative with their pre-departure information. Everything was spelled out carefully and completely. Our Collette representative, Pat Chapin, was fantastic.
Tour

All of the heritage sites were great. Cana was particularly memorable as was the Via Dolorosa.

01/18/2019

Tour of a lifetime and worth having a tour guide!

Service

They provided a very good tour rep who was knowledgeable and caring. Our accommodations and food were fine, tour spots were what we expected and wanted. Wished the tour could have slowed down pace a bit to be able to enjoy the religious sites with more individual prayer time.
Tour

Most memorable spot was going to the Church of the Holy Seplechure

01/18/2019

Will not use Collette again or recommend them.

Service

Days were too long. Exasting! No time to shower or rest before rushing to dinner. No cultural experience. No time to shop in the markets. Almost every dinner was at the hotel with the same experience. Would have been nice to eat at different restaurants with different choices to order. Very poor help for lady who didn’t get her luggage for 4 days. She had to track things herself. Didn’t get to see the Holicost museum or experiences an Israeli Christian mass . The stores we were taken to were too expensive and very over priced .wasted way to much time at hotels waiting for room assignments and keys.
Tour

Tour guide was good.. bus was very nice . people were great!

Thank you for your feedback regarding the Pilgrimage to Israel tour. This tour and its itinerary are designed to engender both faith and cultural experiences. Time for shopping may be limited as a result. This tour includes many significant religious and cultural sites. Due to this, days can be longer than what may be typical but the pacing is moderate. If you would like to discuss the tour or any other matter further, please feel free to contact the General Manager of Collette's Canadian office at 888-243-5549 Ext. 40153.

Collette Support

10/27/2018

A most amazing and fulfilling Pilgrimage to the Holy Land!

Service

Excellent! The tour bus was beautiful. Our tour guide, Nasser Aweidah, was very knowledgeable & friendly. Our Bus Driver, Ismail, was an outstanding driver & very courteous.
Tour

Every place we visited was just so spiritual. Church of the Nativity, Holy Sepulchre, Western Wall to name just three.

12/01/2016

Wonderful Tour

Service

Details were given in a timely manner. The pick-up service to and from the airport, both here and in Tel Aviv was appreciated
Tour

The boat ride on the Sea of Galilee and the sites in the old city of Jerusalem were most memorable.

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Israel: Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

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Israel: Pilgrimage to the Holy Land