Day 19: Aqaba (Petra), Jordan with Holland America
Day 19: Aqaba (Petra), Jordan with Holland America
Holland America Africa Explorer Cruise – 49 Days from Rotterdam to Cape Town
Date: Wednesday October 15, 2014
Weather Forecast: Sunny; 30 C/87 F
In Port: 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM
All Aboard: 5:30 PM
Dress Code: Smart Casual
Location Information:
Aqaba, on the Red Sea, is Jordan’s only port and the country’s only access to the sea. Cruise ships that dock in Aqaba use it primarily as the gateway for passengers to visit Petra – The Rose City – a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Wadi Rum – the Valley of the Moon, and Shobak – a Crusader castle.
Port Shuttle Service:
Walking is not permitted in the port but a complimentary shuttle service was provided by the Port of Aqaba between 7:00 AM and 5:15 PM. Travel time from the ship to the city was approximately 15 minutes.
WJs Day:
Our itinerary today involved a 9-hour Holland America Line shore excursion to Petra – “Petra: The Rose Red City” (US$244.95 per person). Excursion Description: Walk with your guide through the Siq, a narrow passage to reach the Treasury – the most famous and outstanding of all monuments. Pass the Street of the Facades on your way to the fine Greek Theater. The Royal Tombs are carved into the face of Jebel Khubtha and consist of the Urn Tomb, the Corinthian Tomb and the three-story Palace Tomb. Buffet lunch included, and extensive walking involved.
We had ordered breakfast from in-room dining for a 6:30-7:00 AM time slot, but once again it arrived early and we were woken by the knock on the door at 6:10 AM. So we were wide awake and enjoying coffee and cereal in our cabin as ms Rotterdam docked in Aqaba, Jordan (just as the sun was starting to rise around 6:45 AM).
Again the Front Office handled all passports being stamped by the Jordanian authorities, and all we needed to go aboard was our ship ID card and photo ID (driver’s license).
Our excursion bus (Pink 14) to Petra departed at 8:10 AM and our local guide for the day was a Jordanian named Marwa (a very knowledgeable and kind man that made sure we all had plenty of water on this very hot day). The two-hour drive from Aqaba to Petra followed the Desert Highway and King’s Highway, with a 20-minute toilet and souvenir shopping (at Talina Souvenir Shop) stop en-route. Further along we stopped for a few minutes to take photographs of the city of Petra from a vantage point in the surrounding mountains. 
By 10:45 AM we arrived at Petra Visitor Center and spent the next 3 hours exploring the UNESCO World Heritage Site with Marwa. The pace of walk through the sites was brisk, but we visited the Treasury, Street of Facades, Greek Theater and saw where the Royal Tombs were carved into the mountain. We spent the first 90 minutes trying to keep up with Marwa and listen to his commentary of the various sites, but finally got too frustrated with the number of people and not being able to hear so went and explored on our own. (The Whisper System would make listening to the guide much better – especially with so many things to see and thousands of people around).
Petra is well known for their “lost city” that was built by the Nabataen people around 312 BC. The lost city is hidden in a valley and carved into the pink-colored cliffs, only being discovered by Westerners in 1812. Caravan trade between Egypt and Persia also took place in this area, and the Roman Empire took control of the city in approximately the year 100 CE.
By 1:45 PM we had made our way out of the ancient city and over to the Movenpick Hotel for the included buffet lunch. Lunch was delicious, with a vast hot and cold selection of Jordanian food.
Apparently one of the passengers from our bus had taken a fall in Petra and was taken to hospital. Thankfully she was fine and able to meet up with our bus on the way back to the ship (we waited for her to join us at the souvenir shop), but this meant we were the last bus to arrive and late for all aboard. This is definitely a huge advantage to taking a ship’s excursion – they won’t leave without you and will make sure you are well taken care of.
Sail away from Aqaba was at approximately 6:20 PM, just as the sun was setting, providing a beautiful view of the city and surrounding mountains along the Gulf of Aqaba.
From 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM around the Lido Pool was a BBQ (known as a Mangal in the Middle East) where we enjoyed wonderful traditional Arabian dishes and Bedouin dancing.
Tonight’s entertainment in the Showroom at Sea was by musician Woytek.
Next – Safaga, Egypt to visit Luxor
