Happy Cruising!

Kosherica Cruises is wishing all of you a joyful Simchat Torah!

Spend Sukkot with us next year!

Take a look at how Kosherica's travelers are spending their Sukkot this year!

SUKKOT DAN CAESAREA RESORT HOTEL



Join our 7th annual group program for Glatt Kosher Sukkot at the deluxe Dan Caesarea The Dan Caesarea offers a 5 star hotel style resort with every facility that you could dream of! The hotel's high standards of service, excellent cuisine and dedicated staff ensure that Sukkot at the Dan Caesarea will be a memorable experience. Dan Caesarea is Israel's unique family resort hotel, set in 15 acres of lush gardens and country-estate ambiance offering the perfect relaxing family vacation!


SUKKOT HACIENDA FOREST VIEW HOTEL



Join our annual group program for Glatt Kosher Sukkot at the HACIENDA FOREST VIEW HOTEL. Reminisce of a Spanish manor with a European flavor, the hacienda is situated high up in the Western Galilee and is set on 70 acres of natural green lush forest complete with pampering suites and spa rooms. Renowned for its serene and tranquil atmosphere, experience a wonderful vacation of renewal in the heart of nature.

Personalized Kosher Tours

Missed out on a summer vacation? Click here to see our complete list of Personalized Kosher Tours. Escape to Vietnam and Cambodia, Morocco, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and more! Enjoy an intinerary filled with exquisite scenery, cultural landmarks and adventure. Start booking now!

Israeli Executive Chef Porat Raises the Bar on Kosher Cruises

Copenhagen…As the executive chef of the five-star Dan Acadia in Herzliya, Ariel (“Arik”) Porat is already considered one of Israel’s leading kosher chefs. But earlier this month, Arik brought his mastery aboard the new Costa Deliziosa in a cruise to the Baltics, sponsored by Kosherica, a leader in the growing popularity of kosher cruises that include resident scholars and world-class entertainment. For the more than 200 vacationers (out of 2160 passengers), the 7-day cruise was also a week-long culinary experience, as it has been on many of the Kosherica cruises that featured Arik. Each evening, passengers in the elegant third floor hall dined on a five-course meal that included several choices of beef, poultry, and fish, much like those served in some of the finest hotels and restaurants. For Helit Edelstein of Kosherica, the logistical challenges of having a world-class chef of Porat’s reputation “is all part of the experience,” which on this particular cruise included Rabbi Stephen Riskin of Efrat and Cantor Yaakov Motzen.

The “challenges” also included recruiting reputable kosher supervisors and, of course, acquiring the best meats, fish and other ingredients for the world-class chef. Ofi Fishman, Helit’s brother, and a key player in planning the menus, prides himself on the quality of the baked goods that is prepared on board as well as the quality natural and fresh ingredients. While their acclaimed culinary delights have become almost routine, they still are busy “educating” the ship’s staff and most importantly catering to the needs of a “very sophisticated clientele” that on this particular cruise came from as far away as Melbourne and from such places as Gibraltar, Tel Aviv, Montreal, Toronto, London, and New York. Kosher industry sources say that kosher cruising has increased by more than 20% in the past five years, despite the recession. While some travelers still prefer going on a cruise with the cruise ship providing “kosher airline-like meals,” the trend is towards joining the total kosher experience that companies like Kosherica offer. David Wallace of Eddie’s Travel, which partnered with Kosherica for the kosher cruises, sees a growing number of kosher travelers opting for organized kosher travel to many destinations throughout the world. He is already joining Kosherica for Sukkot programs at the Dan Caesarea and Hacienda Forest View hotels in Israel and for many winter cruises in the Caribbean. As the kosher passengers disembarked in Copenhagen after visits to Tallinn, Estonia, Helsinki, Finland, St. Petersburg, Russia and Stockholm, Sweden, the talk was about “the experience” which meant the Kosherica program and, of course, the food of Arik.

Latest Kosher Cruise Press from 5TJT

For over 15 years, Kosherica has been at the forefront of the travel industry both on land and the high seas, bringing joy, comfort, and pleasure to those who have traveled the world with them. Their tours have featured some of the world’s most exciting performers and most talented orators and educators creating a wholesome travel experience for both body and spirit aboard the world’s most luxurious cruise liners. Their tours are both pas Yisrael and chalav Yisrael, catering to a diverse clientele—all of whom have expressed satisfaction in their past experiences.

Merely mentioning the company name, Kosherica, conjures up visuals from their ads and billboards. Yet the Kosherica experience outperforms the expectations created by the ads. This is what sets Kosherica apart from their competitors.

There are various reasons why one would choose to travel with Kosherica. A world class lineup of speakers, unparalleled entertainment, and culinary perfection is a winning threesome. We are usually satisfied getting just one of these components in our travels and getaways. Kosherica surprisingly brings them all together for a week of endless joy, while visiting some of the world’s most historic and breathtaking destinations.

Some of the recent cruises that Kosherica has successfully executed were to Alaska, Holland, and the all new Canada/New England regions, traveling through Maine and up to Nova Scotia. My wife and I just returned from this cruise on Sunday, August 8.

The cruise began in Bayonne, NJ and after a day and a half at sea, we pulled into a port of call in Portland, ME. From Portland we sailed through the night until early Tuesday morning, when we arrived in Bar Harbor, ME—home to Acadia National Park, one of the world’s most historic sites with opportunities for biking, hiking, or kayaking through nearly a hundred miles worth of terrain and breathtaking scenes. From Bar Harbor, we made our way to St John, New Brunswick—home to the Bay of Fundy which with its reverse rapids falls is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Other tourist attractions include a Jewish museum datelining the history of the Jews in New Brunswick, containing actual artifacts and interesting history about their once vibrant Jewish community. Our last port of call was in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The streets were brimming with tourists and local summer traffic. Everyone came out for the annual buskers festival which featured a mini–merko loco (Spanish market) with various vendors displaying their wares for purchase while the passersby enjoyed live entertainment by various amateurs displaying their talent. We toured Halifax on Friday, after which we embarked over Shabbos back to NJ, reaching port on early Sunday morning from where we disembarked capping off a summer vacation that will be remembered for some time to come, or at least until the next cruise that we join.

The itinerary in and of itself would constitute a packed summer travel program. However, aside from the time spent touring the various cities along the way, the staff at Kosherica had prepared a full program including stimulating lectures by the Orthodox Union’s Steve Savitsky and Rabbi Steven Weil, who tackled very timely topics such as marriage and outreach as well as an interesting lecture from Rabbi Weil into the history of the Haftorah and various interesting traditions with regard to the daily setup of our prayers. In addition, there were daily concerts featuring the world renowned Cantors Yitzchak Meir Helfgot and Ben Zion Miller along with the world renowned accompanist Daniel Gildar, as well as fully orchestrated performances by Avraham Fried, Lipa Schmeltzer, and the famous Broadway star from Les Miserable, Israel’s very own Dudu Fisher.

Beyond all the luxury, amenities, and the pampered environment aboard the world class Celebrity Summit, there is one detail that was appreciated not only by my wife and myself but many others whom we spoke to during and after the weeklong excursion—the warmth and personal attention that was felt by the sold-out crowd thanks to the courtesy of the staff including Mr. and Mrs. Yehuda Shiffman, Aliza Klein, and Cheryl Gold.

When you give Kosherica a call, you will be prompted by their automated hold feature which tells you to wait to speak to one of their cruise specialists. Until I actually boarded the cruise liner and realized the work required to smoothly arrange, execute, and satisfy all of their travelers, this terminology was actually a source of amusement. But once you experience what it takes to bring all the details together and execute it to the satisfaction of all the guests, clearly specialists are needed to get the job done.

So pick up the phone now and secure your position well in advance of their upcoming midwinter cruises to the Caribbean on December 26, 2010, January 16, 2011, and January 23, 2011. The only thing you will regret is the suspense leading up to the day of embarkation. For more information and to book your cruise, call 305-695-2700 or 877-724-5567.

Jewish Music Festival At Sea!

The biggest event of the year for Jewish cruise travel is coming! The 2011 Jewish Music Festival At Sea departs from Miami, Florida in January. Navigating through some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, ports scheduled to be visited are Costa Maya, Belize City and Roatan!The entire cruise will be filled with nonstop entertainment and the following world-class cantors and singers are scheduled to appear:

Chaim Adler,Cantor Avi Albrecht, Cantor Nati Bar Am,Dudu Fisher, Avraham Fried,Cantor Daniel Gildar,Cantor Tsodik Greenwald,Yaakov Motzen,Cantor Netanel Hershtik,Cantor Yaakov Lemmer,Cantor Benzion Miller,Cantor Yaakov Motzen,Cantor Moshe Shulhof,Cantor Aaron Shifman and Cantor Yaakov Stark!

For much more info and to book a trip of a lifetime for the Kosher traveler, check out Kosherica Kosher Cruises today!

Kosherica Glatt Kosher Alaska Cruises

Have you always wanted to see what the Last Frontier state has to offer but have been unsure how?

With Kosherica’s amazing tours of Alaska, you’ll see its breathtaking natural beauty—Klondike gold, glaciers glowing blue and magnificent wildlife—from your vantage point aboard the five-star Holland America. Whether you’re touring the rainforests and fjords of Ketchikan, helicopering over the stunning Mendenhall Glacier or seeing whales up close, you’ll understand why Alaska is so sought after.