cruise4funwi

Thank you very much for you input!

We will be in both ports on consecutive days in May 2014 (Sat. May 3rd and Sun. May 4th respectively). While there is quite a bit of information out there on Taormina, I haven't been able to find much on Siracusa. Additionally, in order to keep costs down, can one or both areas be explored on our own (easily and reliably?) We will be in each port from 8am - 10pm on an Azamara cruise. The cruise excursions are limited in Siracusa, and it appears the area near the port is both interesting and easy to navigate on our own. Would this be all walking, or would we need transportation to get to/from the port into town? Is there enough to see to take up a reasonable part of the day? In Taormina, the city as well as Mt. Etna region looks most interesting. Would we be best served to take a tour (either private or through Azamara)? Thank you very much!

One more point of note, we will be in this port on May 1, 2014 and it's my understanding that is a Holiday. What can we expect to be open/closed (in terms of shops/restaurants/sights)?

I have been unsuccessful finding information on Porto-Vecchio, Corsica & the surrounding areas. Does anyone have any information they can share relative to exploring this area on our own? We will be docked from 8:30am to 10pm and the cruise excursions (Azamara) are very limited (all start in the morning and last for just 3.5 - 4 hours). We would like to explore Bonifacio. Is this an area we can get to on our own, reliably? Or would we be better served taking an Azamara excursion even though it's for such a short time. What else to do when there? Is there anything in Porto-Vecchio? Thank you very much!