Karysa

Thank you. This is exactly what I was looking for. We like to take pictures and prefer to take them before sites get over crowded so I think taking the train to and the ferry from would be the best option for us. So kind of you to provide the ferry and train websites as well.

Thank you. I’m sure that we can occupy ourselves for 5 hours and if not we will go explore the old town in Naples as we have been to Pompeii.

Thank you 😊

We went on a food tour. I can’t remember the name but the foods to try are the best balsamic vinegar you can find or afford, Parmesan Romano, Mortadella meat and tortelloni with their special cheese sauce. We took a taxi from the hotel to the port in Ravenna. There was a shuttle from Ravenna to the ship so we could have took a train to Ravenna and then took the ships shuttle to the port.

Art Hotel Commercianti is a 3 minute walk to Piazza Maggiore and it’s a lovely and quiet hotel.

We loved Bologna. We stayed 2 nights pre cruise in June. Art Hotel Commercianti is where we stayed and it was tucked behind the church making it a very quiet hotel in a very central and convenient location. I would highly recommend visiting Bologna while it is still somewhat under the tourism radar.

Thank you. Does the train run more often than the ferry?

We are in port from 7-6 and would like to do a DIY day from Naples to Sorrento. Are wish list is ease and spending as much time as possible in Sorrento as well as a scenic view along the way. Is the train or the ferry the best option for us? Thanks 😊

Thank you for the information. 😊

Thank you eurocruiser for your thorough and detailed reply. We will be in Bologna and train to Ravenna and taxi to cruise port seemed like the best option when you factored in time and cost so I was looking for a possible glitch and wondered if that was going to be finding a taxi and basically you confirmed that. I will look for another option out of Bologna as I really don’t want to take a taxi, to take a train, to take a bus to take a boat! 😂 I’m sure that your post has helped a lot of people so again thank you very much.

How easy is it to find a taxi at the train station in Ravenna to take us to the cruise port? Celebrity has a transfer option but we would prefer to take a taxi if they are plentiful.

I think that some of your ports could be enjoyed in 1/2 a day. Look into the cable car in Dubrovnik. Kotor is beautiful and the town is lovely even for a short visit. You might find it more restful to sleep in and avoid the morning rush at the buffet and start your day a little later. I am not familiar with all of your ports but I would suggest that you skip just walking around in Messina and instead take a tour to Taormina as the ride and town are beautiful.

We are using Shore Excursions Group. We are in Messina from 8-6 and chose the excursion that covers a tour in Castelmola, a visit to the open theatre and free time in Taormina. The tour lasts 7 hours. We have used this company in the past and have always been satisfied.

Yes 3.5 hours would be enough to see Taormina in the way that you described. I would suggest that over the bus or train due to the extra travel time.

Thanks for the replies. I found a private operator that offered a longer excursion than those of the cruise company so I booked with them. The idea of the taxi was to make it a more go with the flow day but I gathered from reading the replies that the likely hood that it would end up being a carefree day was going to be slim so I decided to go with a tour. Thanks again for the help. I am really looking forward to the day now that it’s all set so that’s certainly worth something.

Thank you Hank, I would honestly think that this is a perfect port for catching a taxi back and forth to Taormina as that seems like where many people go during their time in port. We are not interested in renting a car and would do a booked excursion with free time in Taormina first as we are looking for an easier DIY day without the need to find parking and a gas station to fill up before returning to port.

Thanks for the replies. We have been to Taormina on a ship excursion in the past. We would rather just go via taxi. Getting off the ship and getting a taxi and not gathering in the theatre and marching to a bus basically just for transportation and having a set time to leave, are precisely the reasons that we would rather just taxi there and back on our own. I’m hoping that others who have done a DIY trip via taxi at a busy time of year will share their experiences.

We have many excursions booked for our June cruise and are looking to do a couple of DIY days. Would getting a taxi at the port in Messina to go to Taormina be easy? Would a return taxi from Taormina be something that we could get when we are ready to return? We really are hoping to just wing it for the day but would consider a booked excursion with free time in Taormina if getting transportation on the day would be problematic. We are not interested in taking a train or bus, just a taxi. Thanks for any help that you can offer.

Hi our port was changed since we booked the Celebrity Reflection back in September and I am scrambling to find a tour share that we can join. Please let me know if you are looking for 2 more for your tour. I have posted on the roll call board already but it was suggested that I post over here as well as not everyone on the sailing who is on cc joins the roll call. Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions.

Does the VOS always dock in Pointe Seraphine when porting in St Lucia? I’m trying to arrange for a tour pick up and need to provide pick up/drop off location. Thanks 😊

I’m having difficulty finding a non cruise-ship catamaran tour that includes Diamond Falls. We have done this at least twice in the past but can not seem to find one for our port day in March. Thanks for any suggestions.