Stranded in Sicily "Tours by Mario"

Our last cruise, Oct 8th,2017 Jewel of the Seas, we booked a tour in Sicily, using Tours by Mario. We were left stranded by the driver in Taomirina. We thought he would stay with us and show us the Greek Ampitheater and other sites. The G7 summit had just been held there. It was the last stop on the tour, and he left us off on our own to shop, and would be back at 530pm to return us to the ship. We thought he would stay and take us to see these sites. Something seemed off to me, and I mentioned it to the others I was with. We left all our belongings in the vehicle, as we expected to meet the driver where we were left off. We called & waited as long as we could. Since he didn't call us, we had no recourse but to get a cab back to the ship. We had to leave asap, and the driver had to "fly" to get us back to Messina where the ship was docked. Shortly after we were back on board, my friend got a call from guest services and had to meet with ship security because someone other than our driver was on shore demanding payment or she would be arrested. She had proof we called, and also that our property was still on the vehicle. It was never our intention to not pay, as we were accused by Mario. We had to pay 100 EU for the cab, and settled on 200EU vs. 300EU.

Even that was too much, since we were left stranded and the tour incomplete. I posted comments on Trip Advisor. Mario said it was a river of lies. Never once did we get an apology. Never once was he concerned why this driver left us. He took his side not ours. NEVER AGAIN. Fellow cruisers, there must be a reason Royal Carribean doesn't use this tour company.

That is unacceptable, did you get your belongings back.

Glad you shared your experience so we, including those on other travel forum you have posted, will be forewarned.

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That is unacceptable, did you get your belongings back.

I agree, it’s unacceptable to leave your belongings in a strangers cab regardless of their TripAdvisor page/reviews/etc.

This is the reason to book tours through the cruise line even if it is a few more dollars. The ship will wait for the tour to return. Glad you are safe and got back to the ship and I hope you were able to get your personal items back.

Our last cruise, Oct 8th,2017 Jewel of the Seas, we booked a tour in Sicily, using Tours by Mario. We were left stranded by the driver in Taomirina. We thought he would stay with us and show us the Greek Ampitheater and other sites. The G7 summit had just been held there. It was the last stop on the tour, and he left us off on our own to shop, and would be back at 530pm to return us to the ship. We thought he would stay and take us to see these sites. Something seemed off to me, and I mentioned it to the others I was with. We left all our belongings in the vehicle, as we expected to meet the driver where we were left off. We called & waited as long as we could. Since he didn't call us, we had no recourse but to get a cab back to the ship. We had to leave asap, and the driver had to "fly" to get us back to Messina where the ship was docked. Shortly after we were back on board, my friend got a call from guest services and had to meet with ship security because someone other than our driver was on shore demanding payment or she would be arrested. She had proof we called, and also that our property was still on the vehicle. It was never our intention to not pay, as we were accused by Mario. We had to pay 100 EU for the cab, and settled on 200EU vs. 300EU.

Even that was too much, since we were left stranded and the tour incomplete. I posted comments on Trip Advisor. Mario said it was a river of lies. Never once did we get an apology. Never once was he concerned why this driver left us. He took his side not ours. NEVER AGAIN. Fellow cruisers, there must be a reason Royal Carribean doesn't use this tour company.

I am so sorry this happened to you. We toured with them in May and had an excellent experience. Sounds like we had a similar tour. Our driver let us out on one "end of town" and told us where /when to meet him on the "other end". The instructions were a little confusing and I was concerned. Luckily our group kind of kept up with each other and figured out as a group where the meeting spot was to be. Sure enough with 2 minutes to spare we saw the driver and he showed us where the van was parked. There is such limited parking that they can only park for 5 minutes or so to gather everyone. We did not have any expectations of him showing us anything there though....we all understood this Stop was "on our own" until he was to pick us up to return us to ship.

Glad it worked out for you to make it back to the ship and glad they got your belongings back to you.

Sorry you had to experience this. We almost exclusively go with non-ship tours and have had great experiences, but obviously they aren't all perfect. In addition to your review on Tripadvisor, I recommend posting this review on the Port of Call boards here as well for anyone doing research who may not look here first. Glad you were able to make it back to the ship in time.

This is the reason to book tours through the cruise line even if it is a few more dollars. The ship will wait for the tour to return. Glad you are safe and got back to the ship and I hope you were able to get your personal items back.

I agree I don't care what the premium is I won't book outside the cruise line. I don't want to worry one bit on a tour in some incredible port.

I agree I don't care what the premium is I won't book outside the cruise line. I don't want to worry one bit on a tour in some incredible port.

The cruise lines love people who are unable to travel independantly. If the OP had found the driver, because clearly the driver wanted to be paid, they would have saved the cab fare, if they did not panic they would clearly have gotten to the ship, and probably on time. If they arrived late the ship would probably would have been waiting for them in Messina. If they arrived late and the ship had left they would have probably been able to get to the next port and meet the ship there the next day (most of these cruises are port intensive and stop almost every day in port). If the ship didn't stop the next day they could have met the ship in the port the next day. Traveling in Europe is very easy. That said stories like this are cautionary tales, and I appreciate the OP sharing it. Many people should not travel on their own.

On a cruise to the Eastern Med way back in 2000 on the Celebrity Millenium, we were on a ships tour that visited the cathedral in Valletta on Malta, and then took a bus to the ancient city about 30 minutes away, after the tour there. There was an older couple on the tour (they don't seem so old now to me) they were constantly ignoring the tour and just wandering on their own, after the tour we all reassembled at the bus park, and of course we were two short. I and the tour guide went back, I found them 20 minutes later in a small shop haggling over trinkets. I am pretty sure if I hadn't gone back the tour would have eventually left them behind.

Our last cruise, Oct 8th,2017 Jewel of the Seas, we booked a tour in Sicily, using Tours by Mario. We were left stranded by the driver in Taomirina. We thought he would stay with us and show us the Greek Ampitheater and other sites. The G7 summit had just been held there. It was the last stop on the tour, and he left us off on our own to shop, and would be back at 530pm to return us to the ship. We thought he would stay and take us to see these sites. Something seemed off to me, and I mentioned it to the others I was with. We left all our belongings in the vehicle, as we expected to meet the driver where we were left off. We called & waited as long as we could. Since he didn't call us, we had no recourse but to get a cab back to the ship. We had to leave asap, and the driver had to "fly" to get us back to Messina where the ship was docked. Shortly after we were back on board, my friend got a call from guest services and had to meet with ship security because someone other than our driver was on shore demanding payment or she would be arrested. She had proof we called, and also that our property was still on the vehicle. It was never our intention to not pay, as we were accused by Mario. We had to pay 100 EU for the cab, and settled on 200EU vs. 300EU.

Even that was too much, since we were left stranded and the tour incomplete. I posted comments on Trip Advisor. Mario said it was a river of lies. Never once did we get an apology. Never once was he concerned why this driver left us. He took his side not ours. NEVER AGAIN. Fellow cruisers, there must be a reason Royal Carribean doesn't use this tour company.

This post sounds specious. The G7 Summit was held in May, FIVE months before OP's visit. We were in Taromina off a cruise on 11 May. Ships, especially large RCI ships, do not "dock" (technical term is moored), rather tender at Giardini Naxos the port on the coast below Taromina. This appears to be only part of the whole story...

I agree I don't care what the premium is I won't book outside the cruise line. I don't want to worry one bit on a tour in some incredible port.

The same exact thing can happen even if you booked through the cruise line. Tour operators are third party vendors. the only difference is, the cruise line will get involved in a situation like this and would wait for you if they had to.

Our last cruise, Oct 8th,2017 Jewel of the Seas, we booked a tour in Sicily, using Tours by Mario. We were left stranded by the driver in Taomirina. We thought he would stay with us and show us the Greek Ampitheater and other sites. The G7 summit had just been held there. It was the last stop on the tour, and he left us off on our own to shop, and would be back at 530pm to return us to the ship. We thought he would stay and take us to see these sites. Something seemed off to me, and I mentioned it to the others I was with. We left all our belongings in the vehicle, as we expected to meet the driver where we were left off. We called & waited as long as we could. Since he didn't call us, we had no recourse but to get a cab back to the ship. We had to leave asap, and the driver had to "fly" to get us back to Messina where the ship was docked. Shortly after we were back on board, my friend got a call from guest services and had to meet with ship security because someone other than our driver was on shore demanding payment or she would be arrested. She had proof we called, and also that our property was still on the vehicle. It was never our intention to not pay, as we were accused by Mario. We had to pay 100 EU for the cab, and settled on 200EU vs. 300EU.

Even that was too much, since we were left stranded and the tour incomplete. I posted comments on Trip Advisor. Mario said it was a river of lies. Never once did we get an apology. Never once was he concerned why this driver left us. He took his side not ours. NEVER AGAIN. Fellow cruisers, there must be a reason Royal Carribean doesn't use this tour company.

What was driver's name?

The same exact thing can happen even if you booked through the cruise line. Tour operators are third party vendors. the only difference is, the cruise line will get involved in a situation like this and would wait for you if they had to.

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Sounds like miscommunication and a comedy of errors. Why you would think you had been abandoned when you hadn’t paid for the tour yet puzzles me.

Our last cruise, Oct 8th,2017 Jewel of the Seas, we booked a tour in Sicily, using Tours by Mario. We were left stranded by the driver in Taomirina. We thought he would stay with us and show us the Greek Ampitheater and other sites. The G7 summit had just been held there. It was the last stop on the tour, and he left us off on our own to shop, and would be back at 530pm to return us to the ship. We thought he would stay and take us to see these sites. Something seemed off to me, and I mentioned it to the others I was with. We left all our belongings in the vehicle, as we expected to meet the driver where we were left off. We called & waited as long as we could. Since he didn't call us, we had no recourse but to get a cab back to the ship. We had to leave asap, and the driver had to "fly" to get us back to Messina where the ship was docked. Shortly after we were back on board, my friend got a call from guest services and had to meet with ship security because someone other than our driver was on shore demanding payment or she would be arrested. She had proof we called, and also that our property was still on the vehicle. It was never our intention to not pay, as we were accused by Mario. We had to pay 100 EU for the cab, and settled on 200EU vs. 300EU.

Even that was too much, since we were left stranded and the tour incomplete. I posted comments on Trip Advisor. Mario said it was a river of lies. Never once did we get an apology. Never once was he concerned why this driver left us. He took his side not ours. NEVER AGAIN. Fellow cruisers, there must be a reason Royal Carribean doesn't use this tour company.

I agree1

1. I would never leave my belongings in someones cab

However..... Just to be clear

a. you were scared, couldnt find your driver so you had to FLY back to the ship in order not to miss it?

b. Once on board and in your room you got a call that someone from the company was on land wanting to get paid for the cab that you skipped out on?

c. if you had to fly, how is it that you had time to get back to the ship, get to your room , have the ship still be in port, have the driver realize that you did not show back up, send someone to the port and find you???

sounds like you had plenty of time, just did not know what you signed up for? This is why people that are nervous travelers should definitely use the ships excursions.

I agree1

1. I would never leave my belongings in someones cab

They left their belongings in the tour driver’s vehicle, not a cab. I have often left belongings (backpack, jacket,etc) in the tour vehicle, I believe many people do.

Yes, exactly my point. I won't book unless it's through the cruise line.

 

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The cruiselines usually waits for anyone not accounted for, how long they wait, depends on a lot of variables, I have watched people staggering to the ship too drunk to know they are about to get left behind. One time a couple of years ago in Cozumel we didn't depart for almost 2 hours for the ship to account for all of the lost college students on spring break, next stop was Ft Lauderdale. I have sat on my balcony in several European ports 2 hours after scheduled departure, watching taxis driving up and people running to the gangway, while everyone on their balconies laughed and cheered. On a last stop on an Oasis cruise in St. Maarten we sailed away at 5pm at the comedy club at 10pm, there was an announcement that we were returning to St Maarten for a medical emergency. We didn't leave St. Maarten again until well after midnight, we made it back to Ft. Lauderdale a day and a night later before 7AM. I have seen a harbor boat race alongside and let a stranded passenger on board after we had pulled away an hour late.

Worrying about being left behind is way way over rated by people that the cruiseline's love. I take some cruise excursions, but I don't feel compelled to always do so. Carte Blanche statements are almost always wrong. :evilsmile:

JC

This post sounds specious. The G7 Summit was held in May, FIVE months before OP's visit. We were in Taromina off a cruise on 11 May. Ships, especially large RCI ships, do not "dock" (technical term is moored), rather tender at Giardini Naxos the port on the coast below Taromina. This appears to be only part of the whole story...

Most RCI ships will not tender at Giardini Naxos, but dock either at Messina or Palermo.

The OP´s story most likely was some major miscommunication between OP and the driver/guide.

I can´t see a driver abandon you at your last stop when you have not paid for the tour yet and then to top it off send someone fom the company to the port to get your belongings back to you and ask for payment. It´s highly unlikely!

In our cruises, if we have not been to the Port before then we will stay with Ship Tours or go with our Roll Call if a Tour has been organized. Otherwise, we will walk around and spend the time at our leisure. I will be traveling Solo from now on so will continue with the Ship or Roll Call groups.

Taomirina is a bit weird layout and we were also concerned about finding the bus - and we were on a ship tour. In our case we kept an eye on other folks on the same bus and all migrated to the correct end of the town shortly before pickup time. Guide was there to direct us to the bus. This is normal in that town. And because they don't know where they will park all the guides cooperate and tell people where the other tour guides are. And most of the town folk could have directed the OP to the pickup area. Sorry about the confusion, though.

We did dock in Messina off of Navigator.

We used Tours By Mario in June of this year to go from Messina to Taormina and back. We booked a tour that allowed "on your own" time in Taormina as well as other parts that were guided. For the Taormina segment, we left our stuff with the driver and arranged for a pick up time. He was there a couple of minutes late due to the traffic situation - but we just waited. No problem. We found this tour company to be very reliable and it has excellent reviews. It was a very enjoyable day and our driver was excellent. Too bad this happened to the OP but based on my experience I would not condemn this tour company based on one mishap or bad review.

Just to clarify, the G7 summit was held in May. That is what prompted us to consider Taormina as part of our tour(. I mention this because someone said my post was suspicious, since it was held so many months before we were there.) We are upset because we waited over an hour not a few minutes to be picked up. We also called him and he did not return our call. It was crunch time and we had to make a decision, since he didn't answer the phone. We were up and down the streets looking for him while others waited where the pick up point was. This tour company did not show any compassion for the situation that got out of hand because of no communication from the driver. It was not our first cruise, our first tour, we are Diamond status as well as I see you are TeeRick. My friend travels to Italy every year for an Archeology project. My point is, we are not inexperienced. Threatening arrest after this experience was unbelievable. I could go on, but my purpose was only to let folks know that things can happen, when you don't get the right tour company. We have had many in other countries, that have been wonderful. p.s. We did get our belongings back, which were souvenirs bought along the way, as part of the negotiation for payment. We got them when we were in port in Naples.

Just to clarify, the G7 summit was held in May. That is what prompted us to consider Taormina as part of our tour(. I mention this because someone said my post was suspicious, since it was held so many months before we were there.) We are upset because we waited over an hour not a few minutes to be picked up. We also called him and he did not return our call. It was crunch time and we had to make a decision, since he didn't answer the phone. We were up and down the streets looking for him while others waited where the pick up point was. This tour company did not show any compassion for the situation that got out of hand because of no communication from the driver. It was not our first cruise, our first tour, we are Diamond status as well as I see you are TeeRick. My friend travels to Italy every year for an Archeology project. My point is, we are not inexperienced. Threatening arrest after this experience was unbelievable. I could go on, but my purpose was only to let folks know that things can happen, when you don't get the right tour company. We have had many in other countries, that have been wonderful. p.s. We did get our belongings back, which were souvenirs bought along the way, as part of the negotiation for payment. We got them when we were in port in Naples.

It was not called suspicious, but specious. Different word. Slightly different meaning. But it’s always a good idea to be clear about when your experience was.

Given how others have described their same-company tours, it really sounds like a miscommunication. In 8th grade my friend and I absolutely positively heard our DC trio bus driver say to meet at a certain smithsonian museum. We were there at that time. Early, even. No one else was. We finally flagged down a policeman, told him our bus number, and he got us to it. Everyone else was there, so obviously the fault was ours, but I would still swear we heard what we heard.

I got lost in your original post about who “she” was, and how anyone was going to be arrested etc.