a Question about MSC ships excursion sicily

[catharina]

Hi Guys

 

In trying to figure out how to make most use of our short time in Messina, Sicily on april 1st, I would love to hear from you who have done the ship's excursions.

 

They are OK priced, 49 euros pp. I thought that was expensive, but the tour companies in Sicily quoted me 260 at least for the 4 of us.

Since I am paying everything for everyone, I have to be economical about this.

 

We would love to go to Taormina but I am up for any experience with an MSC excursion in Sicily!

 

Greetings

cat

 

PS I put this here because I specifically want MSC experiences)

[sbtw13]

Catharina-

 

We did the MSC shore excursion to Mt. Etna. Interesting-but I wouldn't do it again. Partly b/c you time on shore is very brief and it is a long way to Mt. Etna, so we basically spent the whole time on the bus.

 

You dock right in Messina, so many people just got out and walked around. I heard mixed things from people- some people loved walking around Messina, others said that it was dirty and unpleasant near the harbor area.

 

I would think you could get a cab to Taormina. The problem is your short port time. Our excursion was late getting back, and for that reason I was glad to be on a MSC excursion (they waited for us).

[AmoMondo]

If your port time is tight and there is not much difference in the cost of the MSC tour versus another, I'd go for the ship's one. The ship always waits for its own shore excursions returning, it doesn't for any others. You are more likely to be able to take full advantage of the time ashore with the ship's one as it is their problem to get you back on time (although they often come back late). If you make any other arrangements you are going to have to build in a time buffer and probably get back much earlier, just to allow a contingency for soemthing going wrong and holding you up.

[Capricruiser]

I took the MSC excursion to Taormina when the Splendida docked at Messina the other day. Our bus had 50 passengers aboard, half German and half Italian but the guide was perfectly bilingual. The trip from the port of Messina to the parking lot below Taormina takes about 45 minutes. Small buses then take groups from the parking lot up into the town itself. Unfortunately we docked late and by the time we got up to the Greek theatre it was already closed so our guide took us on a walking tour of the town. It's quite lovely. In compensation, she took us into the cathedral at Messina for a private tour of its little but impressive museum before reboarding the ship.