celebrity's "Taormina On Your Own" excursion

[jbdawg]

in Sicily, anyone done this? we are in Sicily for first time and there from 10 to 8.  anyone have experience with this and feedback. 

thought Taormina is worth seeing there

[MeHeartCruising]

I've done a "Taormina On Your Own" excursion but it was on Royal Caribbean.  I'm virtually positive that all the cruise lines do it in the same way since they all use the same or similar local tour companies to provide the services.

 

I recommend this for simplicity.  First, Taormina is a very nice day.  I assume you are porting in Messina, but perhaps not.  The excursion simply provides a bus to and from one of the gates of Taormina.  A guide is on the bus with you and talks a little about the locale on the way to the gate.  The bus parks in a multi-level parking garage and you take an elevator up to the top level, which is street level outside the city gate.  The guide walks the group of you into the city and takes you to a small plaza which is pointed out as your "return location at xx o'clock".  I think they gave us a ticket to get a free bottle of water a local shop near that plaza.  The guide will point you in the right direction to the main thoroughfare which eventually leads to the Greek Theatre (you need to walk a ways and then turn right).  The city is simply laid out.  One Main Street with off-shoots.  At the end of that street, you turn right on to another street to head up to the Greek Theatre which you can purchase a ticket to go into (do it, it's cool).  You really can't get lost here.

 

You can easily explore the majority of the city in a couple hours.  If you're shopping/dining inclined, there are ample places to extend your time.  There are nice views along the way.

 

You meet back where your guide told you and then you are escorted back to the bus which takes you back to the ship.

 

If you're in Messina, you may have time left in your day to explore Messina a little upon your return.  You will be docked right in the central area.   There is an astronomical clock within walking distance (I never went there, but I've read about it).  This part of Messina appears perfectly safe to walk around if you have time.

 

I found the On Your Own tour a good value.  It wasn't too expensive and it took the burden of transportation away from me.

Edited March 21, 2022 by MeHeartCruising

[cruisemom42]

Adding to the good description above, the do-it-yourself transportation links from Messina to Taormina have somewhat fiddly times for most cruisers, so even though I like to DIY, I would probably consider the cruise option as long as they give you a decent few hours in Taormina. 

 

And yes, it's worth going there. In addition to the Greek theatre there are other archaeological remnants throughout the town, I had notes and enjoyed looking for them throughout the day as I'm not that much of a shopper.  I agree there are plenty of nice spots to grab a delicious bite, whether arancini (rice balls stuffed with bits of meat and cheese) or cannoli. Both come from Sicily originally.

[PurpleTraveller]

I have done a Princess "Taormina On Your Own" excursion and it was almost identical to the one described by MeHeartCruising. It was an easy and simple way to get to Taormina which is a lovely town and a very pleasant way to spend the day. The Greek Theatre was interesting, the views great and there are plenty of shops and places to eat or drink. There was plenty of time to wander through and enjoy the town.  

[Coral]

Does anyone wish they had done a guided tour here instead?

[marazul]

22 minutes ago, Coral said:

Does anyone wish they had done a guided tour here instead?

No. There is no point to it.  It is a beautiful village that is great for enjoying on your own. Get a guide book to read some info and that will be enough.

[Coral]

1 minute ago, marazul said:

No. There is no point to it.  It is a beautiful village that is great for enjoying on your own. Get a guide book to read some info and that will be enough.

I booked this cruise last minute and leave next week. The difference between the guided tour and the on your own is only $10-$15. I did buy a book, it hasn't arrived - I plan on reading it on the flight over.

[marazul]

Well, that's a reasonable price.  You will wind up with a lot of free time.  Don't miss the chance to explore the streets parallel to the Corso Umberto (main street) if you have time.

 

Gelatomania is a fabulous gelateria with seasonal fruit flavors. Ask your guide.

[Coral]

9 hours ago, marazul said:

Well, that's a reasonable price.  You will wind up with a lot of free time.  Don't miss the chance to explore the streets parallel to the Corso Umberto (main street) if you have time.

 

Gelatomania is a fabulous gelateria with seasonal fruit flavors. Ask your guide.

Thank you!

[MeHeartCruising]

When I did my first cruise that stopped in Taormina, I was more of a novice at European sightseeing, so I took ship excursions everywhere.  In Messina, I booked an excursion that took us to Mt. Etna and Taormina.  I enjoyed it.  The stop at Etna was very cool -- got to walk around the Silvestri Craters area for some great pics of the volcanic landscape.  It also included a lunch at a restaurant on the mountainside.  There was a little musical entertainment during the meal.  I could have done without the meal stop.

 

For the Taormina portion, our guide took us into town through the gates and walked us all the way to the other end and up to the Greek Theatre, where they got us inside and gave us a brief narration.  Along the street walk, there's lots of stores and shoppes and cafes, but nothing much of "sightseeing worthiness" that a guide needs to talk about. After the Theatre, we then walked back to the Main Street as a group and were set free for some "time on our own".  Maybe an hour or 90 minutes, I forget.  We were told to meet back at the bus.

 

So the "guided tour" part of Taormina really wasn't all the different from the "on your own tour"  -- other than some narration at the Theatre.

 

So when I visited Messina a second time, years later, I just opted for the "On Your Own" tour to visit Taormina the second time.

[PurpleTraveller]

20 hours ago, Coral said:

Does anyone wish they had done a guided tour here instead?

 

No. Our guide walked with us into the town and gave us information about where things were and where and what time to meet up. It was a pleasure to wander throughout the town stopping wherever we wanted, going to the Greek theatre and not worry about getting back to the ship on time.

[Coral]

3 hours ago, PurpleTraveller said:

 

No. Our guide walked with us into the town and gave us information about where things were and where and what time to meet up. It was a pleasure to wander throughout the town stopping wherever we wanted, going to the Greek theatre and not worry about getting back to the ship on time.

Our tour has 2.5 hours of free time. So it should be fine. Same amount as the Taormina on your own.

[PurpleTraveller]

1 hour ago, Coral said:

Our tour has 2.5 hours of free time. So it should be fine. Same amount as the Taormina on your own.

 

That should be great. It's such a pretty town. Hope you have a lovely day in Taormina and wonderful cruise. 😊

[Coral]

14 minutes ago, PurpleTraveller said:

 

That should be great. It's such a pretty town. Hope you have a lovely day in Taormina and wonderful cruise. 😊

Thank you!

[gfkcruiser]

We have done this excursion.  Would recommend.  We also did the excursion to Mt. Etna and then into Taormina.  Was so foggy, windy and rainy never did see much of it. Had a great cannoli at the top.  We always refer to it as our most expensive cannoli!   
 

Taormina was our first stop on our first Mediterranean cruise in  2008.   Have been back a few times.