Noordam shore ex in Messina

[tooalto]

I'll post this in ports of call as well but I'm wondering if any of you sailing on the early Noordam Med. cruises could give me an idea of what shore excursions HAL is offering in Messina. We are in port only from 7AM to 2PM so that doesn't leave a lot of time. The shore ex for our Sep.8 sailing are all posted except Malta and Messina. I have a private tour guide in Malta but no idea what to plan for in Messian.

 

TIA

Sue

[bala girl]

TooAlto - I am on an earlier Noordam cruise with same itinerary. I have confirmed with HAL that my cruise does not stop at Messina. The on-line description on my cruise says "sailing Straits of Messina". You can call and find out for sure wheher your trip actually stops or not. They have posted tours in Malta for my cruise date, but they were posted later. Hope this helps.

[dakrewser]

If it's offered, I'd recommend the tour to the Greek theater at Taormina. Here are pics of Messina and Taormina. (We were cruising at Christmastime).

 

Taormina remains one of my two favorite "port stops" in Europe (the other being Mahon).

[rockinjo]

We are on the June 10th Noordam cruise out of Rome and there is no stop in Messina that I can see. .. .Palermo and Malta, yes, but not Messina. Malta is a substitute for Palma de Majorca. My kids were disappointed about Palma because they were planning to go canoeing. . .does anyone have anything really fun for young people (in their 20's) to do in Palermo. Nothing really sounds interesting for them. . they are not big on sitting on a bus for four hours, they want something active. Any suggestions would be very welcome!

[jhannah]

If you go to HAL's website you can download a PDF file of the shore excursion booklet. This lists excursions for Messina.

[tooalto]

I just checked this week and found the shore ex loaded for Messina so we are definitely stopping there. I didn't read this but we chise the Taormina trip as well. Glad we made a good choice. Since we're only in port fro a short time, I felt it was best to use a ship excursion here.

[FoxyTerrier]

TooAlto - I am on an earlier Noordam cruise with same itinerary. I have confirmed with HAL that my cruise does not stop at Messina. The on-line description on my cruise says "sailing Straits of Messina". You can call and find out for sure wheher your trip actually stops or not. They have posted tours in Malta for my cruise date, but they were posted later. Hope this helps.

 

Bala Girl,

 

I am on the same cruise as you and the HAL website still list Messina as a port on our 6/20 sailing. Are you still on the 6/20 sailing???

 

See below:

 

Roman Empire - E. Med/Greek Isles

FROM: Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy TO: Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

SAILING DATE: June 20, 2006

SHIP: ms Noordam

 

ITINERARY

Day Port Arrive Depart

0 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy 10:00 pm

1 At Sea

2 Dubrovnik, Croatia 8:00 am 6:00 pm

3 Corfu, Greece 8:00 am 6:00 pm

4 Olympia (Katakolon), Greece 7:00 am 5:00 pm

5 Santorini, Greek Isle, Greece 8:00 am 11:00 pm

6 Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey 7:00 am 10:00 pm

7 At Sea

8 Valletta, Malta 8:00 am 6:00 pm

9 Messina, Italy 7:00 am 2:00 pm

10 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy 7:00 am

 

 

And if you go to the excursions for our sailing these are the tours listed.

 

Messina - Thursday, Jun 29, 2006 7:00 am - 2:00 pm

View Port Description

Select Tour Name Type/Price

A Drive to Mt Etna Adult $53; Child $27

Approximately 5 hours 1 departure

Departure Times: 8:00 am

Classic Messina Adult $58; Child $29

Approximately 4 hours 1 departure

Departure Times: 8:45 am

Savoca & Forza D'Agro Adult $59; Child $30

Approximately 5 hours 1 departure

Departure Times: 7:45 am

Signature Collection - Half Day Private Car Price $690

Approximately 4 hours 1 departure

Departure Times: 9:15 am

Signature Collection - Half Day Private Minivan Price $880

Approximately 4 hours 1 departure

Departure Times: 9:15 am

Taormina & Greco-Roman Theater Adult $59; Child $30

Approximately 4 1/2 hours 1 departure

Departure Times: 8:15 am

Tindari Ruins Adult $55; Child $27

Approximately 4 1/2 hours 1 departure

Departure Times: 8:30 am

– collapse

[bala girl]

I wonder what the problem is with firming up the itineraries. For the 6/20 Noordam sail, HAL confirmed to me a few weeks ago that there would be no stop in Messina. Now it is back on the itinerary and excursions are available. Glad they changed their mind.

Taormina is lovely - spent a few days there last May. And, you get great views of Mt. Etna without having to drive to Mt. Etna. Not a lot of sightseeing other than the theater, but the town and the scenery and flowers are just beautiful.

 

FoxyTerrier - I am still on the 6/20 cruise.

[Summertimescallingme]

Tooalto - In Taormina would you suggest taking the ship excursion that just takes you to Taormina and lets you explore on your own, or the one that also takes you to the Greek Theatre? I would like to have more time to explore in Taormina and visit the Greek Theatre on our own if we can just walk up and buy tickets.

[RlrCstr]

I lived for a couple of years in Catania. By all means see Taormina. You should be able to do the town on your own and go to the theater and buy your own admission. A guided tour will possibly give more historical facts to you, but you can appreciate the ruins in the town with a guide book at your side if you wish.

I would not do a tour to Etna. If it is in action, you won't be able to get very near, and if not, there isn't that much to see for the amount of time it takes to get there. It is often so foggy up there that you won't get any good pictures from up close.

Messina--do not miss the noon chiming of the tower clock in the Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square).

[dakrewser]

I'll second the advice to do the theater on your own - it's a very short walk from the middle of town. But you should take the ship's bus to Taormina...