MSC Excursions to Portofino from Genoa & Taormina On Your Own

Hi everyone

Has anyone done the above excursions with MSC?

I'm looking to just book these and do everything else DIY on our forthcoming cruise!

I want to get maximum time in Portofino & also Taormina.

As I haven't been on MSC previously, I just want to get a feel for what their excursions are like as we are on the point of booking them.

Many thanks in advance.

Have you any plans for Naples, Kikki? My good friend, Ken (CruiseIreland) once suggested the following to me:

You could stroll across the Piazza roadworks and veer around the back of Castel Nuovo. This brings you to the Teatro Di San Carlo, Europe's oldest opera house http://www.teatrosancarlo.it/en/. From there, turn right and wander through Galleria Umberto http://www.italyguides.it/en/campania/naples/galleria-umberto-i .

You can wander up Via Toledo for a bit and take any right back towards the ship. You'll get a taste of Naples. You could also call in to Palazzos Zevallos Stigliano http://www.gallerieditalia.com/en/palazzi/palazzo-zevallos-stigliano . They have a Caravaggio!

We didn't manage to do it either times we've been to Naples - we went to Capri once and didn't get back in time. Last week we visited Pompeii.

I did think about that Bea as not done it & been to Naples on a cruise plenty of times! I did want to go to Capri but will only be there 2 hrs as it's a short port call.

We have checked out visiting Herculaneum so that's probably still too of our list - we going through excursions today [emoji4]

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The trip over to Capri was not worth it IMHO. It was expensive and the ferry we got tickets to go over on was late so we lost a good half-hour of our time on the island. We had booked an early ferry back to get ahead of the late rush and queues for re-embarkation which meant we never ventured far from the island port. It was a pure rip-off in the area, too! Lots of restaurants with very poor quality offerings which we had no choice but to pay for as we were there for lunchtime.

The trip over to Capri was not worth it IMHO. It was expensive and the ferry we got tickets to go over on was late so we lost a good half-hour of our time on the island. We had booked an early ferry back to get ahead of the late rush and queues for re-embarkation which meant we never ventured far from the island port. It was a pure rip-off in the area, too! Lots of restaurants with very poor quality offerings which we had no choice but to pay for as we were there for lunchtime.

Capri is best experienced IMHO either as a full day tour or even better if you snag an overnight stay there. Fortunately I have done both & as much as I love the island & want to go there 2 hrs for a visit is not my idea of relaxing! [emoji4]

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We went through our excursions yesterday so for Marseilles - we will catch the cruise shuttle. I know there is a free one but have read that it isn't very reliable & is often packed so we would rather opt for seats we can sit on but we will see, maybe some recent cruisers will tell me it's not that bad.

Genoa - we are doing the MSC excursion to Portofino - booked that last night.

Naples - we are still undecided. I had heard there was a bus shuttle to Herculaneum from the port area & I know you can get the train but as it is a short port call we really want to max out our time there.

Messina - we have booked the Taormina on your own tour. I did this in 2009 & it was a fabulous day & really chilled out.

Valletta - looks like the ho ho bus is calling - now to start my packing!!!

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Kikki21 - watching this thread with interest as we are deciding the same thing. Portofino tour with MSC to book or not ... ??

Cant wait to hear how you go! ;p

We booked Taromina also!!

Kikki21 - watching this thread with interest as we are deciding the same thing. Portofino tour with MSC to book or not ... ??

 

 

 

Cant wait to hear how you go! ;p

 

 

 

We booked Taromina also!!

I get on board Meraviglia today & will be reviewing as I go along so will let you know very soon!!!

I much prefer to do my own thing but thought it would be nice to approach Portofino via the sea & it's not a massive place to explore so time can be spent wisely. And yes sometimes that means shopping lol! [emoji23]

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We have booked the Portofino tour the week after you so it should be perfect if you can write some things about that before we leave for the airport on Monday afternoon!

Have a great cruise!!!

We have booked the Portofino tour the week after you so it should be perfect if you can write some things about that before we leave for the airport on Monday afternoon!

 

 

 

Have a great cruise!!!

Totally sverigecruiser - it's going to be a live review!

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Hi kikki 21

Hope you and your partner are having a wonderful time.....great pictures by the way.

I do have a few Q's for ya......but I will save them for a couple of days.

Anyway a couple of suggestions regarding diy ports....in Marseille ...where the shuttle drops you off near the big wheel( if its still there....on the opposite side and to the left of McDonalds you can get a local bus up to the Cathedral on the hill....can't remember the bus number but I'm sure locals will point you in the right direction.... Also we took a boat tour over to the island of IF......were the prison is...it was pretty cheap....the book " the count of Monte Cristo was based on this and these ran from near the big wheel.

In Naples the tour of the old theatre is worth it....I think its about 5euros and lasts about 45 mins and they will do it in English.it really is a beautiful theatre. They have afternoon tours ...log into there website for the times.

Don't know if you have been to Sorrento before. But its a small lovely place to visit....takes 1 1/2 hours on the train ...in fact its the end of the line and you do pass the stops for Pompeii and hurculian but worth a visit.

Loving your review of the Meraviglia...... Bill

I get on board Meraviglia today & will be reviewing as I go along so will let you know very soon!!!

 

I much prefer to do my own thing but thought it would be nice to approach Portofino via the sea & it's not a massive place to explore so time can be spent wisely. And yes sometimes that means shopping lol! [emoji23]

 

 

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I saw your awesome pics on your other thread! Thank you!!! Your pics make it look worth the tour!! :hearteyes:

Just a quick question re boat trip - what kind of ferry was it? (large/small?) is it a long boat ride? our fellow passenger doesn't like small boats!

We recently became active on the MSC Board because we finally decided to give this cruise line a try (it will be our 15th cruise line). As to excursions in Italy, we would urge the OP (and anyone else with an interest) to come on over to the Ports of Call ---Italy Board where we (and others) dispense all kinds of information and advice about DIY options. Keep in mind that Portofino is a very small village and one could walk all the streets (and even hike up the hill around some homes) in less then 3 hours. As to Taormina, while pretty easy to do on one's own...getting there can be a pain (especially from Messina). And there is also the small village of Castelmola (if we have a rental car we love to drive up there in the morning before tours get to that sleepy village). There are some decent DIY options from Messina (train, bus, rental car, etc) but using public transit depends on each cruisers personal "spirit of adventure." Also keep in mind that many of the cute boutiques/shops in Taormina...do close for most of the afternoon (a common practice throughout Italy).

As to the negative post about Capri, we have been there many times...on both port days and when just doing driving trips around Italy. We really like Capri (DW loves the island) and we are sorry that one poster had a bad experience. The high speed jetboats/hydrofoils do generally run on time. When in Naples (if we want to go to Capri) we try to be off the ship early...walk right over to the ferry port (Molo Beverello) and buy a ticket on the next high speed boat (there are two different companies who do not accept each other's tickets). We are generally on Capri by 9:30....and will stay until at least 3:30...which gives us plenty of time to do things like taking the chair lift from Anacapri up to the top of Mt Solara...or even doing that major "tourist trap" known as the Blue Grotto. Capri is the first place were we saw a pair of ripped jeans (in a boutique window) selling for over 600€ :).

We urge any DIYers (Do it Yours selfers) to actively read the appropriate CC port boards....and ask any specific questions. There are some amazing resources here on CC that can answer just about any port question. But most of us confine ourselves to the Ports of Call Boards...where we try to share the most up to date info.

Hank

We went through our excursions yesterday so for Marseilles - we will catch the cruise shuttle. I know there is a free one but have read that it isn't very reliable & is often packed so we would rather opt for seats we can sit on but we will see, maybe some recent cruisers will tell me it's not that bad.

Genoa - we are doing the MSC excursion to Portofino - booked that last night.

Naples - we are still undecided. I had heard there was a bus shuttle to Herculaneum from the port area & I know you can get the train but as it is a short port call we really want to max out our time there.

Messina - we have booked the Taormina on your own tour. I did this in 2009 & it was a fabulous day & really chilled out.

Valletta - looks like the ho ho bus is calling - now to start my packing!!!

 

 

Hi Kikki,

I came across this thread and saw you did the Taormina on your own tour. We are planning a similar route on the Seaview this summer. Do you remember where the bus dropped you off in Taormina?

We went through our excursions yesterday so for Marseilles - we will catch the cruise shuttle. I know there is a free one but have read that it isn't very reliable & is often packed so we would rather opt for seats we can sit on but we will see, maybe some recent cruisers will tell me it's not that bad.

Genoa - we are doing the MSC excursion to Portofino - booked that last night.

Naples - we are still undecided. I had heard there was a bus shuttle to Herculaneum from the port area & I know you can get the train but as it is a short port call we really want to max out our time there.

Messina - we have booked the Taormina on your own tour. I did this in 2009 & it was a fabulous day & really chilled out.

Valletta - looks like the ho ho bus is calling - now to start my packing!!!

 

 

Hi Kikki,

I came across this thread and saw you did the Taormina on your own tour. We are planning a similar route on the Seaview this summer. Do you remember where the bus dropped you off in Taormina?

 

Hi - sorry didn't see this till now!

We got dropped off at a huge underground car park which has lifts that take you up to the start of the town of Taormina, you can see where the town starts but our guide took us into the town. I was ok, I had been there before. I love Taormina but the time we had on the DIY tour was far too short so I would advise getting a booked taxi tour there & back if you can. You need at least 3.5 hrs or more to do Taormina justice. We didn't get to see the theatre, there just wasn't enough time. We got less than 2 hours time.

 

Hi - sorry didn't see this till now!

We got dropped off at a huge underground car park which has lifts that take you up to the start of the town of Taormina, you can see where the town starts but our guide took us into the town. I was ok, I had been there before. I love Taormina but the time we had on the DIY tour was far too short so I would advise getting a booked taxi tour there & back if you can. You need at least 3.5 hrs or more to do Taormina justice. We didn't get to see the theatre, there just wasn't enough time. We got less than 2 hours time.

 

Thanks Kikki, our brochure says 5 hours including the transfer for the DIY, no guide. That should leave us about 2 1/2 to 3 hours to explore Taormina. Knowing where drop-off point is can help us plan ahead, I'll check on the map where the underground car park is located.

 

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