navigator0709

Thanks Becky. We will be in Port on RCL's Navigator from 10 AM till 6 or 7PM. Since this is our first stop after taking off from Rome, I don't want to overdo it... I want to save the "big" tour days for Ephisus and Athens, which we'll do later in the week. I'm thinking we'll get picked up around 10:30 AM, and get back to the ship by 3:30 PM.

"Taormina On Your Own" from RCL is $45 per adult and $39 per child. We are a group of 6 (with 2 children), so hopefully Mario can do a little better than that price. The RCL tour is basically a ride to the village and back, so the private tour sounds much better.

I'm also looking forward to Catharina's review... hopefully she'll come back to this thread!

Sally

Becky,

That sounds like a great tour. We are going in July and considering booking Mario also. Can you tell me how many hours your $35 pp tour includes? From what I'm reading, you can pretty much tell Mario where you'd like to go and he'll take you?

Thanks,

Sally

Tipping $10 per person for a FULL day tour may even be overboard, in Europe. These guides and driver are paid a full wage, unlike in the States where they are usually paid next to nothing ($2 hr. like wait staff) and live off the tips. Of course your driver will accept it, but, it is not the culture to tip so much. If it were me, and the tour was above and beyond OUTSTANDING, I would tip $10 per couple for a full day tour. For a shorter tour or a ride from the airport, a $5 euro tip is plenty for the entire group.

This is not being cheap, it is just not the culture BECAUSE of the way service staff is paid, to tip so much in Europe. If you want to give away more of your hard earned money, go for it, they will take it. As for me, when in Rome, do as the Romans.