Catania & Korkula port info please

[Dajo5601]

Hi fellow Cunarders, I'm looking for some advice/assistance please. We have a 17 night Med cruise on the QV in early October and of the 7 ports of call, we are familiar with five of them, but we have no knowledge of Catania(Sicily) or Korkula (Croatia) I've looked through the usual cruise directories etc but haven't gleaned too much.

 

Can anybody please let me know (a) how close you normally berth to the town (b) are there shuttle buses from the port into town © any other points of interest re both locations.

 

Thanks in anticipation, waiting to see the replies come pouring in :):):)

[capnpugwash]

Hi fellow Cunarders, I'm looking for some advice/assistance please. We have a 17 night Med cruise on the QV in early October and of the 7 ports of call, we are familiar with five of them, but we have no knowledge of Catania(Sicily) or Korkula (Croatia) I've looked through the usual cruise directories etc but haven't gleaned too much.

 

Can anybody please let me know (a) how close you normally berth to the town (b) are there shuttle buses from the port into town © any other points of interest re both locations.

 

Thanks in anticipation, waiting to see the replies come pouring in :):):)

 

I can't help you unfortunately and the Mods will probably move your question to the Ports section here http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5

[zider]

Cruise ships do not berth in Korkula all ships have to tender ashore , Its small & quite pretty some places a little hilly but if you are reasonable fit its easily walkable, The tender drops you of right in the middle of town .

Edited July 4, 2014 by zider

[zider]

There is a Roll Call for this cruise, Its not very active at the moment but should liven up closer to sail date.

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=42828530#post42828530

[Jim Avery]

We loved Korkula and the above poster is right. Very compact dock area suitable only for tenders. We were on Seabourn Spirit and that ship was too large to berth there. Loved the "un-touristy" nature of the old town. Very picturesque. Have not been to the Sicily port so no help there.:eek::D

[maitai999]

This voyage has such a beautiful itinerary, it is one of our favourites on the Queen Victoria, the coastlines and scenery are absolutely stunning. Korkula hugs a small hilly peninsula, a tour of the old walls doesn't take long, with four major towers creating an enclosed citadel. Plenty of cafe bars serving local specialities. Mostly visted - St Marks Cathedral, All Saints Church and Bishops Palace not really anything else to see or do except more churches and museums if that is your thing. There is a town beach, 1/2 mile from the quayside near Hotel Marco Polo, but rocky and busy. Next time, this is one port we will stay on ship when its nice and quiet, and make the most of the quiet pools whilst everyone else queues for the tenders! Sorry can't help on Catania as we went to Messina. Can't wait to do this voyage again sometime :)

[bobby1119]

Can't tell you about shore excursions available from Catania, but I've traveled by land throughout Sicily and can offer a few suggestions. Catania is the gateway city for exploring Mt. Etna, for which I am sure some sort of a shore excursion will be offered. Also, the picturesque (but crowded) town of Taormina, perched high above the Ionian Sea and offering a wonderful Greek amphitheater, is nearby; to the south is the city of Siracusa with its magnificent Greek theatre and ruins. Perhaps a shore excursion will be available as well. Agrigento, with its spectacular Greek temples, is a bit far away - but if a shore excursion is available, I would recommend it highly. Be sure to sample the exotic cuisine of this amazing island if you have the opportunity.

[TxnAquarian]

We were just in Catania on Celebrity last month. The ships dock right in town. There is no shuttle necessary as the main center of town is walkable from the pier. To be honest, there is not much to see in Catania. If you've been Naples, it's very similar - a little seedy, dirty and not really a place to spend the day wandering. The main attraction is Mt. Etna, which I'm sure Cunard will offer an excursion to if you're interested in that. If you're not into tours like us, all we did was wander into town for an hour, have a gelato and a coffee and return to the quiet ship =)

 

 

 

 

Michael

[fantasy51]

I went to Korcula quite a few years ago. Here's the information I found on it at the time, gleaned from several sites on the internet. Later I went back and wrote out what I did - as my sister was going to the port and wanted information.

Korcula.doc