lucy n Posted April 25, 2022 #1 Share Posted April 25, 2022 First cruise with MSC next month-visiting Genoa, Marseille, Syracuse, and Taranto. Not keen to book any excursions as we want to explore at our own pace, so does anyone know how quickly you can get off the boat each day if you're not on an organised trip? Also do most ports have shuttle buses that you can take into the main towns? Any tips much appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare carlmm Posted April 25, 2022 #2 Share Posted April 25, 2022 Unless it is a tender port, you can be the first off. Who ever gets first to the gangway gets off first. In Genoa the port is right in the city and no shuttle is required, In Marseille MSC offers a shuttle you need to pay for right next to the ship. Alternatively you could walk (quite far) to the port exit where public transportation is offered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sm9690 Posted April 25, 2022 #3 Share Posted April 25, 2022 8 minutes ago, carlmm said: Unless it is a tender port, you can be the first off. Who ever gets first to the gangway gets off first. In Genoa the port is right in the city and no shuttle is required, In Marseille MSC offers a shuttle you need to pay for right next to the ship. Alternatively you could walk (quite far) to the port exit where public transportation is offered. Syracuse also docks in the city 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xcell Posted April 26, 2022 #4 Share Posted April 26, 2022 13 hours ago, carlmm said: Unless it is a tender port, you can be the first off. Who ever gets first to the gangway gets off first. In Genoa the port is right in the city and no shuttle is required, In Marseille MSC offers a shuttle you need to pay for right next to the ship. Alternatively you could walk (quite far) to the port exit where public transportation is offered. Shuttle to the city? Or shuttle to the port exit? How about on the way back? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sm9690 Posted April 26, 2022 #5 Share Posted April 26, 2022 2 hours ago, xcell said: Shuttle to the city? Or shuttle to the port exit? How about on the way back? I did it the other month and took a free shuttle bus from this stop - https://goo.gl/maps/moLJmnr4SjeYBr5Y8 Coming back I took the 35 from this stop - https://goo.gl/maps/V6CuMZHZB9sgZGCu6 which drops off here - https://goo.gl/maps/iHmHmL6Jj2HokT5M9 They weren't taking payment for the bus at the time, but it's less than 2 euro. Takes about 15 mins to walk but saves paying about 17 euros for MSC shuttle 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucy n Posted April 26, 2022 Author #6 Share Posted April 26, 2022 Thanks all this is really helpful to know! Got small kids in tow so may bite the bullet and take the MSC shuttle in Marseille @sm9690 were you on an MSC ship? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panchakes Posted May 2, 2022 #7 Share Posted May 2, 2022 I'd love to hear your trip report when you come back. We are doing that same route on the Splendida in September. We booked the Rome Excursion but are going to explore on our own in the other ports. First time MSC cruisers. It's our 30th Anniversary. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmt44 Posted May 2, 2022 #8 Share Posted May 2, 2022 On 4/26/2022 at 3:25 PM, lucy n said: Thanks all this is really helpful to know! Got small kids in tow so may bite the bullet and take the MSC shuttle in Marseille @sm9690 were you on an MSC ship? Taxi may be cheaper with kids in tow. However, I would not expect Taxi to have car seats. MSC shuttle operates on a full and go basis. Not a timetable. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucy n Posted May 6, 2022 Author #9 Share Posted May 6, 2022 Thanks @mmt44 @panchakes I'll let you know-we're getting excited now as depart 3 weeks today! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sealynx Posted May 10, 2022 #10 Share Posted May 10, 2022 In my experience it takes some 15 minutes for the crew to install the gangway after arrival. The line is gone in 5-10 minutes. In Barcelona there is a port-shuttle for €4,50 per person, to the WTC (bus, several standing passengers). The MSC-shuttle was € 9,- per person, to the same destination (coach, all seated). In Marseille there is a free port-shuttle to the port entrance. There you can change (5 minute walk) to public transport (15 minutes to the city for € 2,- per person). MSC-shuttle to the city was € 16,- per person. In Genua I don't know about an MSC-shuttle, but you can walk 10 minutes to public transport, several service to the centre of the city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nunagoras Posted May 10, 2022 #11 Share Posted May 10, 2022 I don't know for Syracuse and Taranto. Bear in mind that if one of those happens to be a tender port, you'll need some extra time. In Genoa the MSC managed cruise terminal is equipped with an air bridge from ship to terminal, so you'll may be ready to go in minutes. Marseille at the time I was there was a cargo dock with some cruise assistance, so they'll open some 2 or 3 stars, so the process is relatively slower than Genoa. Here I recommend the cruise line's shuttle because otherwise you'll might to be placed on a very remote dock and so you'll most likely to spend a lot of your limited valuable time on commuting logistics rather than exploring the nice city. Have a nice day!... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sealynx Posted May 12, 2022 #12 Share Posted May 12, 2022 When I was in Genua last sunday on MSC Opera they used the fixed bridge from deck 6 to shore for (dis)embarking passengers, while transit passengers used the exit/entrance on deck 4. The fixed bridge was open minutes after arrival, while the deck 4 bridge took some 15 minutes to be installed. Similar arrangements were used in other ports as well. In Barcelona for example two bridges were installed on deck 6, while in Palermo and Tunis two bridges were installed on deck 4 and one stairs bridge on deck 5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loopy_loo Posted January 18, 2023 #13 Share Posted January 18, 2023 We have an MSC cruise booked in June . Please can someone let me know how long it takes to disembark at Syracuse in Sicily . We dock at 7 am . We then need to get a taxi to Catania for an 11.45 am flight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dexddd Posted January 19, 2023 #14 Share Posted January 19, 2023 On 1/18/2023 at 6:09 AM, Loopy_loo said: We have an MSC cruise booked in June . Please can someone let me know how long it takes to disembark at Syracuse in Sicily . We dock at 7 am . We then need to get a taxi to Catania for an 11.45 am flight Welcome to CC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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