Questions about recent experiences on Sicilian Odyssey tour
we are leaving for Sicily Odyssey in a week. Would love to hear about recent experiences on this tour. thanks
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we are leaving for Sicily Odyssey in a week. Would love to hear about recent experiences on this tour. thanks
Comments
Sicily is just wonderful. It may still be very hot there.
Took this trip in May. Wife and i enjoyed it very much. Tour of the herb farm was very nice with a great lunch. In Siracusa the lunch at the Baron's home was wonderful. You will taste one of the best chardonnays made by the Baron. Get out and walk. Especially in Taormina. U will enjoy this trip!
happytravelers20, please leave a review when you return. Going in three weeks!
We enjoyed this tour very much. This is a low key tour - a lot of historic archeological sites. History is an important component of the Sicilian experience given its important position in the Mediterranean-from ancient history to WWII to natural tragedies. However, the experience is primarily a cultural one. You will see an amalgamation of cultures, given its location and the diverse background of invaders throughout history. We saw a low key, easy lifestyle that was different from the mainland, with economic challenges. There were surprising differences in the food from the mainland.
The hotel in Ragusa was quirky - no 2 rooms were the same! We were in oldest medieval building and had a balcony floor for the bed - scantly furnished with quirky features . Our friend was in former servant room - small. Not much time spent in the rooms so it did not matter. The next quick stop at the Verdura more than made up for any inconvenience.
Some lovely surprises! As noted by wildcat03, the lunches at at the Baron's house and Herb Farm were memorable. Piazza Amerina was on my bucket list and fabulous! It was evident that the Mafia is alive and well in Sicily today. (It controls the trash!) I did not think the extra excursion to Mount Etna was worth the price. It is unclear in the description whether the Mount Etna tour is included in the tour now.
Overall, it was a great tour.
In what sense? Not mileage, since Messina is less than 10 miles from the mainland of Italy.
Agree about Mt. Etna. The best thing about it was admiring the view from the restaurant at the Grand Hotel Timeo.
I went to Sicily in April, not with Tauck, it was a more thorough tour than with Tauck. Mount Etna was included and was one of my favorite experiences. I do love geology and geography and studied to A level in England. Back then, I never dreamed I would be able to walk around the slopes of an active volcano. We enjoyed our walk round one of the craters very much. We had a lunch/ very good wine tasting at a winery on the slopes and had some of the wine shipped home.
Smiling Sam - you are right. Some areas in the west of Sicily is closer to Africa than mainland Italy. Misread my notes!
Updating the request to hear from recent Sicilian Odyssey travelers! We are going in early October—our first Tauk tour! I would also love advice on what to pack, given there seem to be some dressier events. My husband and I have traveled to Italy several times, but never to Sicily. One Tauk travel advisor suggested that restaurants might have dress standards slightly dressier than most, at least for dinner?
We took this wonderful tour almost 3 years ago. Dressy attire was not required.
Europeans dress nicer than many Americans when dining at nice restaurants. You are always safe with black slacks and top accessorized with scarfs or jewelery. Dinner is often considered an event and it is respectful not to insist on wearing super casual clothes. I know some will disagree. You will dine in some private elegant homes.
When we went on this trip, super casual was not the norm for the dinners. While not dressy, I would describe the attire as business casual. Nice pants and blouse or casual dress for women, and collared shirt for men along with decent slacks (and a handful of sports coats).
I agree with you, bucketlist, especially about how many Europeans view dining out as a multigenerational event. How I dress is a personal preference, but I am always mindful of the societal norms of the countries I am a guest in.
I can’t say about the Tauck tour, but when we went with another company everyone was a seasoned traveler, we ate in fantastic restaurants, local and it was usually just our group, so it was way more casual. We did not have to find any meals on our own. Everyone looked fine.
I appreciate all of the tips and perspectives—thank you! Any thoughts on women’s shoes for those dressier occasions? Will a pair of strappy kitten/low heels do it? Full disclosure, I love shoes with heels (when not walking long distances), but they just take up so much luggage space and weight…
The shoes you mention, especially if comfortable, will be fine.
I still have some ‘pumps’ left over from my working days—terribly boring but comfortable and dressy—that work fine for me. I prefer, however, to wear dress sandals with my evening attire. I never pack more than one pair of shoes.
For touring, I prefer ankle boots because they are so comfortable, provide good traction and ankle support.
Flats are fine for the dressy dinners, too. And they don't take up much room in a suitcase.
I always wear nice flats for the dinners, they are the best.
Looking at those photos, these people deinfitely need to change before stepping into anywhere other than a McDonald's.Even when you are hiking, you should look presentable. Where is the LL bean, Patgonia,Arcteryx and Moncler?
Henry, you are a snob. We are millionaires and can dress how we like.
British is correct. People who have money don't have to flaunt it. For many of us (me especially) we got what we have by being frugal (frugal sounds better than "cheap")
Very well said. There is no point to advise people what to wear. People can wear whatever they want on vacation. These castle dinners are way over rated.
Again, Ponant let A& K people wear shorts in the main dining room since a lot of people have to go to sea kayaking, hiking or swimming excursions afterward. People have worn shorts, polos and flip flop at the farewell dinner with A&K since a bar hop was planned afterward (Flavors of Vietnam). It really reveals what kind of people travel with Tauck.
I hope other people take action by reporting Mr. Poon to Tauck. I have done so three (3) times but to no avail. Perhaps if Tauck hears from enough travelers, they will do something. He seems to relish in being rude, arrogant and inappropriate. He clearly has issues.
Henrypoon is harmless. I've encountered much, much worse on other forums.
If you don't like his post, just ignore them. Complaining about him, or to him, only feeds the troll.
Yes, I guess we should not indulge him, he’s just playing us. Next time I book a tour I’m going to ask and be sure he’s not on it. One minute he’s being rude to me about my clothing and the next promoting shorts on A and K tours.
If you find yourself at a Welcome dinner and the single guy next to you is called Henry….change tables!
A troll is someone who needs attention. The Internet and forums have provided a way for those people to get some attention, even if the attention is not favorable. They generally quickly learn what sets other forum users off and they try to use that to get responses. Success for a troll is if the thread goes on and on, and it's all about them.
The only way to counter them is to not give them what they need, and that's by ignoring them.
Some forums have a function where you can "ignore" someone and you won't even see their posts. Pretend you have such an ignore function, but in your head, and just don't respond to anything a troll posts.
I am entitled to my opinion as you are. Mr. Poon violates forum rules, especially when it comes to decorum and should be called out on it—by Tauck. Being tolerated on other forums is not the point and is not a valid argument for what is acceptable on this forum.
This was not meant to start a debate. I am merely asking that if people find his posts objectionable, there is a possible remedy. If you disagree with me, ignore my post and continue to condone his behavior. That is what he wants.
Troll - A mythical creature from Nordic folklore. I do not subscribe to political slang—the other so-called definition.
From what I understand, Henry has done tours with Tauck. I doubt if Tauck wants to alienate a potential guest.
We’re all adults and I expect most of us have encountered things more challenging than Henry’s posts.
But, if you feel strongly about it, continue complaining to Tauck. You never know, maybe it will change things.
[Henry's posts are pretty mild, but they are obviously aimed at provoking others. I find some of his posts to be humorous, they’re so obvious.]
[Also, the term "troll" is definitely not political. It's just an Internet term with no connection to politics.]