Naples, Capri, Sorrento, & Pompeii?

[reanbr2000]

We are booked on the Galaxy for June 2nd of next year. The ship docks in Naples from 7 am to 7 pm. We were looking into Celebrity's shore excursions, but $180 per person seems a little steep to us, so we are planning to navigate on our own.

I've heard that we can take the hydrofoil (which I've heard is very close to where the ship docks) to Capri, then take a second hydrofoil to Sorrento, then take the train to Pompeii and back to Naples.

Has anyone done this before? We are both experienced travelers who enjoy sightseeing on our own terms; however, this is our first venture in Italy, and we don't want to end up being pushed to the point where we could miss the ship. Is 12 hours a reasonable time frame to do everything (provided we leave as early in the morning as possible)?

What sort of costs would we incur if we go this route? Are there any good train websites for that part of Italy? Are there any sites for the hydrofoil companies?

And lastly, has anyone done the Blue Grottos (Grotta Azzurra) boat ride? Is it worth it? How much is that per person?

Thank you! :)
Rebekah

[Bruin Steve]

Rebekah,
We did the Shore Excursion version...The pricetag didn't bother me...I'm not sure that by the time you pay independently for the two hydrofoil rides, lunch, admission to Pompei. transportation from Sorrento to Pompei and back to the ship that you won't have spent nearly that...

My thoughts on timing is that it is a bit aggressive...
The Shore Excursion folks can do it because they have the logistics down to clockwork...Trying it on your own...with the possiblity of missing a connection somewhere...could be disastrous...

On the Shore excursion, we didn't have time for the Blue Grotto...

We went by Hydrofoil to Capri...up to Capri Town by Funicular...a tour of Capri then some free time...back down the mountain by funicular to the next hydrofoil to Sorrento...up to the top of Sorrento by bus...lunch and free time...then bus to Pompei...a tour of Pompei (The Shore Excursion guide was excellent here)...then back to the ship by way of a Cameo Factory (the one part we could have all done without)...The "10 hour tour" ran over by at least 45 minutes - partly due to traffic - and we barely made it back to the ship in time...

[Cleopatra]

Hello Rebekah,
We've just returned from a cruise which visited Amalfi, Sorrento and Capri, spending two days in the area. We too are very experienced travelers and usually prefer to explore alone, but this time chose tours arranged by the ship. We did all that Bruin Steve did and are certain that we had less angst than had we attempted the arrangements on our own. In fact, we managed to nearly miss the last tender to the ship in Capri because we were exploring on our own after the tour ended and got lost. The tour guide realized we had not returned and waited for us even after the rest of the group had departed for the tender. We made it to the ship with only seconds to spare. I'm not sure what the scenario would have been had we been completely on our own. Some areas are easier to navigate than others. My advice would be to take a tour in order to see as much as possible in the time you have and most importantly, enjoy your visit. Trying to beat the clock Italian style is an oxymoron.

[reanbr2000]

Thanks for your responses. If we decided to eliminate Capri and just take the trains to Pompeii and Sorrento, would that be more reasonable? Is Capri an absolute "must see"? Or would it be better to eliminate Sorrento and just do Capri and Pompeii?
We are still considering the cruise shore excursion, but $360 just seems like a lot for one day. We've researched prices of hydrofoils, trains and entrance fees, and we could do all three for about 125E total. That's a pretty big difference.

[ventura43]

We docked in Sorrento & took the train to Pompeii on our own. It was cheap (about 5 Euro maybe??) and we could spend as much time as we wanted in Pompeii. Depending on your level of interest you could breeze through Pompeii in an hour or so or spend days....


The train station in Sorrento is near some pretty street in the "downtown" area of Sorrento but is a fairly good & steep distance from the waterfront.

The Pompeii Scavi train station is less than a quater mile from the entrance.

[sondi 14]

We used a private tour operator in Naples last year and were able to
see Pompeii (with a private guide), and the Amalfi Coast as far down
as Amalfi. This would be my suggestion if you can find other people
to share the cost of the driver/guide with you. It's much more
economical this way and you will see so much more and at your own
pace.
Sondi

[mountainhouse]

Thanks for your responses. If we decided to eliminate Capri and just take the trains to Pompeii and Sorrento, would that be more reasonable? Is Capri an absolute "must see"? Or would it be better to eliminate Sorrento and just do Capri and Pompeii?
We are still considering the cruise shore excursion, but $360 just seems like a lot for one day. We've researched prices of hydrofoils, trains and entrance fees, and we could do all three for about 125E total. That's a pretty big difference.

That's what we were thinking. R Steve's book shows Naples>Sorrento as €7.50 and 40 min. and 70 min. total return time by train. A regional pass for €25 covers Herculanium, Pompeii and the train. That's under US$41 pp. Sounds pretty easy since the hydrofoils leave from where the ship's docked. Not sure how to get from the trainstation to the ship.

Cruising is lots of fun, but it insulates you from the local culture. Add in too many excursions, and it almost becomes 'seeing the sights without the people.' We'll be doing some excursions, but mostly on our own for that reason.

[albruno]

We are booked on the Galaxy for June 2nd of next year. The ship docks in Naples from 7 am to 7 pm. We were looking into Celebrity's shore excursions, but $180 per person seems a little steep to us, so we are planning to navigate on our own.

Thank you! :)
Rebekah

Hi Rebekah,
I am italian, I live in Italy, and I was born in Naples.
I will be happy to help you. I can say to you what is better and beautiful.
I think that you must go to Pompei, Sorrento and Amalfi coast (here you must see Amalfi, Positano and Ravello).
One day could not be enough for all and then I think you can't see Capri too.
Amalfi coast is only accessible by car or bus; the better thing is to rent a car!!!
You can write to me in email if you want to know more about!

[Sunny Day]

Hi,
We will be stopping in Naples and have been to Capri (stayed in Anacapri and loved it - never even saw the town of Capri!) and Pompeii. We were thinking of walking Naples ourselves and visiting the Archeological Museum. What is your recommendation?

[cruisingmimi]

Hi everyone,

Does anyone have any suggestions that I can give to some friends who are traveling to Naples 7/15/05 on a cruise. They would like to see Pompeii and also go to Positano via the ferry. They do not want to travel via the Amalfi Coast route because my friend is afraid of heights. Can they take the ferry to Positano? If so, does anyone know the ferry schedule or a website to access it?

Many thanks.

Mary

[VickiVSN]

I have to 2nd the vote for a private tour. We went with a CC group of 14 and driverinrome.com. An excellent day! We would not have seen 1/2 of what we did trying to do it on our own and figuring where things were.

I have pics online at http://www.vsn.org/cruise/2005/day16.htm

Have fun!

[Carmic]

Great pictures.......put them in my favorites to view until our cruise in Oct 2006.

Carol

[winewanderer]

Sunny Day,

Regarding walking into Naples on your own. If you get the Travel Channel I just saw a Samantha Brown Travels in Europe show on Naples.

It was not a cruise stop for her but I thought it was quite interesting from her viewpoint. She didn't love it, didn't hate it. The section about crossing the street was wild.

[KERRY77]

We got back from a Med cruise June 11 and I must say Naples, Sorrento and Positano are a must! We were 5 (4 teens and me) and we booked with www.jackthedriver.com (http://www.jackthedriver.com/) for 250 Euros. It's probably a bit more if you continue on the Amalfi Coast to Ravalo. We also did Pompeii (paid 85 euros for a private guide). Jack picked us at the port at 8:00 AM and got us back by 6:15 PM.

I think it would have been impossible to see everything we saw had we tried doing it on our own. Jack knew his way around and even had time to take my teens shopping and took us to a wonderful restaurant by the sea in Sorrento (his hometown)! It was well worth it!

[TMWOOD1012]

HI THERE...
Just wanted to know if you or anyone else out there has used this service with Jack the Driver. I've been trying to hire Francesco Marrapese, but I've gotten no respone to 3 e-mails after receiving a quote from him.
So, I'm looking elsewhere before everyone books up. I was looking for a solid recommendation on this one if you have it.
Many thanks....to anyone.

[PETRA4U]

Hi everyone,

Does anyone have any suggestions that I can give to some friends who are traveling to Naples 7/15/05 on a cruise. They would like to see Pompeii and also go to Positano via the ferry. They do not want to travel via the Amalfi Coast route because my friend is afraid of heights. Can they take the ferry to Positano? If so, does anyone know the ferry schedule or a website to access it?

Many thanks.

Mary
Hi Mary,
I am not sure if your friend is on the same cruise as us. we are doing splendour and leave on 7/16 Sat on the boat.

if you post to the Splendour roll call for 7/16, several people are looking for others to share tours.

we have booked Francesco Marrapese several weeks ago for our trip. he is very busy and I have heard great things about him from other postings. He runs his business by himself, so he is out there constantly but does know others to refer business to. Very reasonable.

[sondi 14]

We didn't use the Jack the Driver, but we did have great tours with
Benvenuto Limos. You could try them if you can't reach the others
or woud like to compare what they offer. The website is
www.benvenutolimos.com.

Sondi

[KERRY77]

TmWood, yes, we used Jack www.jackthedriver.com (http://www.jackthedriver.com/) as our driver/guide in Naples during our Med trip 3 weeks ago. When I booked with Jack he responded a few hours after I sent him the email (remember the time difference).

I requested an 8:00 AM pick up at the port and he was waiting for for us with a sign with our name. He was a new BMW van and is very knowledgeable . We were five (3 teens, 1 10-yr old and me) and the tour was 250 euros for a full day. Took us to Pompeii, then Sorrento (his hometown) where we had a wonderful lunch at his favorite restaurant and then to Positano (absolutely gorgeous place). He also took my teens shopping and they were in heaven. He got us back to the ship by 6:15 PM, exhausted but very happy! If you have any other questions, let me know...

[TMWOOD1012]

Is his english clear? He has been quite prompt on his responses with me, too.
Thanks for your reply...I appreciate it.

[KERRY77]

TmWood, sorry for the delay in answering... His English is good, we totally understood him -- of course, he is Italian and as with all the private guides we had (Florence, Rome & Naples) they have an accent and once in a while get their verbs mixed up. It's part of the beauty of traveling abroad! If you book with him, you will like him and he will go out of his way to please you. Hope this answers your question! Happy sailing!!

[TMWOOD1012]

I have booked him and appreciate your responses.
I'm sure we'll be pleased.

[KruzinAl]

We're sailing on the Galaxy 09/26, we're going with Benvenuto limos for an Amalfi coast tour, stopping in Pompei. I have friends who have gone and they recommend going to Capri on another occasion rather that cramming in Pompei etc all together. You actually need 4-5 days to see everything in the area. Save more for your next cruise or trip to Italy.
Al