Naples Port of Call: Best Way To Do Amalfi Coast

[ajtraveler66]

Will on NCL Jade in July and one of the port of calls is Naples. I have been torn on what to do for the day....and have just about decided that Naples will probably be our most scenic Italian port of call (also doing Rome, Florence). Am I right in that assessment?

If that is the case, I think I will forgo a half day at Pompeii and just do the Amalfi Coast exclusively for the whole day.

Any thoughts/recommendations on how to go about doing this. If any of you have taken the NCL tour Amalfi/Sorrento.....and feel that it was time well spent then that will probably be sufficient for me.

I'm seeing these other private tour offerings on the internet (buying your own driver, etc.,) but I hesitate unless I know they are legit and I would need confidence that they would get us back to the boat in time for departure.

[iphotograph]

We were on NCL GEM in November of last year. One of the stops was in Naples. After reading the TripAdvisor and CC forums weeks prior to our cruise, we decided to hire Mr. Mariano Fiorentino of Pleasant Travel. We went to see some of the towns in the Amalfi Coast then had a two-hour tour of Pompeii later in the afternoon before we head back to the ship. It was well worth the money spent... we had a fantastic time!

I would also advise you to check out the roll call board.

[drsb]

We used Mariano last October and he was wonderful! Bought us cappucinos because we got to Pompeii before it opened (and I highly recommend you ask him to get you a guide for Pompeii also) then we drove to Amalfi and back, and we told him we wanted olive oil, so he ran into a friends shop and gave us bottles of olive oil as a gift. He also brought us to the BEST music box shop in Sorrento. Beautiful work and excellent prices. And he found us a place to try and then buy local Lemoncello.

He has a wonderful personality and obviously loves his country and the Sorrento area. He will drop you off at the hydrofoil and make sure you buy the correct ticket and then get on the right one back to the ship so you don't have to drive all the way back from Sorrento to Naples and save you lots of time. He even deducted the cost of the Hydrofoil from his fee for us!

We were there in Oct, so the roads were not as busy. July will be a little bit crazier for you, but he was very mindful of the time and will get you back with time to spare.

Have a great time on your cruise!

[Globaliser]

Originally Posted by ajtraveler66

Any thoughts/recommendations on how to go about doing this.

Not NCL-specific, but there will be lots of information on the Italy Ports of Call forum.

[theduffys]

We were in Naples last May. Six of us from our roll call group hired a driver for a drive down the Amalphi coast. It was truly magnificent. Our driver was Gennaro Ruocco from Sorrento Limo
www. sorrentolimo.com
He was a wonderful guide. English was perfect. He timed the trip perfectly and talored the trip to our desires.

[TBSCruiser]

We used romeinlimo.com We did a morning tour of Pompeii with a private guide (fantastic) and then drove up the Almalfi coast as far as Positano, which was absolutely beautiful. I had not been that keen on Pompeii either but glad we went.

[kwcrnp]

ajtraveler66-

I don't know which sailing in July you're on but the July 4th trip has a roll call and would love you to join. There is another couple looking to share some tours as well.

[sanjim]

Originally Posted by ajtraveler66

Will on NCL Jade in July and one of the port of calls is Naples. I have been torn on what to do for the day....and have just about decided that Naples will probably be our most scenic Italian port of call (also doing Rome, Florence). Am I right in that assessment?

If that is the case, I think I will forgo a half day at Pompeii and just do the Amalfi Coast exclusively for the whole day.

Any thoughts/recommendations on how to go about doing this. If any of you have taken the NCL tour Amalfi/Sorrento.....and feel that it was time well spent then that will probably be sufficient for me.

I'm seeing these other private tour offerings on the internet (buying your own driver, etc.,) but I hesitate unless I know they are legit and I would need confidence that they would get us back to the boat in time for departure.

Get on the roll call for you cruise, bound to be some people looking to do a private tour, It is well worth the money spent. Do not miss Pompeii, it is not a half a day only 2 hours you will me amazed how these people lived and what modern convinces they had. It is really a great history lesson.

Yes this part of Italy is more scenic than your other ports. Your private tour will take you down the Amafi Coast and you will have plenty of time to take pictures and do some shoping and probably have lunch.
The area is beautiful the roads are probably the most exciting that I have been on.

[TA5]

We used Mariano from pleasant travel as well. He was great.

Our schedule was pompeii tour in the morning, then drive over the mountain, down to amalfi, lunch and drive to sorrento.

While this was great and we got to see everything, it meant lots of time in the car and not a whole lot of time out of it (except pompeii). I would suggest not trying to do everything but choosing either full day amalfi coast, full day pompeii, or half day pompeii then straight to sorrento. We only got about 45 minutes in sorrento and drove right through positano which looked really cool. Amalfi the town is beautiful but more of a tourist trap than anything.

Whatever you do, do a private tour, the buses that NCL uses can hardly navigate the amalfi coast from what i've heard and you get to see alot less.