Windsurf Excursions from Amalfi & Sorrento

Anyone done theses excursions? Trying to decide whether to do the ship's excursions or hire a private guide. We definitely want to go to Pompeii. Any advice would be appreciated.

We have done both the Amalfi and Sorrento shore excursions. We chose to visit Pompeii from Sorrento since the site is closer to Sorrento and involves less travel time. The tour of Pompeii was excellent. The guide was extremely personable and knowlegeable. The tour ran late, and it was reassuring that because it was a ship excursion, we'd not have problems returning to the ship. In Amalfi, there are a couple of options, as I remember. One includes Positano. Generally we were very satisfied with the ship excursions, although it is necessary to do some reading on your own if you want to truly understand the history and culture. The tour guides, however probably tell you as much as private drivers do. The ship tours we took were never overcrowded; the bus was comfortable and the time allotted for sightseeing, shopping, eating and finding bathrooms more than adequate. The tours were reasonably priced for two people, and unless you are traveling as a group, I honestly don't understand the need to hire private drivers at what seems to be really excessive costs.

Thanks, Cleopatra. Did you do this from the Windsurf or were you on another cruise line? I'm trying to find out about the quality of the Windsurf excursions.

We were on the Windsurf. We rarely rely on private tours, and instead, use tour books, research, and local guides. Both the cruise and sightseeing tours were new to us. Given that, I'd say the quality of the tours was quite good, in particular the one from Sorrento including Pompeii. For what it is worth, I am a retired teacher, and about 20 years ago, my husband and I lived abroad. We've traveled extensively, usually "doing it on our own." We were satisfied with our tour experience with Windsurf.

Cleopatra,

On our cruise we dock in Sorrento at 3:00 pm. Do you know if that is enough time to go to Pompeii by train & still have a couple of hours at Pompeii? According to the itinerary, Windsurf is in Sorrento overnight so there shouldn't be a problem getting back to the ship.

From April through October Pompeii closes at 7:30 PM. The rest of the year it closes at 5 PM. I assume you'll be there sometime between April and October. You'll need a couple of hours at Pompeii and the travel time is less than an hour, but you need to allow time in the port of Sorrento. We were delayed over an hour disembarking because the port authority was late in boarding the Windsurf. Your plan might work, however. The plus is by going later in the day it will be less crowded and cooler. You then could plan dinner in Sorrento since you have the night in port.

Thank you so much. That's exactly the info I was looking for. What excursion did you do from Amalfi?

Glad to be of help, Riverroad. In Amalfi we took a shore excursion to Ravello. We had plenty of time to visit both Ravello and Amalfi. Primarily we wanted the experience of the drive through the steep winding roads without driving ourselves. It isn't an area that you'd need a tour guide. I'd check the prices - private driver vs. shore excursion and choose accordingly. In Capri we also did a shore excursion from Windsurf. We'd been to grottos in Malta on a previous trip so we chose to go to Mt. Solerno. It's a wonderful trip UP via chairlift to the top of Capri. However, what no one tells you is that it is a very long steep walk DOWN over rocks to meander to Anacapri. It is best to get to Anacapri and take the chairlift on your own if you choose this option in Capri. The view is magnificent. Enjoy your trip.