Reviews of Viator on the Amalfi coast

[trvlrs]

Has anyone used Viator for a tour of the Amalfi coast? Our ship will dock in Naples (August) and we're looking to hire a driver (without a tour guide). Viator is coming up at super reasonable rates. They have superb reviews. My problem is that all the reviews are posted on Viator.com and of course there are no negative reviews. I can't find any other reviews. Can anyone help?

 

I looked into all the ferries and hydrofoil schedules and that's the best I am coming up with:

Departs Napoli Beverello 8:25am arrives Positano 9:55am

Departs Positano 12:30pm arrives Sorrento 13:15pm

Departs Sorrento 16:30pm arrives Napoli 17:55pm

 

Basically, 2 hours in Positano and 3 hours in Sorrento (around siesta time) and I am not accounting for the lines at the ferry/hydrofoil. There's no room for error on the way back. I don't feel very comfortable doing this.

 

Thank you all for any feedback...:confused:

[riffatsea]

Viator is a tour booking company. They do not actually do the tours themselves. I am sure I have seen drivers names listed on this board somewhere. Have you done a search here for previous threads on the topic??

[trvlrs]

Thanks Riffatsea...I have searched the CC board as well as trip advisor but wasn't able to find anyone who has booked through viator.com

Their prices are substantially lower and since we only need a driver, it seemed to be the right thing to do. Now, I am wondering why hasn't anyone booked through them? or have I just not found the board in question?:confused:

[cruisemom42]

Thanks Riffatsea...I have searched the CC board as well as trip advisor but wasn't able to find anyone who has booked through viator.com

Their prices are substantially lower and since we only need a driver, it seemed to be the right thing to do. Now, I am wondering why hasn't anyone booked through them? or have I just not found the board in question?:confused:

 

I have booked through Viator for tours in several different cities -- not on the Amalfi coast, however.

 

As Riff says, Viator is just the "middle man" that coordinates the transaction between you and Tour Agency X for a particular tour. The problem I have with this is that you usually don't know WHO the tour company is, so you really can't find "unbiased" reviews of the tour itself. Sometimes you can figure it out, but not usually.....:cool:

 

The service that Viator has provided on the tours I've done with them (Lisbon, Japan, Rome) has been mostly okay -- except for one instance in Rome where I showed up for my tour only to find out it was cancelled due to lack of participation (they were supposed to let me know 24 hours in advance...)

 

However, the tours themselves have been somewhat disappointing. In Lisbon, for example, the tour was supposed to go to 4 places and only went to 3 (and spent an inordinately long amount of time in one, where the guide virtually disappeared and there was nothing to do.....). On 2 tours I've taken with them, there have been multiple nationalities necessitating repetition of all the information by the guide in 2 or even 3 (on one tour) languages -- a bit tedious.

 

My overall feeling is that while using Viator is easy and convenient, in the end you are sort of buying a "pig in a poke". If you aren't that fussy about tours and are just looking for value, it will probably be fine.

 

Hope this helps!

[trvlrs]

Thank you cruisemom, what you're saying makes sense and is very helpful. The reason, I looked at their website was because I am looking for a driver, and not a guide or a tour. It is just for the two of us and to get from point a to point b, and back. The hydrofoil/ferry schedule is very limited.

They offer a private car for 2, for 8 hours at a very cheap rate (a fraction of the cost of all other companies). I love the price but it is scaring me. That is why I was wondering if anyone had booked through them.

[Corby114]

We booked a viator tour in Barcelona last summer. It was a 9 hour tour to Montserrat and Cordeniou Cava winery. We are a family of 3 and the tour included 2 other couples. Our guide/driver Karina was great. She was originally from Germany, but was fluent in Spanish and knew the area's extensive history. We found this Viator tour the morning we were flying to Barcelona for our 7 day cruise and were not dissappointed. Karina showed up at 9:00 AM and we were back in Barcelona at 6:00 PM.

[cruisemom42]

Thank you cruisemom, what you're saying makes sense and is very helpful. The reason, I looked at their website was because I am looking for a driver, and not a guide or a tour. It is just for the two of us and to get from point a to point b, and back. The hydrofoil/ferry schedule is very limited.

They offer a private car for 2, for 8 hours at a very cheap rate (a fraction of the cost of all other companies). I love the price but it is scaring me. That is why I was wondering if anyone had booked through them.

 

Ah, I understand.

 

Let me just caution you though......Viator has a way of showing the price by saying "As low as.....$XXX." For private drivers, that low initial price that they show assumes that you have the maximum sized group. I suggest you actually go through and act as if you are going to book the driver for 2 and see what the final cost per person is before you decide whether the deal is too good to be true....

[trvlrs]

Ah, I understand.

 

Let me just caution you though......Viator has a way of showing the price by saying "As low as.....$XXX." For private drivers, that low initial price that they show assumes that you have the maximum sized group. I suggest you actually go through and act as if you are going to book the driver for 2 and see what the final cost per person is before you decide whether the deal is too good to be true....

 

That's exactly what I am about to do. I am going to give them a call. Will keep you posted. I was trying to get some feedback before doing so. You have been most helpful. Thanks again

[trvlrs]

We booked a viator tour in Barcelona last summer. It was a 9 hour tour to Montserrat and Cordeniou Cava winery. We are a family of 3 and the tour included 2 other couples. Our guide/driver Karina was great. She was originally from Germany, but was fluent in Spanish and knew the area's extensive history. We found this Viator tour the morning we were flying to Barcelona for our 7 day cruise and were not dissappointed. Karina showed up at 9:00 AM and we were back in Barcelona at 6:00 PM.

 

Thank you Corby for your feedback...

[shemp2000]

We did the ferry from Amalfi, Positano, Sorrento a couple of years ago (in October)

 

Here are a couple of thing to know.

 

• You can book them on the spot at the pier.
  
• There is more than one service, so the schedules vary.
  
• You can use one service to go from Amalfi to Positano and another from Positano to Sorrento (I assume the same holds true out of Naples
  
• Some ferrys are faster than others. When heading from Positano to Sorrento there was a ferry that left 1/2 hour before ours but arrived after ours. So make sure you judge your schedule by the time the ferry arrives at your destination, not when it leaves, or you may spend more time than you want on the water.
  

[trvlrs]

That's exactly what I am about to do. I am going to give them a call. Will keep you posted. I was trying to get some feedback before doing so. You have been most helpful. Thanks again

 

Update - Cruisemom you were correct. The price for 2 when up a little but not by much. It is still a fraction of what everyone else is charging. Viator answered all my questions and they also called the tour company to ask a question they didn't have the answer to.. I didn't book, trying to decide what to do. Would really rather do it on our own but the ferry schedule is sooooooo limited....:confused:

[trvlrs]

We did the ferry from Amalfi, Positano, Sorrento a couple of years ago (in October)

 

Here are a couple of thing to know.

 

• You can book them on the spot at the pier.
  
• There is more than one service, so the schedules vary.
  
• You can use one service to go from Amalfi to Positano and another from Positano to Sorrento (I assume the same holds true out of Naples
  
• Some ferrys are faster than others. When heading from Positano to Sorrento there was a ferry that left 1/2 hour before ours but arrived after ours. So make sure you judge your schedule by the time the ferry arrives at your destination, not when it leaves, or you may spend more time than you want on the water.
  

 

 

Thank you Schemp. I have all the ferries/hydrofoil schedules in front of me. I am trying to maximize our time and do just 2 stops (Positano and Sorrento) and keeping in mind the siesta time. What a maze!!! It's like putting a puzzle together. It reminds me of our vacation on Lake Como. What time is the next ferry to? Only, we didn't have to worry about a cruise departing at a specific time... Thanks again

[LJH1]

Viator is a tour booking company. They do not actually do the tours themselves. I am sure I have seen drivers names listed on this board somewhere. Have you done a search here for previous threads on the topic??

 

We have used Viator a few times most recent was heli tour grand canyon in Vegas. There are a huge huge company an extremely professional.

 

We also plan to use them alot for our 2011 trip. The only problem is that they are a land based tour company and so they don't p/u from cruise terminals.

[trvlrs]

We have used Viator a few times most recent was heli tour grand canyon in Vegas. There are a huge huge company an extremely professional.

 

We also plan to use them alot for our 2011 trip. The only problem is that they are a land based tour company and so they don't p/u from cruise terminals.

 

Are you sure??? I just spoke to them a couple of hours ago and they told me the driver would pick us up at the port in front of our cruiseline. I haven't booked as of yet. I am trying to decide....

[LJH1]

Well to be honest I have never asked I'm basing my answer on their website and the locations they usually show for pickup. I know the heli ride we did they picked us up at our hotel. But I would trust them, so go for it. And thanks for that tidbit because I may lookinto them further for our port days.

[cruisemom42]

They do offer tours for cruise ship passengers as well as hotel pickup (not all tours, however). I haven't done one, but as long as they tell you they'll pick up at the ship, I'm sure you'll be fine.