To DIY or not to DIY...that is the question

[arianna.capri]

Hi everyone!

My boyfriend (23) and I (22) are going on the Norwegian Epic's Med itinerary this summer. We have 2 port stops in Italy (Naples and Livorno) that I am wringing my hands about because we learned on our Greek cruise that we prefer to DIY ports. For example, Mykonos and Rhodes were our two favorite port stops on our Greek Isles cruise because we were not loaded onto a bus or given numbered stickers, and we got to plan our own day. We are both able-bodied young people, so we have no mobility issues or concerns (and are from AZ, so heat isn't a problem either). 

With this information, I am wondering what an experienced cruiser would do. 

My goal with our port in Naples is quite simply to visit Pompeii. Is it possible to get from the port of Naples to Pompeii, enjoy our time in Pompeii, and get back to the ship without much trouble? We are docked in Naples from 6am-5pm.

My goal with our port in Livorno is to visit the Uffizi gallery, maybe David, and certainly the Duomo (outside at least, unsure if we want to do inside). My main concern here is getting from the port of Livorno to the Florence city center and back. Is this possible to do without extreme difficulty, or do we need to acquiesce and pay the ship price for transfer and their unfortunate time cap? We are docked in Livorno from 9am to 9pm.

 

Basically, we know what we want to do, we believe it won't be incredibly impossible for us to get there, but my parents who have been to Italy (25 years ago) are convinced we are going to get lost/lose the ship/etc.

Any tips or recommendations are greatly appreciated! 

[CruiserBruce]

Naples is pretty easy. It is a short train ride from near the port to close to Pompeii. There are many threads on the idea.

 

Livorno to Florence is more complicated,  and also discussed here frequently.  First you have to get from the port to the train station,  then train to Florence. Just that coutake 2 hours.

 

A private tour would definitely be a better use of your limited time. I would recommend Rome in Limo. A ships transfer would probably be a more efficient use of your time as well, but others will disagree. 

[John Bull]

Both are pretty easy. 🙂

 

Livorno to Florence

NCL is the only cruise line which offers bus transfers between the ship and Livorno centrale train station.

But do check with NCL that's still offered - if not, it's either share a taxi to the station, or ship's transfer bus to Livorno city centre then a local bus to the station.

Direct trains to Florence (Firenze Santa Maria Novella station) about half-hourly, journey time  between 1hr 15 and 1hr 40 depending whether its the fast train or the stopping train, return fare about €20. Simplest to buy your tickets at the station.

The Uffizi is on the bank of the River Arno, a pleasant & interesting 15 to 20 minute walk from the station thro' the old town. 

https://www.trenitalia.com/it.html (not the world's most user-friendly website 🙄)

Alternatively there are tour operators who offer bus transfers from the ship to Florence, either by googling or checking your cruise RollCall to see if anyone is looking for sharers. 

 

Naples to Pompei

Most flexible is by train, the Sorrento-bound  "Circumvesuviana" train from Napoli Porta Nolana station (to the station by bus or metro from the port ). Again, simplest to buy your tickets at the station.

Half-hourly service 7-days-a-week, journey time about 20 minutes, fare about €10 (?) return, your stop is Pompei Scavi & the site is close by the station.

https://www.sorrentoinsider.com/en/naples-to-sorrento-train-schedule (easyy to read)

Alternatively tour buses from the port, but you are constrained by their return times.

 

JB 🙂

[marazul]

However you work out getting to Florence, you should get your tickets to the Ufizzi in their website to avoid the lines. Same for the Accademia. (Consider the Bargello instead.) Also, the Baptistry.

 

And tell your parents that a grandma says you will be alright. 

[euro cruiser]

You can do this, even if you don't have a lot of experience with public transportation at home.

 

It will be very hot in both places in the summer, but coming from Arizona you have some experience with that.  Pompei has no where to hide from the sun so be prepared for that.  I would get there a little before opening at 9 AM before the worst heat of the day.

 

One huge benefit of Naples as a port is that the ship will be parked right in the historic part of town, so you can explore a bit in the city, or have a pizza, before walking back to the ship.

 

You won't have to rush in the morning, there is an 8:00 train from Naples that arrives to Pompei at 8:35, plenty of time prior to opening.  You can purchase your tickets on line ahead of time to avoid waiting in the line and guided tours are available at the entrance (for an extra fee of about 15 euro per person).

 

Once you decide what you want to do we can walk you through the transportation details.

[MeHeartCruising]

The details on how to do both of these ports are indeed unfolding nicely for you.  Keep reading this forum as there are many posts on people's experiences doing this.

 

I have done both of these DIY and had no issues.  Both times it was several years ago, and something have changed, but only to make your life easier.

 

Naples - Research the Circumvesuviana train line.  It will take you right to the entry gate of Pompeii.  When we went, we walked from the ship to the Naples train station to start the trip, which was a mile or little more.  But now, there is a subway that can take you there from the just outside the port.  Or there are buses to take you there.  Several options.   You get off the train at the "Pompeii Scavi" stop -- NOT the Pompeii stop.  There are multiple trains/routes on the Circumvesuviana, so I would ask to make sure what the best option to get to Pompeii Scavi happens to be at the time you arrive at the ticket counter.

 

Livorno - the main obstacle here is how to get from the Port to the train station.  NCL has, in recent years, provided a shuttle (for a few $, I think).  When I went, they did not, they only offered a shuttle to the city's main square.  If they do not offer a shuttle, then your backup plan needs to be a taxi from port to train station.  When I was there, I think the taxi drivers were looking for 25 euros to make the trip.  My parents and I teamed up with 2 other passengers from the ship and all got in a taxi and split the cost.  5 euros each was not bad.  Upon our return from Florence to the Livorno station, we found that there was not a taxi to take us back to the ship.  We hung out for a while and none came by.  We tried to ask someone in the train station to call us one and they shrugged their shoulders.  We ended up walking over to a city bus waiting at the station and the nice driver told us he was headed toward the main city center stop.  I figured that would get us part of the way and maybe we could catch the NCL shuttle from there, even though we had not signed up for it.  And that's what we did.  The NCL shuttle arrived and we tried to pay on board, but the driver wasn't collecting money.  So we just got on and rode it back.

 

You can do this.  Figure out the details and make your backup plans.  I enjoy DIY even with little wrinkles that sometimes develop.

 

 

Edited April 25, 2022 by MeHeartCruising

[slidergirl]

I don't think I'd try to do the Ufizzi and the Accademia in a day trip from the ship.  The only way I could see this would be if you just ran into the Accademia, peek at the David, and run back out.  I think you need time to just wander around the town - so much to just see.  

You don't need a private tour like Rome in Limo - if you want to put out the money for just the car service, maybe.  But check out the train or NCL's bus option.

Edited April 25, 2022 by slidergirl

[arianna.capri]

12 hours ago, John Bull said:

Both are pretty easy. 🙂

 

Livorno to Florence

NCL is the only cruise line which offers bus transfers between the ship and Livorno centrale train station.

But do check with NCL that's still offered - if not, it's either share a taxi to the station, or ship's transfer bus to Livorno city centre then a local bus to the station.

Direct trains to Florence (Firenze Santa Maria Novella station) about half-hourly, journey time  between 1hr 15 and 1hr 40 depending whether its the fast train or the stopping train, return fare about €20. Simplest to buy your tickets at the station.

The Uffizi is on the bank of the River Arno, a pleasant & interesting 15 to 20 minute walk from the station thro' the old town. 

https://www.trenitalia.com/it.html (not the world's most user-friendly website 🙄)

Alternatively there are tour operators who offer bus transfers from the ship to Florence, either by googling or checking your cruise RollCall to see if anyone is looking for sharers. 

 

Naples to Pompei

Most flexible is by train, the Sorrento-bound  "Circumvesuviana" train from Napoli Porta Nolana station (to the station by bus or metro from the port ). Again, simplest to buy your tickets at the station.

Half-hourly service 7-days-a-week, journey time about 20 minutes, fare about €10 (?) return, your stop is Pompei Scavi & the site is close by the station.

https://www.sorrentoinsider.com/en/naples-to-sorrento-train-schedule (easyy to read)

Alternatively tour buses from the port, but you are constrained by their return times.

 

JB 🙂

Thank you for this! An awesome start to add to my research. I did notice that NCL was the only cruise line offering transport to the train station, but the NCL reps do not know if that is still offered...so I guess I will wait and see what other cruisers experience this summer. Thanks for your help!

[arianna.capri]

7 hours ago, slidergirl said:

I don't think I'd try to do the Ufizzi and the Accademia in a day trip from the ship.  The only way I could see this would be if you just ran into the Accademia, peek at the David, and run back out.  I think you need time to just wander around the town - so much to just see.  

You don't need a private tour like Rome in Limo - if you want to put out the money for just the car service, maybe.  But check out the train or NCL's bus option.

I had the same thought about the Accademia and David. Honestly, I would prefer to see the Uffizi and spend more time walking around town, so I think we are going to skip David on this trip (we have plans to return to the region again in the near future). 

I have to agree about the private tour. We did one last summer in Santorini and while it was a good value for transportation, I don't know that I would do it again. People are quick to recommend the private tours but we aren't the type looking for a broad selection of things to glance at, more a smaller grouping of one or two things to actually enjoy.

[arianna.capri]

10 hours ago, MeHeartCruising said:

The details on how to do both of these ports are indeed unfolding nicely for you.  Keep reading this forum as there are many posts on people's experiences doing this.

 

I have done both of these DIY and had no issues.  Both times it was several years ago, and something have changed, but only to make your life easier.

I'm glad its worked out for you! I think it will be fine. Especially with all the help I've gotten here, the only thing I need to really work out is timing, because it caught up to us in Mykonos and we ended up with half an hour on Paradise Beach. I'm just trying to avoid a repeat episode 🙂

[arianna.capri]

12 hours ago, euro cruiser said:

You won't have to rush in the morning, there is an 8:00 train from Naples that arrives to Pompei at 8:35, plenty of time prior to opening.  You can purchase your tickets on line ahead of time to avoid waiting in the line and guided tours are available at the entrance (for an extra fee of about 15 euro per person).

This is great to know! Sounds like Naples will be a good morning to get some extra sleep even with the 6am dock. I plan on purchasing the tickets ahead of time, thank you for your help!!

[arianna.capri]

12 hours ago, marazul said:

However you work out getting to Florence, you should get your tickets to the Ufizzi in their website to avoid the lines. Same for the Accademia. (Consider the Bargello instead.) Also, the Baptistry.

 

And tell your parents that a grandma says you will be alright. 

Thank you for the recommendations! I was planning on advanced tickets for Uffizi. And I hadn't even thought about the Baptistry!

I will let them know, lol.

[euro cruiser]

34 minutes ago, arianna.capri said:

This is great to know! Sounds like Naples will be a good morning to get some extra sleep even with the 6am dock.

Well, don't get too excited, in order to safely make that 8 AM train you'll need to be off the ship no later than 7:00, unless you are supremely confident in your navigation skills, in which case maybe 7:15.

 

There is a tram in the street in front of the port that you can take to the train station (line #1).  It takes less than ten minutes to make the trip but the trams only come about every fifteen minutes, so to be on the safe side ...

 

Plus, you need to stop on the way to the tram and buy a ticket for it (1,10 euro).   Then, once at the train station (Porta Nolana) you'll need to buy your tickets to Pompei (and back, you might as well so you don't have to worry about it later) and find the train.  

 

Tram schedule here:  1 pog.le - v. colombo.pdf (anm.it).  It's a loop line, you'll be getting on at Via Colombo and getting off at the fifth stop, Corso Garibaldi (not every stop is listed on this printout).

 

Train schedule here:  ORARI NAPOLI SORRENTO_dal 6 dicembre 2021_REV07032022.pdf (eavsrl.it).  You'd be getting on at the first stop, Porta Nolana, and getting off at Pompei Scavi.

Edited April 26, 2022 by euro cruiser