Naples excursions help!!

[balsam88]

This is my first Mediterrenean cruise and I'm very overwhelmed when it comes to shore excursions. We are cruising on RC Symphony of the seas. We have a port in Naples and I'm in search for a shore excursion recommendation that does both Capri and Amalfi coast (either sorrento or positano). I checked the one on RC titled (Gulf of Naples & Amalfi Coast: Capri & Positano) but looking for smaller group option. We're NOT interested in Pompei. I would appreciate any recommendations as there is a ton of websites and I can't tell which one is better and provide safe arrival time back to the port. Hours are 7 am to 7 pm on July 7. 

Edited June 5, 2023 by balsam88
adding hours and date

[euro cruiser]

There aren't a lot of organized trips like this, if you want you can pay for a private tour to arrange it for you but it's quite easy to do on your own using the public ferries.

 

When will you be there, and what are your hours in port?

[balsam88]

We're there on July 7 from 7 am to 7 pm. 

[Hlitner]

As Euro Cruiser posted, it is possible to do it DIY using public transportation.  DW and I are very familiar with the area (been there many times on cruises and driving trips) and we once decided to couple of visit to Positano with Capri in a single port day.  It was not a good experience!  The problem is that we did not have enough time to enjoy Capri (a favorite place of ours) even though we know the island.   The other issue is that Positano is just one place on the Amalfi Coast.  We generally suggest that an Amalfi Coast tour should include Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello!  But bus tours cannot take their pasengers into Positano, so this has to be done with a very small vehicle personal tour.  Ferries can get you to Positano and Amalfi (assuming the schedule works) but Ravello can only be accessed by vehicle.  

 

My personal thinking is that the Amalfi Coast is worthy of a full day (we stay there for many days) and cannot be properly visited on the same day as a trip to Capri.  And Capri is also worthy of a full day since it takes time to walk around Capri Town, perhaps go up to Anacapri and take the chair lift to to the top of the mountain (amazing view) and even visit the Blue Grotto (one of those tourist traps that folks should do once!)   

 

So my suggestion to the OP is that you need to decide whether you want to maximize the place you go without enough time to really appreciate the places (I call this the "If its Tuesday it Must be Belgium" syndrome) of choose fewer places and give yourself enough time to "stop and smell the roses" and even enjoy a nice lunch.

 

The bottom line is that you cannot possibly see and do everything on a single visit which is why we have been going back to Europe for over forty years.

 

Hank

[euro cruiser]

As July 7th is a Friday you're limited to one ferry company from Naples to the Amalfi Coast, NLG.  As of right now Alilauro only offers service on Saturdays and Sundays.

 

The morning NLG departure is at 8:35 and arrives to Amalfi at 10:10, then it heads back and stops at Positano at 10:35.

 

That wastes the first hour and a half of your day but it's the easiest option.  The other alternative is to take the train from Naples to Salerno, then the ferry from Salerno to Amalfi or Positano.  Or, more expensively, a car service transfer to Salerno followed by the ferry.  This option is more cumbersome but gets you almost an hour longer on the coast.

 

It's possible, if you get off the ship as soon as they allow, and you get a taxi or the metro to the train station, that you can make the 7:35 train to Salerno, arriving at 8:15, which is plenty of time to walk the four-tenths of a mile to the ferry port for the 8:40 ferry, arriving to Amalfi at 9:15 or Positano at 9:50.

 

The next stop would be a mid-day ferry from either Amalfi or Positano to Capri.  

 

There is a 13:20 on Lucibello from Amalfi to Capri, arriving at 14:10, or a 14:00 from Positano arriving at 14:50.

 

The problem, as you'll see, is that doesn't leave you much time at all on Capri.  It can be done, but you'll spend most of your day getting from place to place, and not much actually there.  You'd do better to pick one location or the other (Amalfi Coast or Capri) and enjoy the full day there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amalfi Coast ferry schedule:  Orari traghetti Travelmar - Traghetti veloci in Costiera Amalfitana

 

NLG ferry Naples to Amalfi & Positano:  NLG » Official website

 

Trenitalia train:  EN - Trenitalia

 

 

[mom2mnem]

I don’t know that you decided or if you are still making the decision, but I was just notified this morning that Royal Caribbean cancelled our Gulf of Naples  and Amalfi Coast tour on July 7. My daughter wanted at least one beach day and was really looking forward to time swimming in Capri with that tour. 

[euro cruiser]

For what it's worth, the beaches on Capri aren't great and they're crowded.  For about the same money you would have spent on the RC excursion you can get to Capri on your own via fast ferry, then rent a private boat to circle the island, stopping to swim whenever she likes.

 

If you are interested in this plan I would research and nail down the boat rental ahead of time, the crowds so far this year have been staggering, I wouldn't risk waiting until on island to make the arrangements.

 

Some options here:  Capri: the most popular boat tours. 2023 prices and special offers

Edited June 16, 2023 by euro cruiser

[mom2mnem]

Thank you for the insight.  That was the only excursion I booked via RCI because of the swimming at the marina. The rest of our tours are through Venture Ashore. After a full week of sightseeing and the hustle and bustle of Rome , I figured it was a good way to relax and get my daughter to a beach. My daughter spent a semester abroad in Northern Italy and in those 4 months managed to pack in the major sites up and down the coast. We are already duplicating a lot of what she has seen in Florence area and Rome area.  I am a nervous traveler when it comes to time schedules and don’t want to chance missing the ship. My friends got stuck on the train in Rome and had a near miss, so I would definitely not do this on my own but would rather a tour company. I am going to be researching tonight as it is getting too close for comfort and so much is already booked up. RCI added a $110. Onboard credit….. for pre cruise purchases.  Of course with 2 weeks to go i have already purchased everything I wanted to. 

Edited June 16, 2023 by mom2mnem

[mom2mnem]

Mis type. Ooops ignore this.  I can’t delete it. 

Edited June 16, 2023 by mom2mnem

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, mom2mnem said:

The rest of our tours are through Venture Ashore.

 

This is setting off alarm bells. I have been reading some very questionable things about Venture Ashore -- for example this:

 

 

I know it's late in the game but I would advise you to look for a different option.

[euro cruiser]

I know everyone has heard a horror story, because for some reason we humans love to catastrophize, but there are ways to accomplish this on your own leaving plenty of room for a safe and timely return.  We can help you with that if you're interested.

 

As to the credit, I don't think they can legally limit your refund if they have cancelled the service.  I would argue that point.

Edited June 16, 2023 by euro cruiser

[balsam88]

1 hour ago, mom2mnem said:

Thank you for the insight.  That was the only excursion I booked via RCI because of the swimming at the marina. The rest of our tours are through Venture Ashore. After a full week of sightseeing and the hustle and bustle of Rome , I figured it was a good way to relax and get my daughter to a beach. My daughter spent a semester abroad in Northern Italy and in those 4 months managed to pack in the major sites up and down the coast. We are already duplicating a lot of what she has seen in Florence area and Rome area.  I am a nervous traveler when it comes to time schedules and don’t want to chance missing the ship. My friends got stuck on the train in Rome and had a near miss, so I would definitely not do this on my own but would rather a tour company. I am going to be researching tonight as it is getting too close for comfort and so much is already booked up. RCI added a $110. Onboard credit….. for pre cruise purchases.  Of course with 2 weeks to go i have already purchased everything I wanted to. 

Oh dear I’m sorry to hear this! I didn’t book anything through RC because I was already late in the game and I think we are both on the same cruise! I ended up booking a tour thru Tripadvisor, went with one that had decent reviews and keeping my fingers crossed that it’ll all work out. We’re also doing Rome and Florence on our own taking trains but will make sure to leave in ample amount of time and not leave it too close to ship’s departure time. So hopefully it works out. Honestly the RC excursions are waaaaay too expensive and I haven’t heard amazing things about them either from other passengers. I did book some “skip the line” tickets for Vatican and Accademia thru tour operators just cuz everything is sold out thru the official websites, but that’s my mistake for not getting ahead of the game. So we’ll try to make the best of it. I’m a nervous traveller like you but just trying to go with the flow at this point. 

[mom2mnem]

10 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

This is setting off alarm bells. I have been reading some very questionable things about Venture Ashore -- for example this:

 

 

I know it's late in the game but I would advise you to look for a different option.

 

 

Hmmm that's interesting. I was booked on these tours through my travel agent and now I am worried. So far anytime I emailed or called them I was able to get an immediate response and I do have my excursion vouchers. UGH. With 2 weeks to go I am now questioning everything 

Edited June 16, 2023 by mom2mnem

[Torfamm]

That would be a lot of ground to cover in a single day but if you do it on your own or book a private tour, it could certainly be done.  I don't know of any small group "join-in" type tours that would do both Capri and the Amalfi coast or Sorrento from Naples.  You could reach out to tour operators and ask for proposals. One company that works with many cruise passengers is https://www.italytours.eu/

 

Here's one example of a private itinerary https://www.getyourguide.com/naples-l162/from-naples-capri-and-amalfi-coast-full-day-tour-t466026/