Getting off Galaxy at Naples

[lovemom]

Has anyone gotten off the ship at Naples to do an overnight in the Naples/Amalfi area? We are considering getting off from Celebrity Galaxy in June'08 to tour Pompei & Amalfi coast leisurely and catch a flight back to US the next am.

 

We do not have permission yet from the cruiseline to do this, - is it routinely granted? I have to send an email to a dept that handles this, but I MUST book my air today. The air cost is only $30 more to come from Naples rather than Rome.

 

Is the cruise line usually allow people to do this? Here are the pros:

 

1) avoid the congestion at Rome port & Airport

2) the cruise line's transfer cost ($85 * 4 = $340) pays for the night in Naples.

3) avoid the 2 hr drive from Rome port to the airport.

4) Stay the evening in Amalfi coast!!!!

 

Obviously i am enamored by this idea that i cannot think of any cons. My only hesitation is that i have to book the air today (TA Deal) without the cruise line's explicit permission that they will let us get off at Naples.

 

Please any advise greatly appreciated!

[firstplacechef]

Sounds like it could be a customs nightmare to me, but it could be a nice touch also. Be sure to get everything in writing and in triplicate, lol. Best of luck!

[lovemom]

i didn't think about customs at Naples. If the port at Naples doesn't have a customs/immigration point, that could be a problem. i will check with the cruise line how that works.

 

Thanks for pointing that out!

[tom_uk]

The Italian authorities see no distinction between a day visit and a disembarkation - you're entering Italy in both cases. So the key question is: where have you just left? If the previous port was a Greek port then you're moving from one Schengen zone port to another, so shouldn't need to go through immigration. However if the previous port was a Turkish port then you are re-entering the Schengen zone in Naples and will have to go through immigration.

[Leejnd4]

I've been considering this same idea. Our Med cruise next year visits Naples on the last day of the cruise before ending the following day in Rome. I would much rather get off in Naples, spend a day or two there and fly home from there.

 

Do let us know what you find out!

[ECCruise]

If you stay in Sorrento and your flight is not too early, then it may be doable. If you stay anywhere else on the Amalfi coast--Positano, Praiano, Amalfi, etc., you would really be taking a chance trying to get back to the Naples airport unless your flight is later in the day.

[Ms Understood]

I would also be interested in how that works out. BTW we are on the same cruise but flying home from Rome the next day. However, on a Princess Australia/NZ cruise last year DH's mother became ill back home and he needed to leave the cruise. We got a runaround from the cruiseline for several hours about immigration etc before he could get off which not only raised the tension level but also almost caused him to miss the last flight out that day. Customer service was awful so to this day I have no idea what the hold up was because no one ever bothered to explain the delay to us.First and last Princess cruise for us.

[trustee55]

Hi!

A few years ago, while doing a Meditteranean cruise on Holland America, instead of disembarking in Rome, we got off the night before in Naples.

We had booked three nights in Naples and then spent a week in Sorrento and touring the Amalfi coast.

We had absolutely no trouble in leaving the ship a day early.

We did not like Naples at all--dirty, noisy and traffic beyond belief, plus the rainroads etc. went on strike and we were unable to visit Pompeii or Herculaneum. ( All the workers belonged to the same union)

However, the week in Sorrento was like being in heaven...what a beautiful place. I'd go back there in a heartbeat.

 

Happy sailing,

 

Carol Ann

[lovemom]

we are still checking with the cruise line and will get everything in writing before we decide to do this. To play it safe and becoz we had to buy our tickets today, we went ahead and booked a 1:25pm departure from Rome the next day. That gives us the flexibility now to go back to Rome on the ship or get to Rome Airport by 11:30 am the next day. This way, we will have the evening in Amalfi,:) otherwise we would have left the Amalfi area by 4:00pm the day of arrival in Naples. :(

 

The hotels in Naples are quite reasonable that even if we decide to catch a plane to Rome, the cost would still be no more than the cost of the airport transfers. There was a KLM connection with Alitalia that we could have got out of Naples, but with the uncertainity surrounding Alitalia we decided against it.

 

I will keep this post updated and definately tell you all about our time in Amalfi. We will probably stay in Naples or Sorrento to help us get back to Rome airport on time. This change became less appealing when we had to get back to Rome for our international flight, but still makes sense than returning on the ship. Will we miss any last night super celebrations on the ship? :confused:

 

tom_uk: we will be in Santorini immediately before Naples. Turkey is 2 days prior so will we be ok? Do US Citizens also require Schengen visas?

 

(There is a Eurorail from Naples that can get you to Rome in about 1:40 hrs. and we could take a cab from the station to FCO.) Of course these deviations may cancel out the financial benefits but still who can put a price on a night in Paradise!!!):D

[tom_uk]

tom_uk: we will be in Santorini immediately before Naples. Turkey is 2 days prior so will we be ok? Do US Citizens also require Schengen visas?

 

No, you don't need a special visa. The point abut the Schengen zone - well, one of the points - is that there are no border controls when moving direct from one Schengen country to another, and that includes moving by sea. You do all the border stuff when you enter the Zone, e.g. when you land at Rome airport before the cruise. However you'll be leaving the Schengen zone when you visit Turkey on the cruise, and subsequently re-entering it at a Greek port, so the Greek authorities will do the border thing all over again, and will probably want a list of all passengers, where they're from, etc, etc; that's why the cruise line will hold your passport. Once you've satisfied the Greek authorities (which happens pretty automatically) then you can cross into Italy (or any other Schengen country) via an open border, even though in this case 'crossing the border' involves 36 hours on a cruise liner!

[Joanne G.]

A potential con is that the itinerary may be altered. The cruise lines can and will switch or skip ports for various reasons - weather, mechanical issues, passenger medical emergencies, whatever. Not common, but it does happen. If I were planning to leave the ship early, I would mentally come up with a plan B in case of an altered itinerary.

 

Have a great cruise. We loved our time in the Med on the Galaxy.

[Steph27]

Lovemom,

 

We have left 3 cruises early, all with Celebrity. We have done it in Copenhagen, Gibralter (for Granada) and St. Kitts (for Nevis). You just need to send an email to RCCL and request it. airseagfo@rccl.com. You need your booking number, the date to disembark, port, and names of passengers. I prefer getting off early. We spend time post-cruise in great locations and avoid the rush to get off the ship. Just be sure you allow enough time to get from Amalfi to the airport. The roads can be very crowded. A few years ago it took us 3 hours to drive from Sorrento to Ravello. Highly recommend the Amalfi coast!

[lovemom]

have sent the email to the Rccl one you listed, to get some questions clarified. then we will decide and follow up with the actual request exactly as you outlined. in any case we are booked on flts to return from Rome, so we want to know what happens if we decide to not disembark at Naples also.

 

there is a super fast train from Naples to Rome 90 mns; and then a super shuttle train 30 mns from Rome station to FCO. Think altogether we will leave Naples around 8:00 am and be at the airport between 11-11:30 to catch our 1:30 pm flight out. Trains seem to be the more reliable ground trnsportation than car, because of traffic.

 

Will be a little bit more work but i can tell that I will not be happy leaving the Amalfi coast with a whirlwind day trip.

 

Plan B right now is stay on the ship, do the Pompei, Positano, Ravello shore excursion and get back on the ship at Naples.

 

If we decide to get off at Naples then we will add Sorrento & Amalfi, perhaps dinner at Ravello and return for the night to Naples to help us catch the train back to Rome.

 

Let me know if this is an unrealistic plan.

 

Thanks all!

[tom_uk]

There is one question you need to ask yourself: what will you do if, for whatever reason, there are no trains? (strikes do happen in Italy!)

 

Also, the drive from Civitavecchia to Fiumicino airport isn't two hours, it's more like an hour or just over - it's about 80 kms from one to the other, and there's a direct motorway (interstate equivalent) between the two towns. You don't need to go into Rome, you just drive down the coast.

 

You might want to investigate the cost of a private transfer.

[Ms Understood]

LOveMom, have you joined our roll call?

[ECCruise]

Will be a little bit more work but i can tell that I will not be happy leaving the Amalfi coast with a whirlwind day trip.

 

Plan B right now is stay on the ship, do the Pompei, Positano, Ravello shore excursion and get back on the ship at Naples.

 

If we decide to get off at Naples then we will add Sorrento & Amalfi, perhaps dinner at Ravello and return for the night to Naples to help us catch the train back to Rome.

 

Let me know if this is an unrealistic plan.

 

Thanks all!

 

Having done Naples and the Amalfi both many times, I have to give you a few cautions here.

1) If you get off the ship you still will only have one day on the Amalfi and much of that will be spent in transit.

2) Dinner in Ravello and then return to Naples is going to take a LONG time. SITA bus all along the coast (this can take 2 hours if there are no backups on Amalfi Drive, which sometimes are 30-60 minutes) then train from Sorrento to Naples (another hour at least). Total travel time could easily be 4 hours.

3) You are not leaving yourself enough time between Naples and your flight time. We never bank on less than 2 1/2-3 hours arrival before the flight. We've stood in a check-in line at FCO for 1 1/2 hours alone, then check-in, then security, then to the gate.

 

I honestly believe you will be MORE hassled by getting off the ship and running non-stop then you would be on the excursion. We almost never do excursions but this is the way I would head.

 

In any case, you will LOVE the Amalfi. Have a great holiday!

[Leejnd4]

I'm happy to learn that it's not a problem to leave the ship early and disembark in Naples instead of Rome. We're looking into that option right now.

 

But having been to the Amalfi Coast myself a couple of times, I would echo the caution by ECCruise that your plan may be overly ambitious. It's true that trains in Italy are not nearly as reliable as we'd like them to be, and strikes do happen. In fact the last time I was in Italy, which was a couple years ago, there was a strike on the very day we were supposed to meet friends in Rome (we were staying out in the countryside) so we ended up having to drive into Rome instead of taking the train...on a day when it seemed virtually every other person in Italy was driving into Rome as well! It was a nightmare.

 

Another time, I was on a cruise that stopped in Portofino for a day. My plan was to take a train to the Cinque Terre for the day, which I did...but the train ended up sitting at a station along the way for 90 minutes! It really cut into my plans. Fortunately nothing like that happened on the way back, or I might have missed the ship.

 

I made a decision long ago that the night before I have to take a flight, I will always stay somewhere not too far from the airport. I've had too many nail-biting experiences in trying to get to an airport, and just barely making it.

 

If I do get off the ship in Naples, I'm going to fly home from Naples. Otherwise you're just losing too much precious time in transit, and I'm not sure it would make it worthwhile. Also, I'm going to spend at least two nights on the Amalfi coast, probably in Sorrento, which is a good base for seeing the rest of the coast.

[lovemom]

i hear you all, this was a GREAT idea when we had an option to fly out of Naples for almost the same cost as Rome. With all the practical issues you have brought up, it is becoming less appealing as the benefits are waning out fast with the transit/time issues.

 

If we had an ok from the cruiseline by the time we had to book air, we would have taken the flt back from Naples in a heartbeat. I think the only thing that will be less stressful is to get back to Rome the same night on a late train. If we leave with the cruise ship, we will be heading back to the ship from Pompeii at around 4:30; if we stayed back, we could maybe start around 9:00pm to get back to Rome. It is not worthwhile for the extra 5 hours to go through all this hassle.

 

I will join the Roll Call!