OT-Miami

Greetings fellow cruisers :) Does anyone know if Rasul is currently available on Allure? TIA

We did this through the ship. Depending on what kind of heart attack you want to have going up depends on how much time you have up top. I took the mild one and had about 10 min up there. Hubby is the picture person so he had the major attack but had 30 min up there. In Pompeii the guide gave us the option to follow him or do our own thing just be back at the bus XXX time. We did our own thing. If this is the only time you will be in Naples Pompeii is not to be missed. Mt. V is pretty impressive also, but it's not the first volcano I've climbed so it was just to say I did it.

Thanks jd10367! Hubby & I are 58 & 48 respectively and not the most athletic, but we did complete our second half-marathon this year so the distance doesn't worry me. However, being from South Florida with not a hill in sight, it's the elevation that I am more concerned about.

Haha! Yep, that about sums it up :D I have hiked some of the tallest mountains in the U.S. (including the 2nd highest one in the lower 48) and I wasn't expecting Vesuvius to be quite as steep as it was (based on the description of the tour given by RCCL). Don't get me wrong, it wasn't insane, just way steeper than I was prepared for (and nothing at all like the volcano I did in Costa Rica where the bus took us a lot closer to the top). I handled it ok (like your hubby, I opted for the semi-major heart attack). I felt bad for my mom though as she has short legs and it definitely took her longer to get to the top and she was huffing and puffing pretty good by the time she made it.

We are at sea level so we’re going to have to increase the incline on the treadmill in preparation for this hike! Thank you all so much for your input!

My mom and I did this excursion on our Oct 2013 Serenade cruise. It was slightly rushed at times (but I find most ship excursions are, so this wasn't a surprise). We were doing DIY tours at all other ports and I was just exhausted from having to do so much planning, so when I saw this tour and that it was doing both things I wanted, I took the easy way and booked it.

 

Depending on the timing (and weather) they may switch the order of the stops. We first went to obligatory shopping stop.... a Cameo Factory. Fortunately, it wasn't a high pressure sales pitch like most of these things. We were only there about 15 min and that included time for a restroom break.

 

We then proceeded to Vesuvius. The hike is a lot steeper than I expected, but it wasn't bad. It took a good 15-25 minutes to hike to the top from the bus parking lot (depending on your speed). At the top, a park guide gave us some good info. We then only had about 15 mins (maybe 20) to spend at the top before we had to hightail it back to the parking lot (and I do mean hightail it... we were practically running which was no easy feat for my mom).

 

We then made out way to Pompeii. Things were less rushed here. The guide was good, but there were a couple of places she didn't take us to (specifically the Beware of the Dog house) which I was hoping my mom would see (I had been to Pompeii previously). It was a good tour though (considering you spend all day in Pompeii and probably still miss something).

 

We had time for some limoncello testing and a snack before heading back (this may have happened before the tour... it's been a while, so I may have this part backwards).

 

All in all, for a large group tour put together by the ship, I thought it was one of the better ones. However you decide to do it, I hope you get to visit both places.... they are each amazing and unforgettable!!!

 

BTW - if you click on the link in my signature, it will take you to my review...the part about this tour starts on pg 15)

 

Melissa

Thanks Melissa! I loved your review and your photos are fantastic!

Greetings fellow cruisers! We are considering the Mt Vesuvius & Pompeii Hike during our Oct 4 sailing on Allure. Does anyone have experience with this excursion? Any input is appreciated - TIA

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Greetings fellow cruisers! We are considering the Mt Vesuvius & Pompeii Hike during our Oct 4 sailing on Allure. Does anyone have experience with this excursion? Any input is appreciated - TIA

Thank you so much for posting these! I too was not able to open on my ipad, had to try on PC at work :D We sail from Barcelona on 10/04, so this will be very helpful in our planning. Thanks again!