happy to be sailing Posted December 19, 2011 #1 Share Posted December 19, 2011 We are on the Breeze next Aug and were thinking of going over to Sorrento from the Naples port.Has anyone out there done this in the past?Any info would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
okgirl Posted December 19, 2011 #2 Share Posted December 19, 2011 I took a private tour that went all along the Amalfi coast with stops in Sorrento, Positano and Pompeii. I would think just a cab could be pricey. There were about 7 of us that booked it and I think it was around $100 per person and included lunch at a private villa and the entrance fee and private guide at Pompeii. I'll try to find the name of the tour company, this was back in 2007. What ever you decide, buckle up!!!!!! They drive crazy in Italy.........I was scared out of my mind on the trip back. Edit to Add: This is the email of the private excursion company we used. info@drivealmafi.com they were very helpful in setting up the tour and our driver was excellent and gave us plenty of time to explore along the way. I noticed that it was actually 650 euro's for 8 people and EXCLUDED the cost of our lunch and entrance into Pompeii. I think they actaully arranged those as a group too and we paid in cash at the time of those services. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Beach Bum Posted December 19, 2011 #3 Share Posted December 19, 2011 We did a carnival excursion in August off the Magic. Normally we don't book carnival excursions because we generally can find a better deal but we wanted to see so much from the Naples Port. The excursion was about 299 pp but it was the best money we spent. We got off the ship in Naples and took the hydro Foil to Isle of Capri. We got to spend about two hours there and then took the Hydro foil to Sorrento where we got to have lunch and spend some time, from Sorrento we took a bus to Pompeii. We spent about 2-3 hours at the ruins in Pompeii. Fascinating and should not be missed. We then took a bus back to the Port. We had a tour guide who spoke very good english and gave us a lot of local information. He was also easy on the eyes. After many conversations with other guests, most who did it on their own only got to see one of the places. We truly feel that we got our money's worth on this excursion. It was a long day with tons of walking but we saw the sights, all of them! I'm sure you could take a cab to Sorrento but I would bet the Hydro foil would be a less expensive and a less time consuming option. Not sure if any of that helps just my experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmps Posted December 19, 2011 #4 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Rather than a taxi I recommend taking the ferry from Naples to Sorrento. They leave right next to the cruise ship dock. It avoids the traffic and is a wonderful ride. We went to the Amalfi coast from Naples on a private excursion much as okgirl described. It made very a very busy day and didn't give much time in each place. We took the ferry back from Sorrento to Naples and found how easy it works. If we ever get back we would take the ferry to Sorrento (or perphas Capri) on our own. Thiis would give you more time in one place to soak up the Italian experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
okgirl Posted December 19, 2011 #5 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Rather than a taxi I recommend taking the ferry from Naples to Sorrento. They leave right next to the cruise ship dock. It avoids the traffic and is a wonderful ride. We went to the Amalfi coast from Naples on a private excursion much as okgirl described. It made very a very busy day and didn't give much time in each place. We took the ferry back from Sorrento to Naples and found how easy it works. If we ever get back we would take the ferry to Sorrento (or perphas Capri) on our own. Thiis would give you more time in one place to soak up the Italian experience. I think we'll be doing the ferry the next time we're there too. I really loved Sorrento and could have spent much more time there and if we could spend time on Capri that would be a bonus as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare chasinraynbowz Posted December 19, 2011 #6 Share Posted December 19, 2011 We used Rome in Limo for our day in Rome. I can't speak highly enough about them. They also offer services in Naples. Check them out. The cost, with a group, is no more than the cost going thru the cruiselines and you get a much better tour. Check your roll call. I am sure others will be interested in using them for a tour. If I knew then what I know now, I would have used them for all of my Italy ports!! That being said, I think Sorrento was one of my favorites!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmps Posted December 19, 2011 #7 Share Posted December 19, 2011 We don't drink a lot and had never heard of Limoncello. It turns out Sorrento is the hub for Limoncello. It is a drink made with lemons specific to that area. It is really refreshing and a real treat to have in Sorrento. The locals often make it themselves. I really recommend trying it if you drink alcoholic drinks at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
okgirl Posted December 19, 2011 #8 Share Posted December 19, 2011 We don't drink a lot and had never heard of Limoncello. It turns out Sorrento is the hub for Limoncello. It is a drink made with lemons specific to that area. It is really refreshing and a real treat to have in Sorrento. The locals often make it themselves. I really recommend trying it if you drink alcoholic drinks at all. They also make it in Orange and Lime. We bought a kitchen towel that has the recipe on it and basically it's vodka (750ml bottle) with 10 large lemon peels soaked at room temperature for 4 or 5 days, then you add a cooled simple syrup made by dissolving 2 and 1/2 cups of sugar in 3 and 1/2 cups of water, adding it to the vodka/lemon pitcher and let stand for another day or two. Strain out the peels, and transfer the liquid to smaller bottles. You can make your own vanilla extract in a similar manner (minus the simple syrup) but it takes weeks not days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcruisers04 Posted December 19, 2011 #9 Share Posted December 19, 2011 We booked a tour with JoeBananaLimos from Naples and we drove the Amalfi coast to Sorrento and Positano and had an amazing lunch high above the sea. Another group did much te same excursion but included Pompeii and they had a wonderful experience with one f Joe's drivers/guides. We were on B2B cruises, so we had two separate days in Naples and we did Pompeii on our own one day...not to be missed is right! But the drve with Joe Banana along the coast was one of the high lights of our 21 day cruise. And Joe presented each of the ladies with a bottle of limoncello on the way back to the port. We don't drink a lot and had never heard of Limoncello. It turns out Sorrento is the hub for Limoncello. It is a drink made with lemons specific to that area. It is really refreshing and a real treat to have in Sorrento. The locals often make it themselves. I really recommend trying it if you drink alcoholic drinks at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sargent_Schultz Posted December 19, 2011 #10 Share Posted December 19, 2011 There is a ferry or two, but make sure you know the schedules and can get back in time. You could also take a train between the two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare chasinraynbowz Posted December 19, 2011 #11 Share Posted December 19, 2011 A warning about the ferries - some folks on our cruise (in our CC group) ended up not being able to go on an excursion in Naples due to the weather and the ferries not running. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilarkitty Posted December 20, 2011 #12 Share Posted December 20, 2011 We were in Italy earlier this year on a non-cruise vacation. We found that the train was the best and least expensive way to get around. We took the circumvesuviana (which works like the subway, but above ground) from Naples to Pompeii. If my memory is correct, you can take it all the way to sorrento. I think we only paid 5 euros to get to Pompeii. Sorrento isn't much further. Get the Rick steves Italy book. He gives lots of great travel tips and off the beaten path recommendations. Italy was amazing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilarkitty Posted December 20, 2011 #13 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Save time for pizza while in Naples and watch where you are going so you don't trip over all the trash on the streets. Ha ha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treasure4two Posted December 20, 2011 #14 Share Posted December 20, 2011 We used Rome in Limo for our day in Rome. I can't speak highly enough about them. They also offer services in Naples. Check them out. The cost, with a group, is no more than the cost going thru the cruiselines and you get a much better tour. Check your roll call. I am sure others will be interested in using them for a tour. If I knew then what I know now, I would have used them for all of my Italy ports!! That being said, I think Sorrento was one of my favorites!! We used them in three different cities in Italy and they did a great job every place!! As far as a taxi, I took one from the airport to our hotel when we were on a land tour-we ended up in an accident, our driver did not speak English, I ended up in a Rome ER(luckily, medical treatment is free in Italy and the ER doc had trained in US). No taxis for me in Italy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare chasinraynbowz Posted December 20, 2011 #15 Share Posted December 20, 2011 We used them in three different cities in Italy and they did a great job every place!! As far as a taxi, I took one from the airport to our hotel when we were on a land tour-we ended up in an accident, our driver did not speak English, I ended up in a Rome ER(luckily, medical treatment is free in Italy and the ER doc had trained in US). No taxis for me in Italy. We used them in Rome and hired a private Vatican guide thru them. It was the best money spent on the trip. After getting back to the ship, we found out that the ships excursions stopped at the "market/bathroom" halfway into town for about an hour. When we told them about all we saw, they were amazed. They didn't get to see half of what we saw. I will definitely use them again then we go back!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agabbymama Posted December 20, 2011 #16 Share Posted December 20, 2011 I had planned to take the Hydrofoil from Naples to Sorrento and then the Circumvesuviana Train to Pompeii and back to Naples. We were on the Grand Princess and she docked at the last pier (about a 1/4 mile from the ferry dock. My friend and I are mobility limited, so knew we couldn't walk that far and still do the walking at Pompeii and Sorrento. The Captain had announced that there would be a shuttle to the ferry pier. We left the ship at 8:15 am as the hydrofoil left at 9:00 and we wanted an early start. We approached the shuttle bus, only to be told by a surly rude driver "to go away" shuttle would start at 9:00. So much for our plans. We asked a number of taxi's if they would take us there, but they all declined such a short fare and lose their place in the queue. One persistent little driver kept talking to us, brought out a brochure and kept talking in broken English, until we finally relented and agreed for 100 EUR pp he would take us to Pompeii and Sorrento, then return at 4:30 to the ship. Once we started on the road, he said he would even throw in a mini-tour of Naples on our return. He was so concerned that two older ladies were travelling in Italy alone, wanted to know where our husbands, fathers, sons were to let us travel alone? Then when we got to Pompeii, he pointed out the meeting place about 3 times, afraid we would miss him. After two hours, he was there promptly to pick us up and continue on to Sorrento. He escorted us across the busy street, carried our packages, pointed out a nice restaurant for lunch, allowed smoking in his taxi (as he smoked), stopped where we wanted to stop. No forced stops along the way (the way ship's excursion does). It was like watching "The Lives of The Rich and Famous" only we were living it. He was our own personal driver, and he wasn't bad to look at either. Of course he was young enough to be our son, but it still made the day very pleasant. He is not a guide, so if you wanted a guide at Pompeii you would have to pay more for that. He did include the mini-tour of Naples, stopping for photos, escorting me across busy streets to get the photos, then ending back up at the pier at 4:15 pm. We had almost a full 8 hour day. We discussed it often and both agreed, that was the best day of our 21 day trip. We had a couple of ship excursions that were nice, but we really were blown away with our little personal "taxi" driver! Of course with a taxi, you take your chances you get a nice one that can speak English. And everyone in Italy drives crazy, not just the taxi drivers. But for us it worked out well. Good luck and enjoy your trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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