Sea Amalfi Coast Private Tour

[steilkurve]

Hello everyone. Thinking of booking the above company for a private tour to Sorrento, Positano and Ravello during an upcoming cruise stopping at Naples on Ruby Princess. Anyone used them and likes / did not like? Thanks.

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[paul929207]

I can't comment on the company. Be sure you will have a van. The big tourist buses cannot come into Positano which is one of the highlights of the Amalfi Coast.

[steilkurve]

I can't comment on the company. Be sure you will have a van. The big tourist buses cannot come into Positano which is one of the highlights of the Amalfi Coast.

 

Yep. Private company. You get a mini van.

[Oliver Wilson]

Yep. Private company. You get a mini van.

Havent used them yet, but they have great reviews. I booked them for a group in late July. They were very responsive on the bokking and seem willing to tailor the trip to what you want to do. We are looking forward to it!

[steilkurve]

Thanks. Just booked with them. Experienced the same you did. Very courteous and efficient communications prior to booking. Will see what the actual tour is like!

[Pupurucha]

hi! did you join a group tour or book a private tour? because my husband and i are thinking about booking a tour of the amalfi coast with them but would prefer to join a group since is just the 2 of us.

thanks for any help:o

[steilkurve]

We booked a private tour. We want full flexibility to alter the itinerary should we wish and also not have to worry about an-always-possible kid meltdown ruin someone else's tour!

[MaddieEms]

I just got back from a June 1 Med cruise with Disney and used See Amalfi Coast. I can't recommend them at all.

 

I agree that the planning phase emails were very good. They responded quickly, often via smartphone. However, our tour experience was very poor (but the sites were amazing). We also booked because we have children and wanted the freedom of stopping, taking breaks, etc.

 

You also mention that you have a child. Our driver WAS NOT good with children and would sigh visibly when my baby got fussy and one point asked me what was wrong with her (she was carsick). He was short-tempered and rude.

 

Here is a cut & paste of my review from TripAdvisor which I actually just submitted this morning:

 

"My experience was quite different than the other 5 star reviews posted here. We came in on a cruise in June 2013. I was really looking forward to this private excursion. However, our driver was terribly inconsiderate and short-tempered. He soured our experience. We paid 480 Euro for the private van and I tipped the driver another 40 Euro. It was a waste of money.

 

While we enjoyed the actual sites very much (Pompeii & Positano), we will NOT be using See Amalfi Coast again. Here were the things that went wrong with our day.

 

(1) Our 1st stop was Pompeii. Rather than pulling over or parking safely, our driver parked illegally (which was fine, I guess) but because he did so, he rushed our entire family off the van and SNAPPED at me when I reach into my diaper bag to grab extra bottles for the baby. He was concerned about getting a ticket and hurried us out of the van. Not a good start, and not a nice way to treat your customers. His bad temper would appear randomly throughout the day.

 

(2) We completely relied on See Amalfi Coast to plan our itinerary for the day. This was a mistake. Unlike our other excursions, there was no set timeline. While I was assured that we would get to do Pompeii, Sorrento AND Positano, we missed Sorrento. And we missed Sorrento because:

 

(3) Our driver took us to a tourist trap restaurant which ate into our touring time. I asked to eat in Positano, and the driver (whom we trusted in terms of knowledge) took us to a restaurant which only had tourists, and gave him a commission for the passengers he brought.

 

The restaurant had an entire back table of just tour guides. When our driver checked us in, they put a piece of paper on our table with our driver's name on it that said "8 p" for our 8 people who were there. Then they logged his name in a book (for his commission, I suppose). He sat at the tour guide table and got his free meal while waiting for us to order, and then chain smoked outside with his other driver friends while waiting for us to eat. I guess he had a great time

 

My husband and I considered for one moment of asking him to take us elsewhere, but everyone was tired and the kids were cranky so we stayed. I think that if it had been the 2 of us, we probably would have left.

 

It took over 20 minutes for someone to take our order, and then 20 more minutes for the food to even come out. They also charged a service charge per person for the yucky table bread. Our driver never once gave us an "end" time to the meal. I had no idea that we would run out of time, but the lunch was so slow. At the end of the meal, I was told that we had no time for Sorrento.

 

Here is my problem --- obviously, he would have known that we'd have no time for Sorrento before the lunch. I specifically asked him as we passed the Sorrento "off ramp" whether we'd have time. He said yes. If eating a sit-down meal would have cut into our time, I would have gladly skipped lunch and just grabbed a sandwich from a cafe in Positano. Our driver preferred to have his free meal, I guess, and his commission. Good for him, bad for us.

 

(4) Our driver got into a verbal argument with other drivers in Positano. He actually leaned out the window and started yelling at people. I don't care if it's a cultural thing. Relax, you have customers in the back. Don't yell at strangers and road rage in front of my kids.

 

(5) Despite all his hurrying, we got back to the ship 45 minutes earlier than our agreed-upon drop off time. He did not offer to let us tour Naples or to even drive through Naples. He just dropped us off, then sat around and chatted with other drivers in the parking lot and smoked his cigarette. I think he had a better day than we did.

 

It was situations like this (as well as being snapped at by the driver at Pompeii) that made me indignant throughout the day. At the end of the day, I tipped our driver because I wanted to avoid a confrontation if I didn't tip him--- his temper was that bad.

 

We WILL NOT be recommending See Amalfi Coast and I have posted a trip report on certain cruise boards to advise others of our experience. In reading other comments, it seems like those with the positive reviews were on tours with the actual owners, Vito & Carmine. I sure wish that they were on our tour, because our tour was horrible."

Edited July 4, 2013 by MaddieEms

[MaddieEms]

I also wanted to add..... we had contacted Rome In Limo and the other "usual" companies for our Pompeii/Amalfi Coast day. To be honest, See Amalfi Coast was the cheapest. Looking back, I should have paid more.

 

Everyone else I talked to on our cruise (who booked private excursions with other companies) had a much more positive experience than we did.

 

There was another person on my cruise who used See Amalfi Coast. She said that she had a better experience because she rejected their restaurant suggestions and insisted that they take her back out to Naples even though they got back to the port early. I'm glad it worked out for her, but I don't like to have to negotiate things and demand things. I also feel that I shouldn't have had to in order to "get" my money's worth.

[lczop]

Just home. We used AP Tours for our Amalfi tour.... would recommend them highly... we had a wonderful day!

[pjn]

Just home. We used AP Tours for our Amalfi tour.... would recommend them highly... we had a wonderful day!

 

What did you include in your Amalfi tour with AP? Pompeii? Sorrento? Positano? Where did you decide to eat? Thank you!

[zookeepr26]

Hi, we were picked up at our hotel in Sorrento, and from there we travelled along to visit Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello. We also stopped for lunch at a restaurant along the way with a fabulous view.

We visited Pompeii on our own, the next day... Very easy to do from Sorrento, by the train.

[zookeepr26]

The restaurant was called San Giovanni.

[Oliver Wilson]

Just returning today from our cruise and we used SeeAmalfiCoast for our excursion in Naples. Our driver Gio was FABULOUS and we all agreed it was the best of the trip. Gio was very accommodating and took us to a wonderful olive oil farm then on to the coast. I wouldn't hesitate to use them again or give them the highest recommendation!

[General Max]

I just got back from a June 1 Med cruise with Disney and used See Amalfi Coast. I can't recommend them at all.

 

I agree that the planning phase emails were very good. They responded quickly, often via smartphone. However, our tour experience was very poor (but the sites were amazing). We also booked because we have children and wanted the freedom of stopping, taking breaks, etc.

 

You also mention that you have a child. Our driver WAS NOT good with children and would sigh visibly when my baby got fussy and one point asked me what was wrong with her (she was carsick). He was short-tempered and rude.

 

Here is a cut & paste of my review from TripAdvisor which I actually just submitted this morning:

 

"My experience was quite different than the other 5 star reviews posted here. We came in on a cruise in June 2013. I was really looking forward to this private excursion. However, our driver was terribly inconsiderate and short-tempered. He soured our experience. We paid 480 Euro for the private van and I tipped the driver another 40 Euro. It was a waste of money.

 

While we enjoyed the actual sites very much (Pompeii & Positano), we will NOT be using See Amalfi Coast again. Here were the things that went wrong with our day.

 

(1) Our 1st stop was Pompeii. Rather than pulling over or parking safely, our driver parked illegally (which was fine, I guess) but because he did so, he rushed our entire family off the van and SNAPPED at me when I reach into my diaper bag to grab extra bottles for the baby. He was concerned about getting a ticket and hurried us out of the van. Not a good start, and not a nice way to treat your customers. His bad temper would appear randomly throughout the day.

 

(2) We completely relied on See Amalfi Coast to plan our itinerary for the day. This was a mistake. Unlike our other excursions, there was no set timeline. While I was assured that we would get to do Pompeii, Sorrento AND Positano, we missed Sorrento. And we missed Sorrento because:

 

(3) Our driver took us to a tourist trap restaurant which ate into our touring time. I asked to eat in Positano, and the driver (whom we trusted in terms of knowledge) took us to a restaurant which only had tourists, and gave him a commission for the passengers he brought.

 

The restaurant had an entire back table of just tour guides. When our driver checked us in, they put a piece of paper on our table with our driver's name on it that said "8 p" for our 8 people who were there. Then they logged his name in a book (for his commission, I suppose). He sat at the tour guide table and got his free meal while waiting for us to order, and then chain smoked outside with his other driver friends while waiting for us to eat. I guess he had a great time

 

My husband and I considered for one moment of asking him to take us elsewhere, but everyone was tired and the kids were cranky so we stayed. I think that if it had been the 2 of us, we probably would have left.

 

It took over 20 minutes for someone to take our order, and then 20 more minutes for the food to even come out. They also charged a service charge per person for the yucky table bread. Our driver never once gave us an "end" time to the meal. I had no idea that we would run out of time, but the lunch was so slow. At the end of the meal, I was told that we had no time for Sorrento.

 

Here is my problem --- obviously, he would have known that we'd have no time for Sorrento before the lunch. I specifically asked him as we passed the Sorrento "off ramp" whether we'd have time. He said yes. If eating a sit-down meal would have cut into our time, I would have gladly skipped lunch and just grabbed a sandwich from a cafe in Positano. Our driver preferred to have his free meal, I guess, and his commission. Good for him, bad for us.

 

(4) Our driver got into a verbal argument with other drivers in Positano. He actually leaned out the window and started yelling at people. I don't care if it's a cultural thing. Relax, you have customers in the back. Don't yell at strangers and road rage in front of my kids.

 

(5) Despite all his hurrying, we got back to the ship 45 minutes earlier than our agreed-upon drop off time. He did not offer to let us tour Naples or to even drive through Naples. He just dropped us off, then sat around and chatted with other drivers in the parking lot and smoked his cigarette. I think he had a better day than we did.

 

It was situations like this (as well as being snapped at by the driver at Pompeii) that made me indignant throughout the day. At the end of the day, I tipped our driver because I wanted to avoid a confrontation if I didn't tip him--- his temper was that bad.

 

We WILL NOT be recommending See Amalfi Coast and I have posted a trip report on certain cruise boards to advise others of our experience. In reading other comments, it seems like those with the positive reviews were on tours with the actual owners, Vito & Carmine. I sure wish that they were on our tour, because our tour was horrible."

 

Certainly not a good review. I will not book them for October, 2014

[Hlitner]

Really had to smile at Maddie's review. It certainly is not a tour we would have wanted to take, but what really made me laugh was the reviewers comments on the driver. Having driven a lot in Italy (I love driving in that country) we have learned to survive by driving like that Italians (who are actually pretty good drivers). Parking illegally, is a real norm throughout the country (I myself have even parked on sidewalks when there were no parking spaces) and it is just the way it is. As to leaning out the window and yelling (often with hand gestures)....well this is also part of Italy (and often quite amusing).

 

Regarding a tour driver taking passengers to restaurants, keep in mind that the restaurants are often chosen because they give a nice kick-back to the driver (as are other stops for shopping). So it often makes sense to do a little of your own restaurant research (and even discuss options with your tour provider via e-mail prior to your tour) so you have some say in the eating arrangements. Even the best restaurants will give "kick-backs" to tour companies so this is not necessarily a bad thing, but just be aware that a driver's motivation for stopping at a restaurant, roadside shop, etc. is not always for the best reasons.

 

Hank

[Carolyn R]

I have to put in my two cents here. In 2011, I booked with See Amalfi Coast because my favorite driver (Fabrizio) was not available. We had Giovanni as our driver. He was wonderful and lots of fun, a college student who was very knowledgeable. Vito and Carmine are very hands-on and reliable. They do have a restaurant that they usually take their tours for lunch but are open to any requests you may have. I happen to love da Costantino in Positano vs their usual restaurant recommendation and it was no problem to go there instead. I always go with All Around Italy if they are available but I would not hesitate to use See Amalfi Coast again and most definitely do recommend them.

 

Also, I am a grandmother of six and love children but cannot picture visiting Pompeii with a baby/toddler. Sometimes people have unrealistic expectations I think.

[Techno123]

You do have to be lucky with who you get to do your tour but (and here is the meanie Brit coming out) if the service isn't good DON'T tip. In Europe a tip is a reward for good service the guide won't ever improve if he is tipped for awful service. What is the point?

[p0240]

We used See Amalfi Coast when on the Ruby Princess in Sept 2013 and had the best day ever. The driver made sure we had a day to remember and packed a lot in, was happy to stop when we wanted a break and a coffee, and I would definitely recommend them.