Sorrento questions

[Southpawlady]

We are currently signed up for a shore excursion with RCCL, taking a bus into Sorrento. We will have a short time, 1 1/2 hrs. in Sorrento. Our ship is in port from 7:00 am - 8:00 pm. Would it better for us to go on our own? Is it easy to catch the ferry both directions? Also wondering if the Hydrofoil sells out when ships are in port? Our trip is next month, 9-2013. Any advice appreciated.Thanks!

[MeHeartCruising]

We are currently signed up for a shore excursion with RCCL, taking a bus into Sorrento. We will have a short time, 1 1/2 hrs. in Sorrento. Our ship is in port from 7:00 am - 8:00 pm. Would it better for us to go on our own? Is it easy to catch the ferry both directions? Also wondering if the Hydrofoil sells out when ships are in port? Our trip is next month, 9-2013. Any advice appreciated.Thanks!

 

Where is your ship docking? Naples? Is Sorrento the only thing the shore excursion does?

[Southpawlady]

Yes, it is docking in Naples. Sorrento and possibly a cameo factory (boring) are in the excursion. We kind of wanted a low key day, as it is our last one for this trip.

[leahsdad]

If you are docked in Naples--you can catch a boat right next to the dock area direct to Sorrento----Sorrento is a wonderful scenic town--no great sites in particular--just a very nice town to wander and eat and shop---we base there when we travel this part of Italy--easy to do own your own from Naples

 

Paul

[mskaufman]

You have 13 hours in port. That would certainly give you more than 90 minutes in Sorrento. The tours don't stay at the cameo factory that long and we got a free rest room and bottle of water. Is the tour going someplace else (maybe Amalfi?).

[Southpawlady]

It is only a 5 hr excursion. We get back to the ship fairly early. Kind of the reason we were thinking about going on our own instead. We originally thought about doing the Sorrento/Almafi Coast 10 hr excursion. My hubby decided he didn't want to spend that many hours in a car on our last day. We have a total of approx. 14 hr flying time the next day.

[WNcruiser]

Any recommendations for lunch in Sorrento??

 

We are tendering directly in to Sorrento and will be there all day/night.

[MeHeartCruising]

With that long in port and assuming Sorrento is really what you want to so, I would certainly do it myself using the ferry/hydrofoil (whatever it is called) rather than just doing the ship excursion you mention. That way you can spend as much time in Sorrento as you like. Personally, I'd go to Capri for the day instead of Sorrento though.

[Southpawlady]

Thanks so much. I think we will cancel our reserved excursion and go on our own. We did consider Capri. Seems to be 50/50 vote for one or the other.

Thank you all for your input.

[Hlitner]

Am going to be a bit outspoken (a normal fault) and ask you why you want to go to Sorrento for the day? Of all the options in the region (and there are many) this would normally be one of the lowest on our list of recommendations. That being said, it is relatively easy to get to Sorrento on your own, and quite walkable once you are there. There are some hydrofoil/jetboats between Naples and Capri and there is also frequent trains (every 30 min).

 

Hank

[Ashland]

We did the DIY ship offered excursion to Pompeii and Sorrento which included a stop at a farm house where we saw how to make mozzarella..This ended up being better than expected.

[euro cruiser]

It's very easy to get to Sorrento from the cruise port in Naples. Alilauro has boats from Naples Beverello (the pier right next to the cruise port) at 9 AM and 11 AM. It takes about 45 minutes each way.

 

There are returns at noon, 2 PM, and 4:25 PM, so you have lots of flexibility if you want to keep your day short, or if you find you'd like to stretch it out.

 

My current favorite restaurant in Sorrento (great fresh, local food, but no view unfortunately) is Inn Bufalito: http://www.innbufalito.it/en/

 

You can see the ferry schedule here: http://www.alilauro.it/orari-e-tariffe?route_group_id=3

[mskaufman]

It is only a 5 hr excursion. We get back to the ship fairly early. Kind of the reason we were thinking about going on our own instead. We originally thought about doing the Sorrento/Almafi Coast 10 hr excursion. My hubby decided he didn't want to spend that many hours in a car on our last day. We have a total of approx. 14 hr flying time the next day.

 

We did the excursion you are talking about on the last day of our cruise in June. We had about 12 hours of flying time the next day. It was one of the best excursions we took.

[Southpawlady]

Hank, Your question is a good one. We have looked at all the excursions offered. We have seen so many documentaries on Pompeii we don't feel we need to actually go there. As mentioned earlier, my husband doesn't want to spend all day in a car on curvy roads. That took out Almafi, which I would love to see. So...it came down to Sorrento or Capri. Our neighbor was married in Sorrento, loves it. Other people has posted similar comments. So Sorrento it is.

 

Euro, Thank you for your info. We will shot for the 9:00am ferry.

 

Signing off on this question. Thank you all so much!

[Southpawlady]

One last response...mskaifman

I am sure you a wonderful time. We are not actually questioning the excursion. Just the fact that it is $49.00 each and only gives us 90mins. In Sorrento. We don't really need to be back to the ship at 2:15. We just want more time, not feeling rushed. The photographer in me want to see all the side street, etc. the hydrofoil will cost much less and give us more time. Basically seeing the same thing. Glad you enjoyed it.

[mskaufman]

Ferry might be the way to go! I just tend to max out each day knowing that it might be a long time before I am back in the nieghborhood. There are a lot of good places for pictures (and shopping) in Sorrento.

[Hlitner]

As I mentioned, there are both jetboat/hydrofoils and train connections. The ferries are faster (about 30 min) and more convenient (Molo Beverello is a short walk from the port) but the frequency of the boats does vary and you need to work with the schedule. The Circumvesuviana Line trains run every 30 min and take 1:05 to get to Sorrento. The trains are cheaper then the ferries...but you first need to get about a mile to the train station. From in front of the port there is a tram line that can take you to either train station (Porto Nolana or Garibaldi) and catch the train. DW and I prefer to walk to the train station but that does take about 20-30 min. If you take the ferry the Sorrento pier is well below the city...but there used to be a yellow shuttle bus (we assume it still runs) that can take you up to the top thus avoiding the upward hike.

 

Hank

[Editrix]

We did the DIY ship offered excursion to Pompeii and Sorrento which included a stop at a farm house where we saw how to make mozzarella..This ended up being better than expected.

 

My husband and I will be taking this excursion in November. I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it. Before the inveterate DIYers gang up on me, let me say that my husband and I have been to Naples before. We stayed in Sorrento for a few days on our honeymoon and took day trips to other places in the area, including the Amalfi Coast and Capri. There will be three ships in port on the day we’re there and we have no desire to fight the thousands of cruisers who likely will be visiting Capri during the daylight hours.

 

We will also be jet-lagged after our long flights from California to Rome. When I started looking at the logistics of visiting Pompeii and Sorrento on our own, I realized we would be too tired to enjoy ourselves. (Go to a kiosk across from the cruise terminal, buy train tickets, take a tram to the train station, find the right train platform, take a 20-minute train ride, depart the train, walk to the ruins, hire a private guide, etc., etc., etc., followed by more of the same to get to Sorrento.) We are all for doing it ourselves in many cases (or hiring a private guide if the destination warrants), but for Naples in November, this ship’s excursion seems like an ideal option, as it will take us somewhere we’ve never been before (Pompeii) and also to a place that holds fond memories (Sorrento). Best of all, it will require no thinking on our part. Thank you for endorsing it.

[euro cruiser]

My husband and I will be taking this excursion in November. I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it. Before the inveterate DIYers gang up on me, let me say that my husband and I have been to Naples before. We stayed in Sorrento for a few days on our honeymoon and took day trips to other places in the area, including the Amalfi Coast and Capri. There will be three ships in port on the day we’re there and we have no desire to fight the thousands of cruisers who likely will be visiting Capri during the daylight hours.

I'm sorry to read that you think you'd be "ganged up on" on these boards for choosing a ship's excursion. While there are some who relentlessly shill for a particular tour operator, in general I think folks here are pretty balanced in their approach, offering facts about what is required for various options. Most of us strive to educate travelers so they can choose what works best for them, rather than to persuade them to a particular point of view.

[Southpawlady]

Wow. Just revisiting my post after signing off with a "Thanks" to everyone a few days ago. I see that more conversation has taken place. I really was only looking for ferry info so that I would have a more leisurely time in Sorrento. This will be our last day in Europe and we want it to be low key and not rushed. For the most part we have always been happy with the shore excursions offered RCCL.

One bad one in Naples, the only exception. I just wish this one had allowed more time in Sorrento with such a long day in port. I love the way cruise critic boards are so helpful! Such a wonderful resource for travelers! Thanks again everyone.

[GradUT]

If you want a low-key day prior to a 14-hour flight the next day, I'd suggest something other than spending a lot of time getting to Sorrento (which is OK, but not that interesting). If you don't want to go to Pompeii, why not go to Herculaneum? It's only 25 minutes by train from Naples. In many respects it is "better" than Pompeii because the buildings are more intact than those in Pompeii. (This is due to fact that Herculaneum was covered with mud, not hot ash.) It's smaller than Pompeii, so you can easily see it all in 2- 3 hours. Also, very few people go to Herculaneum, so you practically have the place to yourself! I've been there twice (most recently last month) and I just love it.

[Southpawlady]

Correction: Our less than pleasant excursion was in Nassau not Naples (:

[risingtide]

We just got back from Carnival Sunshine's 9-day cruise. We did Naples on our own by train. There is a bus right outside the port that takes you to the train station. You cannot buy train tickets on the bus but you buy them across the street at the newsstand. A taxi (for 8 people) is about 25 Euros.

 

The train station is small. Initially we did not know which train to get on. You wait until Sorrento appears on the train and then people get on the train.

 

We took the train first to Pompeii (30 minutes) and then got back on the train to go to Sorrento (another 30 minutes) the final stop of the train on the same route. On our way back the total time from Sorrento to Naples was about 1 hour 10 minutes.

 

When in Sorrento it is very easy to navigate the town. The train station is practically in the middle of town.

 

When we got back to the train station in Naples we crossed the street to take the train back to the port.