Is the full day Capri excursion worth it or better on our own?

[steveg]

We've pre-booked Princess's full day Isle of Capri shore excursion off the Grand Princess for $139 pp, with lunch included. Lunch is not a big consideration for us on our full days of touring (we rather just catch a bite) and we are wondering whether we would be just as well off in doing Capri on our own. Other threads have indicated that we could get the hydrofoil right where the ship docks and see everything on Capri ourselves. We don't plan on going to the Blue Grotto. We want to go to Anacapri, so I assume we could catch a bus that takes us there once we've reached the top. Has anyone taken the Princess full-day tour? Is it worth the $139 pp, or having taken it, would you say we could do it all on our own for considerably less and see the same sights? My only concern it that I have read that there are lots of people trying to get back at the end of the day and it can be a hassle taking the funicular back down to the docks to catch the hydrofoil back to Naples. If you are on the ship's excursion, are there the same concerns?

[TravelCouple]

Better to do it on your own definitely. The ship's excursion take the same route as you do on your own. (e.g. they would also be taking the funicular back down just like everyone else). We did it on our own, and actually were right beside the ship's excursion group. We thought it was funny b/c you end up waiting around to make sure everyone is accounted for - whereas on your own, you can go as you please. The Molo Beverello port is right around the corner from where the ship docks, and the hydrofoils to Capri go every 30 mins at least - with different companies. First thing you do, is check on the port which boat is leaving next for Capri, and make a NOTE of the name of the hydrofoil company - because you need to buy it from that same company by the ticket booths. (There are different booths/line ups for each shipping company).

The cost for the hydrofoil ticket is 12 Euros each way. The funicular cost is 2 Euros. I don't know the bus price to Anacapri - but I would think around 2 Euros should be right.

 

So at let's say, 30 Euros for each person, that still beats the ship's excursion price. We had lunch at a nice restaurant (Aurora) - and cost us 35 Euros for 2 people. There is no problem getting back to the ship, you can buy your return ticket as soon as you arrive in Capri if you wish (just turn right when you get to the end of the harbor and the ticket agencies are right there, this is also where you buy your tickets for the funicular.) They can tell you the day's schedule for return hdyrofoils to Molo Beverello (Naples).

[lucyjohnz]

I'll just give you our experiences doing Capri and the Blue Grotto on our own. We got off the ship around 10:15 and after a 10-minute walk to the road (and being trailed by "drivers" trying to take us to Sorrento, Pompeii, etc.), we saw the boats on the left. Directly in front of us was a long rectangular building where we couldn't see any activity. We discovered that on the other side of the building (facing the street, not the ship), were the ticket offices. We managed to talk with an American student and figured out that the hydrofoil tickets were purchased at the 2nd ticket area from the left. We waited in line for about 10 minutes and told the man "4 round-trips to Capri" in English. He quickly gave us 4 sets of tickets at a cost of 22E each. We paid in cash - would have liked to pay with a credit card but he seemed in a big hurry. We then walked behind the ticket office, got on the 10:35 boat which pulled away right after we got on. The trip was 45 minutes with semi-air-conditioned seating inside and seating on top. The regular speedboats take 80 minutes to get to Capri.

 

We arrived in Capri and found the little boats to the Blue Grotto right next to the other boats - before you even get off the pier. We took one for 8E each and then paid another 8E to get a rowboat and entrance fees to the Blue Grotto - this all took about 2 hours. I got extremely seasick (needed a Dramamine instead of a Ginger tablet) and it was an ordeal. And, at 11:15, we caught the last boat to the Blue Grotto. They may have gone out that afternoon.

 

When you get off the dock at Capri, straight ahead is a funicular to Capri City. At "boat level", there are several expensive cafes. We shared two lunches, drinks (water, Sprite) and a banana split for about 40E. There's also a few shops and tourist stalls right there. We caught the 3:30 hydrofoil back (got on around 3) and were back on the ship by 4:15.

 

So, it's pretty cheap to get to Capri (just try to catch the right boat there) - they seemed to run about every 45 minutes to an hour. You'd probably enjoy doing it on your own much more than doing this type of tour with a herd of people. You'll probably need to catch the funicular to Capri City and then catch a bus from there to Ana Capri. While I've heard Capri City is very scenic, I've also heard that Ana Capri is not. I got a lot of my info from Rick Steve's Italy book.