anyone take Cruise to Capri excursion on Adriatic cruise?

[artistcleveland]

We are booked for Oct on our first O cruise. The excursions for Sorrento were somewhat lacking IMO. we are interested in Cruise to Capri but the description is very vague on how much time is spent in Capri Town as opposed to Anacapri. Only mention of CT is that it's where you get the funicular to return to the pier.

(btw, I was surprised to learn from my calls that O doesn't have a Shore Excursions dept.)

Please let me know if you have experience with this excursion.

Also, if we do Sorrento on our own, how much time should that take?

thanks in advance!

[jpalbny]

If you are comfortable doing things on your own, there are a few nice options from Sorrento:

 

1. within a few feet of the tender pier, you can buy hydrofoil tickets to Capri and go visit on your own. Once at Capri, you can take the funicular to Capri town (or walk; it's not bad at all). Wander out of the main city and enjoy the views. Buy a cheapo guidebook from one of the souvenir stands and go wherever you'd like. The views from the coast are gorgeous.

 

You can also walk to Anacapri from the marina, up the "Phoenician Stairs," though that's a little more strenuous. :)

 

Or, stay at the marina and find a boat tour that circumnavigates the island. It's beautiful that way. You can also visit the Blue Grotto from the boat.

 

We love Capri and have visited independently this way 3 different times - from cruise ship stops in Sorrento and Naples - and have done all 3 options.

 

***The way from Capri Town to Anacapri that a ship's tour will take is most likely on a public bus - though we haven't done Capri by ship's tour, we've read tour descriptions. Have not done this bus, but have heard it's a wild ride... You cannot drive from the pier/marina directly to Anacapri, because there are no direct roads (though you can get there if you climb the steps). So if you want to get to Anacapri by vehicle, you have to first go to Capri town, and then get the bus.

 

 

2. you can take a shuttle bus (or walk) to Sorrento town, and find the train station; it's a few blocks from where the uphill road enters the main town. From here, it's an easy ride on the Circumvesuviana train to Pompeii and/or Herculaneum. Both sites are great to explore on your own, wandering at your own pace. The train stops right at the entrance to Pompeii, and a little bit uphill from the entrance to Herculaneum.

 

Sorrento itself is cute but we haven't spent much time there. Too many other neat things to see in the surrounding area!

[artistcleveland]

thanks for your insights!

We're a little reluctant to go on our own because of stories (and a warning on excursion description) about lines for the hydrofoil. Perhaps in Oct it's not an issue.

anyway, thanks again, very helpful

[jpalbny]

thanks for your insights!

We're a little reluctant to go on our own because of stories (and a warning on excursion description) about lines for the hydrofoil. Perhaps in Oct it's not an issue.

anyway, thanks again, very helpful

 

In our three times doing this, the lines to buy have ranged from nonexistent to a few minutes long. We usually buy our return ticket at the same time (round trip) so we know we have a confirmed seat coming home at a time that will work for us. We don't want to risk getting shut out of a sold-out return trip, and miss getting home in time to catch the cruise ship (have heard that some of the return trips sell out).

 

I doubt that this will be a problem for you in October. Maybe in July/August...

 

I forgot to add that you will almost certainly be taking the exact same hydrofoil, whether you go with O, or on your own. At times we have ridden over on the same one, with the ship's tour group.

 

But if you're not comfortable doing it on your own, don't feel bad; it can feel daunting to wander off on your own in a foreign country. I doubt you'd have a bad time on the ship's tour; just not our style, because we'd rather get out of the touristy part of town and enjoy the natural beauty that is the real attraction of Capri...

[GeorgesGal]

Oh, my, Sorrento can take as long or as little time as you want. The town is very charming with lots to see. Just plan on walking around, go into the churches, and the gardens; go to Marina Picolo, the old fishing village - ask someone for directions, since I don't remember the name of the street which leads from Piazza Tasso, the main square. It's a nice, winding walk down-hill, but you might want to take a taxi or bus back up the hill to Piazza Tasso.

 

Now, when you anchor in Sorrento look to the top of the cliff/wall to the right of the marina and you will see a beautiful villa there, stepped like a wedding cake. Spent almost two weeks there a year ago this past Sept. and that was our base of operations. Such lovely memories......

 

Enjoy your stay, and don't sell Sorrento short!

 

Donna

[CowWhisperer]

We may be traveling on the same October cruise, so FYI, I did some research on the ferry and hydrofoil to Capri from Amalfi because I will likely do something else from Sorrento. The return times were really badly timed for either transportation option because we are tendering in at Amalfi and Sorrento and we are sailing at 6pm from Amalfi, which just isn't enough time to get a boat back from Capri. So it kind of forces you to do Capri from Sorrento where there are quicker hydrofoils (it's just closer to Sorrento than it is to Amalfi). I still haven't made up my mind what I am doing those two ports because I want to do so much. And I want to hit the Limoncello factory store in Sorrento, so I need some time to accomplish that task.

 

Has anyone done the Naples pizza experience? Is that more fun than time in Capri? I have been neither place, but I have been to Amalfi and Sorrento.

[artistcleveland]

we're on adriatic serenade, on oceania marina oct 21; we don't stop at amalfi.

people seem divided on capri (see jpalbny's post above), some love it, some hate the snobby aspect of the stores, people, etc. maybe in low season they have to be nicer.

ask for people's experiences in naples, sounds a little iffy.

going around the island of capri by boat sounds really nice, but the whole thing is a bit weather dependent, eg the transportation.

just reporting what I've been reading the past 2 days; we're set on 5 out of 6 excursions so this has been occupying my time a lot. may wait until closer to sailing, maybe a weather report will help.

[tvmovielover]

We went on a land trip to Naples a few years ago in early Nov. While you do have to look at the weather reports, it is warmer and drier there than in Northern Italy as fall moves toward winter and the weather was beautiful most of the time (we saw Pompeii and Herculaneum in some rain with many other tourists-you will not be alone in Oct). Capri is lovely on a good day though the Blue Grotto is not as blue in the fall as in the summer (forgot why). As said above, taking a walk along one of the many trails out of town is a wonderful experience with fabulous views. We went to Anacapri by bus and took a sort of elevated ride around part of the island with more spectacular views of the coast and interesting views of island life. BIL went to a local soccer game instead and really enjoyed that-we got not "snobby aspect" though there may be one. We also had a delicious fresh fish lunch at a restaurant overlooking the harbor but it was just a restaurant not a name place (not cheap probably touristy but great food and service). In Naples, we walked all around town without problem and hired a guide at the Museum who took us personally to a great pizza parlor after the tour. Both places are worth a visit and you can have bad luck and bad people anywhere so assume you will not on yur trip.

[KatieBelle]

Hello Artist,

 

I just responded to you on the roll call. Don't know what has happened to the roll calls for this particular cruise. Several have been started and then they disappear. Hope a few more show up on the roll call you started.

[StanandJim]

Don't know what has happened to the roll calls for this particular cruise. Several have been started and then they disappear.

 

They don't "dissapear" they simply move off the first page of the Roll Call Board as newer, more active Roll Calls displace them.

To find them again, either use the "Search This Forum" feature, found at the top right side of every Page, or scroll back on the Roll Call Board, page by page.

 

Note: If you post to a Roll Call when you find it, it will be bumped up to the head of the list again, then fade back gradually as others make newer posts.

Edited July 2, 2014 by StanandJim

[canuck.qc]

we're on adriatic serenade, on oceania marina oct 21; we don't stop at amalfi.

people seem divided on capri (see jpalbny's post above), some love it, some hate the snobby aspect of the stores, people, etc. maybe in low season they have to be nicer.

ask for people's experiences in naples, sounds a little iffy.

going around the island of capri by boat sounds really nice, but the whole thing is a bit weather dependent, eg the transportation.

just reporting what I've been reading the past 2 days; we're set on 5 out of 6 excursions so this has been occupying my time a lot. may wait until closer to sailing, maybe a weather report will help.

Here is a good site for Capri (http://www.capri.net/en/getting-around)

We visited Capri later in the day(our ship departed late evening)We hired a 'convertible taxi' as you come off the hydro. dock. The driver took us for a fabulous drive, charged by the hour. Stopped frequently for walks & photos. We managed to see alot and avoided the morning crowds. Note the return time schedule for the hydro-ferry. I enjoyed our Capri visit.