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Do you get scenic amalfi coast views from the cruise ship?


Cthulhu_Awakens
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We’re porting in Naples and I want to go to the Amalfi coast but my wife wants to do some shopping/eating in Naples. We have watched videos of Naples and the Amalfi coast and we’re wondering if you can get decent views from the ship when you sail by? She saw videos that had some cruise ships going by. I know she’ll be bored with the drive to the coast and will love to see a view or two, but it can’t compete with shopping in Naples. 

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Must you do everything together?

 

If all you want is a view of the coast you can take a train to Salerno, then a ferry along the coast, followed by a ferry to Sorrrento and another to return to Naples.  It's pretty easy and it wouldn't take all day, but probably more time than your wife will want to give up.  Could you meet her somewhere in Naples in the afternoon?

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Even easier, there is a ferry from Naples departing from the dock adjacent to the cruise port.  It departs at 8:35 and arrives to Amalfi at 10:20. 

 

You'd need to get off the ferry, then back on the same one as it continues on to Positano and then back to Naples, arriving back at Beverello at 12:30.

 

Given that the shops don't open in Naples until 10 AM, you wouldn't be horribly behind your wife.

 

NLG » Official website (navlib.it)

 

 

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1 hour ago, euro cruiser said:

Must you do everything together?

 

If all you want is a view of the coast you can take a train to Salerno, then a ferry along the coast, followed by a ferry to Sorrrento and another to return to Naples.  It's pretty easy and it wouldn't take all day, but probably more time than your wife will want to give up.  Could you meet her somewhere in Naples in the afternoon?

Not possible unfortunately. She’s disabled and in a wheelchair and while we do have a powered wheelchair for long periods of travel/shopping, I(we) wouldn’t feel very comfortable leaving her alone in a foreign country to shop. Not to mention my bank account wouldn’t survive!!! (I kid,I kid)(somewhat)! 
 

I appreciate the info though! 

Edited by Cthulhu_Awakens
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5 hours ago, marazul said:

You do not cruise past the Amalfi coast if you port in Naples. You cruise past it if you port in Amalfi or Salerno. 

 

This is a timely question, I was just looking at setting up a private shore excursion for our cruise that docks in Salerno.   We really want to visit Pompeii and Herculaneum but I am worried that we are missing something by not visiting an Amalfi coast town.  To package those all together makes a very long day that looks like it would backtrack over the same route.  I don’t care about visiting towns for shopping or dining, I’d just like to see the beautiful topography and views.  We sail away at 6pm so it should still be light out.  Based on the above comment maybe we’re fine to return to the ship after Pompeii/Herculaneum and enjoy Amalfi views from the ship?   

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What is your next port?  If you're heading north you will see some of the coast (Vietri sul Mare, in particular) as you pull in and out, but a big cruise ship will not travel close enough to short to see much.  If you've ever come in and out of Port Everglades in Florida you get the idea, a long perpendicular route straight out and away from the coast.

 

Pompei and Herculaneum in the same day is a bit of a push.  With a guided overview tour, a minimal stop at Pompei will require three hours.  It will take about a half hour to drive between Pompei and Herculeneum, then assuming a two hour stay and a one hour ride back to Salerno you'd be back at the ship around 3:30.  Note that this does not include time for lunch - add in lunch and it's a full day.  A responsible car service is not going to head out along the Amalfi Coast road anywhere near the time you need to be back, the traffic would make the risk of not getting back too high.

 

If you eat lunch on the run and get back with a couple of hours to spare, you could have your driver take you to Vietri sul Mare, the eastern most of the Amalfi Coast villages and the one know for ceramics.

 

If you just go to Pompei and return to Salerno, you could have your driver drop you off at the Concordia ferry dock, where you could get a ferry along the coast and back easily.

Edited by euro cruiser
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12 hours ago, Cthulhu_Awakens said:

Not possible unfortunately. She’s disabled and in a wheelchair and while we do have a powered wheelchair for long periods of travel/shopping, I(we) wouldn’t feel very comfortable leaving her alone in a foreign country to shop. Not to mention my bank account wouldn’t survive!!! (I kid,I kid)(somewhat)! 
 

I appreciate the info though! 

Naples is terrible to navigate by foot; you have to watch out for potholes, uneven pavements, cars parked everywhere…. It would be impossible by wheelchair. 

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1 hour ago, LisaDee said:

Thanks @euro cruiser for the detailed reply, your posts are so helpful.  Our next port is south (Messina).  It sounds like we’ll have to skip Amalfi this trip but hopefully there will be another trip in the future.

Just in case you take eurocruiser's suggestion of just going to Pompeii and get back early, here is the website for the Salerno ferries: https://www.travelmar.it/en/index

 

The ride to Amalfi is 35 minutes.  You can either turn around and go back to Salerno or spend an hour there and then go back in the next ferry.  It takes 2-3 minutes to walk from the pier into the center of Amalfi to the Piazza Duomo.  Check the schedules for your day in port.  If you go after the high season there is no need to prebook your tickets. You can get them at the dock.

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14 hours ago, Cthulhu_Awakens said:

Not possible unfortunately. She’s disabled and in a wheelchair and while we do have a powered wheelchair for long periods of travel/shopping, I(we) wouldn’t feel very comfortable leaving her alone in a foreign country to shop. Not to mention my bank account wouldn’t survive!!! (I kid,I kid)(somewhat)! 
 

I appreciate the info though! 

 

14 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

I'm just curious what the OP's wife is so intent on shopping for in Naples?  On several visits it has never exactly struck me as a shopping mecca.

 

2 hours ago, little britain said:

Naples is terrible to navigate by foot; you have to watch out for potholes, uneven pavements, cars parked everywhere…. It would be impossible by wheelchair. 

The above!

Naples is a nightmare, even for those who are fleet of foot.  I would not like to try to navigate the streets and pavements with a wheelchair, either as a user or companion).  Cars and more dangerously, scooters use the roads as a race track and also park anywhere.  They consider the pavements as prime parking locations.

What are your other ports?  I have found (well, let's be precise, DW has found) that even Livorno has better shopping than Naples.

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19 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

 

 

The above!

Naples is a nightmare, even for those who are fleet of foot.  I would not like to try to navigate the streets and pavements with a wheelchair, either as a user or companion).  Cars and more dangerously, scooters use the roads as a race track and also park anywhere.  They consider the pavements as prime parking locations.

What are your other ports?  I have found (well, let's be precise, DW has found) that even Livorno has better shopping than Naples.

Leaving from Rome, then La Spieza, Portofino(tendered, so wont be planning anything), Naples, Messina, Kotor(tendered, wont be planning anything), Koper, Ravenna. Were going to Bologna from Ravenna to avoid Venice.

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4 hours ago, euro cruiser said:

What is your next port?  If you're heading north you will see some of the coast (Vietri sul Mare, in particular) as you pull in and out, but a big cruise ship will not travel close enough to short to see much.  If you've ever come in and out of Port Everglades in Florida you get the idea, a long perpendicular route straight out and away from the coast.

 

Pompei and Herculaneum in the same day is a bit of a push.  With a guided overview tour, a minimal stop at Pompei will require three hours.  It will take about a half hour to drive between Pompei and Herculeneum, then assuming a two hour stay and a one hour ride back to Salerno you'd be back at the ship around 3:30.  Note that this does not include time for lunch - add in lunch and it's a full day.  A responsible car service is not going to head out along the Amalfi Coast road anywhere near the time you need to be back, the traffic would make the risk of not getting back too high.

 

If you eat lunch on the run and get back with a couple of hours to spare, you could have your driver take you to Vietri sul Mare, the eastern most of the Amalfi Coast villages and the one know for ceramics.

 

If you just go to Pompei and return to Salerno, you could have your driver drop you off at the Concordia ferry dock, where you could get a ferry along the coast and back easily.

After Naples our next port is south, in Messina. Oops, that was asked of a different poster.

Edited by Cthulhu_Awakens
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For another perspective, we pushed my mother and my aunt in wheelchairs from the Archaeology museum back to the port (about 2 km/one and a quarter miles, gently downhill), after getting them on and off public buses to visit our family's historic parish church.  Old European cities are not particularly wheelchair friendly (and I've been to many of them with wheelchairs over the last twenty years) but it's not impossible.

 

Many high end shoppers head right to Via Chiaia and Piazza dei Martiri in Naples, where you can find several famous brands, like Ferragamo or Armani, and a few steps further along Via Filangeri for Hermès, to Via dei Mille for Gucci, Louis Vuitton and others.

 

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31 minutes ago, Cthulhu_Awakens said:

Leaving from Rome, then La Spieza, Portofino(tendered, so wont be planning anything), Naples, Messina, Kotor(tendered, wont be planning anything), Koper, Ravenna. Were going to Bologna from Ravenna to avoid Venice.

Portofino and Kotor are the best ports on this itinerary and you’re missing them?.

Portofino has fantastic high end boutique shopping. 
La Spezia has a few shops on the street opposite the port exit on the other side of the park. 

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2 hours ago, Cthulhu_Awakens said:

Leaving from Rome, then La Spieza, Portofino(tendered, so wont be planning anything), Naples, Messina, Kotor(tendered, wont be planning anything), Koper, Ravenna. Were going to Bologna from Ravenna to avoid Venice.

If you find out that you can manage the tenders, both Kotor and Portofino have flat, level streets in town right near the tender docks. No need to plan anything special. Just enjoy the towns.

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2 hours ago, Cthulhu_Awakens said:

Great to know!  Thank you!

BTW - safety regulations have to require tenders have to be able to handle wheelchairs.  Think of evacuation during an emergency.  No doubt some tenders are more convenient and accessible than others.  As you are boarding the ship for the first time, ask one of the officers on the gangway or even a crew member, how easy it is to get the wheelchair in the tender.  These are the same officers and crew that handle the tenders.  

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On 8/9/2022 at 4:22 AM, cruisemom42 said:

I'm just curious what the OP's wife is so intent on shopping for in Naples?  On several visits it has never exactly struck me as a shopping mecca.

Cruisemom you voiced my thoughts.  We did a wander around the old town and saw some rather smart high fashion shoes.  We saw some veg and fresh fish shops.  The streets were not however accessible.  

 

The last med cruise we went to had to miss Naples due to bad weather.  Many passengers, including us, had to cancel tours to the Amalfi Coast.  We got a ‘shopping day’ in Civitavecchia instead.  Most of us were gutted.  

 

Sorrento would be a better shopping option in my opinion.  Try getting there by train/ferry/bus tour.  

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