Sharing a tour in Naples

[TinkBellaMom]

Rome in Limo, sharingtoursinitaly.com.  We used this company before 5 years ago, in Naples and Sicily.  Rome in Limo was helpful in all aspects, great experiences and we saved money.  We are not really crazy about excursions organized by the ship, too many people.

When I have planned before, the Roll Calls were really full, now I can’t find folks interested because there are very few on the here.

 

We are sailing on the Symphony of the Seas, Sept. 28,2023 out of Rome.  This date also includes a sailing that begins Sept 24 in Barcelona.  This is a interport route, a circle route.  I have tried putting a posting on both dates Roll Calls, without any interest.

 

Should I be trying something else?  It’s a great tour on Pompeii, Herculaneum and wine tasting and lunch at a Mt Vesuvius winery.

Doing it on our own is not an option because of cost, 4-6 more people would make it less than a ships tour.

 

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Deb

 

 

[Over from NZ]

7 minutes ago, TinkBellaMom said:

Rome in Limo, sharingtoursinitaly.com.  We used this company before 5 years ago, in Naples and Sicily.  Rome in Limo was helpful in all aspects, great experiences and we saved money.  We are not really crazy about excursions organized by the ship, too many people.

When I have planned before, the Roll Calls were really full, now I can’t find folks interested because there are very few on the here.

 

We are sailing on the Symphony of the Seas, Sept. 28,2023 out of Rome.  This date also includes a sailing that begins Sept 24 in Barcelona.  This is a interport route, a circle route.  I have tried putting a posting on both dates Roll Calls, without any interest.

 

Should I be trying something else?  It’s a great tour on Pompeii, Herculaneum and wine tasting and lunch at a Mt Vesuvius winery.

Doing it on our own is not an option because of cost, 4-6 more people would make it less than a ships tour.

 

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Deb

 

 

We found the same problem as you. 5 years ago we organised all our excursions on cruise critic and there was lots of activity. This time round.. it was hard to get any traction. The boards were rather quiet and we couldn't get enough interest. The short answer is yes - you need to try something else. Facebook. We filled half our excursions via here and half via facebook event pages set up for the cruises we were on. 

[edinburgher]

1 hour ago, TinkBellaMom said:

 It’s a great tour on Pompeii, Herculaneum and wine tasting and lunch at a Mt Vesuvius winery.

Should you find nobody to share, Herculaneum and Pompeii are super easy to DIY from the port, and at Pompeii you can hire a guide at the entrance.  Therre are many many previous threads here on CC describing in some detail how to reach both from the port.

[TinkBellaMom]

On 7/11/2023 at 3:45 AM, Over from NZ said:

We found the same problem as you. 5 years ago we organised all our excursions on cruise critic and there was lots of activity. This time round.. it was hard to get any traction. The boards were rather quiet and we couldn't get enough interest. The short answer is yes - you need to try something else. Facebook. We filled half our excursions via here and half via facebook event pages set up for the cruises we were on. 

I’ve noticed also that I can’t message people who are on the roll calls.  On our last visit, I was able to make contact with others personally, set up meeting places and times.  The folks who had originally announced they would be on our sailing have not checked back in to the thread and there is no way to see if any might be interested.

We are considering canceling the excursion and joining another tour as making it a private tour is just too expensive for us.

Thank you for listening.

Deb

[CruiserBruce]

2 minutes ago, TinkBellaMom said:

I’ve noticed also that I can’t message people who are on the roll calls.  On our last visit, I was able to make contact with others personally, set up meeting places and times.  The folks who had originally announced they would be on our sailing have not checked back in to the thread and there is no way to see if any might be interested.

We are considering canceling the excursion and joining another tour as making it a private tour is just too expensive for us.

Thank you for listening.

Deb

Cruise Critic doesn't have a PM feature.

[TinkBellaMom]

1 minute ago, CruiserBruce said:

Cruise Critic doesn't have a PM feature.

Looking back on my notes I see that one of our fellow cruisers did a spreadsheet with everyone interested in sharing tours listed.  Personal info, right down to cabin numbers were on that spreadsheet.  I was grateful but didn’t truly appreciate the ease of it all then.

[TinkBellaMom]

On 7/11/2023 at 5:12 AM, edinburgher said:

Should you find nobody to share, Herculaneum and Pompeii are super easy to DIY from the port, and at Pompeii you can hire a guide at the entrance.  Therre are many many previous threads here on CC describing in some detail how to reach both from the port.

We may just try for Herculaneum this trip as we did Pompeii last trip.  My biggest fear in cruising is missing the ship😊

[euro cruiser]

A responsible adult with a healthy appreciation of the need to get back in plenty of time runs little risk of missing the ship.  There are trains every half hour back to Naples, it's very easy to do on your own with plenty of "plan B" options for the return.

[Over from NZ]

2 hours ago, TinkBellaMom said:

Looking back on my notes I see that one of our fellow cruisers did a spreadsheet with everyone interested in sharing tours listed.  Personal info, right down to cabin numbers were on that spreadsheet.  I was grateful but didn’t truly appreciate the ease of it all then.

It's easy enough to set up the spreadsheet. However.. facebook is the new cruise critic if you follow what I mean.. 🙂 

[edinburgher]

15 hours ago, TinkBellaMom said:

We may just try for Herculaneum this trip as we did Pompeii last trip.

Each has its positives and you get very different impressions of  everyday life at the time.If you enjoyed Pompeii, I think you will find Herculaneum almost as fascinating, in some ways better as several of the streets and houses are more complete.  And it is much more compact with some shade, a huge bonus on hot weather days as it isn't as tiring a site to walk around in the way that Pompeii can be.  Lovely views into it from above on the walkway which leads to the ticket office and entrance.

 

And as mentioned above, the train service is frequent and the train station (Ercolano Scavi) is a little closer to Naples than the one for Pompeii. You should be able to easily explore the site and return to Naples with plenty of time to spare. Be aware there are two "Ercolano" train stations and you want "Ercolano SCAVI" (ruins)

 

A downhill walk from the train station, but uphill for the return to the station, although it is gradual rather than steep.

 

There should be much info, images and reviews to be found online to help you decide, but if you have already visited Pompeii, it is worth giving Herculaneum a try..

Edited July 13, 2023 by edinburgher

[euro cruiser]

There is another train option, the Trenitalia regional from the Portici-Ercolano station.  It's a longer walk from the ruins than the Circumvesuviana train (1.7 km/1.1 miles vs. 800 meters/one half mile) but it avoids the uphill.  There are also two trains per hour on this route, so it provides an alternative if the Circumvesuviana experience is one you'd rather not repeat.

[TinkBellaMom]

Thank you all for the info.  Anyone want to join a tour with us—just kidding.

We loved Pompeii.  We were fortunate that a couple in our group had actually hired a very knowledgeable guide to show us around.  Fascinating stuff!

 

My husband reminded me that we have a substantial OBC to use on this trip, so I booked with the cruise line.  No frills, basically, a transfer to Sorrento and Herculaneum.  We are good on our own, should be able to make a day of exploration.

 I wonder if my fear of missing the ship is common.  We are seasoned travelers and cruisers and I still worry.  I have real dreams of being unable to get to the ship, nightmares really.

Deb