Pompei, Sorrento, Capri tour - yuck

[slobopolis]

Just a friendly piece of advice... this particular tour had to be the worst we've ever been on. We started at a cameo factory (the usual, unavoidable tour garbage), then visited Pompei. The Pompei part wasn't too bad, although if you have any interest in Pompei just know that you're there 90 minutes max at the site itself, and it's a rush situation. Then it was off to Sorrento. It was a pleasant enough drive, but once in Sorrento they hustled us into yet another advertising stop at a wood factory and then we were given 1/2 hour (!) of free time, after which we had lunch at a restaurant (unfortunately it wasn't the one the ship highly recommended, but it was pretty good). Then it's off on a jetfoil to Capri and a 1/2 hour wait at a cable car up to the island. Then you get 1 hour of free time on Capri amid a million tourists, and it's back to wait 45 minutes for a cable car (hot and the old timers are pushy), then a ~50 minute ride back to Capri. So you are gone 10+ hours and get to spend 90 minutes in Pompei, 30 minutes in Sorrento, and an hour on Capri.

 

So, if you want to get out and explore, 3 out of your 10+ hours are what you took the tour for. Most of the rest of it is riding by land, by air, and by sea to get places and/or waiting in lines. It is hot (esp. waiting for that funicular on Capri), tiring (but not a good tiring), and a complete waste of $200pp or whatever it costs.

 

Did anyone else who took this tour actually think it was worthwhile.

[4 cruisers]

Slobopolis, sorry you chose that tour!!! Honestly, we've been to Sorrento/Naples 5 times now and each time, I go to the CC ports of call boards and get great info. I can honestly say that not one CC would recommend trying to do that much out of Naples in one day. It is a port that you must go back to to see "enough." As I said, we have been 5 times...never made it to Capri yet...been to Pompeii 4 times and Herculaneum once. Sorrento 4 of the 5 times (just as a port and as a lunch stop). The ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum are just such amazing ruins that you get a taste to want to see more.

 

I think it's great that you are sharing your experience because it will definitely help others!!!! These boards are the best for that!

 

Hope you get to return one day to see more!:cool:

[Rachelsmemom]

:confused: We're all set to book this excursion but now I'm having 2nd thoughts. It was the only one we were interested in, too. I'm wondering if it might be any better since we'll be there late Nov. There shouldn't be as many tourists and it should be cool.

 

Wow, what to do???

[donnajo]

Hi just my two cents-

If you are going to tour Naples, like the above poster said, do EITHER

Pompeii OR Capri.

We did Pompeii (it was great!) and some friends of ours did Capri.

It is too much to do both as they are very far from each other and you will be travelling most of your tour.

Our 12 day Mediterranean cruise was excellent, a trip of a lifetime, but it is also exhausting as you are touring every day. Try to limit yourselves to one tour per port 5 -7 hours maximum or you will kill yourselves! This gives you time to come back to the ship and relax or take a nap before dinner so you can enjoy your evenings.

Donna

[Susan-M]

This is a place that going on a private tour (e.g. a van with 6-8 people) is probably the best way to see this area. A drive along the spectacular Amalfi coast, with stops in towns such as Positano and Amalfi, and then a couple of hours at Pompeii makes for a great day! It was easy to meet up with others on our roll call to put together a group of 8.

[babylene]

There is so much to see...it is difficult to choose....and if the pax don't plan to return in the near future, they "want to see it all".

 

This is a perfect case of "more is less".

 

Curiously...how much would a private tour cost for 2? (total)

 

We haven't taken a Med cruise because up until now, we prefer to "park" ourselves at a destination and absorb some of the atmosphere. When we visited that part of Italy, we spent 9 days in Sorrento. We spent one full day in Pompeii...and it was exhausting! It is huge...and there is so much to see. The day we went to Capri...we hiked around the island..it was breathtaking...but it was a whole day trip. Another day we went to Amalfi and Rapallo (I think it was Rapallo!). Another, we visitied Positano...and we "hung out in Sorrento" a lot!

 

If we were to take a Med cruise, I think I would visit Herculeum since we haven't been there yet.

 

For those who have never been..I would recommend the drive along the Amalfi coast with stops in the little towns..at a leisurely pace!!!! That would be a lovely day. Come to think of it....I wouldn't mind doing that Right Now!!!

[m steve]

Susan M- could you give more details on your private tour of Amalfi coast. Cost, how you booked and other highlights. Sounds just what we want for '07.

[The Cruise Advantage]

To M Steve:

 

We just got back from the Galaxy a few weeks ago. We hired a company called AP Tours from Sorrento. Alberto was our driver ( owner?) and he met us at the ship. He was outstanding and his personality kept us laughing and interested in all of the historical facts of the area. He will taylor the day to where you want to go for the day. He tooks us to Ravello, Sorrento, and Positano and a drive through the Amalfi area. We chose not to include Pompeii because it would have been to many places to visit and less time to explore in each. We will visit it next time and it gives us a reason to return to Napoli.

 

There were 8 of us in a new van and it cost us 500E for the day(8AM-5PM). As I said he was fantastic and I'll use him again when I go back. Should you choose to use him ask him to take you to a ristorante called La Tagliata. We couldn't get over the meal and the view. It is located near the top of the mountains over looking Positano. The owner Giusippe, brother, and mom grow all their own vegtables, chickens, make their own olive oil and wine, and have a buffalo to make their own mozzarella. We still talk about how outstanding the food was and has been one of the best places we have eaten.

 

Alberto's website is www.aptours.it Email him and see what he has to say about what you may want to do.

Michael

[libramitch]

Twice now we have cruised to the Naples port. Each time we arranged our own excursion. The last time we had two vans. We had a delightful time on both visits. The extra planning required to secure your own driver is well worth the effort and usually more economical.

 

I was sorry to hear that the poster did not have a great time in this beautiful area. I am not saying that the original poster is to blame, but I do recommend doing your homework when it comes to excursions. Make sure you ask all the right questions and utlilize the Cruise Critic boards. It takes a lot of work up front. But that is what the cruise is then for. So you can rejuevenate while you enjoy your cruise.

[slobopolis]

Here's the problem for those who (like us) don't have huge travel budgets and may only get to Naples once. Of the three sites, we thought Pompei and Capri more interesting than Sorrento. However, there's no ship tour that does just those two. So that's where a private tour might be a good idea. However, there's a problem as others have mentioned. While I was comfortable doing Pompei in a few hours, let's say you and your private guide get to Pompei when it opens and are there ~2hrs until 10:30. Now you have to be driven somewhere (I assume Naples or Sorrento) to board a jetfoil to Capri. I find it hard to believe that you'd get to Capri before noon at the earliest. The jetfoil back takes 50 minutes and the funicular took us 45 minutes of waiting. Who knows how long it'll take you, but I personally wouldn't try to get going any later than 3pm, because if you're slowed up by lines the boat ain't waitin' around for you. (Our 10hr tour got back late due to the funicular lines, but the ship waited around since it was a ship tour). So at best you will have 2 1/2 - 3 hrs on Capri if you do Pompei. That's not much.

 

So I don't know if there's really a win win situation in Naples. But I know one thing: the 10hr ship tour is a loser. Again: 90 minutes at Pompei, 30 minutes free in Sorrento, and an hour free in Capri. All with a ton of other buses visiting at the exact same times. 7 hours doing other things. I'd like for something private if we were going again.

 

I had seen other positive reviews of this excursion, so that's why we took it. Just wanted to present a different view. None of these sites were must-sees for us, the point is just that the 10hr tour gets a big thumbs down.

[Tatka]

Our friends did all of this by themselves... Took train to Pompeii, then to Sorrento, hydrofoil to Capri and then to Naples. They didn't have any problems, except tiredness.

 

We planned the same .. but after 4 other French and Italian ports without a single seaday were too exousted and decided just to see Capri ... took a small boat around the island , visited Azurra Grotta... spent some time on the island and went back to the ship.

 

Later in the day we took city double decker tour. It was nice and relaxing.

 

I felt bad we didn't see Pompeii, maybe next time.

[ConnMom]

On our Med cruise on the Millennium last November, my husband and I took a ship tour from Naples that featured the Amalfi coast and Pompei. The drive along the coast was beautiful, and we had lunch in a coastal restaurant that also had beautiful views. We then stopped for an hour or so of free time in Positano before going on to Pompeii for about 2 hours.

 

While we would have enjoyed more time in both Positano and Pompeii, we thoroughly enjoyed the day and did not feel terribly rushed. I think that a private tour with a good guide probably would have offered more personal insight, but I chose the ship tour because the coastal roads were very busy (it was a holiday) and I would have been nervous about missing the ship if we had had delays.

 

I think the ship did a pretty good job on this tour.

[CAKER]

We joined a 9-hour tour put together by others on this forum. Naples/Pompeii/Amalfi Coast with AP Tours (http://www.aptours.it) 3 couples are sharing the cost of 525 euro ( 425 euro for the tour plus 100 euro for a tour guide at Pompeii for 2 hours) We are being picked up at 8 or 8:30 a.m. at the ship.

 

That is 175 euro/couple ( $235/couple), compared to Celebrity's $254/couple on a bus, and one guide for the entire group.

[katiebeth]

O.K. ...I may be in the minority but we took the Capri, Sorrento, and Pompeii tour offerd by Celebrity in June during our Med. cruise on the Millennium and had a fantastic time. Truthfully, it was one of our favorite excursions.

 

We really enjoyed the beautiful and scenic hydrofoil ride from Naples to Capri. The view of Mt. Vesivius and the approach to Capri was breathtaking. Although we did not have a lot of time in Capri, the little time we did spend there was so enjoyable. The tour of the gardens and the 45 minutes or so we had to shop on our own was great. We really loved taking the hydrofoil from Capri to Sorrento. It was breathtaking when we approached the coastline of Sorrento. It was so rugged and appeared to be a village hanging on a cliff. We had an absolutely fantastic lunch at a very charming restaurant. The lunch included a sparkling wine toast along with four courses and all the red/white wine you could drink. There was even a trio ensemble that played Italian music. We had so much fun!! After lunch, we had approximately 45 minutes to shop and then it was off to Pompeii. We boarded a motorcoach for the 45 minute ride to Pompeii. Once at Pompeii. our tour guide took us on a 90 minute tour of the ruins. (yes, we did have to stop for a brief tour of the cameo factory at Pompeii, but we could come and go as we pleased and were not forced to buy anything). Our tour guide was very very good and we were totally fascinated by the city of Pompeii.

 

We really thought it was a terrific and well orchestrated tour. Obviously, if you wanted to spend a significant amount of time in any one place, this is not the tour for you. However, if you would like a taste of the highlights of this region of Italy, we think it is an excellent sample.

 

If you sign up for this particular excursion, you do so knowing that you can't have an unlimited time in any one of these places given it is a one day tour. It amazes me that someone would sign up for this tour knowing that they are visiting three different places in one day and then be surprised that they have so little time at each place. If you want to spend a significant amount of time at Pompeii or Sorrento, or Capri then this is not the tour for you. You need to select a tour that devotes the whole day to one of these three places. However, if you would like to sample a little bit of what this region of Italy has to offer, then this may be the tour for you.

 

We really enjoyed this excursion and felt it was one of the highlights of our Med. cruise.

 

Nancy

[woodofpine]

The excursion OP complains of certainly is an example of 'getting less by doing more'. I really empathisize with those that try to do it all, but you spread it too thin trying this in Naples.

 

An excursion I recommend is the Mt. Vesuveus Hike and Pompei. This excursion leaves both Capri (which I've not done and probably won't ever do in summer due to tourist load) and the Amalfi coast for another day... but...

 

It is very interesting to hike the volcanic landscape of the mountain to the summit caldera where it is scenic and cool due to altitude. The views from the summit of the coast and Bay of Naples are spectacular. Seeing the mountain up close and personal adds another dimension before hitting the fascinating (and usually hot) ruins of Pompei below.

 

This is a far more focused excusion than most but it delivers a lot for the concentration.

 

The hike is not too strenuous if you are not disabled and modestly fit.

[katiebeth]

Dear Nanette,

 

So good to see you on this thread. My husband and I will be traveling out your way in November for a business trip. We will be staying in Laguna Beach at the Montage.

 

I havent' seen you post in a couple of months and don't know if you have any cruise plans in the near future. We have decided to book the Constellation for next summer on a Baltics cruise. We have not done the Baltics yet and have been looking at other lines besides Celebrity (Oceania and Crystal) but since we are traveling with our children ages 11 and 13 decided to stick with Celebrity. The Constellation has a great 14 night itinerary from London to Copenhagen. We also got a good rate on business class airfare on Delta next summer from Tallahassee, Fl. to London Gatwick and the back from Copenhagen. God willing, my parents plan on traveling with us again next summer. My father will be 77 and mother 75. I took your advice this past summer and made sure they both drank lots and lots of water on the flight to Barcelona and then back from Venice.

 

Hope you are doing well and would be interested in knowing about your future cruise plans.

 

Nancy

[woodofpine]

The 'trilogy' tour of Pompei - Sorrento - Capri by its very nature is best suited for someone that can enjoy the transit elements... You're going to be doing A LOT of that hitting an island and two other distant locales in one day.

[lysolqn]

Too much of a good thing is - well, just too much of a good thing!

 

Many years ago we figured out that a vacation (land or sea) is not an endurance contest to see how much you can (im)possibly cram into each twenty-four day.

[genmasjoy]

Katiebeth, glad to hear you have a positive view of the Pommpeii, Sorrento and Capri excursion. We have booked it because I would really love to see all three places and don't know when, if ever, we'll be in Naples again. I have tried to book just half day tours in places I have been to before, and save the all day ones for new locations. We are going on Millennium in October, hope it won't be so hot and the crowds will be thinner.

[Susan-M]

Susan M- could you give more details on your private tour of Amalfi coast. Cost, how you booked and other highlights. Sounds just what we want for '07.

 

Steve: We put together a group of 8 from our Roll Call - I organized it with Salvatore of DriveAmalfi - ***** -whose name frequently comes up on the Europe Boards as he has been in business for years and does a wonderful job! Once I contact him & confirmed the arrangements, he dealt with the other 3 couples by email re payment, so that I was not responsible for it. No advance payment was required.

 

The price was 650E for 8 people, in an A/C new Mercedes Van. Lunch was extra, but he took us to a fantastic place overlooking the town of Amalfi - good food and extremely reasonable prices. Pompeii was 10E (I think) pp, plus we chose to hire a guide for the 8 of us through Salvatore - that was 100E (or 25E per couple).

 

This was the only day we did a private tour (the rest we did on our own) - but we knew that it would be hard to see the Amalfi coast (which you don't want to miss) and Pompeii, without an organized tour. The van is nice because it can get into the town of Positano, and you choose what you want to see - so the tour is flexible and very relaxing.

 

I'm attaching a link of my review if you wish to read a bit more of our day in Naples: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=240792&highlight=driveamalfi

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[4 cruisers]

Nancy! So good to hear from you! Boy would we love to do the Baltics with you...but we got crazy and booked a PH on Century Nov. 18th, then a RS on Mercury for April 6th. We'll sadly be out of cruising money for the year! LOL, COL!

 

I'm so glad your parents made the trip well! My husband's parents traveled with us up into their early 80's but his Dad passed away at the end of December. Bruce is running the business and needs cruising now just to REALLY get away.

 

Our son lives 15 minutes from Laguna Beach! We're about an hour away. We would love to come down and take you to lunch if you have any "down time!" Now this is assuming it's before or after our Century cruise (Nov. 18-23)!

 

Oh, and we just loved the Locanda Orseolo! They were so good to our group! It was the perfect way to start the cruise.

[Rachelsmemom]

We've discussed the tours and have opted to do the Amalfi Coast & Pompei. We've been to Capri but others in our group (6 of us) have not so we may have to split up.

 

These boards are great, lots of useful info.!!!:)

[SheilaNC]

Susan-M,

I, too, organized a CC group with Salvatore. Great day (although one couple in our group didn't agree). Enjoyed our time in Pompei and drive on the Amalfi Coast. Wished we had spent more time in Ravello and enjoyed our lunch with the complimentary Limoncello. It was a great way to see all that we wanted to see and to find out where we might want to return to spend more time (and perhaps add on a trip to Capri). We didn't have time to do anything in Naples so would add a short time there on another trip - which we hope to do some time in the future. For us, private tours were the way to go. Got all of our references from the Europe board and they were right on target. Would be happy to answer specific questions either via email (see below) or on the board.

[Susan-M]

Susan-M,

I, too, organized a CC group with Salvatore. Great day (although one couple in our group didn't agree) .

 

Hi Sheila .... good to hear from you:) I'm glad that we did Amalfi coast & Pompeii on our first visit there, but on a second visit, would like to get to Capri. The Limoncello was pretty amazing after lunch & very generous of the restaurant! What did the one couple not enjoy about your day?

 

Galapagos is coming up soon and we are really looking forward to it, but to be honest, my excitement level was about 10 times higher last year when preparing for the Med!

[SheilaNC]

Susan,

You will love the Galapagos trip - not at all comparable, but in it's own right every bit as special (perhaps more so). I know that you already know how I felt about out Xpedition cruise, but I'm trying to pump you up again!

 

Re: the couple who didn't enjoy our day - they had a hard time hearing Salvatore when they were seated in the rear of the van. We rotated seats after their complaints and it was a bit better. I think they would have been happier if we had stayed at Pompeii longer and didn't try to fit as much in as we did. But...that's what make horse racing - to each his own. We had a lovely day and are glad we did all that we did AND that there is still more to do on another trip. I call cruising the Med my schmorgesbord (sp?) vacation - a taste of a lot of things with just enough to let me know where I might want to return. We are hoping to do a self land trip to Italy in a year or so to include a week in Tuscany, more time in Venice and more time on the Amalfi coast. That still leaves enough for a third visit to other areas (like the heel of Italy, Umbria and northern Italy including Turino. Ah to live long and healthy and keep dreaming....