Naples Garbage Problem Worsens

[HeidiSD]

Hi All,

 

I would like to hear from someone who has been to Naples recently. I am concerned about leaving the ship in Naples for a shore excusion ; or should I save my money and remain on the ship. I know the first Disney ship has visted Naples or could be their right now. Heidi

[lagbunch8]

Hi All,

 

I would like to hear from someone who has been to Naples recently. I am concerned about leaving the ship in Naples for a shore excusion ; or should I save my money and remain on the ship. I know the first Disney ship has visted Naples or could be their right now. Heidi

 

What is your concern? I was in Naples last June and I will be there next month.

 

Mary

[HeidiSD]

What is your concern? I was in Naples last June and I will be there next month.

 

Mary

 

 

Mary...do a google seach Naples garbage and you will see what concern is. 10,000 tons of garbage in city. Individuals burning garbage because no pick up and tonic fumes through out city...rats, rapid dogs, floating items in water that shouldn't be there (dirty diapers)...big concern. That is going on right now.

[lagbunch8]

I see. I will look into that. I am sure if it is as bad as you say the ships will not port there. Have you posted at the Europe board on this? I will go look over there. Thanks for the heads up.

[HeidiSD]

No didn't post Europe borad ...thank you for advise.

[transpac]

Heidi,

I was on the first Magic Med cruise and, yes, Naples is not a particularly attractive city. However I did not see the garbage problem you speak of.

We had planned to take the high speed boat to Sorrento in the morning then the train back to Naples with a stop in Pompeii. Unfortunately when we woke up that "morning" it was 1PM!! Jet lag caught us! So we just took the train to Pompeii. Once you find the train station it is easy to get to Pompeii on the Sorrento line... maybe 30 minutes. It is a little hard to find the station though. The Pompeii entrance is very close to the Pompeii train station on the Naples-Sorrento line and I recall that admission is only 11 euros.

FYI, the seas were rough so the Sorrento high speed boats were canx (still easy to get there by train). THere were rumors about people taking ferries to the Isand of Capri and getting stuck there with the rough seas, but I do not know of this personally.)

FYI the rumors of pickpockets in Naples are TRUE! I travel internationally 150 days a year and have never had a problem (in 30 years!) But 30 minutes after leaving the ship my wallet was gone.... Never felt a thing and don't remember anyone being in my "space." Be CAREFUL!

[RSnow]

First, I agree with the comment about being careful. We were with a group in Marseilles, and one of the people with us had her camera stolen. Most of the tour stops are crowded. You should never keep your wallet in your back pocket and don't take anything more than you need for your excursion. Take a copy of your passport and leave the original on the ship.

 

We did the jet foil ride to Sorrento. The seas were rough and a lot of passengers were seasick. (For others, it was like a theme park thrill ride). Disney cancelled the Capri leg of the tour and we got a partial refund, plus another discount for being on the ferry (the idea was that half the people on the excursion would ride the ferry over, while the others would ride buses ans switch going back). Needless to say, we all rode back on buses. Anyone who went to Capri went on their own.

 

If you do ship's (or private) excursions, you should not have a problem, since most don't stay in Naples anyway.

[rtrtx2]

we were in Naples last summer, walked around a little until it was time for our tour to Pompeii. Have you considered a tour to Pompeii, it is an awesome sight, really could picture the chariots driving through the streets.

[Duane T]

What is your concern? I was in Naples last June and I will be there next month.

 

Mary

It was not as clean as I thought it was going to be...certainly not a nice as Sorrento when we went 2 weeks ago.

[Host Mick]

FYI:

 

7/9/07

ROME (Reuters) - The United States embassy in Rome has warned U.S citizens they may face a health risk in Italy's southern Campania region due to a garbage crisis that has filled streets with piles of rubbish.

"U.S. citizens traveling to or through the area may encounter mounds of garbage, open fires with potentially toxic fumes, and/or sporadic public demonstrations by local residents attempting to block access to dumps," the embassy said in an advisory note.

Since May, streets in Naples and nearby towns have been piled with household waste that has nowhere else to go -- the fault of political mismanagement, conflicting interests and organized crime.

The embassy warned that airborne particles and fumes from these fires could aggravate respiratory problems and the fires could release toxic substances into the air.

Last month the European Commission took legal action against Italy over the thousands of tonnes of uncollected waste, saying it posed serious health and environmental risks through the spread of disease and through pollution of air, water and land.