Positano

[Gerioo]

Has anyone done Positano by themselves? We are docked in Naples and was trying to get a hydrofoil there. I understand they do not run regularly. Has anyone ever tried the SITA bus from Sorrento? We are only there one day and understand the traffic jams, etc. could be risky. I was there last year, but only went as far as Sorrento. I was nervous about getting back in time. :) :) :)

[Hlitner]

We have spent a fair amount of time in this region, on both land and as a cruise stop. You are correct that the hydrofoils running to Positano are limited and you would certainly want to check the schedules both on-line (just google "Positano and ferries") and also double check the day you are in Naples. You should also check alternative routes such as Positano -Capri - Naples since there is frequent hydrofoil service from Capri back to Naples while there is much less frequent service via Sorrento. As to using the SITA bus, you would first need to get from Naples to Sorrento via either the Circumvesuviana train line (runs about twice an hour) or by using a hydrofoil/jet boat from Naples (they also have a limited schedule). The SITA bus only runs about once every 45 - 60 min and does tend to be very crowded (often standing room only) during the busy summer months. The traffic on the Amalfi drive is indeed unpredictable (its only a 2 lane road from Sorrento to Amalfi) and it can congested around Positano ....particularly when there are "standoffs" between buses (everything stops till they work out a solution). It generally took us about 45 minutes to drive from Sorrento to Positano, but this can vary. However, as long as there are no major accidents (we have never seen a major accident on the Amalfi coast) traffic does move. You would certainly want to go Positano in the morning, and than start working your way back to the port by mid-afternoon. The hydrofoils do generally keep to their schedules unless there is a major weather problem, and this would be a very rare occurance during the summer months.

 

Hank

[vegs1]

Hlitner - I have been reading quite a few of your posts as you seem to be quite familiar with this area. Would you mind answering a few questions please?

 

We have booked Salvatore from Drive Amalfi for our cruise in July. We are doing Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast drive. Would also like to shop for some limoncello and an inlaid wood jewelry box. I was thinking we would be best off going to Pompeii in the afternoon and doing the drive and shopping first as I believe the stores are closed in the afternoon...is this correct?

 

Do you think the crowds would be a little thinner at Pompeii doing it this way? Most cruise tours seem to go there first.

 

Any other hints for this area. We are really looking forward to it and don't want to miss any beautiful scenery. I believe we will stop in Positano for some photos. Do you think we'll have any problem getting back to our ship by 6:00 pm? We are being picked up at the port at 8:00 am (hoping we are docked in time).

 

Thanks for any insight you may have.

 

Beth

[Gerioo]

Thank you so much for all your help. It is appreciated.

 

Louise

[kely53]

Beth,

 

We just returned from a med cruise last Thursday. We booked our day in Naples with drive amalfi and had Roberto as our driver. We did the Amalfi coast in the morning/early afternoon and then Pompeii in the afternoon. Roberto took us to a quaint village on the hill with a great view. We let him choose our lunch, which was great. He served us Limoncello with our meal. It was a fabulous day......our favorite private tour of our trip (and we had 4 private tours). If you have any questions, let me know. We did stop in Amalfi to do some shopping. If you tell Roberto what you are looking for as far as nice keepsakes he will accommodate you.

 

Karen

[vegs1]

Beth,

 

We just returned from a med cruise last Thursday. We booked our day in Naples with drive amalfi and had Roberto as our driver. We did the Amalfi coast in the morning/early afternoon and then Pompeii in the afternoon. Roberto took us to a quaint village on the hill with a great view. We let him choose our lunch, which was great. He served us Limoncello with our meal. It was a fabulous day......our favorite private tour of our trip (and we had 4 private tours). If you have any questions, let me know. We did stop in Amalfi to do some shopping. If you tell Roberto what you are looking for as far as nice keepsakes he will accommodate you.

 

Karen

 

 

Hi Karen,

Thank you for the information. How did you find the timing of everything? Were you rushed or worried you wouldn't make it back on time? (I'm sure we'll be OK as Salvatore assured me we'd be back no less than 1 hour before departure. ) Also...how did you find the shopping? We are looking for the jewelry boxes I've heard so much about. I've heard they are very expensive but extremely beautiful. Any suggestions on must-do stops? I had heard Positano was wonderful but if you have better suggestions..please send them on.

 

When you went for lunch - did you pay for the driver's meal? Also, Salvatore had told us to pay in cash for the tour and others have said they were told the same. Was that the same for you?

 

Thank you again for the help. We are just thrilled to be doing this private tour as I've heard so much about the area. It's great to hear good feedback from someone who has been already.

 

Beth

[Nanatravel]

Beth, we just returned from the Med and had a wonderful day on the Amalfi Coast and at Pompeii. We had Francesco Marrappese pick us up early (about 15 minutes after docking) and we returned to the ship about 5PM. We did the Amalfi Coast first thus avoiding the city and big bus traffic. There were buses on occasion, but Francesco know how to manuever his luxury van. We had many stops for photo opportunities and walked down to the beach in Positano and up to the church square where we bought Limoncello ($8E). We even saw a wedding. We had lunch at a hillside Restaurant in Ravello. We then went to Pompeii where our private guide was waiting. It wasn't very crowded and the weather was perfect. We left Pompeii by 4:30 and were back on the ship shortly after 5PM. Take a look at his web page; same name dot com. The map will show his preferred route. My Emerald Princess review is also posted in the Member Review section.

 

Having an informal Meet & Greet on the first day on-board ship is lots of fun to finally put faces with names. We met at 4:30 at the Calypso Bar (under MUTS). Its nice to see familiar faces during the week, too. We joined many CC's for dinner and tours.

 

Bon Voyage

Nanatravel

[vegs1]

Hi Nanatravel - sounds like you had a great time! Thanks for the info! Positana sounds lovely - we'll probably walk down to the beach there also as I've heard its beautiful. Funny how often the word "lemoncello" comes up on these boards...must be awfully good stuff!

 

Thanks again - I don't think I'll have to worry about the timing at all.

 

Cheers!

[kely53]

Hi Beth,

 

We were not rushed at all. We were a group of 8. We werent rushed or worried about making it back to the ship. Our tour lasted from 9am until approx 6 pm. We were docked from 8a-8p. I did not personally see the inlaid boxes you are referring to but I was on a mission of my own!! I would email salvadore and tell him what you are looking for and I am sure he will be able to help you out. We did not pay for Roberto's meal as he did not eat with us. We had a several course meal and he helped serve us. Oh, and the meal with the limoncello and dessert was I believe 20 euros pp which included tip.

 

He did stop at Piccadilly's mainly for a restroom stop but also for shopping. They have beautiful tiles, dishes.....all types of ceramics. I purchased a 4 tile scene of the Amalfi coast and had it shipped home. It arrived 2 days after we got home. They do have a website if you want it, just to see what types of things they have.

 

The roads are extremely narrow and windy. I am sure we went places the big tours buses could not go!! There are many places to stop for pictures. As far as "must sees", the whole Amalfi coast is beautiful.

 

Is Salvadore going to be your driver?

 

You will have a great day!

Karen

[maja]

Beth,

 

We just returned from a med cruise last Thursday. We booked our day in Naples with drive amalfi and had Roberto as our driver. We did the Amalfi coast in the morning/early afternoon and then Pompeii in the afternoon. Roberto took us to a quaint village on the hill with a great view. We let him choose our lunch, which was great. He served us Limoncello with our meal. It was a fabulous day......our favorite private tour of our trip (and we had 4 private tours). If you have any questions, let me know. We did stop in Amalfi to do some shopping. If you tell Roberto what you are looking for as far as nice keepsakes he will accommodate you.

 

Karen

 

:o Sorry if this is a little off the main topic but I was hoping for some suggestions from those of you here who sound like you have experience.

 

I'm booked with Salvatore for our cruise next year. Even though I realize he's experienced enough with cruisers & their schedules, I'm worried that we will be rushed. I'd rather skip some stops & be able to enjoy what we do see. Our ship is in port 7am-6pm. I can't convince myself that we would be able to enjoy all the stops listed on the tour (Pompeii, Amalfi, Positano, Ravello, lunch & Sorrento) I really want to have lunch on the Amalfi coast, as explained in the tour, visit Positano and spend about 2 hrs in Sorrento.

I can easily skip Amalfi, from what other's have written on the boards & thinking about skipping Pompeii. Any thoughts on this?

 

Karen, It's great to hear that you had a wonderful time with Drive Amalfi. Makes me feel even more confident that we picked the right tour guide.

[kely53]

Maja,

 

Salvadore suggests the itineraries but you can ask him to omit stops if you would like. You do spend a fair amount of time in a car. It also depends on how much time you want to spend on lunch. We did not get to spend alot of time in the individual towns.

 

Whether or not to stop in Pompeii is an individual decision based on what your interests are. Are you taking this tour with any other people that might have an opinion on s topping here?

 

We had the 2 hour private guide and it took all of the 2 hours and we definitely did not see all of it. It was definitely an abbreviated tour. I would recommend having the guide as it is much more interesting if you know what you are looking at!

 

I personally loved the Amalfi coast and it is the one place we visited that I would like to go back and spend at least a week.

 

If you arent really interested in seeing the ruins of Pompeii, then skip it. You have a while to make that decision.

 

It was a trip of a lifetime! Plan to do what you really want to do!

 

Karen

[Gerioo]

Thanks for all your great help. It is appreciated.

[vetralla]

Be aware that Positano is built on the sea cliff and is all stairs; that's what makes it so beautiful but it can be hard for people with bad knees, hips. For a day trip I'd stick to the drive from Amalfi, (check out the hand made paper) then Sorrento along the coast and lunch in Positano. Pompeii needs an entire day just to scratch the surface.

Be sure you purchase real limoncello made in the area from untreated lemons. One bottle to drink back on the cruise ship, one to bring home.

[vegs1]

Hi Beth,

 

We were not rushed at all. We were a group of 8. We werent rushed or worried about making it back to the ship. Our tour lasted from 9am until approx 6 pm. We were docked from 8a-8p. I did not personally see the inlaid boxes you are referring to but I was on a mission of my own!! I would email salvadore and tell him what you are looking for and I am sure he will be able to help you out. We did not pay for Roberto's meal as he did not eat with us. We had a several course meal and he helped serve us. Oh, and the meal with the limoncello and dessert was I believe 20 euros pp which included tip.

 

He did stop at Piccadilly's mainly for a restroom stop but also for shopping. They have beautiful tiles, dishes.....all types of ceramics. I purchased a 4 tile scene of the Amalfi coast and had it shipped home. It arrived 2 days after we got home. They do have a website if you want it, just to see what types of things they have.

 

The roads are extremely narrow and windy. I am sure we went places the big tours buses could not go!! There are many places to stop for pictures. As far as "must sees", the whole Amalfi coast is beautiful.

 

Is Salvadore going to be your driver?

 

You will have a great day!

Karen

 

Hi Karen,

 

Again...that's for the great info. Yes, Salvatore is going to be our driver. He said he would customize our tour however we want so I believe we'll stick to the coast drive and shopping in the morning and do Pompeii in the afternoon. We will hopefully return someday not on a cruise and can spend longer times in these beautiful spots.

 

Your tiles sound beautiful. Maybe I'll have him stop there along the way. When I shop, I'm pretty quick as I don't like to spend that much time doing that when there are beautiful scenery and towns to be seen. Did you purchase things by credit card and if so, did you need your original passport?

 

Thanks again for your help. Closer to our tour I will email him telling him what we're looking for so we're a bit quicker.

 

By the way...did you stop at the Emerald Grotto? I have heard its beautiful but wasn't sure if its worth the stop.

 

Thanks,

Beth

[nco4242]

Has anyone done Positano by themselves? We are docked in Naples and was trying to get a hydrofoil there. I understand they do not run regularly. Has anyone ever tried the SITA bus from Sorrento? We are only there one day and understand the traffic jams, etc. could be risky. I was there last year, but only went as far as Sorrento. I was nervous about getting back in time. :) :) :)

 

Take the train to Sorrento (3.5e) from the main station. Local train runs there every 20 min or so. Ask when you get in terminal where to go it will be depending on where you enter but if you enter at front door you will turn right and go around a corner hallway ticket sales right there then on to train which is down stairs. Trip is about 20-30min. Exit at Sorrento walk down the stairs, small shop at bottom buy your bus ticket there .50e bus stops across the street, runs about every 1/2 hour unless it is ship day and then they seem to be there in bunches then a space then another bunch. Trip down the coast depends on traffic. but easily doable in day.

[nco4242]

Has anyone done Positano by themselves? We are docked in Naples and was trying to get a hydrofoil there. I understand they do not run regularly. Has anyone ever tried the SITA bus from Sorrento? We are only there one day and understand the traffic jams, etc. could be risky. I was there last year, but only went as far as Sorrento. I was nervous about getting back in time. :) :) :)

 

Take the train to Sorrento (3.5e) from the main station. Local train runs there every 20 min or so. Ask when you get in terminal where to go it will be depending on where you enter but if you enter at front door you will turn right and go around a corner hallway ticket sales right there then on to train which is down stairs. Trip is about 20-30min. Exit at Sorrento walk down the stairs, small shop at bottom buy your bus ticket there .50e bus stops across the street, runs about every 1/2 hour unless it is ship day and then they seem to be there in bunches then a space then another bunch. Trip down the coast depends on traffic. I have spent 45 min sitting in bus waiting to move a foot forward. However most the time a hour hour and half is max Sorrento to Amalfi and Positano in about 1/2way.

Here is web page click on the translate

Home Page di SITA S.p.A.

 

- [ Translate this page ]

[Jade13]

Hi Beth,

 

We were not rushed at all. We were a group of 8. We werent rushed or worried about making it back to the ship. Our tour lasted from 9am until approx 6 pm. We were docked from 8a-8p. I did not personally see the inlaid boxes you are referring to but I was on a mission of my own!! I would email salvadore and tell him what you are looking for and I am sure he will be able to help you out. We did not pay for Roberto's meal as he did not eat with us. We had a several course meal and he helped serve us. Oh, and the meal with the limoncello and dessert was I believe 20 euros pp which included tip.

 

He did stop at Piccadilly's mainly for a restroom stop but also for shopping. They have beautiful tiles, dishes.....all types of ceramics. I purchased a 4 tile scene of the Amalfi coast and had it shipped home. It arrived 2 days after we got home. They do have a website if you want it, just to see what types of things they have.

 

The roads are extremely narrow and windy. I am sure we went places the big tours buses could not go!! There are many places to stop for pictures. As far as "must sees", the whole Amalfi coast is beautiful.

 

Is Salvadore going to be your driver?

 

You will have a great day!

Karen

 

Karen,

 

Can you post the web site for the store in Sorrento? I want to see what they sell. I keep hearing about the restaurant on the hillside in Ravello. It sounds great but realize we are going to Pompeii first (before it gets too hot) and so need a place in Sorrrento or Amalfi.

[kely53]

The store's website is http://www.mcpiccadilly.com

It was located on the road along the amalfi coast just outside of Amalfi. It was 2 floors and had really nice merchandise.

 

Beth, I am not familiar with Emerald Grotto but check with Salvadore. I did pay by credit card at Piccadilly......they did not require any identification whatsoever.

 

When we were in Venice, I saw a couple of things the first day we were there but didnt want to buy anything until I looked around. Venice is loaded with great stores on all of the little streets. Anyway, of course, the next day I could not find the store again. We had a great map but it is still confusing!!! I learned the hard way to buy something if you like it!

 

When is your cruise?

 

Karen

[vegs1]

The store's website is www.mcpiccadilly.com

It was located on the road along the amalfi coast just outside of Amalfi. It was 2 floors and had really nice merchandise.

 

Beth, I am not familiar with Emerald Grotto but check with Salvadore. I did pay by credit card at Piccadilly......they did not require any identification whatsoever.

 

When we were in Venice, I saw a couple of things the first day we were there but didnt want to buy anything until I looked around. Venice is loaded with great stores on all of the little streets. Anyway, of course, the next day I could not find the store again. We had a great map but it is still confusing!!! I learned the hard way to buy something if you like it!

 

When is your cruise?

 

Karen

 

Hi Karen,

 

I checked out that website. What beautiful merchandise. I would have a difficult time deciding what to buy. Those tile scenes are gorgeous. How would you mount them?

 

We are cruising on the Disney Magic departing from Barcelona on July 7th. I've been to the med before but we left from Naples last time so I didn't have any time to check it out. That drive is probably what I am looking forward to the most.

 

You mentioned in an earlier post that you didn't spend much time in any one town. Which towns did you stop in and approx. how much time do you think you had there? We were hoping to do Positana for about 1 hour and possibly a few stops in other places along the way to get our jewelry box and lemoncello. Anywhere else Salvatore thought too. We just want to make sure we have lots of time for Pompeii also.

 

I think I'll go back to that website and check it out more fully. Thanks!

[Hlitner]

Beth, One of the advantages of booking a local driver/guide such as Salvatore is that he will be very familar with the entire regions, restaurants, opening hours, etc. You should tell him your wants and concerns and than sit back and let him do the worrying. You mentioned shopping in the morning and going to Pompeii in the afternoon, which might be fine...but it would depend on the weather. If you get a really hot day, you would not want to be at Pompeii during a very hot afternoon. There is no shelter in Pompeii, and it does get darn hot. As to shopping, it is true that many Italian shops close for "siesta" during early afternoon (it can vary but is usually from 1 - 3 1:30 to 4 etc). This is particularly true in Sorrento where we found many stores closed in the afternoon. In major tourist towns such as Positano, you will find some shops stay open and others close. If your driver is as good as others have said on this board, than he should know the shopping hours. We generally time our lunches (we love to have long leisure lunches in cafes with a view) for the hours when the stores are closed..which usually means eating a later lunch.

 

Hank

[vegs1]

Beth, One of the advantages of booking a local driver/guide such as Salvatore is that he will be very familar with the entire regions, restaurants, opening hours, etc. You should tell him your wants and concerns and than sit back and let him do the worrying. You mentioned shopping in the morning and going to Pompeii in the afternoon, which might be fine...but it would depend on the weather. If you get a really hot day, you would not want to be at Pompeii during a very hot afternoon. There is no shelter in Pompeii, and it does get darn hot. As to shopping, it is true that many Italian shops close for "siesta" during early afternoon (it can vary but is usually from 1 - 3 1:30 to 4 etc). This is particularly true in Sorrento where we found many stores closed in the afternoon. In major tourist towns such as Positano, you will find some shops stay open and others close. If your driver is as good as others have said on this board, than he should know the shopping hours. We generally time our lunches (we love to have long leisure lunches in cafes with a view) for the hours when the stores are closed..which usually means eating a later lunch.

 

Hank

 

Hi Hank,

 

I have emailed Salvatore and he suggested Pompeii in the afternoon since we want to shop. (We will bring a small umbrella and battery fan just in case!) We aren't going to do loads of shopping so I thought I'd email him a week before we leave and tell him exactly what we're looking for and what we want specifically to see (if we can actually figure that out) and then leave it to him. We're not too worried about it.

 

I've been to Naples but never along the Amalfi Coast so I'm not sure what towns we WANT to see. I know we won't get much time in any one spot and that's OK. We mostly want to see the beautiful scenery and have a good lunch. We will have our 9 year old daughter with us who is a fabulous traveler so we'll make it enjoyable for her also.

 

Thanks for the great advice. You experienced people on this board are amazing!