Naples, Capri (Summit, may 23)

[NYCeb]

Does anyone have any experience with Naples and Capri? Will be traveling on the Celebrity Summit in May 2008 and am not sure what the best option is. It seems like there is not much to do in Naples and that Capri and Pompeii are the best bets, but the organized cruise tour is extremely expensive.

Any help appreciated!

[naples queen]

If there is a roll call for your cruise, might I suggest trying to check there to see if there are others who have hired private guides and may be looking for others to fill the vans. This is what I did and it worked out perfectly. It was a lot less expensive and you weren't being herded off and onto buses. Private vans can get a lot closer to attractions than the tour buses can. We did not have any problems with a private tour guide as he was one who was highly recommended on the boards. Good luck.

[excitedofharpenden]

Opinions may vary here. They certainly did when we asked a few people after our day there, but we had a very memorable day on Capri. We caught the fast boat across, which runs pretty well next door to where the cruise ship docks.

 

We took the funicular railway from the port up to Capri Town and had a delicious lunch there at a restaurant not far from the funicular station. We then took a very scary bus ride up to Anacapri. The view from the road down the sheer cliff to the sea was spectacular. We then took a short walk in Anacapri to the chair lift up to Monte Solaro. What a spectacular view, but you need a head for heights. The chair lift itself was €6 and worth the trip on its own. We then took a crazy taxi ride back down to the port and hopped on a boat for the short trip to see the Grotta Azzura (Blue Grotto). Very beautiful.

 

Just a couple of points. Capri is a very busy little place. We got away from the crowds doing the Monte Solaro thing, but just going up on the funicular and walking around the shops in Capri Town would be a waste of a day in my opinion. The other thing is, if you are going on your own the Italians go on strike with no warning, so make sure there is nothing possibly happening on the day you want to go.

 

Here's a pic from the top of Monte Solaro, just to whet the appetite. You've just got to do that chair lift!

 

 

Phil

[IMNiles]

As another poster already noted, opinions will of course vary on this - maybe you can hook up on a private tour with other folks you find on your roll call. Also check the ports of call board for more ideas. When we stopped in Naples last year we went to Pompeii and Sorrento on our own.

 

We just walked from the ship to the train station (not the main station, but the circumvesuvio station) and took the train to Pompeii and then later onwards to Sorrento. Pompeii was really interesting, and the views in Sorrento were just spectacular. So we'd have more time in Sorrento we opted to take the fast ferry back to the ship instead of the train - the ferry dropped us literally steps from the ship so it was really handy.

 

We were just fine exploring Pompeii on our own (we had one of those picture books with the then-and-now overlays which made it really easy to picture how it might have looked before), but there were tour guides gathering groups on-site so it wouldn't be hard to find a tour if you decided you wanted one.

[aaklang]

We booked a private tour also. We really like the company benvenutolimos.com. We actually used them in Rome, not Naples, but like them better than the company we used in Naples. Benvenuto services both cities. Our tour took us down the Amalfi coast with views of Sorrento and some other little towns - great if the weather is nice but it was foggy the day we went (in late June). After a really nice lunch, we went to Pompeii where we had a fantastic guide that the tour company arranged. Pompeii is spectacular - I really don't think you should skip it!

 

I did not go to Capri but heard great things about it too. Your roll call is definitely a good place to go to find others to share the expense.

[raymac46]

We did do a ship's tour in Napoli, and we thought it was worth it. We had a great tour of Pompeii with a very knowledgeable local guide who knew all the best photo spots. Then we went to the Amalfi Coast and had lunch in Amalfi itself. A beautiful drive although a bit scary in a 40 foot bus.

I'd advise you to pick 2 of: Pompeii, Amalfi Coast, Capri. It's difficult and exhausting to do all three in one port call.

Do not go into Naples on your own unless you enjoy meeting pickpockets. That is what happened to our tablemates from Millennium.

[Montana]

If you have not been to Pompeii, it is a real suprise since the area is so large and well excavated. I was more impressed than I expected and highly recommend this tour. We also stopped at a cameo factory where I purchased a one of a kind piece that I get comments on every time I wear it. If you are interested in history go to Pompeii.

[Montana]

If you have not been to Pompeii, it is a real suprise since the area is so large and well excavated. I was more impressed than I expected and highly recommend this tour. We also stopped at a cameo factory where I purchased a one of a kind piece that I get comments on every time I wear it. If you are interested in history go to Pompeii.

[CoralReef]

We were just fine exploring Pompeii on our own (we had one of those picture books with the then-and-now overlays which made it really easy to picture how it might have looked before

 

IMNiles, do you have the ISBN or author of the book? I have the Athens and Rome "Then and Now" books with overlays, but haven't been able to find one for Pompeii. Amazon.com doesn't seem to have heard of it. Thanks!

[IMNiles]

IMNiles, do you have the ISBN or author of the book? I have the Athens and Rome "Then and Now" books with overlays, but haven't been able to find one for Pompeii. Amazon.com doesn't seem to have heard of it. Thanks!

 

The book is called "Guide to the excavations Pompeii" subtitled "with Herculaneum and Villa Jovis on Capri" - the ISBN is 978-88-8438-129-3. It does not seem to be available at Amazon. I'm almost positive I just bought it from one of the vendors on the street between the train station (Pompeii Scavi) and the entrance to the excavation - it's marked e12 and came with a DVD that I have not watched - it was available in several languages. If not there, then I *may* have bought it at a shop in the terminal building, but I really think I bought it right outside. We used a combination of this and the information in the Rick Steves Italy guidebook to tour on our own, but I imagine a small guided tour would be excellent too. As I said before, there were many guides at the entrance gathering groups.

 

It was so easy to get here on our own, I can't imagine really spending the money on the ship's tour unless I was worried about my ability to navigate the trains and/or get back to the ship on time. It was a longish walk along a busy not-so-interesting waterfront road to get to the train station in Naples, but we could have easily taken a taxi to the circumvesuvio station if we didn't want to walk. It's easy enough to buy a ticket to "Pompeii scavi" (there is another station in pompeii town which is not nearly as convenient to the site), and the conductors were very nice about making sure we got on the right train. Remember to validate your ticket in one of the little yellow machines on the platform. We bought tickets all the way through to Sorrento, got off for a while in Pompeii, and reboarded for the onward trip.

 

 

Oh by the way, don't believe the vendors outside who will tell you there is nothing to eat or drink inside. There is, in fact, a rather nice cafe with food, beverages (including beer and wine), and restrooms inside (and I'm pretty sure the guidebooks were available there as well).

 

I didn't really know what to expect from Pompeii, but I was really blown away by how well-preserved it is. I would say it should be on anyone's not-to-miss list.

[sealover155]

We've been on 3 cruises that stopped in Naples. First cruise, we took ship's tour to Amalfi Coast - outstanding, but expensive. Fabulous views, fabulous lunch in a villa hanging over the sea, time to shop in Amalfi - unbelievable. Full day.

 

Second cruise, we took ship's tour to Pompeii and a hike up to Mt. Vesuvius. The tour of Pompeii was remarkable, the hike was actually quite strenuous but exhillerating. It was a half day tour.

 

Last Nov. we went to Capri and it was a total bust because everything was closed for the season. It will all be open and busy while you're there.

 

If you're interested in history or architecture, don't miss Pompeii. Some of the Amalfi Coast tours stop there as well. But the scenery of the Amalfi Coast is breathtaking. I'd second the suggestion to hook up with members on the roll call for a private tour. It will be expensive also, but the group will be substantially smaller and you might get to go to Positano where the buses are not permitted. Check it out.