Scared of Naples

[kannna]

The "i'm onto you" look works good.

 

We were there 9/28 and had a great walk to and from the train station saw kids playing futbol in the streets and came upon a outdoor market. Don't miss the little shrines on every corner. They are quite touching and sweet. It was sunday, the streets smelled of clean laundry from all the lines outside the windows. They've cleaned up alot of the trash. ok not all the trash. but alot. : )

 

I chose to see the good side. but am aware of everything else. Just watch how the local ladies hold their purses and follow suite. they have the best experience.

 

K

[billie5]

Cathy,

At whom am I supposed to have been making a dig? I could not have been attacking Texan. She already indicated that the Pompeii museum (which I assume was the National Archeological) was another good place to go. I suppose it could be construed as an attack on any reader who might believe there is nothing whatsoever to see in Naples, but since no one on the thread was pushing that point of view, I assumed it would be understood as a humorous reference to the "no brainer" phrase which Texan used. (And, incidentally, with which I agree: Pompeii and the Amalfi drive are definitely no brainers. So is Paestum, if one has the time)

 

On the other hand, I understand your coming to the defense of Texan, whom you thought was being attacked (as, evidently, did she). Though a little extreme perhaps. I believe in what is sometimes called transparency, so my public profile has all relevant information, including name, email, etc. Still, in CruiseCritic one does not use last names. At least I do not think it appropriate, and in my 500 some previous postings, no one has. Just food for thought. I know you are also a frequent contributor, and a good one.

 

Bill

[CathyCruises]

Cathy,

At whom am I supposed to have been making a dig? I could not have been attacking Texan. She already indicated that the Pompeii museum (which I assume was the National Archeological) was another good place to go. I suppose it could be construed as an attack on any reader who might believe there is nothing whatsoever to see in Naples, but since no one on the thread was pushing that point of view, I assumed it would be understood as a humorous reference to the "no brainer" phrase which Texan used. (And, incidentally, with which I agree: Pompeii and the Amalfi drive are definitely no brainers. So is Paestum, if one has the time)

 

On the other hand, I understand your coming to the defense of Texan, whom you thought was being attacked (as, evidently, did she). Though a little extreme perhaps. I believe in what is sometimes called transparency, so my public profile has all relevant information, including name, email, etc. Still, in CruiseCritic one does not use last names. At least I do not think it appropriate, and in my 500 some previous postings, no one has. Just food for thought. I know you are also a frequent contributor, and a good one.

 

Bill

 

 

Try as I may, I cannot see how you could possibly construe your comment as "humor" or a "play on words". And I was rising to my own defense since I too have highly recommended Pompeii and Positano as alternatives to Naples, where I have also been. In any event, I have already said that I am willing to let it go so I do not see the point of your last post.

 

Additionally, the only reason I used your last name is because you have it right there on your post! I certainly didn't go and dig it up.

 

Let's let this topic die a quiet death, so that I can get back to being excited about my trip and my choices for shore excursions. Oh, here come my electronic tickets now.

 

Cathy

[texancruzer]

Well..... it did feel like a put down and definately came across as such..... regardless of the intent.

 

But no matter. Let it go. I have.

[billie5]

Cathy,

I've looked and looked and don't see my last name on my posts in this thread. If you don't see wordplay between no brainer and no brains, well then I am not surprised you found my post so objectionable.

 

In any case, we all agree there is a lot of interest in Naples and its environ.

 

Bill

[CathyCruises]

"Cathy,

I've looked and looked and don't see my last name on my posts in this thread. If you don't see wordplay between no brainer and no brains, well then I am not surprised you found my post so objectionable.

 

In any case, we all agree there is a lot of interest in Naples and its environ.

 

Bill

__________________

William Greenberg"

[cruisemom42]

Cathy,

I've looked and looked and don't see my last name on my posts in this thread.

Bill

 

Maybe you have the "show signatures" option turned off, in which case I suppose it wouldn't show up on your screen.

 

But trust me, the rest of us can clearly see it.......

[Longtonian]

We've been three times and had no problems. Naples has a great atmosphere, even if it is a bit seedy and crumbling - I'd guess Barcelona was very much like this at one time.

First time we walked to the station and took the train to Herculaneum (a bit closer than Pompeii, and for us, more interesting) - only problem was that it was extremely hot on the train. Also, you take your life into your hands crossing the roads!

[iancal]

We passed through Naples 10 days ago. Like others have said, just like any large city -be aware of your surroundings and use a neck pouch for valuables. Naples is a great hub for an independent traveller. You can very easily take the Circumvesuvia train to Pompei or to Sorrento. You can also ferry out to Capri, Ischia (sp) or Procida (sp). You need to be especially watchful in Naples Garibalidi train station on on the Circumvesuviana train. Not paranoid, just watchful. Lot's of pick pockets.

[billie5]

Well, I guess I do owe an apology over my first post. No one took it the way I intended, and that guilt should be on the writer and not the reader, i.e., on me. But there is no doubt that I owe an apology to Cathy. I never heard of the show signatures option, so had no idea where Cathy was coming from. Sorry about that, Cathy. (And thanks, cruisemom, for explaining it)

 

I guess this response is going to have a double signature also -- I'll fix my profile as soon as I get a chance.

 

I hope, in any case, someone benefits from my experience in Naples. I used to visit Italy most summers -- for my work -- and spent a year living in Florence in the 80's. Florence is my favorite Italian locations, but there are so many other great locations, including the Naples region.

 

Bill, billie5, and whatever pops up below this.

[desyrio]

Hello everyone,

i'm Italian and live near Naples (Napoli :p). I sometimes read these boards because I have cruised once and hope to cruise again in the future :)

 

About the city itself, I read a lot of good advices, but a couple sentences in my opinion were wrong:

- It's not impossible to outsmart pickpockets: for men, put your wallet in your front pocket, and be sure to wear quite tight trousers (jeans are the best). For women, use a purse with a zipper, and always hold the strap with your hand; hold your purse before your body and not behind. Better, for both, use a bumbag. When you stop in crowded places, try to create a circle, so that valuable stuff is in the middle.

- I'd not advice to look directly at beggars or suspect people, except if they are really young kids; at opposite a beggar could start to "besiege" you :rolleyes: The better thing you can do is pretending to ignore them, while always being aware of their movements.

 

If you are well aware of what surrounds you, nothing bad happens :)

 

Just my 2 cents,

Luigi

[catergirl]

IMHO pompeii was unforgetable!! our group shared a guide that was a history professor. he was so interesting, funny and shed light on pompeii. the almalfi SP? coast was amazing as well.

[tomko2]

Hello everyone,

i'm Italian and live near Naples (Napoli :p). I sometimes read these boards because I have cruised once and hope to cruise again in the future :)

 

About the city itself, I read a lot of good advices, but a couple sentences in my opinion were wrong:

- It's not impossible to outsmart pickpockets: for men, put your wallet in your front pocket, and be sure to wear quite tight trousers (jeans are the best). For women, use a purse with a zipper, and always hold the strap with your hand; hold your purse before your body and not behind. Better, for both, use a bumbag. When you stop in crowded places, try to create a circle, so that valuable stuff is in the middle.

- I'd not advice to look directly at beggars or suspect people, except if they are really young kids; at opposite a beggar could start to "besiege" you :rolleyes: The better thing you can do is pretending to ignore them, while always being aware of their movements.

 

If you are well aware of what surrounds you, nothing bad happens :)

 

Just my 2 cents,

Luigi

 

Thank you Luigi. We are looking forward to walking around Naples next summer and visiting the Museum (hopefully it is open on Sunday -- need to check). I am learning to cook Italian food and am anxious to try some local dishes and shop a bit in some specialty shops for things to bring home.

Kathy

[Ardy53]

We had intended to use the train to go to Herculaneum and then to Sorrento on our cruise last month, as we did with most of the other ports.

 

I was aware of the distance to the station in Naples and from Ercolano station to Herculaneum, but thought it would be fine.

 

However, the group that we were with thought it would be quicker to grab a cab to take us to Herculaneum, which is what we did.

 

On the way there, our cab driver offered to wait for us, drive us to Sorrento, wait 3 hours and then drive us back to Naples, at only €30 per person (we were six people).

 

It sounded like a good price, so we accepted and had a wonderful day, with a lot more time than if we had gone by train.

 

Regards

 

Roy

[tomko2]

We had intended to use the train to go to Herculaneum and then to Sorrento on our cruise last month, as we did with most of the other ports.

 

I was aware of the distance to the station in Naples and from Ercolano station to Herculaneum, but thought it would be fine.

 

However, the group that we were with thought it would be quicker to grab a cab to take us to Herculaneum, which is what we did.

 

On the way there, our cab driver offered to wait for us, drive us to Sorrento, wait 3 hours and then drive us back to Naples, at only €30 per person (we were six people).

 

It sounded like a good price, so we accepted and had a wonderful day, with a lot more time than if we had gone by train.

 

Regards

 

Roy

 

Roy, that seems like a very good price; do you remember the name of the cab company?

Kathy

[Dunmore2]

Our tablemate and his wife walked from the ship into Naples to do a bit of shopping after we all returned from a beautiful day at Pompeii. As they were walking, a pair of "thugs" on a Vespa ripped his watch right off his arm. It was a cheap watch, but his wrist was quite bruised. lesson: even if you are wearing cheap jewelery/watches, a thief on a scooter can't tell the difference, so leave it on the ship.

[derby4]

We are walking to the train terminal as well and taking the train to Pompeii.

There is a great "step-by-step" guide here:

http://www.europeportreviews.com/Naples5.htm

 

After reviewing the multiple posts available, I don't feel as bad as walking in Naples as I did at first. No more than walking through NYC or any other major city.

We ( a couple in our 50s) just did Pompeii by ourselves. The photo tour provided in the link is accurate except you need to replace Sorrento everytime it says Santorini!!! Whilst it would have been nice to do the Amalfi tour etc, bear in mind that if you only want a glimpse of things, by all means take an expensive ships tour. I think the all day finished at Pompeii and left you for maybe an hour. That gives you enough time to see the first few things on the walking tour along with several thousand other tourists. We spent 5 hours there and did not see it all.

As an addition to the link above, we followed anothers instructions ( elsewhere on the board) which worked out perfectly and much preferable to walking to the railway station.

Walk out of the port to the main road with 10 Euros in your pocket ( for 2 people) CRoss the street at the light to the right and directly opposite is a newstand, buy a round trip to Pompeii from there. Not sure of exact cost but there was change from 10 Euros. Take the bus ( included in train ticket) #1 going right again ( as looking from the ship). Validate the ticket on the bus and get off at the railway station in the picture. It may look at first like a bus station as there are many buses stopped outside. Inside the staion Follow the signs ( al trenia) and take the train as in the above link.

We found it very easy and with this information you can look very confident and not be a target. The trains were however, covered in graffitti and when you are on the platform the PA says in English " Beware of PIckpockets" Just do what all the locals do, keep both hands on your possessions and your valuables well hidden.

Hope this helps.

[Lesanne]

Hi All,

just returned of Queen Victoria 12th October, my wife and I did Pompei on our own. We and others that went independant had no issues at all. Their is great info on this site but basically you need to be street wise and be aware for Pompei we came out the terminal cross the road and by return tickets for Pompei Scavi 2 euro 30 each, you get 4 tickets. Catch the number 1 bus to the central station and go downstairs to the train. Get off at Pompei Scavi and you are a couple of minutes from the site, get a free guide and map from the information desk before purchasing your tickets. If you want there are a lot of guides touting for business but we decded to look at the book and select the things we wanted to see. Be warned that the "streets" are not well marked and they tend to block them off.

 

In all a good day and we felt safe, being a redhead means I stick out from the locals anyway :p

[cruzisme]

Glad you had a wonderful trip!

One question: if I buy the tickets at the newstand, it is good for the bus to the train station and then the train ride to Pompeii? And you bought the return ticket too?

Total cost per person was under 5 euros?

I thought I had to buy the train ticket at the train station, but I can purchase at any newstand?

[derby4]

Glad you had a wonderful trip!

One question: if I buy the tickets at the newstand, it is good for the bus to the train station and then the train ride to Pompeii? And you bought the return ticket too?

Total cost per person was under 5 euros?

I thought I had to buy the train ticket at the train station, but I can purchase at any newstand?

Yes, at the newsstand ask for round trip and they give you a ticket each for each way so for 2 people 4 tickets. Only validate the ones for the first leg, which is 1 ticket which is good for both the bus and train. Cruisme says 2 euro 30, so yes 4 euro 60 for round trip/1 person sounds like what I paid!

[Ardy53]

Roy, that seems like a very good price; do you remember the name of the cab company?

Kathy

 

Kathy

 

No, it was just one of the cab drivers that accosted us as we walkd out of the port entrance. They were all offering trips to Sorrento and Amalfi for about €350, which we declined. They weren't interested in a short fare to Herculaneum.

 

So we just walked past them on the way to the station until one of them ran up to us and said he would take us there for €40, which was only just over €6 per person, so we accepted.

 

On the drive he then offered us the full trip to Sorrento for €180, which we accepted. He also was very talkative and full of information about all the places that we drove past.

 

You can read a full description of our day there on my review below.

 

Roy

[tomko2]

Kathy

 

No, it was just one of the cab drivers that accosted us as we walkd out of the port entrance. They were all offering trips to Sorrento and Amalfi for about €350, which we declined. They weren't interested in a short fare to Herculaneum.

 

So we just walked past them on the way to the station until one of them ran up to us and said he would take us there for €40, which was only just over €6 per person, so we accepted.

 

On the drive he then offered us the full trip to Sorrento for €180, which we accepted. He also was very talkative and full of information about all the places that we drove past.

 

You can read a full description of our day there on my review below.

 

Roy

 

Roy, really enjoy your style of writing! Had already read the episode about the ring and then to see the full review tonight; I knew I was in for a treat.

Thanks for sharing -- you have a great sense of humour and a wonderful sense of what makes people happy.

Kathy