Cruise ship docks at Naples for 12 hours.

Is there time to visit the Amalfi coast, and near by towns?

Some of the A.C. towns? Yes. Other "nearby" towns? Maybe not. While I'm not usually a fan of escorted tours, this is an exception where I would absolutely recommend booking one. The Amalfi Coast is not a particularly quick or easy place to get around via public transit if not staying in the region and/or having to be back to the ship by a certain hour. You will be visiting during high season when the transit systems will be very, very busy.

How much you can do in a day depends on what your tour company can provide and still get you back onboard on time. Still, you should book a tour which does NOT cover so many towns that you end up spending all day on a bus.

This is time when a ship excursion to the Amalfi coast might make some sense. Traffic along the Amalfi coast can be very congested and unpredictable as to time. Traffic delays on a summer day are very common. The cruise ship will not wait for a private individual or a private tour to return. I have seen people left standing on the dock and came very close once ourselves. They do wait for their own excursions. On your own I would not go beyond Pompeii.

Have you been to Pompeii? Organized tour for peace of mind. Time: 1/2-3/4 day with lunch. While the Amalfi coast is beautiful from the sea, it requires more than 12 hours for a true experience. However, a private guide and driver may assist if you have specific plans.

Reply 1 is correct. The only independent excursion that is safe is Pompeii. Sorrento is also safe but it’s not unmissable unless you are a rained-on Brit who asked on Trip Advisor Sorrento, “How much is a Pint?” You cannot imagine how slow the traffic is on the two-lane AC, and you need an excursion the ship MUST wait for.

Another vote for Pompeii. That one can be done independently by train, hired driver or tour from Naples without too much ado but it's not on the Amalfi Coast.

If you've never been to Naples, consider the Archaeology Museum. If choosing between that or Pompeii, I'd choose the Museum.

My wife and I just stayed in Salerno and did one day trip to Positano. The time flew by WAY too quickly.

As your ship docks in downtown Naples, suggest that you hire a guide for a tour that includes Pompeii and the Archeology Museum. That can easily be completed in a day and have you back to your ship in plenty of time.

Great suggestion, Ed and Evan, except our OP will be in Naples on a Tuesday and the archeological museum is unfortunately closed on Tuesdays. :O(

...ship excursion...might make some sense. Traffic...very congested and unpredictable...delays...very common. ... ship will not wait for a private individual or a private tour to return. I have seen people left standing on the dock...they do wait for their own excursions.

Frank is spot on about Naples traffic. We've been there on several cruises and have encounter traffic delays every single time both in the morning and afternoon. We've also seen folks running along the pier as the ship was departing. Not sure what it cost them to meet the ship in the next port. Just food for thought.

Option 1: Take a ferry to Capri.
Option 2: Go to Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Option 3: you may be able to take a ferry from Naples to Positano and see that one city.

I wouldn't try to go to the Amalfi Coastby land. You will spend too much time trying to get there and back and too little time to enjoy beautiful cities.

Since the museum is closed on Tuesdays, i would visit Pompeii / Herculaneum on my own. Then explore and enjoy Naples.

Sorrento is my favorite place in Italy but i would save it and the AC for another trip.
10-12 hrs is not enough time to do it justice as another poster said. Save it for another trip.

I would not recommend a ferry either. In July afternoon thunderstorms on the bay and really disrupt the ferry schedules. There is lots to see in Naples so don't short change it.

You can't do the Amalfi Coast on your own. Take a tour. You can do Pompeii on your own, just watch for pickpockets.

There are no pickpockets in Pompeii. So not sure why that warning other than a general caution for all of Italy and elsewhere.

Yes, but getting to Pompeii if you use the train is another matter.

The same cautions one should take on the Circumvesuviana are the same cautions one should take in-and-around busy tourist magnets and on crowded public transit elsewhere in Italy. Shoot, the train stations in the CT when we were there all had warning signs to keep a grip on the goodies. Take the precautions, no problem.

Years ago we took the ferry to Sorrento toured around; it's a small town. Then we took the ferry from there to Capri and then back to the ship. We had plenty of time and also toured Anacapri. Very doable...
Jean

I appreciate jeanh' first-hand report. But three ferries is really rolling the dice for a 12-hour port stop. What if you stand at the wrong ferry slip (there are a dozen in Capri and Sorrento), or misjudge the walk back and have to take a later ferry? What if it's a little rough and the ferry departure is delayed on Capri? Capri is a long way from Naples, and even from Sorrento. I would also comment that 2 hours at Pompeii is "too short", but it's fair to say you "saw" Pompeii. 2 hours on Capri is barely enough time to get to Annacapri, turn around, and come back. And unlike Pompeii, Capri is very hilly and highly pedestrianized. You can't just hail a taxi when your watch shows 3:00 PM!

Is your Naples stop a pier or a tender stop? It could take a while to get off the ship, if you aren't in the Imperial Penthouse Priority Suite category. I don't know how far it is from your cruise ship location to the Capri or Sorrento ferry pier. It's always hard to tie a cruise company down to a specific port location, before departure. (We've been on 9 ocean cruises.)

If one of the excursions via the ship is a drive along the coast toward Ravello (and even better it it includes lunch in Ravello, and then a trip back by boat, that would be the one for which I would sign up. And, of course, it would be assumed that if the case of bad weather the excursion would have a back-up plan of a return by bus (instead of boat).

Pompeii is a do-not-miss for those visiting the area, but I would have to think long and hard about going there in July, when it could be gawd-awful hot and dusty. We visited in early March when we went, and I would not want to have had it any warmer that day.

But, if there is a super-early-out excursion to Pompeii where you would see some of the highlights well before maybe 11 am., then yep, do that if you would like to see Pompeii. But wear a good sun-protection shirt and hat. And, if you do a morning excursion like that, maybe combine with another afternoon selection that appeals to you.

Enjoy! It is a lovely area.

Oh, and if you do a bus along the Amalfi, snag a seat on the left as you enter the bus, so you will have the best view heading from Naples to Ravello.

We booked a private tour through Viator for the Amalfi Coast a few years ago and had plenty of time to get back to the ship-I believe our stay wasn't quite 12 hours. We've never taken a private tour where the tour operators weren't very aware of the ship's schedule. I wouldn't recommend trying Pompeii AND Amalfi as then both places will be rushed. I found the drive through Amalfi amusing as a first time visitor just because of the wacky traffic situation. The views are amazing and it will likely turn the coast into a bucket list item for a longer visit in the future.