Naples Cruise Stop

Leo, I just returned from Amalfi Coast June 22. A friend and her husband traveled with me. We based in Sorrento 11 days while we toured Capri, Naples, Pompeii, Paestum, Amalfi Drive, which included Positano, Amalfi and Ravello. Capri was the favorite of all of us, esp AnaCapri. We toured Amalfi Coast Drive with Rick's recommended Monetti Taxi. We were greatly disappointed. I thought we had Rafaelle as we booked many months before; however, he sent his father, who talked too much, stopped to have us read articles about stars who come to Amalfi, and insisted on a restaurant in Ravello where food/service were not good!!
I recommend another driver we used on other ventures. He is wonderful and pleasant. His name is Mariano Fiorentino of Pleasant Travel...www.pleasantravel.com. You can email him, tell him what you want, and he will give you a price. He has a great AC van and drives carefully. He will meet you in Naples...anywhere. He was our favorite of 3 different drivers we hired.
Good luck!

Leo, I was in Naples (cruise) last November. Because I walk with a cane, I decided against Pompeii. I went with a small group to the Archeological Museum in Naples. It contains many of the finest mosaics from Pompeii, as well as items from other archeological digs. We spent 3 hours in the museum with a private guide. I truly enjoyed seeing everything in the museum. You might find other ideas on CruiseCritic. I don't remember seeing tour operators on the dock, but a lot of taxi drivers were willing to take you places (just don't sit in the front seat--you don't want to watch!).

David

Thanks, David.

Hm, I wonder if we can just hire a driver for us who will stay with us for the whole day

Leo -

Capri is hardly overrated, and though mountainous, should not be that difficult to traverse if you have a cane. They have a nice local bus to take you up to Anacapri. We liked what we saw there, especially the ten minute ski lift that takes you to the very highest part of the isle.

A personal driver could work out for you if you want to go all the way down to the Amalfi Coast, which could be about a two hour drive. Pompei and the Naples Museum are very good options, as would be Herculaneum, though to really see either of the ruined cities, even with a guide, is a difficult walk. The original streets are particularly rough to walk on even without a cane. A cab ride would get you to the museum, but another to the main train station to take the local Circumvisuviano local train gets you to both ancient sights easily. However, while Pompei is a decent and relatively easy walk from the train, Herculaneum is NOT.

Sound like you want something easy. Two easy choices -- train to Pompeii or the ferry to Capri. Capri will be more expensive because of the boat than the train. I have no idea nor do you when someone says something is overrated. Maybe it didn't meet their unrealistic expectations. We liked Capri. And we have always had good luck hiring a taxi driver for the day.

My wife and I have been to Capri about 4 times in the past 9 years. It is always worth visiting just for the beauty. The last time we visited we were on a cruise which ported in Naples. We walked from the cruise dock to the end of the pier and bought tickets for the hydrofoil from Naples to Capri round trip. The ride is about 45 minutes, very comfortable and enclosed. We arrived in Capri about 11:00 am had lunch at a nice pizzeria, then walked around the island enjoying the day. The scenery is beautiful and the shops are full of tourist so you'll fit right in. I highly recommend Capri for a fun day on your own. If you catch the 5:00 pm hydrofoil from Capri back to Naples you will be back on your ship by 6:00 pm. By the way you will not only a great time but you will save a lot of money. The excursion from the ship is highly over priced and they will not do anything other than you will do on your own. Have a great time.

Greg

We did part of the Amalfi Coast by boat getting off in Positano then taking the bus back to Sorrento. From Sorrento you can take the train or boat back to Naples port. Our first trip to Naples we took the train to Pompeii, Sorrento and boat from Sorrento to Capri...from there we took a boat back to the port. I'm with you no matter what we paid in wasn't anywhere near the ship price, and seen much more