NAPLES ON OUR OWN

You need to reduce your selections as you will not have time to do all that with any depth...

Hi Ron,
Consider me shallow.....???

Ron is right that you have a rather ambitious day planned. Better check opening hours and plan so that you won't be left with a long midday break when what you want to visit is closed. Also, you might consider Herculaneum instead of Pompeii. It's a little closer to Naples and smaller than Pompeii, so maybe easier to squeeze in. One thing I can tell you is that Naples has an extensive public bus, tram and metro system. The problem, when we were there, was that there were no maps to show which lines went where or where the stops were. People had the maddening habit of referring to a bus stop by the name of a building that was actually a couple of blocks away or that had a different official name. We wasted hours just trying to get to the Archaeological Museum, for example, because of that. Maybe things have improved, but I'd be surprised.
I had this thought for you. I know private tour operators do a lot of business with cruise ship passengers. Their prices are usually for a group, not pp. Why not consider getting a group of people to share the cost and book one of them? Your cruise line might even have referrals., or RS might list some in his book.

Shannon, it's really question of logistics... Even though your ship is "in port" from 08:00 - 19:00, as advertised by the cruise line, you may not be ABLE to get off the boat until closer to 08:30-09:00... just depends on when the ship gets clearance from the port authorities. Then, even though the ship departs at 19:00, odds are that the LAST BOARDING may be at 18:00 - so your time is probably less than you realize. Your schedule may run like this: Wait to get off the ship Take tram or taxi from Port to Napoli Centrale, Piazza Garibaldi Wait for the Circumvesuviana train Ride the Circumvesuviana line to Pompeii (30-40 minutes, depending on train) Race through Pompeii... in two hours?? Wait for the Vesuvius bus Catch the bus (Vesuviana Mobilita) to Mount Vesuvius (60-70 minutes) Climb to the top of the Mountain (25-55 minutes depending on where you enter) Climb back down the mountain, perhaps 20-35 minutes. Wait for the Pompeii bus Catch the bus (Vesuviana Mobilita) back to Pompeii (60-70 minutes) Wait for the Circumvesuviana train Ride the Circumvesuviana line from Pompeii back to Naples (30-40 minutes) Wait for the metro or take a taxi to the Museum (Travel to the Museum - maybe 15-30 minutes depending on method). Race through the museum... in less than an hour (I've never done it in less than three) Find the taxi stand and head back to the port (20-30 minutes depending on traffic)

Your public transport time - including climbing up and down the mountain - is perhaps 5 to 5.5 hours (and that's NOT COUNTING the time waiting to make connections). So you'll probably spend a minimum 6 hours in transit (and that's if you hit all your marks). You may have 9 to 9.5 hours off the ship. So that only gives you 3+ hours to explore the Museum, Pompeii, and Mount Vesuvius. Unfortunately, one missed connection and you could be in trouble... I suggest, based on my experiences in the area, a private driver or cutting one option!

I'd skip the Vesuvius part. This is where your schedule could get gummed up if transportation is not on time, etc. If you have to choose between Pompeii and the archaeology museum, go to Pompeii. Save the museum for last so you can skip it if you are running out of time. Check for Sunday opening times at the sites you want to visit. BTW, it is worthwhile paying a guide in Pompeii. The area is huge and the guide can lead you to the main parts with the info you need. It would be helpful to do some homework on Pompeii before you go, so you can better appreciate what you are seeing.

Why not just spend the day in Naples and enjoy the sites and food? It's a large, dense city and there's plenty to do (I'm a big fan). Just look at top 10 things to do on trip advisor or check out a guide book - plenty of awesome sites and museums that can fill an entire day while leaving you time for some leisurely meals (you have to make room for that too unless you grab something to go). It took me almost a full day to do Pompeii, including taking the train there and spending lots of time exploring - so, like others have said, you don't have enough time to do as many things as you'd like.

Thank you all for your input. A private tour sounds like the way to go....

We were there about six months ago and some friends of our hired a taxi for the day and it took them everywhere they wanted to go and waited for them while they toured the sites. I think it was 100 Euros and they paid half up front and half at the end. That might allow you to get everywhere you want to go. Without the taxi, I would skip the mountain or do the mountain and skip Pompeii. Some other friends of ours invested the time in the mountain and it was cloudy so they could not see when they got up there and were dissappointed. So be sure to check the weather forecast. I would also suggest a Pompeii & Sorrento schedule. That would be easy to do with public transportation.

WOW that is a lot cheaper than going with a private tour. I was quote 500E for a car to Vesavius, Pompeii and the museum....they did mention that it would be rushed even with a private tour....oh well...guess I'll have to save up to go again!!
Thanks to all for your help!