Please help with choosing a shore excursion

On one cruise stop in Naples we were able to do Pompeii in the morning and Herculaneum in the afternoon. You might want to double check and see if your cruise lines offers a similar option. If you can only do one Pompeii is the better -- just my opinion of course.

I think Pompeii is more interesting because of it's total size. While roofs may have burned the stone walls are still there. Pompeii is very exposed so prepare for a lot of sun even in October.

Thank you TC, Frank, and Denny for your prompt reply. We really appreciate those impressions from people who have been to both.

I have only been to Herculaneum but I chose it over Pompeii because it is smaller and very easy to walk around for a few hours. It was not crowded at all in April and it is extremely well-preserved. It's a fascinating spot.

Both are equally worthwhile for different reasons which makes it difficult to choose one over the other imo. If I had to choose one, I'd say Herculaneum. It is so much better preserved... you still see restaurants with ceramic pots in place, two story house with wood beams and wood dining table still in place, public toilets, public laundry with a mill that donkeys would turn to wash clothes, etc. You will see none of that at Pompeii. At Herculaneum you also see where the dock used to be and where they discovered (sometime in the last 15 yrs?) hundreds of people that gathered together to escape death but did die and historians were able to learn so much from the discovery (PBS did a fascinating documentary about the discovery). Herculaneum comes more to life for me, easy to imagine people living their lives there. Pompeii, you need more imagination. But I still love Pompeii... So hard to choose one over the other.

I was in Herculaneum only yesterday, and have been to Pompei twice, including last year. (BTW, used the audioguide at Herculaneum as suggested by RS, which was a great tool for understanding the site.)
I have to vote for Pompeii, because of size; an entire city vanquished by a volcano, somehow the magnitude makes the devastation more real. Herculaneum is much smaller, about a two-hour visit is adequate, closer to the Naples port, and the far fewer people visiting.

If you don't want to do a ship excursion, and you are docking at Naples, there are two ways to go that are convenient- one way to go to either is a taxi and the fares are published. Plenty of taxis will take you there for about 100 euros with time to look around. Establish, as always, how long you will have to visit the site and total price before getting in.
Herculaneum is closer , so less $$.There is a signboard with taxi rates in the parking lot when you exit port security.
Another way is a smallish bus that goes south of Naplles for about 15-20-25 euros round trip-- this is NOT the hop on hop off for Naples, but it is parked and has their shills next to the vendors for the hop on hop off, in the passenger area of parking lot as you walk towards the street once you have left the port terminal.You can chose Pompeii, or Pompeii and Vesuvius, or Sorrento- for about 15-20-25 euros, depending on the combination you select. Really easy but they do wait till the bus is full enough to make it worthwhile. Both are decent alternatives to the walk or bus to the train, and far less than a shore excursion.

Thank you also Valerie, Susan and Melissa. You all have given me lots to think about. Melissa, your advice on going on our own rather than a shore excursion was very well done. We might have tried it, but we are docking in Sorrento.

My wife and I went to both on the same day in 2007. We were staying in Sorrento and nothing could be easier than hopping on the Circumvesuviana train. Depending upon how long you are in port you could easily do both on your own, be able to linger as long as you want, and probably save a nice chunk of money. If I had to choose I would choose Pompeii. Herculaneum is a good stop but Pompeii is amazing. Herculaneum is a short walk from the train station, maybe a hundred yards or two hundred. Pompeii is right by the train station. We always try and figure out in which ports an organized excursion is necessary, and if you are docking in Sorrento, I would definitely say this is one you can easily do on your own. But, if you value the guided tour aspects a lot then go for it. I usually prefer to explore on my own and stay as long as I want, but that's just my preference.

VS, I'm tempted to give your idea a try. We have traveled a lot on our own, so I'm not intimidated by the idea. We too like the idea of being in charge of our own schedule. However, since we've never cruised before, I don't exactly know how this will work. This trip comes near the end of our cruise, so maybe I'll make a reservation and cancel it if I figure out the system and know how long we will be in port. For some reason, I get the idea they won't wait for us if we don't return in time. LOL

Go to cruisecritic.com and under community find the roll call for your cruise. There you can sign up and get to know some of your fellow cruisers. Some are getting groups of 8 or less together to save money on transportation to sites at the ports where you will be stopping. It's free and fun even if you don't join in on some of the shared excursions.

Normally I don't recommend self-done out of town trips on a port day, but Pomp or Herc from Sorrento is entirely practical. Because Herc is a 15-minute downhill walk from the station, and because I like it better, I vote for Pompeii. Also Pomp has fast food inside, and Herc doesn't.

The hardest part is tender-pier to the Sorrento Circumvesuviana station, but you might be in synch with the public bus, and if not, you have saved so much money you can take a cab. It's actually walkable, if you have time. Elevator from port to upper Sorrento if on foot.

Don't make the mistake of thinking you can see "all" of Herculaneum because "it's smaller." Most of it is still buried, under the modern city. Rick points out that Pompeii must have had a Synagogue - it just hasn't been found!