Frank

I'd like opinions of the following tour being offered by Carnival Cruises. It the most expensive tour offered in the port of Naples, $249 per person. Anyone familiar with the "motorboats" that take the 1 and a quarter hour sail from Capri to Amalfi? Concerned about rough seas on what I preceive to be small boats.

Thanks.

A description of the tour follows:

Visit two of the most famous places in Italy in one day – the breathtaking Amalfi Coast and beautiful Capri Island.

On this dual excursion you will:

Board a jetfoil for a 45-minute cruise to the wonderful island of Capri.

Take a funicular up to the center of Capri.

Follow your guide to the Augustus Gardens for a spectacular view over Marina Piccola and the Faraglioni rocks.

Spend some time on your own wandering around the numerous elegant boutiques and cafes.

Enjoy a tasty Italian Lunch served with wine at a local restaurant. Return down to the harbor by funicular.

Board a private motorboat for 1¼ hour cruise along the scenic Amalfi Coast.

Pass by the natural protected area of Ieranto Bay and the picturesque village of Positano.

Arrive at Amalfi, situated at the mouth of a deep gorge along the coast. Follow your guide into Amalfi’s main square. Stop to see the magnificent façade of the 12th century cathedral.

Enjoy some time on your own to explore this famous maritime village and take photographs.

Drive above the hills of the Amalfi Coast and the motorway for approximately 1½ hours back to your ship.

Visit the cameo factory if time permits.

Grinisa

Wow, how much more can they cram into that tour? Capri, the Amalfi Coast, Amalfi, the hills AND possibly the cameo factory? If two people are going, in my opinion,$500 is a lot to spend on what is going to be a big blur. I hope this cruise in the height of summer so you have maximum daylight, assuming of course, the ship is in port long enough to do this tour. I would take the hydrofoil to Capri and spend the whole day there. It's still not enough time to see Capri, but you'd get a better, more relaxed daytrip, and it would be far less expensive. You can get two hydrofoil tickets, take a bus or even cab around Capri and have lunch for less than half of what that tour will cost.

The sea between Capri and Naples/Amalfi is notoriously choppy; worse in bad weather but sometimes rough even on a fair day. Hydrofoils aren't too bad but you can still be effected. I don't know what kind of private boats Carnival contracts with on Capri. Another option would be to spend time in Pompeii or Herculaneum or even Naples itself which is a great city to explore in a day.

Frank

Grinisa:

We agree that it seems like alot to cram into 9 or 10 hours, and pretty expensive.

We've already done Naples, Sorento and Pompei, that's why we are considering this tour.

We also have a major concern regarding the "private motorboat".

Thanks for your help.

Anyone else have any opinions?

luv2cthings

We did a cruise stop in Naples three years ago. We concluded that it was easy enough to tour the area on our own, and that the cruise line excursions were not worth the price. We also didn't want to be locked into an itinerary set by someone else. However, we also decided that it was too much for one day to visit the Amalfi coast and also Capri, as much as we wanted to.

We ended up taking the hydrofoil from Naples to Amalfi, an then took the SITA bus from Amalfi to Sorrento, with a lunch stop in Positano. From Sorrento, we took another hydrofoil back to Naples, and had some time in Naples before reboarding the ship.

Anyway, I guess my opinion is that you should plan on a nice day in Capri, or a visit along the Amalfi Coast, but not both.

suec1

While part of me thinks that would be QUITE a day, I think I go along with those that suggest do either the Amalfi Coast or Capri- either with the ship's tours or on your own, depending on your comfort level of negotiating things for yourselves. The seas can be quite rough - we were on a good-sized hydrafoil and many people were getting ill - not fun! You may just want to stay on the coast and take a bus down to Positano and Amalfi. Or wait until the day the boat docks in Naples, check out the seas, and thne decide to go to Capri on your own by hydrafoil. If small boats are not your thing, why ruin your day when there are other ways to enjoy the area? One more suggestion - you may want to go to www.cruisecritic.com and find the board dealing with ports - there may be posts there from someone who has done this shore excursion. Have a wonderful trip!

Frank

Thanks for the responses. Lots of food for thought.

ira

Hi F,

From Naples you can take hydrofoils to Capri.

From Capri, there is ferry service to Positano.

From Positano, take the SITA bus to Sorrento and the Circumvesuviana to Naples Garibaldi station.

From the train station, take the no. 1 trolley to the docks.

You will have a more pleasant day, save nearly $200 pp and you won't have to visit the cameo factory.

Steve_James

Hi Frank - I wouldn't even consider the tour offered if it was free - let alone $250!

There's absolutely NO point in going to the Amalfi Coast if you bypass Positano !!

I second the suggestion to choose either Capri or the Amalfi Coast. Which would you rather see? You cannot do justice to both ...

Steve

Steve_James

Hi Ira - Your itinerary isn't logistically viable by public transport.

Steve

crazyfortravel

I can't imagine taking public transport and doing Capri and the Amalfi Coast in one day...A Hydrofoil, Ferry, Sita Bus and then the train back to Naples. Not sure you would have enough time to enjoy anything in between IMO. I would either do it privately (hire someone locally in Naples) or take the tour offered by the cruise ship if you want to see both.

Personally, I would pick one or the other and do it on my own. I can't stand being shuffled around in a large group...given a limited time to enjoy anything on your own. Lunch will likely be forgettable and most certainly they will cut time down from the best part of the excursion to make sure they have time for the Cameo factory. They get a commission on that bit so it's unlikely they will pass on that opportunity.

I agree that any excursion that bypasses Positano is missing the best of the Amalfi Coast. If they are taking the bus back to Naples, they may have plans to stop at the overlook just outside of town for photo ops..just a glimpse of a beautiful town.

On my two trips to the area, the water wasn't too rough but I understand that it can be at times. The Ferry that we took from Sorrento to Amalfi was not small so we didn't mind the movement...and the Hydrofoil to Capri was great.

Whatever you decide...enjoy!! It's a lovely area.

crazyfortravel

You may want to check out this website:

http://tinyurl.com/325p2m

crazyfortravel

Hi Frank,

Here is another good site
http://tinyurl.com/2pv7xq

If you are traveling with at least one other couple, the prices work out to be quite reasonable.

nevertooold

I learned a long time ago when taking Carnival cruises in the Carabbean - if an excursion is being offered by the ship, you will get something just as good, if not always better, by doing it yourself, and the cost will invariably be at least half.

Forget the excursion and do your own planning, AND INCLUDE POSITANO!!!!!

Also, just as an aside, I found that these ship-arranged tours often waste a good deal of time in rounding up the cattle - I mean passengers- as they hurriedly go from one location to the next.

Frank

Thanks for all the suggestions.

We're only going to be 2 people, so a private tour will end up costing more than the cruise tour, particularly when you include lunch.

We're not comfortable with public transportation, particularly considering the short time in port.

The obvious advantage with the cruise tour is not having to worry about missing the ship, particularly considering the next day is a sea day and than on to Dubrovnik.

We may decide to just do Capri on our own, but we have some time to sort it all out.

Thanks again.

ira

Hi SJ,

>Hi Ira - Your itinerary isn't logistically viable by public transport.

Which part won't work?

Steve_James

Frank - 'Public transport' to Capri really couldn't be easier - trust us

Do it independantly and you will save $300 ++

You can find hydrofoil (- aliscafi) timetables between Naples and Capri on:

http://www.capri.net/salsa/lang/en/page/transport.html

(Check for current timetables just before you go - services are more frequent in high season)).

They leave from Molo Beverello dock - close to where the cruise ships dock.
Fare: € 16 each way.

A funicular in Capri takes you up into Capri town.

Catch the bus directly from the port up to Anacapri if you wish to take the chairlift ride.

Taxis are available if you prefer ...

Steve

knoxvillecouple

Frank - another suggestion that you go to CruiseCritic dot com and check out others who have experience with ship-sponsored excursions (including Carnival I'd imagine, although we were on Celebrity) as well as independent excursions. You can also check on the roll call for your cruise and see if there are others who might like to combine with you on an independent excursion to do what YOU want to do (not what the ship's excursion does necessarily) and thereby lower your cost.

When we were docked in Naples on our cruise in June 2006, we "did" Pompeii and Amalfi Coast but not Capri (DW and I had spent a couple of nights on Capri in 2005) independently. We were joined by our daughter and my sister - total cost (not counting the private guide at Pompeii) was on the order of 500€ - a per/person basis of 125€ - quite a bit less than your $250, even at todays rate of exchange.

Hope this helps.

Sam

Frank

Thanks for all the responses.

I did try cruise critic, didn't come up with much. Nothing beats Fodors for travel info. Guess that's why I've been on and off these boards for more than 10 years.

Ciao!