pompei and sorrento vs. pompei and amalfi coast

We are booked on Celebrity Constellation for next May for their eastern Med.cruise. We are ancient history buffs, so Pompei is a given. What I'm not sure of is if we should do Celebrity's shore excursion that combines Pompeii with Sorrento or the Amalfi coast drive. Any thoughts or comments on cruisers who have done this itinerary?

We are booked on Celebrity Constellation for next May for their eastern Med.cruise. We are ancient history buffs, so Pompei is a given. What I'm not sure of is if we should do Celebrity's shore excursion that combines Pompeii with Sorrento or the Amalfi coast drive. Any thoughts or comments on cruisers who have done this itinerary?

We never book cruise line tours so can't give any information on a specific tour, but the 2 you mention are pretty different once beyond Pomepei. Sorrento is a fun town--actually a small city--and we have been there many times. Nice to walk, visit a cafe or two, soak in the atmosphere. Not sure how that would be on an organized tour but probably shopping would be included.

The Amalfi is a whole different story. A string of mostly small towns along the most beautiful stretch of coastline we have encountered anywhere. Riding on Amalfi drive in a big bus is an experience in itself.

As for Pompei, we found Herculaneum much more to our liking....less crowded and less tourist oriented.

We used an independent tour company last summer, cantbemissedtours.com which was recommended by Rick Steves in his Mediterranean Cruise book. We took a small tour bus (about half the size of the usual large tour buses) along the Amalfi coast, then had lunch in Sorrento with a little time for shopping, then back toward Naples and spent a few hours in Pompeii.

JoAnn

When we visited Naples last all of three sites you mentioned were included with our tour booked with Rome in a Limo. We spent the morning at the Pompeii and it was excellent. In the early afternoon we spent an hour on are own in Sorrento and then went to a wonderful restaurant for lunch. After lunch we drove to Positano and explored this town for another hour. The drive along the Amalfi coast was beautiful and memorable. We will be repeating this on our upcoming cruise.

Hope this helps.

As for Pompei, we found Herculaneum much more to our liking....less crowded and less tourist oriented.

I found Herculaneum also a great excursion - it was a richer town than Pompeii - the history about it is really wonderful. This is the one I would recommend.

we hired a private driver and did Herculaneum in the morning then the Amalfi coast in the afternoon. Depends on how much time you have (which port are you stopping at and how much time do you have in port?). I chose herculaneum over pompeii and the amalfi coast over sorrento (on the amalfi coast drive you can stop in one or two little towns for a bit)

we barely made it back to the ship on time because of the traffic on the amalfi coast.

I would choose pompeii over the amalfi coast because I like ancient things and it could be a once in a lifetime opportunity.

The best way to witness the staggering beauty of the Amalfi Coast is by boat. Depending on what time of day the ship leaves (and if you'll be traveling south), if you will be leaving and going south, then you will have a spectacular view of the Amalfi Coast.

If that is not the case, then I would suggest taking the land tour of the Amalfi Coast for the scenery from the road. Although, Sorrento is my favorite small city in the world, if you may not return for awhile, it would be important to see the beauty of the Amalfi Coast as a "must see" over one city there. Sorrento is part of the Amalfi Coast with Positano and Amalfi the other two cities of that region.

We are booked on Celebrity Constellation for next May for their eastern Med.cruise. We are ancient history buffs, so Pompei is a given. What I'm not sure of is if we should do Celebrity's shore excursion that combines Pompeii with Sorrento or the Amalfi coast drive. Any thoughts or comments on cruisers who have done this itinerary?

You'll get more help on the Mediterranean / Italy ports board.

Stuart

should do Celebrity's shore excursion that combines Pompeii with Sorrento or the Amalfi coast drive. Any thoughts or comments on cruisers who have done this itinerary?

I haven't done a cruise there but have been there on a land-based vacation. Frankly, I would not to a ship sponsored excursion there. If your ship is docking in Naples, it is very easy to go to Pompeii on your own, and also easy to take a ferry to Sorrento on your own. If your ship is docking at Salerno, it will be very easy to tour the Amalfi Coast, but I'd hire a private driver, rather than end up on a big bus with a big group.

Sorrento is part of the Amalfi Coast with Positano and Amalfi the other two cities of that region.

Not exactly correct. The Amalfi Coast is the southern coast of the Sorrentine Peninsula, and includes the towns of Positano, Praiano, Amalfi, and Ravello. Sorrento is on the northern coast of the peninsula, not part of the actual Amalfi Coast.

I think it basically boils down to whether you prefer to have time to stroll and shop (Sorrento) or spend a few hours driving some spectacular scenery with a taste of a town or two (Amalfi Coast). Both are terrific choices--go with what you like to do. Enjoy!

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A few years ago, we were on the Solstice and we did a ship sponsored tour of the Almafi coast by boat. This beats the bus tour hands down. You also get about an hour to spend right in the town of Almafi. We are doing the same tour this October when we are on the Equinox.

We are booked on Celebrity Constellation for next May for their eastern Med.cruise. We are ancient history buffs, so Pompei is a given. What I'm not sure of is if we should do Celebrity's shore excursion that combines Pompeii with Sorrento or the Amalfi coast drive. Any thoughts or comments on cruisers who have done this itinerary?

If you truly are history buffs, you would be better served to do a half day at Pompeii... and a half day at Herculaneum. Absolutely unbelievable experience. :)

Save Sorrento/Amalfi coast for a separate day, and give each the attention they deserve. ;)

Do NOT do the tour with Celebrity, but find an independent operator and share the BETTER experience, with FEWER people, for LESS money, with some of your fellow CC people on your roll call. :cool:

Thanks so much for all the advice! Something to think about. We decided to do ship excursion out of Naples, because we have heard so much about the traffic on the Amalfi coast. We don't want to take any chances on missing the boat.

There are some issues to be considered if one is visiting the Amalfi Coast (we have vacationed there a few times). The don't miss cities are Positano, Ravello, and Amalfi (in that order of preference). Cruise ship excursions cannot take you into Positano because tour buses are not permitted down into the city. And most cruise line excursions do not go to Ravello (which is a darn shame). So, if you enjoy riding in a bus and seeing the world through your window, then by all means take a large bus excursion.

Many of the decent private tours will take you in a car or van (so you can actually go into Positano) and give you a decent tour of the Amalfi Coast. We think the best tours will then take you up to Ravello (we love this town) and then go back to Naples via the fast Autostrade (avoiding having to backtrack along the Amalfi Drive). For those of us comfortable driving in Italy, it is possible to rent a car in Naples and drive ourselves...although parking in Positano is a real hassle.

Hank

P.S. The fact that I failed to mention Sorrento was no accident :)

A couple of years ago, we hired a private car for 4 people for a tour of the Amalfi Coast (in the AM) and Pompeii (in the PM). We were schedule to drive through Positiano, stop in Amalfi for lunch and then have a quick stop in Ravello before proceeding to Pompeii. We docked on a Sunday morning in the summer, and traffic in and around Naples and on the Amalfi Coast drive was horrendous. Bumper to bumper traffic and very slow. We didn't have as much time for lunch and in Amalfi/Ravello as we would have liked because we were 1 - 2 hours behind schedule. By the time we got to Pompeii, we only had time for a very quick tour (~ 1 hour) before we had to return to the ship. However, we did it all.

If Pompeii is your must see, then schedule it first so your time won't get cut short. Choosing a ship's tour ensures that you won't be left behind, but you won't have the flexibility in the schedule, in case you want to stay someplace longer.

Enjoy your trip!

We have not been to Pompeii or Herculaneum so we cannot comment on those tours. We have spent a day touring the Amalfi Coast, so I do have a few comments:

1. The Amalfi Coast towns going outbound from Sorrento in order are Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello. The view from Ravello is spectacular on a nice day.

2. The traffic can be horrendous, especially going up to Ravello. A bus will have a difficult time getting around and you will waste a lot of time unless you go on a private tour in a van or car. We used Benvenuto Limos and were very pleased. http://www.benvenutolimos.com

3. There are a number of quaint restaurants with great views and wonderful food in Positano. A stop at one of these restaurants is usually part of a private tour.

4. More than likely a combined tour of the Amalfi Coast with Pompeii or Herculaneum will only include an abbreviated tour of the Amalfi Coast, perhaps only visiting Positano. However, you will get a taste of both the volcanic sites and the Amalfi Coast.

Below are a few photos of the Amalfi Coast on a day that was still cloudy after a major storm the prior evening.

A typical Amalfi Coast roadside produce stand

Views from Ravello

Town square at Ravello

Tower at Villa Rufolo in Ravello

View from Trattoria La Tagliata in Positano

We did Celebrity's Amalfi Coast by Boat and Pompei tour and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The boat ride to the small town of Amalfi is from Salerno. The boat ride is fantastic, with spectacular views of the scenic coastline. The town of Almalfi is a real treat. Situated in a very narrow and steep gorge, it is very quaint and picturesque. After a nice lunch at a restaurant near the entrance of Pompei, we enjoyed several hours touring the incredible ruins and marveled at how large the city actually was and how sophisticated the construction techniques were. The fact that so many people lost their lives here was a thought that was never far away. However, the care given to the ruins pays appropriate homage to them.

I may be in the minority, but I am completely pleased with our decision to have taken the tour through Celebrity. On half the stops on this itinerary we hired our own private guides. But this tour was fine as a Celebrity sponsored tour.

Town of Almalfi from boat:

Only street in Almalfi:

Almalfi Church:

Pompei Square:

Street in Pompei:

Pompei Artifacts:

We rarely do ship excursions, and we didn't in Naples either. We booked a very good private tour with several other couples from our roll call which went to Pompeii first (before the crowds), then toured along the stunning Amalfi Coast, with lunch on our own in Ravello (we could have chosen to eat as a group). We had a brief stop in Amalfi and an hour or so in Positano.

Then we zipped back on the freeway to Sorrento, where we had about 45 minutes to wander the streets and have a gelato before taking the ferry back to Naples--this was an awesome way to end a great day. It's a lot to see in a one day tour, but I was glad we hit the highlights.

Last October we were on Reflection with a stop in Naples. Pompeii has always been on my bucket list so there was not doubt about us going there. On TripAdvisor I found See Amalfi Coast Tours (seeamalficoast dot com) and found the perfect excursion for us and 6 new CC friends. We had the best day of our 12 day cruise. We were met at the pier right on time and headed to Pompeii. We spent several hours there with a wonderful guide then headed for the Amalfi Coast. Our beautiful drive had a stop at Trattoria La Tagliata, above Positano, for one of the most amazing meals we had ever had. With full stomachs we headed to Sorrento for about an hour to look around and a stop for some vino and wifi. We were back in Naples with plenty of time before sail away. No worries at all.

I've never attached pictures here so I hope these come out ok!

Thanks so much for all of this helpful info. It has really helped us to decide. Love this site!

We have a group of four sailing on the Connie in May next year, stopping in Naples. We have already toured Pompeii on previous trips and haven't decided what we wanted to do. Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences and pictures they will definitely help us make a decision.

To expand a little on my earlier post.

We've done this area about 10 times I guess. When speaking of the Amalfi, I would rate our experiences, by preference:

1) Small private tour van

2) Doing the public buses (the blue SITA buses). They go through every town and you can stop where you please (although it is NOT a HOHO bus)

3) Driving the Amalfi yourself (its the excitement factor, LOL, and you can stop wherever--well, where there is parking)

4) Seeing from the water (it is a different experience but you miss the jaw dropping views from above)

I'd like to reiterate Hank's recommendation for a small group tour.

Your Roll Call and the Destinations boards will provide you with all the information you need for the perfect day.

It is a fact that the large excursion busses cannot access every delightful stop along the coast and you will waste more time shopping than seeing.

IF any of the recommended vendors have failed to return their guests back to the ship it would make huge headlines here on Cruise Critic. We were close in Livorno once but our driver kept in touch with the ship and we made the sailing. That's probably as close as any reported on these boards in years.

We have a group of four sailing on the Connie in May next year, stopping in Naples. We have already toured Pompeii on previous trips and haven't decided what we wanted to do. Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences and pictures they will definitely help us make a decision.

Also in the spirit of reiterating what others have contributed, as you've done Pompeii, I'd encourage you to consider Herculaneum because the way the volcanic ash buried that city, it caused everything to be better preserved. When you walk through it, you can experience rooms with art and objects--it's much easier to visualize than Pompeii. It is a lot smaller and has more shade, too. Herculaneum (Ercolano on the Naples-Sorrento Circumvesuviana train line) is a pleasant stop that can be done in a few hours, so you can easily split your day with Amalfi coast, Sorrento, Capri, etc.

Cheers, all! What a rich part of the world to explore...so much to see, too little time!

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Sorrento is the Almalfi coast!!!!! Why not spend time enjoying the views, sipping coffee, eating at one of the delightful restaurants and take it in rather than viewing everything from a car? I lived in Italy for ten years.... Sorrento is without a doubt the most beautiful city I visited during my time there!

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