leahrotella

You did not say what the cost is, but instead of booking through Celebrity, try booking with a local guide. Many times, the price will be lower and you can customize what you want to do and see...like lunch.

 

Go to the coast first and enjoy the sites. Eat lunch before heading to Pompeii. Do Pompeii last as it is closer to the cruise port. There is a cafe at Pompeii that is OK, but I would try for something that is less touristy. You can ask a private guide for a recommendation and he can book the restaurant and time. We enjoy www.latagliata.com outside of Positano.

Hello. Thank you, too, for your response. We are not interested in changing our excursion at this time. We are interested in La Tagliata though, if it can be accommodated. I've heard great things from a number of people!

As frequently discussed here, the taxi stand and the bus stop in Oia are directly across the street from each other. A few years ago the taxi was 20 euros. The bus, I believe, was about 2 or 3 euros per person. We took a taxi because when we arrived at the stop, the bus was still 15 or 20 minutes away, and the taxi was sitting there available.

Thank you for sharing. The boards are a bit overwhelming for a newbie, so I appreciate you responding again. We get married in a few days then it's off on the honeymoon! Can't wait to finally visit Santorini.

Just some advice having done multiple excursions at this port and visited all the sites you mentioned, you are going to spend a lot of time driving on the itinerary and by only going to Positano will be missing out on a lot of the beauty of the Amalfi Coast. I would recommend focusing your day on the Amalfi Coast itself. You could visit Positano, Amalfi and Ravello. We did this last year with a private car and had a fantastic day. It was around 8-9 hours and while it was a bit rushed we got to see a lot. We spent about 90 minutes in Positano with time to wander all the way down to the beach and do some shopping. We had lunch for an hour in Amalfi at a lovely seaside restaurant called Lido Azzurro with some fresh fish and then had about 30 minutes to wander the main square area. And then we had about 2 hours in Ravello which gave us plenty of time to explore the beautiful gardens of Villa Rufalo with its magnificent views out to the sea. Our driver guide was great giving us lots of info on the way and making stops wherever we wanted, and there were a number of those due to amazing views along the Amalfi Coast road. We used RomeInLimo for that day. It cost us 500 Euro for the day plus tip. Not sure how much Celebrity is charging for the private car. Just a suggestion for you. Pompeii is wonderful and Sorrento is nice but trying to cram that all in one day with the Coast is exhausting.

 

 

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Thanks for your response! I do understand where you're coming from but, respectfully, we're not going to change our plans at this time, as we get married in a few days and then it's off on the honeymoon. Interestingly, we actually got this for cheaper than what you mention when Celebrity had a sale. The husband-to-be really wants to do Pompeii. I've been to the Coast before (Sorrento/Capri) and would enjoy going back, so this fit the bill for us. We don't mind the driving... just trying to figure out lunch! Ravello is definitely on my short list for my next time though!

Tour operators like "Rome in Limo" (not limo in rome, btw) will have preset private excursions just like Celebrity for a much better price. Chances are pretty good that Celebrity is contracting out to one of these operators.

 

Big operators will get you back to the ship in time, as they stake their reputation on it.

 

Personally, I would skip Sorrento & concentrate more on Amalfi Coast & Positano. Sorrento has its charm, but it's nothing compared to Positano or Ravello. Trying to fit too much into one day might mean that you don't get to enjoy any of it. :) Enjoy your trip!

Thanks for your response! I do understand where you're coming from but, respectfully, we're not going to change our plans at this time. We get married in a few days and then it's off on the honeymoon. Just trying to figure out lunch for now! Ravello is definitely on my short list for my next time on the Coast though. I've posted this on the Celebrity threads with hopes someone can respond about this particular excursion.

Has anyone booked this excursion before? It's on the pricier side, but the idea of having a private car on our honeymoon for our most anticipated port wasn't worth passing up. We'll be able to do Positano, Sorrento, and Pompeii in one day.

The excursion doesn't include lunch. For anyone who has done this, are we able to request a specific restaurant to stop at in Positano? Do you think our driver can call on our behalf to make reservations? Any way of tackling this in advance or we just have to wait for the day we're in port? Is there an excursions phone number/e-mail to contact? Thank you in advance!

Thank you both for your response! We'll shoot to be back in Fira by 3 and will gauge how the lines look. We could always wander there a bit if there's no rush getting down.

We definitely want something both cost and time effective. Are the taxis from Fira to Oia reasonably priced? Easy to find?

Have you checked the cost of this excursion vs. the cost of hiring a car service on your own? There are several that are highly recommended by members here, you might want to check just for your own peace of mind.

 

If you are hiring a private car and driver there should be absolutely no reason why you can't stop anywhere you want along the way, for as long as you want.

Thanks for your response. We did consider that briefly, but felt comfortable enough splurging for this through Celebrity since we're new-ish to cruising and really like the itinerary; we didn't want the extra stress of finding a private car and building out an itinerary on our own. Just curious about this particular excursion and lunch options!

Has anyone booked this excursion before? It's on the pricier side, but the idea of having a private car on our honeymoon for our most anticipated port wasn't worth passing up. We'll be able to do Positano, Sorrento, and Pompeii in one day.

The excursion doesn't include lunch. For anyone who has done this, are we able to request a specific restaurant to stop at in Positano? Do you think our driver can call on our behalf to make reservations? Any way of tackling this in advance or we just have to wait for the day we're in port? Thank you in advance!

Hi all,

We've booked a morning-only excursion with Celebrity which will drop us back off in Fira around 11:30 am. We'd like to make it to Oia on our own and then back to Fira in time to take the cable car down and the tender to the ship for a 6:00 departure. Around what time should we be heading back to Fira from Oia to ensure we've got enough time to make it to the ship?

What are the best options to get to Oia from Fira? I've seen mention of buses... taxes... ATVs... but it's all so overwhelming! Thank you in advance for your assistance.