mapleleaves

The views from the ferry really were spectacular ,,,,, as you leave Positano you're looking at the beach and the town and then all of a sudden you're drawn to all the homes further up in the mountains. Quite stunning. If you enjoy the sea, I believe you can do the Amalfi Coast via ferry from Naples. Skip a tour entirely. Perhaps cruisemom or euro cruiser can provide that info. Ravello is a bit in-land, so you would need a car, taxi, bus for that portion. I used Aldo Limo. They were good to work with as we sorted out the itinerary, and the driver was good about knowing photo ops and local info, and was always willing to stop. I knew ahead of time that drivers might take you to restaurants, shops or factories where they get a cut, so I shouldn't have agreed to the lunch idea. I still hold it against the driver though !

This was my experience from Sept 2019. There were 4 of us (mid 60's to mid 70's). We wanted to see Pompeii AND the Amalfi Coast, but there's only so much you can do in a day! We decided that the Amalfi Coast was our priority, and chose a private tour so that we could decide the itinerary. 400E. I had been to Cinque Terre previously and the highlight for me was viewing the villages from the sea, so we added a ferry to our Amalfi trip. The vendor suggested an early start to avoid as much traffic as possible, so we met our driver at 7:30am. We made several stops for photos along the way to our first destination, Positano. No crowds at all and we loved it ! Spent about 90 minutes there, then hopped on a Travelmar ferry to Amalfi. It was a beautiful day and the ferry ride was spectacular. We spent about 90 minutes in Amalfi then met our driver. Amalfi was getting crowded, esp around the cathedral. I wanted to sightsee and grab a quick lunch, but the driver suggested a nice restaurant outside Ravello. The others liked his idea so that's what we did. The meal was so-so but the views were great. We spent about 90 minutes in Ravello. Not many people around. The views from the Villa Rufalo were awesome. Best photos of the trip. We didn't retrace our steps back to Naples; went the back way thru the mountains. It was a fantastic day! I would encourage you to do some research on the various towns of the Amalfi Coast and come up with an itinerary that suits your interests. Borrow guide books from the library, view video on YouTube. Visit the Amalfi Coast Italy - Amalfi Coast Travel guide (amalfitanacoast.com)

Odd that the tour companies didn't offer you a private option. Some vendor names I've saved from past trip reports include: Joe Banana Limos, Rome in Limo, ItalyTours.eu, Aldo Limo, ItalyTourSharing, and TaxiMisterCabDriver.

Not recent but last October, credit cards were accepted for the cable car. And yes, people on a cruiseline excursion avoid the cable car going up to Thira but for the trip down they must stand in the queue like everyone else, even if they were provided with a ticket or voucher for the cable car.

Look on youtube for video. There is definitely video on the Akrotini tour. I had planned to take the Oia on your own tour but it was sold out. Like you, I was using the tour as a means to avoid the cable car going up. So if that's your plan, don't wait too long ! We had a 2 hr wait for the cable car going up, but there was NO line on the way down. Look carefully at the departing times of the other ships to help gauge the best time for you to return to the tender.

Didn't do this hike. We had a 2 hr wait for the cable car so we didnt get out of Fira! But there is a lot of information in this very long article from Santorini Dave. Fira to Oia Hike (with map) - Updated for 2023 (santorinidave.com) Keep in mind that sunset will be around 6:30pm so you don't have as much time as you think. The bus is KETL Santorini. Schedules will be on their web site. And on Santorini Dave's web site.

There is a solo lounge on the Epic. Its only accessible by people with solo cabins, so you'll need to have someone in a solo to be the name behind the gathering.

Maps & Guides - Visit Sitka

I think the 'arrangement" they refer to is..... a crew member is stationed in Fira to keep tabs on the queue and radio the ship about potential delays. The cruiselines are aware of the problem at the cable cars and the intent is not to leave anyone behind if they got caught up in a 2 hr queue.

you might want to include a link so that people can see the details of this excursion.

Got it. Just didn't want you to think the prepaid ticket was a skip the line kind of thing. Lucky you to be the only ship in port. Have a wonderful time !

There is only ONE line for the cable cars so having a ticket doesn't save you any time. But check the departure times of the other ships ... this will enable you to gauge when the line might be less congested.

Sounds like a lovely day! But, there is only ONE line for the cable car. There is NO bypass. My advice is to base your cable car descent on the departure times of the other ships If the other ships leave at 4pm,5pm and 6pm, and you leave at 8 or 9pm, you'll be ok. But if your ship leaves at 5pm, in the middle of the big exodus you'll have a long wait.

Usually the Piazzale Roma is the 'easiest' location. PRoma is the last point of land travel in Venice so it's where buses, taxis, cars drop off pax for their visit. There are a few hotels right on the PRoma and several more that only require a short walk and a small bridge to cross. How are you arriving to Venice ...airport? train? And how are you getting to your cruise port .... ships transfer? train? bus? These answers might also determine the 'easiest' location.

The coach may take you to Fira, but at some point so you have to take the cable car to return to the dock for your tender.

Since your question is specific to Celebrity, you might want to ask on the Celebrity forum. But I'm guessing the work around to that problem would be to go back to the airport and say you arrived at noon on Delta Flight #... ( just find an appropriate flight on the VCE web site). It's only a 20 minute ride between Mestre and the airport, 10E, so easy to do.

no, usually just one and it leaves around 6pm. Youll need to enter your travel dates on the flixbus website. Travel by bus from Venice to Ravenna on Sun, Oct 8 (flixbus.com) Venice can appear as Venice (Mestre Stazione FS), or Venice (Tronchetto) or even Venice (Marco Polo Airport) so be mindful of that.

So your tour didn't actually go into Positano? It only stopped at the overlook? How long did you have in Sorrento and Pompeii ?

The Alilaguna is another option. The Blue Line goes from St Marks to Tronchetto. Doesn't run as often but might be less confusing as to which boat to board. Blue Line | Alilaguna

Be sure to ask if the storage area is SECURE. Some smaller hotels don't have a secure area, so they put luggage behind the reception desk , which is a problem if the desk person has to step away occasionally.

Agree with Peadar. And I would also caution there are about 20 steps to the cable car at both ends. This would be another reason to get in line as early as possible. It is easy to lose your balance in the crowds esp if you get in the midst of a few pushy people while you're trying to take your time.

Merchant fees and booking fees are high so it's reasonable for a small independent hotel or guesthouse to offer a discount if you book direct and pay cash. If I was happy with the hotel's location, price, amenities, and reviews, I wouldn't be put off by a cash only policy. They're saving money by not paying fees to the credit card company or a booking fee to a 3rd party. And they're sharing those savings with me ! win win

Visit your library and borrow a couple of travel books on Italy....Rick Steves,.Lonely Planet, Fodors, Frommers, Insight Guide, There are many to choose from. Nearly every town has a website to help promote tourism and local vendors. Google something like 'Genoa Tourist Information' to find it. Do similar for Palermo. Visitgenoa.it

When I was in Italy this past May, 2 hotels offered a discount if I paid in cash, but it was not a requirement. It saved me 50E so I was happy to run to the bank machine and get the cash.

There are a couple of options noted in this thread: