Cinque Terre and Capri Shore Excursions - Anyone been?

[ussminnow]

Hello! We are sailing the Western Mediterranean on the Solstice in September and trying to decide on shore excursions. Has anyone taken Celebrity's Cinque Terre excursion from Livorno port and/or the full-day Capri excursion from Naples? We have been to Florence and the Amalfi Coast, but not to Cinque Terre or Capri, and just wondered if anyone had any experience with the ship's tours of these locations, and any comments or advice on them? Thanks very much!

[johnb0529]

Hello! We are sailing the Western Mediterranean on the Solstice in September and trying to decide on shore excursions. Has anyone taken Celebrity's Cinque Terre excursion from Livorno port and/or the full-day Capri excursion from Naples? We have been to Florence and the Amalfi Coast, but not to Cinque Terre or Capri, and just wondered if anyone had any experience with the ship's tours of these locations, and any comments or advice on them? Thanks very much!

 

Sorry - can't give advice on the Ship's Shore Excursions, but can say that we have been to Capri twice in the past 2 years and loved it! We are returning with friends in November again. Much better way to spend the day, then Naples (unless you want to see Pompai or Sorrento, which are both worth a visit).

 

Just spend 3 days in Cinque Terre in May this year. Again, not on a cruise tour, but just some spare time while in Italy on business. But it was amazing! Cannot speak highly enough of the people, restaurants (if you get off the main streets!) and the hike(s) between the cities. Not sure what you will cover in a shore excursion, but it is a beautiful location on the coast! and was a high-point of this past trip to Italy. Would love to return again next year!

 

Personally not a fan of Ship Excursions, but if that is your preferred way to visit Port Cities, you have select to great destinations!

[luv2camp04]

I can't say anything from personal experience or cruise experience, but my daughter spent several days in Cinque Terre a few years ago and she still talks about it as being one of the best places she has ever been. She absolutely loved it. I saw the photos and I can't wait to have the opportunity to go there someday also. (Pretty sad when your high school daughter gets to Italy before you!!). Based on everything she said, I wouldn't miss it!!

[Essiesmom]

May I make a suggestion? If you are familiar with Rick Steves' travel guidebooks, he has all sorts of money saving tips and how-to's. Well, in late June he published a new book, Mediterranean Cruise Ports. It is a fat book,just for cruisers, telling you how to do it on your own in most of the Med. ports. He does not cover Egypt, Israel, north Africa. He tells you all about transportation, getting off in your port, where the bathrooms are, where internet is, and how to catch up with you ship should you miss the boat...EM

[tiggerman101]

Oh wow. I just did a huge post with pics and the computer ate it! It is late so I don't have time to redo it all. We were not on Celebrity, but we just did the excursion to the Cinque Terre. We did it through the ship because of the time factors. I normally avoid a ship tour, but felt this was warranted. I would imagine that all lines use the same or similar company for the tours. In short it was amazing and probably my favorite day on the 12 day cruise. We visited four of the five towns, had free time in all. The last stop we had a couple hours while the others were limited to 30-45 minutes. We took the paved path from the second town to the first and a boat the rest of the way. The views are stunning, the towns are amazing and the whole experience was great. I am so glad we did this. True, I would love to go back and spend more time there, but if I never get to then at least I got a taste.

 

This is Riomaggiore our first stop (the second town in in sequence)

 

 

We then took the Veia del amore trail back to the first town Manarola:

 

 

Manarola:

 

 

We took a boat to the fourth town. We skipped Corniglia because it is perched on rocks above the sea and can only be reached from above. This is going past Manarola:

 

 

We docked at the fourth town Vernazza:

 

 

After time there we went to the fifth town where we had 2 hours to spend on our own. This is Monterosso:

 

 

From there we took the train back to La Spezia and got back on the bus to head back to the ship. It was a long day, but so worth it. The whole Cinque Terre is an incredible place. I completely fell in love with the towns during my brief visit.

 

Pleas Note: I did not even begin to scratch the surface with all the pictures I took. There were hastly put together. I have 100s of photos of the towns, etc.

[Can'tstopcruising]

We did the Celebrity tour to Cinque Terre a few years ago. It was on our "to do" list and I didn't think we would have another chance to go there. Unfortunately, it was a very rainy day at the end of May. At the same time, there is a multitude of tour groups. It was a sea of umbrellas. At one point, we were on a boat from one of the towns to another. We were packed like sardines. By the time we got a table in a restaurant, we had to wolf down our food to make it back to the bus on time.

 

My DH was very happy, however, because he got great photos, even in the rain!

 

We have been to Capri, on our own, not during a cruise, so that was much different!

[bocaraton]

did u do this as part of ship tour or on your own

[Breezey]

While we have never done either on a shore excursion only on our own, these two places cannot be more different but both definitely must do's when going to that part of Italy. We spent two weeks in Italy there last summer and it was crazy busy and packed everywhere.

 

Cinque Terre is essentially 5 small towns connected together by a walking path which gets progressively more difficult as you go along, or you can hop to each by boats or a small train. Cinque Terre is absolutely beautiful, very unique and glad we went. Tiggerman's photos show a great overview and you can see the walking path in one of them. Personally we found as a day trip it is quite hectic and if many tourists are around it's one big sea of people. But guess one can say that about any popular site. Its also the home of pesto!

 

Capri, is completely different. A lovely island off of Sorrento with many high end shops and restaurants. I would think this is one that you can do on your own or just take an excursion to get you to the Island. If you can get both a boat ride around the island (including the Blue Grotto) with a few hours stop off on the island, ideal.

 

Plus if I am reading it correctly you are going in November, which should be a lot milder in weather and tourists. Lucky you to have these choices.....

[jt1120]

I'll go with Tiggerman on this one. We did this excursion last October on the Connie and it really made you feel like you were in touch with Italy.

We took a bus to Riomaggiore, walked to Manarola, got on a boat that bypassed Corniglia, and we ended up doing Vernazza and Monterosso. It was like being in a post card. All places were quite picturesque.

 

I know this will sound very strange, but if you decide to go, take a lock with you. Make it an inexpensive padlock. You and your SO will find a place to attach it and proclaim your love for each other. It's a tradition kind of thing, hard to explain. You'll see why when you take this excursion. That's why it is called Veia del amore. Amore, get it? Trust me, the coolest thing ever.

 

Funny thing is, when we got back, we were at an Italian resturant (Macaroni Grill) and while we waited to be seated, the picture on the wall was of Vernazza. I smiled and pointed to it and said to the hostess, "we were just there two weeks ago." She thought it was a made up picture!

 

We didn't do Capri so I can't help you there, but we did do Sorrento and that was pretty beautiful too. I could retire there tomorrow! If you're thinking about doing Pompeii, consider doing Herculaneum instead. It's the same thing, but the ruins are much better and the site is more compact - not as much walking.

[Jem 12]

Hi

 

We did Cinque Terre on a Royal Caribbean Ships tour, we had an excellent day, it is not a cheap excursion but my Husband and I both felt it was worth the money, we were lucky we had a perfect day weatherwise. From Livorno it was quite a long coach trip, however the last time we were due to dock at Livorno we docked instead at La Spezia, a much nicer town in my opinion, although we did have to tender. Much nearer for trips to Cinque Terre, in fact I think you could do a boat trip all the way there.

 

Capri on the other hand I think you could do independantly, the ship usually docks fairly near to the ferry dock, so you can purchase tickets quite easily, we did this but went to Sorrento instead, we went on a hydrofoil, we did find the ride very bumpy so not sure I would go on a hydrofoil again, but maybe that just me!!!!

 

Enjoy your cruise whatever you decide

[Realtor at Sea]

Cinque Terre is on our "bucket list", but I have back problems which keep me from walking too much on uneven surfaces. Are provisions made for travelers like me on the ship's excursions?

[ORCRUISER]

May I make a suggestion? If you are familiar with Rick Steves' travel guidebooks, he has all sorts of money saving tips and how-to's. Well, in late June he published a new book, Mediterranean Cruise Ports. It is a fat book,just for cruisers, telling you how to do it on your own in most of the Med. ports. He does not cover Egypt, Israel, north Africa. He tells you all about transportation, getting off in your port, where the bathrooms are, where internet is, and how to catch up with you ship should you miss the boat...EM

Thanks for this information. I love Rick Steeves and am rereading his Italy book now but will look for this one also.

[ORCRUISER]

I'll go with Tiggerman on this one. We did this excursion last October on the Connie and it really made you feel like you were in touch with Italy.

We took a bus to Riomaggiore, walked to Manarola, got on a boat that bypassed Corniglia, and we ended up doing Vernazza and Monterosso. It was like being in a post card. All places were quite picturesque.

 

I know this will sound very strange, but if you decide to go, take a lock with you. Make it an inexpensive padlock. You and your SO will find a place to attach it and proclaim your love for each other. It's a tradition kind of thing, hard to explain. You'll see why when you take this excursion. That's why it is called Veia del amore. Amore, get it? Trust me, the coolest thing ever.

 

Funny thing is, when we got back, we were at an Italian resturant (Macaroni Grill) and while we waited to be seated, the picture on the wall was of Vernazza. I smiled and pointed to it and said to the hostess, "we were just there two weeks ago." She thought it was a made up picture!

 

We didn't do Capri so I can't help you there, but we did do Sorrento and that was pretty beautiful too. I could retire there tomorrow! If you're thinking about doing Pompeii, consider doing Herculaneum instead. It's the same thing, but the ruins are much better and the site is more compact - not as much walking.

 

There is also a lock area like this on the Amalfi Coast. I don't remember the exact location.

[TeaBag]

Essies Mom, you just cost me money. On your recommendation, I ordered Rick's book from Amazon. Thank you.

[ritraveler]

I must have been on the same cruise as "can'tstopcruisin".....we did the Celebrity Cinque Terre tour in the pouring rain and still had a ball...(the only day of rain we had on our 12 nite trip)...yeah its a little crowded but we thought the logistics of getting in & out of there when you only have a day are tough to do on your own...it's nice to not have to worry about where to go/what to do...it's really just a taste of what is there so you can decide if you want to go back for a longer visit...can only imagine how beautiful it is when the sun is shining...as for Capri...was there many years ago when visiting w/ family ..did the Blue Grotto...once was enough..it takes up most of the day getting there & back...we are cruising again in August and plan to do the ships tour of Capri w/ lunch..we've done private tours to Positano & Ravello when we docked in Naples

..this time we are docking in Salerno so we are doing it with the ship( Capri is going to be CRAZY BUSY in August anyway)..so we'll just make the best out of it...have fun!!

[radsailor]

We did Cinque Terre in May off the Equinox and it was great! It was one of the most beautiful places that I have ever seen. It was well worth it. The day we were there was kind of rainy and cloudy so the boats weren't running due to the high seas. This meant that everyone had to take the trains in between which got really crowded. That would be my only complaint, but there is nothing you can do about the weather. I would highly recommend it.

[bocaraton]

Thank you for the info. No, we are not going to Italy in November. We spent a month about a year ago in the central and northern part.We want to go to the southern part but need to go by boat as getting older. You have given us valuable information. Thanks again.

[ronjj66611]

essies mom, you just cost me money. On your recommendation, i ordered rick's book from amazon. Thank you.

 

ditto

[ronjj66611]

While we have never done either on a shore excursion only on our own, these two places cannot be more different but both definitely must do's when going to that part of Italy. We spent two weeks in Italy there last summer and it was crazy busy and packed everywhere.

 

Cinque Terre is essentially 5 small towns connected together by a walking path which gets progressively more difficult as you go along, or you can hop to each by boats or a small train. Cinque Terre is absolutely beautiful, very unique and glad we went. Tiggerman's photos show a great overview and you can see the walking path in one of them. Personally we found as a day trip it is quite hectic and if many tourists are around it's one big sea of people. But guess one can say that about any popular site. Its also the home of pesto!

 

Capri, is completely different. A lovely island off of Sorrento with many high end shops and restaurants. I would think this is one that you can do on your own or just take an excursion to get you to the Island. If you can get both a boat ride around the island (including the Blue Grotto) with a few hours stop off on the island, ideal.

 

Plus if I am reading it correctly you are going in November, which should be a lot milder in weather and tourists. Lucky you to have these choices.....

 

Hi Breezy,

Just curious, how easy was it to catch a train or boat from town to town and was it expensive. My wife has muscular problems and finds walking distances very taxing. We would love to to C5, but not sure if she's up to it. The train and boat options make it seem doable.

 

Ron

[ramman]

Cinque Terre is on our "bucket list", but I have back problems which keep me from walking too much on uneven surfaces. Are provisions made for travelers like me on the ship's excursions?

 

we did the Celebrity Cinque Terre tour in September 2007, It was worth every penny of the price. We had a fantastic tour guide. The tour included a bus from the port to La Spezia where we boarded a ferry to Riomaggiore, walked to Manarola, on the Via dell'Amore, took another ferry to Vernazza and then walked to Monterosso where we had a couple hours for lunch and walking around, had some of the best pesto I have ever had. Then caught a bus back to the port. A long but great day. :D

 

:( Unfortunately, the tour involves lot of walking up and down uneven and inclined surfaces, stair climbing, etc. and I do not believe that there are any provisions for those with walking issues.

[DebNJoe]

We just returned from a Med cruise. We went to Cinque Terre from Livorno using Papillon Service. http://papillonservice.com/tours_cinqueterre.html

With a group of 8 you will be able to have a very personalized tour for approx 65 euro/person. They also offer 6 passenger vehicles, for a slightly higher cost/person. We used Papillon in 2007 for a Wine tour in Tuscany, which I would also highly recommend.

 

From Naples we went to Capri on our own. The hydrofoil is within a few minutes walk from where the cruise ships dock. We took a 3 hour private boat tour around the island on Gianni's boat for 180 euro for 4 of us, the boat could clearly have accommodated at least two more adults. It was a great way to see Capri, and then we had time afterwards to walk around before returning to Naples http://www.capri.com/en/c/gianni-s-boat-2

 

Whatever you choose - enjoy your cruise and these amazing ports!!