dimiegirl Posted July 15, 2011 #1 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Hello. I wanted to post this question on oceania board instead to port boards because unlike most cruise ships, oceania goes to sorrento not naples. We would like to see Pompeii. the ship offers a 1/2 day pompeii tour with a stop to see inlaid work. Has anyone been on this tour? We really just want to see pompeii and then walk around sorrento for a bit before going back to the boat. Is it easy to get the train to pompeii from sorrento? i see a lot of posts from naples but not from sorrento. The ship excursion for the 1/2 day is 125 per person. I am assuming it includes a tour guide in pompeii. WOuld this be a correct assumption? Would it be less expensive to take the trian and then hire a guide at the entrance to the ruins? I don't want to do full day tours as I have motion sickness issues and really just want to get to pompeii and back to sorrento. Thanks so much for your help!:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nparmelee Posted July 15, 2011 #2 Share Posted July 15, 2011 The train station is not far from where you get off the tenders in Sorrento, you have to go up to the main Piazza wither by walking or by the little bus, then its just a few minutes walk from there. We did this on our last trip, took the train to Pompeii, toured around Pompeii with audio guides (our second trip there, got to see quite a bit more than our first trip and at our own pace), took the train the rest of the way to Naples, went to Da Michele for pizza, went to the archaeological museum, walked back down to the port area and took the ferry back to Sorrento and had dinner in town. Would do it again in a heartbeat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legaleaglegreen Posted July 15, 2011 #3 Share Posted July 15, 2011 We did this on our own and it's easy. The town of Sorrento generally provides a shuttle from the tender dock to the town square (which is up a steep hill). The train station is less than a five minute walk from the square. Sorrento is the end of the line for the circumvesuviana train so you can't get on the wrong train--they all go towards Naples and stop at Pompeii. The ticket cost less than 10 euros roundtrip and can be pruchased in the station or ay the adjoining newsstand/tabac. At Pompeii be sure to exit at the Scalvi stop which is by the ruins rather than the other stop which is at the modern town. The entrance to the ruins is at most 200 yards from the train station. Licensed guides wait at the entrance to be hired for tours. When we were there (two years ago), the going rate for a guide was $100 (or maybe 100 euro) for a tour (you also must pay for admission) , but that would cover up to 10 people, so you can join with others at the site or from the ship. We did not use a guide, but followed the excellent walking tour in Rick Steve's guide, supplemented by a guidebook and map sold at the site. There are also audio tours available at the site. Pompeii is a very large site with a lot to see so we wound up spending most of the day there. Take water as it is hot with little shade and few or no services in the site. The footing is also very rough (all cobblestones). We then took the train back to Sorrento, had a wonderful pizza at a place near the station and had time for a little shopping near the square. Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuck.qc Posted July 15, 2011 #4 Share Posted July 15, 2011 I agree with legaleagle..it is very easy to travel by train and especially inexpensive. The Pompeii site is large and an experienced guide (hire at the entrance) in my opinion, is the best way to visit. We enjoyed the explanations and descriptions of the guide, he also navigated the site very efficiently and seemed to slip us thru any long line ups. When we were in Sorrento, last year, there was a small shuttle that took people into town, otherwise it is a short, steep walk to the train. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted July 15, 2011 #5 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Hello. I wanted to post this question on oceania board instead to port boards because unlike most cruise ships, oceania goes to sorrento not naples. We would like to see Pompeii. the ship offers a 1/2 day pompeii tour with a stop to see inlaid work. Has anyone been on this tour? We really just want to see pompeii and then walk around sorrento for a bit before going back to the boat. Is it easy to get the train to pompeii from sorrento? i see a lot of posts from naples but not from sorrento. The ship excursion for the 1/2 day is 125 per person. I am assuming it includes a tour guide in pompeii. WOuld this be a correct assumption? Would it be less expensive to take the trian and then hire a guide at the entrance to the ruins? I don't want to do full day tours as I have motion sickness issues and really just want to get to pompeii and back to sorrento. Thanks so much for your help!:) If you're only willing to devote a half day to it, I'd suggest that you tour Herculaneum instead of Pompeii. It's a much more manageable experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dimiegirl Posted July 15, 2011 Author #6 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Thanks so much everyone for your imput and helpful suggestions, I really appreciate it!:) If I could pick your experienced brains once again... Does anyone have any suggestions for a relaxing day in amalfi? After Pompeii, we would like a nice easy going day.. due to motion sickness issues, a drive along the amalfi coast would not be ideal for me, which is a shame as I know it is beautiful. Any way to experience the romance of the amalfi coast without the guilt or the dander of the motion sickness bag?? :)(seinfeld buffs will get the last sentence..think handsome cab ride with krammer) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuck.qc Posted July 15, 2011 #7 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Ravello (Villa Rufolo) & Positano in my opinion are much nicer than Sorrento. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dimiegirl Posted July 15, 2011 Author #8 Share Posted July 15, 2011 I should have clarified, the first day our ship will dock in sorrento, which is when we will visit pompeii, the second day it will dock in amalfi, which is when we are looking to spend a relaxing day with nice scenery. Thanks!:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
no fuss travel Posted July 15, 2011 #9 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Take the ferry from Amalfi to Postiano. We took a tour with 8 other people and four of them suffered from motion sickness and the road was just too much for them. The Amalfi coast is actually better seen from the water than on the road. To get to Ravello, you would have to go up quite a curvy road, so I would suggest you skip that particular town. It is not on the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dbedros Posted July 16, 2011 #10 Share Posted July 16, 2011 I used the hydrofoil to go to Pompeii and some of the other cities. They are located in the area where you will be docked, let you off very close to the sites you would be interested in and do not cost very much. The ferrys are also a good way to go. You just have to verify the time of the last trips. The officials are also very helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caribbeansun Posted July 16, 2011 #11 Share Posted July 16, 2011 Train to Pompeii is really quite easy (consider getting Gaetano Manfredi as a guide as he really made the day unforgettable http://www.pompeiitourguide.com/) and the ferry to Positano is your best bet given your reluctance to do the drive. Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dimiegirl Posted July 16, 2011 Author #12 Share Posted July 16, 2011 Thanks so much everyone for your experienced imput! Based on your suggestions, we are going to take the ferry to positano the second day. I really appreciate all of you taking the time to offer such wonderful advice. p.s. Carribbean sun- I am going to look into getting Gaetano, as you recommended! Thanks for the link!:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CintiPam Posted July 20, 2011 #13 Share Posted July 20, 2011 I'd choose Ravello over Positano any day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorkiemomjn Posted July 20, 2011 #14 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Train to Pompeii is really quite easy (consider getting Gaetano Manfredi as a guide as he really made the day unforgettable http://www.pompeiitourguide.com/) and the ferry to Positano is your best bet given your reluctance to do the drive. Enjoy! I agree about Gaetano Manfredi. Rick Steves recommended him in one of his books. He was wonderful and bought Pompeii to life. It was raining that day and we barely noticed because he was so good!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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