cruising excursions in naples

[karen327]

Has anyone done the group tour through cruising excursions to Pompaii and up the coast from the naples port? I was wondering how they liked it if anyone did. It looks interesting and is half the price of what the cruise ship wants.

[CruiserBruce]

A search of the board reveals:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1884715&highlight=cruisingexcursions+com

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1837453&highlight=cruisingexcursions+com

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1746071&highlight=cruisingexcursions+com

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1707428&highlight=cruisingexcursions+com

 

and dozens others...

[WildWind]

We did not take cruise excursions to Pompeii. The price they are asking is ridiculous. It is very easy to reach Pompeii by SITA bus and the cost for the trip is about 3 EURO one way. If you wish you can join the guided tour there and it will cost you much less than the cruise excursion. We just rented an audio guide and it did the trick. The stop for the SITA is much closer to the port terminal than the train station. It is about 15 minutes’ walk.

[Hlitner]

We agree with Wildwood. You have your choice of either the local bus to Pompeii or the Circumvesuviana Train to Pompeii Scavi. Once at the ruins your entrance fee will be about 12 Euros and if you want a guided tour you can find that near the entrance for another 10 Euros. So the total cost of transportation admission and guided tour would be less then 30 Euros per person. If you do not want a private tour you can either tour the ruins and use a guide book,, or purchase the audio tour available at the entrance.

 

Hank

[Ninja1978]

Hi! We looked into some different companies before we went on our West Med cruise, but decided to venture out on our own. Just back home, actually :-) In Napoli, you just walk off the ship, go to a tobacco shop, ask for a round trip ticket to Pompeji (8.40 EUR/person), take tram no 1 out side the tobacco shop to the train station Corso Garibaldi and catch the Circumvesiana train to Pompeji (direction: Sorrento) - a ride lasting about 35 min. And the stop is literally outside the entrance gates :-) Entrance fee 11 EUR. We focused on Pompeji but if /when we go again we will probably continue with the train to Sorrento first and then maybe stop at Herculaneum on our way back (another excavation site between Napoli and Pompeji). Oh, our 5-year-old was free on the tram/bus and also into Pompeji (EU citizens under 18 or over 65 are excluded from paying entrance fees) .

[Chocdrop]

Hi! We looked into some different companies before we went on our West Med cruise, but decided to venture out on our own. Just back home, actually :-) In Napoli, you just walk off the ship, go to a tobacco shop, ask for a round trip ticket to Pompeji (8.40 EUR/person), take tram no 1 out side the tobacco shop to the train station Corso Garibaldi and catch the Circumvesiana train to Pompeji (direction: Sorrento) - a ride lasting about 35 min. And the stop is literally outside the entrance gates :-) Entrance fee 11 EUR. We focused on Pompeji but if /when we go again we will probably continue with the train to Sorrento first and then maybe stop at Herculaneum on our way back (another excavation site between Napoli and Pompeji). Oh, our 5-year-old was free on the tram/bus and also into Pompeji (EU citizens under 18 or over 65 are excluded from paying entrance fees) .

 

That looks like a good option as I have a guide book to Pompei but I have a few questions that you may be able to answer.

 

Thye round trip ticket - is it one ticket or one ticket for each way? If it is one ticket is there a time limit after you have validated it? Do you have to validate it on both the tram and train and just when you first start using it?

 

Can you break your journey? So if you get a round trip ticket to Sorrento can you get off the train at Pompei and then after your visit get back on the train and continue to Sorrento or do you need another ticket?

 

Thanks

 

Chris and Bron

[euro cruiser]

That looks like a good option as I have a guide book to Pompei but I have a few questions that you may be able to answer.

 

Thye round trip ticket - is it one ticket or one ticket for each way? If it is one ticket is there a time limit after you have validated it? Do you have to validate it on both the tram and train and just when you first start using it?

 

Can you break your journey? So if you get a round trip ticket to Sorrento can you get off the train at Pompei and then after your visit get back on the train and continue to Sorrento or do you need another ticket?

This is a bit of a language issue. There actually is no such thing as a "round trip" ticket in Italy. What Ninja bought was an all-day ticket, and with that you can get on and off as many times as you like, as long as the ticket covers the full area.

 

The U3, which is what Ninja had, is good between Naples and Pompei. If you want to travel between Naples and Sorrento (you can get on and off at any stop between the two, including Pompei) you need a U5. This ticket for all day costs 12 Euro, unless you happen to be there on a weekend. The weekend all day fare is a real bargain at € 6.50.

 

You can read more about the tickets here: http://unicocampania.it/index.php?lang=en&center=inside&colonna=biglietti

 

There are a lot of different ticket options, so if you're confused don't be shy about asking for help.

[Chocdrop]

This is a bit of a language issue. There actually is no such thing as a "round trip" ticket in Italy. What Ninja bought was an all-day ticket, and with that you can get on and off as many times as you like, as long as the ticket covers the full area.

 

The U3, which is what Ninja had, is good between Naples and Pompei. If you want to travel between Naples and Sorrento (you can get on and off at any stop between the two, including Pompei) you need a U5. This ticket for all day costs 12 Euro, unless you happen to be there on a weekend. The weekend all day fare is a real bargain at € 6.50.

 

You can read more about the tickets here: http://unicocampania.it/index.php?lang=en&center=inside&colonna=biglietti

 

There are a lot of different ticket options, so if you're confused don't be shy about asking for help.

 

Thank you very much that sound exactly what we need.

So where can we buy the ticket at the port and where do validate it?

 

I notice on the U5 sample on the web site you need to fill in

DAL COMUNE DI

AL COMUNE DI

 

Is it necessary to fill these in. If so when buying a ticket in Napoli to go to Sorrento is one entry Napoli and the other Sorrento?

 

Thanks

 

Chris and Bron

[euro cruiser]

You don't need to fill anything in. The U5 includes Naples because all of the "U" tickets are for transit between towns using Naples as a connecting point, a starting point, or an ending point.

 

If you were getting a ticket just for Naples it would be a UnicoNapoli.

 

If you were getting a ticket to travel between two towns without going through Naples it would be an "E" ticket.

 

Where to get it is another question. The ticket agent near the port sometimes has them but not always. If you use the bus to get to Pompei (my preferred method) you can but the U5 from the SITA ticket office at the bus stop (Piazza Immacolatella Vecchia, a short 1/3rd of a mile walk from the cruise port). The ticket is good for buses and trains, so you could take the bus to Pompei, then the train from Pompei to Sorrento, and the train back.

 

Another option would be to purchase point-to-point tickets from Naples to Pompei and Pompei to Sorrento, then take a jet boat back to Naples (faster and more comfortable, although more expensive).

 

Naples to Pompei, U3 Hourly ticket - € 2.90

Pompei to Sorrento, E3 Hourly ticket - € 2.20

Sorrento to Naples, jetboat - € 12.30