Pompeii

[vinob]

Hi Folks, it's a shot in the dark, but hoping someone out there can help.

Has anyone done royal Caribbean's 4 hour (half day) tour of Pompeii which gives you about 2.5 hours in Pompeii, if so can you remember how large your group was.

I have hearing difficulties and worried will not be able to hear guide if its a very large group.  Did you think it was value for money, or does anyone have recommendations for company that does tours in smallish groups.  Thanks in anticipation.

[xpcdoojk]

We did Pompeii on our own on a land vacation back in 2004, so I can not speak specifically to RCI tour to the site.  That said, I have done a lot of RCI tours, and typically everyone on your bus will be part of your tour group at the site.  So, figure 40 to 60 people.  I would not consider that a small group.  Most things at Pompeii are pretty self-explanatory.  I actually preferred the nearby site of Herculaneum as it is a smaller site that is in my opinion better preserved.  Same 79 AD event (that is my memory of the year).  I know at Herculaneum we had the little headsets from the entrance point, that told the story of each of the buildings and what exactly we were looking at.  

 

I don’t know exactly where the ship is stopping on your cruise, but I assume the port of Naples. Herculaneum is a lot closer to the harbor.  So, I am sure you could hire a driver to take you to the various spots.  Modern Herculaneum is called Ercalano and is a beach city south of Naples under the shadow of Vesuvius.  

 

That said you will get far more information about small group tours in the ports section of Cruise Critic.

 

jc

[tomatosauce]

I did the half day at Pompeii and half a day going along the Amalfi coast with a boat ride at the end and it was amazing. The group was about 30 people and I seem to recall being given a headset to wear linked to the guide. It was amazing but most of the interior items are down in Naples (or so I am told).

[CRUISEFAN0001]

3 hours ago, vinob said:

Hi Folks, it's a shot in the dark, but hoping someone out there can help.

Has anyone done royal Caribbean's 4 hour (half day) tour of Pompeii which gives you about 2.5 hours in Pompeii, if so can you remember how large your group was.

I have hearing difficulties and worried will not be able to hear guide if its a very large group.  Did you think it was value for money, or does anyone have recommendations for company that does tours in smallish groups.  Thanks in anticipation.

We did our only cruise-ship-tour at Naples, which included Pompeii (in 2015).

 

All our other tours were private on the Western Mediterranean cruise out of Barcelona.

 

The reason we chose to book that one was based upon recommendations of friends who took it previously. It included more than just Pompeii.

 

The tour group was about 40-50 people...lasted about 2 1/2 hours...and it was easy to hear the tour guide throughout that time. We enjoyed that tour, and have plenty of amazing memories of what we saw and learned.

 

 

[vinob]

Hi Xpcdoojk, tomato sauce & cruise fan 0001,

Your replies have been most helpful, I'll also have a look to see how to get into ports of call to see if anything on their, Many thanks to you all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[papaflamingo]

3 hours ago, xpcdoojk said:

We did Pompeii on our own on a land vacation back in 2004, so I can not speak specifically to RCI tour to the site.  That said, I have done a lot of RCI tours, and typically everyone on your bus will be part of your tour group at the site.  So, figure 40 to 60 people.  I would not consider that a small group.  Most things at Pompeii are pretty self-explanatory.  I actually preferred the nearby site of Herculaneum as it is a smaller site that is in my opinion better preserved.  Same 79 AD event (that is my memory of the year).  I know at Herculaneum we had the little headsets from the entrance point, that told the story of each of the buildings and what exactly we were looking at.  

 

I don’t know exactly where the ship is stopping on your cruise, but I assume the port of Naples. Herculaneum is a lot closer to the harbor.  So, I am sure you could hire a driver to take you to the various spots.  Modern Herculaneum is called Ercalano and is a beach city south of Naples under the shadow of Vesuvius.  

 

That said you will get far more information about small group tours in the ports section of Cruise Critic.

 

jc

We did Herculaneum a few years also.  We had seen Pompeii on a previous cruise, so when we got off the ship we decided on Herculaneum.  We easily found a cab ride up there.  It was remarkable!  Almost no one there and the preservation of the site is amazing!!!  Pompeii is spectacular for sure, but crowded.  Herculaneum amazing and not crowded.  

[CRUISEFAN0001]

19 minutes ago, vinob said:

Hi Xpcdoojk, tomato sauce & cruise fan 0001,

Your replies have been most helpful, I'll also have a look to see how to get into ports of call to see if anything on their, Many thanks to you all.

You're welcome.  Please note that our Pompeii segment was part of a Royal tour that also included Capri Island and Sorrento. 

 

Capri is also an amazing stop.

 

 

[bigeck]

As above, lots of different ways to do it.

I can only say what I did. 

This was 2017 on Freedom. Walked to the train station. 2.25 Eu each way pp

At the gate it was 25Eu pp for tour guide and entry fee. Once the tour was finished, you can stay in and walk to things that you want to see again. You can spend a day easy.

We left at around 3pm as it might get busy and make sure we were back in time.

When you get off the train, have a walk through Naples and get a slice of pizza where it was first made.

 

I think a lot of tours offer Vesuvius and Pompeii. Personally, that's the next visit.

Naples is one of the places that has a lot of attractions. Amalfi, Vesuvius, Sorrento, Capri and Pompeii and a lot more.

Not an easy decision, but I'm sure you will enjoy what ever you choose

[GEORGIEGIRL]

We always use "Italy Limousine". They are a very professional, accommodating company that provides excellent,

first quality customer service at a fair price. (they are not the cheapest, but they are the best, IMHO)..https://italylimousine.com/

 

Have a great cruise..

 

KJM

[2Long2NxtCrz]

During our 12-day Med cruise in May 2017, we did the ship's tour because we were warned about the traffic.  It started the morning in Sorrento and we got to see those amazing lemon trees and try all of the variations on Limoncello!  Then we had lunch in town on our own (and I was astounded at our bus driver) plus some shopping before we headed to Pompeii.  There was some more shopping after the tour through town, but it was a great tour.  I think there were only about twenty of us.  It was a "small group" tour which included sightseeing driving to and from the ship.

 

We had no trouble hearing our guide and would recommend the tour.

 

And as for the traffic?  We talked to a couple later that cruise (in Kotor) who did get "stuck" and had to take a very expensive cab ride back to get to the ship on time.

[John&LaLa]

3 minutes ago, 2Long2NxtCrz said:

During our 12-day Med cruise in May 2017, we did the ship's tour because we were warned about the traffic.  It started the morning in Sorrento and we got to see those amazing lemon trees and try all of the variations on Limoncello!  Then we had lunch in town on our own (and I was astounded at our bus driver) plus some shopping before we headed to Pompeii.  There was some more shopping after the tour through town, but it was a great tour.  I think there were only about twenty of us.  It was a "small group" tour which included sightseeing driving to and from the ship.

 

We had no trouble hearing our guide and would recommend the tour.

 

And as for the traffic?  We talked to a couple later that cruise (in Kotor) who did get "stuck" and had to take a very expensive cab ride back to get to the ship on time.

 

Limoncello is how I ended up with an 8,000 Euro table from a shop in Sorrento.  😉

[2Long2NxtCrz]

1 minute ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Limoncello is how I ended up with an 8,000 Euro table from a shop in Sorrento.  😉

Oh!  I bet we stopped in that same shop!  We have the most gorgeous backgammon set, a tray, and a lazy susan!  Expensive!

 

But it reminded hubby so much of the furniture his dad had in Mexico that it was worth it, but I bet they do that on purpose!

[John&LaLa]

2 minutes ago, 2Long2NxtCrz said:

Oh!  I bet we stopped in that same shop!  We have the most gorgeous backgammon set, a tray, and a lazy susan!  Expensive!

 

But it reminded hubby so much of the furniture his dad had in Mexico that it was worth it, but I bet they do that on purpose!

 

Ours is the game table. We started out with lazy Susan. Somewhere around 500 euro. Notice the lemons. 

 

They did throw in two chairs, I should have held out for four. 

 

[2Long2NxtCrz]

2 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Ours is the game table. We started out with lazy Susan. Somewhere around 500 euro. Notice the lemons. 

 

They did throw in two chairs, I should have held out for four. 

 

Oh!  That is GORGEOUS!

[Ashland]

We have also done the ship excursion to Pompeii & Sorrento (that included a visit to a farm house for limoncello and demonstration of how they make mozzarella cheese) ....there were about 25 on our bus and we had the most amazing guide...One of the best ship excursions we've had (not that we have many to compare with as we usually do private tours).

But this one in particular was so memorable and have recommended it when ever asked.

 

[xpcdoojk]

2 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Limoncello is how I ended up with an 8,000 Euro table from a shop in Sorrento.  😉

 

So, when we were there in 2004 we had a villa with four other couples, in the town of Maiori, which is next to Minori, (major and minor).  The villa is called La Nave it is still available for rent, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.  We arrived independently at our villa then we went shopping at the local store in Maiori for beer, wine, food, coffee, Lemoncello, and everything we need for a week on the Amalfi Coast.  Our villa had an infinity pool, and about a 1000 step (somewhat treacherous) hike down the cliff to our own private grotto like on Capri.  It was such a great spot that daily we had small tourist boats bringing people to our grotto.  Above the villa carved into a cliff was a monastery.  At dinner time we would sit on the patio and you could hear the monks forks and knives on their plates.  

 

Anyway, first night, lots of wine, and wonderful food, as myself and one of the wives are really good cooks and we made a wonderful meal with lovely fresh pasta from the store, that was open about 6 hours a day max.  Anyway, we had, also, found some Cuban cigars in our shopping and on a beautiful fall evening sitting by the pool we hit the Lemoncello and scotch.... about an hour in all the guys were naked in the pool a couple of the wives joined us.  

 

Good times.

 

One of the best vacations ever.  Later in the week we bought some wedding ravioli from the store, OMG....

 

jc

[nasus2]

23 hours ago, vinob said:

Hi Folks, it's a shot in the dark, but hoping someone out there can help.

Has anyone done royal Caribbean's 4 hour (half day) tour of Pompeii which gives you about 2.5 hours in Pompeii, if so can you remember how large your group was.

I have hearing difficulties and worried will not be able to hear guide if its a very large group.  Did you think it was value for money, or does anyone have recommendations for company that does tours in smallish groups.  Thanks in anticipation.

 

4 hours ago, xpcdoojk said:

 

So, when we were there in 2004 we had a villa with four other couples, in the town of Maiori, which is next to Minori, (major and minor).  The villa is called La Nave it is still available for rent, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.  We arrived independently at our villa then we went shopping at the local store in Maiori for beer, wine, food, coffee, Lemoncello, and everything we need for a week on the Amalfi Coast.  Our villa had an infinity pool, and about a 1000 step (somewhat treacherous) hike down the cliff to our own private grotto like on Capri.  It was such a great spot that daily we had small tourist boats bringing people to our grotto.  Above the villa carved into a cliff was a monastery.  At dinner time we would sit on the patio and you could hear the monks forks and knives on their plates.  

 

Anyway, first night, lots of wine, and wonderful food, as myself and one of the wives are really good cooks and we made a wonderful meal with lovely fresh pasta from the store, that was open about 6 hours a day max.  Anyway, we had, also, found some Cuban cigars in our shopping and on a beautiful fall evening sitting by the pool we hit the Lemoncello and scotch.... about an hour in all the guys were naked in the pool a couple of the wives joined us.  

 

Good times.

 

One of the best vacations ever.  Later in the week we bought some wedding ravioli from the store, OMG....

 

jc

I can recommend ap tours - they do small groups and you don't have to organises a whole group you can sign up individually and they organise the group of 8. Used then 2 years ago and have also booked them again for June this year.

[vinob]

Thank you for all your wonderful replies, we have been to Sorrento on a land holiday, we spent 4 hours in Pompeii with a guide book written by a tourist for tourists (e's been to Pompeii 15 times) it was very good but then we strayed from his route and got a bit lost, it then started to rain so we called it a day.    The other couple on the cruise with us haven't been to this part of Italy and particularly want to do Pompeii, this is why I feel we need a guided tour of Pompeii so that they can get the most out of it.

Even although we were based in Sorrento we mustn't have come across the shop that plies you with Lemoncello before selling you really expensive furniture items 🤣🤣, but they sound and look wonderful.  Once again thank you so much.

[vinob]

22 hours ago, bigeck said:

As above, lots of different ways to do it.

I can only say what I did. 

This was 2017 on Freedom. Walked to the train station. 2.25 Eu each way pp

At the gate it was 25Eu pp for tour guide and entry fee. Once the tour was finished, you can stay in and walk to things that you want to see again. You can spend a day easy.

We left at around 3pm as it might get busy and make sure we were back in time.

When you get off the train, have a walk through Naples and get a slice of pizza where it was first made.

 

I think a lot of tours offer Vesuvius and Pompeii. Personally, that's the next visit.

Naples is one of the places that has a lot of attractions. Amalfi, Vesuvius, Sorrento, Capri and Pompeii and a lot more.

Not an easy decision, but I'm sure you will enjoy what ever you choose

Hi bigeck, this sounds like it might be an option, as think it would be nice to have a bit time to wonder on own after the guided part, as there is only some much they can show you in a couple of hours.  if you bought combined ticket/guide at Pompeii, approximately how many were in your group, also was it just an english speaking group or multi lingual.  Finally how long is the walk to the train station.  It would be lovely to wander around Naples too, but think we will be wrecked after Pompeii, unfortunately it's also last day of our cruise, so some packing to be done when we get back (Just wish the cruise had of been the other way around with Naples been the first port of call).  .Thanks Viv.

[Snit13]

OP, when I read your post I thought your main concern was hearing the guide.  I guess I must have read incorrectly.

I too am hearing impaired.  I always advise the guide as soon as I meet him/her and then make certain I stand beside the guide when information is being shared with the group.  If I don't hear, I ask guide to repeat.  Never been an issue.

[bigeck]

4 hours ago, vinob said:

Hi bigeck, this sounds like it might be an option, as think it would be nice to have a bit time to wonder on own after the guided part, as there is only some much they can show you in a couple of hours.  if you bought combined ticket/guide at Pompeii, approximately how many were in your group, also was it just an english speaking group or multi lingual.  Finally how long is the walk to the train station.  It would be lovely to wander around Naples too, but think we will be wrecked after Pompeii, unfortunately it's also last day of our cruise, so some packing to be done when we get back (Just wish the cruise had of been the other way around with Naples been the first port of call).  .Thanks Viv.

I did see French and German, but English was the more popular. If I remember correct, we had about 10 which was good.

I left the ship early and was at Pompeii before the crowds. We got the 2pm train back and walked through Naples and was back onboard at around 3.30pm.

I do think the guide did show enough and you have to make a decision if you want to continue on your own or head back early to see Naples. The train station is about a 15 minute walk. Try and have a look on Google Maps before you go. 

It's called Napoli Garibaldi which is the local one and Napoli Centrali is the main one. They are both together, buy a return ticket and remember to validate it before you get on the train at Naples and Pompeii

[Milwaukee Eight]

On 4/8/2019 at 3:22 AM, vinob said:

Hi Folks, it's a shot in the dark, but hoping someone out there can help.

Has anyone done royal Caribbean's 4 hour (half day) tour of Pompeii which gives you about 2.5 hours in Pompeii, if so can you remember how large your group was.

I have hearing difficulties and worried will not be able to hear guide if its a very large group.  Did you think it was value for money, or does anyone have recommendations for company that does tours in smallish groups.  Thanks in anticipation.

We were on Royals full day that included Pompeii and were given a device to hear the guide. We had a group that would fill a large bus. 

[John&LaLa]

3 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

We were on Royals full day that included Pompeii and were given a device to hear the guide. We had a group that would fill a large bus. 

 

We had those devices in Jerusalem.  Range is limited. About half our group got separated in the old city at Station of the Cross number 5. No more audio. 😱

[vinob]

1 hour ago, bigeck said:

I did see French and German, but English was the more popular. If I remember correct, we had about 10 which was good.

I left the ship early and was at Pompeii before the crowds. We got the 2pm train back and walked through Naples and was back onboard at around 3.30pm.

I do think the guide did show enough and you have to make a decision if you want to continue on your own or head back early to see Naples. The train station is about a 15 minute walk. Try and have a look on Google Maps before you go. 

It's called Napoli Garibaldi which is the local one and Napoli Centrali is the main one. They are both together, buy a return ticket and remember to validate it before you get on the train at Naples and Pompeii

Hi, thanks for the info, so your guided tour was just done in English, you didn’t have to wait while the guide translated into other languages. Been on the Pompeii ticket site now about £35 for skip the line/guided tour, but worth it if smaller groups. I’ll see if I can download the maps to see where the station is and I’m banking it will take us young OAP’s about 20 mins to walk it, someone did say there is a red bus runs to Pompeii from the port, thanks for taking the time to reply.. 

[vinob]

4 hours ago, Snit13 said:

OP, when I read your post I thought your main concern was hearing the guide.  I guess I must have read incorrectly.

I too am hearing impaired.  I always advise the guide as soon as I meet him/her and then make certain I stand beside the guide when information is being shared with the group.  If I don't hear, I ask guide to repeat.  Never been an issue.

Yes two of our group have hearing problems, we do try to get as close to guides as possible, but if you are in a group of 50/60 people that can sometimes be difficult, especially as some people walk faster then others, but we will try informing the guide and see if we can keep close, many thanks for the advice. Kind regards Viv.