Celebrity excursion advice for Naples

[NCteacherlovescruising]

I have already asked in the Italy forum. The problem is Celebrity’s excursion descriptions lack details and passenger reviews that would be very helpful in making decisions. For our day in Naples I am looking at two excursions. One is just the Amalfi Coast, which I really want to see. I love beautiful scenery and charming cities. The other covers the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii. They are both 9.5 hours. Is that enough time to do the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii justice or should we choose the one that’s just the Amalfi Coast?  If you’ve been on either excursion, please share your experience! 
 

1st is: “Sorrento and Amalfi Coast by Boat”

Overview

Enjoy a scenic and relaxing excursion, experiencing Italy's most famous coastline by boat and time within the beautiful village of Sorrento. After an approximate one-hour drive by coach, you will arrive to the town of Salerno, located at the very end of the Amalfi Coast. There you'll board a private boat and enjoy a 45-minute cruise, viewing the Dolomitic cliffs, which at many points, tower perpendicularly out of the sea and have been sculpted by nature into fantastic shapes. Enjoy a narrated walk around the town center of Amalfi with your guide, who will explain the history and architecture of the Cathedral of St. Andrea as you marvel at the exterior architecture. Enjoy some free time on your own in Amalfi before cruising back to Salerno where your coach will be waiting to drive you to Sorrento. Enjoy lunch with wine in a local restaurant in Sorrento.

Highlights

• Discover how Sorrento's warm climate makes it a popular Mediterranean resort.
• Explore the exterior of the Cathedral of St. Andrew, which features stunning 11th Century bronze doors from Constantinople.
• View the towering Dolomitic cliff and picturesque coastal villages from the boat.

 

2nd:  “Small Group Discoveries: Exclusive Tour of Italy’s Amalfi Coast:  by the way, What does “small group” mean?  10 people?  50?

 

Overview

There are few region's more breathtaking than the Amalfi Coast in Italy. Spanning 50 kilometers, Italy's Amalfi Coast epitomizes the grandiosity Mediterranean landscape. And our exclusive excursion offers the rare opportunity to explore Italy with loved ones by your side. Your private adventure begins at the port in Naples where you'll board a private charter for a scenic drive along the coast with your knowledgeable guide. Along the way, you'll catch a glimpse of Mount Vesuvius, the tallest of a row of volcanoes visible from the coast. After a brief respite in Positano, your journey continues onward to the fabled town of Sorrento. Sorrento served as the backdrop for numerous Mediterranean myths and legend, and you'll get the opportunity to explore the iconic, picturesque destinations. Our coastal trek concludes with a stop in the ancient city of Pompeii. As we clear the city's gates, you'll feel as if you've been transported back to 79 AD. Rustic and full of character, you'll marvel at the stunning architecture and warmth of the locals.

Highlights

Take in awe-inspiring views of the Amalfi Coast's stunning landscape on a private drive.

Visit the preserved sites in the ancient city of Pompeii.

Explore the fabled town of Sorrento, which is the site of many local legends.

 

Any insights into either of these tours and even if 9.5 hours is enough time to see both would be greatly appreciated. I’m leaning toward the first tour, but my dear friend insists Pompeii is not to be missed. 

Edited January 29, 2023 by NCteacherlovescruising

[PurpleTraveller]

I am also looking at the first tour "Sorrento and Amalfi Coast by Boat" for my cruise in June 2024, so hope someone who has done this tour will reply. 

 

Having been to Naples and the area a number of times I will say that the traffic in the area is very busy during the summer months and there can be traffic jams which may limit the time you have at each stop.

 

Pompeii is wonderful but I have been when on land tours and the second time I spent about six hours there as I hadn't seen enough on my first visit. Hopefully someone will be able to let you know how long you may have there.

 

I don't know how many people would be on the second tour but I did a "small group discovery" tour in Kotor last year and there were 29 passengers on the tour. 

 

I have always done DIY when previously in Naples on a cruise but I am looking at the boat tour as we are in Naples on a Saturday and last June we were also there on a Saturday and the city was jam packed with people and cars. I thought it might be nice to be off the roads and on the water for a while.

 

Edited January 29, 2023 by PurpleTraveller

[Zukini]

I can't comment on those particular excursions, as I've never taken them. I have however spent a considerable amount of time on land-based vacations along the Amalfi Coast, so I'll offer what insight I can. Cruisemom42 has given you excellent advice in another thread, and I think her thoughts echo mine.  

 

I don't know when you're cruising, but during high season a coach from Naples to Salerno will likely be far longer than one hour due to traffic. You would want to sit on the right for the best views.  A boat from Salerno to Amalfi will indeed take about 45 minutes, and it is a beautiful trip. Be aware that since you're stopping in Amalfi, you won't see the stretch of coastline between Amalfi and Positano, which is quite stunning. Amalfi is small but charming, and one of our favorite places, but you likely won't be spending much time there before returning to Salerno. Sorrento is a nice tourist town to wander around in for a lunch stop.  All told, assuming traffic, you'll be spending about 2.5 - 3 hours on the coach, and 1.5 hours on the boat.

 

As much as I like Pompeii, you're only going to spend about 2 hours there on most cruise-ship tours, which, depending on your tolerance for dust, heat, and crowds may be enough.  It's certainly an experience, but if you're really interested in that I would suggest you would be better served by doing it on your own from Naples instead of as a cruise ship excursion, and dedicating your day to Pompeii and Herculaneum. Plenty of threads around here to tell you how to do that, if you're confident enough to venture out on your own using public transportation.

 

The first time I visited Naples was on a cruise, and we skipped all of the cruise excursions and instead visited the archaelogical museum and the Capella San Severo on our own, but that was because those were sites we especially wanted to see.

 

My best advice is to do what you feel YOU would enjoy, and not to see a site just because someone said it's a "must-see". What excites you about this part of Italy? I think many typical cruise excursions try to cram too much into a single trip instead of giving you the time to savor and experience.

[George C]

I think Pompeii is a total must so #2

[terrydtx]

We stopped in Naples last year and had been to Pompeii 3 previous times and it seemed like all the Celebrity tours had Pompeii. We are to the point where we do not use ship tours anymore too expensive and we hate being on buses with 30 strangers. So now we use private excursions and the one we used for Naples last year we did through Shore Excursions group was for 6 people max and we had 4 in our group and it was less than similar big bus cruise on Celebrity. becasue there was only the 4 of us we got to choose the places we wanted to see on the Amalfi coast and when we wanted to have our lunch break. Go to the link and enter your ship and cruise date to see excursion on your cruise. Use the link below.

 

https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/

Edited January 29, 2023 by terrydtx

[Lena11033]

I haven't done these particular ones but I did Pompeii and Sorrento small group - there were about 20 of us.

 

I will say though it wasn't enough time, Pompeii we had about 2 hours there before going to Sorrento and then were stuck in traffic due to an accident, the driver tried a detour and still got stuck in traffic. We had a short stop at a farm before going to Sorrento, which we didn't get a lot of time at. I think overall I spent more time on the bus. 

Personally if doing it again I wouldn't do Pompeii and Sorrento in a day, I really didn't get to see much of Sorrento. I was also traveling the later half of August.

[NMTraveller]

We did an excursion similiar to #2 except we also stopped in Capri.

 

I would choose #2 myself.  There is a lot of travel on the bus to get there.

Ultimately 2 days would be best to visit this area.

 

For small excursions there is no way to tell.  We have seen them vary from 10 to 50.  Or sometimes 2 small buses of 10.

Edited January 29, 2023 by NMTraveller

[mom says]

I haven't been on either of those tours, but have done land trips to Sorrento and the AC a few times. If your cruise is any time between late spring and mid fall I would avoid any bus ride along the AC. Traffic is bumper to bumper  on a very twisty, turny, narrow road, and jams are the norm rather than the exception. OTOH, the drive from Naples (once outside the city center)to Salerno should be on the autostrada, so should be OK. Travel by boat is definitely the most scenic way to go, and Amalfi is a lovely, if touristy, little town. But IMO the boat ride misses the most picturesque portion of the coast, which is further west.

 

As for Pompeii, we've never spent less than 6 hours per visit there. You would barely have time to see a few of the more famous sites.

 

For me, I'd pick either the AC boat excursion or do a DIY to Pompeii and the Archeologivpcal Museum back in Naples. The second option listed is way too much time on a bus and not enough time actually AT the places you want sto see.

 

 

 

 

 

[NCteacherlovescruising]

20 hours ago, Zukini said:

I can't comment on those particular excursions, as I've never taken them. I have however spent a considerable amount of time on land-based vacations along the Amalfi Coast, so I'll offer what insight I can. Cruisemom42 has given you excellent advice in another thread, and I think her thoughts echo mine.  

 

I don't know when you're cruising, but during high season a coach from Naples to Salerno will likely be far longer than one hour due to traffic. You would want to sit on the right for the best views.  A boat from Salerno to Amalfi will indeed take about 45 minutes, and it is a beautiful trip. Be aware that since you're stopping in Amalfi, you won't see the stretch of coastline between Amalfi and Positano, which is quite stunning. Amalfi is small but charming, and one of our favorite places, but you likely won't be spending much time there before returning to Salerno. Sorrento is a nice tourist town to wander around in for a lunch stop.  All told, assuming traffic, you'll be spending about 2.5 - 3 hours on the coach, and 1.5 hours on the boat.

 

As much as I like Pompeii, you're only going to spend about 2 hours there on most cruise-ship tours, which, depending on your tolerance for dust, heat, and crowds may be enough.  It's certainly an experience, but if you're really interested in that I would suggest you would be better served by doing it on your own from Naples instead of as a cruise ship excursion, and dedicating your day to Pompeii and Herculaneum. Plenty of threads around here to tell you how to do that, if you're confident enough to venture out on your own using public transportation.

 

The first time I visited Naples was on a cruise, and we skipped all of the cruise excursions and instead visited the archaelogical museum and the Capella San Severo on our own, but that was because those were sites we especially wanted to see.

 

My best advice is to do what you feel YOU would enjoy, and not to see a site just because someone said it's a "must-see". What excites you about this part of Italy? I think many typical cruise excursions try to cram too much into a single trip instead of giving you the time to savor and experience.

We will be there mid June.  The reasons I was looking at ship tours is because we have a lot of OBC to use and I have heard traffic can be a nightmare and I wouldn't want to miss the ship.  However, I have found a private company that will cover any expenses incurred if we miss the ship, which tells me they will get us back in time.  

 

I really want to see the Amalfi Coast!  Pompeii looks cool too, but we are doing a lot of history stuff other places.

19 hours ago, terrydtx said:

We stopped in Naples last year and had been to Pompeii 3 previous times and it seemed like all the Celebrity tours had Pompeii. We are to the point where we do not use ship tours anymore too expensive and we hate being on buses with 30 strangers. So now we use private excursions and the one we used for Naples last year we did through Shore Excursions group was for 6 people max and we had 4 in our group and it was less than similar big bus cruise on Celebrity. becasue there was only the 4 of us we got to choose the places we wanted to see on the Amalfi coast and when we wanted to have our lunch break. Go to the link and enter your ship and cruise date to see excursion on your cruise. Use the link below.

 

https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/

Thanks!  I have found a private excursion but will check this one out too.

 

19 hours ago, Lena11033 said:

I haven't done these particular ones but I did Pompeii and Sorrento small group - there were about 20 of us.

 

I will say though it wasn't enough time, Pompeii we had about 2 hours there before going to Sorrento and then were stuck in traffic due to an accident, the driver tried a detour and still got stuck in traffic. We had a short stop at a farm before going to Sorrento, which we didn't get a lot of time at. I think overall I spent more time on the bus. 

Personally if doing it again I wouldn't do Pompeii and Sorrento in a day, I really didn't get to see much of Sorrento. I was also traveling the later half of August.

 

I keep hearing traffic is awful there!  I am leaning toward just doing the Amalfi Coast.

 

19 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

We did an excursion similiar to #2 except we also stopped in Capri.

 

I would choose #2 myself.  There is a lot of travel on the bus to get there.

Ultimately 2 days would be best to visit this area.

 

For small excursions there is no way to tell.  We have seen them vary from 10 to 50.  Or sometimes 2 small buses of 10.

 

Thank you!

 

17 hours ago, mom says said:

I haven't been on either of those tours, but have done land trips to Sorrento and the AC a few times. If your cruise is any time between late spring and mid fall I would avoid any bus ride along the AC. Traffic is bumper to bumper  on a very twisty, turny, narrow road, and jams are the norm rather than the exception. OTOH, the drive from Naples (once outside the city center)to Salerno should be on the autostrada, so should be OK. Travel by boat is definitely the most scenic way to go, and Amalfi is a lovely, if touristy, little town. But IMO the boat ride misses the most picturesque portion of the coast, which is further west.

 

As for Pompeii, we've never spent less than 6 hours per visit there. You would barely have time to see a few of the more famous sites.

 

For me, I'd pick either the AC boat excursion or do a DIY to Pompeii and the Archeologivpcal Museum back in Naples. The second option listed is way too much time on a bus and not enough time actually AT the places you want sto see.

 

 

 

 

 

We will be there in June and yet again I'm hearing about the horrendous traffic.  

 

I do not want to miss the Amalfi coast!

[terrydtx]

1 hour ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

We will be there mid June.  The reasons I was looking at ship tours is because we have a lot of OBC to use and I have heard traffic can be a nightmare and I wouldn't want to miss the ship. 

Yes I can attest to the traffic specially going to Sorento from Pompeii. One lane roads with a lot of tourist buses and European vacationers in their cars in the summer.  We were there last August and it was heavy but no problems getting back to the ship on time with our private tour.

[NewWestwardbound]

We did the Sorrento and Pompeii excursion from Naples on Celebrity Silhouette last summer. Met in the theatre at 9.00 for a 9.30 departure, back on board by 6.30. Included a trip to a local farm, a town visit with free time for lunch; a scenic coastal drive, and long guided tour of Pompeii. 
Absolutely fantastic, probably the 2nd best Celebrity excursion we have ever done, 

[dreamboat43]

We have booked the small group Amalfi tour for our June trip on Reflection.  I'm not crazy about spending a lot of time on a bus but I really want to see this area.   I would also like to hear from someone who has done it.  

[soniam]

I have not done these excursions. We will be doing the Capri/Blue Grotto one out of Naples. We have done land vacations to Sorrento, Amalfi, Pompeii, and Naples. Missed Capri due to weather/ocean roughness. If you are a big archeology fiend, you could spend a lot of time at Pompeii. We aren't massive fans but enjoy it. We did Pompeii and Herculaneum in a day from Sorrento. I doubt the one with Pompeii would be enough time for a big fan.

 

We took a bus from Sorrento through Positano to Amalfi, so that we could both see instead of just the passenger seeing. This was in February, and traffic was still a nightmare. There was also road construction. We had to exit the bus, walk a few blocks around the closed road, and wait for another bus. Not sure if this would happen on a shore excursion though, but it is Italy. It can take a while to get around that area. I think we got back fairly late to Sorrento. Just doing Sorrento/Amalfi can be a lot.

 

Also, it's Italy. Don't expect anything to go quickly or probably even on time. They have a much more relaxed attitude about things than many other places.

[upwarduk]

I was disappointed in our excursion which was advertised as Easy access. We visited the farm first, then Sorrento, which was an hour over lunch time. We arrived in Pompeii at 3.15 pm in horrendous heat, without any shade.

 

Amalfi coast.

 

 

Vesuvius

 

 

Farm

 

 

Part of Pompeii 

 

[soniam]

3 hours ago, upwarduk said:

I was disappointed in our excursion which was advertised as Easy access. We visited the farm first, then Sorrento, which was an hour over lunch time. We arrived in Pompeii at 3.15 pm in horrendous heat, without any shade.

 

Amalfi coast.

 

 

Vesuvius

 

 

Farm

 

 

Part of Pompeii 

 

 

Pompeii can be very hot and definitely has very little to no shade. I wouldn't say that it's physically difficult, but they probably should worn people about the heat.

 

[NCteacherlovescruising]

On 2/5/2023 at 2:20 PM, soniam said:

I have not done these excursions. We will be doing the Capri/Blue Grotto one out of Naples. We have done land vacations to Sorrento, Amalfi, Pompeii, and Naples. Missed Capri due to weather/ocean roughness. If you are a big archeology fiend, you could spend a lot of time at Pompeii. We aren't massive fans but enjoy it. We did Pompeii and Herculaneum in a day from Sorrento. I doubt the one with Pompeii would be enough time for a big fan.

 

 

 Not huge into history, but my husband enjoys it quite a bit. However, he will be fine missing this since we have so many other historical sights we will be visiting. 

On 2/5/2023 at 2:20 PM, soniam said:

On 2/5/2023 at 5:57 PM, upwarduk said:

I was disappointed in our excursion which was advertised as Easy access. We visited the farm first, then Sorrento, which was an hour over lunch time. We arrived in Pompeii at 3.15 pm in horrendous heat, without any shade.

 

Amalfi coast.

 

 

Vesuvius

 

 

Farm

 

 

Part of Pompeii 

 

I’m so sorry you were disappointed with your excursion! 
 

I think we will just focus on the Amalfi Coast.