Oceania Vista - Oct 20- Oct 20 2024 - Athens to Rome - Shore Excursions

[Irishgal1]

Hi fellow cruisers!    I'm wondering if anyone has recommendations for Private Tour guide to Pompeii and Amalfi Coast? There are alot out there, but we haven't had the experience of hiring one before, so wanted to reach out. We're in port for just 10 hours I think , so wanted to make the most of it.

Anyone who has booked with a local tour group before, or did research like I am in process of doing, would love to share!   THanks!  Christine

[willidc]

You may have better luck going to your Roll Call.  There are usually people looking to schedule private tours there and have experience with private tours or a mix.  Even if you are not interested in a group getting together for a tour, they typically have previous experience with some operators and guides they could suggest.

 

And you may also get some suggestions from this board as well.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[Irishgal1]

Thanks alot for this advice!   I thought I had posted it as a New Topic under the Roll Call tab.

Darn it....have to try to figure out how to do it correctly.   If you can give me any tips on what to do, I'd appreciate it!  

[taiwan_girl]

@Irishgal1 Dont know how comfortable you would feel, but we had a stop in Naples this past January (on a Viking ship) and just made our way on our own to Pompeii.  Didn't think that the offered tours were worth the price and none of the included tours went to Pompeii.  Walked to the train station from port (though I have to say it did not seem like the greatest neighborhood. LOL), took the train to Pompeii and then just got a map and audio tour and wandered own our own.  Took the train back.  I think we were in port about 10 hours also and had plenty of time.

 

(BTW, like your username.  Went to Ireland a year ago in May/June with our 4 young adult kids (late teens to early 20's). Absolutely LOVED it and loved the country.  Few days in Dublin, a week in Dingle, and a week in Galway (with lots of days trips from those locations. Everybody already wants to go back.)

[Liao]

On 8/26/2024 at 3:57 PM, Irishgal1 said:

Hi fellow cruisers!    I'm wondering if anyone has recommendations for Private Tour guide to Pompeii and Amalfi Coast? There are alot out there, but we haven't had the experience of hiring one before, so wanted to reach out. We're in port for just 10 hours I think , so wanted to make the most of it.

Anyone who has booked with a local tour group before, or did research like I am in process of doing, would love to share!   THanks!  Christine

RomeinLimo is very good, reliable and reasonably priced.  I have used them several times and am using them again on my upcoming trip to Rome and the AC.   I don't think though that in 10 hours you can reasonably do both Pompeii and the AC.  Might be doable but would be very rushed.  

[ORV]

Also the Ports of Call section of Cruise Critic would probably have some excellent recommendations about this area. 

[PelicanLvr]

Another vote for "Romeinlimo".  We had an excellent experience with them in Tuscany and they tailored the day so we could see more.  Talk to them.

[Irishgal1]

Thank you very much for taking the time to share your recommendations!   Much appreciated!  I'll look them up if the group we are working with now isn't able to accommodate us!

[Irishgal1]

On 8/28/2024 at 10:13 PM, Liao said:

RomeinLimo is very good, reliable and reasonably priced.  I have used them several times and am using them again on my upcoming trip to Rome and the AC.   I don't think though that in 10 hours you can reasonably do both Pompeii and the AC.  Might be doable but would be very rushed.  

THank you for the recommendation.  I know we aren't going to be able to do as much as we hoped, but a taste of each will be worth it to us, if we never get to come back. 

[Irishgal1]

On 8/29/2024 at 4:40 PM, PelicanLvr said:

Another vote for "Romeinlimo".  We had an excellent experience with them in Tuscany and they tailored the day so we could see more.  Talk to them.

Thank you for the recommendation!   Seems like everyone who responded had a great tour with them, so look forward to checking them out too!

[Irishgal1]

On 8/28/2024 at 6:36 PM, taiwan_girl said:

@Irishgal1 Dont know how comfortable you would feel, but we had a stop in Naples this past January (on a Viking ship) and just made our way on our own to Pompeii.  Didn't think that the offered tours were worth the price and none of the included tours went to Pompeii.  Walked to the train station from port (though I have to say it did not seem like the greatest neighborhood. LOL), took the train to Pompeii and then just got a map and audio tour and wandered own our own.  Took the train back.  I think we were in port about 10 hours also and had plenty of time.

 

(BTW, like your username.  Went to Ireland a year ago in May/June with our 4 young adult kids (late teens to early 20's). Absolutely LOVED it and loved the country.  Few days in Dublin, a week in Dingle, and a week in Galway (with lots of days trips from those locations. Everybody already wants to go back.)

Thanks alot for sharing your experience!   I know what you mean, as I drove through Naples when I was in Rome - and it wasn't my kind of town. Our cruise is docking in Salerno, and we only have 10 hours there, ( like you did).  Good to know that we can do this, and have plenty of time!     As for Ireland, Yes, we LOVE It!   Been there 3x, renting B & B's, and then my Dad rented homes for a week in different parts of Ireland,  Dingle, Galway... We really liked having a home base when renting homes, and making day trips, like you did.  Made alot of very special memories with all the family when we were young.

[Techno123]

If you want to do the Amalfi coast I would do it by sea  - October should be better but in the summer, the traffic on the road can be horrific.

 

copied from elsewhere but To get to Pompeii from Salerno by train, head to Salerno's main train station – it's in the old city centre – and board one of Trenitalia's regional trains going to Pompeii. You'll arrive at Pompeii train station, which is also in the town centre and is only 10 minutes away from the ruins.

[claranda]

Naples as a city is…underwhelming, not to say squalid. But after visiting Herculaneum (we’d been to Pompeii before) we went to the museum in Naples and found that it really completed our experience and understanding of those sites. 
Sorry, I can’t remember the tour we took, but it was poor, anyway. Next time I think we’d DIY it with homework done in advance.

[IDL]

Having a private tour guide for Pompeii really enhanced the experience.  We also had a great pizza lunch with limoncello in Sorrento.