Naples excursions???? (merged)

[mountainmare]

I LOVE Naples.

There is a HOHO bus and that may be a good idea, or you might go to the Naples Tourism site to look for a list of guides for the city.

Much of the city is walking--and crossing the streets is not for the faint of heart but I found the city to be so alive and real that I preferred it to Florence and Rome.

 

If you have the Rick Steves book for Rome (or Italy) he has detailed ideas for the city, including some guides to contact. Galleria Umberto I is close to the ship ( you can see it from the ship) and very impressive. Right out side that is the famour Gambrinus Cafe and the piazza is pedestrian only ( I forget the name now and didn't write it down).

Or you could take the bus out to the "egg" castle and maybe find a cafe there along the marina for lunch.

[dsfischer]

Thanks for those suggestions. My mom really can't walk very far, so I'm worried about her getting around with all of the traffic. I'll see what I can find out about the HOHO bus, too. That might give her a good overview of the city.

[seapenarth]

My husband and I plan to tour Pompeii during the morning of our stop in Naples, then return to the ship and bring my 81 year old mother ashore for lunch, shopping and/or something easy so that she will feel like she has seen Naples. Does anyone have suggestions for a restaurant and an easy afternoon for her? We originally planned a drive along the Amalfi coast, but she isn't up to a long day.

 

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

Debbie

 

eat on the ship :)

[dsfischer]

Seriously?

 

Is this a port where my mom would be better off staying onboard and resting before our VERY busy day in Rome? After watching Samantha Brown's show on Naples I do have doubts about my mom enjoying Naples because of the crowds and traffic. However, I hate to leave her onboard because this is HER trip of a lifetime. (The other side of that is that she has done NO research, so she won't know what she's missing.)

[cberge]

Seriously?

 

Is this a port where my mom would be better off staying onboard and resting before our VERY busy day in Rome? After watching Samantha Brown's show on Naples I do have doubts about my mom enjoying Naples because of the crowds and traffic. However, I hate to leave her onboard because this is HER trip of a lifetime. (The other side of that is that she has done NO research, so she won't know what she's missing.)

To be very honest..if you are going to have a busy day for her in Rome..Naples would be the place for her to stay on the ship and rest..Naples is not the easiest place to get out and about for her.

[cusyl]

The ship will have a bus tour of Naples. I found it to be a very dirty city, but the views from the top are beautiful.

[TLCOhio]

Sunday's New York Times will have a large feature story on "36 Hours in Naples". It is located at:

http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/travel/27hours.html?ref=travel

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[mountainmare]

A ship city tour may be the answer---as I said, it is a real part of Italy--read the NY Times thread posted here.

Or --if you think it may be too much for her--be sure that you explore a bit after you get back from Pompeii.

[Angiem]

Susan I too add my THANK YOU for that link. It was awesome!! Full of info, the web link I've seen.

 

Angie

[dsfischer]

Thanks for the replies - I'm feeling better about letting her have an easy day onboard in Naples because the following day is Rome. I knew she wouldn't be able to do Pompeii, but she was agreeable to being left on the ship while we explored. We'll just do ALL of our exploring before heading back!

 

Thanks again for your honesty!

 

Debbie

[PersistenzaretiniKa]

naples a dirty city, ahahhahahaha, she' not dirtier than amsterdam or any other big cities in europe. anyway the piazza of caffè gambrinus are 2: the one with the fountains in front of the caffè is piazza trieste e Trento and the one aside, with the big church vatican-like and palazzo reale with the staues of the kings of naples is piazza Plebiscito

[cusyl]

naples a dirty city, ahahhahahaha, she' not dirtier than amsterdam or any other big cities in europe. anyway the piazza of caffè gambrinus are 2: the one with the fountains in front of the caffè is piazza trieste e Trento and the one aside, with the big church vatican-like and palazzo reale with the staues of the kings of naples is piazza Plebiscito

 

It is quite possible they were having a garbage strike on the week we were there, as it looked like the trash had not been picked up for quite some time. The countryside and water views were breathtaking.:D

[texancruzer]

When we were there our driver told us off garbage strikes also. We did not see any evidence of this but he told us it was a "family" problem. We took this to mean mafia family ..... actually thought this was a tad funny. The word mafia brings to mind gambling, drugs, sex but not garbage :D

[PIC-2 psychologist]

Seems like we all watch the travel channel and PBS (also history channel?) in preparation for our trips. Anybody find Samantha Brown's programs useful? My take on them is that they are large commercials and provide little to no information. Like, here's a commercial re a luxury hotel, here's where to eat, and "the shopping is great!" What I took away from "Naples" is that folks grow lemons there (and so do I in Texas). Beyond starting in Pompeii, we hope to spend time in Amalfi, Positano, and Ravello: Would love to hear personal experiences in these three towns (especially late May when at least 3 large cruise ships are in port at Naples). I take it from posts read this site that Sorento is a transportation and commercial hub, best avoided (will want to leave for Pompeii at 8:00am to arrive at opening and return to ship by 6:00pm

David

[texancruzer]

PIC-2: I have posted alot about our day at Pompeii and the Amalfi coast. But since we loved loved loved this area I never get tired of talking about it :D

 

We had a private driver (we had 4 couples from our cruise share a ride) and found this to be a great way to explore this area. Buses on these roads I can't imagine..... and trains and buses etc. seems like alot of work (schedules etc). We used APTours and had a nice new shiny van for all of us. Very comfy.

 

We headed to Pompeii first where APTours had arranged a private guide for us. We split her cost 4 ways as well (100 euros = 25 euros per couple) and it was well worth every penny. Pina was great !!! We then drove to Ravello, a charming village in the mountains and had free time (@1 hr) there to explore, shop or grab a coffee or all 3. Then to Amalfi where we also had free time (@1-1/2 hr). We shopped and had a wonderful lunch there. Then on to Positano - also had about an hour there and walked down to the beach and back up. We ended our driving tour in Sorrento (did not tour here but rather headed straight for the marina) where we boarded a ferry and boated back to Naples. We all voted for this option as it was faster (1/2 hr on the ferry vs 1 hr drive back) and gave us more time during the day for the villages above. It also gave us a great view of this area from the water close-up. The ferry docked right next to our ship which gave us a very short walk back.

 

Hope this helps..... we were not there in high season and we were only ship in port. No crowds, no traffic so your experience may differ from ours as to how much can be done in one day. It would be hard for me to have to pick one thing out of the above to delete if I had to. Loved it all.

 

PS I like Samantha Brown. Not so much for planning information but rather she gives you an overall feel for each place. It is only a 1/2 hr show :) I have seen many times where she gives the "bad" along with the "good". I like that.

[Jade0308]

Seems like we all watch the travel channel and PBS (also history channel?) in preparation for our trips. Anybody find Samantha Brown's programs useful? My take on them is that they are large commercials and provide little to no information. Like, here's a commercial re a luxury hotel, here's where to eat, and "the shopping is great!" What I took away from "Naples" is that folks grow lemons there (and so do I in Texas). Beyond starting in Pompeii, we hope to spend time in Amalfi, Positano, and Ravello: Would love to hear personal experiences in these three towns (especially late May when at least 3 large cruise ships are in port at Naples). I take it from posts read this site that Sorento is a transportation and commercial hub, best avoided (will want to leave for Pompeii at 8:00am to arrive at opening and return to ship by 6:00pm

David

 

I saw the Samantha Brown cruise special and found it helpful only in that there were pictures. I too felt like I was watching a long infomercial. We had a wonderful cruise, yet any non-sponsored experience would come with some criticism in addition to promotion.

Anyway, our stop at Naples was virtually beyond criticism. I was very sick with a cold that day, so my experience was not ideal. Yet no one on our private tour with Sorrento Limo had any complaints about the tour itself. We started by walking off the ship vitually into our van (there were 8 of us, collected from CruiseCritic). We went directly to the Amalfi drive, as the crowds at Pompei are supposed to be worst in the morning. We made many picturesque stops on the way for photos. Early on in the drive I needed to use the restroom and we stopped at a small coffee shop. The bathrooms were frightening, but the coffee was wonderful, as were the prices on everything there, including bottled water. We then drove through Positano and stopped in Amalfi. Unfortunately, the road to Ravello was closed. We spent much of the day in Amalfi as a result- wish we had seen Ravello, but Amalfi was a pleasant enough place to spend a few hours. Of course, the natural scenery in the area was incredible. Half our passengers then slept in the van on the way to Pompei. We had a guide there, though I think I personally would have preferred it without one (having research Pompei before my cruise and liking the freedom to walk around on my own). We made it back to the port exhausted but impressed with the beautiful sites and our stress-free day with Sorrento Limo.

[Jade0308]

Thanks for the replies - I'm feeling better about letting her have an easy day onboard in Naples because the following day is Rome. I knew she wouldn't be able to do Pompeii, but she was agreeable to being left on the ship while we explored. We'll just do ALL of our exploring before heading back!

 

Thanks again for your honesty!

 

Debbie

 

Depending on your resources, I think we all found the ride along the Amalfi coast with Sorrento Limo (I was on the tour with Jlines, who reviewed them above) surprisingly smooth. If you can get Gennaro as your driver, he drives somewhat slowly (at least as compared to our crazy-fast drive in Rome) and carefully, cutting down on what would otherwise be a car sickness risk. If requested, I'm certain he could stop at the overlooks and/or shops only (rather than the towns that would require more than a few feet of walking) - step out of the car and into the car at your leisure and just gawk at the incredible scenery while taking pictures. How smooth was the ride? As I noted above, half the passengers slept between Amalfi and Pompei.

[dsfischer]

I was sorry to see that my original posting was merged because I was hoping for some advice specifically on Naples for my elderly mother (which I did get before the merge!). I already knew that Pompeii and the Amalfi drive was out of the question for her. She is unable to spend a full day in the car unless the driver would be able to find a "rest stop" with minimal notice. Likewise, many of the descriptions of the towns along the drive refer to them as "hilly" or "steep," which would be a real problem for her. I would love to do it myself, but there will be another time for me!

 

As to the value of Samantha Brown's show - that was the first time I had seen one of her shows, and it was of great value to me to see what it would be like trying to cross the street in Naples with my 81 year old mother!

 

Thanks to everyone for the ideas.

[jesse]

Thought I would pop in here-one trip to Naples we went to Capri, Anacapri, Sorrento-via bus, would not do that again. I mean use a bus again-tons of people, lots of waiting.

One trip to Naples-last summer-we used Romeinlimo--actually used them in Civitavecchia for a Rome day also

We chose to go to Pompeii first thing, because it was June/July and that worked great, since there is no shade there, really. Romeinlimo got us a private guide for Pompeii, we stayed two hours, and the guide knew in advance we wanted a two hour perspective. Plenty for us. Then off with Romeinlimo for the Amalfi coast and spent the remainder of the day in Positano-it was wonderful.

Great service, excellent drivers, a/c vans, and they did exactly everything we wanted them to do. We also used them off the ship in Rome, same thing, Romeinlimo there first thing as we docked, full awesome day in Rome-and that was not our first trip to Rome, but it was a terrific second trip. They can accomodate the elderly, disabled, young, you name it. you can check out other people's opinions on Romeinlimo-they were great

[PIC-2 psychologist]

Sorry dsfischer if your thread was kidnapped! I have considerable experience both professionally with the elderly (defined as 10 years older than I am, definition keeps going up!) and in taking care of my mother and my in-laws over a period of years. Don't know your itinerary (don't have the time to read through multiple pages), but many Mediterranean ones are port-intensive and are for active people. We are in our early 60s and walk long distances several times each week to get ready for these 3 weeks where we will be walking for miles most days. Some cruises are wonderful experiences in themselves (I would consider a winter week in the Caribbean if you are from the snowbelt, or Alaska the inside passage with at least a visit to Glacier Bay in the summer). At some ports, there is the possibility of a ship's tour that is basically getting on a bus and driving around to see things from a bus window (another possibility). Although it would be way more expensive, if you have the time to plan on your Roll Call, look for other passengers traveling with elderly parent(s) and either plan custom tours with them (= 6-8 passengers) or consider a few days in which the "children" go off and have an active time (pick what you think will be your best times) and arrange for the "parents" to lunch together. Sometime there will be bingo, etc. during the day, and then have a special dinner time and go to a show after. Considering issues of the "sandwhich generation," cruise lines would provide a service by identifying such travelers and considering options for them.

 

Also, thanks to texancruzer for helping to point out at least one itinerary that works. Although we will be in Naples on 28 May, we will be there with 9,000 cruise passengers and the early summer tourists as well. Good luck to those you go to Capri! Sorrento should be plenty crowded also. We plan to be at Pompeii at 8:30am when it opens, with guides galore. My thinking is we will be comparatively rested and enthusiastic, will hit the cool of the morning and hope to beat the crowds by 30-60 minutes. We then, at least, want to see Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello (lunch). Apparently this is doable. Anyone out there have experienes in Pompeii, or amalfi coast towns to share?

 

Cordially,

David

[dsfischer]

Thank you for your reply, David. We actually leave for our cruise on Friday and will board our ship in Venice on May 12. I was able to make arrangements for private (only the 3 of us) tours in several ports, and a few ship tours that had less people. My mother is active but when she's ready to stop, she means it! We didn't want to inconvenience others, so we realistically made our plans around her capabilities. Naples was the only port I couldn't seem to make work for her, but I think my husband and I will make our trip to Pompeii and leave her on the ship to rest for a big day in Rome.

 

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions - this board is a wealth of information!

 

Debbie

[1happyfam]

Hank, I will be in Naples in July and want very much to see Positano. The port time is 7-4(3:30 board) Will I have time? And do you have a private tour to reccomend? I understand there will be alot of traffic that time of year and the ship tour only goes to Amalfi itself.Help!

[1happyfam]

Texancruzer, What were you rport times,if you remember. I am in port only from 7-4 and not sure if thats enough time. Your tour sounds excellent, except we would ot do Pompei. Any help you could give would be great.

[texancruzer]

Texancruzer, What were you rport times,if you remember. I am in port only from 7-4 and not sure if thats enough time. Your tour sounds excellent, except we would ot do Pompei. Any help you could give would be great.

 

We were there from 7-7 but were back aboard long before that. We were there in late Nov. so it got dark about 4:30 and the sun was setting on the way back on the ferry.

 

If you are not doing Pompeii there is plenty of time. We spent the morning in Pompeii and the villages in the afternoon. We had quite a bit of time in each one too.

 

Check out www.aptours.it They were excellent.

[Lucyonthesea]

We will be in Naples at the end of June. Looks like there are three other ships in port making close to 4,000 visitors from the sea, not to mention all the other tourists staying in the area. We want to visit Pompeii and take a tour of the Amalfi coast. I have booked Drive Amalfi for this. My dilemma is do we visit Pompeii first because it's cooler then. Or do we tour the coast first and stop off at Pompeii in the afternoon as it's closer to the port. I have read about horrendous traffic jams on the coast road - would hate to spend the afternoon worrying about missing our boat! Is Pompeii really less crowded in the afternoon? Jade, what time of year did you do this tour?

Carolyn

:confused: