First Time Cruiser

[Megan Jo]

I am a first time cruiser and can use all the help I can get. I am traveling with my husband and 2 boys 7&6 on the MSC Poesia over Christmas. Our port of calls are Katakolon/Olympia, Piraus/Athens, Rhodes Greece, Alexandria Egypt, Limassol Cyprus, Marmaris Turkey, Heraklion Crete, and Naples Italy.

I am looking for advice on which ports to use private tours or the ship excursions and which ones we can do on our own. I have already looked into private tours to Cairo with Nile Blue Tours, Memphis Tours, and Tempo Tours. But for example in Naples we would like to see Pompeii would it be better to use the ship excursions because tours can be pricey in Italy or even do it our selves, but how far is the train station? I do not mind doing a little bit of research to find out the history, I now know everything about the D-Day beaches and the Battle of Normandy after our trip this last weekend!!!! ;)

Any help and advice is much appreciated. Thanks

[lambs2]

It is quite easy to get to Pompei on your own from Naples, using the train. There are many detailed instructions on here, including Tom Ogg's pictures and description for walking (2-3 miles) to the train station). DH and I did go to Pompei on our own last May. We walked from the ship to the newsstand across the highway from the port, purchased a two way ticket from Naples train station to Pompei Scavi station (make sure you validate these - both ways). We also bought a bus ticket to get a bit closer to the street where the train station is (it was a VERY hot day), but that was a bit of a fiasco as we ended up having to walk most of the way anyway because of a traffic problem. On the way back we just walked from the train station to the port at a leisurely pace because we had lots of extra time. After we got to Pompei we purchase our entry tickets and were waiting in the line to rent headsets when a tour guide (wearing an official badge) came up to us and offered us a tour in English for what the headsets were going to cost us. We had to wait abour 15 minutes for him to get our whole group (about 20) together, but he was a wonderful guide and we were very glad we used him! Never would have found all the places he took us on our own! After the almost 2 hour tour with him he gave us a little booklet with all the sites and DH and I continued to see more of the massive site and escavations for a couple more hours before heading back on the train to Naples. If we hadn't spent that couple extra hours at Pompei I am sure we could have continued on to Sorrento and still made it back to the ship on time, but Pompei was our main objective on this trip so we are glad we spent a long time seeing it completely.

 

The day before we had done a whirlwind day in Rome, where we managaed to have a guided tour of the Colloseum, see the Forum, Palantine Hill, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Vatican Museums and St. Peters, plus the Spanish Steps - all done on our own with a BIRG tickets and our two feet, so doing just Pompei and some sightseeing in Naples was enough for us that day!

[lambs2]

Last May we did what you asked by taking the Blue Bus from the airport to Piazzale Roma and then getting the Vaporetta that goes the back way to Zattere landing. Costs a fraction of what a water taxi will cost. I hear the vaporetta route numbers have changed so posting which ones we used last year won't be accurate. But here is the official site for the Vaporetta routes and the prices. Just be sure and take one that ends at Zattere landing: http://www.actv.it/english/home.php

This route was less crowded than the ones down the Grand Canal so taking our luggage on board was no problem for us.