Shore trips in Naples

[HBcruiser50]

Hi, I'm fairly new to cruising (1 Alaska cruise on RC) and I need help. My family and I are cruising to the Mediterranean on the Gem on July 20th, and we're taking my 80+ year old mother-in-law. She's very active and healthy. We'd like to do an excursion to the coast and pompeii (not sure which one yet), but I'm worried about the lines and the heat. Can anyone tell me how the NCL tours are? We're considering hiring a guide but I can't get everyone in my group to agree.

 

Also, does anyone know if cigars are allowed on the balconies, or any smoking areas? I hate it, but my husband does like his cigar.

 

I have gotten some great advice from this forum, thanks everyone!

[Ms belp]

Hi, I'm fairly new to cruising (1 Alaska cruise on RC) and I need help. My family and I are cruising to the Mediterranean on the Gem on July 20th, and we're taking my 80+ year old mother-in-law. She's very active and healthy. We'd like to do an excursion to the coast and pompeii (not sure which one yet), but I'm worried about the lines and the heat. Can anyone tell me how the NCL tours are? We're considering hiring a guide but I can't get everyone in my group to agree.

 

Also, does anyone know if cigars are allowed on the balconies, or any smoking areas? I hate it, but my husband does like his cigar.

 

I have gotten some great advice from this forum, thanks everyone!

 

I posted on an earlier thread that this was my favorite vacation of all time. It was absolutely beautiful. We avoided Naples and Pompeii entirely and chose instead to visit Positano and Sorrento, which included a drive along the Amalfi coast, including a view of Capri. Words cannot do this justice, in my opinion. Other cruisers who had done Naples were very unhappy with their excursion. If you are interested in Pompeii you may not want to miss that. The sights, smells, people...I would not change a thing about my excursion on the NCL Jewel at the port of Naples. You can google these places to get an idea.

[cynbar]

We were on the Gem last week, and booked through the ship because it was just the 2 of us and our roll call was nonexistent. We did the Pompeii and Amalfi Coast tour and loved it. The first part was a delightful ride along the coast with a stop in the little seaside village of Amalfi. Then we had lunch outside of Pompeii, and toured the ruins in the afternoon. Your MIL would do fine on the AM part, but the Pompeii visit involved a lot of walking over uneven terrain. It really would depend on how fit she is -- we had several older passengers on our tour and they did fine. It's also possible to turn back at Pompeii or shorten the walk, and catch up with the group when they exit the ruins. We thought Pompeii was fascinating, one of the highlights of our trip. By the way, weather was great all week, sunny and not too hot, but I don't think you can count on that all summer. No lines on the excursion, either --- Pompeii can absorb a lot of people. PS --- I don't know about cigars on the balcony but there is a very nice cigar lounge on the Gem, right next to Le Bistro and Bar Central.

[insidecabin]

Pompeii is a great site to see and combined with the coast you get a good contrast for a pleasent day out.

 

One thing there is NO SHADE in Pompeii and it can get very hot so sun hats/shades are a must.

[markarian]

We preferred to go to Herculaneum on our own because

1. It was easy and cheap to do - bus-train-taxi at a per person cost of $35 each, including the entrance fee and audioguide.

2. Herculaneum is a much, much smaller site than Pompei. You can actually visit all the buildings, giving one, I think, a much more complete view of life in a Roman town.

3. No crowds.

4. No crowds.

In all a memorable day that still sends shivers down my spine.....

[kodos]

I would book a private tour. We used DriveAmalfi with Roberto Di Palma as our driver and Stefan as our guide in Pompeii. Both were excellent and I would highly recommend them. If four or more of you split a private tour it will be cheaper then the boat tour and you will see more.

 

I also think it would easier on you mother-in-law since the car/van is easier to get in and out of than a bus and you aren't dealing with mobs of people. We saw the NCL tour bus at our first scenic overlook. By the the time they loaded back up we were half way to our next stop and we never saw them again.

 

Pompeii is worth seeing and is better if you have a good guide but we did go there in the afternoon and it was very hot. There is a fair amount of walking and it is over uneven terrain. The private tours our very flexible so you may want to ask if you can rearrange Pompeii to the morning or substitute it for something else if you think it is too much.

[namdert]

hi all , would u recommend this excursion to pompei with 2 kids 10,12 and baby 15 months??? or should we skip it

thanks

[lincslass64]

hi all , would u recommend this excursion to pompei with 2 kids 10,12 and baby 15 months??? or should we skip it

thanks

Pompei is brilliant maybe too hot though for a toddler .

[DMH15]

I did the same excursion ans cynbar (Pompeii and Amalfi Coat drive). LOVED IT! You can detatch yourself from the group at Pompeii and take your own time, just be sure to arrange a meeting time and place AND wear shoes that work well on slightly hilly terrain with pebbles and rocks. I would not have missed Pompeii, so glad I went.

 

I joked to everyone though that I would not have had a problem if they had just left me in Amalfi and sent my things later. :) I recall the Lemoncello and the pizza. The views on the hill were magnificent. Even in the coach I gor awesome pictures.

 

One of my very best excursions EVER. Worth every euro.

[andmad]

My husband and I were on the June 8th sailing of the Gem. We had booked an NCL excursion to Pompeii and Sorrento, but it was cancelled due to cold water in Sorrento. We took a cab to Pompeii, but if we had to it again, we would have done the train. At Pompeii, we found a tour guide who took a group of 8 of us for 10 Euros per person. He was great. It only took about 5 minutes to find others to join our group. It is hot so bring bottled water and a hat. After our two hour tour, we took a train to Sorrento. It was very easy. The train station leaves you right downtown to walk around, shop and eat. We took the hydrofoil back to Naples. The ferry leaves every 30 minutes. We had enought time to walk around Naples for an hour, but I would not recommend it. It was very busy, congeted, and dirty.

 

I think that Naples is easy to do on your own and a lot cheaper.

[conandrob240]

Naples is really a seedy, dirty town. Pickpockets and beggars galore- IMO, better to stay on the ship if that is your only choice. Cruise/ferry to Capri would be lovely as that is truly a gorgeous place. Pompeii is amazing but it gets very hot in summer and it is a difficult walk with uneven paver stones in the "streets"- I wouldn't do it with a 15 month old and I think it would be very difficult for an 80 yr old, frankly. I am did it in my mid-30s and the walk on those pavers really hurt my joints & knees- I know my very active 65 yr old mother would have been in a lot of pain. If you do go to Pompeii, I would agree that the train is best and simply join a tour there or even just use the audio guide (which I thought was good although a little hard to follow at times), then you can go at your own pace.