Sorrento substituted for Amalfi 4/25/09-why?

[susiesan]

I got a message from my TA that AZ had an itinerary modification on the April 25, 2009 Journey sailing. They are going to Sorrento instead of Amalfi. Does anyone who has been to these ports know the reason for this change? It looks to me that you had to tender in Amalfi but dock in Sorrento. That could be the reason. How far apart are the two ports?

[Susan-M]

We were in Sorrento on Quest last month (it's a tender port) and we visited Amalfi on a port day from Naples 3 years ago.

 

I'm not sure why they would make this change, but it might be because it's an easier place to provide tours from. It's a more central location for Pompeii, Vesuvius, Herculaneum, and likely more ferry service and a shorter ride to Capri.

 

Amalfi is very scenic, but a small town and I think it would be hard to spend a whole day there ... to do a tour you would likely need to take a ship's tour or a private tour, but taking a public bus along the Amalfi Coast to Positano is something that probably wouldn't be too hard to do on your own, or a bus to Ravello.

 

Sorrento offers a lot of options for DIY tours ... the train between Sorrento and Naples is a good way to get to Pompeii, Herculaneum and Mt. Vesuvius on your own. Since we had been to Pompeii last time, we took the train to Herculaneum this time ... enjoyed the morning exploring the ruins there and then headed back to Sorrento to take in some sites there (it's a beautiful city with spectacular views!) Our travel costs were 3.1 euros each and we saw some interesting countryside, some glimpses of the coast and some great views of Mt. Vesuvius on our train ride.

 

I found this summary from Rick Steves a help in getting a general idea of the area ... I then borrowed his book on Italy from the library to help with the rest of our planning. http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/italy/amalfi.htm

 

p.s. Just realized that I didn't answer the second question ... according to MapQuest Italy.... 31 kms apart, 50 minute drive.

[Tinwoman]

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but from what I remember the Sorrento/Amalfi areas are in the same general area.

We took the Sorrento/Amalfi coast tour and it was beautiful, but I will warn you a lot of people got sick on the bus from all the curves, and I mean people who don't normally get motion sickness.

So take some precautions and take some Bonine before you go up the coastal tour.:)

[Susan-M]

Hi Shirley ... yes, they are in the same area (the link I posted above includes a map). We took a private tour of the Amalfi Coast starting in Naples, in a van with 6 other people from our roll call on our first Med cruise. It included the towns of Positano and Amalfi, and a couple of hours at Pompeii The van was able to get right into the town of Positano (which tour buses aren't able to do) and there were no problems with motion sickness for our group.

It is a spectacular coastline and drive!:)

[gtown99]

It looks to me that you had to tender in Amalfi but dock in Sorrento. That could be the reason. How far apart are the two ports?

 

I was on Journey earlier this month and Sorrento was a tender port. I did not see any facilities that could be used for docking a cruise ship at this location.

[Tinwoman]

Hi Shirley ... yes, they are in the same area (the link I posted above includes a map). We took a private tour of the Amalfi Coast starting in Naples, in a van with 6 other people from our roll call on our first Med cruise. It included the towns of Positano and Amalfi, and a couple of hours at Pompeii The van was able to get right into the town of Positano (which tour buses aren't able to do) and there were no problems with motion sickness for our group.

It is a spectacular coastline and drive!:)

 

I think the maybe one reason so many people got sick was because we were behind schedule and the bus driver was petal to the metal on the way back.

The ship was waiting on us.:eek:

It was a wild ride LOL, luckily we didn't get sick.

[dalebo]

We were just on the Azamara Journey and we stopped in Sorrento. We anchored out in the bay and tendered.

 

But thei view from our anchor was outstanding and we really enjoyed the small town or Sorrento.

 

Also, don't miss the tour to Pompei

[Tinwoman]

We were just on the Azamara Journey and we stopped in Sorrento. We anchored out in the bay and tendered.

 

But thei view from our anchor was outstanding and we really enjoyed the small town or Sorrento.

 

Also, don't miss the tour to Pompei

 

I was amazed at Pompeii, so much in fact that we vacationed in Naples for 2 weeks in order to spend more time there.

The sheer vastness of the city is astounding, I am somewhat of a Roman history buff, and I found it all incredible.