Naples port day.. Amalfi by boat? Plus quick city tour.. feasible?

[DianaMB333]

Hi
Naples port seems to be a 10 hr port time; we are not big walkers, but we love scenery and sight seeings

Is it feasible to do a short boat tour to see Amalfi, maybe go get lunch Positano (?) and go back to the port to catch a private driving tour that can take us around Naples and maybe quick photos at Pompeii?

Alternatively, hire the full day private tour and do the same but driving… ? My concern with this approach is the narrow roads as my niece is prone to nausea and I read that an accident in that road can create a very long jam..

Thanks!

 

[Mommb]

I would be leery of trying to do two separate non-Disney tours if you want to see several different areas. There are tour companies that can plan a full day based on exactly what you want. With a full day, if one area has problems, the driver can change the order to temporarily avoid that area.

The private tour companies should stay in touch with their office to keep aware of issues that may affect traffic. There is always a risk of something unexpected that could delay your return, but with a family group rather than a large tour group, it is easy to make adjustments as needed.

The narrow roads, though, would be an issue for any driving tour. You may want to reach out to tour companies to ask what options have minimal driving on twisty roads. If your niece is prone to nausea, a boat ride on a small boat may be just as bad as a car.

On our last Mediterranean cruise, we did a day tour with stops at a limoncello factory, olive oil grower, pizza restaurant, walking around Sorrento, and guided tour of Pompeii. It was wonderful, but it was a long day, and we didn’t see any of Naples. I would pick either Naples or the Amalfi coast as your focus, and add a trip to Pompeii to either of those.

 

[soniam]

Sounds risky to me. There is often traffic and backups around Amalfi and Positano. I wouldn’t even try to do all of that on a single ship tour. You would be run ragged and not really get to see anything in much detail.

EDIT: Those roads are narrow and windy. The buses and vans drive fast, if they can, which isn’t all the time. I can easily see someone getting car sick in this situation.

 

[o&smom]

I would be leery of trying to do two separate non-Disney tours if you want to see several different areas. There are tour companies that can plan a full day based on exactly what you want. With a full day, if one area has problems, the driver can change the order to temporarily avoid that area.

The private tour companies should stay in touch with their office to keep aware of issues that may affect traffic. There is always a risk of something unexpected that could delay your return, but with a family group rather than a large tour group, it is easy to make adjustments as needed.

The narrow roads, though, would be an issue for any driving tour. You may want to reach out to tour companies to ask what options have minimal driving on twisty roads. If your niece is prone to nausea, a boat ride on a small boat may be just as bad as a car.

On our last Mediterranean cruise, we did a day tour with stops at a limoncello factory, olive oil grower, pizza restaurant, walking around Sorrento, and guided tour of Pompeii. It was wonderful, but it was a long day, and we didn’t see any of Naples. I would pick either Naples or the Amalfi coast as your focus, and add a trip to Pompeii to either of those.

Just looking at options today. We were planning Pompeii and then visiting the pizza place we ate at when we were there 13 years ago. Saw a tour that does Sorrento and Pompeii. What are your thought on Sorrento?

 

[soniam]

Just looking at options today. We were planning Pompeii and then visiting the pizza place we ate at when we were there 13 years ago. Saw a tour that does Sorrento and Pompeii. What are your thought on Sorrento?

There's not that much in Sorrento. It's a cute town and pretty, but it's more of just a walking around and people watching place. A lot of the tours that say Sorrento will also do the Amalfi coast. Some do Capri. So, I would read the fine details to verify. If you are doing a land-based vacation, Sorrento is an excellent home base for that area though.

 

[brentm77]

Just adding my two cents, but it sounds like too much in one port day. I would expect the boat tour would take too much time and then you would be hitting the worst traffic along the coast.

The perfect day for me would be a private tour that hits the Amalfi coast as soon as you can step off the ship, beating the worst traffic. We would stop for a two hours in Positano, where we would browse and eat lunch. Then we would drive through Amalfi for a quick view of the town, then up to Ravello (often overlooked, but very very cool) for another stop of about 45 minutes to an hour. Then we would come back over the mountain instead of along the coast, stopping at one of the lemon ice stands for refreshment. This saves a lot of time, which should leave enough time for a stop at Pompeii and maybe even a pizza shop in Naples if the ship departure time is late enough.

P.S., one thing that caused unnecessary delay for us was lack of information about where to meet our private tour. Neither the tour operator or Disney made it clear. It was confusing because Disney had their private tour cars/vans right at the ship, making it look like the appropriate place to find ours. We spoke to several Disney employees without help. Long story short, if you didn't book your private tour through Disney, you find it after walking to the left, all the way to the end of the pier, and through a gate to an open parking area.

 

[auntlynne]

 

[pelequeen]

Pompeii is a must do. You could spend all day there and still not see it all. It’s amazing how much has been preserved. Herculaneum is also a neat companion site, but much smaller.

The Amalfi coast is beautiful but I can’t imagine trying to hop from town to town on a port day. You’ll waste time on the bus only to make quick stops in each coastal town. Pick one town and enjoy the day there.

Capri is cool but very touristy. Sorrento isn’t as nice as Capri, but much more navigable in terms of walking and eating/shopping.