We arrived in Naples (Napoli) at approx. 7:00am. After a wakeup call we stumbled down to Parrot Cay for a little buffet breakfast prior to having to meet our excursion in the Walt Disney Theatre at 7:30am. We chose the Pompeii, Sorrento & Capri excursion which is an all day affair from 7:30am to 6:00pm. They also have the same excursion for “families” but the only difference is that a bus drops families off at a different point in Pompeii. After our eggs and bacon we went to the theatre and joined a throng of others joining us on the excursion. According to the Disney excursion folks, this excursion had over 500 people going! Because of the large amount of people going on this excursion, Disney split the groups into two directions. Some would go Capri > Sorrento > Pompeii and some would go the opposite way, Pompeii > Sorrento > Capri. Our group went the second way which we thought was nice since we’d hit Pompeii early in the day before the heat was upon us. We boarded the bus and after a short drive (20 minutes) stopped at a Cameo shop. Cameos are the little items, usually portraits carved from seashells in a relief fashion. The stop was short but we were able to see an artist carving one and do a short bit of shopping. Then it was on to Pompeii. During this part of the drive the guide handed out small radio units with an earpiece. These are designed to allow the whole group to hear what the guide is saying without being in direct proximity to him. These turned out to be fairly valuable and I’m glad we had them.
We arrived in Pompeii at approx. 8:45am and the first order of business was a toilet and drink break. The guide gave us coupons to get a drink with or a bit of Gelato. After approx. 10min it was off to the ruins. There is a short climb up some steps until you get your first glimpse of the ruins with Mt. Vesuvius in the background. Then down through a ticketing area and finally into the city itself. Most of the walking through the ruins is on uneven ground, rock roadways, dirt, etc. so we would advise tennis shoes. Some brave soles wore flip flops (sandals) but aside from being hard to walk in, their feet were covered in dirt and dust after the tour. Additionally, although there were a couple of children’s strollers, it was very tough going. The ruins are very interesting as ruins go and some of the areas and inside a few of the buildings there was remarkable preservation. It’s sometimes hard to believe that it all occurred 2000 yrs ago. The tour lasted until approx. 10:40am at which time we met back where the buses dropped us off. We again had a short time to use the toilets and to shop a bit with the various vendors. We then walked to the bus parking area and boarded the bus for Sorrento.
The drive to Sorrento was very scenic through some very green countryside and then along the coast we wound our way into the town. As we mentioned before, we just can’t believe how the citizens here drive the way they do! It is simply amazing but strictly out of necessity. Sorrento on this tour was merely a lunch stop with one short side trip. Once we were in the town, we stopped and were dropped off at a furniture shop where we were given a very brief rundown on how the local artisans make hand carved laminated tables, etc. Then a very brief stop in the store to purchase some knickknacks and off to lunch. Lunch was at a local restaurant and consisted of Bread, Water, Wine, Pasta and a small buffet table with tomatoes, eggplant, squash, salad and French fries. We were also treated to some Gelato at the end which was refreshing as the heat and humidity continued to grow as the day progressed. After lunch, we met in the town square and then were guided down a set of stairs on our way to the port to catch the Hydrofoil to Capri. The stairs were stone and very steep. I’d say there were approx. 200-300 steps. This is again tough with a child’s stroller although there were a couple. Once at the bottom, you walk along a cobblestone road to the port area and board the Hydrofoil. Our Hydrofoil held approx. 200 people but was not air conditioned. Inside seating was comfortable but stifling with no air movement. Once underway with the rolling sea and the lack of air this DH became motion sick and went out onto the back deck of the boat for some fresh air which helped enormously. Of note, there was an upper deck with outside seating but it was full by the time we boarded. If you can, get on early and head up top for the fresh air. The ride to Capri took approx. 20min and once there we met up as a group and boarded a couple of mini buses to take us to the top of the island. At the top of the island there is an abundance of shopping and some outdoor cafes. Our guide took a group to see some gardens and view the other side of the island (about a 10-15min walk), we stayed in the drop off area and relaxed In one of the outdoor cafes. (note: the cafes are very expensive, 2 cokes was 12euros, approx. $15US) After approx. 1hr we all met at the cable car ticket area. Our guide gave us each a ticket and then we had to wait in line to board the cable car down to the port area. The line took approx. 30min and while the line was inside, there was no air conditioning and again, no breeze, so it was very hot. The line also had another steep staircase not conducive to strollers. After the short ride to the port via the cable car we boarded our Hydrofoil for the trip back to the ship. This time we had to go from Capri to the port of Naples which is a longer journey, however, we were on a bigger boat this time with air conditioned interior and the ride was smoother. Ride time to the port of Naples from Capri was 40min. In all the excursion was 10.5 hrs door to door. We saw many amazing things but the shear length of the excursion and the heat and humidity made it a tough day.
The Hydrofoil drops you off directly at the dock where the ship is moored so once there we headed directly to the ship, then to our cabin to drop off our backpack, wash our face and then straight to dinner. We arrived in the Animators Palate at 6:15pm and enjoy a Bacon wrapped Filet dinner. After dinner the DW and DD hit the pool and then it was off to sleep at about 10pm. Another successful Disney day in the Med!
