Hi my husband and I just booked this trip too! We are so excited! I've never been but he was there many years ago. I am excited to be on a vacation where all of the planning is taken care of and we an relax! My name is Rose and my husband is Evan. We live in Pennsylvania so we will be leaving from Philadelphia on May 7 in the evening. How about you?
We are Susan and Chuck and will be leaving on May 6th from Miami. We are going one day early to recover from jet lag which hits me hard. We started a trip to Italy 20 years ago, but my husband had to have his appendix out on the 2nd day there! Our experience in Italy is pretty much hospital and airport! Fingers crossed for this time!
We are Tom and Patti from Phoenix, Arizona arriving Saturday, May 7 at 11:20 a.m. in Naples. We have booked a one-day tour to Capri and Anacapri Islands for Sunday. Our Tauck Tour does not meet until 6:00 P.M. that day. If anyone else is going, let us know. We are looking forward to this wonderful tour in Italy.
Would you please share info on booking the tour to Capri. Through which group did you book? At what time do you get back to the hotel on your return? My husband and I will be in the June 2 trip and would like to get to Capri prior to the start.
Many thanks..
Last September we booked with Tours of Capri (http://www.toursofcapri.com) and were pleased with the results. Our guide met us in the La Favorita lobby in the morning and we were back at the hotel mid-afternoon, so no rush to make the start of the tour. Capri is a great way to spend the day the tour starts.
let me share an experience to Capri -- wonderful stayed 2 nights out of Naples. Capri and anacapi are perfect.
we were told on our 2nd morning in Capri ,you need to leave now as the water is choppy or violent and the boats will not leave later in the day/. We sailed from Naples.
I have travelled many times to Europe. Don't over do it -- you will go back..
.
Agree with Bruce on both counts. First don't overdo it, you wil go back and back.
Second, on our trip over to Capri which was included on the Tauck tour we did, we went over on the hydrofoil and the water was very choppy. I was very very sick all the way over, I have never experienced sea sickness before or since that day. I was not the only one who was sick, I felt absolutely terrible by the time we got to the hotel, but did recover after a few hours and was able to enjoy my time there. I dreaded the experience getting back to Naples but the sea was fine and I was Ok.
We booked the Capri tour through AAA. Try this website: http://rbs.booktravelbound.com
You do not have to be a AAA member to use their travel service.
Hope this helps.
We returned from our incredible Tauck small group tour of Italy and did, indeed, go to the Isle of Capri. The water was calm and beautiful with no problems. There was a lot of walking but we were ready for the adventure and had plenty of time to rest and get ready for the Welcome Reception. We are glad we booked this extra one-day tour.
We returned from our incredible Tauck small group tour of Italy and did, indeed, go to the Isle of Capri. The water was calm and beautiful with no problems. There was a lot of walking but we were ready for the adventure and had plenty of time to rest and get ready for the Welcome Reception. We are glad we booked this extra one-day tour.
Hello Patricia,
I am new to the forum and figuring out how to post questions/comments. We will be going on the Classic Italy trip in July--our first Tauck trip. Could you please tell me how you arranged your trip to the Isle of Capri--did you do it on your own or have the concierge plan it for you. If you used a driver or tour company, who did you use? Also, how did you spend your free time in Rome, Florence and Venice? I appreciate your input and that from any others who have taken this tour. Any suggestions for restaurants would be appreciated as well.
We just got back last week and added a number of pre-tour and free-afternoon extras. We booked all car/driver/guides through DriverinItaly several months before and had wonderful service. I researched and purchased the Segway and most museum tickets myself.
We arrived in Naples around noon and arrived at La Favorita in Sorrento via Tauck-supplied transport about 1-1/2 hours later- tunnel traffic. We spent the rest of that day chilling in Sorrento.
The next day our car and driver met us in the lobby of La Favorita at the pre-arranged time. We swung by Pompeii to pick up our licensed guide before motoring on to Herculaneum for a tour. I could have had the tour company buy them for us, but I pre-purchased tickets several weeks prior. Licensed guides while working do not need tickets. After about 2.5 +/- hours at Herculaneum, the car took us to Naples.
Our guide took us to the (one of the?) "oldest and best" pizza places in Naples. It was located on a narrow pedestrian-only street just inside one of the old gates to the original Greek city of Neopolis. After a short lunch we walked to the nearby National Archaeological Museum where our guide lead us around (same ticket arrangement). This large museum contains many of the original scuptures, frescoes, mosaics, and other artifacts removed from Pompeii, Herculaneum, and other excavations. After that we drove through the Phlegraen Fields on our way to Pozzuoli, a suburb of Naples, to a Colosseum, a smaller cousin to one in Rome (actually 3rd largest in Italy)- not much is left of the upper sections, but the lower section, below arena level where the gladiators and animals were kept, is in nearly perfect condition and, unlike in Rome you can walk down there. There were almost no tourists there! Due to the distances involved and size of each site, that was a lot to fit into one day, but our guide did an excellent job of pacing and selecting just the right things to see. He didn't just tell us what we were looking at but provided history and context. He lives in Naples so left us before we headed back to Sorrento.
The next day a city guide from the same company escorted us to Capri. We walked to the Sorrento cliff-side a block from the hotel and rode the elevator down to the marina where we caught the high-speed ferry. What a wonderful day that was. This time I had the company purchase tickets for the ferry, an around-the-island boat tour, and visit to the Blue Grotto to ensure we had the right ones. Our timing was perfect- we literally stepped off the ferry at the Marina Grande and onto the 'round Capri tour boat. Our guide stayed with us except at the Blue Grotto. We paid for (open-topped) taxis to/from Anacapri and for the chairlift up to Monte Solaro. Our guide gave us several options for what to see, such as a hotel with an art display in the lobby (couldn't see due to a private party in progress), the church with the Mojolica tile mosaic floor, etc. and where to eat- we ate at a restaurant at the summit of Monte Solaro- the weather was absolutely perfect- deep blue skies, warm, but not hot sun, and a light breeze- and the views truly fantastic. We could have spent the rest of the day there. We were extremely lucky, the Blue Grotto was closed the previous two days and the day following our visit because of rough sea conditions. After more touring, we rode the funicular back down to the marina. After ensuring we got on our ferry, our guide left us to catch the hydrofoil to Naples where he lived. (Side note: it is pronounced CAH' pri, not cuh PRI'. cuh PRI', with or without southern drawl, loosely translates to, "I'm an American tourist, please charge me extra." )
As Tauck cautions, the day/times you visit the Vatican Museums are subject to change at the last minute (ours were!) so we did not attempt to schedule any extra-tour activities in Rome. In our free time we walked around town to the Spanish Steps, which is only a block or two from our hotel but currently fenced off due to rehab, Trevi fountain, now open after a year-long rehab, and the Pantheon- the Tauck bus let us off during the return trip from the Vatican.
We filled our free time in Florence, too- a month or so before we left the states we purchased Duomo complex tickets online from the Opera del Duomo website. They were good for 48 hours from the time of visit to the 1st of the 4 attractions (Baptistry, Giotto's Bell Tower (climb), Duomo Museum, and (Brunelleschi's) Dome (climb)) included in the price of the ticket, and fit them in as time allowed (we didn't climb Giotto's bell tower). It takes some prior planning but it is free, so when you buy the tickets you can also reserve head-of-the-line entry times for the museum and to climb the tower and dome. I just smiled as we walked past people waiting in the long line that wrapped around the Duomo, to climb the Dome. We visited the Baptistry and Museum late in the afternoon/early evening, so didn't need reserved entry times for those. The basic ticket is good any time during the 48 hours, even if you don't use the reserved time. We also booked a car and driver for a half-day trip to Pisa with the same company we used for Naples. We figured the driver would know best when we would arrive, so I had them pre-purchase tickets to the Pisa Duomo complex and to climb the Leaning Tower. We were picked up by our driver right in front of the Brunelleschi Hotel. And, finally, (whew! He takes a breath), I had pre-booked a 3 hour Segway tour of Florence. That was a lot of fun. All other activities were just a short block or two away- the hotel is literally in the shadows of the Duomo.
We figured we would be tired (we were) by the time we got to Venice so the only extra-tour free time activity we did there was to walk around on our own and take a 1 hr water taxi tour. One morning our TD took a bunch of us to a local Venetian Glass gallery where we were also given a nice glass blowing demonstration. After that we didn't feel a need to go to Murano. We'll visit Burano and Torcello, if and when, we visit Venice again someday.
If all this sounds OCD (as my wife claims), it might be, but all the pre-planning, hiring drivers and guides, and buying tickets ahead of time really, really paid off and enhanced our trip so much. Pre-purchasing tickets to visit non-Tauck sites will soon be a necessity and may already be so during high season in many places. Otherwise you may not get in or end up wasting a lot of time waiting in long lines. I read that during high season, people without pre-purchased tickets can spend several hours waiting in line to get into the Ufizzi!
Comments
Many thanks..
we were told on our 2nd morning in Capri ,you need to leave now as the water is choppy or violent and the boats will not leave later in the day/. We sailed from Naples.
I have travelled many times to Europe. Don't over do it -- you will go back..
.
Second, on our trip over to Capri which was included on the Tauck tour we did, we went over on the hydrofoil and the water was very choppy. I was very very sick all the way over, I have never experienced sea sickness before or since that day. I was not the only one who was sick, I felt absolutely terrible by the time we got to the hotel, but did recover after a few hours and was able to enjoy my time there. I dreaded the experience getting back to Naples but the sea was fine and I was Ok.
We booked the Capri tour through AAA. Try this website: http://rbs.booktravelbound.com
You do not have to be a AAA member to use their travel service.
Hope this helps.
Hello Patricia,
I am new to the forum and figuring out how to post questions/comments. We will be going on the Classic Italy trip in July--our first Tauck trip. Could you please tell me how you arranged your trip to the Isle of Capri--did you do it on your own or have the concierge plan it for you. If you used a driver or tour company, who did you use? Also, how did you spend your free time in Rome, Florence and Venice? I appreciate your input and that from any others who have taken this tour. Any suggestions for restaurants would be appreciated as well.
Thank you!
We arrived in Naples around noon and arrived at La Favorita in Sorrento via Tauck-supplied transport about 1-1/2 hours later- tunnel traffic. We spent the rest of that day chilling in Sorrento.
The next day our car and driver met us in the lobby of La Favorita at the pre-arranged time. We swung by Pompeii to pick up our licensed guide before motoring on to Herculaneum for a tour. I could have had the tour company buy them for us, but I pre-purchased tickets several weeks prior. Licensed guides while working do not need tickets. After about 2.5 +/- hours at Herculaneum, the car took us to Naples.
Our guide took us to the (one of the?) "oldest and best" pizza places in Naples. It was located on a narrow pedestrian-only street just inside one of the old gates to the original Greek city of Neopolis. After a short lunch we walked to the nearby National Archaeological Museum where our guide lead us around (same ticket arrangement). This large museum contains many of the original scuptures, frescoes, mosaics, and other artifacts removed from Pompeii, Herculaneum, and other excavations. After that we drove through the Phlegraen Fields on our way to Pozzuoli, a suburb of Naples, to a Colosseum, a smaller cousin to one in Rome (actually 3rd largest in Italy)- not much is left of the upper sections, but the lower section, below arena level where the gladiators and animals were kept, is in nearly perfect condition and, unlike in Rome you can walk down there. There were almost no tourists there! Due to the distances involved and size of each site, that was a lot to fit into one day, but our guide did an excellent job of pacing and selecting just the right things to see. He didn't just tell us what we were looking at but provided history and context. He lives in Naples so left us before we headed back to Sorrento.
The next day a city guide from the same company escorted us to Capri. We walked to the Sorrento cliff-side a block from the hotel and rode the elevator down to the marina where we caught the high-speed ferry. What a wonderful day that was. This time I had the company purchase tickets for the ferry, an around-the-island boat tour, and visit to the Blue Grotto to ensure we had the right ones. Our timing was perfect- we literally stepped off the ferry at the Marina Grande and onto the 'round Capri tour boat. Our guide stayed with us except at the Blue Grotto. We paid for (open-topped) taxis to/from Anacapri and for the chairlift up to Monte Solaro. Our guide gave us several options for what to see, such as a hotel with an art display in the lobby (couldn't see due to a private party in progress), the church with the Mojolica tile mosaic floor, etc. and where to eat- we ate at a restaurant at the summit of Monte Solaro- the weather was absolutely perfect- deep blue skies, warm, but not hot sun, and a light breeze- and the views truly fantastic. We could have spent the rest of the day there. We were extremely lucky, the Blue Grotto was closed the previous two days and the day following our visit because of rough sea conditions. After more touring, we rode the funicular back down to the marina. After ensuring we got on our ferry, our guide left us to catch the hydrofoil to Naples where he lived. (Side note: it is pronounced CAH' pri, not cuh PRI'. cuh PRI', with or without southern drawl, loosely translates to, "I'm an American tourist, please charge me extra."
As Tauck cautions, the day/times you visit the Vatican Museums are subject to change at the last minute (ours were!) so we did not attempt to schedule any extra-tour activities in Rome. In our free time we walked around town to the Spanish Steps, which is only a block or two from our hotel but currently fenced off due to rehab, Trevi fountain, now open after a year-long rehab, and the Pantheon- the Tauck bus let us off during the return trip from the Vatican.
We filled our free time in Florence, too- a month or so before we left the states we purchased Duomo complex tickets online from the Opera del Duomo website. They were good for 48 hours from the time of visit to the 1st of the 4 attractions (Baptistry, Giotto's Bell Tower (climb), Duomo Museum, and (Brunelleschi's) Dome (climb)) included in the price of the ticket, and fit them in as time allowed (we didn't climb Giotto's bell tower). It takes some prior planning but it is free, so when you buy the tickets you can also reserve head-of-the-line entry times for the museum and to climb the tower and dome. I just smiled as we walked past people waiting in the long line that wrapped around the Duomo, to climb the Dome. We visited the Baptistry and Museum late in the afternoon/early evening, so didn't need reserved entry times for those. The basic ticket is good any time during the 48 hours, even if you don't use the reserved time. We also booked a car and driver for a half-day trip to Pisa with the same company we used for Naples. We figured the driver would know best when we would arrive, so I had them pre-purchase tickets to the Pisa Duomo complex and to climb the Leaning Tower. We were picked up by our driver right in front of the Brunelleschi Hotel. And, finally, (whew! He takes a breath), I had pre-booked a 3 hour Segway tour of Florence. That was a lot of fun. All other activities were just a short block or two away- the hotel is literally in the shadows of the Duomo.
We figured we would be tired (we were) by the time we got to Venice so the only extra-tour free time activity we did there was to walk around on our own and take a 1 hr water taxi tour. One morning our TD took a bunch of us to a local Venetian Glass gallery where we were also given a nice glass blowing demonstration. After that we didn't feel a need to go to Murano. We'll visit Burano and Torcello, if and when, we visit Venice again someday.
If all this sounds OCD (as my wife claims), it might be, but all the pre-planning, hiring drivers and guides, and buying tickets ahead of time really, really paid off and enhanced our trip so much. Pre-purchasing tickets to visit non-Tauck sites will soon be a necessity and may already be so during high season in many places. Otherwise you may not get in or end up wasting a lot of time waiting in long lines. I read that during high season, people without pre-purchased tickets can spend several hours waiting in line to get into the Ufizzi!