Amalfi Coastal Cruise

The Amalfi Coast, a 43-mile stretch just around the bend from Naples, is on many traveler "to-do" lists.  Princess Cruises was offering several shore excursions that included either a drive or cruise along the Amalfi Coast.    We opted for an all day tour that included the coastal cruise.

Best Seen from the Water

After a 45 minute motorcoach ride to Salerno, we boarded a motorlaunch for our  60-minute scenic cruise along the gorgeous Amalfi coastline. As we boarded the boat, we could choose seating inside or outside forward.  We selected the benches along the port (left) side of the boat so that we'd not have to turn around to see the scenery.

It was a beautiful sunny day as we sailed away from Salerno in our small motorlaunch.   A gentle breeze was blowing, keeping the temperature very comfortable.   At times, a light jacket helped to take away the occasional chill of the Mediterranean Sea breeze. 
 
Every Seat had a View
 
In reality, it didn't matter where you sat since there was something to see all around you.   It was possible to stand up and move around as long as you braced yourself for any unexpected movement of the boat.   The sea was quite calm, so we didn't have to worry about waves washing over the side.   Those in the very forward did get some sea spray from time to time, so take that into consideration when picking your seat.

Words Can't Describe the Beauty 


It's an ideal photo opportunity for shots of the rocky outcroppings and verdant grottos dotting the cliffs.  We've included a sampling of images in the collage above, but we have many more pictures which you can view on our Facebook Fan Page.  (Be sure to Like us to be notified of additional posts).

Amalfi Coastal Cruise   (Click the link to visit our Photo album)

This is just a portion of our 9 hour excursion which departed from Naples, Italy.  Be sure to check out the other posts about our 12-Night Greek Isles & Mediterranean Cruise on Star Princess.

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




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Naples/Capri, Italy

ARRIVING IN NAPLES, ITALY

Star Princess arrived in Naples at 8 AM.  We had already had breakfast because our shore excursion, Pompeii & Amalfi Coastal Cruise,  would be departing shortly after the ship was cleared by local authorities.

Looking out from the upper deck, we saw that we weren't alone.  In this picture (left to right) are the Grand Holiday,  Liberty of the Seas, and Norwegian Epic.

If you are familiar with ships, the blue funnel might strike you as odd. Shouldn't that funnel be red?   Well, once upon a time it was.  This ship was previously known as Carnival's Holiday.   In November 2009, Holiday was retired from the fleet and  transferred to the fleet of Iberocruceros, another cruise line owned by Carnival Corporation & plc as the MS Grand Holiday.

About Naples...

Italy's third-largest city, Naples is a bustling metropolis famed for it stately buildings, crowded streets, pizza and notoriously bad traffic. However, this beautiful city is rich in centuries-old culture and customs. Naples is also your gateway to the Isle of Capri, the fabled Amalfi Coast and the ruins of Pompeii, buried in ash by the cataclysmic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D.

12-Night Cruise, Day 3...

Our tour began in Naples where we boarded an air-conditioned motorcoach for a 45-minute drive to Salerno where a motorlaunch took us on a scenic 60-minute cruise along the gorgeous Amalfi coastline.   Arriving in the town of Amalfi  we had 60 minutes of free time to explore the town or visit the Amalfi Cathedral (entrance fee not included).

Following our visit to Amalfi, we cruised back along the Amalfi coastline to Salerno and boarded our motorcoach for a 30-minute drive to Pompeii where lunch was served at a local hotel.

After lunch we  explored the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Pompeii, which uncovers excavations of a lost city buried deep beneath the ash when Mt. Vesuvius violently erupted in 79 AD.  Our guide, "Mama Nancy", explained the remarkably preserved remains that hint at daily life-their customs, buildings and cuisine.

Following Pompeii, we re-boarded the motorcoach and drove to a nearby cameo factory, where artisans apply skills handed down for generations, intricately carving seashell or coral into beautiful jewelry-true works of art, and beautiful keepsake souvenirs.   Those that wanted to purchase a keepsake had time to do that before we reboarded our motorcoach for the 30 minute return ride to Naples.

We will explore each of the parts of the tour in detail in additional posts.   Here are some photos on our Facebook Fan Page (please Like us so that you'll get updates as we continue our posts):

Naples/Capri Arrival        Drive to Salerno                        Amalfi Coastal Cruise
Exploring Amalfi               Drive to Pompeii / Lunch         Exploring Pompeii       
Cameo Factory

More information and photos of our day in Naples, Salerno, Amalfi, and Pompeii to follow in additional blog posts. 

 

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




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Where have you explored? 

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