I’m currently on the plane as I write this post headed back from Lisbon. Although I’ve been out of the country for almost two weeks, I’m very well aware of the tragedy in Orlando that happened a few days ago. It’s been all over the news in Europe. My heart goes out to those that have been touched by this horrific event. I try to keep this blog light and fun. I don’t really address the awful events that go on in the world here because we are constantly reading or seeing them in our social feeds and on TV. When it all becomes too much, you need to tune out the negative and focus on something positive. So if I can take your mind off the negative for just a few minutes, I’ve done my job.
The second day of the cruise we arrived in Naples, Italy. We opted to take the Norwegian cruise sponsored shore excursion to Sorrento and Pompeii instead of navigating it on our own. I’m a play it by ear traveler and kind of do my own thing, but my mother was very adamant about going with the cruise for fear of being late getting back on the ship. As a result, we wasted $700 on the four of us. The tour was a bust. It was a nine hour tour and I feel like we only saw Pompeii. And that was for a hot minute. If I had my way, we would have rented a taxi and explored. We could have spent more time in Pompeii. It was fascinating and much to see.
The tour left really early in the morning. We drove through the scenic part of Naples to get to Sorrento. We passed so many scenic stopping points that were perfect for pictures. We did end up stopping at one place and got to get a few pictures overlooking the water. Had we been on our own, we could have stopped whenever we wanted for photo opportunities. The drive up to Sorrento was kind of scary. We were in this huge tour bus, driving along narrow roads on the edge of a cliff. All I could see out the window was a 600ft drop to the water. There was one point on the drive where we had to back up to make room for truck to pass. Lord! I thought we were going to back up over the cliff. I screamed, “Stop!” I’m sure the driver knew what he was doing but I felt the need to help. I’m good at being a backseat driver.
When we finally arrived in Sorrento we were forced to take a tour of a Camelot factory. It was a waste of time. I didn’t sign up for that. Well, I actually did because it was part of the tour. After the the Camelot factory, we were able to tour the city of Sorrento on our own. The kicker is that we only had about two hours to explore. And traveling with children who need to see and touch everything slowed down the exploration. So we really didn’t get far, but I did end up getting this cute leather backpack. I don’t like to pick up the typical shot glasses or t-shirts as souvenirs. I tend to go for jewelry, handbags or home decor.
After Sorrento, we drove to a farm for lunch. It was an included perk on our trip. Lunch at a farm is not ideal. The place smelled like cow dung and the food was terrible. The lunch included bread, antipasto and pasta. The bread was delicious though. That’s all I ate. I would have chowed down on the antipasto but I’ve been a vegetarian since the new year.
The last stop on the tour was Pompeii. I’ve wanted to visit this place for a while. I didn’t make it the last time I was in Italy. So I was too geeked to be there. I remember studying the ancient city of Pompeii as a child and being fascinated. The ancient ruins didn’t leave me disappointed. It is a must see. I learned and saw so much. Did you know that the people of Pompeii died of gas suffocation? I was always under the impression that they were burned to death. I also saw mummified remains of children and adults. I didn’t take any pictures because it’s morbid to me. You can find them on Google. We had a guided tour around Pompeii but there were a lot of people in our group so it was hard to hear. I wish he had more time to explore Pompeii. We only touched the surface.
Was this tour worth $700 for four people? Absolutely not! We would have been better off hiring a taxi cab driver and mapping out our own tour. Which is normally what I do when I travel. I love taking a taxi guided tour because you get the local perspective and you aren’t rushed. If you plan on cruising, I say forgo the cruise sanctioned shore excursions. They are a rip off.
