Cruising Solo in Europe, Day 3

Follow along with DreamFinder Travel’s Kim Merrill as she cruises sans family over in Europe.

Cruising Solo—Day 3  Naples

Jet lag once again continues to get the best of me and at precisely 2:23 a.m. local time I was totally awake, and my 1-hour effort to fall back asleep was unsuccessful, again.  This is the worst time I have ever had transitioning to a time zone.  However, I once again, I made the best of it and I got some work done, had breakfast, and had a workout done by 7:30 a.m., and was off the ship by 9 o’clock.  I actually got to watch our arrival into Naples from the treadmill.  The rising sun made the hills and buildings glow.  There are benefits to being up early!

 

Debarking today was a FABULOUS experience.  Because we had a full day in port, and the majority of excursions were to outlying locations, most tours had already left by the time I disembarked the ship. All aboard today was at 18:30, so a 9am departure still allowed me to get in plenty, and with the lower crowds it was highly efficient.

My goal today was to see what Naples itself was like for the do-it-yourself traveler.  I have been here before and previously did a Pompeii/Sorrento tour.  If you have never been here before, the trek to Pompeii or Sorrento is worth your time.  That being said, there is plenty to see and do in the local area, but I recommend that you have a plan and do research prior to arrival.  Engage with your travel agent to assist with your planning. Here is why:

About 30 minutes after leaving the ship I wandered up on a family of 4, clearly Americans, with a son (I’d estimate to be about 13 or 14) sarcastically commenting that “wow…these sights are great so far, dad”.   Distance-wise?  About half a mile from the ship.  Right in the port area is a Tourist Information office (I got a free map there), a ferry dock that could take you to Sorrento, and (I kid you not), a City Sightseeing HOHO (hop-on-hop-off) bus that has 2 separate routes to take you literally ALL OVER.  So seriously, there are NO excuses for not getting around to see things.  The HOHO bus was $23 €/adult for all 3 routes, all day.  These tickets can be pre-purchased about 3 months prior as well, which helps to defray costs. 

Tourist Information (TI) to the right, ship to the left. Ferries to right of TI.

As I had never walked around Naples proper before, I was winging it, but I had no one relying on me or my (lack of) directional sense. Another benefit of cruising solo!  The only guideline I was giving myself was to be able to successfully be able to hit landmarks.

In Naples there exists a Funicular. Actually there are a few funiculars, to tie in some of the hilly areas for easy access without a car.  Why?  Because these drivers are nuts (just my opinion).  Oh, and gas is pricey.  I would like to link it here for you but I cannot find it in English.  The other thing I found was that the main line was out of service, courtesy of a very nice Italian runner.  She VERY kindly came and assisted me with my map and pointed out some highlights.  Of all the details she pointed out the most valuable was the entrances to the “Underground” Naples.  To cut to the chase, unless you really want to see churches, do the underground. Save the churches for Rome. 

Ok, so what else is Naples famous for?  Yep, pizza.  On the recommendation of a friend, I sought out L’Antica Pizzeria de Michele. I’m not sure where the fan-dom comes from, but I arrived prior to the opening and wandered the neighborhood.  I ended up at a gelateria.  OMG.  Yes, I had dessert first (doesn't everyone?!)  And then I queued up for pizza. 

It was fantastic, but sadly I was only able to eat about 1/3 of it.  I felt bad about leaving the rest, but this was literally the smallest size they had. This and my liter of water was…get this…$6€.  The gelato?  $2€. I chatted with the Gelato owner and I think he said his store was mentioned in Rick Steves (this came up as he asked where I am from (WA State..and Rick Steves is from Edmonds).  I’ve been trying to download my copy of the Mediterranean Cruise Ports all day and have been having issues verifying that (sigh.  wifi issues).

The beauty of traveling solo is the ability to call it quits when you’re hot, or tired!  My watch read 88 degrees, and while that my not be hot for you, for me...I’m HOT.  I wrapped up my walking tour and headed back to the ship and a pool.  Much to my chagrin, that pool deck retracted itself and my source of coolness that I was expecting disappeared.  Ok, FINE.  I’ll NAP. 

I did, however, buy a bottle of Limóncello cream. Last time we were here we got a bottle of regular Limóncello as well as the Limóncello Cream.  The cork on the cream fractured during the flight home and the entire bottle spoiled. While cruise lines prohibit alcohol, they will hold it for you until the night prior to debarkation.  I HAVE Limoncello, I cannot get Limoncello cream at home. So it is worth it to have them hold the alcohol for you.

So what is up next?  Tomorrow is Civitavecchia, the port for Rome.  My goal is to find the train station to see how difficult it is to get there for do-it-yourselfers (e.g. those who do not book an excursion through the cruise line.) Stay tuned.

Ciao!