CAPRI, ITALY—IMPRESSIONS

∙ WHAT WE DID/SAW/EXPERIENCED
          ∙ Time in port: 9 hours
          ∙ For this post, I must speak in terms of what we were “supposed” to do, and what actually transpired.  Of all the countries and ports we have visited, there is only one where we have been before:  Naples (and Capri), Italy.  Several years ago, we took a two-week vacation to Italy with my parents and toured all over the country.  My favorite place – above Rome, Venice, Florence, Pisa – was Capri!  The other places were amazing, too, but Capri was the most romantic, quaint and simply stunning place I had seen.
          ∙ Instead of returning to Pompei, Sorrento or the Napoli Coast – as fascinating and/or beautiful as they are – I knew right away that I wanted to return to Capri.  In this instance, I opted for a more expensive and elaborate tour, rather than the one offered by Holland America.  The ship offered an excursion to Capri for only $179, which included the hydrofoil ride from Naples to Capri and lunch, but otherwise sounded like a walking tour of the island only.  I found a “day tour” with Capritime Tours, which included a private boat tour and a walking tour, with the funicular and chair lift included:
                    ∙ Capri By Sea:  During the boat tour, we were to circumnavigate the entire island and visit the most spectacular grottoes characteristic of the island, such as the Blue Grotto, Green Grotto, White Grotto and around the famous Faraglioni Rock formations.  If the seas were calm, we would be able to enter the Blue Grotto and climb up into the White Grotto.  There would be time for swimming as well.
                    ∙ Capri By Land:  Following the boat tour, we were to take the funicular from the Marina up to Capri and walk to the Gardens of Caesar Augustus or the Punta Tragara.  In Anacapri, we would visit the gardens and museum of the Villa San Michele or take a chair lift ride up to Monte Solaro.  It included tickets for the funicular and Villa San Michele or chair lift, as well as private transportation around the island.
                    ∙ The cost for this full-day tour package for two was 550 Euros, which worked out to be $756.50 US.  We had to pay in advance.  The jetfoil wasn’t included, and that cost another 68 Euros.  It didn’t include lunch, either.
          ∙ I didn’t care about the extra cost, because I loved this place so much and wanted the very best experience we could have.  But you know what they say about “the best laid plans” . . .?!
          ∙ Our ship arrived in port at 8 a.m., and the Captain announced the “possibility of rain”.  We arose early so we could leave the ship right away, hoping to catch an 8:10 hydrofoil so we’d arrive in Capri by 8:50 – to squeeze as much time as we could out of the day.  Well, the “possibility” of rain was a tad understated.  The rain began pouring on us the moment we left the ship and continued unrelentingly all day!
          ∙ With the help of a dock security officer, we got to the dock at a swift pace, but still managed to arrive there right at 8:10 – just as the first boat was leaving.  We bought our tickets for the next one at 8:35 and waited.  Due to the bad weather, it took just over an hour to arrive.  We met our guide, Giovanna, at a nearby restaurant.  We had a private taxi van for about two hours, but he left after that.  Giovanna was a lovely English-speaking guide, who stayed with us for the day.
          ∙ Unfortunately, our boat tour was cancelled, and the chair lift to Monte Solaro was closed, due to the bad weather.  Ah man!  Everything that made this tour special was gone.  I suddenly wished I had taken the ship’s tour for only $179 each, because we were going to end up with a walking tour only.  We got to ride the funicular down, but that didn’t “quite” make up for the loss of the boat tour, chair lift ride, blue grotto, etc.
          ∙ Giovanna was up beat, in spite of the horrible weather -- and I do mean horrible!  High winds destroyed two of our three umbrellas.  Pouring, swirling rain soaked our shoes, our jeans and our camera lens every time we tried to take a picture.  We had to bundle up in hats, gloves, rain parkas.  I had such a “bad hair day” that you’ll not be seeing any photos of me this day!  Haze marred the otherwise stunning views, and it only got worse as the day went on.
          ∙ In the morning, we stopped at a lighthouse – but couldn’t stay long since the wind and rain were wreaking havoc.  From there, we went to Anacapri, where we visited Villa San Michele.  Fortunately, parts of that were indoors.  We drove to the small marina for some quick photos of the Faraglioni Rock formations.  By this point, we’d very nearly “had enough”.  We just wanted and needed to get indoors, where it was warm and dry.
          ∙ Our driver left us at Capri square, where our guide led us to La Capannina Restaurant . . . a gorgeous upscale restaurant, with an attentive and friendly staff.  At this point, we were just happy to be indoors and thawing out!  We drank wine/champagne and ate lunch.  Bill had what was probably the best Minestrone soup I’ve ever tasted.  I had antipasto, which is quite different from what we get at home.  Bill had a fried fish platter, which had some parts that he liked (shrimp, calamari) and others he didn’t care for, or recognize.  I had veal, which was tender and cooked well.  But there was nothing on the plate but the veal (no sides like pasta, a veggie).  It’s a little boring to eat bite after bite of veal without anything else.  Bill also had his favorite thing in Italy:  Gelato!  I couldn’t believe he was eating that in this weather, but he was inside and rationalized it that way.  I had a coffee drink – hoping to extend our time indoors as much as possible!
          ∙ We were so “miserable” outdoors that Bill and I both just wanted to call it quits and raise the white flag on this day.  But Giovanna appeared, with her enthusiastic personality, and got us to plod on.  (I learned, after returning to the ship, that all but three of the Holland America group returned to the ship early, because they were so wet and uncomfortable.  Who could blame them?)
          ∙ After lunch, Giovanna had us walk to a vista, where we got incredible views – and struggled to take a few more photos.  From there, we made our way back down to the Marina by funicular and sat at a restaurant, waiting for our 3:35 p.m. ferry.
          ∙ Back on the ship, Bill and I warmed our cookies in the Jacuzzi and then headed for dinner.  It was Italian night (how appropriate).  I had veal again – this time with fettuccini and broccoli!  We played at the casino, too – which is to say we lost our money in record speed and returned to our room.
          ∙ Even tonight, fierce winds (43 knots, with an “apparent” wind speed of 52 knots) pound our ship -- as we shake, rattle and roll through the roughest seas I’ve felt in a very long time!

∙ THOUGHTS/IMPRESSIONS
          ∙ This was a miserable day, with one bright “force” – our guide, Giovanna.
          ∙ I hope the other passengers who (understandably) gave up on seeing Capri today will try again in the future.  It’s one of the prettiest places I’ve seen on Planet Earth!

NAPLES

CAPRI

LATE UPDATE:  I wrote to Capritime Tours, Inc., asking very nicely if they would consider refunding part of what we paid, since we didn't get the boat tour, etc. that we had paid for.  Here was their response:

          "Thank you for your e-mail. Unfortunately the weather was terrible yesterday, and for your safety, your boat tour was cancelled. I spoke with your guide Giovanna and she told me that she gave you the option of substituting the boat tour with a private driving tour of the island, and both you and your husband accepted the substitution.

          She confirmed that the car was waiting for you at the meeting point at your requested meeting time (09.00) and that you had use of the service until after 13.00. The private car service actually cost Capritime more than the boat tour would have cost. As you and your husband accepted the substitution of the service, we cannot extend a refund.
          We do appreciate your business and hope you have smooth sailing and sunny skies for the rest of your cruise."

In point of TRUTH, Giovanna told us our boat tour was cancelled.  She told us the chair lift was closed.  She called to see if they could find an alternative boat, but then said there was none.  We had no option but a land tour.  As for the purported "option of substituing" a "private driving tour" -- that's hogwash!  We'd already paid for "private transportation around the island".  The cab driver worked for about two hours only and then left!  The measure of friendship isn't how they treat you when things go right; it's who's around when you're down in the dumps.  The measure of a business isn't how they behave when all's well - it's what they do when things aren't!  Capritime Tours demonstrated where they stand to me with this e-mail.  You decide for yourself.  I, myself, would never use the company again, and I certainly could not recommend that you do so.