European Adventure 2025 | Amalfi Coast | GCP by Nicole

The next day, we headed to Civitavecchia to board our cruise ship, Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas. Now, let me start by saying we’re not huge cruise fans – this is our third one. We do like them for seeing a lot in a short amount of time or visiting places we wouldn’t normally stay a week at. But, overall, this ship was the worst one we’ve been on. The staff was amazing, but the food was a bit underwhelming. The cabins were tiny, and I didn’t feel like the excursions were worth the price. We did enjoy them, but they seemed a bit overpriced for what we got.

But back to the good stuff, the kids loved the rock climbing wall and flo-rider on the ship – both of which were free! So, we spent a lot of time doing those things as we set sail for our first port, Naples.

Once we arrived in Naples, we headed straight to Positano. The sights along the way were incredible. Our guide was very friendly and even stopped for some photo ops on the way to really capture the view. When we got into town, we stopped at Collina Positano Bakery to try the famous lemon croissants. They lived up to the hype! From there, we had some free time to explore the charming streets and cute shops. I instantly fell in love with the place – the quaint atmosphere, adorable shops, and breathtaking views. It’s definitely on my list to visit again someday.

Before we knew it, we were on our way to Sorrento, taking in all the lemon trees along the way. We had some time to explore the charming city before we were treated to lunch at the Imperial Tramontano Hotel with a view overlooking the ocean.

Finally, we arrived at Pompeii. I couldn’t believe all the history behind it – it was nothing like I had expected. Seeing it all and hearing the stories was surreal. And seeing how much they were able to salvage of the town was so impressive.