Sadly Disappointed, definitely would not recommend.
First, I want to acknowledge a couple of positives. Our captain was kind enough to let me charge my device using the USB port, which I appreciated. More importantly, my daughter got engaged during the tour, so we will always have a wonderful personal memory from the day.
Unfortunately, those moments don’t change the fact that we were very disappointed with the tour itself because it was quite different from what was advertised and what we paid for.
Our departure time was scheduled for 2:30 p.m., but we didn’t actually leave until about 3:00 p.m. We waited in the hot afternoon sun for approximately 30 minutes, and I even messaged asking if I should be concerned because the captain hadn’t arrived yet.
When we finally boarded, there were only three bottles of still water for eight adults. After standing in the heat for so long, everyone was extremely thirsty and dehydrated. We had booked a premium private tour that advertised soft drinks, limoncello, prosecco, snorkeling equipment, and towels. Instead, we were never offered limoncello or prosecco, there was no snorkeling equipment (just goggles), and there were only two towels for our group of eight, despite confirming earlier that towels would be available.
Because everyone was so thirsty, two members of our group went and opened the refrigerator and each took a soda, believing the drinks advertised as included were for guests to drink—but the captain was upset because the boat was in motion at the time they went to obtain a beverage. Rather than simply explaining the situation, the captain scolded them, which made our entire group feel uncomfortable. Under the circumstances, we felt this could have been handled much more professionally.
Throughout the tour, the captain also spent a significant amount of time on his phone in what appeared to be an argument (yelling, arm movements, and grunts). While we were anchored near the Faraglioni rocks, one of his friends swam out to the boat, climbed aboard, and sat chatting with him on the boat while some of us were swimming and some of us were right there on the boat. That was surprising to us, especially during a private charter.
Another major disappointment was the itinerary. The tour was advertised as including many of Capri’s highlights, including the Blue Grotto, White Grotto, Green Grotto, Villa Malaparte, Punta Carena, Marina Piccola, and more. However, the captain told us that if we tried to see everything, we would only have a minute or two at each location and wouldn’t really be able to enjoy the experience or swim. Based on his recommendation, we only went to the Faraglioni rocks and stopped to swim before returning. It left us wondering why the full itinerary is advertised if it isn’t realistically possible within the tour time.
We had also specifically requested Marina Piccola because we understood there would not be the additional €100 Marina Grande port fee. We were instead told we had no choice but to use Marina Grande because of internal procedures and port traffic, and we were charged the additional fee anyway.
In addition, we paid the €200 fuel surcharge, but considering we only traveled to the Faraglioni rocks, stopped to swim, and returned, that fuel charge seems excessive for the distance actually traveled. (Distance is no more than 4 nautical miles)
When we returned to the dock around 4:50 p.m., the captain immediately became involved in another spirited discussion that appeared to be an argument on the dock in front of our group, with Alessia—which unfortunately reinforced our impression that the experience had not been handled professionally.
I understand that no tour is perfect, and I’m not trying to be unreasonable. However, we paid a significant amount of money for what was advertised as a premium private experience, and we simply did not receive the experience that was represented in the listing.
Because of the delayed departure, the missing advertised amenities, the reduced itinerary, the additional charges, and the overall experience, I respectfully requested a refund of the €200 fuel surcharge, the €100 Marina Grande port fee, and a partial refund of the tour price.
Initially they responded saying they would only give 250 euros in refund, which I initially accepted, then my husband said it was ridiculous they only offered that based on our experience. I reached out and told them we would instead be expecting at least 1/2 of the tour cost in addition. They then started deleting their messages in the WhatsAppChat, called me a liar, and were incredibly rude. I would absolutely NOT recommend this tour to anyone. I believe that Viator should not permit them to continue offering through their platform. The reason we chose booking through via tour was so that we could avoid dealing with people like this.
It makes me very sad that now this overshadowed my experience in Capri, and am shocked at how we were treated and spoken to.
The captain—though witnessing my daughter’s proposal—didn’t even congratulate her or her boyfriend, and in fact one of the people who was scolded was her boyfriend.
The proposal would have been the ultimate time to break out the bottle of prosecco, and pour a glass for everyone, but we were never offered any, nor limoncello.
Just odd.
Pretty certain the captain was having a bad day, and I truly hope that this is not how he behaves regularly, but ultimately, we shouldn’t be walking away having paid full price for an experience we didn’t have the benefit of receiving.
I don’t want to forget to mention that the only sight we saw was the “famous rocks” which is what the captain called them, it just wasn’t a tour. It was a very short boat ride, to anchor and swim, and return to port. The boat was beautiful, but overall it was an uncomfortable experience. I wanted the prosecco and limoncello, but we were just too uncomfortable to ask for it—and we should not have had to ask for an included amenity.
Best day ever!!
This was by far the best excursion we booked during our time in Italy and my friends and I had the best time during our boat tour with Mattia! We were staying in Capri and booked the 2 hour tour around the island, and we hit so many amazing spots to swim and sightsee. The boat came equipped with snacks, waters, alcohol, towels, goggles, and everything else we needed during our tour.
The highlight though was our captain, Mattia! He was so kind and polite to our group, and made sure we all had a great time. He took us to his favorite spots on the tour, and gave us tips on places to see while we were in the area. He was also a very safe and skilled driver! We could not have asked for a better captain, Mattia is the best!
Overall I would absolutely recommend the tour we took and any other tours through this company.
BEST EXPERIENCE! PRICELESS, MUST DO IN CAPRI! Mattia is the best skipper! 10/10 recommend
Our experience with our skipper Mattia on our tour by Sorrento Sea Tours was beyond exceptional and the most fun we had on our trip! Mattia was a safe, fun, friendly yet professional boat driver. He brought us to all of the iconic spots of Capri and made our time priceless. For a group of four girls in our 20s, we had the BEST time and I just know this experience would be perfect for any family, friend group, and truly anyone wanting a once in a lifetime boat day in Capri!!!
On this boat ride, we got limoncello spritz, prosecco, and chips/refreshments/snacks. Additionally, there were snorkel goggles that we got to use for swimming to see fish and all of the crystal blue waters! Again, Mattia our fantastic skipper made this experience the perfect way that it was, providing us all of these things without request or hesitation, just the best of hospitality. He also kindly took photos and videos as requested by us on our phones, giving us memories that will last us a lifetime. We loved our time and HIGHLY recommend that everyone books here! I never write reviews so that’s how you know I genuinely had an amazing time and hope everyone has an experience that me and my friends did :)
