Seahorse Car services failed not once, but TWICE on our trip. I booked the shared shuttle van to pick us up at Naples Train Station at 12:30PM to take us to Sorrento on May 21st. Marina told me the driver would be waiting with a yellow sign with our name on it. When we got off the train, we saw multiple other companies with signs that had names on them, but not Seahorse! We waited and waited and waited...The driver was ONE HOUR late. We have been traveling for 24 hours by now and just wanted to get to our hotel. The last thing we wanted to do was wait in Naples Train station with all of our luggage for another hour. After 15 minutes late, I called Marina and asked her the status of the van. She said 10 minutes. We waited another 30 minutes after that, no show. I called Marina back again and she did not answer my call this time! After the hour mark, we literally were about to figure out how to take the metro to Sorrento when the driver arrived. I told him he was supposed to be here at 12:30PM and he simply says "i'm late!" No I'm sorry, discount, nothing. That was strike one...
Strike two... I also booked the shared shuttle service on our return to Rome on May 29th at 8AM. The driver picked us up at our hotel on time so I thought things would be different this time. Boy was I wrong! I knew this was a shared shuttle, but my assumption was the shuttle would pick others up in Sorrento and go directly to Rome. We had to make a stop at Naples airport first which was fine, but then we had to switch vans and get a new driver. All of our luggage had to be transferred from one van to another which wasted another 20 minutes. Once we were back on the road to Rome, we drove for about 2 hours and then the driver (who was clearly sick and coughing the WHOLE entire time) stopped at a rest stop to use the restroom. We were there for about 20 minutes. Everyone gets back in the van and we are literally 7 miles from our hotel in Rome when the driver pulls into a rest stop AGAIN and says "I worked 4 hours, I have to take a 45 minute break now" so we sit in a parking lot for 45 minutes. Thank goodness we did not have a plane to catch; however, we had a tour of the Vatican at 2:30PM that day that costs 250 euros (which we nearly ended up losing due to being late). I told the driver he already stopped for 20 minutes for his break. I called Marina and told her my concerns about him stopping again and she simply said it is italian law and he has worked four hours so he must take break. My question to her was why did we get a new driver who wouldn't be able to finish a two hour ride?? This driver only drove us 2 hours, he didn't work on our van for 4 hours. It was absolutely absurd and frustrating. The law is the law, but poor planning on the service's part to put us all in a van with a driver who could only drive 2 hours and then have to take a 45 minute break. I told Marina I will not be paying full price. She only gave us a 50 euro discount, not nearly enough for the service we were provided by them. She kept saying that the Terms and Conditions that were sent to me when I booked with them outlines these possible situations. I read and re-read her terms and conditions and it doesn't say ANYTHING about the Italian law breaks that driver's must take.
Once his break was over, we got back on the road and this driver acted like he never drove in Rome before. We literally went in circles looking for our hotel by the Spanish Steps. I personally think he did this on purpose. At this point we had 20 minutes left before we missed our Vatican tour. He finally stopped at the top of a road and let us out with all of our luggage... we had to walk another mile to our hotel (we had no idea where it was) with all of our luggage. I repeat Nightmare.
When I booked the shuttle to Rome, Marina assured me that the trip would take 3.5 hours (including stopping time for pick-ups). That was not the case. We left at 8AM and did not arrive in Rome until 2:30PM... that is a 6.5 hour trip. If we knew it would take this long, we would have taken the train.
There are plenty other car service companies in italy- do not take this one. Absolutely unbelievable- I have no idea how this company has 5 stars. DO NOT BE DECEIVED. Do not book with them.