corvettelover

I have used Romeinlimo 5-6 times myself, but also do a lot of pre-trip research and do many self-guided tours independently -- so I think I have a unique perspective to see both sides of the issue. In fact, I may be one of the few people who has used Romeinlimo for multiple tours and transfers in Civitavecchia/Roma, Livorno/Firenze and Napoli/Salerno/Amalfi, AND has done these same ports totally-independently, i.e. train/walk/self-guided trips!

 

Romeinlimo provides a great service for the cost-is-not-a-priority customer who values their time over money. Their transfers are consistently on-time and reliable. Customer service has been consistently excellent. Their tours and guides from my experience have all been very good to excellent. I always use them when travelling with my elderly parents or with small children, when mobility or carrying things like strollers is an issue, and I appreciate the luxury and flexibility of having a private driver and vehicle. When travelling overseas, there is a certain peace of mind that comes from knowing that a driver or guide will be there when they are supposed to be there, and to do what you expect them to do!

 

With all that said, even though I can afford the tours, I am an independent, do-it-yourself traveller who prefers to save $$$ by taking trains, taxis, buses or walking to get around, and using mobile apps, guide books and internet-based information for my own self-guided tours. I tend to do this when I'm travelling alone or with my kids. The primary advantages to doing things independently are the freedom to do what I want, being more connected to the way locals move about and interact, and the cost savings.

 

In summary, using Romeinlimo or similar service allows a visitor to do far less advance preparation and planning, is probably less stressful or work for the newbie traveller (or perhaps someone with any worries about visiting to a new country or area), or if a group has one or more persons with mobility issues, but it does all come at a not-insignificant cost! :)

I will echo the comment here. I've used RomeinLimo at least three times that I remember, and on my recommendation, my relatives have as well.

We travel regularly- in fact we are on a Singapore to Barcelona cruise right now. The praise for RIL is there to demonstrate that there is a difference in tour companies; some merely go through the motions, and others work to make the most of your limited time while in port.

Of course you could try to do all of this on your own, but most of us cruise passengers have limited time in port- I want to make the most of that time, and I appreciate RIL guidance on how to do that based on my interests. RIL provides great value for the money.

It is my understanding then that this company will do private tours my way? We want to spend our first day at the Vatican and our second day touring the rest of Rome. Will they pick us up at our hotel? Since this may be our only trip to Rome we want to see as much as possible and are hoping two full days will be enough. With a knowledgable guide it may be possible. My biggest fear is we would get there and try to do things on our own and just end up wasting time trying to find our way around. RomeinLimo sounds like it is just what we need and I am willing to pay to relax and take it all in!!!

 

Do I email or contact them on line requesting a private tour? Thanks in advance for your replies:)

Exactly- we did this very thing back in May. it was our third time using RIL and I could not be happier with them. The drivers have a sixth sense about where to park or pull over in Rome, which as you may know, is not a place with a lot of parking. The drivers are very knowledgable, friendly, and they always make the most of our limited time for touring.

We set our own itinerary, and it worked out great as our driver made suggestions of additional things to see along the way that really made it even more interesting.

I don't know when we are headed back to Italy, but we will use RIL when we do!

We've now used RomeinLimo on two separate trips to Italy; first in Rome and Naples, and just last month again in Rome. We were departing on a cruise from Rome, and wanted to see some of the highlights in a customized tour.

Jany did a wonderful job booking for us, and Francesco was warm, engaging, friendly and knowledgeable- the tour was just great! We were picked up at the airport and Francesco made great suggestions for customizing our tour. I particularly appreciate how Romeinlimo's drivers have an uncanny ability to deliver you very close to the attraction you want to see, in a very large city crowded with traffic on narrow little streets!

So, again, we had a wonderful time in Rome, with RomeinLimo..

You can't go wrong with Romeinlimo. We used them for our tour in Rome last time, and I'm planning on using them again when we land in Rome this May.

You'll want a guide for the Vatican, and your driver can arrange that for you....they'll get your admission tickets as well, so you don;t have to wait in line.

Enjoy! You'll have a great time!

Have heard of so many good tour guides for Amalfi/Psitano and Sorrento that cannot make up my mind. We do have RIL booked for 2 days in Florence and 1 day in Rome for our cruise in Oct.-Nov. but not for the Amalfi Coast area. Do you feel their tour of that area was as good as someone who is a native of that area? I have contacted them about it but have not made a decision yet. Have also heard good reviews of Francesco Marapesse and Marcello of See Sorrento and also Simply Amalfi. Had no problems making the decision for RIL in Rome and Florence - their reviews are wonderful. Any info you can give me would be helpful.

We used RIL for the Amalfi Coast and found the tour with Raeffelle to be every bit as good as the RIL tour we had in Rome. Very courteous, efficient, and he was very knowledgeable.

We particularly liked the ability to customize our tour on the fly, picking the amount of time we chose to spend at each stop. We also chose to take the ferry back from Sorrento, which left us more time for touring. Raeffelle made sure we got there on time, and got the tickets for us. It was a great day. You'll be very happy with an RIL tour for Amalfi.

I have made an inquiry with Romeinlimo about tours when we overnight in Livorno for Florence and Cinque Terre with the inclusion of Pisa one of those days. We would go to Florence on our second day as it is a Tuesday but the first day a Monday would be to Cinque Terre. I think the limo service is the way to go in Florence to insure we get back to the ship by 8pm. But, can we do Cinque Terre on our own since there is no deadline to get back to the ship or would it just be easier to go with the service. I read that one cannot drive between the towns anyways. Comments.

 

We are also thinking of using them for Rome since we need to be back to the ship and would like to make the most of our time. Is my thinking correct? Another question we are docking at Positano(don't know if this is a tender port or not) and want to see the Amalfi coast plus Pompeii. We are in port from 8-6. Can we do this on our own via trains or should we just use the service and get a guide for Pompeii?

 

Our cruise is next April on the maiden voyage of the Riviera so we do have time.

 

Thanks for all the help.

 

Pearl

Pearl, I would also suggest using Romeinlimo for your tours in Rome and Amalfi- we used them for tours in both places and were delighted- you see more in a short period of time, and no worries about getting back on time. I really liked the fact that we could customize our tour on the fly with our drivers, who are very professional, knowledgable, and friendly.

Others on our cruise tried the DIY route, but it sounded afterward like they spent more time trying to find the right connections and less time enjoying the sites. Have fun!

That said, my parents will be visiting Rome for one day in September and I have booked RomeInLimo for them. They've been to Rome before but are older and less mobile than they used to be---plus they'll be coming in from Civitavecchia---so I'm hoping RIL will enable them to get the most out of their day. I do have a question, though: Has anyone taken one of the Vatican's official tours of the Museums/Sistine Chapel/St. Peter's? I've reserved one of RIL's private guides but I'm wondering if one of the Vatican's official guided tours would suffice. I've only taken the Scavi Tour and was really impressed, so if the other tours are just as good I'm thinking the private guide may not be necessary.

RIL's guides are the best, for a number of reasons. One of the things I appreciated about Sarah was that she took the time to make sure we could all hear her- she encouraged our small group to move in close, to help with the noise from the rest of the crowds in the Vatican. That extra level of attention is thoughtful, and perhaps really valuable with older folks, who might have a little trouble hearing. They would also likely be more comfortable asking a dedicated guide to repeat information, or to ask follow-up questions.

Just my opinion, but with all of the time and expense involved in getting to Rome and the Vatican, the last place I'd want to cut corners is on a guide.

Pizza is great everywhere in Italy. My personal favorite has tomatoes, artichoke hearts and ham. Yum. I can't wait to get there!:p

Agreed- we stopped at little places along the street in Florence and Palermo and had great pizza- but it is different.

After a week I liked it so much I thought the stuff we have here at home is overdone- too much of everything on it.

Can't wait to go back!!!

How did you go about filling your tour once on board the ship? How did you get the word around that you were looking for others to join your private tour? The Meet and Greet is the only means I have used on board.

We spoke to others at dinner, in the bars and other public gatherings. We like meeting new people while we cruise, so this was not a problem for us.

The meet and greet wasn't much help, as everyone that attended was also online, so they already knew what we were planning.

What was interesting was that there were a number of 1st-timers to Rome who opted to do it on their own- train, and other public transit. Those I spoke with afterward were a bit frustrated with what they actually got to see. Doing it on your own is perhaps a better option for someone who knows the schedules and terrain, but if this is your first time in Rome, keep in mind you are only there for 12 hours. Would you rather spend your time trying to find out how to get from place to place, or actually see the sights?

Everyone will have a different answer, but for me, I'll use romeinlimo again when we return to Italy next year. Well worth the cost, and actually quite a good value when split among 6-8 travelers.

We used romeinlimo in November for Florence and last month in Rome and Tuscany. I had no problem filling the van for any of our tours and I highly recommend them. In Rome, I hope you are lucky enough to have Vincenzo who speaks perfect English (lived in Toronto for a few years). I have been to Rome 5 times and last month with Vencenzo we saw more sites than on the previous trips COMBINED. We went to the Catacombs, Circus Maximus, the Forum, Colosseum, an ancient house, the Spanish steps, Trevi fountain, the Pantheon, the 'Wedding cake', lunch, and a tour of the Vatican--museum, St. Peter's, & the Sistene Chapel. One of the high points was a 4 course lunch (restaurant adjacent to the Vatican) with wine for 20 euros each. He called ahead and the restaurant was waiting for us so we had the entire meal in an hour. I can't tell you how delicious it was. Jany had prearranged a guide at the Vatican who was waiting for us as per Vincenzo's phone call. It was worth every penny.

Just keep advertising on your roll call--be certain you list what you are going to see.

Just wanted to chime in here- we were in Rome last may and used romeinlimo, and had the same experience you see written here. We also had no trouble filling our tour on the boat.