bigsky

10 minutes ago, upslash said:

 

They have probably already filled many groups. My guess is they added another tour and this tour just needs 1 more couple.

When I booked 4-5 months ago, they said I was the first person on all the excursions I booked. Wonder if they forgot me?!

Heard back from them! They need one more couple with two of our excursions..August 9th to Florence/Pisa and August 10th Rome/Vatican excursion. Hoping we find another couple soon! We're so soon to cruising, I'm surprised it's taken so long for these to fill up. I need to post everywhere to find another couple.

7 hours ago, mineski said:

ItalyTours.Eu assisted us with our offshore tours to Pisa, Rome and Naples. They were less expensive than the onboard cruise excursions. The instructions given were very detailed and easily understandable. Communication was a bit slow though because it was through email only. The tour guides were on time and knowledgeable. The office was responsive on the day of excursion for questions and concerns. We definitely recommend them and will use them for future excursions.

 

Don C.

Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas

06/25/2023 to 07/02/2023

I've heard good things about them. Yes, less expensive. Hope to hear from them soon!

2 hours ago, uncdds12 said:

We have had a change by them for one port. They are getting back to me within 24 hours. We leave in September. They also have a toll free number on their website.  Maybe try to cam them. 

I don't see a toll free number. Do you have it? Thanks

On 7/7/2023 at 1:57 PM, seba1 said:

Quick update. I emailed Italy Tours yesterday and they responded today. Our tour, including the Coliseum, is happening and we have tickets. I am glad I contacted them and recommend that to others to do as well within the 30 day window if you aren't sure about your tour. 

 

Stephanie

What email address are you using? I can NOT get them to respond to me.

16 minutes ago, upslash said:

 

I am using City Wonders for my Rome tours and ItalyTours for 5 other cruise ports.

 

ItalyTours is pretty slow to respond, but I booked all of my tours 4 months ago.

 

I booked about 4-5 months ago as well

12 minutes ago, seba1 said:

We are using Italy Tours. They tend to get back, but it takes them awhile. I think they are overwhelmed. We have 4 tours with them (and their sister company in Barcelona).

 

Stephanie

Yeah, same here. Only one confirmed tho, the Amalfi coast. Two others asked if they have enough people. How many times do u have to ask them to please reply? Been a few weeks now

55 minutes ago, seba1 said:

We have Rome on 8/3 and did a custom private tour that included the Colosseum, but not the Vatican (we have been there). We haven't seen any cancellations so far, but wonder...I saw somewhere, maybe here, that tour companies can't actually purchase tickets until 30 days prior which may be why some haven't received a cancellation (if theirs is in fact cancelled).

 

Stephanie

They haven’t told me if they have enough people to even go. I need to call early am with time difference 

18 minutes ago, upslash said:

 

I recommend contacting to confirm. You are correct, the tour operators can only purchase tickets for the Colosseum 30 days in advance, even if you purchased the tour months ago.

We are visiting Rome in a few weeks. I called my tour operator (not ItalyTours) yesterday and they confirmed that they were able to secure tickets for the Colosseum, but the time had changed by 45 minutes because those were the only time slots available. My Vatican tour time did not change.

I can only imagine how busy Rome is going to be. I keep reading about the massive influx of tourism they are seeing this year.

My tour operator has not even gotten back to me to tell me if they have enough people to go! I only have one confirmed with them. I have continued to email them and they don’t respond. Guess I need to call them! Everyone says they love them and respond so quickly. 
Who are you using?

1 hour ago, rg123 said:

There is an official Vatican site and one for the Colosseum. I know that the Vatican does a guided tour of the museums/Sistine Chapel. You have to do St Peter’s on your own or with a tour company as the Vatican does not offer a tour. 
There is also an official site for the Colosseum, but the tickets are only released 30 days out. I have read that it is a very frustrating process as tickets are gone within minutes— hundreds of people trying to get a very few tickets. Not sure if these are just entry or if you can get a guided tour. 

We have Rome on the 10th of next month. So I'm pressed to figure this out. I need to find another company to work with. Are you going to Rome? Who r u using if you are.

27 minutes ago, rg123 said:

The number of people visiting Rome right now is unprecedented. My understanding is that the Vatican and Colosseum are restricting the number of tickets they give out and release them only a few weeks ahead of time. So when third party tour operators try to get tickets, many times they are unable to and so then have to cancel their already booked tours. No fault of theirs. People are feeling safe by booking through viator (which is really only a booking site that uses multiple tour companies) but some of their operators have had to cancel too since they can’t get tickets. 
 

I would check with Italytours.eu. Maybe it’s only for now. I really don’t know. Just wanted to give folks a heads up. 
 

There is much chatter on that other unmentionable social media site about tours being canceled (not just by one particular company). Some people have been lucky, others cancelled the night before 

So do we just buy tickets ourselves now and then try and book the company to take us? I'm assuming when we book them, we still have to get our tickets on our own??? I want the skip the line tickets.

Going to the Carribean is so much easier! : )

7 hours ago, rg123 said:

We are booked with them as well for Pompeii, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. Sounds like a great tour-can’t wait!!

As an aside, 

I saw on Italytours.eu website that they have suspended all their Rome excursions at this time. Check your tours and see who your tour operator is (even if you booked through Viator)
 

This is from their website under the Best of Rome and Vatican Tour: 

“*** We are temporarily suspending all excursions to Rome. Due to unannounced changes and new restrictions by the Vatican and Colosseum, we will not offer this tour until further notice. We deeply apologize for this situation which is out of our control. We are working hard to find a reliable resolution and will resume new bookings as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience!”

Good to know! Now I'm not sure what we should do. Haven't heard from italytours, but finding this out from you. I wonder if all excursions are suspended at this time? Do you know what the new restrictions are? We need to check into another company I guess.

9 hours ago, RaleighCruiser19 said:

We took the Classic Amalfi Coast small group tour last week - Positano, Amalfi and Ravello from Naples. It was a great tour, exactly as advertised, the van was comfortable and the driver/guide did a great job getting us through the itinerary. It was a very long day but just what we hoped for. I highly recommend ItalyTours.

 

I am kicking myself we didn't also take their tour of Cinque Terre in La Spezia. I burned our OBC on the Celebrity excursion thinking they took us to an additional town and would take care of us. I was wrong! The ship's tour shortened our itinerary and kicked us out of the bus directly into a thunderstorm. I am positive ItalyTours would have taken better care of us. Go with ItalyTours 100%!!

Well, if they get back to me, that would be nice. What did you do in La Spezia? We want to do the Florence/Pisa excursion with them. 

1 hour ago, TheHawk1 said:

FB usually has a group for specific sailings.  Mine does for Symphony of the Seas in October.

Oh… I already went to that. Not much happening there

On 6/24/2023 at 10:06 AM, Torfamm said:

We just used them for three tours - Taormina and Mt. Etna from Messina, Aix-en-Provence and Cassis from Marseilles, and Pompeii, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast from Naples.  Our experiences varied tremendously. Their prices are very reasonable.

 

I would not recommend the tour from Messina. First the negatives, we didn't have anywhere near enough time to see Mt. Etna as we literally stopped at the base station of a ski lift for 5 minutes where there was no view. It would have been better to just go to Taormina, which is lovely. The driver spoke very limited English and gave us absolutely no information and he had to stop on the way back to recharge the vehicle. On the positive side it was easy to find him for pick-up, the 6 of us were back at the ship right on time.

 

The tour to Aix and Cassis was nice, but nothing extraordinary. The drive spoke good English and gave us quite a bit of information and did make a real effort to help us see the Calanques national park. She was also friendly and happy to take pictures etc.  Our time in Cassis was very short though.  I'd recommend it. It was nice to see a couple of the smaller towns and a bit of Marseille. We were a group of 8.

 

The tour to Pompeii, Sorrento and the Amalfi coast was a very good experience if you've never been to the area. We were a group of 16 with a driver and local guide. The guide who travelled with us in the van spoke excellent English and gave us lots of information and was happy to help with photos and finding the best spots for them.  The tour is a great overview and the inclusion of a specialist guide in Pompeii is a big plus. The time in Sorrento was limited, but we were able to enjoy a walk through town and a nice lunch. I would definitely recommend that tour.

We do have the  Amalfi coast one booked and paid. Looking forward to it. Did you purchase your tickets to skip lines at Pompei?

2 hours ago, TheHawk1 said:

I agree the Roll Calls for Mediterranean cruises on CC are a dud.  I am also waiting for an Italy Tours Amalfi Cost excursion in October to get the right number of people to go ahead. I think I will try posting on other social media sites to see if I can find some others who are interested.

What other sites to post to?

4 hours ago, Fishboy1947 said:

Just returned from Italy and used italytours.eu for private tours of Amalfi Coast with Pompeii and Florence with Pisa.  Both drivers were very good. The vehicles were top notch. We found the company to be very professional in all of our dealings.
 

On the Amalfi tour the description was Views of Positano. But the traffic was ok and we got an early start so the driver took us down into Positano for an hour on our own. We also had free time in Sorrento which we thoroughly enjoyed and had one of our best meals. I did the Amalfi tour last October and found less traffic this time in June.

 

Our tours included guides in Pompeii and Florence. The guide in Florence, Elizabeth, was very good. We did not like the guide in Pompeii, do not have his name.

We have the Amalfi coast/Pompei excursion only booked. Waiting on best of Rome and Florence/Pisa.

On 7/1/2023 at 6:35 PM, uncdds12 said:

Why not go private?  The cost is not much more for our party of four(2 couples) so we elected private excursions to beat the crowds and go at our own pace.  This is the cruise we were supposed to be on in 2020.  The issue of not being confirmed would not sit well with me. I am a planner and want everything ready to go before I get on the ship. 

As of now, it's just my husband and I. So the cost for the 2 of us is surely much more than I want to spend. Many ports add up. 

I am very much a planner. When we cruise, I always have our to do's all booked in advance. This is making me feel very uncomfortable. Plus, I need to know more info on the sites tickets which need to be purchased asap. Our cruise is the 6th of August.

On 7/2/2023 at 7:00 AM, gatorchinsky said:

I have booked 2 tours with them for our November cruise. The one we chose out of Naples, The Classic Amalfi tour, did not have enough participants so we kept contacting them to get updates. They usually responded within 48 hours. The last email I got from them they told me that they only needed 2 more participants to confirm tour. I decided to go on that other social media site which had a group for my cruise and talked about this tour to see if anyone wanted to join. Within a few hours, I received the confirmation from Italy Tours that our tour was good to go.

We don't have but a few on our Roll Call. I just emailed them again and hoping for an update. Fingers crossed I hear something soon or I'll need to book elsewhere. I don't want to wait til the last minute and then everything is booked. I'd really like to use this company as I've heard good things about them.

On 6/26/2023 at 5:34 AM, gerouxman1956 said:

We enjoyed all 3 of our Italy Tours excursions. They are a very professionally run company with fantastic drivers and guides. They were right where they said would be at pickup locations at port with legible signage unlike some written in pencil so small you needed to hold the paper six inches from your face to read LOL! All drivers and guides spoke intelligible English and moved at a pace to accommodate the wide range of ages and sizes. Their knowledge of facts was amazing as opposed to look left at big building and look right at pretty flowers. We had one issue with Colosseum tickets not their fault. They tried desperately to get the correct tickets but after much tribulation they issued an immediate refund plus an additional good faith amount. Refunds were credited within days not months like some companies. I would highly recommend Italy Tours for any upcoming trips you have planned. Once again thanks to Cristina and her wonderful colleagues. Caio. 

I originally booked three excursions with them. They only contacted me regarding one of them as others booked, so we could continue to book that excursion. They said they needed a minimum of people to book it. They are very slow to get back to me regarding the other two. We are 4 weeks out to go and only one paid and confirmed. I always have all our excursions figured out much more ahead of time. Don't want to be left with no excursions booked for those two. Did you have any issues like this? I want to use them for all of the excursions, but getting nervous about this. I've recently emailed them and asked them to please update me. No response.

Suggestions??

1 hour ago, Aus Traveller said:

I agree. With the 'clockwise' itinerary, if you have a balcony the starboard side is much better. For views while in the Sounds, up top, particularly at the front of the ship is better. This applies particularly to the entry into Milford Sound. For the 90 mins to 2 hours between the Sounds, there are lovely views of the coast. If you have a balcony cabin on the starboard side, you can relax there and take in the views. It is worthwhile to go up top (to near the front of the ship) for the sail-in to Milford Sound. Then you can return to your balcony to take in the views in more comfort.

Good to know! Thanks!

On 5/7/2023 at 7:22 PM, cruiser3775 said:

I went around NZ anti-clockwise. I had a starboard side balcony cabin.   I wanted to see the fjords front on, but the weather was marginal and all the outdoor forward facing areas were closed off. So I just stayed on my balcony for Milford. We went up and turned around and came back, so I saw both sides.  It would be the same  if you were viewing from mid ship on the promenade deck. For Doubtful Sound and Dusky Sound, they are wider and have more than one entrance and exit. So you go in one way and come out another and there are views on both sides.    Once we were around the 'bottom' of the south island, all the coastal views were on the port side.   In port, being on the port side may not be the best view, because you don't know which way the ship will have to berth. If it backs into the wharf, the starboard side may be the one that has the land view. 

Another consideration, and it's a personal one, is that I preferred to take in the amazing scenery of the NZ sounds without a loud commentary, just the waves and the waterfalls. I did go to the promenade deck for a while, but found the commentary very obtrusive.

I'm thinking since we're going clockwise, maybe Starboard side is better. Opposite of yours. So if it's better when you go counter.., but we're going clockwise.

On 5/8/2023 at 6:28 PM, cruise_critical said:

I was on the Ovation last month to NZ. I chose the Port side which faces the Opera House while docked on OPT.  At Milford, it does a 360 so it's fine to be on either, though when I woke up in the morning, we faced the signature view from our balcony which was great. During cruising past the sounds, Port side is better IMHO as you see the sounds/land all throughout while circling around the south island from your balcony. Starboard side just looks out into the ocean mostly. Was great to come back to Sydney and wake up to a beautiful Opera House view in the morning also. But yeah, you won't regret it either way, and we went up to the top deck often as well to not miss out the view from other side.

Milford Sounds from our balcony in the morning

Waking up to the Opera House at Sydney OPT

Also, did your itinerary include visiting the Sounds last? Didn't know if that made a difference.

On 5/8/2023 at 6:28 PM, cruise_critical said:

I was on the Ovation last month to NZ. I chose the Port side which faces the Opera House while docked on OPT.  At Milford, it does a 360 so it's fine to be on either, though when I woke up in the morning, we faced the signature view from our balcony which was great. During cruising past the sounds, Port side is better IMHO as you see the sounds/land all throughout while circling around the south island from your balcony. Starboard side just looks out into the ocean mostly. Was great to come back to Sydney and wake up to a beautiful Opera House view in the morning also. But yeah, you won't regret it either way, and we went up to the top deck often as well to not miss out the view from other side.

Milford Sounds from our balcony in the morning

Waking up to the Opera House at Sydney OPT

Absolutely gorgeous! You're making me rethink which side. There are cabins directly across the other side. Thanks!

1 hour ago, Aus Traveller said:

the OPT is the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay in Sydney.

Agree....We'll likely be out of our cabin while leaving port.

I think we'll just stick with Starboard side. Sounds like one side isn't hands down the best!

We'll be out of it while going thru the Sounds.

Thank you