tetaf

I was in a group of 64 from Ohio, USA. I was the one who introduced our group to Romeinlimo services. I think our group ended up using 6 vehicles. I was very nervous as to what the outcome would be, but at the same time, I felt confident because I couldn't find one bad remark about Romeinlimo. As a result, I'm the local hero. The gentleman who is head of the travel agency and many others said that when they return to Italy or know someone going there, they will HIGHLY recommend them. We had Giovanni in Naples, Vincenzo in Rome, Vinciano (spelling?) in Florence and Paula for The Vatican Tour. All three showed professionalism and we felt thoroughly taken care of. Their passion and knowledge for what they do was the icing on the cake. Every bit worth the cost. MANY THANKS! OH YES, and hats off to Jany - her immediate responses put us all at ease from the start.

Hopefully, we will see them again. The country Italy and people are so beautiful and we could take a lesson from your way of life.

We used RIL last year and will again next year. Great tours. Those comments about making sure you visit Pompeii too are right on the button. Not to be missed. Get your own tour guide there also. Just remember the cost of tour guides and tickets to attractions are extra. Well worth every dollar, I mean Euro. LOL. Can't wait for next November. Have a great time in Italy.

Thank you, and you as well.

Of course, if one were to get the tickets in advance and do it on one's own, without the pricey RIL tour cost, it would still be considerably cheaper -- all things considered. ;)

I just emailed Romeinlimo that our group is seeing Acadamia only because we would prefer to see more of the city. They have ordered advanced tickets for us at no extra charge.

We used Romeinlimo for Florence/Pisa, Rome and Naples. It was our first time doing a private tour and boy were we spoiled! In all three cities our driver was our tour guide. They were very friendly and knowledgable. Being a small group you get more individualized service.

 

In Rome, we were able to also see the Catacombs with is not offered by the cruise lines. We did opt for a tour guide at the Vatican. She waited on line and when she was close she called our driver and he took us right over. We took her place in line and bought our tickets. The Vatican is just awesome but without someone explaining to you what you're seeing it really losses something.

 

The line just for tickets to the Colesium was HUGE! Our driver dropped us off about half a block away were there is another ticket booth. Maybe 6 people were ahead of us. So we purchased our tickets there and just walked past everyone standing on the long line and right into the colesium.

 

In Naples we did get to go to Pompei. Our driver did not go in with us but as we entered we were approched by someone asking if we wanted a guide. He told us his price and we agreed. Again, a very good decision. Due to the fact that we were on a private tour we were able to stay as long or as short as we wanted in any given place.

 

Tips were not included in the cost but we did tip. Every person we had did a WONDERFUL job of making our dream vacation AWESOME!

 

I would definitely use Rome In Limo again and do not hesitate to recommend them. What you get from Rome In Limo will only enhance your experience.

 

Karen

What about Florence and the lines for the museums there . . I have heard of complaints about long lines. Does Romeinlimo do the same there as well?

Tetaf,

 

As a member of a large group this past fall I'd say that Terpnut gave you excellent advice. We had 2 vans 3 times in different cities and did them all with Rome In Limo.

 

I'd say the best way to judge a person's commitment to the tour would be their involvement on the roll call, how quick they answer emails and their desire/reluctance to prepay you or give you a deposit. On our tours pretty much everyone was willing to send me money in advance, and because of that no one had to and everyone showed up.

 

If you have doubts I would try to get a substantial deposit from the other members of your party and only be willing to refund it if someone fills their spot.

 

PS, go back and read Terpnut's response to your question.

 

Have fun, it's a great time.

thanks for the tip - I'll get the feel when we meet, once in Febr, March and once in April before we leave

I would recommend using Romeinlimo for your tours. We did a 12 night Grand Med this past October. We had a very large group most of whom I did not know but had been talking to on our Rollcall for many months. I organized 4 group tours and a transfer from ship to Rome after the cruise ended, they were wonderful and I wouldn't use anyone else, our tours were so personal and they took such good care of us making sure we got to see all that we wanted. As for how to pay I posted on our board what I was planning to book with all the details as to how much and the full discription of the tour. After I got all the info and who was going I also told every one that we needed room # and if they had any intention of backing out they needed to do it before I booked as it was not fair to the others in the tour to have to pay for their share and part of the couple that did not show up. We didn't have to put any money down to book and you paid in cash at the end of your tour. I had some very large tours and everything worked out great, maybe I was lucky with our group but I had no problem. I do know that we got a discount with RIM because we books many tours with them, they were always available to call if I had any questions and emails were answered very quickly. I am going back to Italy in Oct of 2011 and I will be booking them again with out any hesitation we got our money's worth and more. If you have any questions I will check back or you could email me at ldavison@twcny.rr.com

A great big thank you for putting my mind at ease. I pretty much got the same reply on our roll call, but fortunately for me, I'm meeting this group a couple times prior since we all live locally, so we have time to bond. I know they won't be disappointed, but I want to stress that if they have second thoughts after I am not able to cancel - I will haunt them on the ship!

How much do these tours run? It would just be my husband and myself, one day a rome tour and another day either florence or pompe/ No one has joined our roll call at all, we are going on Costa , guess it isn;t too popular, but it;s affordable,

For 3 ports in Italy, and that's only if you book all 3 with them, they will give you a break. 8-passenger minibus for each city is normally 600 euros. They give you a break of 550 for each city if booking all 3. Divided by eight, being very personal and seeing more than a cruise excursion sounds worth it to me.

I'm another huge fan of RIL! My family used them for our ports in 2007 and again in 2009 they were so great. I am a former Travel Agent and have taken many tours with different tour companies and found RIL to be the best ... and I never told them I was a Travel Agent so I got the same treatment everyone does. Their customer service, expertise, and willingness to make your family's vacation the best experience possible far exceeds the other tour companies I've used in the past. They are always my first and only choice in Italy.

 

For Fauna who asked if it was too early to ask people on her roll call to join her group, I say absolutely not. We have done this for all but our Rome tours and gotten participants many months in advance. In fact, I got so many for my Sicily tour last Nov. I ended up arranging for a second busload to accomodate my "new" Cruise Critic friends who wanted to join our tour. We use them for Rome, Sicily, Naples (Amalfi/Pompeii), and Florence/Pisa and have never had a problem getting back to the ship on time or experienced a driver we didn't enjoy the company of. They take care of your entire group with skill and grace, and because of this they book up early so make arrangements as soon as you can. They allow the freedom to change or cancel reservations if the need arrises, so no worries there.

 

Freedomtocruise mentioned he recommends using specialist drivers and not companies that farm work out to local drivers and guides. I completely agree. Fortunately, RIL isn't like that. All of the drivers they use (even outside of Rome) are people they work with constantly because they know them and trust them from years of working together successfully. The drivers in each port of call are all locals to the region you are touring and give you a local's perspective while providing you an authentic tour without the touristy junk that most people don't want to see anyway (like rug factories, etc).

I prearranged our private guides through RIL before arrival so we would have trusted licensed guides to escort us around and fully explain what we were seeing inside Pompeii, The Vatican, Colosseum, etc. The extra cost was minimal, but the experience was fantastic! You are taking a big chance by getting a guide at the gate. You never know if they speak clear Engligh, are interesting story tellers, share a love of the place, include your children effectively, etc if you just pick a guide on the spot. When we planned ahead with RIL, we always got guides that met our group's needs perfectly.

 

One last thing...although RIL provides "driving tours" with optional licensed guides, the drivers are wonderful about sharing their extensive knowledge about the places you are seeing. Each of our drivers (when we didn't have guides accompaning us) would park in a location overlooking the sites and get out and explain what we were seeing and what we would see in further depth when we entered the site on our own. They showed us their beautiful cities like we were old family friends. Both of our visits to Italy were enriched by our RIL tours. Enjoy!

There is a large group going from Northeast OH on the Voyager May 2. I have put together an 8-passenger 3-city tour in Italy with Romeinlimo. With your experience as a travel agent, I have a question for you. Many are very interested in using RiL, but our dilemmas seems to be payment and are hoping for suggestions. Because it's on my charge, and you cannot cancel after 7 days prior to the cruise, how can we be assured that all 8 will show at all 3 ports without possibly sticking us by deciding not to get off the ship that day due to a hangover form losing a lot of money at the casino (just as an example). We were willing to wire the money, but Romeinlimo will only accept the wiring up to 2 mos prior and people are becoming hesitant again. I suggested for everyone to pay me ahead (about one month for assurance) prior to and if they show up at the port, they get their share back for that port and pay their share to the drive in euros. If they decide to change their mind, they can have the opportunity to find a replacement either with our group or on the ship. What's your thoughts? We don't know each well, but we are all paid and going in the same group from the same area. The Travel Agent who put this trip together is also very much interested in hiring RiL, but is fearful of being put in the same situation. RiL replied that they don't normally do this, and two months prior is their deadline for wiring.

I should have been more specific: http://stthomascruiseexcursions.com/StthomasIslandTour.htm

Thanks for all your help on this. Just discovered a new one through island marketing? Anyone have experience with that one?

Ok, I just read the rules and re-wording my request.

Looking for recommendations for guides in St. Thomas ($25). Want to beach at Megan's Bay, see the island a little and 1-2 hrs. of shopping. I've heard Godfrey, Sonny Liston, VIScenic Tours and EEE. 6 in our group (all ladies, various ages). Thanks!