stinesheri

We used 3 different tour companies - RIL for Rome, Florence and Naples, Ekol for Ephesus, and the Venice Experience for my husbands Venice Photography Tour (which he loved).

Both RIL and Venice Experience asked AFTER the tour, that if we were satisfied, that we post a review on cruise critic and trip advisor. Ekol did not ask.

I have no problem posting a good review (or bad for that matter) if it is warranted, and since I found all three companies by researching on this forum, have no problem passing on my comments or concerns. Had they then asked me to edit my comments to seem more favorable, I would then certainly edit them, though it would not be favorable!

My husband mentioned to me the other day where someone complained on another forum that the reviewee asked the reviewer to elaborate on an issue, as it seems that the reviewer may have not told the whole story. In that case, the reviewee has every right to request that. Whether it's done or not, if of course, another story.

just wanted to post the "thank you" that I just sent to RIL regarding our 3 days of tours with them:

Thank you so much for three fantastic days in Italy! We were so happy with all three of our tours. Rafaelle (Naples), Angelo (Rome) and Giovanni (Florence) were fantastic. I can't believe how much we were able to accomplish in one day in each port.

Naples - Rafaelle was fantastic. Picked us up as planned and took us to Pompeii where we met Lucia. She was also amazing, and really helped in bringing Pompeii to life for us. She also made sure that our inquisitive 8 year old was engaged the whole time, which we loved. Then on to Sorrento, where we were amazed at the small streets and how well Rafaelle was able to navigate them - I felt safe the whole time, where normally I would have been a wreck! He gave us ample time to shop, then recommended a fantastic restaurant. After lunch, we went to Positano, where we had a short, but wonderful time to spend wandering the streets. Rafaelle always made sure that we saw everything we needed to, often stopping so my husband could get some photos along the way. What a fantastic start to our three days!

Rome - Angelo is a treasure! You are very lucky to have in working for you. Our pace was hectic, as there was so much to see in one day, but Angelo made sure that we saw it all. His knowledge of this amazing city was terrific, and we felt that we had more than just a driver - we had a personally guide throughout the day. He made sure that we got the most out of every site, either stopping to point out the finer points, or just driving by so that we can see as much as possible. We were able to see the Coloseum, Palatine Hill, Circus Maximus, Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Victor Emmanuel Monument, the Panteon, Piazza Navona and so many other sites, I can't even remember them right now. After lunch (just off the Piazza Navona) we then went to the Vatican, where Sarah did a terrific job helping us navigate the museum, Sistene Chapel and then St. Peter's . She was a fabulous guide, and couldn't possibly have done it with out her. We were exhausted when we arrived to the ship, but certainly felt like we had seen everything.

Florence - another terrific day, this time with Giovanni. Since my daughter wasn't feeling well (Rome was a lot for her), we declined his offer to see the countryside and then the scenic overlook at the beginning of the day, in case we had to cut our day short. We went to Pisa first, and were able to get there before the crowds, and then on to Florence and the Duomo. Unfortunately, due to the crowds, we decided not to go inside, but loved the atmosphere outside. Then onto the Accademia, where Giovanni had our prearranged tickets (thank you!). After that, time for shopping, so off to the Ponte Vecchio. Giovanni dropped us off with instructions on where to meet us, and a minute later comes running after us to be sure that we knew to be careful in the crowds. Since my daughter was feeling better, we decided to continue with lunch. Giovanni insisted that we first go to Santa Croce. Not originally on our list of things to do, but we are so glad that he recommended it, as it was beautiful and we are so glad that we didn't miss such a wonderful site. A terrific lunch recommendation just across the street, and off we were back to the ship. This time we took him up on his offer to see the scenic overlook where we saw all of Florence, and then to take the 'long' way home to the ship to see some of the fabled Tuscan countryside. Again, we are so glad that we took him up on his offer, as it was truly specacular.

We had a fabulous three days, and would not hesitate to recommend them to all.

thanks Jalynn,

Knowing that these are mainly 'stops' will help me budget our time. If I take some stops out, I can add more time in other places - had they just been drive-bys, that would have left much less time.

I am getting ready to book RIL for our cruise next summer, and I just have a question for those who have used them in Rome. Their website states:

"sites to visit are the remainders of the ancient great history of the city: the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, the Circus Maximus, the Capitol Hill, the Palatine Hill and the Baths of Caracalla. Back to the center of Rome, you will visit the most famous today of all ancient city temples, the Pantheon, walk through Piazza Navona, see the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain"

Are these stops 'drive-bys' or will there be time to get out and look around? I would prefer to cut out a few of these stops, in order to have more time to liner at the ones we are most interested, so please advise on how it worked for your tour.

Thanks!

TLCOhio,

Your photos of Turkey are amazing. With respect to this one, do you remember an approximate cost of the small size rug in the foreground, and was it indicative of others in that size, quality? Having a photo help gets an idea of scale when one posts 'small'.

Thanks again!