RomeInLimo Minibus vs Motorcoach

[afcj1]

I'm organizing a couple of tours for our RC and am looking for some feedback on RIL's buses.

 

For the most part, we have enough people for either 2 minibuses or 1 motorcoach. Prices are similar.

 

I'm looking for any +/-'s to using one or the other, i.e., comfort, space for bags/backpacks, etc., especially from anyone who's been on their buses.

 

We're planning on the Pisa/Florence & the Highlights of Rome tours

 

Thanks in advance:)

[CruiserBruce]

I think I would use the minicoaches, as driving in most larger cities in Europe is tight.

 

Have you discussed this with Jany at R-I-L? She will make sure everything works out for you.

[bobalink]

We only have experience with the mini van. We did a combination tour and transfer. We (5 persons) went from Rome to do the Etruscan Tour and then to Civitavecchia to board our ship.

 

Salvatore drove a brand new Mercedes mini van. Plenty of room for our luggage in the back.

 

In Trapani, Sicily, we used RIL again. There were 8 of us in another brand new Mercedes minivan, if I remember correctly, it was bigger. Again, very comfortable and plenty of room for passengers.

 

You can't go wrong with RIL. Their vehicles are very nice, and their service is top-notch!

 

Have fun!

[chipmaster]

Not sure what their definition of a minbus is, but we had two "vans"

They comfortably seated 7 to 8. I'd opt for the two vehicle option as they are IMHO easier to navigate thru the tight confines in Europe and they dropped us curb side. Not sure a true minibus has that ability

 

I'm organizing a couple of tours for our RC and am looking for some feedback on RIL's buses.

 

For the most part, we have enough people for either 2 minibuses or 1 motorcoach. Prices are similar.

 

I'm looking for any +/-'s to using one or the other, i.e., comfort, space for bags/backpacks, etc., especially from anyone who's been on their buses.

 

We're planning on the Pisa/Florence & the Highlights of Rome tours

 

Thanks in advance:)

[wantocruisemore]

We only have experience with the mini van. We did a combination tour and transfer. We (5 persons) went from Rome to do the Etruscan Tour and then to Civitavecchia to board our ship.

 

Salvatore drove a brand new Mercedes mini van. Plenty of room for our luggage in the back.

 

In Trapani, Sicily, we used RIL again. There were 8 of us in another brand new Mercedes minivan, if I remember correctly, it was bigger. Again, very comfortable and plenty of room for passengers.

 

You can't go wrong with RIL. Their vehicles are very nice, and their service is top-notch!

 

Have fun!

 

What did the Etruscan tour consist of? We have Rome in Limo reserved for all our transfers and also a couple of tours pre-cruise. I noticed the Etruscan tour of their website was around 9 hours. We would only want something 2-3 hours since it would be from apartment and on way to ship.

[afcj1]

I think I would use the minicoaches, as driving in most larger cities in Europe is tight.

 

Have you discussed this with Jany at R-I-L? She will make sure everything works out for you.

 

I haven't spoken to Jany yet, but I know that she's top notch:) I wanted to ask the folks here who had "been there, done that"

 

Not sure what their definition of a minbus is, but we had two "vans"

They comfortably seated 7 to 8. I'd opt for the two vehicle option as they are IMHO easier to navigate thru the tight confines in Europe and they dropped us curb side. Not sure a true minibus has that ability

 

Their minibuses hold up to 15 and their motorcoaches 29. We'd like to do the excursions as a "group" and since we've had a great response, I don't think it would be as nice if we had broke out into 4-5 different groups.

 

Thank you both for you perspective. It's exactly what I'm looking for.

[bobalink]

What did the Etruscan tour consist of? We have Rome in Limo reserved for all our transfers and also a couple of tours pre-cruise. I noticed the Etruscan tour of their website was around 9 hours. We would only want something 2-3 hours since it would be from apartment and on way to ship.

 

We visited some Etruscan tombs for about an hour and a half or so. That was long enough for me :). There was a small entrance fee, and we opted to also rent the viewer guide, which was helpful because it explains what you are looking at. There all also signs posted through out to help guide you.

 

We visited a lake (I think the name is Lake Bracciano) which was beautiful and the water was very blue. It was a perfect day in terms of weather.

 

We then went to a charming little village Ceri, where we had a wonderful lunch. They had boar on the menu, and one of our CC Roll Call friends ordered it and said it was delicious. My meal was the special of the day, and it was eggplant. It was so good! The wine and meal were very affordable. The waiter and restaurant owner could not speak English so Salvatore was our interpreter. We really enjoyed the view from the restaurant.

 

At the end of lunch, our RIL driver, Salvatore, told us he had a surprise for us, and to follow him. Salvatore and the restaurant owner took us down into the wine cellar which was a genuine Etruscan tomb! It was very cool.

 

Salvatore noticed that a local wine/olive oil merchant had his door slightly open (even though it was "siesta time") and he invited us in for a wine tasting and olive oil tasting. Not planned, but Salvatore thought we would enjoy it, and we did!

 

Now it was time to make our way to the port in Civitavecchia. We arrived around 4pm (for a 5pm departure). We breezed through check-in in a matter of minutes!

 

It was a wonderful day. Romeinlimo will customize your tour any way you want it. Just ask Jany for the best way to maximize your time. You can trust the driver to know how long to stay at each site in order to get you to the port on time.

 

We could never have seen as much as we did without the expertise and knowledge of RIL.

 

Enjoy your visit to Italy. We are going back again this summer! Most of our ports are in Greece. I only wish there was a tour company like RIL in the Greek Isles!

 

Happy trails to you!

[Ashland]

Bobalink...Would love for some details on your port itinerary in Rome from RIL.. Did you customize it or go with their suggestions..Have been in contact with Jany but am so unfamilure would like some help from those that have been there done that on these boards...We are planning to be there in late August..Thanks so very much for any help you might offer...

[bobalink]

Bobalink...Would love for some details on your port itinerary in Rome from RIL.. Did you customize it or go with their suggestions..Have been in contact with Jany but am so unfamilure would like some help from those that have been there done that on these boards...We are planning to be there in late August..Thanks so very much for any help you might offer...

 

Hi Ashland,

I see that you are from my "stomping grounds" in Southern California!

 

I am happy to share our itinerary from last summer while visiting Rome.

You may want to check the thread titled, "Romeinlimo Questions" on this board. But to make it easy, I have simply cut and pasted a previous review that I wrote below.

 

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One of the wonderful things about using Romeinlimo is that you can customize the tour the way you want it.

 

In planning for our trip, I corresponded regularly with Jany at RIL. She always replied promptly to my questions and offered suggestions so we could make the best use of our time.

 

We spent four days in Rome pre-cruise, and booked 4 tours and 3 transfers with Romeinlimo.

I give RIL my highest recommendation.

 

Upon arrival at FCO, a RIL driver was waiting for us with our name on a sign, and off we went in a beautiful, air-conditioned Mercedes to our hotel. We checked in to our hotel, freshened up and were waiting in the hotel lobby for our next driver to pick us up for our Vatican tour. We were surprised when the owner of RIL, Duman, came to our hotel along with Sarah, our guide for the Vatican, to drive us to the Vatican.

Duman is wonderful, very professional and gracious.

 

Rome Day 2 – Full day tour of all the Rome highlights. Our driver, Angelo, was punctual, professional and very accommodating. He maneuvered the car around all the little streets that a big tour bus could not possibly manage. We saw so much in one day, and never felt rushed. Angelo always had cold water for us, and took us to a great place for lunch. At the end of our long day, Angelo gave us a nice bottle of Chianti to enjoy.

 

Rome Day 3 – Tivoli and Villa d’ Este tour and Borghese Gallery. Angelo was our driver again for this. I told him in the morning that I would like to see Borghese (not realizing I needed advanced reservations) and he made all of the arrangements for us to have the last tour of the day. We also went to the Catacombs. Again, his knowledge and communication skills were excellent. He truly knows his way around Rome, and the backstreets and shortcuts of getting to the best sites.

 

Rome Day 4 – Etruscan tour and transfer to port. We shared this tour with some great people I met on our Roll Call. Salvatore was our driver, and he was great. After visiting the Etruscan tombs, he took us to a local wine and olive oil tasting, and then to a restaurant. The restaurant had a beautiful view, and the BEST food I ate in Italy. After a wonderful day, Salvatore dropped us off at the port in Civitavecchia.

 

While in Trapani, Sicily, we used Romeinlimo for our tour. There were 7 of us from our Cruise Critic Roll Call. Our driver was right at the port waiting for us in a new Mercedes minibus. We visited the salt mines and Marsala. We went for a wine tasting at the Pelligrino winery. It was a wonderful day.

 

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I just want to add a few comments. First, I am not an expert or pretend to know much about Rome. I have only been there once, and at that time, was fairly new to travel. I was not comfortable with trying to do all of the tours on my own, or use buses, etc. The solution for me was to use a private tour company, and I am so thankful that I found Romeinlimo. They truly exceeded my expectations. But, you pay a price for that.

 

I absolutely fell in love with Italy. I had no idea that I would ever return, and here I am planning for another trip! This time, we are going to venture out and do things I would not have done just a year ago.

 

The more we have traveled and had conversations with other passengers, and the things I have learned from CC and other websites, I have become more comfortable with the idea of doing some tours "on our own".

 

I hope that info is helpful.

 

Have fun planning!

[Ashland]

Hello Bobalink....Thank you so much for taking the time to offer some advice...I agree a private tour is the way to go..We had a wonderful experience in the Baltics this past August with a private tour (just DH and myself) in St Petersburg, so I know the value it has to offer...Lot's of planning ahead for me..Looking very much forward to this part of the world...