Private tour guides in Rome

[Lidoturtle]

We have been advised to hire a private guide that will pick us up at the ship and drive to Rome, this will include taking us to all of the major attractions and getting us back to the ship on time. There will be less walking, less waiting in lines. Also recommended a private guide for a Vatican tour. Has anyone done this, is it worth the cost, I believe the guide recommended is Marco....any opinions.

[SadieN]

Look on the European board for info.

[BlueBeaver]

We have been advised to hire a private guide that will pick us up at the ship and drive to Rome, this will include taking us to all of the major attractions and getting us back to the ship on time. There will be less walking, less waiting in lines. Also recommended a private guide for a Vatican tour. Has anyone done this, is it worth the cost, I believe the guide recommended is Marco....any opinions.

We used this company when we cruised on Eclipse last year. Used it for Florence/Pisa then again when in Rome. Told them we wanted to go to the Vatican and the Coluseum and they sorted the tickets. Very, very good personal sevice.

We could see them waiting at the docks as we sailed in. Took us right into the city. Beat the ship out then back, no issues whatsover.

 

Have a look at the site. Let me know is you have any questions.

 

www.shareashoreexcursioninitaly.com

 

Dave

[chipmaster]

Private guide/vehicle is the way to go. its debatable whether you also need a "guide" but at some attractions like the Vatican for internal tour its highly enjoyable and rewarding to have someone guide you and help with skipping what could be long lines.

 

The thread here can attest to some's experience with one company :D

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=986987

 

We have been advised to hire a private guide that will pick us up at the ship and drive to Rome, this will include taking us to all of the major attractions and getting us back to the ship on time. There will be less walking, less waiting in lines. Also recommended a private guide for a Vatican tour. Has anyone done this, is it worth the cost, I believe the guide recommended is Marco....any opinions.

[Gracie115]

You should read the thread about Rome In Limo on this forum. They are a wonderful tour company with about 2000 great reviews here. They will arrange your tour according to what you want to do and see. We have done 3 different walking tours with them including Ancient Rome and the Vatican and could not have been happier. Their guides are very knowledgeable, friendly and fun. I would email them and let them know what you want to do, I'm sure they will help you.

[cruisemom42]

Just be aware that what most people are talking about and recommending is a private driver, NOT a private tour guide. The driver will pick you up, will help with arranging tickets (sometimes, some you have to get on your own) and with scheduling your day. Most will give you some information on the sites you'll be seeing, although that level varies. However, a driver cannot go into any of the sites with you and provide commentary. For that, you'd need to hire a licensed guide at an additional cost. Many people choose to do this for certain places (e.g., the Vatican).

[snowshh]

My cousin used Angel Tours in Rome and I have booked them for our 06/2013 cruise. She was pleased with them and hope all will go well for us also. You can email them for quotes. I'm pretty sure they "do" other cities as well.

[Russ_MT]

We'd used in Rome limo. Simply fantastic.

[Optifire]

We were in Rome twice, the most recent was Nov 23, 2013 and we used the company Limoinrome. Claudio was wonderful. We had a perfect time on both occasions. On our first visit Claudio took us to all the main attractions sights including the Vatican. Claudio arranged for us to have a private guide for us inside the Vatican. It is true what you mentioned, he was able to get us close to the sights, and we saved so much time with not having to walk.. We rarely stood in line at any of the sights. The full review on both tours are listed below. A private tour is the way to go.

 

October 2011

https://celebritysilhouettecruise.shutterfly.com/rometour

 

November 23, 2013

https://constellationtransatlantic.shutterfly.com/rometour

[CruiserBruce]

Hope everybody posting here understands this original post was a year ago, the poster went on their cruise in May of 2013, and hasn't posted since.

[Optifire]

CruiserBruce: Thank you for taking your time to let us know that this was a question that was asked awhile back. I was aware of the time line, however I felt, even with my own experiences, that someone that is cruising to Rome now would perhaps have the same question in mind. Rather then start a new thread and loose the other valuable information that others posted, I chose to answer this thread with my recent information and experiences of a tour guide in Rome.