Gennaro as a guide of Amalfi from Sorrento Limo

[Live the good life]

Hi fellow cruisers,

You can see we take researching of guides very seriously. Marcello is booked on the day we need a guide for Amalfi. Any of you who have had experience with Gennaro of Sorrento Limo, we would appreciate feedback. We are looking for a reliable, pleasant guide with patience to wait for us to take photos and enjoy the sceneries. Since both my aunt and mother are widowed, they would enjoy great companies (good looks, good sense of humor). They are very young at heart themselves. Thanks.

[Ditome]

Hello..when are you going to be in Naples....We are also booked with Sorrento Limo...I have heard only great things about him....We are on the June 14 sailing Milli venice -barc....and You?

Dianna

[4 cruisers]

Our family used Sorrento Limo (Gennaro was our driver) when we were on the HAL Rotterdam VI in 2001. He was absolutely wonderful. I couldn't say one negative thing about him! He found us a great restaurant overlooking a vineyard and the Amalfi Coast which was amazingly reasonable. The van was brand new, great airconditioning and his driving was PERFECT. I am a stickler for good driving (and seatbelts) and he was the best. When my Mom in law needed to use a restroom, he stopped at one of the highway stops and made sure it was clean and that all was okay for us. He really was like having a caring relative taking you for the day! Nice, nice man! You'll be fine!

Nanette

 

...until our August 28, 2004 Splendour of the Seas

[4 cruisers]

LiveTheGoodLife, we're from Glendora...are we neighbor s? Gennaro was especially good about my husbands elderly parents...very patient, cute , classy man. Hope that helps!

 

...until our August 28, 2004 Splendour of the Seas

 

 

[Mike Andrews]

Salvatore of DriveAmalfi or Marcello of SeeSorrento are undoubtably the most popular private drivers on the Amalfi Coast with my vote going to Salvatore of DriveAmalfi at *****.

[Doris Baker]

My husband and I have booked Marcello's "friend' whom he recommends as a driver, for April 23 when the Star Princess docks in Naples. Is that the date you will be there? We would like to have four more people to defray the cost. We are "fun" people and would enjoy the company of like-minded people. Doris Baker (dstenogirl@aol.com) Please reply asap. Thanks

[Live the good life]

Hi Ditome and Doris Baker, Our cruise will be Barcelona-Venice Millie June 26, 2004. Ditome, we love visiting Florida. What other tours have you booked for the ports? Doris, maybe you can share with us your experience after you have returned from your cruise.

 

Hi 4 cruisers, glad to have other Southern Californians on board, seems like we are the minorities, perhaps because we already have perfect weather most of the time and do not need to travel as much? We live in a couple of places, and the closest home to you is in Los Angeles. We actually have enjoyed reading your posts. I am a shopper too and love to buy neat crafts/souvenirs and designer (???) handbags from Italy (Florence/Venice; did not see them in Rome) and Spain (Madrid/Barcelona)! My problem has always been not having enough luggage room to bring clothes back! My mother and I really love to experience different cultures/architectures, especially European, and to relax in the Carribean. (My husband only joins us for short trips and my daughter only during summer vacations). We travel as a family twice a year during X-mas and summer (short trips though). We visited Barcelona and Madrid last X-mas (land trip) and really enjoyed trying out the Arts (Ritz Carlton-near Grand Marina hotel at the Port ) and Ritz Barcelona (closer to Segrada Familia cathedral and 2 blocks from Placa Catalunya). For Madrid, we tried Ritz Madrid (near Prado museum), which was absolutely georgeous; their bedrooms were like those in royal palaces. My mother, aunt, daughter are doing the Mediterranean on Millie end of June and extremely excited. We will be finalizing the last 2 shore excursions (Rome and Athens) in a few days. 4 cruisers, thank you for the input on Gennaro. My mother and aunt would probably enjoy him very much. We are finalizing with Gennaro details on a tour of Rome (because we are leaning towards using Daniele/Remo of Rome Executive Limo for Amalfi). Daniele promised us a guide we requested. This guide got glorious testimonials from previous customers(very funny and nice guy)!

...We will also stop by Seville this time and try the Alfonso pre-cruise...4 cruisers, are you using tour guides for other ports as well this time around or are you comfortable doing them on your own? Also, I posted a new topic asking about cable car hours in Athens and Santorini. If you know the answers, please share with us under that post. Thanks again. "Ltgl"

 

[This message was edited by Live the good life on 04-11-04 at 04:31 PM.]

[nyfeds]

Hi LiveTheGoodLife,

 

Although my screen name is NYFEDS, we live in So. CA, as well, in Orange County. We moved out here quite some time ago, but are NYers at heart.

 

We toured Amalfi with Gennaro last year and had an incredible day with him. He is a wonderful tour guide - first class in services and appearances. You will be very pleased.

 

I hope you enjoy your journey. We had an outstanding time on our Med cruise last Oct.

[4 cruisers]

"Ltgl," Just returned from Easter at both parents' houses and found your post. You guys really get around and like us, include your family!!! We have traveled with my husband's parents to Hawaii every other year with cruises to Europe and Asia between. As they slowed down, they bought a house at Lake Arrowhead which we spent most summers at until it became too much for them to commute to. We've been married 29 years in July and finally went to the Caribbean on the Century in Jan. for my husband's 50th B-day with only our two sons. The Century is what sailing "used to be" like to us and the Caribbean was great fun. RCI is sure to be a let down, but since we are taking MY parents (for their 50th anniversary)who have never cruised (they like driving through France...my Mom lived there until she was 15) it should still be okay (assuming there are no sewer smells and the food is okay!).

 

We too stayed at the Hotel Arts (two times) and actually had "Club floor" rooms. Wow! Moet and Chandon anytime of the day with a most wonderful view! The thing was, no one wanted to leave the hotel to go sight seeing!!!! LOL! This time it's looking like either the Marina or the Apsis Atrium Palace...I'm still researching...I just know that the $500- + for the club floor rooms at the Arts is just too much this trip with three day pre-cruise and 1 day post!

 

Sounds like your plans for Rome should be great I agree, many wonderful posts on Danielle!

 

The stop in Santorini for us was very windy and the tenders took us off in one spot and we returned from a different spot on the island. I don't know how common this is. When we returned to the ship, we took the "funicular" down to the tenders. It ran constantly like a Disney ride and was very pleasant. Your option was the donkey ride or walk down the zig zag path (watching for donkey "poos"! ). We took the ship's tour here because having the English speaking guide to Akrotiri was helpful...at that time, there weren't any guidebooks available.

Such a neat place!!

 

Time to get our youngest to bed...back to school tomorrow!

 

Nanette

 

...until our August 28, 2004 Splendour of the Seas

 

 

[trvlnliz]

4 cruisers, we're neighbors. We live right next door to you in a LaVerne. For our cruise in October we've booked Gennaro and it's good to hear he's a safe driver and you recommend him.

Liz

[LEtue]

Mike,

 

I just booked Salvatore for June 2005, based on your imput. We are going to do a Herculaneum and Amalfi Coast combo (since we toured Pompeii on our last trip).

 

Thanks!

 

Carnival Miracle 11/07/04

 

Jewel of the Seas 11/20/04 - Thanksgiving Journey on the Jewel

http://www.cruisecritic.com/interests/groups.cfm?ID=47

 

Brilliance of the Seas 6/5/05 - Mediterranean

http://www.cruisecritic.com/interests/groups.cfm?ID=51

 

[Luvcrusin']

Hello all you Med cruisers!! I am picking up so much information from these boards, but I am a bit confused. There are 3 couples doing the Med on the Millenium in Sept.

 

How do I contact Gennaro or Salvatore....and which port will they tour?? Sorry to sound dense, but I am just begiining my search for each of the ports we will visit, and what to do & with which tour guides.

 

Thank you ahead of time for all & any info you have!!!

Kathy

[Live the good life]

Hi Luvcrusin',

I used to live in Brentwood too in the 1970's. My aunt still lives there...

I have contacted almost all of the more popular tourguides available for Medit. tours. Following are my recommendations:

 

Naples: Genarro at www.sorrentolimo.com or Salvatore at *****. Both of these companies were quickly responsive to my e-mails, and did not let their fame/popularity get in their way...They also offer good itineraries...We personally booked with "driver in rome" because we would like to be in the company of Fabrizio, a very funny and entertaining guide for this very romantic Amalfi coast...

 

Florence: There are many good tour companies, Paola,Sunny Tuscany tours, alecamma@hotmail.com (35.00/hr for 4 people), etc...but we booked with Daniele/Remo from www.driverinrome.com because we would like to have Remo as our guide (great testimonials; he is also the owner and plays accordion!!!)

 

Rome: We booked with Bob at www.romelimousines.com because both "driver in rome" and Claudio of www.limoinrome.com were booked. The testimonials for the drivers from Bob's companies are also great...We had very good, professional responses from maxleotta@tiscali.it as well...

 

VilleFranche: We booked with Michel Legrand from www.revelation-tours.com Sylvie at sylvie.di.cristo@wanadoo.fr would have been a great choice as well. Did not have a good experience with the other companies in VilleFranche.

 

Santorini: we booked with Anna (manager) of www.santorinidaytours.com She also offers weddings,honeymoons,Greek music,photography, hotel services...at www.santoriniweddings.com

Also impressed with Nikolas from www.oceanwavetours.com. He is also very accommodating...

 

Please also take into account that we chose a driver/tour guide versus a licensed guide this time around because I had been to Rome and Florence and had those intensive tours before...

Hope these infos are helpful...Will post on the actual experience after the trip...

 

Nyfed, thanks for your input, I'm sure it will be helpful to other cruisers as well...

 

4 cruisers, I often enjoy reading your posts, seems to be full of life/interests...With regards to Hotel Arts, we especially enjoyed the Bang and Olufsen speakers/music and oceanfront views...And I know what you mean... when we have to pay for all our relatives, we would not stay at a 4-5 star...

[Luvcrusin']

Live the Good Life,

 

I have emailed everyone of the suggestions you gave me. Thank you!! Now I will sit back and wait for responses. What did we do before the internet???

 

Kathy

[Mike Andrews]

Hi Kathy,

 

Salvatore of DriveAmalfi(*****)tours from Naples,and is my choice for tours to Pompei and the Amalfi Coast. We have used him twice and have got a great insight to an area we love. For Livorno I recommend Paola of Florence Tour (info@florencetour.com) and for Villefranche I would recommend Sylvie of Azur Guides(sylvie.di.cristo@wanadoo.fr)

 

Mike

[kat9661]

I'm like a sponge absorbing all of the great information. My question is how far in advance to book tours? We are sailing on Brilliance of the Seas August 28 2005, I noticed someone posting they made a reservation for June 2005. It is just my husband and myself traveling and would love to hook up with others to defer costs but could other people be added after a reservation for two was made? One last question about payment for the tours, does one use a credit card and put a deposit down or is payment expected at the time of the reservation. Thanks for all the great information. My printer is working over time!

 

Zenith 9/1997,Bermuda

Zenith 9/1999,Bermuda

Mercury 4/2001, 10 night Caribbean

Galaxy 9/2002, 11 night Caribbean

Zenith 9/2003,Bermuda

 

Next up:

Adventure of the Seas

Sept 12th and 19th 2004

Southern Caribbean

 

Brilliance of the Seas

August 28 2005

12 night Mediterranean

[Live the good life]

kat9661, after you have corresponded with the tour guide company and find one that suits your needs, it is best to book the tour in advance, especially if you would like to request a specific guide/driver. Most companies will not ask for a credit card number until about 3 months before the tour. For Florence and Rome tours, Danielle/Remo from www.driverinrome.com are very reputable, only use that as a guarantee and charge it only if you don't show up for the tour...They prefer you pay cash at the end of the tour on the tour date. Make sure the correspondences in the e-mail clearly state that (that your credit card won't be charged unless...etc...). About 4-weeks close to the tour you can e-mail again to request for a specific guide (if you wish) otherwise he/she may be assigned to another group. They won't guarantee a specific guide but will try their best...If they know that a specific guide is important to you, they will most likely assign that guide to you...Don't forget to read the testimonials section (also called guestbook) to see which driver fits best with your needs and personality...Daniele has a different quote for 2-4 persons, and different quote for 5-8 persons. You can get more people to join you by posting on these boards...For Naples, I think Salvatore of Drive Amalfi (*****)is very professional, polite and a local...For VilleFranche, you can get a good deal with Michel LeGrand at www.revelation-tours.com, quote is for van of 8 people...Good luck...I will definitely post my reviews after I return from our trip, back on US on 07/11/04...

[Mike Andrews]

Hi Kat,

 

If you want a particular driver/guide then it is never too early to book. Most of the best wil be booked well in advance. Three of the best are, Paola of Florence Tour (info@florencetour.com) for Livorno,Salvatore of DriveAmalfi (*****) for Naples and Sylvie at Azur Guides (sylvie.di.cristo@wanadoo.fr)for Villefranche.

 

Mike

[kat9661]

Live The Good Life and Mike,

Thanks for the tips. I will look into your suggestions. The planning of this cruise is taking over my spare time and I really should put it on the back burner and think about our Southern Caribbean cruise in September. The Southern Caribbean cruise is a gift to our daughter for her 21st birthday and it will be a nice vacation for some R&R but I'm so excited about the Mediterranean that I think of nothing else. Thanks again, Kathy

 

Zenith 9/1997,Bermuda

Zenith 9/1999,Bermuda

Mercury 4/2001, 10 night Caribbean

Galaxy 9/2002, 11 night Caribbean

Zenith 9/2003,Bermuda

 

Next up:

Adventure of the Seas

Sept 12th and 19th 2004

Southern Caribbean

 

Brilliance of the Seas

August 28 2005

12 night Mediterranean

[Moondawgie]

Does anyone have a link to a review/pictures of Naples with Gennaro?

 

Splendour of the Seas - Med

June 19, 2004 from Barcelona

[Luvcrusin']

Thanks to ALL of you we have booked with Salvatore for our tour of Napels/Amalfi, we have booked with Michel for Villedefranche as Sylvie wanted to add us to a tour of 12 (there are 6 of us.

 

We are now emailing back and forth with Claudio & Gennaro for Rome, Paola & Gennaro for Florence, Spiro for Athens.....whew! This is exhausting!! Not to mention it takes ALOT of organization to keep everyone I am emailing with the ports they belong to!!

 

We still have Santorini & Mykonos & Dubrovnik to go. Any suggestions??

 

Kathy

[houtex]

For what it is worth, we have Markos of Santorini.US booked in Santorini. Most people say you can see it on your own but I am really into archaeology and wanted to make sure and spend my time there as efficiently as possible and see some of the out of the way things.Just another idea for you to consider.