Help with one day in Rome please

[missty1405]

My husband and I had the same questions when we were planning our European cruise last september. We booked Fabrizio with allarounditaly.net to tour Rome.I HIGHLY RECOMMEND him!! He picked us up at 8am and brought us back with plenty of time before the ship departed. He was a complete gentleman and had us laughing the entire day. Our family loved hearing stories about Fabrizio and now want to book him themselves.

We were concerned that we wouldn't get to see everything in one day, but Fabrizio made sure that we saw everyting we wanted without feeling rushed. He called me a couple weeks before we left to confirm our tour. I didn't have to give a deposit or credit card #, we paid him in cash (450euro) at the end of the tour. He was one the cheapest private tours for 2 people and we had a great time. We saw the Pantheon, Spanish steps, Trevi Fountain, Circus Maximus, Coliseum and Vatican. He was able to get us to the front of the line at the Vatican (the line was 6hrs long!!) where we spent 2 hrs and then went to lunch at a local pizza shop. He let us decide how much time to spend and made sure we had a memorable day in Rome. We both agreed that Rome was the best day out of our 2week cruise--:) thanks to Fabrizio!

 

I am so glad to hear this!! We are booked with Fabrizio this coming May!!! It looks like we picked some of the best drivers for our upcoming trip!!!YAY!!

 

missty

[rizzo22]

Did Fabrizio pick y'all up at the port, or did you have to get yourself to Rome first? Did you see the Pieta in St. Paul's Basilica? Were you taken back to the port? Wow, sounds like you had a great time with him.

 

Rose

 

 

yes--he picked us up at the port and drove us back at the end of the day. We did see the Pieta. We were at the Vatican for 2 hrs.

[missty1405]

yes--he picked us up at the port and drove us back at the end of the day. We did see the Pieta. We were at the Vatican for 2 hrs.

 

Rizzo, Did you do a private tour for the Vatican? We were thinking of not doing one.

 

missty

[lawyerrose]

yes--he picked us up at the port and drove us back at the end of the day. We did see the Pieta. We were at the Vatican for 2 hrs.

 

 

So you were able to bypass the mile-long line to get into the Vatican and Coliseum? Did his tour price include entrance to the sights?? I'm so glad y'all told me about him!

[stateparent]

We used Sandra Arrichetti of Romearound in the summer of 2005, and I cannot say enough about how wonderful she was as a guide. We were able (with a 9 year old in tow) to see much of Ancient Rome, as well as have a fantastic lunch in a restaurant not crowded with tourists. She is a warm and delightful person, and we would definitely use her again, should we ever be lucky enough to go back. Check out her website and let me know if you have any other specific questions.

[rizzo22]

Rizzo, Did you do a private tour for the Vatican? We were thinking of not doing one.

 

missty

 

no, we just did our own tour. he did offer to get us a private guide for extra cost,but we weren't interested.

[rizzo22]

So you were able to bypass the mile-long line to get into the Vatican and Coliseum? Did his tour price include entrance to the sights?? I'm so glad y'all told me about him!

 

I know --it was pretty amazing to us that we skipped the whole line. Some people at the front looked irritated with us. His tour price did not include entrance fees--that was extra. Fabrizio is an amazing tour guide!

[missty1405]

no, we just did our own tour. he did offer to get us a private guide for extra cost,but we weren't interested.

 

Oh good. Thats what we are doing. And he still managed to get you ahead of that long line.... awesome! Thank you.

 

missty

[maiden]

We took our first cruise in October 2007 to the Mediterranean. We researched our itinerary at length. We decided to hire a private driver for our one day in Rome. We knew what we wanted to see and that that was our best option. We don't regret that decision even though it cost approx. $225.00 Euros. I hope it's ok to say their name. It was ItalybyLimosine and our driver was named Lucca. He was wonderful We told him where we wanted to go (the standard sites, Coloseum, Forum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Vatican City). Then he took us to a few "special" places as he put it. They were places most people don't even know about. We also knew that we wanted to see the Bourgese Museum (a "must see" for lovers of sculpture). And yes, do take the train in to Rome. Get off the ship, walk to the street, turn right and follow the road and you will see the Civitchevecia train station on the left. It is sooo easy and costs about 5 - 10 Euros each (I can't remember exactly). Whoever said it costs $200.00 was wrong! It takes an hour and if you do hire a private driver, they will pick you up at the train station (we did not get off at the Vatican City stop but the Termini Station). The train was quick and easy! You must be realistic. Rome in a day means choose the sites that are most important to you then return to see what you couldn't the first time. That's what we are doing! :D

[Longin2cruise]

Thank you everyone for such great advice and suggestions.

For those of you who have used the private tours did you have time to tour the Vatican? I went to the tour operators web sites and from my readings on these boards I am getting a bit confused with the private tours. If you booked Romeinlimo or Rome Cabs do you then book a private guide for the museums?

If I understand correctly, Stefano of Rome Cabs will arrange for a private guide for the Vatican museum. Don't know about Romeinlimo. Evidently there is some sort of rule that only certain guides can take you into the Vatican. Stefano was booked up the day that we wanted to go to the Vatican, but he would have arranged for transport,tickets & the special guide if he had had any availability. We chose another tour operator & just met her there. She was not one of the guides who picked up the tickets ahead of time & we stood in line for a couple of hours.

[texancruzer]

Just a quick FYI

 

We used a private guide for our Vatican tour in November. She told us that the ticket office opens FIRST for guided tours.....then to the general public. We met her at 9 a.m. and went right in. This applies to private guided tours or group guided tours. This is a big plus when you consider standing in line for hours and even more so when you are trying to fit in more than the Vatican in one day. You get an early start there and then can move on to other sites. There are "licensed" guides in Rome. They have badges that allow them early entry.

 

Most "drivers" are just that. Drivers. Not licensed guides for the various sites. You can get around Rome easily either by public transportation or by taxi. A driver will take you around to the sites but for those for which you require a guide means you will usually have to hire a "licensed guide"

 

Just be sure when you book a driver you find out if they can give guided tours of the sites or if you must book those seperate.

 

(Note: our private driver for our day on the Amalfi coast was just that - a driver.....altho he did give us some insight into the area....but was in no way a guide. When visiting each village we explored on our own and met him back at the van at a certain time. This was pretty much how most of our cruiseline tours were too. A little history and background on the bus - then explore on your own)

[Andym]

I know --it was pretty amazing to us that we skipped the whole line. Some people at the front looked irritated with us. His tour price did not include entrance fees--that was extra. Fabrizio is an amazing tour guide!

 

rizzo22,

 

Why are you posting as if giving independant advice, when it's obvious you are linked to Fabrizio .

These boards are for genuine advice not for advertising your own services however much disguised. I'd give the advice to give this person a wide berth and go for a genuinely recomended guide.

[rebeccalouise]

if you can only do one thing in Rome- do St. Peter's. You don't have to be Catholic to be inspired by this masterpeice of architecture and artwork. I have been three times now and it would still be my first choice of places to visit.

 

I do not think that it is worth standing in a long line for the Sistene chapel though. If the line is short- go and then you go into St. Peter's after with no line. However, I didn't enjoy the Sistene Chapel as much as St. Peter's.

 

Second on my list of must do things is the trevi fountain. Then the Spanish steps, then the Via Veneto for a nice stroll and some gelati.

 

The Colluseum in a good place to go but if you only have five hours- you might not feel like standing in yet another line.

[texancruzer]

The Colluseum in a good place to go but if you only have five hours- you might not feel like standing in yet another line.

 

 

Once again a guide is helpful. Ours took us over to the Palantine Hill where tickets can be purchased without standing in line. In fact, there was not one person in line :D We then toured the Forum area then headed over to the Coliseum. Since we had our tickets we did bypass a fairly long line of people waiting to buy tickets. We toured the Coliseum for about an hour and a half.....that was plenty of time to "see" it all. This was after we had done the Vatican (including the museums, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peters) that morning.

[lawyerrose]

rizzo22,

 

Why are you posting as if giving independant advice, when it's obvious you are linked to Fabrizio .

These boards are for genuine advice not for advertising your own services however much disguised. I'd give the advice to give this person a wide berth and go for a genuinely recomended guide.

 

 

Andym,

What makes you say that she/he is linked to Fabrizio? :confused:

[tequilagirl5]

Fabrizio, through Limoinrome, was terrific in Rome and I'd specifically ask for him. We had another tour in Florence using Limoinrome, and it was good but the guide was less informed and less personable. We wished we'd specified ONLY Fabrizio for Florence.

 

We toured in November and it was terrific, hardly any lines anywhere and we lucked into great weather. We saw a tremendous amount using private tours and it was, without a doubt, a better way to go than on the ship tours. Our guides were very careful to get us back to the ship with time to spare. That may be different during the high season.

 

Enjoy your cruise! We'd go again in a flash!!!!!

Hi,

 

We are doing Rome with Norweigen in June... Do you have to get the 6 people by yorself or does Fabrizio set them up for you and you just join in.

[tequilagirl5]

Hi,

 

We are doing Rome in June with Norweigen, I called Limoin rome and ws told I had to get the 6 people for our tour. Does Fabrizio work the same way?

[missty1405]

Hi,

 

We are doing Rome in June with Norweigen, I called Limoin rome and ws told I had to get the 6 people for our tour. Does Fabrizio work the same way?

 

No, Fabrizio will do how ever many people you have. Check out his site it has a lot of info. It is all around italy dot net. He responded very fast to our emails, etc.

 

missty

[travelling mom]

Hi,

 

Thanks to everyone's great info on this thread. I contacted Fabrizio of all around italy about booking a tour in Rome. He responded very quickly. Just out of curiosity how much is the round trip train fare from Civitavecchia to Rome and back? I went to Trenitalia site but couldn't get a quote for a ticket.

[carlmm]

Just out of curiosity how much is the round trip train fare from Civitavecchia to Rome and back? I went to Trenitalia site but couldn't get a quote for a ticket.

 

A BIRG ticket, valid not only for the roundtrip but also for all public transportation within Rome, is € 9 per person.

The trains are reliable and even faster than buses and cars.

[travelling mom]

A BIRG ticket, valid not only for the roundtrip but also for all public transportation within Rome, is € 9 per person.

The trains are reliable and even faster than buses and cars.

 

Thanks for the info, now I know its called a BIRG ticket and the price is very reasonable.

[rizzo22]

rizzo22,

 

Why are you posting as if giving independant advice, when it's obvious you are linked to Fabrizio .

These boards are for genuine advice not for advertising your own services however much disguised. I'd give the advice to give this person a wide berth and go for a genuinely recomended guide.

 

You are absolutely wrong! The people and their comments on this site never ceases to amaze me! I am not connected to fabrizio in any way. Since when does sharing a great experience and information make you linked to some one?? There is no need to be judgemental and rude. The reviews on this site were very helpful to my husband and I when we went on our med cruise on norwegian last fall and i hope my reviews are helpful to others.

[PMJ]

You might check with Context Rome, they have fabulous tours that we took several years ago. http://rome.contexttravel.com/main/home/

 

We did the Colosseum, the Vatican, and Pompei with them in 2003. Small groups, very informative.

[fourpines]

Can anyone offer information about free shuttle service from the port to the center of Civittaveccia? Are the shuttles offered by the individual cruise line? The town itself?

 

Thanks.

[kessieann]

What worked for us was to take a private tour of Rome with Duman from Romeinlimo. He showed us more than one could have gotten from the ship's tour and all this in half a day as we were late getting into Citavecchia due to a storm. He could find a parking spot anywhere which meant we didn't waste alot of time walking from spot to spot.

We had a tour guide waiting for us at St. Peter's Basilica and she took us through with no lines. Because we lost the morning at sea, we missed going to the Vatican,but Duman more than made up for it by showing us other sites that absolutely astounded us.

We would not hesitate to use him again if ever we are lucky enough to go back! Shelly

 

I would really be interested in hearing more about your tour. We are booked with Romeinlimo for June. I am very detail oriented and would like to know more about your tour if you are willing to share. I don't have a real good feel for what to expect and since I am doing all the planning for my family I would love to know more. Thanks!