RomeInLimo questions

[elsplace2]

Our driver introduced us to our guide, she asked for the money for the entrance fees and while we ran to the bathroom she took the money I gave her and bought our tickets. By the time we were done going, she was back and took us into Pompeii.

 

 

Thanks for the quick reply! Do you know if they require the exact amount or do they have no problem bringing back the change, especially if all 4 couples need change? Just trying to figure out if we need to obtain smaller bills especially ones, before going to Pompei?

Edited March 15, 2011 by elsplace2

[H2Otstr]

8 of us from our roll call are booked with RIL in Naples ...how does RIL handle the ticket purchases in Pompei if we have a tour guide that is set up by RIL? I thought I read that RIL driver takes you directly to the tour guide. Does the tour guide take us to the ticket booth so we can purchase our own tickets or does the tour guide purchase our tickets, after we give her/him the cash.

Just wondering because I want to know if we have exact change for the entrance fee, if the tour guide gets it? (I know there is an additional fee for the guide which is paid separately.)

 

Our tour guide met us at the gate, told us to go purchase our tickets (at the entrance), use the facilities and meet him in about 15 minutes. We each went to the ticket booth and purchased our own tickets.

[notentirelynormal]

Thanks for the quick reply! Do you know if they require the exact amount or do they have no problem bringing back the change, especially if all 4 couples need change? Just trying to figure out if we need to obtain smaller bills especially ones, before going to Pompei?

 

Sorry I don't know that - I gave her the exact change needed.

[RzCruzes]

We went up to the ticket window and purchased our own. It is all paid in Euro so I can't imagine you would need exact change. The guide waited right beside us where we walked into Pompeii. It wouldn't hurt to have smaller coins 1 & 2 Euro if not for anything but tipping. The outside vendors cannot make too much change, and they only accept cash. We purchased a "before and after" book and it was a great reminder of the day.

Enjoy!

[lalique]

We did Pompeii, Sorrento & Positano in November with Rafaello. Had a FABULOUS time! Sorrento is a great city, wonderful shopping & so quaint. Positano was breathtaking and our guide (name escapes me) was so good in Pompeii, just a well rounded educational & fun day!!! Highly recommend it for a first time visit!

How is the weather there in Nov? We will be there in early Nov. Is Raffaelo with Romein limo tours or is he on his own?

[lalique]

WOW now to spend more than a cruise day in port!!! What great things you did--we used RIL for Rome in Dec 2009--what a great time. Still trying to find the RIGHT cruise to come back on. BUT must have Naples-Florence & VENICE on the stop, & will used RIL on all. (trying hard for this fall--but might not happen--keep hunting thru specials.)

 

I found for anyone taking this tour (or I suppose ANY private tour) get your group together on the ship & come off together--SAVES lots of time with people milling about off the ship & you will be lots of time ahead of the others.!!

 

We did have lunch (PIZZA & WINE)--followed up around the corner for Gelato-although I didn't have enough time to finish that. But NEVER felt rushed. Great company to use.

You should look into Oceania's Insignia leaving Barcelona on Oct. 29, 2011 and ending in Venice (14 day cruise). It goes to Livorno, Rome, Naples, Amalfi/Positano, Sorrento/Capri, Dubrovnik, Monte Carlo, Marseille, , etc,. Nice part is 2 days in Florence.

[tz84kz]

We used RIL in Livorno and in Rome. We had a guide, Emily for the Vatican. She was excellent. The whole experience can't be beat. The 8 of us met on roll call and were from all over the world and all different age groups. They tailored our days to met the wants of our group. It was worth every nickel and then some!(Janey you didn't hear that!) We didn't have to wait in lines @ the Coliseum or @ the Accademia. The restaurant suggestions were outstanding. Pompeii was an excursion that my dh and I set out on our own. We took the train from Naples heading to Sorrento, and got off @ Pompeii. It's not for anyone who isn't a very seasoned traveler. The trains are very different in Naples than they are in say France. For us though, it was a memorable day. Enjoy your journey!

[Lvtocruize2]

We are using RIL for our Rome adventure. Is tipping the tour and Vatican guide something that is routinely done? If so, how much on an average? We gave rather large tips in St. Pete Russia because it was a two day tour and we fell in love with our driver and guide. Not sure what the norms are in Italy :confused:

[CruiserBruce]

Yes. If you read here, and it has been extensively discussed, somewhere between 10 and 20 percent seems to be the range. But tipping is personal, not everyone cares to talk about it. In fact, it is a somewhat controversial subject.

Edited March 17, 2011 by CruiserBruce

[BrewJack]

My family, 2 adults and 2 young boys, used Rome in Limos for a Rome tour from the port of Civitavecchia. We were in Rome a year prior and had already been to the major sites, so rather than the typical day long tour we opted to spend the day at some less well traveled kid-friendly sites. Stephane, our driver, was exceptional. He was polite, friendly, and very knowledgeable on Roman history. We took several private tours on our cruise and he was the best host of the bunch. R-I-L made it easy to customize our day to hit the sites we were interested in seeing - Catacombs, Janiculum, and Rome Time Elevator, with stops for lunch and gelato mixed in. If you are spending a day in Rome I highly recommend Rome In Limo. They were top notch from the planning of our day to the execution of the tour itself.

[Leslie Chapmam]

We used Rome in Limo for a day tour on a cruise two years ago and then last year we came back and stayed five days in Positano and used Rome in Limo again to take us from the Rome airport down to Positano with a stop in Sorrento on the way. The tour that I would recommend four your group is Pompei, Sorrento and Positano. You do not have time to include Capri. Capri is best seen in a leisurely day trip and believe me it will take most of your day. (the day that we went the sea was rough and we took a semi-private smaller boat over to Capri from Positano; big mistake for me as I got very queasy, so much so that we bagged the smaller boat for the return and opted instead for one of the big boats. On the big boat, I didn't have any problem, thank goodness). With the Pompei, Sorrento, Positano itinerary you will get to see the most beautiful and scenic portion of the Amalfi Coast. While I loved shopping in Sorrento, the highlight for me was the town of Positano so be sure and leave enough time for it. For both of our days on the Amalfi Coast with Rome in Limo we had Giovanni and he is great. I highly recommend him. Definitely use Rome in Limo. In our travels, we have spent a total of eight different days with them over the past two years and our booking them again for our upcoming trip in late May. You will love this day, just don't spend too long in Pompei. It is huge and you won't be able to see it all anyway. Try to pace yourself so that you have enough time to savor Positano.

[lalique]

We used Rome in Limo for a day tour on a cruise two years ago and then last year we came back and stayed five days in Positano and used Rome in Limo again to take us from the Rome airport down to Positano with a stop in Sorrento on the way. The tour that I would recommend four your group is Pompei, Sorrento and Positano. You do not have time to include Capri. Capri is best seen in a leisurely day trip and believe me it will take most of your day. (the day that we went the sea was rough and we took a semi-private smaller boat over to Capri from Positano; big mistake for me as I got very queasy, so much so that we bagged the smaller boat for the return and opted instead for one of the big boats. On the big boat, I didn't have any problem, thank goodness). With the Pompei, Sorrento, Positano itinerary you will get to see the most beautiful and scenic portion of the Amalfi Coast. While I loved shopping in Sorrento, the highlight for me was the town of Positano so be sure and leave enough time for it. For both of our days on the Amalfi Coast with Rome in Limo we had Giovanni and he is great. I highly recommend him. Definitely use Rome in Limo. In our travels, we have spent a total of eight different days with them over the past two years and our booking them again for our upcoming trip in late May. You will love this day, just don't spend too long in Pompei. It is huge and you won't be able to see it all anyway. Try to pace yourself so that you have enough time to savor Positano.

On our upcoming cruise, we dock one day at Sorrento and a different day at Amalfi/Positano. Are romeinlimo drivers actually guides or just drivers to take you to places? We are a group of 6 and definitely want a guide to show us everything and allow us time to explore all the area.

[CruiserBruce]

Rome in Limo drivers, as the name states, are drivers. They will give you a lot of info, and will allow you to wonder. Believe me, you won't be short of info. However, they will not go inside the sites and explain things. That is for a licensed guide, which Rome in Limo will provide if requested. For an additional fee.

Edited March 20, 2011 by CruiserBruce

[Grandpaul]

We used RIL and tour guide supplies by them for the Vatican and Mary was a great guide. Especially if it's your first visit there you want to get the most out of it. We did the same for Pompeii. Worth every penny you pay(plus tip). As mentioned above we also met the guide at the gate in Pompeii and were inside in a couple minutes. As far as the Vatican they recommended we see that in the afternoon when it's not as crowded. We liked RIL so much we used them 3 times on our visit there this past December.

[jesse]

We use Romeinlimo quite a bit, and also have them book private guides for us, Pompeii, Vatican--have had them book us Vatican guides twice so far, and each time it is completely worth it. We have booked Romeinlimo yet again for June, every place we go that they go!

[run2sea]

We just returned from the March 6-18, 2011 NCL Jade Mediterranean Cruise in which we used Rome In Limo for a shore excursion that included the Colosseum, Circus Maximus, Roman Forum, Pantheon, and Trevi Fountain in the morning, followed by a tour of the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica and Square in the afternoon. This private tour was one of the highlights of our entire trip and we would gladly use RIL again.

 

Our Driver/Guide, Mauro, met us at the dock for the approximately one hour drive to Rome in a comfortable van and was very knowledgeable and eager to answer questions. He showed excellent driving skills in getting us close to many attractions that larger tour buses could not approach, led us to the front of a very long Colosseum line (we had purchased our own tickets in advance online as recommended), and helped us visit many sites at a relaxed pace for our group. The restaurant he recommended for lunch served good food at a very reasonable price.

 

We also booked a Vatican tour guide through Rome In Limo (we had also purchased our own Vatican Museum tickets online in advance as recommended). Our Vatican guide, Sara, was tremendous in pointing out some highlights from the museum in a context that helped us better understand the artwork in the Sistine Chapel which we saw later in the tour. She was great in engaging our children and my 9 year old daughter felt that this was absolutely the most memorable part of her entire trip. Another benefit of having a registered Vatican tour guide was being allowed to take the steps from the Sistine Chapel directly down to the entrance of St. Peter's Basilica.

[NY to VA]

We booked 3 tours with Romeinlimo in Oct. 2009 during our cruise. The first tour was the highlights of Rome. I believe that our tour guide's name was Vincent. He was very personable and knowledgeable. Our daughter, who volunteers at an animal shelter at home, wanted to see a cat shelter about which she had researched, but did not know the address. Vincent made several phone calls to locate the shelter, and found it. Despite taking time out from a "standard" tour, we still saw all the highlights of the city and then some!

 

Our Vatican tour with RIL was superb, and the guide was amazing! Everyone should do a private Vatican tour!!

 

Another tour we booked with RIL was a drive along the Amalfi coast. The RIL driver pointed out some celebrity homes along the way, and even stopped at one hotel where celebrities had stayed. Needless to say, the lobby was exquisite and the view unforgettable.

 

Jany, who I believe is the contact person for the company, must sleep with her laptop! :p She responds to my questions so quickly!

 

We will be in Italy again later this spring, and we would not consider going on a tour without RIL!

[capecod14]

We recently were on a cruise that did three ports in Italy - Florence, Rome and Naples. When we were planning these trips we checked into shore excursions with the boat but decided to go with Rome in Limo and do small group tours. We were so pleased with the trips and the service we received doing our three port tours. I will share some of our experiences and let you see how our days went.

We started in Livorno, commonly known as Pisa/Florence. We were late getting off the boat and by the time we got to Pisa we had missed our scheduled time to climb the tower….never fear Vinny, our driver, was there to help! As soon as we arrived at the tower he went to the ticket office and was able to arrange for our group to climb the tower, everyone was so thankful. After some time in Pisa, we traveled to Florence and we were able to get so close to all of the main sights in Florence. There was one couple that had some difficulty walking long distances but we never had to worry as usually we were within 2 blocks of any attraction. We told Vinny wanted lunch at a LOCAL restaurant. He took us to a very small place that had fabulous food and very reasonable lunch prices. Our average meal was 5 euros + drinks. Today, we are still talking about the buffalo mozzarella and prosciutto. We wasted no time during the day because there were only 8 of us, seeing all the major sights. At the end the day we still had time to stop at a local winery sampling wine and olive oil. The wine was so good we shipped 2 cases back to the states.

Our next stop was Rome. Here, we were met by Vincenzo. We headed to the city and made our first stop at the coliseum. We had not bought tickets in advance but again we were saved and tickets were obtained without waiting in a long line. We saw the main sights in Rome only missing out on the Pantheon but that was because of a demonstration taking place that day. We wasted no time in Rome with lunch – there was too much to do, a slice of pizza at the Trevi fountain was perfect. In the afternoon we were off to the Vatican where we met Sara, our guide arranged by RIL. She was great and gave us a wonderful tour of the Vatican.

Our last stop was Naples. We were met by Raffaele and went off to the Amalfi Coast we went. It was an intermittent rainy day but we did get to see some of the fabulous views along the coastline. When we stopped along the way, Raffaele assured us we wouldn’t get wet and out came umbrellas for all of us. A little time to check out the shops and take a walk and we were back on the road to Sorrento, one of my favorite towns! We had time to walk around the shopping area. We are not shoppers but managed to find some wonderful limoncello chocolates that we brought home for stocking stuffers for Christmas. We stopped for lunch at a local restaurant. Here we had great pizza, the specialty of the area. After lunch we were on to Pompeii. We had not planned a private guide for Pompeii. At the last minute we decided, if possible, we would like a guide. Again, RIL came through for us and after arriving at Pompeii we were greeted by Carmine who gave us a wonderful tour. We highly recommend this. Without a guide we would have missed so much.

All in all our experience with Rome in Limo was very positive and I am returning to Italy soon and will be booking more tours with them. I highly recommend them.

[elsplace2]

Do you pay the driver for the tours at the beginning or the end of your tours?

[CruiserBruce]

Do you pay the driver for the tours at the beginning or the end of your tours?

 

At the end.

[aftica]

We were very pleased with our Pisa/Florence tour Last fall. Our driver was so flexible that he surprised us with a suggestion of a Tuscany drive/ winery tour in the afternoon. Were we delighted - you bet !

I am in the process of booking 2 tours with this company again and look forward to seeing Siena/Chianti when we dock at Livorno Nov. 18th.

We are also taking the next day tour at Civitavecchia through the countryside (Etruscan or Lake of Bracciano) only because we did extensive touring of Rome last year.

A big thank you to Jany who is always so prompt.( Nora Schock ):D

[wantocruisemore]

We were very pleased with our Pisa/Florence tour Last fall. Our driver was so flexible that he surprised us with a suggestion of a Tuscany drive/ winery tour in the afternoon. Were we delighted - you bet !

I am in the process of booking 2 tours with this company again and look forward to seeing Siena/Chianti when we dock at Livorno Nov. 18th.

We are also taking the next day tour at Civitavecchia through the countryside (Etruscan or Lake of Bracciano) only because we did extensive touring of Rome last year.

A big thank you to Jany who is always so prompt.( Nora Schock ):D

 

 

If you're heading to Lake Bracciano, check out http://www.odescalchi.it/eng/. It's the castle there and looks gorgeous. RIL is taking us for a side tour on the day they take us from our Rome apartment to the Port. It's only about an hour from the port. But I do know from corresponding with the castle you need to reserve your tour there ahead of time. Jany has been great to work with and fixing our times so we could include the castle.

[FinelyRetired]

We were very pleased with our Pisa/Florence tour Last fall. Our driver was so flexible that he surprised us with a suggestion of a Tuscany drive/ winery tour in the afternoon. Were we delighted - you bet !

I am in the process of booking 2 tours with this company again and look forward to seeing Siena/Chianti when we dock at Livorno Nov. 18th.

We are also taking the next day tour at Civitavecchia through the countryside (Etruscan or Lake of Bracciano) only because we did extensive touring of Rome last year.

A big thank you to Jany who is always so prompt.( Nora Schock ):D

 

Nora: You have a tough choice to make:) We did the Estrucan Tour last month with RIL. Absolutely loved it. Fascinating. The hilltop setting for the tombs was gorgeous. We found that having

a guide was beneficial. She joined us at the tombs (amazing wall paintings inside them) and she then met us at the museum where all the artifacts are housed. Put the Etruscans and their pre-roman history into context. As it was Feb, nearly no other tourists so we ran ahead of schedule and

our driver took full advantage of the sunny, warm almost 70 degree day and we did stop at the Lake for about an hour & ate gelato in a lakeside park and watched the locals and their children/grandchildren. The lake is very pretty....so a good choice too.

 

I've done 7 tours with them over the years and the thing I appreciate the most about RIL is the consistency of their planning (Jany!!) and their guides. Each guide has been engaging and enjoyable. They seem to love their work and have impeccable manners. They are thoroughly knowledgeable about their touring area and are not only able to adjust for inclement weather or traffic conditions but are also prompt to take advantage of any extra opportunities that may present themselves.

[BigGuy25]

We've used RIL each of the past two years and have been extremely pleased with their service. I think the best recommendation that you can get here on CC about a tour company is the number of people who have used them multiple times and are still extolling their virtues. Count us in that group!! We've used them in Pisa/Florence, Rome and Naples and have never been disappointed. We even used them for our hotel to airport car service and that too was provided with impeccable style!!

[windsor123456]

We were very pleased with our Pisa/Florence tour Last fall. Our driver was so flexible that he surprised us with a suggestion of a Tuscany drive/ winery tour in the afternoon. Were we delighted - you bet !

 

Do you remember the name of your driver? I have just booked a trip with them and love the idea of the wine tour.

 

Thanks for your help.