RomeInLimo questions

[bobalink]

That is awesome and so well deserved.

They are simply the best!

 

We used them last year and will again in about 3 more weeks.

 

Great job, Romeinlimo! Congratulations on this accomplishment!

[vpcats]

I came back to add a comment because I realized I neglected to mention something in my last post and, after reading some previous and subsequent posts, I feel even worse.

 

I didn't mention Jany. She is awesome! Don't know how she manages but she replies to everything and anything you ask, no matter what time it is or day. She is very accommodating and really works hard to come through and gives you the best options. SO...........dealing with her gives you the sense that the company is trustworthy and that you're getting the best service around and you will not be disappointed!

 

Hurray for Jany! :D

[thepoint]

How far in advance did you make your reservations with RIL? Our cruise is September 2012. I have been doing research on every port and what we want our tours to include. It seems like everyone uses RIL and I don't want to miss out! Thank you.

[wantocruisemore]

How far in advance did you make your reservations with RIL? Our cruise is September 2012. I have been doing research on every port and what we want our tours to include. It seems like everyone uses RIL and I don't want to miss out! Thank you.

 

Our trip is the end of this month into July. We made the reservations last Oct. so about 8-9 months ahead. Since we were traveling in the busy summer and there are 9 of us, I wanted to be sure to book in advance.

 

If you're over a year away I'd say you're certainly safe to wait until you're a year out.

 

And you will LOVE Jany! I don't think I know of anyone that handles the volume she does and responds so promptly. She answers all questions and provides great advice.

 

We're really looking forward to our tours/transports with them.

[koalagurl]

I came back to add a comment because I realized I neglected to mention something in my last post and, after reading some previous and subsequent posts, I feel even worse.

 

I didn't mention Jany. She is awesome! Don't know how she manages but she replies to everything and anything you ask, no matter what time it is or day. She is very accommodating and really works hard to come through and gives you the best options. SO...........dealing with her gives you the sense that the company is trustworthy and that you're getting the best service around and you will not be disappointed!

 

Hurray for Jany! :D

 

YES! There must be like 3 Janys based on the different hours I have received responses from her. She must not sleep! :)

[bobalink]

I am curious...

 

Has anyone ever met Jany?

 

Last summer we met Duman, the owner, and he is gracious, kind and professional. He picked us up from our hotel and drove us to the Vatican with our wonderful tour guide, Sarah.

 

Jany has to be the most organized administrative assistant to be able to respond to so many inquiries. I would love to meet her!

[dragon94]

We just returned on May 23rd from two days in Rome and a 12 night cruise on Mariner of the Seas. We used RIL for our tour in Rome and the transfers to and from the airport.

 

The tour was fantastic! we got to see the highlights of Rome with our excellent driver/guide Franco. You must use a guide for the Vatican, you will not see the highlights without one and they will get you through it all to see it in a decent time frame!

 

I was a little worried about making it from the ship to the airport (flight out at 11:50AM) but no worries with RIL. Our driver met us half an hour earlier than stated in the emails and got us to the airport in plenty of time. (I cannot remember his name! sorry!)

 

We booked about a month in advance without any problems. It is a little worrisome carrying that amount of money around with you but we did not have any problems with pickpockets, etc. We never felt unsafe while on the tours or even when we went on our own the first day in Rome before the tour.

 

When we return to Italy, all of our tours will definitely be with Rome in Limo!

 

Luann

[Gracie115]

I was a little worried about making it from the ship to the airport (flight out at 11:50AM) but no worries with RIL. Our driver met us half an hour earlier than stated in the emails and got us to the airport in plenty of time. (I cannot remember his name! sorry!)

Luann

 

 

Our flight out is also at 11:50..RIL is picking us up at 8AM, is that the time they picked you up? I want to be sure we are at airport early enough....

[Grandpaul]

We've used RIL several times over the last couple years and those tours have been the highlight of our cruises. Including one where my wife wasn't feeling well so we didn't go on a tour one one morning. That afternoon they sent a car to the ship and if she was feeling better they were going to take us on our own tour. Amazing service. That award was given to the correct company. You're right also, about Jany. Hard to believe there is a significant time difference between here and Italy. Not on her watch. We do the cash issue the same way as was mentioned above.

[alexkrn46]

For those of you who have used RIL, did you find it easier to pay in cash or traveler's cheque? I'm a little nervous carrying around the cash and I see they won't accept cc as final payment.

 

I was nervous carryng around that much cash, we took travelers checks cashed them at customer service and converted them to euros. RIL only takes cash in form of euros.

[luvtocook]

We actually took a couple of hundred Euros from home with us and then during our 4 day stay in Venice pre-cruise, we went to the ATM's and got what else we would require for the 12 night cruise and all the tours. We had 11 private tours and 3 with RIL--all excellent. The safe in our suite was perfectly SAFE!

[Royal24car]

We used Romeinlimo just a couple of weeks ago in Rome. The ship tour was $339.00 per person - ridiculous! I started emailing Jany in January or February for our mid May cruise. She's awesome! She answered all of my questions very quickly and put me at ease from the start. I told her we do not usually book off the ship, so she knew I was a bit nervous. She took very good care of us. Our driver was Vinny. What a fantastic person - I just can't say enough about him. He has such a wonderful personality, we had a ball with him during our 10 hour tour. We laughed and carried on all day long. We did not want this tour to end. He knew all the history and prepared us before we went to each different stop. We want to go back to Rome and spend a few days and I guarantee that we will be calling Romeinlimo - looking for Vinny! He knew I was a shopper and made sure I had time to get the things I needed. Poor guy - everytime we came back to the car, I had a bag. He also knew that I was having trouble finding a poster of the Colosseum so he stopped at a little square where there were a lot of artists. Low and behold - I found pictures of the Colosseum that were a lot more special than a poster. We saw everything mentioned on their tour plus some since we decided to skip lunch and concentrate on the sights. Our guide for the Vatican museums was Stephania. She's an art history major so she does a wonderful job showing you the best items in the museum. We couldn't have asked for a better day. So if you're looking for a tour - call Romeinlimo because you will end up having a truly magical day! I just wish we had booked them for Florence also. Oh well - next time!

[afn10305]

I am just back from my Mediterranean cruise and used RomeInLimo for private tours in Florence, Rome and Naples rather than the ship's organized tours. What a difference - I used the ship tours twice after those organized by RomeInLimo, and I am so glad I used RomeInLimo in Italy.

 

As far as our drivers, we had Fabrizio in Florence, Franco in Rome and Giovanni in Naples. Fabrizio was the best tour guide we had (our trip started pre-cruise in Barcelona where we had a private tour, as well as accompanied another group on a tour they had set up for Montserrat with another tour company and a private tour in Cannes). Fabrizio arranged for a private lunch at a wine shop, and he provided the pizza, sandwiches, and cheese so we could do some wine tasting. Great day in Florence.

 

Franco was good but his command of the English language was not as good as Fabrizio's. We thoroughly enjoyed our day in Rome with him though, and have no problem recommending him. While we were in Rome, we met Duman, the owner, who thanked us for booking with them and wanted to check to see what we thought of his drivers.

 

In Naples, Giovanni was great. He pulled over at a photo op location, and opened a bottle of homemade wine and poured us a bit so we could enjoy the wine and scenery. He sang to us as we were going over the narrow road to Positano.

 

On the tours organized by RomeInLimo, you get to see so much more. You get dropped off at the location you want to visit (you do a LOT of walking so the close drop off helps if you have bad knees), you get picked up at a close designated location, you get personal service instead of a tour guide holding up a number and then trying to follow them so you can hear the tour. Definitely follow RomeInLimo's suggestions for guides in Pompeii and the Vatican, or you won't know what you are looking at - too much to see in too short a time if you don't have a guide. The two guides they provided for Pompeii and the Vatican were very good. My sister has just recovered from a serious illness and they managed to get us through the sites at a pace she could follow. They kept her away from crowds as much as possible (almost impossible in the Vatican!) and let her rest when needed. I can't say enough good things about RomeInLimo or their guides.

 

Margaret

 

We too just returned from our "EPIC" Mediterranean cruise and used RomeInLimo for private tours in Pisa/Florence, Rome and Naples. We were encouraged to book the three-pack in order to get a further discount. At first I was a little concerned booking tours with other people I had not met yet, but with Jany's quick and easy communication it was very reassuring that everything would work out well, and it did. Jany was always available via email for every question I had prior to our cruise.

 

 

What a great time we all had. We also used one of the ship tours after those organized by RomeInLimo, and we are now convinced to try tour shares from now on. There is no comparing the two. RomeinLimo is an excellent company to deal with if you are considering a tourshare. NO WORRIES! :D

 

 

As far as our drivers, we had Vinny in Pisa/Florence, Salvatore in Rome and Giovanni in Naples. All three were willing to work with us to accommodate lunch plans and actual tour sites.

 

Vinny was so knowledgeable about the area and was quite entertaining. We got the traditional visit to the Leaning Tower and the Miracle Square, but since we were not really the "museum" types, we nixed the Uffizi and he arranged a wonderful visit to a local winery/olive oil mfg. and we had a great wine tasting with locally made meats. It definitely was a great day in Florence for us.

 

Salvatore was good but did not seem as talkative as Vinny. We enjoyed our day in Rome with him, especially the gelato, and have no problem recommending him, but since we did not get the guide for the Vatican or the Basilica it was a bit overwhelming. It may have also been because it was the day of a papal address and the day before a major holiday, but it was just so VERY crowded!!! Of course, Salvatore managed to be the most excellent driver avoiding any collisions and maneuvering every tight squeeze. It was actually entertaining just to see him drive through the mess of traffic. He deserves an award just for his driving skills! The Trevi fountain was our highlight, but again-- I am convinced that the ship's shore excursions could not take us to all the places we went to that day.

 

 

In Naples, Giovanni was great. Like Margaret's tour, he pulled over at quite a few photo op locations, and opened a bottle of wine and poured us a bit so we could enjoy the wine and scenery. We had lunch at a wonderful litle out of the way restaurant in Positano (I think) where the owner waited on us and my husband had the best pasta dish of his life. (he says!)

 

We did order a guide for Pompeii (Tiziane?), and she was also fabulous! Very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about her subject. I would HIGHLY recommend anyone going to Pompeii to get one. There are just too many streets and avenues to manuever in a short period of time.

 

Giovanni has a wonderful personality and made this such an enjoyable trip, however one of the things that really struck us with Giovanni is that he went out of his way to get us to the places we really wanted to see, even though Jany told me it wasn't possible! Giovanni did just a quick pit stop through Sorrento so we could spend more time in Positano and also go to Ravello, which was one of our highlights on the beautiful Amalfi coast. He also indulged our groups' request to get some Napoli pizza before we left and he not only ordered it for us in advance, but allowed some of our group to go in the shop and take photos with the pizza makers. He even gave us a bottle of Limoncello to go. I don't know if this is protocol, or if he just had so much fun with us-- but we were a grateful group to have it for our later "reflections" of the day. ;)

 

Like Margaret said... "On the tours organized by RomeInLimo, you get to see so much more. You get dropped off at the location you want to visit, you get picked up at a close designated location, you get personal service instead of a tour guide holding up a number and then trying to follow them so you can hear the tour. Definitely follow RomeInLimo's suggestions for guides in Pompeii and the Vatican, or you won't know what you are looking at - too much to see in too short a time if you don't have a guide."

 

If you are considering using RomeinLimo, have no fear-- just book them!!! The hardest part is picking the right tour and getting enough people to fill the group. Once you have that it's easy, and even if you don't Jany will work with you. I promise.

 

Cindy

[CandJCruise]

We just came back from our cruise on the Carnival Magic. We booked three excursions with RomeInLimo and the entire experience was first-class. We would recommend their tours to anyone.

 

There simply isn’t a better customer service representative than Jany – all our emails were answered virtually immediately and she accommodated two changes to our group size with absolutely no problems at all.

 

Rome Highlights including the guided tour of the Vatican – Driver: Nick / Vatican Guide: Julia

Nick was absolutely amazing getting us around Rome and showing us his city – constant commentary and interesting facts about the sights we were seeing. Great lunch at the restaurant he recommended. Julia was terrific – despite the fact that there must have been 5 million people at the Vatican at the same time as us (OK, I’m exaggerating a tiny bit), she managed to guide us through with no problem and gave us great insights into what we were looking at.

 

Pompeii, Sorrento, and Positano – Driver: Carmine / Pompeii Guide: Roberta

The highlight of all our excursions – Pompeii was incredible and Roberta was a terrific guide. Unless you do a huge amount of research up front (and who has time when you’re trying to pack), you need a guide to explain what you are looking at and Roberta did a great job of doing just that – she demonstrated an obvious passion for her work. Carmine was a great driver and thoroughly entertaining for the whole trip – the commentary was non-stop, we had time for lunch and shopping and the Amalfi coast drive was spectacular.

 

Mount Etna & Taormina – Driver: Luca

The one excursion where we encountered an issue – on our way down from Mount Etna, just as we entered a relatively small town, a tire on our van blew. We decided that lunch was a good option at that point and Luca set out on foot to find a restaurant for us. 15 minutes later, we sat down to one of the best Italian meals we’ve ever had along with a rather large amount of wine! When the tire was replaced, Luca picked us up at the restaurant and away we went. As a result of the delay, we didn’t get much more than a drive through Taormina, but Luca handled the situation as professionally as it could be and we have no complaints – stuff happens and we adapt.

 

Overall – a great experience with RomeInLimo from beginning to end and we will avail ourselves of their services again when we’re back in the neighbourhood!

 

Chris & Janet

[softail]

Romeinlimo has got to be the best private tour operator in Italy period. What else can i say because if you read the other 1000 plus post's you will see that we all agree. Larry

[poma]

I have just booked a cruise on the Norwegian Epic for Sept. 2012. Can anyone give me information on the Romeinlimo companay and how it works. I did go to their site. Does your driver also act as a tour guide? Can you have him take you anywhere? We are comparing the price of using them versus the shore excursions offered on the cruise ship. Any info. would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Lorrie

[bobalink]

I have just booked a cruise on the Norwegian Epic for Sept. 2012. Can anyone give me information on the Romeinlimo companay and how it works. I did go to their site. Does your driver also act as a tour guide? Can you have him take you anywhere? We are comparing the price of using them versus the shore excursions offered on the cruise ship. Any info. would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Lorrie

 

Romeinlimo is an excellent choice. There is a great deal of information on this board that you can read.

 

Look at this link:

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

 

We used them last summer and can highly recommend them. They are not tour guides, they are drivers that know a great deal of information and gladly share it with you. They can hire a tour guide for you if you want for the Vatican and other museums.

 

I suggest you contact RIL, and Jany will answer any questions you have.

 

Enjoy!

[softail]

Romeinlimo is an excellent choice. There is a great deal of information on this board that you can read.

 

Look at this link:

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

 

We used them last summer and can highly recommend them. They are not tour guides, they are drivers that know a great deal of information and gladly share it with you. They can hire a tour guide for you if you want for the Vatican and other museums.

 

I suggest you contact RIL, and Jany will answer any questions you have.

 

Enjoy!

 

I second that for sure. Just got back last weekend and used them in Rome and Naples. They are the best period.

[kazu]

There is a HUGE thread on Rome in Limo on the Italy ports board. Just tab down and you will find it. I don't think there is one bad comment, just compliments, including ours:D

[DancingMike]

We used Rome in Limo for the second time this past April after previously having them in May, 2009 in Rome and Pisa/Tuscany Wine Tour.

 

We had 3 different drivers, Easter Sunday our driver took us all over the city and to places that we had not seen two years ago. The next day our driver picked us up and we drove to Positano, Sorrento and Pompeii. The third day, our driver picked us up early with all of our luggage for four people and we toured north of Rome all day before we were driven to the port at 5PM for our Costa cruise.

 

Each driver was very familiar with all the areas we visit, had contacts to get us into places, recommended places to dine and made our touring very enjoyable.

 

Jany made sure to give us the best and Dumas the owner called us to verify that we had received the best!

 

Highly recommend to all going to Italy!

[Grandpaul]

We've used RIL several times in Italy and on almost all stops our driver was our tour guide also. The only exceptions were Pompeii and the Vatican. But the rest of our Rome tour our driver was our guide. By the time we got to our next stop we were well aware of the history of the area we were stopping in. Made those stops a lot more enjoyable. You are so right about Jany also. Does a fantastic job. Can't wait to get over there again. So many great places to see.

[miamichic]

We too just returned from our "EPIC" Mediterranean cruise and used RomeInLimo for private tours in Pisa/Florence, Rome and Naples. We were encouraged to book the three-pack in order to get a further discount. At first I was a little concerned booking tours with other people I had not met yet, but with Jany's quick and easy communication it was very reassuring that everything would work out well, and it did. Jany was always available via email for every question I had prior to our cruise.

 

 

What a great time we all had. We also used one of the ship tours after those organized by RomeInLimo, and we are now convinced to try tour shares from now on. There is no comparing the two. RomeinLimo is an excellent company to deal with if you are considering a tourshare. NO WORRIES! :D

 

 

As far as our drivers, we had Vinny in Pisa/Florence, Salvatore in Rome and Giovanni in Naples. All three were willing to work with us to accommodate lunch plans and actual tour sites.

 

Vinny was so knowledgeable about the area and was quite entertaining. We got the traditional visit to the Leaning Tower and the Miracle Square, but since we were not really the "museum" types, we nixed the Uffizi and he arranged a wonderful visit to a local winery/olive oil mfg. and we had a great wine tasting with locally made meats. It definitely was a great day in Florence for us.

 

Salvatore was good but did not seem as talkative as Vinny. We enjoyed our day in Rome with him, especially the gelato, and have no problem recommending him, but since we did not get the guide for the Vatican or the Basilica it was a bit overwhelming. It may have also been because it was the day of a papal address and the day before a major holiday, but it was just so VERY crowded!!! Of course, Salvatore managed to be the most excellent driver avoiding any collisions and maneuvering every tight squeeze. It was actually entertaining just to see him drive through the mess of traffic. He deserves an award just for his driving skills! The Trevi fountain was our highlight, but again-- I am convinced that the ship's shore excursions could not take us to all the places we went to that day.

 

 

In Naples, Giovanni was great. Like Margaret's tour, he pulled over at quite a few photo op locations, and opened a bottle of wine and poured us a bit so we could enjoy the wine and scenery. We had lunch at a wonderful litle out of the way restaurant in Positano (I think) where the owner waited on us and my husband had the best pasta dish of his life. (he says!)

 

We did order a guide for Pompeii (Tiziane?), and she was also fabulous! Very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about her subject. I would HIGHLY recommend anyone going to Pompeii to get one. There are just too many streets and avenues to manuever in a short period of time.

 

Giovanni has a wonderful personality and made this such an enjoyable trip, however one of the things that really struck us with Giovanni is that he went out of his way to get us to the places we really wanted to see, even though Jany told me it wasn't possible! Giovanni did just a quick pit stop through Sorrento so we could spend more time in Positano and also go to Ravello, which was one of our highlights on the beautiful Amalfi coast. He also indulged our groups' request to get some Napoli pizza before we left and he not only ordered it for us in advance, but allowed some of our group to go in the shop and take photos with the pizza makers. He even gave us a bottle of Limoncello to go. I don't know if this is protocol, or if he just had so much fun with us-- but we were a grateful group to have it for our later "reflections" of the day. ;)

 

Like Margaret said... "On the tours organized by RomeInLimo, you get to see so much more. You get dropped off at the location you want to visit, you get picked up at a close designated location, you get personal service instead of a tour guide holding up a number and then trying to follow them so you can hear the tour. Definitely follow RomeInLimo's suggestions for guides in Pompeii and the Vatican, or you won't know what you are looking at - too much to see in too short a time if you don't have a guide."

 

If you are considering using RomeinLimo, have no fear-- just book them!!! The hardest part is picking the right tour and getting enough people to fill the group. Once you have that it's easy, and even if you don't Jany will work with you. I promise.

 

Cindy

 

We greatly enjoyed our tour in Naples with Giovani (Sorrento, Positano & Pompeii)

 

We met our tour group through the roll call.

 

Giovani was there promptly before 8am (scheduled time)

As we were on our way he was full of information. We made lovely picture stops on the Amalfi Coast. They are totally flexible and customizable as we opted to skip Sorrento (just drive by) and added Ravello (sp?) to the tour

 

He called ahead to a little restaurant in Ravello where they were waiting for our group and prepared the most delicious mixed plate of pasta

 

Our afternoon was in Pompeii - We opted for a guide (extra 100E split amongst the group) Tizana was our assigned guide - she was excellent!!!

 

At the end of the day we longed to try some Naples pizza and Giovani made a quick stop - It was amazing & the shop owners allowed us to go in and take pictures while they were making the pizza

 

I recommend Rome In Limo to anyone

 

After doing a ship tour, on my own and Rome in Limo - RIL is definitely the way to go!!!

[flcruiser3]

I plan on doing RIL tours while in Naples, Rome and Florence/Pisa. Do I need to pre-buy tickets to any of the attractions, does RIL get the tickets, or do we purchase at the site?

 

Thanks!

[AJs Grandpa]

Just returned from our Med Cruise preceeded by three days in Rome. We (group of four) used RIL in Rome (Franco), Livorno (Clara) and Naples/Amalfi Post (Tony). We also used RIL for our transfer to Civitavecchia (Maurizio).

 

I confess to being a sceptic and found it hard to believe RIL would live up to all the hype in this thread. In short, I was wrong.

 

Each driver was extremely helpful and dedicated to ensuring we saw everything we wanted to see. Their mastery of English and knowledge of their respective locales were first rate. They were flexible and made changes "on the fly" when appropriate. For example, we spent a full day in Rome before our RIL tour, so we already saw some of the sites on the normal route. Franco adjusted and added other sites to fill our day.

 

I'd hate to rank them against each other because each driver had his/her own personality and strengths. However, Tony was noteworthy from a pure "fun" perspective. We ended our day with a bottle of lemoncello (unopened!) and a rousing rendition of "Amore" A little hokey perhaps, but just a fun diversion.

 

We took individual tours in three Greek ports, and while we enjoyed each of them, they just didn't have the RIL touch.

 

There is no doubt we will put ourselves in RIL hands if/when we return to Italy.

[CruiserBruce]

I plan on doing RIL tours while in Naples, Rome and Florence/Pisa. Do I need to pre-buy tickets to any of the attractions, does RIL get the tickets, or do we purchase at the site?

 

Thanks!

 

Ask Jany at Rome-in-Limo. In some cases you might buy in advance, others they may recommend not to worry about it. In August and September we didn't buy anything in advance (Vatican, Pompei) and were just fine.