RomeInLimo questions

[cw2go]

I wanted to provide details and visuals on our Saturday, July 11, adventure from Naples. This is especially to spotlight our great guide-driver from Romeinlimo, Carmine! Our group of eight experienced a totally wonderful day. First, it was driving through the mountains south of Naples that they call “the little Switzerland” as we moved towards Ravello. Carmine told us about his love of Naples and this whole area. There were great Italian songs on the CD as we went through the mountains. Carmine stopped to get and share some fresh fruit from a roadside stand and told us a few jokes, including what Italians view as what the letters in the name of their car company, FIAT, mean. He said that car name means “Fix It Again, Tony”. F. I. A. T.!! We were riding in a nice Mercedes van.

 

When in the Naples-Amalfi area in 1999, we had not seen this part of the region. We previously had lunch overlooking the beach at Chez Black in Positano, but we had not gone farther east from that point to see these areas that we reached this year. It was wonderful to see so much more during this visit. Ravello overlooks the Gulf of Salerno and the Mediterranean. Ravello is famed as a place where Wagner composed many music pieces, famous (Gore Vidal) lived/wrote at La Rondinaia (The Swallow's Nest) and many others visited for the great views. Then we went through several of the charming towns along this coast, including Atrani and Amalfi, traveling narrow, twisted routes with steep terraces above and below us. It was great to have Carmine do the driving while I was taking pictures and the others enjoyed the great views and sights. We wanted to have lunch in a smaller, less tourist place and Carmine came up with the perfect, super scenic location.

 

Our lunch location was right above Positano as the sun came out in full force to offer the best views one could ever hope for or seek. Lunch? It was a super treat, family-style, plus views, wine, drinks, etc.!!! Then, we drove to the Bay of Naples side, through parts of Sorrento on the way to the historic area of Herculaneum. Great and enjoyable day. Just wanted to make sure that Carmine and Romeinlimo got proper credit for doing a wonderful job that was a highlight of our trip. Here are more pictures to document that it was really as great as claimed.

 

Near Pisa, Vinni from Romeinlimo, also did a wonderful job for our group. We focused on a plan that included the historic walled city of Lucca, then doing a brief stop in Pisa for you know what, then going to San Gimignano. That worked very well, including lots of mostly sunny skies, but not too hot. Lucca is the town of Puccini, has an interesting Roman outdoor theater, offering lots of great shops and other buildings, etc. Great day in Tuscany!!!

 

Check out my live/blog posting for lots more details, pictures, etc. Let me know any questions on that Solstice posting series. Happy to share more.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

You can see all of the details and lots of visuals on our June 7-19 Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of special pictures with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., plus much on wonderful Barcelona. These postings are now over 13,000 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity. Don't be shy in asking any questions, making comments, etc. Check these postings and added info at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

As he drove through the “Little Switzerland” mountains, Carmine was driving, singing, telling us fun stories, making sure we did the right and best photo stops, etc. :

 

 

 

At our lunch place beautifully above Positano, here is Carmine posing next to the sign at this enjoyable stop. :

 

 

 

This was one of the great views of Positano as we did a photo stop just east of this beautiful location. :

 

 

 

Near Ravello and at other locations along the Amalfi Coast, we saw many examples of how the mountainside were terraced and used to crow citrus and other products.:

 

 

 

From our dining location, here was another example of the spectacular view towards Positano and west along this scenic coastal regional of Italy.:

 

 

 

It was a big “WOW” for our first visit to Pisa. This tower is much taller than I expected. They just completed a major cleaning of it in the past few weeks, making things perfect, except for that little foundation problem with one tower. Also impressive here are the Pisa Baptistry and Duomo (main) church. Pisa has a couple of major universities here. There is another church here that also also a learning (and shorter) tower. We drove by that site. Two leaning towers in Pisa! How many knew that?:

 

 

 

Hello Terry, wanted to let you know we also had Carmine as our driver for our day in Naples. (last week) He knew we were from Ohio, asked if I knew of you. I did indeed and he wanted me to send a hello from him across the boards to you.

 

We had a fantastic tour! I have never had a tour guide love his home as much as he did or purpose to engage our 15 yr old son so much. Carmine was the first guide ever to leave such a great impression on our son. We admired his zest for Italy. He arranged everything just as we requsted. Lunch at La Taglia was a definate must do if touring the Almalfi Coast.

 

Smiles,

Patty

Edited June 27, 2011 by cw2go

[TLCOhio]

Hello Terry, wanted to let you know we also had Carmine as our driver for our day in Naples. (last week) He knew we were from Ohio, asked if I knew of you. I did indeed and he wanted me to send a hello from him across the boards to you. We had a fantastic tour! I have never had a tour guide love his home as much as he did or purpose to engage our 15 yr old son so much. Carmine was the first guide ever to leave such a great impression on our son. We admired his zest for Italy. He arranged everything just as we requsted. Lunch at La Taglia was a definate must do if touring the Almalfi Coast. Smiles, Patty

 

Appreciate so much Patty and samavarcruiser sharing these nice comments and added info. Good to know that Carmine remembered our tour. It was great fun for us. For anyone using Carmine in the future, be sure to tell him that those from Ohio say "HI!!!".

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

You can see all of the details and lots of visuals on our June 7-19 Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of special pictures with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., plus much on wonderful Barcelona. These postings are now over 14,000 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity. Don't be shy in asking any questions, making comments, etc. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[notentirelynormal]

We also had Carmine for Pompeii-Sorrento. He was great. We traveled with my hard of hearing 81 year old mother and he made sure he'd turn towards or speak loudly so she could hear him. He would run around and open her car door then take her by the arm and escort her to where we were going. He took us into the restaurant and as he takes her down the stairs says to her, "wow, you walk down stairs well. You do it much better then people half your age!". The flattery was very sweet and made her feel good. What more can you ask for. He got us to Pompeii before the crowds and was entertaining for the entire day.

[hylasgirl]

Terry... SO glad you enjoyed your tours with Romeinlimo. I just knew you would.

 

How did you like the Tuscany area? Weren't your plans to go to the Cinque Terre originally? For some reason I thought that was your plan? Did you make it to Sienna?

 

I see from your photos that you dined at La Tagliata above Positano. We just loved our lunch there in 2009. Our friends and family that were on the tour with Romeinlimo then will always remember this day... with Raffaele and the restaurant high above the town of Positano.

 

I am still working on my review of Romeinlimo. We had a fantastic 3 ports with them as well. Nice to see your photos of San G. Such a gorgeous area!

 

It was a pleasure to meet you and your wife.

[TLCOhio]

Terry... SO glad you enjoyed your tours with Romeinlimo. I just knew you would. How did you like the Tuscany area? Weren't your plans to go to the Cinque Terre originally? For some reason I thought that was your plan? Did you make it to Sienna? I see from your photos that you dined at La Tagliata above Positano. We just loved our lunch there in 2009. Our friends and family that were on the tour with Romeinlimo then will always remember this day... with Raffaele and the restaurant high above the town of Positano. I am still working on my review of Romeinlimo. We had a fantastic 3 ports with them as well. Nice to see your photos of San G. Such a gorgeous area! It was a pleasure to meet you and your wife.

 

Hi, Stephanie!! YES, our plan was to do Cinque Terre on June 9, but then there is "thing" called the weather. On that day in the am, things were a little weather challenged and the boats connecting the various villages were not running there. I knew in advance that weather could be iffy on that date and I had done a little thinking about a back-up plan. We made an "adjustment" to group's schedule and did Lucca, Pisa and San Gimignano. Our guide, Vinni, from RomeInLimo was excellent in being on top of these potentials/options, discussing the various pro-con factors to consider, making it all work well, etc. We had been to San Gimignano previously, but not to the other two places. That's a nice "flexibility" when doing private tours with good companies.

 

We super loved Lucca. This town does not get the attention that Florence and Sienna do. We had done about four days in the area in 1999, seeing both of these cities then, allowing us more flexibility on this cruise stop of 2011. Below are some added pictures on Lucca, etc., to prove why we loved it so much. The shopping, churches, style, pace, etc. for Lucca was wonderful. Wish we had had more time there. BUT, that's Tuscany and trying to do only a one-day port stop there.

 

We really loved hooking up with you, BUT, the sad problem was that on a larger ship like the Solstice and with so many great port options on this cruise, we just did not have more time to "connect" and interact with others in our CC group, etc. It was busy, busy on this great cruise that was blessed with super, overall weather! That was the good news, but it was a bit of the downside on this cruise compared to other experiences on smaller ships.

 

There's always "next time" for Cinque Terre and more in Tuscany, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Just back from a June 7-19 Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc. These postings are now over 14,000 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

In Lucca, this is a closer view of the architectural details for the Chiesa di San Michele in Foro church with its exceptionally tall facade. It was built in the 11th-14th centuries and is in the heart of this walled town.:

 

 

 

The most famous son of Lucca might be the great composer Puccini. Here is his statute on the main street of this charming town that wonderfully lack much contemporary development. Just lots of historic charm and character.:

 

 

 

Lucca has so many cute and interesting shops. Here is one example that we enjoyed so much. It is the Antico Caffe Dei Simo at Via Fillungo 58. Its origins date back to 1846 and has seen famed artists such as Verdi and Puccini pass through its doors.:

 

 

 

There are many, many churches in Lucca. Here is one of older ones in this walled town. This view is framed by the arches of a nearby building structure.:

 

 

 

In Lucca, this is the Duomo Cathedral, dedicated to St. Martin, built and re-built in the 11th-15th centuries. It has a slim and powerful Campanile. Inside are several famed works of art and sculpture.:

 

 

 

This is the view of San Gimignano from the countryside as you approach and see its great towers, etc.:

 

[hylasgirl]

Terry... I'm glad you were able to see something different other than the Cinque Terre. It's too bad that things weren't running that day. It ended up being a pretty nice day. We, too, went to Lucca for the day with Romeinlimo. It was super nice. We had our driver stop at Pisa along the way as well. My mother had not been to Pisa, so it was a nice stop. We toured the Montecarlo wine road after Lucca. It was my first time in that area and it was just gorgeous!!!

 

[suescruise]

I have booked this for 2 of us--I am not getting very far on trying to get others to join from our group--most of them have already booked their tours.

As it is VERY costly for only 2 I am wondering if anyone that has used them ever asked if they had others who might need to join a group for the cost to come down? It would be great for just 2 but way too costly should I just write & ask them or does anyone have any idea if this can be done?

I know we have quite a while to go yet..but I do worry about the cost of this one..so trying to figure out what we can do--I do not want to take the ships bus to edge of the city nor do I want to try to do it ourselves. (we also have a guide for the Vatican & it has also added to the cost).

 

 

When is your cruise? We're going July 10th and we're also looking to join others for tours

[CruiserBruce]

This should be arranged on your roll call.

[hylasgirl]

Taken from my overall cruise review... 3 great days with Romeinlimo!

 

Livorno: This was my favorite port this cruise. I wanted to something a bit different so I put together a tour with Romeinlimo (toured with this company many times in the past). There were 5 of us and we toured Pisa (for my mother that had not been before) and then we were off to Lucca and then two wineries along the Montecarlo wine road. The only one I remember the name of is Fattoria di Fubbiano. It was GORGEOUS and such an excellent place. We toured the facility and then did a taste testing of all their products. We were served wine, cheese, meats, and the best bruschetta ever! Our driver for the day was Ricardo and he was from the Lucca area. We had such a great day with him. For anyone that has seen many things from the Livorno port, I highly recommend a day in the Montecarlo wine area.

 

Civitavecchia/Rome: Again, I arranged a private tour with Romeinlimo with a few of our dining mates. I have been to Rome many times so I was looking for people who didn’t have much of an agenda on sightseeing. We had a fantastic day. Our driver for the day was Franco and I really really liked him. My mom and the others had not been to the Church of San Clemente so that was first on our list. I think it’s a fascinating site so I wanted my mom to see it. Then we toured St. Peter in Chains, which is easy to see in the same area. After that I wanted to be dropped off by the Pantheon and just wander for a few hours. I took my mom over to the Trevi Fountain (another site she missed last trip) and then we walked to the Piazza Navona and had a glass of wine. We met back up with our friends and the driver arranged for us a nice lunch at Osteria dei Pontefici. It was a fantastic lunch! I will dine there again any time! Excellent food and service.

 

Naples: Again, I put together a private tour with Romeinlimo with one couple at our dining table. We wanted to go to Ravello and Amalfi with lunch in Sorrento. I asked for my favorite driver, Raffaele for the day. He lives in the historical district of Sorrento and knows the area so well. We took off from the port at 8:00am and we were quickly on our way to Ravello. What a ride! It was amazing! On our way over the mountains we ran into a guy herding his goats up the road…they were everywhere! Such a cool sight. We wandered Ravello and had coffee on the square and then we were on our way to Amalfi. It was gorgeous everywhere. This is such a scenic area everywhere you look. After Amalfi we drove into Sorrento and had a fantastic pizza lunch. It was probably the entire group’s favorite meal of the trip. I wish I could have brought home all the fantastic tomatoes that we had from our Italian ports!

 

Thanks Romeinlimo for 3 amazing days. They were definitely the highlight of our entire cruise.

 

We are on Celebrity's Silhouette in May and cannot wait to return to Romeinlimo for tours. I just wish they would do tours in Ravenna!:)

[RaiderDeluxe]

As first time travelers to Italy (NCL Epic), we wanted to maximize our shore excursions. Some friends recommended Rome in Limo and wow, are we glad they did! First class, remarkable, memorable and, when you consider how much the ship's shore excursions cost for 3 people, it was very reasonably priced because you beat the crowd and you see and experience way more!

 

Livorno/Florence: Our driver was MAXimillion....fabulous!

 

Rome (can't spell the port!): Our driver was Vinny! Fabulous and very protective of us.

 

Naples: Tony! What can I say! Just when you think it couldn't get any better, we tour Pompeii, Sorrento and the Amalfi coast with this sweetheart of a guy. The Sing-A-Long to "When the moon hits your eye, like a big pizza pie....that's Amore" will always be remembered.

 

Oh, and thanks for the complementary Limoncello! It made it safely to Lubbock, TX and is being enjoyed by all.

 

If you're going to Italy, these knowledgable, friendly, Rome in Limo drivers will customize your trip and make it a lifetime memory!

[gas1208]

Our party of 15 also used Romeinlimo for our trip last September. As far as

times and what you will see, that is up to you. We emailed our ideas on

what we wanted to see and it was customized to our needs. Also, your guide

is very conscious of the time constraints of cruisers and you won't have to

worry about being late to the ship.

Enjoy

[mari10]

We have used Romeinlimo for the past three years and each trip tops the previous one. It's such a pleasure to be able to book with them and not have to worry about any of the details. From the start Jany takes care of the reservation and our driver or guide perfectly transforms the reservation into a magical day.

In two months we'll be touring with them again. First port will be Livorno, and this time around we are doing a winery tour including a special lunch and wine tasting at a selected winery.

We can't wait to be once again sailing on Celebrity and touring with Romrinlimo!

 

Mari:)

[Kathy130]

Our group of 6 used Romeinlimo two years ago and had an amazing experience in the three ports we booked. Since the summer of '09, I have recommended them to others three times, all thanking me over and over again. Currently, rec'd a text from our friends usning them RIGHT NOW....thanking me from ROME on helping them have a fantastic vacation!!

 

To me, that speaks volumes for a company that delivers what they say they deliver. Over a two year period, these differnt families all raved about them, the drivers, the amount of knowledge the shared about an area, as well as the immediate communication you receive from either Jany or Duman...regarding any little question you might have leading up to the trip!!

 

I will confidently continue to highly recommend them and will hopefully visit with them again in the near future!! Consistency and reliability are the foundation of a company one must have traveling abroad.

[Gracie115]

Wonder why they "closed" the original Rome In Limo question thread? It had a lot of great info on it!!

 

I'm looking for cruise critic member "Wanttocruisemore" to find out how the castle tour went on the way to the port from Rome. Where are you??

 

Jeanne

[hylasgirl]

I am wondering the same thing. I hate to say, but seems with the lack of paid advertising that they don't seem to "love" Romeinlimo like so many of us do. BUT... from what I saw, I was the last person to post my review (June 7th Solstice sailing) on the thread (like TONS of people have done) and with specific information. Everything was posted within their guidelines and "poof" the thread was closed. I'm not sure what happened.

 

It's SO nice to read everyone's reviews on Romeinlimo because there are MANY of us that love Romeinlimo and like going back year after year. I love to get new ideas on where and what to do.

 

And I will continue to confidently and continually recommend Romeinlimo also. They are a terrific company with flawless customer service.

 

We are cruising again in May (312 days:D) and I'll be using Romeinlimo for all my ports there. SURE would be great for people to keep posting their reviews. The ideas for each port is so interesting.

[wantocruisemore]

Wonder why they "closed" the original Rome In Limo question thread? It had a lot of great info on it!!

 

I'm looking for cruise critic member "Wanttocruisemore" to find out how the castle tour went on the way to the port from Rome. Where are you??

 

Jeanne

 

 

Hey, I'm BACK!!! Just flew in last night and woke up at 3am, couldn't sleep, still on Italy time. At my office now but eating lunch.

 

The Castle tour was great!!! Well worth the money for the extra stop! As soon as I get photos organized (I have over 2000 between my families 4 cameras and about 1500 more from my SIL's) I will try to post.

 

The entry and the tour was only 7 euros per person. We had reserved the early tour and I had printed and carried my emails from the castle saying they would do a 10:30am tour for us in english and the price at 7 a piece. When we got there around 10am they told our driver originally that the next tour was not until 11:45am and we would either have to wait or pay 175 euros for a private tour. Our driver from RIL took my email to them and showed them and staightened it out. We got the tour at 10:30am for 7 each. The tour was exactly one hour. The guide was good but not RIL excellent (RIL spoiled us). Her english was decent and she did answer some questions. It was interesting to see the castle and hear about the occupants. The collection inside is really worth seeing, not to mention the gorgeous views. You are not allowed to take photos inside the castle though and there were no english books to purchase. I wish there had been because I definitely would have.

 

The castle and the views are really worth it. They were also preparing for a wedding to be there in the afternoon. The town is beautiful and I wish we had time to explore it. Coffee at the little shop at the base of the hill at the entrance to the castle is very good and cheap.

 

We got to the port around 12:30 or so and were on board by 1pm.

 

I just realized they had closed the original RIL thread too. Guess I will have to post my review of them here later. We were VERY pleased with them!!!

Edited July 11, 2011 by wantocruisemore

[C_Worthy]

My wife and I just returned from a Med cruise where we used RIL for a private tour of Pompeii-Sorrento-Positano. For 2 people in a private sedan, it cost 450EU plus an optional 100EU for a Pompeii tour guide. At first, we thought the price was a little expensive, especially with the USD conversion rate, but it was totally worth it.

 

Making the arrangements was super easy...kudos to Jany for being extremely responsive to e-mails. I must have asked a million questions. Our ship had to change docking location from Amalfi to Naples. I sent Jany an e-mail from the ship with less then 24 hours notice, and she took care of all the changes.

 

Tony, our driver, met us at the cruise terminal. He was a FANTASTIC driver and guide. He is from Sorrento, so he was able to give us a considerable amount of current events about the area (not just the history). He had a nice approach: asked us what we wanted to do, and then he gave us some advice based on his vast knowledge. In the end, we were able to do everything we wanted.

 

The private guide in Pompeii was well worth the 100EU. Patrizia did a great job of showing us the ruins...we talked to some of our friends that took the standard cruise tour, and she far surpassed that group in terms of what she showed us and how much she was able to teach us.

 

Our quick tours through Positano and Sorrento were lovely. We did not have enough time to linger much, but we definitely saw enough that we know what we would like to do when we go back.

 

Finally, Tony took us to a lovely pizzeria in Naples (our request). It was a lovely restaurant right on the water. From the glass of Prosecco right when we sat down to the lemoncello after dinner, this place was really neat. The pizza was delicious, too.

 

Tony and RIL was worth every penny.

[Gracie115]

Hey, I'm BACK!!! Just flew in last night and woke up at 3am, couldn't sleep, still on Italy time. At my office now but eating lunch.

 

The Castle tour was great!!! Well worth the money for the extra stop! As soon as I get photos organized (I have over 2000 between my families 4 cameras and about 1500 more from my SIL's) I will try to post.

 

The entry and the tour was only 7 euros per person. We had reserved the early tour and I had printed and carried my emails from the castle saying they would do a 10:30am tour for us in english and the price at 7 a piece. When we got there around 10am they told our driver originally that the next tour was not until 11:45am and we would either have to wait or pay 175 euros for a private tour. Our driver from RIL took my email to them and showed them and staightened it out. We got the tour at 10:30am for 7 each. The tour was exactly one hour. The guide was good but not RIL excellent (RIL spoiled us). Her english was decent and she did answer some questions. It was interesting to see the castle and hear about the occupants. The collection inside is really worth seeing, not to mention the gorgeous views. You are not allowed to take photos inside the castle though and there were no english books to purchase. I wish there had been because I definitely would have.

 

The castle and the views are really worth it. They were also preparing for a wedding to be there in the afternoon. The town is beautiful and I wish we had time to explore it. Coffee at the little shop at the base of the hill at the entrance to the castle is very good and cheap.

 

We got to the port around 12:30 or so and were on board by 1pm.

 

I just realized they had closed the original RIL thread too. Guess I will have to post my review of them here later. We were VERY pleased with them!!!

 

 

Thanks so much for the endorsement on the castle! I'm concerned about the tour in English. There are only 2 of us and I haven't been able to get confirmation on an early tour. If you had taken the 11:45AM tour would it have been in English and would you be able to make the ship by 2PM or so?

 

Glad you had a wonderful cruise and that Rome IN Limo was all you expected, we can't wait for September for our trip!

Edited July 11, 2011 by Gracie115

[wantocruisemore]

Thanks so much for the endorsement on the castle! I'm concerned about the tour in English. There are only 2 of us and I haven't been able to get confirmation on an early tour. If you had taken the 11:45AM tour would it have been in English and would you be able to make the ship by 2PM or so?

 

Glad you had a wonderful cruise and that Rome IN Limo was all you expected, we can't wait for September for our trip!

 

 

Actually RIL EXCEEDED our expectations. They are worth every penny (or euro). We used them for our airport pick up and transfer to our apartment in Rome, for our tour of the Vatican, for our day trip to Pompei-Sorrento-Herculaneum, our trip from Rome to port via castle and our pick-up at port and transfer to airport after cruise.

 

The 11:45 pm tour would have been in english. If it starts promptly then it shoud end before 1pm enabling you to get to the pier by 2pm. I just had my target to be 12:30/1pm getting to the ship and we were there at the port by 12:30. I wasn't sure how long it would take but it did not seem long and there was no traffic. They deliver you right to the check-in tent and you drop off your luggage when you get out of the van. Super easy.

 

I would emphasize when making reservations at the castle though that you need to leave by a certain time. Otherwise they may try to make you wait for the tour to fill up to at least 15 people. There were our 9 and 4 others joined in the tour. The guide's english was very good, her voice was just not very loud. I think as long as you keep your emails like I do then RIL can run interference if they hesitate on going ahead with the tour as scheduled. In my emails to them I told them either I had to had an assurance of a 10:30am tour or I could not go. Then they sent back that they "guaranteed" it.

 

The castle really is special and a nice way to try to squeeze some last sightseeing in around Rome. One other thing, when RIL picked us up they said they had some other places they would love to show us and then get us to the ship later. I was a little paranoid about time so I said no, just the castle. You may want to see when they could do before the castle and have them pick you up earlier.

[Gracie115]

Actually RIL EXCEEDED our expectations. They are worth every penny (or euro). We used them for our airport pick up and transfer to our apartment in Rome, for our tour of the Vatican, for our day trip to Pompei-Sorrento-Herculaneum, our trip from Rome to port via castle and our pick-up at port and transfer to airport after cruise.

 

The 11:45 pm tour would have been in english. If it starts promptly then it shoud end before 1pm enabling you to get to the pier by 2pm. I just had my target to be 12:30/1pm getting to the ship and we were there at the port by 12:30. I wasn't sure how long it would take but it did not seem long and there was no traffic. They deliver you right to the check-in tent and you drop off your luggage when you get out of the van. Super easy.

 

I would emphasize when making reservations at the castle though that you need to leave by a certain time. Otherwise they may try to make you wait for the tour to fill up to at least 15 people. There were our 9 and 4 others joined in the tour. The guide's english was very good, her voice was just not very loud. I think as long as you keep your emails like I do then RIL can run interference if they hesitate on going ahead with the tour as scheduled. In my emails to them I told them either I had to had an assurance of a 10:30am tour or I could not go. Then they sent back that they "guaranteed" it.

 

The castle really is special and a nice way to try to squeeze some last sightseeing in around Rome. One other thing, when RIL picked us up they said they had some other places they would love to show us and then get us to the ship later. I was a little paranoid about time so I said no, just the castle. You may want to see when they could do before the castle and have them pick you up earlier.

 

 

Thanks so much for all the info, I will get to work on getting assurances of a tour earlier rather than later. We have RIL scheduled for airport pick ups and drops off, a walking tour, all day the next day and then the castle so very glad to hear they are as good as all here have said. Thanks again.

Edited July 11, 2011 by Gracie115

[hylasgirl]

Hey, I'm BACK!!! Just flew in last night and woke up at 3am, couldn't sleep, still on Italy time. At my office now but eating lunch.

 

The Castle tour was great!!! Well worth the money for the extra stop! As soon as I get photos organized (I have over 2000 between my families 4 cameras and about 1500 more from my SIL's) I will try to post.

 

The entry and the tour was only 7 euros per person. We had reserved the early tour and I had printed and carried my emails from the castle saying they would do a 10:30am tour for us in english and the price at 7 a piece. When we got there around 10am they told our driver originally that the next tour was not until 11:45am and we would either have to wait or pay 175 euros for a private tour. Our driver from RIL took my email to them and showed them and staightened it out. We got the tour at 10:30am for 7 each. The tour was exactly one hour. The guide was good but not RIL excellent (RIL spoiled us). Her english was decent and she did answer some questions. It was interesting to see the castle and hear about the occupants. The collection inside is really worth seeing, not to mention the gorgeous views. You are not allowed to take photos inside the castle though and there were no english books to purchase. I wish there had been because I definitely would have.

 

The castle and the views are really worth it. They were also preparing for a wedding to be there in the afternoon. The town is beautiful and I wish we had time to explore it. Coffee at the little shop at the base of the hill at the entrance to the castle is very good and cheap.

 

We got to the port around 12:30 or so and were on board by 1pm.

 

I just realized they had closed the original RIL thread too. Guess I will have to post my review of them here later. We were VERY pleased with them!!!

 

Thanks so much for the review! Can you tell me more about the Castle tour? Where is it exactly? I am putting together a tour for next May and want to do something different. I would love to hear about this.

[wantocruisemore]

Since CC has closed and archived all the really large threads in an effort to speed up the site and the huge RIL was one of the one closed, I will post my review of RIL here. I am hoping this will help others decide as the original thread of all those glowing reviews is what made me decide to use RIL.

 

First of all, Jany is AMAZING!!! I was beginning to doubt she was one person so I asked one of our guides. They confirmed she does exist, she is just glued to the computer.

 

Our group consisted of 9. My DH and 2 DD's (19yoa and 21 yoa), my BIL/SIL & 2 daughers (18yoa & 14yoa) and my 78 yoa MIL. We had contracted with RIL for several services. The first was our pick-up from the airport. Our US Airways flight was about 30 min. late getting in and then our lugguge was amoung the last to come off. When we emerged through the sliding doors I saw a very nice man with a sign with my name. He introduced me, met everyone, he and the other driver secured another luggage cart and made our way outside. They had 2 vans for us and while en route to our apartment each driver presented each van with a bottle of wine as a welcome gift from Duman. Our driver spoke perfect english and we had a nice chat about things we were seeing and places we were going. We had door to door delivery at the apartment and they helped us get our luggage into the courtyard of the secured area after ringing the bell for us. Our contact from the rental agency met us there. I will post later about the apartment in a seperate thread.

 

The next morning we had a 6 tour set up for the Vatican. We decided to save a little money and get there ourself. We originally had planned to take a bus and then change but our rental representative suggested we take the subway straight there since the station was only a 10 min. walk from the apartment. That's what we did and it worked out great. We had gotten our tickets online through the Vatican as Jany suggested. We met Kathryn there at Cafe Vaticano across from the Museum entrance. We were about 10 min. early and she was waiting. She was wonderful and we knew immediately we would get along well with her. She guided us around the horrendously long line and up the steps. She took our voucher to the window and collected our tickets, then got us through the crowds.

We found out a 6 hour tour was a little unusual, she usually does either 4 hrs. or all day ones. But we wanted to see alot of the museum so off we went. The tour was wonderful. She pointed out interesting things in each room and focused us on the major works as well as telling about the artists. I did not realize til we got home just how much my 19 yoa (who had not wanted to go) had absorbed til I overheard her going through photos on the Ipad with friends. When we needed to we took a short break so we could get a snack. Her knowledge of the artwork there was impressive. The Sistene Chapel was at the end of the museum part of the tour and she was able to get us through the short cut even though the guard had roped it off. Then into St. Peters and telling about everything there. She would always give us a few minutes to just walk around and absorb everything. She was open to questions and happy to answer. We could not have been more pleased. After the tour she even walked us to the gluten-free restaurant I had printed the address and made sure we would be taken care of. It was a wonderful day thanks to Kathryn!!!

[wantocruisemore]

The next morning two drivers were waiting to take us to Pompeii and Herculaneum. We had wanted to see both and Jany had arranged for pick-up at 7:30am. They were there just before and once again had 2 vans so it was very comfortable. Many of us dozed on the way. RIL arranged for a guide and she was waiting for us at Pompeii. We handed her the money and she got our combined entry tickets. I wish I could remember the names of the ones (i'm awful with names) of our guide and drivers. All were very good. Our guide carried a pink umbrella so she was easy to follow. RIL supplied us with waters to take in with us. Our guide gave us a wonderful walking tour of Pompeii, stopping to take advantage of the shade and tell us about everything. She pointed out all the interesting aspects of the sites and made it come alive. After Pompei we got a few minutes for souvineer shopping and then off on the scenic drive to Sorrento. The drive and scenery were beautiful and we pulled off for photos. Lunch in Sorrento was also very good and I wish we had time to explore the town, but I see it as an excuse to come back. Back in ancient times we now went to Herculaneum. The site was almost empty with only about 10 others going around. It was stunning. I am so glad we decided to see both sites. Everyone in my group said they loved Herculaneum the best but appreciated it so much more since they had seen Pompeii first. Once again our guide was wonderful and we received an entertaining and informative tour. We said our good byes to our guide and then slept most of the way back to Rome. We were delivered back to the apartment around 7:30pm after a wonderful but tiring day.

[wantocruisemore]

I already essentially did a review of RIL when we were picked up for transfer to the port and seeing Castle Odescalchi first. We had the same 2 drivers we had for Pompeii and it felt like we were with old friends.

Drop-off at the ship was easy and we had hugs for our drivers.

 

When we departed the ship after the cruise RIL was once again waiting for us. This time only 1 van was needed because some of our group was taking the train on to Florence. We had to get back to work. I really liked this driver as well. He asked us about our trip and what all we had seen and done. My DD enjoyed telling him all about it. He got us to the airport safely in about 50 min. and dropped us off at Terminal 5. He was professional, courteous and we liked him very much.

 

All in all we were extremely pleased with all of our dealings with RomeinLimo. All vans were clean, we really enjoyed the gracious gift of the wine, the drivers were extremely friendly and courteous and we always felt safe with them driving. Plus, it allowed us to relax and recharge for the next tours to come. RomeinLimo certainly lived up to all the praise I had read about them. I am sure we will use them again since my DH is already wanting to visit again in a couple of years. I can highly recommend them.

 

I am posting this in the hopes my experiences will help people when trying to decide on a private service to use. I know the previous thread was closed and it was those many reviews that helped me to decide. I cannot recommend Rome in Limo high enough!!!!

Edited July 12, 2011 by wantocruisemore

[Ashland]

My wife and I just returned from a Med cruise where we used RIL for a private tour of Pompeii-Sorrento-Positano. For 2 people in a private sedan, it cost 450EU plus an optional 100EU for a Pompeii tour guide. At first, we thought the price was a little expensive, especially with the USD conversion rate, but it was totally worth it.

 

Making the arrangements was super easy...kudos to Jany for being extremely responsive to e-mails. I must have asked a million questions. Our ship had to change docking location from Amalfi to Naples. I sent Jany an e-mail from the ship with less then 24 hours notice, and she took care of all the changes.

 

Tony, our driver, met us at the cruise terminal. He was a FANTASTIC driver and guide. He is from Sorrento, so he was able to give us a considerable amount of current events about the area (not just the history). He had a nice approach: asked us what we wanted to do, and then he gave us some advice based on his vast knowledge. In the end, we were able to do everything we wanted.

 

The private guide in Pompeii was well worth the 100EU. Patrizia did a great job of showing us the ruins...we talked to some of our friends that took the standard cruise tour, and she far surpassed that group in terms of what she showed us and how much she was able to teach us.

 

Our quick tours through Positano and Sorrento were lovely. We did not have enough time to linger much, but we definitely saw enough that we know what we would like to do when we go back.

 

Finally, Tony took us to a lovely pizzeria in Naples (our request). It was a lovely restaurant right on the water. From the glass of Prosecco right when we sat down to the lemoncello after dinner, this place was really neat. The pizza was delicious, too.

 

Tony and RIL was worth every penny.

We are getting ready to do this exact same thing and it will also be just the two of us..If you don't mind would you give me an idea of what you tipped your driver and also your guide at Pompeii ??? Am very nervous about using Euros..new for us..Any suggestions on how you managed ? Thank you so very much for sharing....:)

Edited July 13, 2011 by Ashland