RomeInLimo questions

[CruisingG8R]

We just returned from our Disney cruise in the Med and tours of Rome and Amalfi coast with Romeinlimo. We were joined on our tours by another couple we "met" on this board, who as it turns out, live just an hour and a half from us. This made the adventure much more enjoyable as well as less expensive for all of us. We now have great memories along with new friends.

First Rome - we were met at the dock by Alberto our driver for the day and wisked to Rome. Along the way, Alberto provided a history of the countryside and Rome as we entered the city. We went first to the Collosseum where we went right to the front of the line and right in. We did this on our own, spent about an hour and fifteen minutes and then called Alberto on the cell phone he provided to pick us up. The rest of the morning was spent touring Rome with stops at the Pantheon, Circus Maximus, Forum, and Trevi Fountain. Alberto even arranged for a secluded overlook of Rome and the Forum area from a balcony, certainly something the cruise tour could not offer. We drove down many streets too small for a bus and were able to experience Rome much more intimately than from a bus. For lunch, we went to a local restaurant and had amazing pasta.

After lunch it was on the the Vatican. We met our guide for this portion, Sylvia, just outside the Vatican walls and proceeded to the main entrance without having to wait in the very long line. We went right in and toured the museums, Sistine chapel and St. Peters Basilica. Sylvia was a tremendous asset providing expert commentary and guiding us through the crowds very efficiently. Alberto was a superb driver and even taught us a few words of Italian.

The next day we toured the Amalfi Coast with Carmine. What a spectacular day. We started for the Amalfi Coast road but soon had to change plans as the traffic was horrible. We were treated to a spectacular ride over the mountains towards Amalfi, stopping at various points for pictures and amazing views. We were even able to do a little karaoke to Dean Martin. We reached Amalfi and spent about 45 minutes exploring the town on our own. Next it was off toward Positano and Carmine offered us a choice for lunch, pizza or a farm lunch. We were all glad we chose the farm lunch at Fattoria La Tagliata, a small family owned and run farm that now serves lunch. The menu is set by Mama who does the cooking. All fresh from the gardens fruits and vegetables, cheese, meat and wine. The antipasto dishes were fantastic as was the fresh pasta and wine. The Lemoncello was the best I have ever tasted and is made on the farm as well. I highly recommend lunch here - at 25 euros a person, it is the best value for the quality we found the entire vacation. We took a tour of the farm and learned that they are putting in a pool and two bedrooms for guests to stay and spend some time enjoying the scenery and view of the Mediterranean and Positano. (See TLC post above for picture) Next it was off to Pompeii where we spent an hour as it was unbearably hot. From here, Carmine wanted us to see a little of his home town, Naples, and drove us on a tour of the highlights. From here it was back to the dock and our ship.

Both Alberto and Carmine were professional, exceptionally friendly and extraordinarily helpful. They both enjoyed what they were doing rather than just doing their job. Both tours allowed much more freedom to freestyle, as Alberto put it, over a set bus tour.

I highly recommend Romeinlimo and will certainly use them again. It seems hard to believe all of the positive comments with no negatives but after our experience we can state that all of the rave reviews are well deserved.

Lori and Jim

[samavarcruiser]

I know it's kind of a touchy subject, but still need to ask. How do you tip (or how much?) RomeInLimo driver? We booked Full Day Tour of Rome with them for just 2 of us. The price is 360 EURO - which I think is a little bit pricey, considering that it's not really a "Full" day. The so-called tour starts at 9 AM and we should be at Vatican at 1:30 PM because we have tickets for tour with a guide at 2 PM. Basically we are paying for 4.5 hours. I know tipping in Europe is a little bit different than in the US, but I can't imagine tipping 20% (or 72 EURO - for what???). Any ideas will be appreciated.

 

If you were satisfied with the quality of the tour, then it is customary to give the guide a small gratuity at the end of the tour. How much depends on how long the tour lasted.

[pinkmomagain]

Just came back from our cruise on the Epic in the Med and had to come on to this thread and thank previous posters for their RIL recommendations. I can now recommend them too. We had three great tours that went perfectly smoothly.

 

Our first tour was Pisa/Florence with Laura. We had a tough time disembarking and we were all pretty grumpy and then came upon smiling Laura waiting for us as soon as we got off the ship. She completely changed our moods in a split second. She was charming. She was also a very good driver. She took us first to Pisa, where I climbed the tower with 2 of my kids. Then on the way to Florence she took us through part of the Chianti region. She offered to stop for wine/olive oil tasting, but we were eager to get Florence. By the way, it was over 100 degrees in Florence that day. It was very hot. We saw David and many sights that day. She always got us very close to the sights. We hardly walked at all. She also recommended a great restaurant for lunch and was able to secure a table for our party of 5 even though the place was very crowded. Later that day she took as to a yummy gelateria and even gave us some baby wipes she carried with her when my kids got messy with gelato. She, of course, got us back to the ship without any problems.

 

In Rome we had Marco. Also a great driver. One of the good things about going in August is the lack of traffic in Rome. We zipped around no problem, and again hardly had to walk because Marco got us so close to sights. He treated us to a fantastic place for espresso first thing. And a wonderful spot for lunch. We saw so many amazing things in Rome, and Marco was very knowledgable with a book showing how ruins likely looked years ago. Bought some postcards for my little one who was fussy. For the Vatican, we had lovely Aurora. She was amazing. She explained things so well, particularly for the children. She was very knowledgable and was very charming. Again, no problem at all getting back to the ship on time.

 

Finally, in Naples, we had Tony. Nice guy - treated us to Limoncello and grapes. He took us straight to Pompeii where we met Lorenza. It was HOT. But she took us around for more than 2 hours. Very nice. Was patient with my little one. Then we chose to go straight to Positano where we had an AMAZING lunch over looking Positano. Tony got us in there early so that we could enjoy it before the crowds. We toured the town afterwards. Then went on to Sorrento for a brief visit. Once again, no problem at all getting back to the boat with plenty of time to spare.

 

All in all, very professional and reliable. It was pricey for our family of 5, but worth the $ for getting close to the sights, packing alot in, and having flexibility for our kids. We did pay with Amex TCs in Euros with no problem. We tipped 10% in euros, as that was the best our budget allowed.

 

ETA: BTW, all of the Mercedes touring vans we rode in were very comfortable and immacultely clean.

Edited August 31, 2011 by pinkmomagain
Add info.

[Selina Christmas]

We just returned from a cruise and used Romeinlimo for an all day excursion from Salerno. They were timely, nice vehicle and super staff. Our driver was Geonluca. He knew how to make the best use of time. We did the Amalfi coast, Sorrento, then Pompeii, then lunch at Visuvius. The guide they provided for Pompeii was very knowledgable and easy to understand in English. I believe his name was Francesco. I would definitely ask for both guides again. We were a group of 6 including two kids 9, and 7...the guides were adaptable and had a sense of humour.

 

The restaurant was superb...don't have the name but it was recommended by Romeinlimo...one of the best meals we had in Italy.

[meterman2]

We (I, wife & two nieces) too had a great day (8/24) in Rome thanks to our Romeinlimo driver Vincenzo (Vinny) who was a real sweetheart. It was very hot in Rome this day and Vinny made out great tour possible (and comfortable). Even on a cool day we would have never been able to see everything we experienced without Romeinlimo. We saw everything our Rome Highlights tour promised and much more. Aside from getting us in close to everything, Vinny gave us great insight on the history of what we were looking at. We had a great lunch too.

 

Our Vatican guide Braydon was wonderful, again making it possible to create a very rewarding experience at a place where you could easily spend a week. She was so knowledgeable and her ability to navigate us through the crowds (no A/C in the Vatican) was priceless. (Brayton did you google Seville?) We would have seen only a fraction of what we viewed without our delightful Brayton.

 

We will definetely use Romeinlimo again. Visiting Rome was the highlight of our cruise, it was...as Vinny would say, "Perfecto"!

Edited September 3, 2011 by meterman2

[DD99]

We are thinking of using RIL for a tour in Rome but had a question:

 

Two out of the six of the group have already been to Rome, while the 4 of us do the Vatican and coliseum will the driver take them anywhere else, if not it's not a big deal they will walk around and get a drink.

 

Thanks

[bobalink]

We are thinking of using RIL for a tour in Rome but had a question:

 

Two out of the six of the group have already been to Rome, while the 4 of us do the Vatican and coliseum will the driver take them anywhere else, if not it's not a big deal they will walk around and get a drink.

 

Thanks

 

That is a question that only RIL can answer. Contact Jany and I am confident that she will quickly reply with an answer to your question.

[TLCOhio]

That is a question that only RIL can answer. Contact Jany and I am confident that she will quickly reply with an answer to your question.

 

Agree with bobalink. Ask!!! If the logistics are simple and easy to make work, they will generally try to make things fit and flow. Lots to see, do and love in Rome. Many, many options and potentials.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Recently 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., on these postings. We are now at 36,546 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

[sccat]

For us the Vatican wasn't the end of the tour. Our guide waited for us then afterwards picked us up and continued our city tour, so we did get a full day. Our tour was just 3 people and I found that 18% tip (met the 15% and 20% half way) was worth the service we got. We even asked our guide, Angelo, to join us for lunch, which I paid for. He helped us order in a local Italian restaurant and made the day even better.

 

There is no need to arrive half an hour before your tour at the Vatican. We pulled up in front of the Vatican, got out of the car and our guide walked right up to us, took our vouchers and away we went.

 

We are using RIL for tours in Sept. Sounds like you all had a wonderful experience !

Did you need your passports ( identification document ) for the Vatican or was the voucher sufficient ? It says on the voucher something like presenting it and an identity document at the window. I would prefer to leave my passport on the ship, however. Did the RIL guide handle that for the group?

[notentirelynormal]

I gave my receipt to our guide, she disappears for a moment then came back and told us we were good to go. We didn't even show ourselves, let alone ID. There is no need to carry any ID for your day unless you plan to buy something then I'd take your credit card and driver's license.

[kazu]

We are using RIL for tours in Sept. Sounds like you all had a wonderful experience !

Did you need your passports ( identification document ) for the Vatican or was the voucher sufficient ? It says on the voucher something like presenting it and an identity document at the window. I would prefer to leave my passport on the ship, however. Did the RIL guide handle that for the group?

 

 

They normally take care of everything - however, we usually bring a colour copy of our passport and driver's license, just in case. That's it. I never travel with my passport unless it is an absolute must. I have checked numerous ports when they said they needed the passport for entrance that I have pre-booked and the colour copy and driver's license were always acceptable :) enjoy your tour with RIL - we loved them :D

[caribdvr]

So many great reports that I won't go into detail. But Rome in Limo did a great job for us. We had Vinny in Rome and he was great. Having a private driver was so much better than walking all over the hot city following a paddle with a number on it. Brayden, our Vatican guide, was extremely knowledgeable. It made a huge difference in the enjoyment of the visit.

 

But Carmine, in Naples, was particularly superb. We knew that he did this every day, but somehow he gave us the feeling that he was so enjoying sharing his city and his coastline with us. He is so dynamic and so proud of his country--the only time his eyes were brighter with pride was when he talked of his daughter. The lunch at Fattoria la Tagliata was the best of our trip. This place is also a B&B, so if anyone is looking for a private B&B up on the hillside away from everything, it would be a fantastic choice. This day was not only the highlight of the trip, but also a memory of a lifetime.

[hylasgirl]

We are thinking of using RIL for a tour in Rome but had a question:

 

Two out of the six of the group have already been to Rome, while the 4 of us do the Vatican and coliseum will the driver take them anywhere else, if not it's not a big deal they will walk around and get a drink.

 

Thanks

 

 

Definitely email them about what you had in mind. We did something similar in June. If it works out logistically, I don't think they'd have a problem with it. We ended up leaving one couple with the car and driver, and my mom and I walked around for a few hours. Then they picked us up at a meeting spot and off we all went to lunch. It worked out quite well since I have been to Rome several different times and I didn't want any agenda for the day. We shared a day with 2 other couples and they planned other things to do. It worked out quite well.

[letsgo2941]

We have just returned from RCL 12 day Mediterranean cruise, and used romeinlimo. They were very accommodating and excellent tour guides, I would recommend using them for your private tours. This was the best decision we could of ever made!! A special thanks to our excellent tour guides, Marzia, Francesco and Tony.

 

 

 

Amy and Larry

New York:)

[Lighthouse Nut]

RIL is so wonderful and so accomodating, that if one part of your group wants to go to the Vatican or wherever...... they will take the others somewhere else.

 

Their service is A+++, and they really will accomodate your group to make you as happy as possible and do all the things that you want to do.

 

We sooo recommend RIL to anyone. Especially when you are on a cruise and only have one day in a port-- you need to maximize the things you do and make it the most personal, tailored experience for YOU. With Rome In Limo, you can do that-- comfortably and with the best, most charming, knowledgeable, fun, friendly tour guides ever!

[BURLINGTON66]

We used RIL for Rome (Nick), Naples (Giuseppe) and Messina (Luca) for our August cruise.

 

At each port the Driver was waiting for us, no waiting in long lines. There were six of us, and we were driven in luxurious Mercedes mini-vans. The cost for us was less than the cruise offering, and much more intimate.

 

In Rome Nick took us to all of the major sites in much less time than we imagined. He also took us to a small street-side pizzeria near the Vatican for the best pizza we ever had. We definitely saw parts of Rome we wouldn't have otherwise seen in a day. Our Vatican guide helped us avoid long lines.

 

In Naples, Giuseppe took us to a family run olive oil plant, a wine bar, down into Positano, Sorrento and Pompeii. He was very passionate about the region and well versed in the history. Again our Pompeii guide made the most of our short visit, bypassing some of the crowds and lineups. We appreciated the bottle of Limoncello from the region.

 

In Messina, Luca took us into Zafferina, up Etna, and into Taormina. He was also very informative and had bottles of water for all of us.

 

I would highly recommend this company, in addition you do not have to pay until the end of the trip, and they are very flexible with respect to requests.

[jenearly]

We used Rome In Limo for 2 tours last week. They were both fantastic!

 

We had a great tour with Vinnie in a sedan (3 adults, 1 child). Vinnie was very knowledgable and we were able to see so much more than in a larger group or on our own. The lunch was amazing! The restaurant name had something to do with popes (there were pictures of them in the restaurant). It was 20€ per person, served family style with wine. We were served many different appetizers, which was fun to try. And then 2 types of pasta, including the best ravioli we've ever had! And dessert was a huge bowl of gelato (I think that was extra but worth it).

Our guide at the Vatican was Braden, a young Canadian/Italian woman. I had balked at the price of a guide here, but it's absolutely necessary. I couldn't believe how large and overwhelming the museum is. Braden did a great job of showing us the highlights.

 

Tony was our driver in Naples. We were upgraded to a van, which was a nice surprise. He had local snacks and bottled water for us. We drove the Amalfi Coast, had a wonderful visit in Positano (could've spent the whole day there), and then did pizza-making school in Sorrento. Best pizza I've ever had! We were able to do some shopping in Sorrento and then Tony gave us a driving tour of Naples at the end. I'm glad we did that because there are much prettier areas than what you see at the port. He also had us all singing "That's Amore" on the drive back to the boat. My 6 year old loved it!

 

Afterwards, I compared what we paid with Rome In Limo to similar excursions offered by Disney Cruise Line. Rome was actually cheaper with a private tour and it was close for Naples. This was such a great value. We were able to do and see so much more than if we were on a large tour. It's definitely the way to go!

[$saver]

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).

 

Just used RIL very satisfied. On their website they have an option to create a group where other can join in. I used it to create a group tour in Rome worked out very well

[kehlx2]

Just used RIL very satisfied. On their website they have an option to create a group where other can join in. I used it to create a group tour in Rome worked out very well

 

My quote that was used for this message was written in June 2009--we got our group with not any problems & I have 2 vans booked (full) for Pisa/Florence for Nov 2011 & 1 van booked for Rome Catacombs full.

So even if at the time I wrote this it WAS the FIRST time I used them & I am sure I was worried, I am not worried at all this time. I would not be worried--just thought I should post this as because the date of it was very OLD!!

[scratchy]

i used rome in limo in naples and had a magnificent time with our driver stefano. there was only 3 of us and he drove us around in a big mini van.

he took us to positano and ravello and we had a memorable drive. he took us to a restaurant in between ravello and positano that wasn't overrun with tourists. it had a great view. it was an affordable and super delicious meal. we wished we had more room in our tummies so we could eat more! he was very informative during the drive and told us about the sights we were passing by and about the little towns/villages we were driving through.

 

we will definitely ask for him again when we return. next time we need to visit italy without going on a cruise so he can take us to some more fabulous eats!

 

when he dropped us off, he surprised us with a bottle of limoncello. his english was impressive since he said he learned it on the job. he was very patient with us bombarding him with questions. we love stefano!

[sippican]

When we originally booked w/RIL, they informed us they arranged tickets for the group. It wasn't until I confirmed our upcoming tour that I was told the policy had changed and we now had to reserve our own Accademia tickets, and to be sure that all members of the group had them for the same time.

Some of us were able to reach the museum by phone, some were not. There is also a website, but they were sold out for the timeslot the others had reserved, and most times were gone. I needed to prepay (almost doublle) through another vendor's site to acquire tickets for the correct time. Wish we had been informed by RIL when terms of our reservation had changed. I sm posting hoping other readers who may have an older reservation with RIL, and be unaware of the change, will be able to avoid this last minute hassle.

Looking forward to our day in Florence!

[LauraS]

We used RomeinLimo twice on our recent Oceania Marina cruise -- in Rome (of course!) and again in Livorno (for Florence).

 

We arrived at FCO at 8am and Vinny was waiting for us as we exited the luggage pickup area. Very prompt and very personable. He drove us into Rome where we then picked up our guide, Giulia. We had previously booked (on our own) a Scavi tour for 10:00 am, which we made on time! Giulia guided us to the correct location where the tour would begin, and then waited until it was finished (Highly recommend the Scavi tour).

 

After the Scavi tour we toured one of the Vatican museums, the Sistine Chapel and of course St. Peter's Basilica. We were very pleased with Giulia's tour of these areas (although my husband would tell you she could have sped it up a bit lol). It was obvious to us that Giulia loved her art and history and did her best to impart some of this culture on us!

 

Vinny then sped us off to the port at Civitivecchia in plenty of time for our embarkation and departure.

 

In Florence we had driver Fabrizzio. We had booked a different guide for Florence, so Fabrizzio was charged with getting us from Livorno to Florence and back again. We also had a stop in Pisa. He was ontime always, and a very likeable guy. My husband is a "talker" and Fabrizzio easily held his own. We learned a great deal about the area from Fabrizzio.

 

I would not hesitate to use RomeinLimo again in the future.

 

Laura

Edited September 13, 2011 by LauraS

[ORCRUISER]

I highty recommend Romeinlimo. We used them for three ports in Italy.

In Naples we did the Pompeii, Sorrento, Positano excursion. It was great. We hired a private guide for Pompeii through Romeinlimo and we had a great tour. Our drive got us there before the huge crowds on the "big bus" tours and we were not rushed but ahead of the crowds most of the time. Our drive stopped for several photo opportunities on our drive down the coast to the beautiful towns of Sorrento and Positano.

In Rome we did the Rome Highlights tour and saw MUCH more than we did on a previous visit to Rome where we tried to do it on our own using the Hop On Hop Off Bus. We also had a private guide at the Vatican.

In Livorno we did the Pisa/Florence tour. The Pisa stop was mostly a photo opportunity. We were given the option of climbing the tower put none of us wanted to and I'm not sure what would have happened time wise if we had done this. We saw many sites in Florence including the statue of David at the Academia and two major shurches. Again, we saw MUCH more than on a previous visit when we did it on our own.

Romeinlimo is great and after going all the way from the US to Italy it only makes sense to use a great service so you can see as much as possible in a limited time with the least hassle possible.

[travln1]

We returned September 1 on the Ruby Princess from Barcelona to Venice and had an amazing time. We booked Romeinlimo online, ahead of time, for Rome, and Luca was our driver. He was awesome and so knowlegable, we could not have been happier.He even had an I-Pad to show us old maps, the Colleseum in different stages.:) We purchased our tickets to the Vatican and Colleseum ahead of time, online, so did not have to wait in long lines. We tipped him well, because we thought his service was outstanding and he even had cold water botttles for us after we got out of the Vatican, which was hot and way too crowded. Out of all the excursions, Rome was the most hot, crowded, of all. I would never go in August again. The Trevi Fountain was hard to even take a picture, so many people.

But I would highly recomment Romeinlimo, without a hesitation!

[Ashland]

Just returned from our Western Med cruise..We used RIL in Rome and thanks to our driver Nicola and our wonderful guide at the Vatican Braydon it was an amazing first visit..Had just a small misunderstanding with our cancellation of the Naples portion but Jany handled that very easily once I contacted her..Thanks to all at RIL :D:)