RomeInLimo questions

[chocchic]

We used Rome In Limo for our day in Rome and couldn't have been more pleased. We had a fantastic independent guide in Kusadasi and I was a little concerned that RIL was a large machine that just churned out tours. That couldn't have been further from the truth. Both Nick, our driver - who was far more than a driver, and Serena our Vatican guide made the experience very enriching. Nick provided lots of information, was able to drive us close to each site simply made the day very fun. Serena provided us with plenty of insights on the Vatican and her cheerful skills at keeping a rather diverse group together were fun to watch. I would definitely book an RIL guide for Vatican rather than chancing if there is one available when you arrive. I did feel a bit rushed going thru the Sistine Chapel - it's hard to look up and keep walking. However I have a feeling the guides are encouraged to keep things moving along.

[Carol & Jim]

Anyone have a problem with driver smoking in van? Will they not if you ask?

Thanks!

[mrbeaver]

Hi all, we just returned from our cruise on Celebrity Solstice. In Livorno, we took the Pisa-Lucca tour with Romeinlimo. We were very pleased with our tour and our driver Riccardo. He is from the town of Lucca and his personal knowledge of the area was a big plus! He was very personable, with a great sense of humor. We also visited a Tuscan winery for lunch and tasting. I was hoping to ride a bike around the top of the wall in Lucca, but it rained pretty hard in the afternoon, so I will try that next time. In any event, the tour and Riccardo were wonderful. Jeff

[Gracie115]

Anyone have a problem with driver smoking in van? Will they not if you ask?

Thanks!

 

 

I've never had a driver smoke in the car, suspect they absolutely do NOT do that, do not think you have to worry about that at all.

[mrbeaver]

Our other outstanding tour with Romeinlimo was the Amalfi Coast Tour with our driver Raffaelle. He lives in Sorrento and he has great knowledge of the area. His driving skills were excellent on the narrow cliffside roads. He was also very friendly with a fun personality. I really enjoyed it when he played a CD with some Dean Martin Italian songs. Raffaelle and the whole van was singing along to "That's Amore"! We had a nice lunch at a restaurant on the cliff above Amalfi town. This tour was a cruise highlight. Jeff

[CruiserBruce]

Anyone have a problem with driver smoking in van? Will they not if you ask?

Thanks!

 

Did you, and you are asking about others having this problem? Or are you asking if anyone has had this problem?

 

I agree with Gracie115. I very seriously doubt any Rome in Limo driver would smoke with their customers in the vehicle.

Edited May 21, 2012 by CruiserBruce

[RzCruzes]

:)I have used RIL many, many times and i do not think i have ever seen a driver smoke anywhere, certainly not in car!

I seriously doubt they would ever do that!

[NewportCruising]

I want to start off by saying that if we hadn't booked this Rome In Limo excursion to Pisa and vineyards in Lucca we would not have had such a rich experience. The day was so much more than we had hoped for!

 

Our guide Riccardo, was waiting for us when we disembarked the ship and was aware we wanted to visit Pisa and then do wine tasting...we didn't know where to go, so he started calling a few vineyards he knew and found us two places to visit.

 

Of course Riccardo had a wealth of information and history he shared with us on our way to Pisa. Once there, he managed to get us tickets right away to go up into the tower! (I had waited too long to book the tickets into the tower...you needed to make them 16 days in advance). We were pleasantly surprised he was able to do this since we already had it in our heads that we missed the window of opportunity to be able to enter the tower. Since we couldn't bring bags and such up the tower, he took all our stuff back to the vehicle for us. He was right back to get us at the appointed time.

 

The vineyard he took us to - Fattoria Maionchi - was everything we imagined it would be....beautiful rolling hills and vineyards, lovely courtyard and one of those great wine cellars you see in the movies.... The caretaker (or vintner) didn't speak english, so Riccardo was wonderful at translating for us. We sampled 4 wines with an accompanyment of bread and olive oil, bread and meat and great biscoti with the dessert wine! Two of us ended up buying a case of wine and olive to ship back home. It was incredible.

 

On our way to the next vineyard Riccardo suggested we visit an italian villa that was open to the public on the first floor. This was an unexpected treat and we saw an amazing property and learned the history of the estate - Villa Torrigiani Di Campigliano. The next place he'd planned to take us wasn't able to accommodate us, so the back up was Fattoria Il Poggio - which it turned out, was the same tour that our cruise ship offered! It was not as quaint as the first vineyard (nor were the wines as good), but the food they served (we did a 3 course lunch) was FABulous! We had fresh pasta and sauce, then a selection of amazing cheeses, meats and breads....along with 7 bottles of wine to taste, and then dessert wine with biscoti and grapa as well as desert and wonderful coffee.

 

On the ride back Riccardo was so excited to show us more of Lucca that he knew so well. He dropped us off at one point in the wall around Lucca and we walked along the top which is now a park, for a leisurely stroll. He picked us up where planned and we then stopped at a Piazza that used to be a colleseum but was now homes and store fronts/cafes on the first level.

 

He would have toured us for hours more if we had not reminded him that we needed to get back to our ship!

 

It was a wonderful day filled with so much more than we expected and experiences that would not have happened if it had not been for the great drivers at Rome in Limo. We will definitely use them again next time we are in Italy.

[Colorwheel]

Giovanni was our Guide and driver for our tour from Celebrity Equinox at Livorno to Pisa and Florence. He was a wealth of information and the long ride to Pisa went by quickly in a comfortable limo. So nice to get there before most of the big tour buses. RIL is a very professional outfit with competent staff. Questions were answered quickly on the internet. Giovanni was waiting for us when we disembarked at Livorno. Throughout the day, he guided us carefully to each site with clear instructions and humor. Can highly recommend RIL and Giovanni. This type of tour is the best way to see the sights.

[Carol & Jim]

@Gracie115, thanks for the information. @CruiserBruce, I was asking if anyone ever had the problem as we had heard from friends that they once, not sure how long ago, used RIL and had a smoking driver. I was assured by RIL that the drivers do not smoke in the car and from comments here I am reassured that they don't. Thanks to all for the info, looking forward to our tours with RIL!

[smwinc]

This is a link to the Romeinlimo website:

 

http://www.romeinlimo.com/

 

Email:

info@romeinlimo.com

 

 

We have used the RomeInLimo Company three times including this time for transfer to and from Fiumicino Airport, Downtown Rome Hotels and the Port of Civitavecchia. They are always punctual and reliable. Mauro was our driver and took us from the port to our hotel near the airport and also suggest a nice restaurant to eat.

 

I would especially like to thank Jany, who must work 24/7. She arranged Pick-up from Civitavecchia to our hotel while we were still on the ship. The transfer in a private Mercedes SUV was more economical than the ships' transfer.

[notentirelynormal]

@Gracie115, thanks for the information. @CruiserBruce, I was asking if anyone ever had the problem as we had heard from friends that they once, not sure how long ago, used RIL and had a smoking driver. I was assured by RIL that the drivers do not smoke in the car and from comments here I am reassured that they don't. Thanks to all for the info, looking forward to our tours with RIL!

 

We had a couple of drivers that smoked. I know because my mother smoked. They would take their puffs together outside the car. Frankly, it worked out great. We climbed the hill to get pictures and my 80 YO mother stood by the car sucking on the death stick with the driver. She didn't want to climb a hill and I didn't want her to stand alone. None of the drivers smelled of smoke, nor did the car. None smoked when we were around unless my mother lit her smoke first.

[Happy 30th Couple]

We had the pleasure of touring Pompeii and the Almafi coast with Giuseppe from Rome in Limo on May 8th 2012. The tour was so very fascinating, informative and fun! Giuseppe's knowledge and enthusiasm was unsurpassed. He brought Pompeii alive to us with his explanations and animation! We learned so much more with him than we would have on our own (or even with other guides)! We saw other tour guides with groups at Pompeii and I must say I was happy with were our fun Giuseppe instead of what look to be bland and boring guides and groups! Giuseppe's knowledge and enthusiasm continued to the Almafi coast where we were delighted with with some of the most breathtaking views I have ever seen- every one of which Giuseppe claimed to be "the most beautiful". His colorful personality accompanied by his wonderful accent made for a memorable day in a beautiful country that he clearly loved. He was an ambassador for Italy and a perfect host.....always watching out for our safety. He directed us to a wonderful little restaurant on the Almafi coast where we all enjoyed a wonderful meal, beautiful views and a host that treated us to fresh LemonCello!

 

We had the pleasure of touring Florence and Pisa with Yurica from Rome in Limo May 10 2012 from the port of Livorno . This company once again lived up to their reputation. They picked us up on time and had us back to the port in good time. The bus was clean, comfortable, roomy for our group of about 14. This was a great value. You can use this company with confidence for your port excursions.

Yurica was an excellent guide for our trip to Florence and Pisa. She shared a wealth of knowledge about the sites we would be visiting and her pride and love of her country was evident. She provided insight and understanding making this trip memorable for us. We especially liked the information she provided about Michelangelo's David giving us a new appreciation for his masterpieces'. Her knowledge and expertise' extended to the Cathedral in Florence, the history of the city and it's people.

I might also add she was like a mother hen watching over our safety and comfort throughout the day. She was mindful to remind us about traffic safety, routed us around bothersome peddlers, and even was very diplomatic and sincere when the need arose to "remind" a chronically late couple to be considerate of our timeline. She gave us a glimpse in to every day life in Italy, living costs, etc. Thank you Yurica!

 

Edited May 23, 2012 by Happy 30th Couple

[AttilaTheFun]

Wanted to share our touring experience from Livorno to Florence/Pisa. As my parents said, only about an hour into the trip, “It’s worth every penny!”

 

Rome in Limo was extremely responsive by email before our trip and we decided to skip the Uffizi/Accademia museums and use the time to see more of Florence.

 

Our driver, Gianmaria (goes by Gian, pronounced John to us) met us right at the ship at 8am with a sign in hand. He escorted us to the giant Mercedes passenger van that had very high ceilings, a microphone/speaker system so that we could all hear what he was saying, and A/C. On the way to Pisa, Gian gave us background on Livorno and the surrounding area. His knowledge about all the places we visited is really astounding!

 

We started the day by driving to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower right away, before it became too crowded. We had 45 minutes to look around the area, which wasn’t that big. I didn’t realize the Leaning Tower is only one of 3 buildings – the other 2 being the Baptistery and Cathedral right next to it. We found it fascinating to see the Leaning Tower up-close and took the requisite “tourist holding up the tower” pictures. There were also many souvenir stands in the area with reasonably-priced items. Right across from the tower is also a very nice café, where I had my first Italian coffee – an espresso macchiato that was delicious! It’s also a good place to use the restroom if you need.

 

Just as we got ready to leave, the tour groups started coming in, so we felt very lucky to have avoided the large groups. From there, it was off to Florence, with a quick stop at an olive oil producer along the way. Gian walked us through the machinery to show how olive oil was made and it was very interesting. We sampled some wines and olive oils at the attached gift shop and made some souvenir purchases. It was a really fun stop. Gian continued to narrate the drive and our first stop in Florence – Piazza Michelangelo, which is situated above Florence and provides fantastic views. There is also a reproduction of the David statue in copper that has since developed a green patina and Gian called “Alien David.” There were, of course, more souvenir stands to browse there as well.

 

After mentioning that we wanted to try an authentic Italian trattoria for lunch, Gian made reservations for us at a restaurant near Santa Croce church. We drove there and he gave us a quick overview of the area, but we chose not to enter the church, which had an admission fee. Instead, we used the time to enjoy a sit-down lunch. There was a 3-course lunch option for 15 euros that included bruschetta, pasta course, and meat course that was a good deal and enough food to split between 2 people. We again found out that there is no free tap water in Italy, so split a large bottle of water for 2 euros and were surprised when the bill included a 2 euro charge for a bread basket, something we think of as complimentary in the US. However, the food was very good and we couldn’t complain.

 

After lunch, my sister tried to buy a leather purse in the Santa Croce church area and got lost for a bit, but after we found her, Gian drove us to the Duomo, which was my favorite site on the trip. The Duomo cathedral is free to enter and don’t be deterred if if looks like a long line – it moves quickly and they let batches of people in at a time. We only waited about 5 minutes. The painted inside of the Duomo is fantastic and completely unexpected. You can also go downstairs where there is a small gift shop and additional tour options to be purchased.

 

Finally, Gian dropped us off near the Uffizi museum where there is another David reproduction in plaster and other outdoor statues. From there, it’s a quick walk to the Ponte Vecchio bridge and back to an outdoor market. The stalls mostly had similar items, but my sister and mom enjoyed looking through all the leather goods and purses.

 

Gian asked if we enjoyed gelato and took us to an excellent gelato shop called Carraia that gave very large portions for 1.50 euros. He also showed me a nearby café to grab an espresso as I was dragging a bit. Apparently, so was everyone else because the van was silent as everyone slept on the ride back to Livorno! Our total tour took 9 hours and 15 minutes.

 

The Rome in Limo tour was fantastic and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them and Gian to anyone! My mom spoke with an exhausted-looking passenger as we got back on the ship and she complained that the NCL tour she had taken required a ton of walking and not much time at each site for $199 per person! In contrast, we were driven right up to each site, so minimized our walking while taking a more leisurely pace as well. I know that people are worried about getting back to the ship in time and all that, but Rome in Limo is so professional and well-established, that it really shouldn’t be a concern. They’ve definitely earned their great reputation!

 

(If you want to read the full cruise review, with pictures, it's located here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1638422

[snickerseg]

My husband and I just returned from our Mediterranean Cruise on the Celebrity Solstice where we toured Rome with Rome In Limo (RIL). Since the Cruise Critic boards were so helpful to our cruise planning, I wanted to write a short note about our positive experience in the hope that others will find it helpful. Rome was my husband's favorite port and much credit goes to our RIL guide Mauro. We learned so much from him and feel we really maximized our day in Rome. We did all the other ports on our own but we were nervous about trying Rome on our own as it was so far from the port (Civitavecchia). I feel we got a great value with this tour (we were part of an 8 person tour group so the cost of the tour was split among 4 couples) and I do not think we could have seen so much in Rome without the expert guidance this tour provided. Mauro was fun, knowledgeable, and great at navigating the city. We were really impressed at how close he could get us to the various sights and it was amazing how many things we were able to see in just one day. If you're thinking about RIL, my vote is YES.

[samavarcruiser]

Wanted to share our touring experience from Livorno to Florence/Pisa. As my parents said, only about an hour into the trip, “It’s worth every penny!”

 

Rome in Limo was extremely responsive by email before our trip and we decided to skip the Uffizi/Accademia museums and use the time to see more of Florence.

 

Our driver, Gianmaria (goes by Gian, pronounced John to us) met us right at the ship at 8am with a sign in hand. He escorted us to the giant Mercedes passenger van that had very high ceilings, a microphone/speaker system so that we could all hear what he was saying, and A/C. On the way to Pisa, Gian gave us background on Livorno and the surrounding area. His knowledge about all the places we visited is really astounding!

 

We started the day by driving to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower right away, before it became too crowded. We had 45 minutes to look around the area, which wasn’t that big. I didn’t realize the Leaning Tower is only one of 3 buildings – the other 2 being the Baptistery and Cathedral right next to it. We found it fascinating to see the Leaning Tower up-close and took the requisite “tourist holding up the tower” pictures. There were also many souvenir stands in the area with reasonably-priced items. Right across from the tower is also a very nice café, where I had my first Italian coffee – an espresso macchiato that was delicious! It’s also a good place to use the restroom if you need.

 

Just as we got ready to leave, the tour groups started coming in, so we felt very lucky to have avoided the large groups. From there, it was off to Florence, with a quick stop at an olive oil producer along the way. Gian walked us through the machinery to show how olive oil was made and it was very interesting. We sampled some wines and olive oils at the attached gift shop and made some souvenir purchases. It was a really fun stop. Gian continued to narrate the drive and our first stop in Florence – Piazza Michelangelo, which is situated above Florence and provides fantastic views. There is also a reproduction of the David statue in copper that has since developed a green patina and Gian called “Alien David.” There were, of course, more souvenir stands to browse there as well.

 

After mentioning that we wanted to try an authentic Italian trattoria for lunch, Gian made reservations for us at a restaurant near Santa Croce church. We drove there and he gave us a quick overview of the area, but we chose not to enter the church, which had an admission fee. Instead, we used the time to enjoy a sit-down lunch. There was a 3-course lunch option for 15 euros that included bruschetta, pasta course, and meat course that was a good deal and enough food to split between 2 people. We again found out that there is no free tap water in Italy, so split a large bottle of water for 2 euros and were surprised when the bill included a 2 euro charge for a bread basket, something we think of as complimentary in the US. However, the food was very good and we couldn’t complain.

 

After lunch, my sister tried to buy a leather purse in the Santa Croce church area and got lost for a bit, but after we found her, Gian drove us to the Duomo, which was my favorite site on the trip. The Duomo cathedral is free to enter and don’t be deterred if if looks like a long line – it moves quickly and they let batches of people in at a time. We only waited about 5 minutes. The painted inside of the Duomo is fantastic and completely unexpected. You can also go downstairs where there is a small gift shop and additional tour options to be purchased.

 

Finally, Gian dropped us off near the Uffizi museum where there is another David reproduction in plaster and other outdoor statues. From there, it’s a quick walk to the Ponte Vecchio bridge and back to an outdoor market. The stalls mostly had similar items, but my sister and mom enjoyed looking through all the leather goods and purses.

 

Gian asked if we enjoyed gelato and took us to an excellent gelato shop called Carraia that gave very large portions for 1.50 euros. He also showed me a nearby café to grab an espresso as I was dragging a bit. Apparently, so was everyone else because the van was silent as everyone slept on the ride back to Livorno! Our total tour took 9 hours and 15 minutes.

 

The Rome in Limo tour was fantastic and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them and Gian to anyone! My mom spoke with an exhausted-looking passenger as we got back on the ship and she complained that the NCL tour she had taken required a ton of walking and not much time at each site for $199 per person! In contrast, we were driven right up to each site, so minimized our walking while taking a more leisurely pace as well. I know that people are worried about getting back to the ship in time and all that, but Rome in Limo is so professional and well-established, that it really shouldn’t be a concern. They’ve definitely earned their great reputation!

 

(If you want to read the full cruise review, with pictures, it's located here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1638422

 

Thanks a lot for adding your review, loved all those pictures :)

[takemewithyou]

A little late adding a review.....what prompted me to do it was the fact that I am booking with RIL again!

 

Our first experience was 9/2010. We booked RIL for a drive to the Amalfi coast from Sorrento. Our driver was waiting for us at the pier - right on time. We got in to a Mercedes sedan with our friends - 4 of us. We stopped for pictures, visited a great ceramics sjop, visited Amalfi, Positano and shopped and walked. Then we went to Ravello ....oh Ravello! We had lunch at a wonderful restaurant with a view to die for and then we walked through the village and shopped some more. Then back to the ship.....the most wonderful day and the most incredible views!

 

When we docked at Civitecchia (sp), our RIL driver was waiting for us and drove the four of us and our luggage to Rome. Once in Rome, our driver phoned our hotel and we dropped our luggage off and continued our all day tour. We first went to the Colesseum, and our driver knew how to get us tickets quickly and we were able to bypass all in line! We met him right in front when we were done and continued on. We saw all the major sites in Rome. Near the Vatican we had lunch and then at 2 pm we met our pre-arranged guide, Sarah, for our guided tour through the Vatican museum, Sistene Chapel and St Peter's. Again, we bought our tickets to the Vatican online and with Sarah, we were able to bypass lines and lines of people and walk right in! Sarah was wonderful and very knowledgeable. Well worth having the guide! We toured a little more and then were dropped off at our hotel.

 

The last experience was being picked up at our hotel and taken to the airport on departure day. Everything went smooth as silk, the drivers were prompt and professional and the vehicles were spotless and comfortable!

 

Highly recommended and now we have RIL booked for a tour of Pisa and San Gimingnano from Livorno this Dec. Looking forward to another wonderful experience with RIL :):)

Edited May 27, 2012 by takemewithyou

[TravelDancer]

Hi everyone! I definitely recommend RomeInLimo! We just returned from a family cruise on "Liberty of the Seas" (May 8) and booked a tour with them for Rome and Florence. There were six of us traveling together and we thrilled that we choose this company.

We absolutely loved our drivers, Elizabeta & Maurizio -- they were both wonderful, helpful and well-informed. They went out of their way to make our day extra special. In Rome, Maurizio choose a local restaurant for us for lunch (a non-touristy place) that was exceptional. Also, we chose the Florence /San Gimignano tour and were glad we did. San Gimignano is an adorable town and it was a gorgeous drive, too.

Finally, the cars (mini-vans) were exactly as described - air conditioned and very comfortable, too.

What I liked most about this company is the excellent communication prior to the trip. Jany answered all of my questions (and yes, we had a lot) happily. They also gave us a discount because we booked two days.

I would certainly use Rome In Limo again!!!

[artdiva]

We are just back (May 29, 2012) from RCCL Serenade of the Seas Med. cruise. We booked Rome in Limo for the first time this year. We had only used the ship excursions previously. We were so pleased with the service, I don't know why we ever hesitated before. In Florence, Vinny provided so much wonderful historical information in perfect English. We had been to Florence before and wanted to design our own stops. He gave us everything we had hoped for and more. We went to Pisa, Lucca and then Florence for a wonderful lunch and more sightseeing. He was able to get us very close to each of the sites and took us to some we had never been aware of before. In Rome we had Francesco. He also gave us great background information about each site we were about to visit. We booked Coliseum tickets online as Jany suggested and were able to walk right in. We chose to download Rick Steves audio podcasts on several sites and were able to tour places listening to his audio tour at our own pace. We were so happy with the professional service we recieved....thank you Rome in Limo for making our trip even more memorable this time! (Rome in Limo also recommended Barcelona Day Trip services....and they were great while we were in Barcelona)

[Host Kewlguy]

This thread is about RomeInLimo and ONLY RomeInLimo. Questions and/or recommendations about any other company do not belong on this thread and will be removed. Thanks for your cooperation.

Edited May 30, 2012 by Host Kewlguy

[sho]

Having read all the positive feedback in this thread, I am keen on booking RomeinLimo for shore excursions. The website requires me to submit my credit card information including the security number. Is it safe to do so?

[pseudoware]

Having read all the positive feedback in this thread, I am keen on booking RomeinLimo for shore excursions. The website requires me to submit my credit card information including the security number. Is it safe to do so?

 

Yes

 

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk 2

[Loonbeam]

Sure. That said, as a general practice, I recommend having a separate credit card for online purchases like that. You can always change later (or in RILs case you have to pay in cash, the CC is just for no shows)

 

Having read all the positive feedback in this thread, I am keen on booking RomeinLimo for shore excursions. The website requires me to submit my credit card information including the security number. Is it safe to do so?

[kobithedog]

Having read all the positive feedback in this thread, I am keen on booking RomeinLimo for shore excursions. The website requires me to submit my credit card information including the security number. Is it safe to do so?

Yes it is safe! They just use the credit card to holdthe reservation. You have to pay in euros when you do the tour. RomeinLimo is EXCELLENT! We just used them for three tours on our Med cruise and we just got back a week ago. Wonderful tours, excellent drivers!!!!

[msdurk]

Yes it is safe! They just use the credit card to holdthe reservation. You have to pay in euros when you do the tour. RomeinLimo is EXCELLENT! We just used them for three tours on our Med cruise and we just got back a week ago. Wonderful tours, excellent drivers!!!!

 

What did you tip for each driver and guide in all the Ports (RIL)?

When the cruise ship arrives at 8 am what would you suggest as a pick up time for RIL?

At anytime were you worried about making it back to the ship in time?

Did you have time for a lunch in all the ports visited through RIL?

Were you able to use your credit card for anything at any of these ports?

Thank you so much for answering all my questions