RomeInLimo questions

[greener2]

We are going on an eastern Med cruise in August 2013! So excited!!! From all of the fantastic reviews on CC, we plan on using RIL when we are over there. We are planning on spending 4 days in Rome prior to the cruise. We want to use RIL for tours in Rome and the surrounding area as well as at the port in Naples. My question is - how far ahead of time do you book with them?

[hylasgirl]

We are going on an eastern Med cruise in August 2013! So excited!!! From all of the fantastic reviews on CC, we plan on using RIL when we are over there. We are planning on spending 4 days in Rome prior to the cruise. We want to use RIL for tours in Rome and the surrounding area as well as at the port in Naples. My question is - how far ahead of time do you book with them?

 

 

We have booked our time with Romeinlimo as soon as we knew the dates we wanted. They have always been accommodating when our group has grown too. They are fantastic! We did a Rome tour out to the surrounding areas when we were in Rome 5 days prior to a cruise and it was fantastic! Have fun!

[CruiserBruce]

We are going on an eastern Med cruise in August 2013! So excited!!! From all of the fantastic reviews on CC, we plan on using RIL when we are over there. We are planning on spending 4 days in Rome prior to the cruise. We want to use RIL for tours in Rome and the surrounding area as well as at the port in Naples. My question is - how far ahead of time do you book with them?

 

For your cruise next summer, I would book in January or February.

[pklein9747]

We are going on an eastern Med cruise in August 2013! So excited!!! From all of the fantastic reviews on CC, we plan on using RIL when we are over there. We are planning on spending 4 days in Rome prior to the cruise. We want to use RIL for tours in Rome and the surrounding area as well as at the port in Naples. My question is - how far ahead of time do you book with them?

 

I would suggest that you book your tours now. I doesn't cost anything to book and this past year RIL ran a holiday special for those of us who were already booked for 2012...offering us 10% off if we prepaid. Our groups decided to do this...saved 10% and now our tours in October are all paid for and that means less money to carry with us!

[Indybeachgal]

We just got home from our Mediterranean Cruise and had such a great experience with Rome In Limo that I too had to post a review. We booked them for all three ports: Naples, Rome and Livorno. (They did give us a 10% discount for booking all three)

 

All our guides were so friendly, knowledgeable, tried to help us avoid crowds and long lines and were very accommodating to our different requests and desires.

 

Naples: We walked off the ship and there was Stefano (extremely nice). He promptly whisked us off to Pompeii where they had arranged a terrific private guide: Patricia. She made me laugh as we avoided the "enemy" large tour groups. He then took us to Sorrento where we had a fantastic Pizza lunch and then down the Amalfi Coast line to Positano where we dipped our feet in the Mediterranean Sea.

 

Rome: Francesco picked us off right of the ship and again quickly got us to the Vatican where our private guide: Praeda, maneuvered us around the crowds and we had a wonderful tour. She was extremely knowledgeable and we learned so much. The day was a scorcher as the temp max out at 104 degrees so we were extremely grateful to be driven to each of Rome's sites in our air conditioned sedan. We wanted to see it all. The Collosseum, the forum, , Palatine Hill, Circus Maximus, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and finally Piazza Navona. Francesco gave us information and history lessons at each of the sites.

 

Pisa/Livorna: Elizabeth picked us up and was full of energy and love for her Tuscany. We headed straight for Pisa as I had bought tickets to climb up the Leaning Tower and then she took us to Florence for the sights and to see Michaelagelo's Statue of David. We then took a wonderful drive in the country to see the beautiful rolling golden hills of vineyards, olive trees and villas.

 

I want to go back already!

[LeahZ]

We are going on an eastern Med cruise in August 2013! So excited!!! From all of the fantastic reviews on CC, we plan on using RIL when we are over there. We are planning on spending 4 days in Rome prior to the cruise. We want to use RIL for tours in Rome and the surrounding area as well as at the port in Naples. My question is - how far ahead of time do you book with them?

 

We just returned from a 12 day Mediterrannean cruise and used Rome In Limo for our tour of Rome. Our guide, Francesco was fantastic! He was personable, knowledgeable, information, professional, friendly, polite, considerate, and accommodating! I would highly recommend this company!

[caameche1]

We used Rome in Limo for Rome and Naples. Cannot say enough great things about this company! I wish they would expand to all of Europe.

 

When you look at all of the great responses with NO complaints - you know it's a top notch company.

 

Don't waste your money on Cruise ship tours when you can use Rome in Limo.

[Ransthewiz]

Not much for writing reviews but RomeinLimo was FANTASTIC.....used them in Rome, guide Nico and Florence/Pisa, guide Ricardo....the sites, the wonderful guides made for a fantastic experience. Would use them again in a heartbeat.

Very happy customer, Ransthewiz :)

[Sands333]

I just came back from a cruise Italy. I saw good reviews for Rome in Limo on cruise critic and trip advisor. I figured from the 5 star review I would be ok with their tour. It was even far better than I ever anticipated. I used them for Florence and Rome. It was only my husband and I but we signed up with some other people that I saw online from the same cruise as us. It was like the luxury of a private limo, and the price was amazing. Half of what it would have cost with the cruise line, and so much more personal. Elizabeth (I would request her) was above and beyond. So knowledgable and so accommodating. It made my trip the best ever. Nick was great also! Took us to places that others would never get to see. Thanks to all your team at Rome in Limo!!!!!

[slyster]

So I apologized if this has been asked, but I am not able to go through all the posts (though I did real several). Is the cost on their website per person or per vehicle?

 

Thanks in advance....

[MLA21]

The cost on the website is per vehicle unless it's specified otherwise - usually it's only broken down per person if you go the their tour sharing website, romeinlimotoursharing vs just romeinelimo.

[slyster]

thanks, that's exactly what i needed to know. With the tour sharing, we would be a group of 4, would we end up sharing with other folks or would we have our own tour guide and vehicle?

[AliceS]

I am such a fan of Romeinlimo. When I come back for more, they treat me like family. I didn't read all of the posts, but wanted to tell you this, if they recommend a guide.......do it. We were going to skip a guide in Cinque Terre and Jani sent us one anyway. Well, without him, we would have been so lost.

 

Used the Vatican guide, Pompeii and Herculaeum and blessed the day. Please take the guide. Well worth the extra money.

[mrobstad]

thanks, that's exactly what i needed to know. With the tour sharing, we would be a group of 4, would we end up sharing with other folks or would we have our own tour guide and vehicle?

 

You do not have to share but if you do, the cost goes down. The vans seat 8 passengers comfortably. Plus, if you book more than one tour, the price goes down for everyone! I used them in Rome, Florence and the Amalfi Coast, and these trips were not only cheaper than the cruise excursions, they were superior!

[MLA21]

If you book through the tour sharing website you will either have to create a new group or join someone else's group. If you join, obviously you will be with other people. If you create a new group, you can specify the number of people you want the tour to limit to (for example if you select 6, and you have 4 people with you, you'd leave open spots for 2 people). If no one joins your group, you will be along.

 

You have to pay extra for a private guide in certain spots (like the Vatican) unless you have a group of 15, which automatically comes with a guide for the entire tour.

 

I've heard that the drivers are pretty good by themselves. We are not having an additional guide in Florence and Tuscany, we are going to have the driver narrate.

[slyster]

If you book through the tour sharing website you will either have to create a new group or join someone else's group. If you join, obviously you will be with other people. If you create a new group, you can specify the number of people you want the tour to limit to (for example if you select 6, and you have 4 people with you, you'd leave open spots for 2 people). If no one joins your group, you will be along.

 

You have to pay extra for a private guide in certain spots (like the Vatican) unless you have a group of 15, which automatically comes with a guide for the entire tour.

 

I've heard that the drivers are pretty good by themselves. We are not having an additional guide in Florence and Tuscany, we are going to have the driver narrate.

 

So the drivers don't travel with you? So for example, when we want to visit the Vatican, I noticed we have to get our own tickets. Do they just drop you off and wait for you? Just wondering since I heard that the line can be long sometimes. Not sure the best to handle that either, but that's probably for another thread

Edited August 22, 2012 by slyster

[T.O.cruisers]

So the drivers don't travel with you? So for example, when we want to visit the Vatican, I noticed we have to get our own tickets. Do they just drop you off and wait for you? Just wondering since I heard that the line can be long sometimes. Not sure the best to handle that either, but that's probably for another thread

 

We are going with RomeInLimo to Rome. We were told what time to buy the Vatican tickets for. The drivers will drop you off. It is up to you to arrange for a Vatican guide is you so choose.

[Gracie115]

We are going with RomeInLimo to Rome. We were told what time to buy the Vatican tickets for. The drivers will drop you off. It is up to you to arrange for a Vatican guide is you so choose.

 

 

Rome In Limo arranged our Vatican guide, who met us at the spot the driver dropped us off. She was outstanding and got us past all the lines and made the tour so much better. It was WELL WORTH the expense and I highly recommend a guide for your first visit.

[notentirelynormal]

So the drivers don't travel with you? So for example, when we want to visit the Vatican, I noticed we have to get our own tickets. Do they just drop you off and wait for you? Just wondering since I heard that the line can be long sometimes. Not sure the best to handle that either, but that's probably for another thread

 

If you have a guide and have bought your tickets on line, they drop you off next to the guide. The guide took our vouchers while the driver waited. She came back and we walked directly in with her. When we finished up at the Vatican our guide called the driver and he met us. We were never left on our own (well except when we wanted to be alone like in the gift store). Not sure how you would do it without the guide but I'd guess they would drop you off in the same spot where we met our guide. It took her less then 5 minutes to trade in the voucher for the tickets and for us to be inside.

[onebzyldy]

We are going with RomeInLimo to Rome. We were told what time to buy the Vatican tickets for. The drivers will drop you off. It is up to you to arrange for a Vatican guide is you so choose.

 

RIL is providing a guide for us [for a fee of course ;] and yes, we did purchase our tickets for the assigned time for the Vatican. I have read many many comments that it is better to have a guide, so we are doing exactly that :D

 

Happy Cruising.....

DonnaF :D

[Gracie115]

RIL is providing a guide for us [for a fee of course ;] and yes, we did purchase our tickets for the assigned time for the Vatican. I have read many many comments that it is better to have a guide, so we are doing exactly that :D

 

Happy Cruising.....

DonnaF :D

 

Have a wonderful cruise, am sure RIL will take good care of you. Serena was our guide, she was great.:)

[tonga]

One word describes the experience my family and I had--INCREDIBLE!! I signed up for tours in Pisa/Florence, Rome and Naples during our 4-11 Aug 12 Mediterranean Cruise. We are a family of four and used the RIL tour share website and two other couples signed up for our Pisa.Florence and Rome Tours which significantly reduced our costs because we split the cost eight ways. I compared the cruise tour prices to what it cost us and RIL was such a much better value for numerous reasons. First, the RIL tours are cheaper than the tours the cruise charges for similar services. You are in a very small group and in a much smaller vehicle with your own tour guide/driver. This maximizes the use of your time in these ports given that you have to be back on the ship by the 1830 sailing. I saw the folks from my ship who took ship tours, the cheaper "Rome on your own" folks were walking around without knowing what they were looking at or how to maximize their time. The more expensive ones with a tour guide were on large buses that were limited to attractions that accommodated the size of the bus (where it could drive) and had a tour guide for 25-30 people, most of these folks also looked lost! You cannot maximize your time with these tours like you can with RIL. We had a different driver at every port, each one reflected the personality of region, all were passionate about their town and were very knowledgeable about everything we drove by. They all went out of their way to give outstanding customer service such as opening doors, having water for us, helping us order in restaurants, taking us to out of the way sites, answering questions and going above and beyond expectations. I had no problem tipping each one of them because I thought their exceptional service truly deserved such tips, not because i felt obligated or pressured in any way. Jany is the point of contact in booking your tours and she is very responsive and you can call her with questions. Summaries of each port tour follow:

Livorno (Pisa/Florence) Our driver was Elisabetta, she was born in the area, she was passionate and proud of the area and was an encyclopedia of knowledge and provided information the entire time on everything from archeology, history, religion and politics. She first took us to the Leaning Tower and the Cathedral, suffice it to say she gave us tips on how to view things that others would not and got there early enough before the masses showed up. She then took us to Florence and took us to places with the best vistas and then showed us all the sites in the van and cut us loose so we could all go to the ones we wanted to. She also gave us tips on places to eat and we chose to eat on our own. The group had different ticket times for the Academic Museum and she made sure that each person got door to door service for their tours. She even showed us a second leaning tower in Pisa! No worries whatsoever on time and she dropped us off with plenty of time before the ship sailed!

ROME. Our driver was Nick AKA "Nick the Americano" who is one of the most entertaining characters I have ever come across with his Roman ways. He was also born in Rome and was just as passionate as Elisabetta but with a city and casanova attitude. Again, we hit sites early before the crowds and visited, the pantheon, trevi fountain, spanish steps, shopping neighborhood, roman ruins and then he dropped us off at the Colosseum where we skipped the long lines with our tickets we purchased on the internet. He took us for a quick 30 minute lunch as the group wanted to see more sites. From there he took us to the vatican where we met our guide Frederica. The tour guide was an extra 150 Euros but well worth it especially when split 8 ways. She took our previously purchased tickets via the internet and went right to the window, got our tickets and we skipped all the lines and the chaos. The Vatican is a complete cattle call and you are short changing your experience if you do not use a tour guide. She was well worth it and explained so much that in hindsight I would have paid double for her since I only plan to go there once. Having a group of 8 greatly helped, the cruise tour groups had a guide but they did not have the time to discuss as much as we did with out tour guide because of the size of the group. At the end of the Vatican we met Nick in a souvenir shop and then headed to a couple more sites--Again, back on the ship 90 minutes before sailing time.

Naples- Our last port tour, our driver was Tony and it was just four of us as the couples who previously joined us decided to take the ferry to Capri Island instead so it was a little more expensive for us but well worth it and after talking to one of the couples later on, they missed out on a great tour!. Tony was born and lives in Sorrento. A wonderful gentleman who had a low key demeanor and was a wealth of information like our previous tour guides. He exemplified the people who live in the small villages/cities of the Amalfi Coast. Tony first took us to Pompeii, we were there early at 0830 and were the second tourists to go through the gate (11 Euro Entrance each). The guide here cost 100 Euro and again well worth it for her two hour tour. There are no signs in the ruins so you are short changing yourself if you do not have a guide to explain and take you to the more important sites there. Amazing experience to be int he Roman city. Just as an example, she took us to a newly restored house and they were doing landscaping, she asked them to stop the noise for a few minutes and they did and she explained everything in the house. She also took us to the red light district, showed us stones that had significant clues, overall a great experience. Tony then drove us to Sorrento for a delicious lunch and shopping and then further down the Amalfi Coast to Positano a drive with amazing views the entire time. He also made sure we got a taste of Sorrento's Lemoncello and had us singing Thats Amore! If you search U Tube for singing RIL driver his videos will show up.

Lengthy review if you are still reading but I cannot say enough good things about RIL. If you book more than one tour you get a 50 Euro discount. It is best if you share so create a group on their sharing website. Do not worry about times, they were there when we got off the ship and got us back with plenty of time to spare. This tour company will allow you to see more of Italy, it will cost you less and you will have an awesome and I mean awesome experience. The Rome tour costs 100 Euros more than the others and I highly recommend you ask for Nick the Americano to have a Rome tour you will never forget.

[onebzyldy]

Loved your review :) of RIL.

We have booked 2 private cars [just DH and I] for our upcoming Med cruise, Florence and Rome. We DID NOT get a discount for booking 2x. I did email Jany and ask her about this and her reasoning was that bc there was only 2 of us [although we r still paying the same $$ as if for 8 ppl $450 per car] we would not be able to get it. I am really not sure why, maybe you have to book 3 tours with them? I also have a tour guide booked [again just for the 2 of us] for the Vatican in Rome.

So pleased to read so many positive comments about RIL.

Can hardly wait !

 

Happy Cruising....

DonnaF :D

[billrco90278]

One word describes the experience my family and I had--INCREDIBLE!! I signed up for tours in Pisa/Florence, Rome and Naples during our 4-11 Aug 12 Mediterranean Cruise. We are a family of four and used the RIL tour share website and two other couples signed up for our Pisa.Florence and Rome Tours which significantly reduced our costs because we split the cost eight ways. I compared the cruise tour prices to what it cost us and RIL was such a much better value for numerous reasons. First, the RIL tours are cheaper than the tours the cruise charges for similar services. You are in a very small group and in a much smaller vehicle with your own tour guide/driver. This maximizes the use of your time in these ports given that you have to be back on the ship by the 1830 sailing. I saw the folks from my ship who took ship tours, the cheaper "Rome on your own" folks were walking around without knowing what they were looking at or how to maximize their time. The more expensive ones with a tour guide were on large buses that were limited to attractions that accommodated the size of the bus (where it could drive) and had a tour guide for 25-30 people, most of these folks also looked lost! You cannot maximize your time with these tours like you can with RIL. We had a different driver at every port, each one reflected the personality of region, all were passionate about their town and were very knowledgeable about everything we drove by. They all went out of their way to give outstanding customer service such as opening doors, having water for us, helping us order in restaurants, taking us to out of the way sites, answering questions and going above and beyond expectations. I had no problem tipping each one of them because I thought their exceptional service truly deserved such tips, not because i felt obligated or pressured in any way. Jany is the point of contact in booking your tours and she is very responsive and you can call her with questions. Summaries of each port tour follow:

Livorno (Pisa/Florence) Our driver was Elisabetta, she was born in the area, she was passionate and proud of the area and was an encyclopedia of knowledge and provided information the entire time on everything from archeology, history, religion and politics. She first took us to the Leaning Tower and the Cathedral, suffice it to say she gave us tips on how to view things that others would not and got there early enough before the masses showed up. She then took us to Florence and took us to places with the best vistas and then showed us all the sites in the van and cut us loose so we could all go to the ones we wanted to. She also gave us tips on places to eat and we chose to eat on our own. The group had different ticket times for the Academic Museum and she made sure that each person got door to door service for their tours. She even showed us a second leaning tower in Pisa! No worries whatsoever on time and she dropped us off with plenty of time before the ship sailed!

ROME. Our driver was Nick AKA "Nick the Americano" who is one of the most entertaining characters I have ever come across with his Roman ways. He was also born in Rome and was just as passionate as Elisabetta but with a city and casanova attitude. Again, we hit sites early before the crowds and visited, the pantheon, trevi fountain, spanish steps, shopping neighborhood, roman ruins and then he dropped us off at the Colosseum where we skipped the long lines with our tickets we purchased on the internet. He took us for a quick 30 minute lunch as the group wanted to see more sites. From there he took us to the vatican where we met our guide Frederica. The tour guide was an extra 150 Euros but well worth it especially when split 8 ways. She took our previously purchased tickets via the internet and went right to the window, got our tickets and we skipped all the lines and the chaos. The Vatican is a complete cattle call and you are short changing your experience if you do not use a tour guide. She was well worth it and explained so much that in hindsight I would have paid double for her since I only plan to go there once. Having a group of 8 greatly helped, the cruise tour groups had a guide but they did not have the time to discuss as much as we did with out tour guide because of the size of the group. At the end of the Vatican we met Nick in a souvenir shop and then headed to a couple more sites--Again, back on the ship 90 minutes before sailing time.

Naples- Our last port tour, our driver was Tony and it was just four of us as the couples who previously joined us decided to take the ferry to Capri Island instead so it was a little more expensive for us but well worth it and after talking to one of the couples later on, they missed out on a great tour!. Tony was born and lives in Sorrento. A wonderful gentleman who had a low key demeanor and was a wealth of information like our previous tour guides. He exemplified the people who live in the small villages/cities of the Amalfi Coast. Tony first took us to Pompeii, we were there early at 0830 and were the second tourists to go through the gate (11 Euro Entrance each). The guide here cost 100 Euro and again well worth it for her two hour tour. There are no signs in the ruins so you are short changing yourself if you do not have a guide to explain and take you to the more important sites there. Amazing experience to be int he Roman city. Just as an example, she took us to a newly restored house and they were doing landscaping, she asked them to stop the noise for a few minutes and they did and she explained everything in the house. She also took us to the red light district, showed us stones that had significant clues, overall a great experience. Tony then drove us to Sorrento for a delicious lunch and shopping and then further down the Amalfi Coast to Positano a drive with amazing views the entire time. He also made sure we got a taste of Sorrento's Lemoncello and had us singing Thats Amore! If you search U Tube for singing RIL driver his videos will show up.

Lengthy review if you are still reading but I cannot say enough good things about RIL. If you book more than one tour you get a 50 Euro discount. It is best if you share so create a group on their sharing website. Do not worry about times, they were there when we got off the ship and got us back with plenty of time to spare. This tour company will allow you to see more of Italy, it will cost you less and you will have an awesome and I mean awesome experience. The Rome tour costs 100 Euros more than the others and I highly recommend you ask for Nick the Americano to have a Rome tour you will never forget.

 

We have a tour with Rome in Limo in Rome this October and appreciate all your information. We chose the "Rome as Your Taste" option and will have a guide for the Coliseum/Forum rather than the Vatican. Did you discuss an itinerary with the driver at the beginning of the tour? Was he helpful in setting a plan and offering suggestions?

Edited August 23, 2012 by billrco90278

[CruiserBruce]

You can discuss it with the driver, but it might better to discuss it with Jany in advance, then follow up with the driver.