I would LOVE to hear from those who have used this company lately.
Tell me more about your day in Rome out of Civitavechia, Amalfi coast out of Salerno and Florence out of Livorno, I am planing a cruise to Italy next year and need your help.
Do you recommend a private guide for the Vatican and Herculaneum?
This is not my first cruise but have never used a private tour company in the past, just getting little old for those trains :)
Thank you in advance for all your help and recommendations.
We used Rome in Limo in 2013 and again in September 2016. On both vacations, we used them in multiple cities, and were very happy with all of our experiences.
In 2016, we had the pleasure of being met at Fiumicino by Enrico, who took us on a 4-hour tour of ancient Rome on the way to our hotel. He was polite, funny, friendly, and overall a great ambassador of Rome. He took us to some places that were off the beaten path, as well as some of the obvious "must see" places like the Colosseum and the Pantheon. Enrico was a consummate professional, a great driver, full of knowledge, and a true pleasure to hang out with. We were so happy when he was the one the company sent on our third day to take us to see the catacombs and ancient Roman roads on our way to the cruise port. On this outing, he again made sure to take us to see some sights we would not have otherwise seen, and he made sure to arrive at the catacombs at exactly the right time for the start of the English tour. He and my husband both love music, and they enjoyed "talking music" and Enrico played us some of his favorites on the car stereo. When we got to the port, Enrico parked the car, and when he realized he had parked right next to a large puddle, he moved to a different spot, so we didn't have to worry about getting wet. He was just very focused on facilitating every bit of our vacation for maximum convenience and enjoyment.
We also used Rome in Limo for a day trip from Rome to Florence. Our guide for this trip was Angelo, who was also excellent. He was also friendly and made sure we had all the tips and pointers we needed to avoid lines and see everything we wanted to see in the limited time of a one-day outing. With his help, we managed to see the Uffizi Gallery, the Academia, have a delicious lunch, and explore the city center of Florence. At the end of our tour, he took us to Piazzale Michaelangelo, where we got beautiful panoramic photos of the Florence skyline. The road trip between Rome and Florence provided a lot of opportunities to see the countryside, and Angelo was able to tell us a lot about all of the towns and sights we passed along the way. He also made a great dinner recommendation for our evening back in Rome. Angelo was a top-notch guide, and made our day in Florence great.
We used Rome in Limo for a shore excursion in Sicily (Messina) on this trip as well. Alessandro picked us up at the pier and we enjoyed a wonderful tour of Mt. Etna and Taormina. Alessandro brought extra jackets and umbrellas for the Mt. Etna portion of the trip, as it's quite cold, windy and misty at the stopping point about 7000 feet up the volcano. A tourist would have easily overlooked the need for those things, especially since it was 75 degrees at sea level. Alessandro was excellent about making sure to time our visits to the various sights at times when the tour buses were not there. That is a HUGE benefit. For example, as we were leaving the stop on Mt. Etna, a full tour bus showed up, and the restrooms that were easily accessible when we arrived were packed with people. I don't like to spend my limited port time in line for anything, much less the restroom! After leaving the volcano, Alessandro took us for a delightful lunch off the beaten path. We were the only Americans in the restaurant, and Alessandro translated for us. He recommended dishes for us to order based on the local specialties, and lunch was awesome! We then went to Taormina, where Alessandro again recommended the perfect bakery for cannoli that the locals like to order. It did not disappoint. In fact, we bought several of the mini cannoli to take back to the ship, and enjoyed them with fond memories of Sicily from the balcony of our stateroom. Alessandro was professional, friendly, and knowledgeable. He made our day in Sicily very special.
Our last Rome in Limo tour of 2016 was when we were in port in Naples. Our guide at this stop was also named Enrico. He was a funny, knowledgeable character. Enrico took us first to Positano via the Amalfi Coast Drive. The landscape was stunning, and Enrico made sure to stop at just the right places for us to take photos. He also stopped at designated pull-outs and took photos of us together so we could have some great keepsake photos. Enrico knew all about the local customs and history, and was very entertaining in his conversations with us. When we got to Positano, he left us with some free time to explore and shop, and when we returned, he took us to the winery where we had booked a tour. The winery was excellent, and they showed us around and fed us a wonderful lunch, where we ate on the patio, enjoying the view of the lush vineyards and the beautiful afternoon sunshine. After lunch, we moved on to Pompeii, and met our official Pompeii guide, Rosemary. Rome in Limo had made arrangements for us to have a guide accompany us in Pompeii, and that made all the difference. Rosemary has an educational background in archaeology, and her ability to tell us what we were seeing, and to describe the significance of each part of the ruins was a huge benefit. Without Rosemary's help, we would still have been able to walk through Pompeii, but we would not have understood it nearly as well, and our experience would have been much less memorable. Rosemary also helped us to skip the ticket line, and when there were loads of tourists in line to see certain areas of the ruins, she got us around those crowds and to the front of the line since there were just two of us. HUGE benefit. After leaving Pompeii, Enrico took us back to port, in plenty of time, through horrendous traffic. Both Enrico and Rosemary gave us a wonderful experience while at port in Naples.
I have used private tours in dozens of ports throughout Europe. Let's face it -- the biggest drawback to a cruise is the limited time in each port. I never use the ship excursions because: a.) Small groups are so much more navigable in crowds; b.) Private excursions are customizable based on time constraints and personal preferences; c.) The private excursion allows for insider benefits, such as skip the line, knowing when to go to avoid crowds and where to go for a local experience; d.) Private excursions provide a much more personal experience than you get in a big ship tour; e.) You have the chance to connect with a local guide, which, in my opinion, greatly enhances the value of the vacation; and f.) The cost of the private tour is almost always LESS than the ship tour, if you are able to share it with another couple or two. It just makes sense.
In every case where we toured with Rome in Limo, our guides were on time, professional in their appearance and behavior, knowledgeable, and friendly. We have never had even a close call at getting back to port on time. That's just not an issue to worry about. The cars are clean, safe and modern, and the bottom line is that Rome in Limo does everything in its power to deliver a great vacation. Jany in the office responds quickly to all emails, and in my case in particular, was very patient with my many questions. (Thanks, Jany!)
Book with Rome in Limo. You will be delighted with the difference it makes in your vacation!!
Rome In Limo - Continuation of Previous Thread, Community Guidelines Apply
in Italy Ports
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We used Rome in Limo in 2013 and again in September 2016. On both vacations, we used them in multiple cities, and were very happy with all of our experiences.
In 2016, we had the pleasure of being met at Fiumicino by Enrico, who took us on a 4-hour tour of ancient Rome on the way to our hotel. He was polite, funny, friendly, and overall a great ambassador of Rome. He took us to some places that were off the beaten path, as well as some of the obvious "must see" places like the Colosseum and the Pantheon. Enrico was a consummate professional, a great driver, full of knowledge, and a true pleasure to hang out with. We were so happy when he was the one the company sent on our third day to take us to see the catacombs and ancient Roman roads on our way to the cruise port. On this outing, he again made sure to take us to see some sights we would not have otherwise seen, and he made sure to arrive at the catacombs at exactly the right time for the start of the English tour. He and my husband both love music, and they enjoyed "talking music" and Enrico played us some of his favorites on the car stereo. When we got to the port, Enrico parked the car, and when he realized he had parked right next to a large puddle, he moved to a different spot, so we didn't have to worry about getting wet. He was just very focused on facilitating every bit of our vacation for maximum convenience and enjoyment.
We also used Rome in Limo for a day trip from Rome to Florence. Our guide for this trip was Angelo, who was also excellent. He was also friendly and made sure we had all the tips and pointers we needed to avoid lines and see everything we wanted to see in the limited time of a one-day outing. With his help, we managed to see the Uffizi Gallery, the Academia, have a delicious lunch, and explore the city center of Florence. At the end of our tour, he took us to Piazzale Michaelangelo, where we got beautiful panoramic photos of the Florence skyline. The road trip between Rome and Florence provided a lot of opportunities to see the countryside, and Angelo was able to tell us a lot about all of the towns and sights we passed along the way. He also made a great dinner recommendation for our evening back in Rome. Angelo was a top-notch guide, and made our day in Florence great.
We used Rome in Limo for a shore excursion in Sicily (Messina) on this trip as well. Alessandro picked us up at the pier and we enjoyed a wonderful tour of Mt. Etna and Taormina. Alessandro brought extra jackets and umbrellas for the Mt. Etna portion of the trip, as it's quite cold, windy and misty at the stopping point about 7000 feet up the volcano. A tourist would have easily overlooked the need for those things, especially since it was 75 degrees at sea level. Alessandro was excellent about making sure to time our visits to the various sights at times when the tour buses were not there. That is a HUGE benefit. For example, as we were leaving the stop on Mt. Etna, a full tour bus showed up, and the restrooms that were easily accessible when we arrived were packed with people. I don't like to spend my limited port time in line for anything, much less the restroom! After leaving the volcano, Alessandro took us for a delightful lunch off the beaten path. We were the only Americans in the restaurant, and Alessandro translated for us. He recommended dishes for us to order based on the local specialties, and lunch was awesome! We then went to Taormina, where Alessandro again recommended the perfect bakery for cannoli that the locals like to order. It did not disappoint. In fact, we bought several of the mini cannoli to take back to the ship, and enjoyed them with fond memories of Sicily from the balcony of our stateroom. Alessandro was professional, friendly, and knowledgeable. He made our day in Sicily very special.
Our last Rome in Limo tour of 2016 was when we were in port in Naples. Our guide at this stop was also named Enrico. He was a funny, knowledgeable character. Enrico took us first to Positano via the Amalfi Coast Drive. The landscape was stunning, and Enrico made sure to stop at just the right places for us to take photos. He also stopped at designated pull-outs and took photos of us together so we could have some great keepsake photos. Enrico knew all about the local customs and history, and was very entertaining in his conversations with us. When we got to Positano, he left us with some free time to explore and shop, and when we returned, he took us to the winery where we had booked a tour. The winery was excellent, and they showed us around and fed us a wonderful lunch, where we ate on the patio, enjoying the view of the lush vineyards and the beautiful afternoon sunshine. After lunch, we moved on to Pompeii, and met our official Pompeii guide, Rosemary. Rome in Limo had made arrangements for us to have a guide accompany us in Pompeii, and that made all the difference. Rosemary has an educational background in archaeology, and her ability to tell us what we were seeing, and to describe the significance of each part of the ruins was a huge benefit. Without Rosemary's help, we would still have been able to walk through Pompeii, but we would not have understood it nearly as well, and our experience would have been much less memorable. Rosemary also helped us to skip the ticket line, and when there were loads of tourists in line to see certain areas of the ruins, she got us around those crowds and to the front of the line since there were just two of us. HUGE benefit. After leaving Pompeii, Enrico took us back to port, in plenty of time, through horrendous traffic. Both Enrico and Rosemary gave us a wonderful experience while at port in Naples.
I have used private tours in dozens of ports throughout Europe. Let's face it -- the biggest drawback to a cruise is the limited time in each port. I never use the ship excursions because: a.) Small groups are so much more navigable in crowds; b.) Private excursions are customizable based on time constraints and personal preferences; c.) The private excursion allows for insider benefits, such as skip the line, knowing when to go to avoid crowds and where to go for a local experience; d.) Private excursions provide a much more personal experience than you get in a big ship tour; e.) You have the chance to connect with a local guide, which, in my opinion, greatly enhances the value of the vacation; and f.) The cost of the private tour is almost always LESS than the ship tour, if you are able to share it with another couple or two. It just makes sense.
In every case where we toured with Rome in Limo, our guides were on time, professional in their appearance and behavior, knowledgeable, and friendly. We have never had even a close call at getting back to port on time. That's just not an issue to worry about. The cars are clean, safe and modern, and the bottom line is that Rome in Limo does everything in its power to deliver a great vacation. Jany in the office responds quickly to all emails, and in my case in particular, was very patient with my many questions. (Thanks, Jany!)
Book with Rome in Limo. You will be delighted with the difference it makes in your vacation!!