Rome Cabs feedback- can they handle big group? Do tours not just transfers?

[Weroff2rome]

I am so excited we just booked a cruise this summer that goes out of civetticia (sp?) what started as a big wedding anniversary gift for my husband and I is now a family trip as well as our children and their spouses want to join and celelbrate with us. I have many questions so I hope I won't be redundant all over the boards but each time my husband calls I think of something new to post.

Anyhow I have been reading a lot of good things about Rome cabs and were thinking of using them but can they handle a group as large as ours? There will be eight people. I don't want feelings hurt and people split up.

I would love any and all feedback by people who have used them- my specific questions are-

1.Can they handle a group as big as ours? Are the vehicles comfy? After a long flight I don't want to be stuck in some old school bus or something.

2. Do they do tours as well as transfers? My idea is fly into Rome two days precruise (need driver from airport to hotel) at least a full day tour as we want to see as much as possible, possibly a day and a half- thoughts on this?

3. Do they have guides for the Vatican? If so is it worth it to book one or can you muddle along on your own?

4.Will they get me tickets for things like the collesium in advance or will we have to stand in line? I don't want to waste a lot of time since we onlly have two days.

5. Will they do port transfers as well? What about after the cruise back to the airport- or hotel (should we stay one night post cruise? That will be another thread I guess)

6. Do they speak English and are they friendly? I am trying to learn some Italian but certainly don't think in a few months I can learn enough to converse. We had such a grumpy driver in Buenos Aires two years ago it took away from the experience I want someone who knows a lot about the area and will share it with me not ignore me and drive.

 

7. Last on (for now lol) price wise did you feel they were worth it. My husband was a bit in shock when I told him what I saw on the website- I have not spoken with the owner yet. But when I looked at other services they seemed pretty much so all around the same ballpark.

thanks for your help and I am off to post my other questions!

Cindy

\

[MizDaisy]

I guess you have the contact info, since you've already checked them out.

 

I wouldn't even think of using anyone other than Stefano or either of his two drivers, Maurizio and Marco.

 

Stefano has a brand new van that can hold 8 people and their luggage, his English is perfect. You definitely would not be disappointed. I could gush on and on......

[Weroff2rome]

Actually I have not spoken with them yet-just was reading various reviews I sent an email off to romecabs@yahoo.com which is what I had seen listed but do you know of their website? I don't want to call all the way to Italy lol

[MizDaisy]

Here's the website, and yes..they do tours also.

 

www.stefanorometours.com

[texancruzer]

Stefano and his company are top notch. They can handle your group easily - pick you up at the airport and take you to your hotel, arrange a full days tour including arranging for a guide wherever you need one and get you to the ship on sailing day. We used them on our last trip for all our "transportation" needs.

 

Now, about how expensive it is....... as you have just begun your travel plans you will soon find out - Europe is expensive. Summer is high season so everything will be at top dollar.....meaning the highest cost.

 

I would try to figure your budget for the items you can control ( those you will know the costs for ahead of time such as hotel, airfare, cruise, cruise tips and an estimate of cruise ship expenditures (liquor, pictures, gift shop items, etc) as well as any travel items you arrange ahead of time and excursions/tours you book ahead. These are all items you know the cost of upfront and some will be paid for in full before you even leave :D

 

Then comes the fun part. To figure in your incidentals: meals, tips for tours, souveniers etc etc. These add up fast if staying pre and post cruise and if you like to shop, stop for a gelato, etc etc..... even just a bottle of water - well you'll see !

 

Then whatever you think THOSE costs are : double it :(

 

But Europe is amazing and even more so if you know the costs ahead of time and plan accordingly. Have fun planning - we find it is half the fun of cruising here on Cruisecritic :)

[D4]

We used RomeCabs for our airport to hotel transfers (both ways) and for a Rome at Night tour in November. I would have booked them for the rides to and from the port, but we joined other couples in the transfers they arranged. It was a wonderful sight to exit baggage claim at FCO and see the driver holding the sign with our name on it. We were so tired, we wouldn't have wanted to wait or try to arrange transportation at the airport.

 

All the vehicles were beautiful Mercedes sedans or vans. There were 6 of us for the Rome at Night tour and we had a Mercedes minivan. The drivers wore suits and spoke English very well. Email them with your needs and they'll respond very quickly.

 

We had one night in Rome pre-cruise and 3 nights after the cruise. We found that just wasn't enough. Can you add another day in Rome before your cruise? When we arrived in Rome, we were totally exhausted and slept in our hotel all day. It was nice that we weren't pressured to "have" to see Rome that day. The following day we were well rested and ready to go. It was obvious on the ship which people had flown in the day of the cruise. They were almost falling asleep at the muster drill.

 

I wouldn't recommend planning much of anything for the day you arrive. I'd let people see how they feel and those that have energy to get out and about can do that and the others can sleep. Some of your group may be able to sleep on the flights and others may not. We couldn't get comfortable enough to sleep. Remember, in the summer it will be hot and crowded.

 

We plan to go back to Rome this year and I will schedule them for all our needs. It was clear why people on this board raved about their service.

 

Texancruiser spoke the truth about making an estimate and then doubling it! Europe is shockingly expensive, but absolutely worth it.

[nadeki]

I have not yet used this company but while planning our upcoming trip to Italy have been pestering a friend of mine non stop ( she has been on Med. cruises many times) about every detail of her trips. She can not say enough good things about this company. Because their promptness, cleanliness and friendliness I can not imagine using any other company. I will let you know how it goes when I return.

[rich_cathybrock]

I have used Stefano half a dozen times. We have sent numerous friends to him, and have used him for both Airport Transfers, transfers from Cruise Ship to Rome and touring in Rome, including a couple of guided tours in the Vatican.

 

If you are a first-time visitor, you will leave there feeling like you have been with friends! He and Maurizio are very knowledgeable and you will get so much out of the tours - they love their city, and it shows!

 

And he will never ever leave you stranded at the airport, even if the flight is late. Have a great time! Enjoy! It is a marvelous city!

[Baseboard7]

Do you have any experience with the Rail Europe city tours in Rome and Florence? It's not a personally guided tour, but has a narrated English feature and it only costs about $30. It's a HOHO tour.

[Weroff2rome]

I recieved a wonderful, personal email from Stefano and can see why everyone raves about him. We are definately going to use his services! Now what I am wondering is he can offer a guide for the vatican- is that a good idea or is it something that one can do on your own? I didn't feel any high pressure sale from him, he just mentioned it and not it has me thinking we probably do need one. Thoughts?

[rich_cathybrock]

I recieved a wonderful, personal email from Stefano and can see why everyone raves about him. We are definately going to use his services! Now what I am wondering is he can offer a guide for the vatican- is that a good idea or is it something that one can do on your own? I didn't feel any high pressure sale from him, he just mentioned it and not it has me thinking we probably do need one. Thoughts?

 

We have had him arrange a guide in the Vatican twice, and were not disappointed. The guides managed to get us past some major lines, and the tour inside the museum and St. Peter's was thoroughly enjoyable. It is a maze in there, and based on what you'd like to see, they take a specific path, and stop occasionally to point out a few highlights. It really made the trip in there worthwhile for us, and if is your first time in there - do it! You won't be disappointed....

[Weroff2rome]

We have had him arrange a guide in the Vatican twice, and were not disappointed. The guides managed to get us past some major lines, and the tour inside the museum and St. Peter's was thoroughly enjoyable. It is a maze in there, and based on what you'd like to see, they take a specific path, and stop occasionally to point out a few highlights. It really made the trip in there worthwhile for us, and if is your first time in there - do it! You won't be disappointed....

 

So do they set up the whole guide thing for you? Does the guide speak good English? What about tickets to get in can they arrange that ahead of time or do you have to wait in line?

[texancruzer]

The Vatican is so huge and so stuffed with stuff you won't know what you are looking at or what it all means without a guide. In my opinion. We had a wonderful private guide through Angel Tours. We used her for the whole day - first the Vatican/St Peters in the morning and then the afternoon at the Forum/Coliseum. Pricey but $$ well spent.

 

If you have alot of time to research and print stuff out and take the time to slowly go through and use all that - no guide.

 

But if you are trying to "see it all" in a short amount of time = get a guide !

[scampi]

I am so excited we just booked a cruise this summer that goes out of civetticia (sp?) what started as a big wedding anniversary gift for my husband and I is now a family trip as well as our children and their spouses want to join and celelbrate with us. I have many questions so I hope I won't be redundant all over the boards but each time my husband calls I think of something new to post.

Anyhow I have been reading a lot of good things about Rome cabs and were thinking of using them but can they handle a group as large as ours? There will be eight people. I don't want feelings hurt and people split up.

I would love any and all feedback by people who have used them- my specific questions are-

1.Can they handle a group as big as ours? Are the vehicles comfy? After a long flight I don't want to be stuck in some old school bus or something.

2. Do they do tours as well as transfers? My idea is fly into Rome two days precruise (need driver from airport to hotel) at least a full day tour as we want to see as much as possible, possibly a day and a half- thoughts on this?

3. Do they have guides for the Vatican? If so is it worth it to book one or can you muddle along on your own?

4.Will they get me tickets for things like the collesium in advance or will we have to stand in line? I don't want to waste a lot of time since we onlly have two days.

5. Will they do port transfers as well? What about after the cruise back to the airport- or hotel (should we stay one night post cruise? That will be another thread I guess)

6. Do they speak English and are they friendly? I am trying to learn some Italian but certainly don't think in a few months I can learn enough to converse. We had such a grumpy driver in Buenos Aires two years ago it took away from the experience I want someone who knows a lot about the area and will share it with me not ignore me and drive.

 

7. Last on (for now lol) price wise did you feel they were worth it. My husband was a bit in shock when I told him what I saw on the website- I have not spoken with the owner yet. But when I looked at other services they seemed pretty much so all around the same ballpark.

thanks for your help and I am off to post my other questions!

Cindy

\

 

FIRST OF ALL YES to all your questions:

1) His new van will comfortably handle the 8 of you. You will be treated

royally. He handles all your transfers - airport to hotel - hotel to day trips - hotel to the ship - ship to day touring - ship to hotel, etc.

2) Stefano is a driver guide. Therefore he will give you tons of information before you head off into a museum. He does have a licensed Roman tour guide for the Vatican museum that you can book separately. There is so much to see at the Vatican Museum & the Sistine Chapel. With a guide you can prioritize what you don't want to miss & you have a better likelihood of enjoying the museum. (You can prebook a Vatican tour guide which we did once, but we were part of a group of 25 people. We listened on head phones & couldn't ask questions. Next time I will definitely have Stefano assign us his recommended tour guide.)

3) Stefano (& Marco we had once) speak impeccable English. They are very warm, responsible, friendly and better yet knowledgeable about Rome and its surroundings. Both of them are history buffs and very likeable.

4) It is worth every penny to hire Rome Cabs. E-mail him at romecabs@yahoo.com. My only advice would be that you should plan to have at least two full days in Rome or more.

 

How do I know all of the above:

We have used Rome Cabs on two separate occasions & we definitely will continue booking with Stefano anytime we are in Rome.

1) Last October we were a group of 8 and Stefano picked us up from the ship in Civitavecchia with his brand new van. From the time we left Civitavecchia to when we returned, our day with him was fabulous!! We were able to adjust the itinerary to our needs, substituting some sites in Rome for ones that we had seen before. We had e-mailed him our requests beforehand such as wanting to spend as little time eating lunch & that as inexpensively as possible. Stefano took us to a delightful cafeteria where the Romans eat, not a tourist spot. The food was great & very reasonable. We saw everything that was on our revised itinerary. However, Stefano also had surprises in store for us of fabulous vistas of Rome, the surrounding country, etc. that he wanted to share with us. Each & every one on the trip praised me for selecting Stefano for our day in Rome. (Civitavecchia) You will be so pleased you booked Rome Cabs.

2) In November 2006, we flew to Rome for 5 nights and 6 days precruise. Stefano arranged or was there for all our transfers from the airport to the hotel for all our family arriving in Rome at different times. We booked him daily as a driver guide for all the places we wanted to see throughout Rome, outside the walls of Rome, to Vatican City, to the Etruscan countryside, to the ancient Roman port and more. He also combined our transfer from Rome to the ship with a tour outside Civitavecchia. Again it was wonderful! (We had previously been in Rome in 2003 & tried to do Rome on our own. Big mistake! The result was disastrous, with problems with public transportation, pickpockets, and not being able to see much of anything.) With Stefano, we saw so much more. We felt so much safer. With him you are in great hands!

 

I just can't speak as highly of Stefano as I wish. He's one of the best driver guides we have ever had and we have found it difficult to find others that match his outstanding expertise and qualities.

[AZjohn]

This is the second thread I have just found about Stefano and RomeCabs. I will agree with what everyone elses post about their experiance using this company. Glad I took suggestions to try them out because Stefano really made our trip to Rome a very special, and hassel free experiance.

John

[sammiedawg]

Another vote here for Rome Cabs, we did an all day tour once with Stefano, then used the transfer service several times. They have an excellent reputation.

[Weroff2rome]

we have decided thanks to all the good advice to get the guide for the vatican Stefano said he can arrange it so now my question is what is the customary tip for the guide and for the driver on each tour/transfer?

[pamkev]

Used Rome Cabs this past Nov for tours and transfers. Would use his company again in a heartbeat!

 

Pam

[Lafexpress]

Stefano is an excellent choice, we have used them three times over the past three trips to Rome, never fails to show up on time and provide professional handling of travelers using his service. We were traveling with a group of sixteen this past October (2010), and we used Rome Cabs exclusively to and from the airport to Rome and to and from the Cruise ship, as well as for day trips in Rome...cannot say enough great things about the service of Rome Cabs!

You have definitely chosen the Best of the Best!

 

Have a great visit to Rome and beyond!

[Weroff2rome]

Glad to hear so many people think I made a good choice, again I ask though what about tips, how much is the correct amount for the vatican guide and the driver? I would assume you tip both seperately yes?

[Weroff2rome]

I didn't get a response so I figured I would ask again, any guidelines on the tipping situation? Do you do the driver and guide seperately or do they share? How much is reasonable?

[rich_cathybrock]

We usually tip 10-20% depending on the length and type of the trip (more when they got us at the airport 8 hours after we were due to land on a red-eye from NYC, a little less if we are just meandering around Rome for a day. I tip the driver and guide (when I use one, which is only in the Vatican) separately, and the guide gets about 10% (again, more or less depending on how well they do).

 

The last time we were there, the guide had a trainee with her - she was a young girl, and an absolute gem - brilliant, hard working, and going to be a great guide herself one day. She loved a costume necklace I was wearing, so at the end of the tour I gave it to her (it was worth maybe $20.00) but it was just a gesture to thank someone and boost her morale while she started out in her new career. I tend to do stuff like that sometimes, but that's just me being me. Hope this helps.

[poss]

I hope it's ok to jump in here. I've been following the post because I'm trying to decide whether to use Romecabs or Romeinlimo. Both companies seem to get fine reviews. Does anyone happen to know why one would choose one over the other?

Also: People keep mentioning the one driver Stefano who is so good (and perhaps one other). But there are so many people wanting transfer/guides on any given day in Rome. Surely there's a whole fleet of cars and drivers? What are the chances, I wonder, of getting Stefano?

Thanks.

[Weroff2rome]

well here is what I know. Stefano is the owner of Rome Cabs, he is who I have been talking to but obviously he could not possibly drive everyone. I have heard very good things about several of his drivers especially Marcos and Mauritzio (sp?)

 

I have heard good things about both companies- you probably would be happy with either one. It comes down to personal preferance, some people like coke some pepsi- both are good products.

 

I just really liked the way Stefano is customizing a tour for my family and he seems like a genuinely nice person who really seems to care about making this trip special for us. That does not mean the other company would not I just feel like he is vested in us and knows how important (and expensive) this trip is for us.

 

I don't know the other company but by looking at the volume of posts on them even if all things were equal I would rather give my money to someone who does not have a huge business- I don't know I am always partial to the little guy :)

[LegalCat]

I hope its ok to jump in here as well... I have this bad habbit of not posting until I'm in pre-cruise mode lol and abandon everyone while i'm "off" schedule...

 

We usually tip about 10% to the guide and 15% to the driver. I can't say enough about Stefano, he was really really fantastic. We used Rom Cabs for some tours and also for transportation to the port (yayyyy!) and the airport (booooo! - the going home part, not the transportation, lol).

 

Here is the best part, is anyone a Dan Brown addict like I am? Stefano has an Angels and Demons tour that I am dying to do the next time I go back. I'm hooked on that book and couldn't imagine a better tour guide for it, lol.

 

I've done a lot of cruising and excursions, so I know in every port there are other great companies to choose from, but I highly recommend Stefano and will absolutely be using Rome Cabs again when I go. They get a huge thumbs up for being professional and super friendly, they go way above and beyond and really give you a locals view of the area not a touristy (if thats an actual word) trap view of things.

 

Legal