Pisa/Florence/Tuscany with Romeinlimo, what did you do?

[elsplace2]

We are a group of 8, from our roll call, and are going with Romeinlimo in the port of Livorno to Pisa/Florence/Tuscany in May.

 

What was your day like with Romeinlimo in this port? Details would be great, like, where they took you, dropped you off? Stayed with you? etc.etc. What city did they stop to have lunch and approx what time? (I'm a diabetic, so I can't go to long between meals, of course I will have a snack with me, but just wondering how late they stop for lunch) Did they just recommend a place to eat and your on your own or do you stay as a group to eat? (Hopefully we can just pick up a quick bite and move on.)

 

Anyway, any information would be great about this port! I know they have a great reputation, so I am really looking forward to spending the day with them and our new "friends" from Cruise Critic!

 

Thanks in advance!!

[chipmaster]

In a nutshell, off the boat bright and early

 

Arrived and spent about an hour at Pisa, 20' waiting to climb and 30' climbing and back. Then off to florence with drive by of a few historical places in Pisa.

 

In Florence they took us to a Church overlooking florence. Name escapes me but some sweet views for about 30'

 

Next was Accademia for 45'

 

Next was an hour and half to have lunch near St. Croce and for walking around.

 

Pickup and off to see the gates and dumo, then to Ponte Vechio

 

Last stop before the drive home was geleto.

 

If you have special needs or request be sure to ask, its your day and we had no problems in any of our ports adjusting to things we wanted to do or change.

 

We are a group of 8, from our roll call, and are going with Romeinlimo in the port of Livorno to Pisa/Florence/Tuscany in May.

 

What was your day like with Romeinlimo in this port? Details would be great, like, where they took you, dropped you off? Stayed with you? etc.etc. What city did they stop to have lunch and approx what time? (I'm a diabetic, so I can't go to long between meals, of course I will have a snack with me, but just wondering how late they stop for lunch) Did they just recommend a place to eat and your on your own or do you stay as a group to eat? (Hopefully we can just pick up a quick bite and move on.)

 

Anyway, any information would be great about this port! I know they have a great reputation, so I am really looking forward to spending the day with them and our new "friends" from Cruise Critic!

 

Thanks in advance!!

[elsplace2]

In a nutshell, off the boat bright and early

 

Arrived and spent about an hour at Pisa, 20' waiting to climb and 30' climbing and back. Then off to florence with drive by of a few historical places in Pisa.

 

In Florence they took us to a Church overlooking florence. Name escapes me but some sweet views for about 30'

 

Next was Accademia for 45'

 

Next was an hour and half to have lunch near St. Croce and for walking around.

 

Pickup and off to see the gates and dumo, then to Ponte Vechio

 

Last stop before the drive home was geleto.

 

If you have special needs or request be sure to ask, its your day and we had no problems in any of our ports adjusting to things we wanted to do or change.

 

 

Thanks! Sounds like it was a great day! Did you get pre-purchased tickets to the tower of Pisa or just got them when you arrived? When you went to lunch, did your group separate for the 1 1/2 hr or did you stick together?

[LouiseSeth]

Our family of four (two adults; two kids) went with RIL for a Pisa/Florence tour on Saturday, September 4th, 2010. Our boat docked at 7:45 a.m. in La Spezia, and we were on the first tender boat met our guide by 8:00 a.m., which was a good thing because we had tickets to climb the Pisa tower at 9:00 a.m. We tried to get the 9:30 am ticket slot as RIL suggested, but the web site only had 9:00 a.m. tickets left. We e-mailed RIL and told them the problem, and they said to buy the 9am tickets anyway. Roberto got us there at 9:07, and he said if we had any trouble to come and get him, but there was no trouble at all – they waved us right through and were at the top by 9:15. Tip: If the bells are ringing when you are there, sit down to help your equilibrium – it is loud! The lines were very long to purchase tickets, and if you want to get to Florence (let’s face it; the real stop on this tour), you should buy them ahead of time. After the tower, we went right to Florence, admiring the views all along the way. First up in Florence was a castle that I can’t remember the name of at the moment. It was okay, but the guide spent far too much time talking of dishes, so we exited early. Roberto was right there, and we went to lunch at a restaurant right in the square near Santa Croce. I’m not a huge fan of lasagna, but I like to order what the waiters recommend, and I’m glad I did. Hands down it was the best lasagna I’ve ever had. After a bit of people watching & shopping, we climbed to the top of the Duomo for amazing views of this gorgeous city. I was worried about the time, because the line to climb to the top was long, and it was going to make us late for the Statue of David at the Accademia, but Roberto said no problem. We trusted him, and he was right. He went in with us to our appointed time at the Accademia (RIL made all reservations for us ahead of time), and though we were 40 minutes late, it was no problem. David was as great as everyone says, and we stayed for maybe 45 minutes (the Accademia is quite small compared to our other stops on this trip). Earlier in the day we decided to save the Uffizi for a later visit (we must go back!), and instead decided to spend more time enjoying the views of this city. We visited the bridges, walked around the city taking in just beautiful sites and ended our day at Michelangelo Square taking in the city one last time before our two hour ride back to La Spezia. It was wonderful!

[chipmaster]

I think YMMV here. I vetoed the original plan to do Pisa in the afternoon on the way back, and choose to go early. In email they didn't recommend we prepurchase, they were right, we found tickets availabe, but if you really want to climb ( well worth it ) I would pre-reserve and gurantee you get to do it.

 

As for lunch the guides dropped us off and did there own thing. There are many options for eating, from quick to nice sit down. Our guide gave us a recommendation but we choose something else. Our group did split up into 3 seperate, one choosing to not eat at all and explore.

 

Happy planning

 

Thanks! Sounds like it was a great day! Did you get pre-purchased tickets to the tower of Pisa or just got them when you arrived? When you went to lunch, did your group separate for the 1 1/2 hr or did you stick together?

[elsplace2]

LouiseSeth - Thank you for your detailed version of your day with RIL. Sounds like you had a great day as well! I am really getting excited after reading these! I know everyone's experience is a little different, that's why I was hoping to get several versions of their day to get a good idea of what to expect.

 

Thank you both for taking the time to let me know how your day was!!

 

Chipmaster - Forgive me for being a bit ignorant, but what does YMMV mean??

[chipmaster]

YMMV= Your Milage May Vary. In otherwards in this context what you actually experience my vary.

 

LouiseSeth - Thank you for your detailed version of your day with RIL. Sounds like you had a great day as well! I am really getting excited after reading these! I know everyone's experience is a little different, that's why I was hoping to get several versions of their day to get a good idea of what to expect.

 

Thank you both for taking the time to let me know how your day was!!

 

Chipmaster - Forgive me for being a bit ignorant, but what does YMMV mean??

[elsplace2]

YMMV= Your Milage May Vary. In otherwards in this context what you actually experience my vary.

 

 

Thanks for the explanation....I never would have guessed that!

[fllchick]

Keep in mind too, that this is your day, and RIL will do whatever you want to do.

 

We actually didn't climb the leaning tower, but we also stopped at an olive oil factory in tuscany and got to see how it's made, and have a tasting that was amazing!

 

We also had one of THE best meals ever for lunch in florence.....

 

You'll have a great time! It's a beautiful part of the world.....

[elsplace2]

Keep in mind too, that this is your day, and RIL will do whatever you want to do.

 

We actually didn't climb the leaning tower, but we also stopped at an olive oil factory in tuscany and got to see how it's made, and have a tasting that was amazing!

 

We also had one of THE best meals ever for lunch in florence.....

 

You'll have a great time! It's a beautiful part of the world.....

 

 

Yeah, I have heard people changing the itinerary to meet their needs. I think that works really well, if it's just your family or friends you are traveling with.....but if you are doing it with 6 other people who you don't know very well...I don't think I would want to "rock the boat", because we prefer to do this and not that......But the good thing is, my husband and I are pretty flexible and will go with the flow. I know whatever we end up doing will be new to me, seeing I have never been to Europe (my husband has)....but climbing the tower is definitely on top of my list! My top priority is getting back to the ship on time!!! (which I hear is not a problem with RIL)

[bruinliz]

Yeah, I have heard people changing the itinerary to meet their needs. I think that works really well, if it's just your family or friends you are traveling with.....but if you are doing it with 6 other people who you don't know very well...I don't think I would want to "rock the boat", because we prefer to do this and not that......But the good thing is, my husband and I are pretty flexible and will go with the flow. I know whatever we end up doing will be new to me, seeing I have never been to Europe (my husband has)....but climbing the tower is definitely on top of my list! My top priority is getting back to the ship on time!!! (which I hear is not a problem with RIL)

 

Don't worry El...climbing to the top of the tower is on the top of my list too.:)

[elsplace2]

Don't worry El...climbing to the top of the tower is on the top of my list too.:)

 

 

Hi Liz,

 

That's great knowing, that climbing the tower is on the top of your list as well!! It's GREAT, they are allowing people up it nowadays!

 

I was going to let you guys know that I started this thread, for those of you who may be a little obsessive like me. I always need to know as much information as possible, before doing it!

 

I'm still hoping for more people to let us know about their day.....but so far what I got is great and have a very good idea what to expect!

[Brickwood]

We just did a tour of Florence/Pisa with RIL and it was great. We stopped first at Pisa for about 30 min. to look around and take pictures. On to Florence - the drive took a bit over an hour I believe. Our driver took us up to hilltop viewpoint where he pointed out the various sights and we were able to get some panoramic photos. Then to the Uffizi gallery where RIL had made reservations for our party. The driver led us straight to the correct reservations line and we were in quickly. I highly recommend getting the reservations anywhere it is possible in Europe, whether doing it yourself or through your tour service. We spent about an hour in the gallery and then drove by some of the points of interest we'd seen from the hill. He then found a central spot to park between the duomo and the old bridge, pointed out where the points of interest were and we had about 1 1/2 to 2 hours to roam around on our own and get a bite to eat. He did ask whether we wanted to do that or have him arrange a lunch somewhere but since we were trying to see so much, we decided to do it this way. We met back at the van and he took us to Accademia where we also had reservations. About an hour there and it was time to head back. The driver took a different route back, taking the a more scenic route to see some of the Tuscan countryside including a brief stop at the entrance to a winery for a look at the grapes just about ready to harvest and again, a good viewpoint for some photos.

 

They seemed to be very flexible so let them know ahead of time what you want to do and they'll know the best way to get it done or possibly recommend alternatives. If I had it to do again, I might opt to do only the Uffizi or Accademia (Accademia actually) rather than both and have a more leisurely lunch somewhere other than the tourist area.

[elsplace2]

Thanks Brickwood for sharing your experience....I agree with you on just doing one of the museums....we are planning on doing Accademia only, but I don't mind eating in a touristy area...I guess I feel that they would speak better English, then an area that only locals would go to, although the experience and the food is probably much better then a touristy area.

 

 

Thanks again for taking the time to write your experience. Sounds like a great day....I'm really looking forward to ours!

[tooalto]

We had a spectacular day with RIL last year and have them booked for next month as well. Gian took us first to Pisa then to a gorgeous walled village San Gimignano, a beautiful drive through the Tuscan countryside and stop at a wonderful winery for a superb lunch and wine tasting. truly one of the most memorable days of our cruise. You won't go wrong with them!

[elsplace2]

We had a spectacular day with RIL last year and have them booked for next month as well. Gian took us first to Pisa then to a gorgeous walled village San Gimignano, a beautiful drive through the Tuscan countryside and stop at a wonderful winery for a superb lunch and wine tasting. truly one of the most memorable days of our cruise. You won't go wrong with them!

 

 

Sounds wonderful! I'm hoping we will have time for a winery as well. I guess we will see! Thanks for your experience!

[jesse]

We were picked up first thing by Clara from Romeinlimo, whom we have used multiple times with great great service and fun days, and had already decided to pass on Pisa, since it has staging on it at the moment. We went to Florence, up in the hills for a panoramic overview, some gorgeous scenery throughout the city, great photo shots, went to several cathedrals, shopping for leather, shopped for gold, and also glass, on and near Ponte Vecchio, and a fabulous lunch! We decided to have a sit-down real lunch, from soup to dessert, and Clara picked a great place. We also decided we wanted to go to a winery, which we did on the way back to the ship, and it was amazing!!!!!!!!!!We all bought two bottles of wine each, some Grappa, I cannot even remember the name of the winery, but Romeinlimo can tell you-We had a full day of Florence and the Winery, and it was the best!

[jesse]

I forgot, we also went to Accademia, Romeinlimo had pre-booked our tickets there, but did not go to Uffizi by choice due to time constraints on all the other things we wanted to do, near the Duomo, etc.

[elsplace2]

Thanks Jesse for sharing your experience....it's amazing how everyone seems to have a bit of a different experience....I'm glad I started this thread!! I'm getting a really good idea of what to expect!

 

 

What cruiseline did you go with? I heard some people saying on some cruiselines for the European cruises they don't check for bottles of wine and you don't get charge a corkage fee for the bottles of wine brought on board. Also out of curiosity, about how much is it for a bottle of wine in that port? That's if we get lucky enough to have time to stop off at a winery! (BTW, We're not "fancy" expensive bottle of wine drinkers, just the simple local wine works for us).