RomeInLimo questions

[RASHOPPER2]

We are recently back from the Grand Mediterranean cruise, and I want to add my praise for RomeIn Limo. We did a Tuscany tour with them, and had the best guide and the best vehicle that I have ever had in decades of traveling. Elizabeth was enthusiastic, knowledgeable and cared so much about her country and her clients. Frankly, I would leave the details of your tour to RomeinLimo. We had planned a tour of Tuscany going to Sienna and San Gimignano. Elizabeth added so much more to the tour.. She took local roads rather than the highway, so that we could see the countryside (with our permission of course). She added a stop in a small historical town for us to see. She gave us a running commentary of what we were seeing. When we arrived in our cities she gave us directions and suggestions for the visit. My experience says that with Rome in Limo you can leave much of the planning to them. The are very experienced and really want to give their clients the best tour imaginable. Just give them an outline of what you would like to see and sit back and enjoy an excellent tour. Kudos to RomeInLimo and Elizabeth.

[KansCocoa]

Hubby and I took a Western Mediterranean cruise in June 2009, where we had the privilege of using RIL for three of our Italy ports.

 

I kept a detailed blog of our adventures, where I sang the praises of RIL and our drivers...

 

You can find my blog at http://sodell2.blogspot.com - hopefully, the details I have recorded there will answer any questions anyone may have.

 

I have nothing but praise for RIL - both in the pre-cruise planning, as well as during the cruise. The drivers were always on time, courteous, knowledgeable, and respectful...

 

We will return someday to Italy, and when we do, Duman will be getting our business! :D:D

 

Thanks!

 

Sherri

[newanne]

We just returned from a 12 day Eastern Med. Cruise. I had booked RIL for 3 ports, and they delivered on all three. I was most impressed with our tour "Godfather Country" in Sicily. We had heavy rains during the morning, and our guide was still able to salvage the day, and made our tour very enjoyable. I like using RIL, because you know what you are buying. A guide who knows the area, speaks fluent english, drives safely, and has a nice vehicle. I will definitely use them again.

[tenmile]

We returned from our cruise yesterday, and I can not praise RIL enough. I agree with the earlier posters. Their drivers are knowledgeable, safe, and they are willing to work with you to personalize your tour. We booked them for tours of Amalfi Coast and Florence/Pisa. Jany is prompt in corresponding with you--we will only use this company when we return to Italy. I left my camera in the mini-bus (there were 7 of us touring) on our Florence tour, and Duman contacted our driver, found the camera, and arranged for a driver to drive the camera from Livorno to Rome. I offered to pay for the inconvenience and he would not consider it. Our RIL driver who took us from our hotel to the airport yesterday met another driver who promptly handed me my camera before we were dropped off to check in for our flight. RIL's personal service and concern for their clients is exceptional!!

[flgirl543]

We just returned from our trip to Italy and cannot say enough good things about our experiences with RomeInLimo. They provided such excellent service and created a very memorable experience in Italy. Jany provided many expedient and thorough responses to all of our questions prior to booking our tours (we don’t think Jany ever sleeps). All of the drivers and tour guides were extremely knowledgeable and professional. The drivers provided prompt pick up and return service with impeccable vehicles.

 

In Rome, Salvatore, our driver, adjusted our itinerary to include the Catacombs, which was not originally scheduled. Salvatore brought us to many of the important locations, as well as some of the hidden treasures, which provided an authentic feel of the city. His accomplished driving skills were exhibited as he maneuvered through the crowded streets near Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. He coordinated with our Vatican guide, Massimo, to reschedule our tour time because of an unexpected closing of the Vatican due to a special event. Once we met with Massimo, he apologized for the change of time and explained the Vatican does as it pleases. Massimo provided an interesting insight into many aspects of the Vatican. He was both knowledgeable and entertaining in his presentations of information. Without his foresight, we would have missed seeing the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica, as many others were turned away that day. Truly, Rome was a remarkably experience due to both of their efforts.

 

For our tour of Pompeii, Sorrento & Capri, Giovanni was our driver and Patrizia, our Pompeii guide. Giovanni was informative about Naples on our drive to Pompeii. He was of great assistance in providing transportation information from Sorrento to Capri and local transportation options while in Capri. He assisted in scheduling and purchasing our hydrofoil tickets to Capri and return tickets to Naples. Patrizia, was an excellent guide in Pompeii. Thanks to her efforts, we were the first guests to enter the ruins that day. This allowed us to see Pompeii before the crowds gathered and she always kept us ahead of large tour groups. Her knowledge and presentation skills were excellent, providing us with a vivid picture of ancient Pompeii.

 

Last, but foremost, we must give special recognition to Gianmarie, our driver in Pisa/Florence. Since he was our first contact with RomeInLimo, we were unsure of what to expect. Gian far exceeded our expectations and should be considered the gold standard for RomeInLimo drivers and tour guides. His attention to detail and service was exceptional. He wasted no time in putting us at ease with his friendly manner. In the van, Gian wore a headset, which was connected to the audio system, enabling everyone to clearly hear his commentary. He began our visit with delivering us within yards of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Duomo. He then introduced us to the Tuscan countryside, with a stop at a local olive oil factory. He identified and explained many uncommon attractions on our drive from Pisa to Florence. He stopped along the way at picturesque sites providing many photo opportunities. His dining suggestion in Florence provided a genuine taste of the local cuisine. While in Florence, he maneuvered us through heavy traffic and managed to drop us within minutes of our destinations. We are truly thankful to Gianmarie for his warm and friendly personality and making us feel so welcomed in his country. We were so impressed, we wish he could have taken us on all of our tours.

 

We highly recommend RomeInLimo and would not hesitate to use their services in the future. They met or exceeded all our expectations, delivering a complete and cost effective tour product. It was an outstanding and wonderful experience!!!

[Catsywi]

With only one day in each of the Italian ports, we wanted to maximize our time and were so glad we had contacted RIL. Their prompt responses to our questions gave us confidence, and our experiences confirmed this. Corrado in Catania, Sicily was wonderful - full of information not only about the history but also the local flora - gave us a great tour even though the weather to start wasn't optimal. Mirko in Naples was terrific - we could not imagine trying to drive those roads to Positano ourselves. Our Pompeii guide, arranged by RIL, was amazing and already had our tickets when we arrived, enabling us entry w/o waiting in line. Vincenzo got us to Rome and through the traffic snarl caused by a student demonstration where we met our guide for the day, Elisa, who already had our tickets for the Coliseum, where the lines were already long. We walked right in and she too was wonderful. RIL had told us to purchase Vatican tickets for a particular time and there again were right on - bypassed the lines and learned so much more than we would have in a large group. Giovanni in Livorno was incredible - at our request he altered scheduled route to take us through wine/olive country, where we stopped at a winery for tasting, and suggested a stop at the American Cemetery near Florence - one of the most beautiful and impressive stops in our whole trip. Guided us through Florence by car and foot, even to the local's gelato store - truly made our day perfect. Cannot recommend RIL too highly - well worth every penny.

[cruisemonte]

Romeinlimo made our trip great. We were on a Med cruise and used Romeinlimo for private tours in Livorno and Naples, they were fantastic. I have been on 40+ cruises and always avoid pricely crowded cruise tours. On this trip after much research we used Romeinlimo and had among the best tours ever.

SPECIAL THANKS TO CARMINE IN NAPLES. HE STARTED OUT AS A TOUR GUIDE AND ENDED UP A FAMILY MEMBER!!! FRIENDLY, SMART, KIND AND PASSIONATE ABOUT HIS COUNTRY...you couldnt ask for better...if you are touring out of Naples ask for Carmine and if you do the amalfi Coast have him take you to his special lunch above Positano...FANTASTIC

 

Cruisemonte

[cruisemonte]

I can not recommend a tour guide any more highly than Carmine! He was simply the best and made our trip and tour to the Amalfi coast very special. You will never find a more passionate and knowledgable person than Carmine... ask for him and you will see a beautiful country through his eyes...SPECTACULAR

 

Carmine, I hope you see this...thank you for a great day.

 

Cruisemonte, Gary, Pat, Sam, Patricia and Derrick

[fdpevey]

We used Rome-in-Limo twice – for Florence/Pisa and for Rome. It was a great decision!

For Florence/Pisa we were treated to the history and stories during the great drive, and all our plans worked well. Since we did Pisa, we did not do the Uffizi, but we did get to the Accademia in Florence and saw the David. The guide knew just where to take us so the lines were not an issue. Anyone considering doing it on you own needs to think about those lines – often more than an hour wait for many attractions! We also went to the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore,

the Basilica di Santa Croce, and the Loggia dei Lanzi. Lunch – at a recommended location – was some of the best pasta I had in Italy.

You can do Rome in a day – if you have Rome in Limo. We’re not the most in-shape folk, not skilled independent travelers, and have little sense of direction – so taking the train and going on our own was NOT our preference. All that I’d heard of the ships tour said the busses can’t really get into Rome, so you have a lot of walking. We decided to go with Rome-in Limo, and couldn’t have asked for more!

We saw the Appian Way, and the Catacombs. The catacombs was the first hint of our guide, Mauro’s, skill. We arrive just in time for the tour and moved right in. Not a second to wait or waste. We really appreciated him guiding us past the loooong lines and into the Colosseum, then oin to the Circus Maximus. At every place he knew just where to drop us so we had the best view or the easiest access. We saw the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain. Since this was the termination of our cruise, we were dropped – exhausted but happy – at the door of our hotel.

There is always a lot of discussion on these boards about doing it on your own, taking a private guide, or taking the ships tour. I think ships tours are great for single locations with a lot of history where a guide IN the site is beneficial. Athens was a wonderful ships tour, for example – with a headset to hear a about what we were seeing. Go ahead and go on your own if you enjoy the adventure and like to be “in charge” – I like to relax and have someone else making the decisions. For that reason I highly recommend well-established tour companies, and Rome-in-Limo is the best one we’ve experienced!

[mafada]

I won't bored everyone with the details of what you will see when you tour with RIM. I just want to share our experience with you and tell what an amazing company they are. I cannot recommend RIM highly enough. We were the poor souls that were stuck on a broken cruiseship - Celebrity Century. RIM came to the rescue by sending us a driver from Italy, picked us up in Nice, France and drove us to Rome, so we could continue to have some sort of vacation despite the bad ship experience.

 

They made our interesting journey far better than expected. They were able to make all the arrangements for us the very last min, even exchanged our prepaid Vatican vouchers to a different date since we didn't quite make it to Rome via ship as planned. Dunman suggested we use Rome as our base and take day trips from Rome. We spent 4 days with RIM and had Maurizio for 3 days and Rolando for 1 day. They were both fantastic drivers/guides who gave us great information on places we were visiting and made our trip so much fun. We still got to visit Florence, Pompeii/Sorrento, Rome, and Tuscany. Even did a night tour with RIM to see all the major monuments/sites illuminated at night. It was a memorable vacation because of our HORROR cruiseship story, but even more memorable because RIM made it so special for us. Not only saved our vacation but turned it into something that's even better than we could possibly imagine.

 

RIM has far superior service than any other tours offered by hotels or cruiseship and it is THE ONLY WAY to go when visiting Italy. They made our trip so special that I can't wait to go back to visit Italy and use their service again! I am still amazed how much we saw in such a short amount of time in Italy and it's all because of RIM who made it possible.

 

I personally cannot thank Dunman/Jany enough for making it possible for us to get to Italy! Not to mention the great service that their drivers/guides provided and made our vacation so special.

 

Do ask for private guides in Pompeii and Vatican City. You will have a much better understanding and appreciation of the places than wandering yourself.

[Davensteph]

I have a question of someone who has recently returned from a tour of the Vatican Museum.

 

Did they actually require some ID for you to enter with your prepurchased ticket? Here's our problem: We prepurchased tickets, and part of the procedure was to give the names of those who would be entering. We have had a change in our group - one person replacing another. Can the new person just use the ticket the former person would have used?

 

(I guess this should be responded to by someone who fairly recently went, since there may be a change in procedure.)

 

Many thanks.

 

Kathy

 

Hi Kathy

Just returned from a T/A which included a 1 day stop in Rome. We used Romeinlimo for the fourth time (we had friends with us who had never been to Rome previously) and had the usual great trip. We had a group of eight, four of whom we recruited from CC Roll Call. Two days before arrival in Rome, two of them dropped out. WE found two others who had already purchased Vatican tickets but who were going to Rome independently (and rather nervously). We got them Vatican tickets online (using a very slow internet connection.)

 

On explaining the situation to our Romeinlimo supplied guide, Sarah, she said it was no problem, as we had ten tickets and only eight people.

 

Actually there was no ID check, and I don't think they could do it, because of the number of people entering at any one time. (20000 to 25000 people per day normally, and up to 35000 on a busy day):eek:

 

In brief, I think you will have no problem as long as the number of tickets matches (or exceeds) the number of people.

 

Have a wonderful time.:D

 

Dave

[luvboat33]

Having been on many private as well as cruise affiliated tours all over the planet, I can honestly say that nothing beats RIL quality and service. These people are here to please. I wish the rest of the travel industry could say the same.

 

Tony in Naples was the epitome of what a driver guide should be!!! My wife and kids still want to know why we couldn't bring him home with us. As a native of Sorrento, he knew everything you could want to know about the area.Duman, you need to clone this guy. He was wonderful.

 

Clara in Pisa/Florence was also great. She got us to the Leaning Tower just in time to beat the crowds and to obtain tickets to climb the tower. Her knowledge of the area was fabulous and she really made the trip special.

 

In Rome we had Onofrio. Although much more reserved than our other two guides, he knew the lay of the land very well and had us seeing more in one day than we could ever imagine. He also took us to probably the best gelato shop on the planet, just outside of Rome. Another great day.

 

The vans were comfortable(family of 5), the prices less than the cruise tours and the service was fantastic. There was also no pressure to tip(although these folks certainly deserve it) and no stops at stores or attractions that pay tour guides "finders fees." Overall, a 5 - Star experience!!!

[Emma1]

A couple of questions for a party if 5, myself, DH, DD15,DD14, DS 12. My family has never been to Italy, but I have. We are doing a disney cruise on 7/9/11. Plan to do Rome, Naples, Florence( do not plan to go into Florence as it seems to be 2.5 hrs form port) with Rome in limo.

 

1)Car for 6 is 550 euros on their webiste - is this a big car? My husband is a big man. Should we do the van for 600 euros and try to get 2 -3 peolple to join us?

2) how much does the tour guide for the vatican run? Can Rome in limo get our tickets or do we have to buy ourselves online?

3) Does anyone have recommendations for an itinerary you have used with older children that I could use as a guide? For Rome,Naples(Pompeii, definitely, but do not plan to do Capri on this trip), Florence area(will probably do the coast and Pisa). My direct email is ATKG3@aol.com.

4) My family like to shop ( you can imagine with teen girls)- is it possible for us to ask to have lunch near some shops or are the stores closed at lunch. If this is the case, then maybe stop somewhere for 45 minutes or so?

5) My DH and DS are car fanatics(Ferrari , etc) - is there something to see in Rome that I should ask for ( even if it is a store with car emblem items).

6) What is the typical discount if we do all three cities.

 

Thank you for any and all suggestions!!!!!

[CruiserBruce]

Answers to your new questions, different from your other post.

 

A couple of questions for a party if 5, myself, DH, DD15,DD14, DS 12. My family has never been to Italy, but I have. We are doing a disney cruise on 7/9/11. Plan to do Rome, Naples, Florence( do not plan to go into Florence as it seems to be 2.5 hrs form port) with Rome in limo.

 

1)Car for 6 is 550 euros on their webiste - is this a big car? My husband is a big man. Should we do the van for 600 euros and try to get 2 -3 peolple to join us?

2) how much does the tour guide for the vatican run? 150 euros, well worth it. Can Rome in limo get our tickets or do we have to buy ourselves online? They can. However, they tend to take you there after lunch, when the crowds aren't as bad. So much smaller lines, and no need to buy in advance.

3) Does anyone have recommendations for an itinerary you have used with older children that I could use as a guide? For Rome,Naples(Pompeii, definitely, but do not plan to do Capri on this trip), The standard Naples tour will be pretty interesting to all. Florence area(will probably do the coast and Pisa). My direct email is ATKG3@aol.com.

4) My family like to shop ( you can imagine with teen girls)- is it possible for us to ask to have lunch near some shops or are the stores closed at lunch. If this is the case, then maybe stop somewhere for 45 minutes or so? Yes. they will do what you ask.

5) My DH and DS are car fanatics(Ferrari , etc) - is there something to see in Rome that I should ask for ( even if it is a store with car emblem items).

6) What is the typical discount if we do all three cities. The discount is arranged with RIL. It may vary.

 

Thank you for any and all suggestions!!!!!

Edited October 27, 2010 by CruiserBruce

[belgica]

I want to add to the long list of praise for Rome in limo, my wife and i took the rome trip with five other great people that we met through C C and our driver maurizio was brilliant, we got to twelve to fourteen sights with him, he was very informative, he new all the short cuts to beat the traffic in rome. Our second trip was the amalfi coast trip and once more we shared with four other fantastic people , our driver was Carmine and all the praise that Maurizio got above i have to include carmine for similar reasons. Our trips, travelling companions and drivers made for two unforgettable days. Belgica

[hylasgirl]

The best thing about a private tour is that you are able to do whatever you want! Yes, they will make suggestions, but if you want to do something specific, they are happy to make those arrangements. We toured with RomeinLimo last year and I was very up-front about what I wanted to do. One of the things in question were in what order we would visit places in our Naples port. My daughter who was undergoing treatment for leukemia needed to have some special considerations. For instance... I had toured with Romeinlimo in Naples before and I KNEW there was NO WAY my daughter could walk around Pompeii at the end of the day. We had to go there first. I explained this to them on the phone before we left home and they made every accommodation for us and had us at the gates by opening time. It was not crowded and it was the best situation for my daughter.

 

Yep... high praise for RomeinLimo! They really took care of my family!

 

By the way, with using Romeinlimo in all of our cities, plus our transfers in Rome, we were offered discounts too.

[PCWalton1]

A couple of questions for a party if 5, myself, DH, DD15,DD14, DS 12. My family has never been to Italy, but I have. We are doing a disney cruise on 7/9/11. Plan to do Rome, Naples, Florence( do not plan to go into Florence as it seems to be 2.5 hrs form port) with Rome in limo.

 

1)Car for 6 is 550 euros on their webiste - is this a big car? My husband is a big man. Should we do the van for 600 euros and try to get 2 -3 peolple to join us?

2) how much does the tour guide for the vatican run? Can Rome in limo get our tickets or do we have to buy ourselves online?

3) Does anyone have recommendations for an itinerary you have used with older children that I could use as a guide? For Rome,Naples(Pompeii, definitely, but do not plan to do Capri on this trip), Florence area(will probably do the coast and Pisa). My direct email is ATKG3@aol.com.

4) My family like to shop ( you can imagine with teen girls)- is it possible for us to ask to have lunch near some shops or are the stores closed at lunch. If this is the case, then maybe stop somewhere for 45 minutes or so?

5) My DH and DS are car fanatics(Ferrari , etc) - is there something to see in Rome that I should ask for ( even if it is a store with car emblem items).

6) What is the typical discount if we do all three cities.

 

Thank you for any and all suggestions!!!!!

Hi,

If you have not done so already, you should just send all these questions directly to Jany at RIL. I bet she has heard all of these before and has some great suggestions for the shopping and the sports cars.

Bill

[joandian]

I'm planning on booking RomeInLimo for June 2011 for tours in Naples, Rome and Pisa/Florence and hope to have some members from the Roll call join us to make a party of 8. I have had some info from Jany but I have a few questions for those of you who have done these tours.

 

Pisa and Florence - there are a number of sites to visit. Is there entry charges for for each place? Did you purchase tickets prior to the tour or just when you got to each place. Did you get time to shop and who was your driver/guide?

 

Same with the Rome Highlights tour. I know about purchasing the Vatican tickets for 2pm and will organise a guide.

 

Pompeii, Sorrento and Positano - going to get the guide for Pompeii, but what about entry tickets?

I'd appreciate hearing about what you did if you did any of these tours and the drivers/guides you'd recommend.

Jo

[CruiserBruce]

I'm planning on booking RomeInLimo for June 2011 for tours in Naples, Rome and Pisa/Florence and hope to have some members from the Roll call join us to make a party of 8. I have had some info from Jany but I have a few questions for those of you who have done these tours.

 

Pisa and Florence - there are a number of sites to visit. Is there entry charges for for each place? Pisa didn't have admission. Went to Lucca, not Florence.Did you purchase tickets prior to the tour or just when you got to each place. Did you get time to shop and who was your driver/guide?

 

Same with the Rome Highlights tour. I know about purchasing the Vatican tickets for 2pm and will organise a guide. Sarah is an awesome guide. If you have read this thread, you should see her name mentioned many times.You don't need to buy tickets in advance.

 

Pompeii, Sorrento and Positano - going to get the guide for Pompeii, but what about entry tickets? We bought at the gate. We didn't used a guide, have mixed feelings about that. As to drivers, Carmine is superb. Again, you will see his name frequently. Someday, someone is just going to take him home. We tried.

 

I'd appreciate hearing about what you did if you did any of these tours and the drivers/guides you'd recommend.

 

Jo

 

Many comments on this thread about good drivers and guides.

Edited October 29, 2010 by CruiserBruce

[bobalink]

I'm planning on booking RomeInLimo for June 2011 for tours in Naples, Rome and Pisa/Florence and hope to have some members from the Roll call join us to make a party of 8. I have had some info from Jany but I have a few questions for those of you who have done these tours.

 

Pisa and Florence - there are a number of sites to visit. Is there entry charges for for each place? Did you purchase tickets prior to the tour or just when you got to each place. Did you get time to shop and who was your driver/guide?

 

Same with the Rome Highlights tour. I know about purchasing the Vatican tickets for 2pm and will organise a guide.

 

You DO NEED to purchase tickets ahead of time. Jany will give you the link to purchase them on the Vatican website. We had Sarah as our guide, and she is very good!

 

We used RIL for 4 days in Rome. The Rome Highlights tour is so good, it is amazing how much you can see when you have experienced drivers. We had Angelo, and he was great. You can customize your tour to see whatever you want.

 

Pompeii, Sorrento and Positano - going to get the guide for Pompeii, but what about entry tickets?

 

I'd appreciate hearing about what you did if you did any of these tours and the drivers/guides you'd recommend.

 

Jo

 

We will be using RIL again this summer!

[PCWalton1]

I'm planning on booking RomeInLimo for June 2011 for tours in Naples, Rome and Pisa/Florence and hope to have some members from the Roll call join us to make a party of 8. I have had some info from Jany but I have a few questions for those of you who have done these tours.

 

Pisa and Florence - there are a number of sites to visit. Is there entry charges for for each place? Did you purchase tickets prior to the tour or just when you got to each place. Did you get time to shop and who was your driver/guide?

Fees for Pisa

Leaning Tower of Pisa

 

Ticket: 15 euros; if you book online 17 euros

 

Cathedral

 

Ticket: €2

If you wish to attend mass in the duomo, mass is celebrated twice a day at 8 a.m. and at 9.30 a.m. and on Sundays at 11 a.m. as well.

Tickets for more than one monument

 

1 Entrance

Baptistery or Monumental Cemetery or Opera Museum or Sinopie Museum: €5

2 Entrances

Cathedral or Baptistery or Monumental Cemetery or Opera Museum or Sinopie Museum: €6

3 Entrances

Baptistery or Monumental Cemetery or Opera Museum or Sinopie Museum: €8.50

 

 

In Florence there is a fee for Accademia and for Uffizi. We arranged for tickets to Accademia with RIL and don't remember getting charged for them. We did not have time for Uffizi:( but we did have several opportunities for shopping. My wife recommends the white gold. :D

 

Same with the Rome Highlights tour. I know about purchasing the Vatican tickets for 2pm and will organise a guide.

Our RIL driver (Mauro, highly recommend as driver, very knowledgeable) handled tickets for the Colosseum. We purchased the Vatican tickets online. I agreed, tell Jany you want Sarah for your guide, she is fantastic. No other fees.

 

Pompeii, Sorrento and Positano - going to get the guide for Pompeii, but what about entry tickets?

We didn't get a guide at Pompeii and I still regret that. You can get the entry tickets when you arrive. Your van will get there way before the cruise bus crowds so there will be no line.

 

I'd appreciate hearing about what you did if you did any of these tours and the drivers/guides you'd recommend.

 

Jo

hope this helps

[Ashlynnsgrandma]

My wife, adult son, and I used Rome in Limo in Livorno to visit Pisa and Florence and were extremely happy with the service we received. The driver/guide was waiting for us right on time, the car was very comfortable, and the trip went off without a hitch. For 450 euro, roughly what it would have cost us for a group tour from the cruise ship, we got a private 9-hour tour customized to our personal needs. Being in an authorized vehicle, we were able to get much closer to the sites than the large tour buses, elminiating a lot of walking. Our driver/guide was very professional and friendly and it was great being able to explore the sites at our own pace instead of being rushed through a group tour. We were in Livorno on my birthday and the driver surpirsed me with a gift. It was a beautiful day and we thoroughly enjoyed it. I would not hesitate to use this company again. They're available in many ports throughout Italy. Thanks for a fantastic day!

[petesweet]

Good morning. I have learned that our driver/guide in Rome is to be Vinny (or Vinnie). Seems to me I've seen his name on this thread; but when I searched, nothing came up.

Has anyone had Vinny (Vinnie) as a guide? I'd love to know your opinion.

Thanks.

Kathy

[beckntom]

Good morning. I have learned that our driver/guide in Rome is to be Vinny (or Vinnie). Seems to me I've seen his name on this thread; but when I searched, nothing came up.

 

Has anyone had Vinny (Vinnie) as a guide? I'd love to know your opinion.

 

Thanks.

 

Kathy

 

 

His real name is Vincente (Vin-SEN-tay), I believe. He was our guide in Rome on September 7th, and we liked him very much. He was personable and a very good driver. Very patient with the Rome traffic, but we like to tell the story of how he finally lightly honked his horn at someone who didn't move at a traffic light, and he asked the air, "The light only has three colors. What color do you want?" You'll have a good day with him.

Edited November 1, 2010 by beckntom

[Lindypc]

Good morning. I have learned that our driver/guide in Rome is to be Vinny (or Vinnie). Seems to me I've seen his name on this thread; but when I searched, nothing came up.

Has anyone had Vinny (Vinnie) as a guide? I'd love to know your opinion.

Thanks.

Kathy

The best we ever had in Rome is Vencenzo. Oh my goodness, you will love him. He lived in Canada for 13 years so has perfect English and somehow he took us to every single site in Rome including the Catacombs. He had Sarah waiting for us at the Vatican but prior to that asked if we wanted a delicious lunch. When we all agreed, he called a restaurant close to the Vatican and had an unbelievable 4 course meal with wine (waiting for us when we walked in) that was to die for (we bought some wine to take back ). I've been to Rome probably 6-7 times and I'm still amazed at every where we went in that TRAFFIC.

A year and a half after our cruise, our board is still active and STILL talking about that lunch and Vincenzo! We did not go in to the colosseum but stopped outside where he gave us an interesting history lesson.

Vincenzo was not just a driver but a guide--he would get out of the van and tell us about each stop (such as at the circus maximus).

Tell him Lynne from Alabama said hi--I was the one who got up the tour and was so nervous about collecting everyone's euros that I forgot to tip him! I felt so bad that I had Jany give me their address so I could send euros over. Within a week He was on the phone to thank me! Kind of a nice touch, I thought!