RomeInLimo questions

[sandinmyshoes]

So I have to admit that I've read through this thread and many others about RIL and I'm still a little unclear. If you are basically paying for personalized transportation, the price (versus DIY) seems very high. But whenever I have voiced this, people say that RIL does give you a lot of information, just not a "guided tour" so to speak. But posts like democracydiva's seem to contradict this.

 

So, do some guides give more information than others? I'll be very honest and say that I can do without (and would prefer not to have) a bon vivant driver who gets the whole car singing Italian songs. What I do want is good solid information about what I'm seeing or about to see....

 

Any specific examples would be great. Could anyone compare their services to those offered by Ekol in Turkey, for example, as they are the one and only private tour I've done. (My Ekol tour was solidly good, not great, and if I'd paid as much for it as RIL's prices, I would not have been so happy.....)

 

I can actually help answer this question with up to date info too. My husband and I got back Dec. 5th from our 3 week Italy/Greece/Turkey adventure and used both RIL and EKOL. We used RIL the last time we went to Italy in 07 so we knew they were worth using a 2nd time, but this was our first experience with Turkey and Greece. Our Ekol tour in Turkey was nice and accomodating, but a little on the standard side. RIL provided us with the same excellent service we experienced our last trip.

 

Budget was a concern for us as well, because the Private Tours are so much more expensive than DIY, but we decided to scrimp in other areas of our trip so we could tour with RIL. The reason they were worth the money for us is because you get to see and do so much more in the limited amount of time you have. When you are going DIY you have to wait on trains/buses, walk extra far, get lost, wait in really long lines for the general public, and most of your touring time is taken up just getting to and from where you want to be. You end up exhausted, overwhelmed, and one ruin starts looking like all the rest. With RIL our driver (we had both Francesco and Vincenzo and found both to be excellent) were extremely interesting and informative and would stop on hills or other areas were we could look down on the sites before going in and they would explain what we were seeing. Then they would drive us right to the entrance so no extra walking or time wasting and we would go in and know what we were looking at.

 

I don't remember how much additional Julia (the private guide) was but she was worth every penny because she allowed us to see and do more than we could have on our own. She skipped over the things we didn't find interesting and helped us navigate the maze of museum cooridors at the Vatican so we could see the Sistine Chapel quickly without getting lost and slowed down by the crowds of people going in circles of confusion because they were on their own. My husband has A.D.D. and bores VERY quickly, but she kept everything interesting and at a pace that met both our desires.

 

All of our RIL drivers and guides were very personable, fun, spoke clear English (and drove responsibly), while being very professional and not pushing the typical touristy atmosphere on us. We enjoyed our time very much and found we spent our money wisely on both of our Italy vacations. Enjoy...Italy is so beautiful!!!

Edited December 18, 2009 by sandinmyshoes
misspelled words

[cruisemom42]

I can actually help answer this question with up to date info too. My husband and I got back Dec. 5th from our 3 week Italy/Greece/Turkey adventure and used both RIL and EKOL. We used RIL the last time we went to Italy in 07 so we knew they were worth using a 2nd time, but this was our first experience with Turkey and Greece. Our Ekol tour in Turkey was nice and accomodating, but a little on the standard side. RIL provided us with the same excellent service we experienced our last trip.

 

Budget was a concern for us as well, because the Private Tours are so much more expensive than DIY, but we decided to scrimp in other areas of our trip so we could tour with RIL. The reason they were worth the money for us is because you get to see and do so much more in the limited amount of time you have. When you are going DIY you have to wait on trains/buses, walk extra far, get lost, wait in really long lines for the general public, and most of your touring time is taken up just getting to and from where you want to be. You end up exhausted, overwhelmed, and one ruin starts looking like all the rest. With RIL our driver (we had both Francesco and Vincenzo and found both to be excellent) were extremely interesting and informative and would stop on hills or other areas were we could look down on the sites before going in and they would explain what we were seeing. Then they would drive us right to the entrance so no extra walking or time wasting and we would go in and know what we were looking at.

 

I don't remember how much additional Julia (the private guide) was but she was worth every penny because she allowed us to see and do more than we could have on our own. She skipped over the things we didn't find interesting and helped us navigate the maze of museum cooridors at the Vatican so we could see the Sistine Chapel quickly without getting lost and slowed down by the crowds of people going in circles of confusion because they were on their own. My husband has A.D.D. and bores VERY quickly, but she kept everything interesting and at a pace that met both our desires.

 

All of our RIL drivers and guides were very personable, fun, spoke clear English (and drove responsibly), while being very professional and not pushing the typical touristy atmosphere on us. We enjoyed our time very much and found we spent our money wisely on both of our Italy vacations. Enjoy...Italy is so beautiful!!!

 

Thank you for responding. RIL does sound like the deluxe versus the standard private tour from all I've heard.

 

I guess I'm just a DIY person at heart. I really do learn more (and remember more) by doing my own research. I have no problems with walking, and I've never found that taking public transportation has cut into my touring time when I've planned wisely. In fact, public transportation can often be faster than driving in some cities where the traffic congestion is terrible (Rome and Athens come to mind). Heck, walking is faster than driving sometimes in these cities.

 

For anyone else who may be "on the fence" about doing it on your own versus taking a private tour, I would also just point out the following:

 

1) You can get around the long lines for many places in Rome (Vatican) or Florence (Uffizi, Accademia) by ordering your tickets in advance. Usually there is only a slight surcharge for preordering if you go through the official sites. At other sites (Colosseum, for example) many tips are given here on where to buy tickets to avoid the wait.

 

2) Many guidebooks (Rick Steves, for example) have maps of the Vatican museum, including directions on how to get to the Sistine chapel by the most direct route. Even if you don't have a guidebook, you can pick up a map at the entrance. AND there are signs throughout the museums pointing out the path to the Sistine chapel. Hopefully you will stop to look at some other things along the way......

 

 

I have to laugh about your comment on the ruins. People have accused me of being a little obsessive about ancient ruins (I cannot imagine why ;)). I can go through my photos of Egypt, Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, and Turkey (all recent trips or cruises) and can still remember with about 98% accuracy the subject of the photo and why it was of interest. I think I'm in the wrong profession!

[chipmaster]

So I have to admit that I've read through this thread and many others about RIL and I'm still a little unclear. If you are basically paying for personalized transportation, the price (versus DIY) seems very high. But whenever I have voiced this, people say that RIL does give you a lot of information, just not a "guided tour" so to speak. But posts like democracydiva's seem to contradict this.

 

So, do some guides give more information than others? I'll be very honest and say that I can do without (and would prefer not to have) a bon vivant driver who gets the whole car singing Italian songs. What I do want is good solid information about what I'm seeing or about to see....

 

Any specific examples would be great. Could anyone compare their services to those offered by Ekol in Turkey, for example, as they are the one and only private tour I've done. (My Ekol tour was solidly good, not great, and if I'd paid as much for it as RIL's prices, I would not have been so happy.....)

 

I think you are making a mistake trying to compare RIL prices to EKOL. One is in Turkey and one in Italy. It would be like asking why leather goods from Italy aren't the same price as they are from China or Turkey.

 

Now as to the value of private, RIL, DIY or ship that is a whole different discussion.

 

I used RIL and several other private operators during our cruise thru Europe and couldn't have been more satisfied. I also don't disagree with your observations as partially or wholly accurate to what these private operators provide. They are nothing more then a driver who take you from door to door and talks a good story on the drive and gets you your tickets and guides for extra if you want. The decision to use private, versus ship or DIY becomes a personal one of the cruiser and how and what they hope to get for the dollar they save or spend in each port. My wife was the first to wonder why the hell should I be paying or spending close to 150-200/person for company I know nothing and will possible never use again, versus the cruise ship tours who are committed to providing you a service and have a long history working with the guides/tours in the port. She even challenged me to figure out if DIY made sense.

 

DIY clearly is the chepeast and best way to get close to experience the country/city you are visiting. But many places, especially Europe for most of us we don't speak the language, don't know the road/transportation and most importantly are there only for a few hours that efficiency is the most important thing.

 

Take Civatecchia/Rome for example, you have 12 hours in port, but maybe lose 3 hours for traffic/travel time to Rome. So you got 7 hours or so to see "Rome" ( you really want an extra hour buffer to get back to boat ). You could choose to DIY and spend 50-100 euros between food, tickets and transportation. No question you'll experience many things that we on a cruise tour or private tour won't experience or have to worry about either. Or.... you could book RIL or other private tour. If you get a full van and you'll likely be be out about 200 bucks/person. For that extra 100 bucks you got private van, guide, pre-reserved tickets, taken by car and dropped at every sight within 0-10 meters of each attraction. Or spend same amount on a big bus cruise ship tour operation with 60 of my new cruise friends, or DIY. If you compare carefully private ALWAYS gets you more into the day than ANY cruiseline tour, except their private vehicle/guided ones. After walking thru those options with my DW she was sold on the private, and after the experience found not one person in our party of 14 that would have done it anyother way, but to each their own for what they hope to get out of the port. If I look back between the 1,000+ spent on cabin, 1000+ spend on airfare the most value we got was the money spent on private tours. I'd have spent that at over flight upgrade, hotel upgrade, cabin upgrade or speciality resturant if I had to do over again, but again that is my personal priority to things.

[cruisemom42]

I think you are making a mistake trying to compare RIL prices to EKOL. One is in Turkey and one in Italy. It would be like asking why leather goods from Italy aren't the same price as they are from China or Turkey.

 

Now as to the value of private, RIL, DIY or ship that is a whole different discussion.

 

I used RIL and several other private operators during our cruise thru Europe and couldn't have been more satisfied. I also don't disagree with your observations as partially or wholly accurate to what these private operators provide. They are nothing more then a driver who take you from door to door and talks a good story on the drive and gets you your tickets and guides for extra if you want. The decision to use private, versus ship or DIY becomes a personal one of the cruiser and how and what they hope to get for the dollar they save or spend in each port. My wife was the first to wonder why the hell should I be paying or spending close to 150-200/person for company I know nothing and will possible never use again, versus the cruise ship tours who are committed to providing you a service and have a long history working with the guides/tours in the port. She even challenged me to figure out if DIY made sense.

 

DIY clearly is the chepeast and best way to get close to experience the country/city you are visiting. But many places, especially Europe for most of us we don't speak the language, don't know the road/transportation and most importantly are there only for a few hours that efficiency is the most important thing.

 

Take Civatecchia/Rome for example, you have 12 hours in port, but maybe lose 3 hours for traffic/travel time to Rome. So you got 7 hours or so to see "Rome" ( you really want an extra hour buffer to get back to boat ). You could choose to DIY and spend 50-100 euros between food, tickets and transportation. No question you'll experience many things that we on a cruise tour or private tour won't experience or have to worry about either. Or.... you could book RIL or other private tour. If you get a full van and you'll likely be be out about 200 bucks/person. For that extra 100 bucks you got private van, guide, pre-reserved tickets, taken by car and dropped at every sight within 0-10 meters of each attraction. Or spend same amount on a big bus cruise ship tour operation with 60 of my new cruise friends, or DIY. If you compare carefully private ALWAYS gets you more into the day than ANY cruiseline tour, except their private vehicle/guided ones. After walking thru those options with my DW she was sold on the private, and after the experience found not one person in our party of 14 that would have done it anyother way, but to each their own for what they hope to get out of the port. If I look back between the 1,000+ spent on cabin, 1000+ spend on airfare the most value we got was the money spent on private tours. I'd have spent that at over flight upgrade, hotel upgrade, cabin upgrade or speciality resturant if I had to do over again, but again that is my personal priority to things.

 

Please see my post (#352) above.

 

I was just trying to get an idea of the level of service provided as compared with Ekol. I have to say I would not be thrilled to pay as much as RIL charges if the service provided was less than, say, Ekol's. From all I read here, RIL does provide a higher level of service, but for me, personally, that level of service isn't worth the cost. Everyone has their own internal cost:benefit ratio, I suppose. I do understand that it might be worth it to others.

 

I would just point out, though, that Ekol's cost does include a guide that can go with you into the site. There is not an extra charge.

[CintiPam]

We prefer DIY because we like to move at our own pace, which often is slower than others who may want to cover a lot of ground and prefer to get a taste of several places. We would prefer to see more of less, and I do a lot of research in advance plus carry good guidebooks. We also enjoy museums, which are difficult to visit with large tour groups. At the museum where I serve as a docent, we limit tours to ten people maximum.

 

That being said, I have also arranged and enjoyed private tours or shared private tours with others courtesy of the wonderful roll calls these boards provide, but only when I want to visit several geographically spread-out places or places hard to get to easily by public transportation from our port.

 

Examples include our day in Kusadasi, when I wanted to visit Ephesus and several places in Selcuk, or our day in Amalfi, when I wanted to enjoy many of the views along the famed drive, or our day in Monaco, when I wanted to get a taste of many of the sights of Nice, along the Lower Corniche along the coast, St. Paul de Vence, and Monaco on our first visit to this area. When we return there in May, we will travel DIY.

 

In contrast, the day before our port day in Amalfi, we had a port day in Sorrento. That day, we took the Circumvesuviana train directly to Pompeii and spent most of our day there, enjoying our own pace with the wonderful materials you can obtain onsite.

 

If I can arrange a private tour with others on my roll call, I always would prefer that to spending a day on a bus at the pace of the slowest of the 35 or 40 others.

 

Flexibility to embrace all possibilities, whichever is the best for what we want to see, is the key for us. I certainly understand that comfort levels vary, and also that touring strategies and touring interests vary.

Edited December 19, 2009 by CintiPam

[hylasgirl]

Please see my post (#352) above.

 

I was just trying to get an idea of the level of service provided as compared with Ekol. I have to say I would not be thrilled to pay as much as RIL charges if the service provided was less than, say, Ekol's. From all I read here, RIL does provide a higher level of service, but for me, personally, that level of service isn't worth the cost. Everyone has their own internal cost:benefit ratio, I suppose. I do understand that it might be worth it to others.

 

I would just point out, though, that Ekol's cost does include a guide that can go with you into the site. There is not an extra charge.

 

 

Cynthia... a bit off topic of this thread but... I think you are really going to have to do the private thing in Turkey. It's just not as easy to get around as other cities. We had many in our party that went with EKOL. They all had a fabulous time. I sent my daughter with friends of ours because I found them to be MUCH more expensive per person than all our tours with Romeinlimo. SO... I took a zero on a tour for the whole family in Kusadasi and just sent my daughter. It was really important for her to see Ephesus. It sounds like, for your interests, it will be great for you to have the private tour guide/driver for the day. It was a highlight of the whole trip for my daughter.

[CintiPam]

Cynthia... a bit off topic of this thread but... I think you are really going to have to do the private thing in Turkey. It's just not as easy to get around as other cities. We had many in our party that went with EKOL. They all had a fabulous time. I sent my daughter with friends of ours because I found them to be MUCH more expensive per person than all our tours with Romeinlimo. SO... I took a zero on a tour for the whole family in Kusadasi and just sent my daughter. It was really important for her to see Ephesus. It sounds like, for your interests, it will be great for you to have the private tour guide/driver for the day. It was a highlight of the whole trip for my daughter.

 

hylasgirl, just FYI, Cynthia just visited Kusadasi a few months ago and used EKOL tours for a private one-day tour to a few other good archaelogical sights because she already had visited Ephesus.

[glittergirl]

We just arrived back from our cruise. My wife & I w/ our 10 year old son used RomeinLimo for our day excursion in Rome, Italy because of the good comments we've read before our NCL Med. cruise. And sure enough, it was worth it. As expected, Rome in Limo was wonderful, everything from GREAT to Wonderful. No negative comments. Driver/Guide Francesco was great and informative. We didn't use a private guide in the vatican, but Francesco told us how to get past the lines. We Thanks Romeinlimo for a great time for our family, Thanks Francesco and we highly recommend Romeinlimo.

 

WE too had an excellent day in Rome with Rome in Limo. Nothing like getting around the small streets in your own vehicle. Our driver pulled us up really close so we never had to walk more than a few steps to any of the sights. He also took us to a great family restaurant for pizza. When we were in Pompeii and the Amalfi coast, we had a wonderful tour, and lunch, with Aldo tours. These are two excellent companies!

[oneknee]

We just returned form our NCL Jade cruise... In Roma, we did a private tour with “Rome in Limo”. They were excellent!! Our driver Vinny met us as we left the Jade. During the trip into the city Vinny talked history, helped us plan our day, and made us very comfortable. After our drive into Rome, we toured the Colosseum. Having been to Rome in September, the lack of crowd in December was great! It felt like we had the place to ourselves. We then went to the Circus Maximus, Forum and Palantine hills. From there we went to the Pantheon, Spanish Steps, and tossed our coins in the Trevi Fountain. Traffic was bad due to protest activity in Rome, but Vinny kept us on track. Following lunch, we went to the Vatican Museum and finally to St. Peter’s. We chose not to use an additional guide for the Vatican, and I think next time I will get one. There were so many things I had questions about... After a long day, Vinny got us back to the Jade as the sun set over the Mediterranean. It was a great tour and I highly recommend it!

[jalynn]

We're doing this same cruise on the Jade in March. What other tours did you do? Any suggestions for us on tours or on board activities?

 

Jo Ann

[oneknee]

I posted a review on the NCL board which should help you with excusrions.. Briefly though, there were some great private tours we did in Athens, Rome, Izmir. We did the NCL overnite in Cairo and itr had its positives and negatives.... Check out my review and let me know if you have any questions..

 

Pat

[omc329]

I was just on tripadvisor and read a warning about tours in Italy. It stated that one should get a receipt, that it should be paid before the tour as opposed to after, and there should be a tax included.

 

So, question for ya'll that have done ril....Is there a tax included or is that added to the 500E (or what have you), quote? The site says we pay at the end of the tour? I'd be fine paying up front, actually I'd prefer it. What about the quotes on the guides for the Vatican and Pompeii? Do I need to add a tax to that quote as well? If so, how much is tax? This sort of thing could really blow my budget if taxes are too much. (tips are already budgeted in)

 

I'm confused right now. I thought it was simply the stated quote, and now I'm worrying I missed something. Anybody????

[Terpnut]

I was just on tripadvisor and read a warning about tours in Italy. It stated that one should get a receipt, that it should be paid before the tour as opposed to after, and there should be a tax included.

 

So, question for ya'll that have done ril....Is there a tax included or is that added to the 500E (or what have you), quote? The site says we pay at the end of the tour? I'd be fine paying up front, actually I'd prefer it. What about the quotes on the guides for the Vatican and Pompeii? Do I need to add a tax to that quote as well? If so, how much is tax? This sort of thing could really blow my budget if taxes are too much. (tips are already budgeted in)

 

I'm confused right now. I thought it was simply the stated quote, and now I'm worrying I missed something. Anybody????

At least with RIL and most tour companies I've dealt with, there is no tax on top of the quoted tour price--everything except for tip is already included. So, as you already assumed, you will pay the quoted tour price and any tips at the conclusion of your tour. :) Edited December 28, 2009 by Terpnut

[omc329]

At least with RIL and most tour companies I've dealt with, there is no tax on top of the quoted tour price--everything except for tip is already included. So, as you already assumed, you will pay the quoted tour price and any tips at the conclusion of your tour. :)

 

Thanks for the prompt reply. You read so much on the internet, it's nice to have a place to ask the btdt folks. :)

[CintiPam]

Your quoted tour price is all inclusive (and certainly expensive enough!).

[mafiadon]

I used RIL in Oct for 4 tours and 2 transfer they were wonderful and we didn't have to pay a tax. We paid what we were quoted plus a tip. I feel we got our money's worth and more with them and will certainly use them again when we go back to Italy. Linda

[Grandpaul]

As mentioned above, no taxes just the original price. At least with Romeinlimo for our tour.

[kehlx2]

We have just recently returned from a cruise that stopped in Rome (12-21-09)--we used RIL while here & had a FABULOUS tour with Nicola & Vatican guide Catherine both were excellent & I would use them again in a heartbeat. I also got to meet Duman himself--I think I took his picture--but I have lost my Rome pictures all of them along with another country. So we have lots of memories of this GREAT tour & would love to do it again..but I suspect time will have to wait. We would recommend this company any time. Thanks again, for the easy way to let YOU (them) do the work for us..Loved it! Thank you Jany,Duman, Nicola & Catherine for a memory we will not forget. Happy New Year to everyone at RIL may all the tourists use RIL.

Edited December 31, 2009 by kehlx2

[omc329]

Thanks to those who responded to my question. The article at tripadvisor was stating that "reputable" companies have you pay at the beginning and give you a receipt showing tax. If one does not have this receipt, they can be fined by the Italian govt. The article made me a wee nervous around the edges.

 

There is enough in this thread alone to stifle any concerns about ril being a "legal" or "reputable" company to deal with, though the tax thing had me a bit concerned, (I've upped my budget one too many times already for this trip).

 

I'm assuming, since they deal only in cash, they DO give one a receipt? Regardless of laws, a receipt is something I always want in a cash deal of any sort.

[madmarti]

We had the exact same experience with romeinlimo with the exact same people. Would also recommend them in a heartbeat. We paid in euro travelers checks and cash, they take both, exactly what is quoted to you when you book. No hidden costs. I hope some day I will be able to use them again. Madmarti

[DebbieandBrian]

I'm booking romeinlimo for some of my pre-cruise time in Rome, thanks to the many accolades here on CC. My questions:

1-They are suggesting an 8 hour tour with a driver, and a guide for the Vatican. Do we need a guide for other sites? Or is the driver usually knowledgeable enough to provide info?

2-Have you ever just gotten a guide at the Vatican rather than scheduled one in advance? If so, how did that work out? Did you still have to stand in line for tickets? Can you just visit the "church" on your own without tickets? (I obviously have lots more research to do! I visited Rome years ago, but I was on a tour and they took care of everything.)

3-Do you tip on top of the fee for the driver, or is it included?

 

 

Thanks in advance for answers to my questions!

 

Hi, I've been extremely happy with romeinlimo. I have definetely needed a guide for Cinque Terre in Italy, otherwise, we'd lose the train and truly be completely lost and anxious since you have to be on very specific schedules. I have not used romeinlime for the Vatican, so I can't comment of that, but took their Rome tours a few times and really made the most of my time. Tip to the driver is not included. I usually tip well for RIL, because I've gotten great guides. But it's completely up to your discretion on how good they treat you and how they go out of the way to make your day special.

 

I've never asked for a receipt or been offered one, but since I've always paid when they dropped us off in the entrance to the ship, I never thought I needed one. I have used other companies and never had been asked nor would I pay up front.

Edited January 5, 2010 by DebbieandBrian

[amy417]

We returned recently from a transatlantic cruise in December. In researching for our first trip to Europe I found recommendations over and over for RomeInLimo on cruisecritic.com. There was not ONE bad comment about this company. So I decided to contact them for our tours of Rome and Florence. Unlike other companies contacted, I recieved prompt and lenghty responses from Jany. Jany was extremely helpful and never seemed to tire of my constant questions. She even offered to help my daughter's boyfriend pick the exact spot to propose in Rome. Our tours included my family and another couple 6 in all. The ride was comfortable and the drivers,John and Vincenzo were the most knowledgeable I have ever met on tours. I am very inqusitive about ALL things and there was not one question they could not answer. John even knew the answer to questions about windmills I noticed on the drive to Florence! We were allowed to make our own pace with gentle coaching from the drivers in order for us to see as much as possible. In Florence John treated us to breakfast right near the tower of Pisa. Best cappaccino ever! We also had a wonderful traditional italian lunch at a cozy local cafe. In Rome we opted for a faster dining experience and Vincenzo guided us to the neatest sandwich shop that exceeded all of our expectations. RIL arranged a guide for the Vatican named Katerina. SHE WAS AWESOME! Extremely knowledgeable. She brought everything to life as we toured the halls of the Vatican and St Peter's Basillica. I can not say enough about this company. We were privileged to meet Duman the owner. I hope I didn't embarrass him because I was so overwhelmed with everything that I gave him a big bear hug when we met:)

If you are reading this deciding what to do...YOU CAN'T GO WRONG WITH RIL!

[DrivesLikeMario]

:confused: So, from what I'm reading, tipping isn't 20% for the private tours in Italy like it would be at home?

 

For a full day tour, 20E per person is a good tip and 10E per person is the minimum?

[CruiserBruce]

Tipping in Europe in general is not the same as the US. Some countries have no expectation of a tip.

 

For Italy, eveything I have seen is to round up your bill- say to 20 euros for a 17 or 18 euro bill. For your full day limo tour, 10 euro per person seems fine.

[DrivesLikeMario]

Wow, I guess we really over-tipped our private drivers in England & France then. Thanks for the info.