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I am looking to book some tours also and had some questions. Does RIL have drivers and then separate guides or are there some that are both? And do they also offer just guides? I am leaning toward walking or taking a taxi to the Vatican or Collosium and then meeting up with a quide. Is there much benefit to hiring a driver? Thanks for any help.

There are strict laws in the area and licenses for the various kind of tourist support. An unlicenced person is not allowed to tell you anything. A driver can tell you what they know and drive you from place to place, but cannot enter the museums or attractions with you. They can get out at a lookout point and take your picture, answer questions, etc. A guide has a much more expensive license and specialized training and can go with you through the museum or attraction and explain it all. You probably wouldn't want to pay someone who has guide certification to drive you all over Rome, it would be expensive and besides, you can just get a Vatican expert for the Vatican and a Colliseum expert for the Colliseum and meet them there!

For us, there was a huge benefit to hiring a driver. We wanted to see as much of the city as possible with someone who was willing to explain it. We wanted a guaranteed vehicle when we wanted to go, ready to go where we wanted to go. We wanted a safe place to leave our stuff. We saved a lot of walking on a very walk-intensive day because the driver met us right at the exits and dropped us right at the entrances. But those things were relevant to our trip. If all you want is a ride to the Vatican and Colliseum for 2 people, a taxi is much more economical to do that.

If you book a guide, be sure to also pre-pay your entrance ticket online. The line for buying Colliseum tickets wrapped halfway around the front of the Colliseum The Vatican ticket line was even longer.

Yeah, it wasn't enough to ruin the experience or anything. This service is the way to go. We loved that we could hurry along if we had little interest in something, linger a bit if we had more interest. With 4 kids, the ability to stop at a market for a bottle of water/find a restroom for an emergency stop/pause to look more closely at something was extremely valuable. Then when we were done, there was no waiting for the rest of the busload. And the drivers dropped us off steps from the major attractions, saving us long marches through the heat because a bus can't GET close to the attractions on these narrow streets.

We did one tour with the ship in Monaco, and it really highlighted how much better the RIL experience is! My 2 teens had a blast in Monaco, but they commented repeatedly that the RIL experience is definitely the way to go whenever possible.

We just used Rome in Limo for 3 days also: Amalfi, Rome and Florence/Pisa.

We had Alex for Amalfi and he did a solid job. He was knowledgeable and friendly. His accent was a bit hard to understand at times and he didn't really "connect" with the kids. But he did an excellent job of helping us to avoid the crowds and we learned a lot on the tour. His lunch suggestion was great, our first meal off the ship in Italy, and it was large quantities of great food at a good price.

We also had Lucia for Pompeii, booked through RIL. She was a Pompeii expert, invaluable really as we would have wandered around lost without her. Pompeii is definitely a location where it is worth having a guide! It was so hot, but Lucia did a good job of connecting with the kids and we all learned a lot. She was flexible to our needs for extra stops, urgent bathroom break for my daughter, etc, along the way.

In Rome, we hit the jackpot. Our driver was Rolando, and he was perfect for our family. He made great suggestions for sights to see and the order to see them. He was very knowledgeable and friendly. He treated my kids like they were his own grandkids, chatting with them about the city and picking up on what would interest them. His lunch suggestion was a wonderful fixed price place that everyone enjoyed. I cannot imagine a better tour of Rome, truly. We were very happy with his suggestion to replace the under-renovation Trevi with one of the city's catacombs. It was a very unique tour and a great escape from the heat!

We then had Katherine for the Vatican, and she also blew us away. She may be the smartest person I have ever met. She went out of her way to chat with each member of our family and customized her lessons and discussions to each. She talked with my 7yo son about gross and weird stuff that made him giggle, pointed out beautiful details to my 9yo daughter, and impressed the teen boys with amazing fact tidbits all while delivering an overview of this huge collection of art and history and answering every question we asked. I was amazed that there seemed to be no single piece of art there that she didn't know all about in detail! It was insanely hot, and it was an insane amount of walking, and I think having her as a guide probably kept us from having a meltdown from one of the two younger kids. Her perfectly timed "Oh, come look at this, it's very neat!" saved the day.

We were spoiled at this point, and that is probably why we were a little disappointed with our last tour. Elizabeth was very chatty and upbeat. I would not have actually thought a guide could be too chatty, but it was difficult to get a question out at times and the questions she was posing and then answering were not always on the mark. She did not connect with the kids at all, and they were confused by her constantly posing questions as though we had asked and then answering them. We enjoyed Pisa and Florence, and she did a good job of getting us to all of the sights and avoiding the crowds. One real disappointment in Florence was that we had come to rely on our driver for good lunch suggestions. Elizabeth absolutely refused to suggest a place, even with repeated requests from us. She let us off for a walk through the touristy part of Florence to meet her 3 hours later. She gave us great instructions with a map for what to see and how to get to the meetup point...but then just suggested we wander away from the tourist area and find a random place to eat. We could not even find a way to do that! This day, we ended up eating at a tourist trap that was overpriced and not particularly good. We were frustrated and sad about that. We did really enjoy the subsequent drive through the Tuscan countryside to see the beauty, which was not originally planned but added because we had extra time.

All in all, we would recommend Rome in Limo, and would use them again in a heartbeat. If we return to Rome, we will try to seek out Rolando and Katherine. If we return to Florence/Pisa, we will request a different driver.

This is all very interesting and informative. We just traded our 2 connecting balcony rooms for a suite this summer for my birthday, and I can't wait! I don't think we have a lot of use for a butler, but we are prepared to tip generously for a small amount of added ease and pampering. My only worry is that it seems like a family of 6 may be more likely to skimp on tips for the butler, and our service may suffer due to that perception.

I am surprised that some don't think the butler and concierge should be tipped at all. I think the butler service would probably be less spotty (as I have seen reviews here varying wildly) if the cruise lines provided a guideline. A butler's job isn't easy and then the return on that hard work in any one cabin could be $10 for the week, or hundreds...or nothing at all! I personally don't mind if they end up with a salary higher than my own, they deserve a nice tip from me for good service to my family and if that adds up, then good for them!

Thank you for the great idea! My kids both have stuffed kitties they have taken on every trip, ever. My daughter, 8, dresses her kitty up for church and sets her up to watch tv and buckles her the car. I am printing passports for both kitties.

My kids started off as infants with a travel bag each, we used beach bag totes and packed a blankie, stuffed animal, toys and snacks. As they grew to toddlerhood, they got to pick some contents of the bag. Then we got kid-size rolling bags at preschool age and they got to pack and tote. We just got larger backpacks to replace the small rolling bags. They will hold a change of clothes, swimsuit, travel pillow, camera, books and toys for the cruise. DD's will contain a wardrobe for her kitty I am sure. DS lets his kitty go au naturale and saves room for toy motorcycles and Pokemon cards.

I don't think it is fair to book a discount rate and then expect the limitations that allow that discount to not apply to you.

I have booked a cruise, and I could have saved a hefty chunk of change by booking a BA guarantee rather than specific cabins. But I need adjoining rooms for my family. So I suck it up and pay for adjoining rooms. Life happens, we all have our needs, but a room discounted because the location is decided by NCL isn't unfair just because their choice wasn't the one you wanted. If you have specific needs, you book a specific room...and pay for the privilege.

In my opinion, you'll be more likely to get this resolved if you own your part in it and drop the indignation. Explain that your understanding was that the difference between BX and BA was that BA guaranteed midship, that is the upgrade you thought you were paying for, and you paid it because of your physical limitations. You now know that it was simply guaranteeing BA or higher anywhere on the ship, but need to know if there's any way NCL can help you out. Fussing at them for doing exactly what they agreed to do is not going to get you cooperation, and you are the one who misunderstood the terms, here.