DameAtSeaII

Our group of 6 had a wonderful time at Victor's playing with the Monkeys on January 12th (MY birthday)! The birds are quite beautiful. I will say that many complain of "caged" animals, but it is quite evident that these animals are well cared for!

The afternoon at Banarama was pleasant ... only one of our party bobbed in the beautiful water, however, the rest of us enjoyed the shade of the tables and the awesome food and liquid refreshments. ;)

I would do this tour again just for the fun of the time with the Monkey's and the great food. I live in Florida, so beautiful beaches are available to me everywhere I turn.

Thanks for a fun day on the Victor Bodden Fun n Sun Tour.

Pat Wood

Cop Chef, Stefano's Romecabs takes you right to the entrance of port building where you check in and board. It is definitely "door to door" service. :)

Enjoy your TA and your experience on Celebrity and the worry-free drive from Rome to Civitavecchia!

Appreciate all the info on Rome Cabs.

We have booked two services (airport to hotel and hotel to port) and received an email after booking, asking to confirm. We immediately did so.

We have not yet been asked to provide our credit card number to guarantee services. I thought that was a requirement. Should I be contacting Rome Cabs or not?

 

Thanks,

 

Marion

Marion, in the past it has always been pay in cash on the day of service. However, that may have changed. So it is best to send them a quick email inquiring. :):):)

They did, and I've already reserved it![emoji1] We're going to take the "scenic route" to the port, leaving Rome at 10:00 and arriving in Civitavecchia between 12:30 and 1:00. We're going to do photo stops at Bracciano Lake and in the town of Ceri, but not tour the castle or stop for lunch.

 

I'm really glad you posted your experience. Our cruise isn't until April, but I'm booking and paying for things in advance to take advantage of the exchange rate (and to spread out the costs). When I reserved Rome Cabs this wasn't available, and I was wondering if there was anything worth seeing between Rome and the ship. Question answered!

 

 

Cindy

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Cindy, you will leave Rome with a few extra special memories! I hope you will share your experience after your cruise in the Spring!

I sent them an e-mail requesting information. Unfortunately, I don't want to leave at 9:00 (I'm in an apartment with a washer and dryer so I have a job to do that morning!:D).I'd love to see some of those sights, so I asked if they would do a shorter "scenic drive" to the port with some photo stops, but without the time needed to tour the castle or stop for lunch.

Hopefully, they can tailor something to your needs. Knowing them, I suspect they will and that you will have a wonderful experience ... even if it must be shorter. :)

I'm glad you posted that! I already have our transfer from Rome to the port booked, but I may look into switching it to the countryside tour. That sounds like a lot of fun!

 

 

Cindy

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Cindy, you won't be sorry! It's a great tour! Also, check into other ports/tours on their website. Stefano goes to great detail to make all of the tour experiences unique and very special. I can't say enough great things about Romecabs ... They bring Italy ALIVE!

Come back here when you return to let me know what you thought!

Bon Voyage,

Pat

We just used Romecabs for their VIP transfer from FCO to our hotel and the Rome countryside tour to get from our hotel in Rome to the port.

In both cases, drivers were early, professional, and highly informative.

The VIP transfer was a great intro to the sights of Rome and our driver took us to a few places we would not have thought to visit.The countryside tour took us to the town of Ceri, a medieval town not to be missed (see Dame at Sea's review), among a few other places.

Arrived at port between 1 and 2 PM

Will definitely use Romecabs again and HIGHLY recommend them

I am so happy that you had a great experience with Romecabs! And it makes me feel great that you valued my review, too! I'm sure you will be a repeat client, as are we! Next time, try Astia Antic and also remember that now have tours in some of the other Italian ports ... some great ones throughout Tuscany! Thank you for taking the time to give them a shout out!

Pat

I see there are two different websites for Your Lucky Tour(s)… one with an "s" on the end of the word "tour" the other without. Any advice on which one is legit?

WITHOUT the "s" is the real one. I read somewhere that Eduardo had an imposter that tried to ruin his business. The owl face site has the REAL one!!!

Thank you for that! I contacted Eduardo through his website and he called me immediately. Based on our interests, he has put together a tour that will include a hike through the Cahuita National Park followed by a stop at the jaguar sanctuary. We are really looking forward to it. I was so impressed by his customer service.

That's great. I was also impressed with his customer service. I'm sure we will both have a great day on our different tours. Enjoy and thanks for letting me know.

Hi Pat - We are also on the Pride; in Limon on January 10th. Is that the same sailing as you? If so, what tour have you booked w/ Your Lucky Tour? We're hoping to do the Cahuita National Park (and the sloth sanctuary, if time permits). I've just emailed Eduardo now, so will see what he has to say.

Yes, we are on the same sailing. We booked the Canals Tour w/City tour, Playa Bonita to see the beach, eat if we want, get something to wet our whistles. Our group has some mobility issues and just couldn't trek into the Rainforest, so we wanted just the Canals. It was perfect for us. Eduardo was very friendly and prompt!

I hope he has something that you want. I don't get anything out of it, but tell him he saw my post on CC.

Eduardo Humphreys, Tour Operator, Your Lucky Tour, Puerto Limon, Costa Rica is active. I have just booked with him for January 2017 when in port on the Carnival Pride.

His website is http://yourluckytour. com/ (don't forget to move the com back to the dot). Eduardo has be quick to reply to me by both email and 2 phone calls the past 2 days, so I was very impressed.

There is a Miami phone # on his website (321) 338-8720 . There is no greeting, but I left a message anyway and he called me back a couple of hours later.

YES, Eduardo Humphreys, Tour Operator, Your Lucky Tour, Puerto Limon, Costa Rica is active. I have just booked with him for January 2017 when in port on the Carnival Pride.

His website is http://yourluckytour. com/ (don't forget to move the com back to the dot). Eduardo has be quick to reply to me by both email and 2 phone calls the past 2 days, so I was very impressed.

There is a Miami phone # on his website (321) 338-8720 . There is no greeting, but I left a message anyway and he called me back a couple of hours later.

I especially loved going inside the Etruscan tombs

 

He is so smart.

 

I have a fun Stefano story....after our 2008 ccl Med cruise we went directly to the airport upon debark ....what was I thinking!!!! Back to Rome it should have been lol!! But I digress

 

Ok so we are off the ship promptly and it was very very busy....so I casually and calmly say to dh...where is Stefano? I don't see anyone with a sign with our name?

 

Well that's all I had to say and 3 or 4 limo drivers...none of whom worked for Stefano...said you are looking for Stefano? They called out for him...they waved him over...they made sure we found him!! Btw he was actually close by but we didn't see him due to typical Italian confusion which I love btw...as he certainly was "working the dock" that morning on his cell....checking on his drivers...getting his pax in the limos...etc etc.

 

The man is a legend in Rome and it's well deserved

 

Btw there was a bit of a traffic snafu on the Italian roads that morning...nothing new there...but Stefano was on the case...knew about it....and was making sure his drivers were taking alternate routes.

 

The man is incredible

We did not do the Etruscan Tombs which is sometimes is part of what we did do. One of our traveling companions is claustrophobic, so that was out!

LOVE the story about your pick up .... YES, he is a legend ... well deserved, as you said. And an incredible human being ... with a head full of KNOWLEDGE, not ego!!!

Oh lucky you to be seeing Stefano again!!!

 

He did our Etruscan/lake bracciano/Ceri/ceveteri day tour in 2012.

 

He never ceases to amaze[emoji106]

Luvtheships, we too, have done this same tour. In fact, I just posted about it on MYDREAMVACATION'S post # 124 .... It's all about that tour and and our 3 days in Rome with Stefano on our last trip! Which was also in 2012. There have been some health and financial issues that have kept us away since then, but we hope to see him again in the near future.

Well I am getting the pleasure of the big guy himself as well in a few weeks!

 

It is our 25th anniversary and he has something special planned for us. I don't know where I am going except that I have not done this tour before - no one has.

I am going to be the "inaugural" of his brand new tour, it is to be a spin off of one of his signature tours that he created based on his own interests but I don't know which one or where lol.

I keep going back to the website looking at tours trying to figure out what I will be doing. All he will let on is that it will be romantic and very special and a nice contrast from the rest of my trip.

I will be away until August as we are to Sicily and then Paris after my Globus tour but I will pop back in and le you know about my special day. The suspense is going to drive me crazy!

So, have you been able to figure out just what your surprise is??? Knowing Stefano, he is going to play it close to his chest ... he's a kid at heart and loves to surprise his clients/friends. I say friends, because that is what we become!!! Allow me to hijack your post to share with you our last trip to Rome and 3 days of memories made with Stefano. It's long, but I want to share how truly special he and his company is. So here goes.

One REMINDER .... it's RomeCabs with an "S" .... there are copycats who try to use his good name and then deliver an inferior product, if they even show up at all.

Where to start? This may get a little long, but bear with me. On our last trip to Rome, having our first cups of cappuccino/espresso at Tazza D’Oro a voice behind me said, “Ciao, buongiorno”! It was just before 8 a.m., our agreed time for pickup, that Stefano of RomeCabs.com/StefanoRomeTours.com greeted us. What a way to start the day. We have used his services before when in Rome and would not think of looking elsewhere. It’s nice to know you can rely on someone like him or anyone in his company to fulfill bookings and plans on time when so far from home.

We had been traveling throughout Italy for 15 days by train and a rental van. Stefano had cautioned us NOT to drive in Rome, which is good advice. I won’t complain again about our Florida drivers….well, until the next time I encounter one who drives like the average Roman…..WHERE they WANT! I might add here that our experience has been complete comfort and confidence in the driving skills of Stefano and his drivers. He has great standards! Stefano had one of his drivers pick us up at the Hilton Airport Hotel – Fiumicino Airport. We had driven in from Tuscany, arriving about 45 minutes ahead of schedule. There was smiling Sergio waiting for us with our name in the windshield of his van. He quickly led us to the Hertz parking garage where we were to turn in our van. We would NOT have found this on our own.

Sergio transferred all of our bags into his van and we were off to the Pantheon area where we had rented an apartment for 3 nights. We are a group of 5 ….. 2 couples from Florida (1-mid 50s the other 66/83) and an Aussie who joined us to celebrate his 50th birthday. Along the way, Sergio pointed out various points of interest and expertly made his way to the apartment where we quickly exited the van and grabbed our bags before we were stoned by the drivers being held up behind us. The alleys in Rome are very narrow….as they are in most ancient cities across Europe. But, hey, that’s why we love it!

Now back to Saturday and our “Day with Stefano” as we had been calling it for the two years of careful planning. Since this is a return trip to Rome for all of us, 2 times, 3 times and 4 times for the Aussie, we decided on a full day tour outside of Rome. Four years ago, Stefano had given our first timers (and all of us) a venue-packed day in his beautiful history rich city. We visited all of the places of major importance and he even threw in some surprises, places he loves to share that became huge highlights for us.

Before heading outside of the old Roman walls, we were allowed time to wander the Saturday, Campo De’ Fiori market that we had missed last time. This is not officially a part of this tour, but was our special request. Stefano will customize any of his tours to your wants and need. The baker in the group was like a kid in a candy store at the bakery. We ALL bought cookies and pastries….oops, crumbs in the van…sorry Stefano. You need a little dog to catch those crumbs .... a Chihuahua maybe ;)! The flowers, fruits and veggies, spices, olive oils were all amazing. The zucchini squash blossoms were also amazing. The one thing we missed on this trip was sampling the deep fried blossoms……a good reason to come back!

Now we were off to Ostia Antica, then lunch in Ceri before touring the Odescalchi Castle on the shores of Lake Bracciano. We arrived first at the very well preserved ruins of the ancient city of Ostia Antica. The restoration and preservation of the many floor mosaics are amazing. I have been to both Pompeii and Herculaneum in Naples was pleased to visit this location, as well. This differs in the sense that it was not destroyed by a natural disaster (volcano), but by abandonment and the ravages of time. Stefano is an enthusiastic fountain of knowledge of all things Roman … born and raised in the city. We saw shops, homes, apartments, business centers, barracks for firemen/police, Roman baths and yes, even communal latrines (I just don’t know if I could ‘go’ for those…..a girl likes her privacy!) and the theatre that is still used as a venue today. Stefano knew that one in our group was a baker by profession and made sure that he took him over to the bakery. I bet he could almost smell the ancient aromas. There is plenty of detailed information on the two websites about all of our days plans: RomeCabs.com/StefanoRomeTours.com We were told that their new websites had launched after we left home heading to Italy. I just saw them for the first time today……looking good! This venue is easily accessible on foot……any wheeled device might be problematic. There are some steps, but not necessary for full enjoyment. The area is mostly flat and if you stick to the sides, as we were guided (thank you, Stefano), it’s an easy tour and very rewarding.

A scenic drive to Ceri brought us to the top of a hill in a “one stop light town’’. The roadway into Ceri winds up on a very narrow road with sharp turns against the walls. Only one vehicle can pass at a time. Thus the one stop light that reverses the traffic pattern. We were in Stefano’s very comfy, large 9-10 passenger (I think….counting seats in my mind’s eye) van…..a VERY tight squeeze against the walls of this hill town. Folding of the side mirrors was very necessary. I’d say he has done this a time or two. I don’t want to identify the restaurant because I am not sure if some days there is a change and tours go elsewhere. However, I will say from this and past experience, Stefano only chooses the best places with great food, moderate prices and friendly people. He does not take you to “Cousin Luigi’s” roadside shack. The atmosphere and food is always top notch. Artichokes are in season…..oh, the ravioli!!! We ordered a sampler of 3 different pastas and some other dishes…..antipasti all around….YUM! A few secondi(s) were also ordered …….yummy lamb chops for ME! The panoramic view of the valley and rolling hills of this region from the trattoria was fabulous. We actually had Stefano and his videographer, Simone join us for lunch so that we could continuing chatting. He helped with the ordering. Two of us read Italian fairly well…at least menus but, his assistance helped make the process go easier for the staff.

After ordering and consuming way too much food….really good food from Mama in the kitchen, it was time to move on. But before we hopped in the van, Stefano wanted us to see the little church in town, Santuario Maddona di Ceri. It is said that those with afflictions who prayed to Mother Mary were shown mercy and healed. The walls of a small side chapel are covered with tributes and photos of many of those who have been healed.

Though we had 4 cameras taking our own shots, we used the services of the RomeCab’s videographer, Simone (a dear!!!) who produces the great tour videos on the website and thought it would be fun to have a video of US on our tour. It was a little hard to forget that we were being filmed, but I am sure there will be some clever editing. It was not intrusive, I was just chatty. The view from the top of the castle on film alone will be treasured.

Off we go to Lake Bracciano to the Odescalchi Castle. The one remaining member of the family still lives in part of the castle. As an anecdote, this castle was the site of the marriage of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes (NOT why we went). A legend is also associated with this castle……the wife had many affairs and when she was done with her man of the evening, she dropped him through a trap door. Hmmm…… I will say that it is a very interesting place to hold a wedding. The view from the top just takes ones breath away. It overlooks beautiful Lake Bracciano …. a popular place for Romans to come on the weekends to swim and relax without going to the crowded coastal beaches. There was no English speaking tour this day, but Stefano went along with us to translate what the docent was saying…..in his own colorful manor.

There is no elevator, of course, so climbing stairs is a must. It was not a fun climb for these aching bones, but when I saw that view, I decided that I could now die happy!!! Remember, we have been traipsing though Italy and our get up and go is GONE. I am really glad that we passed on the wine at lunch. We were already heading for a carb coma as it was. It’s really not that bad, but it you have mobility issues, you might want to skip a castle and choose something else. I believe that Stefano will tailor a tour just for you, within reason…..always something else to see nearby. I took a bad fall in the shower last fall that made some things difficult, but not impossible for me. If there is a will, most likely there is a way. My attitude is, if I go out, I go out doing something that I enjoy and that makes me happy……can’t ask for a better exit. However, I survived to tour again! Stefano was always there to lend a supporting hand or arm to a couple of us. A more considerate driver/guide could not be found!

Now it was time to end our full day tour and head back to Rome and its traffic. It had been a lovely day in the countryside. But, we were not done yet…..Stefano knew of our love of gelato, so he took us to one of his favorites. I have no clue where we were or the name of the place, but there were a lot of local neighborhood people sitting out front …. very tasty gelato.

We had one more day on our own before heading back home to Florida and the heat. Well, we were not quite alone …. Simone, wanted to join us and share some of her favorite places with us. It was a wonderful day of feeling like a Roman. After walking for MILES we decided to have dinner at La Capricciosa where Stefano had taken us for lunch 4 yrs. ago. We had been dreaming of their Carbonara ….. OMGosh, perfection! It was every bit as good as we remembered. After dinner it was back to the apartment to pack to be ready for our early RomeCabs transfer to the airport for our looooooong flight home.

Stefano himself showed up right on time at an ungodly 6:45 A.M. to load us up. How is that for luck? Twice now, he has surprised us with transfers to the port or airport. Not everyone can be so fortunate, he is a busy man. We were glad to have the opportunity to spend some more time with him and thank him for a wonderful day…..and more goodbye hugs. Even Simone rode along to see us safely on our way. We threw our coins in the Trevi fountain the day before, so if we are lucky enough to get back to Rome…….we know who to call, yet again!

If you want to spend a day in or out of Rome or any of the other cities that they service, you can rely on Rome Cabs to take good care of you in a friendly, informative, professional manner. There is no ‘canned script’, you will ride in comfort and safety and feel free to ask them to stop if something peaks your interest or you see a great photo op. And you will always know that you have friends in Rome. We have used the services of Rome Cabs on all of our trips to Rome …. We have had port transfers, an all day tour of all of the best sights in Rome, with a few of Stefano’s surprises thrown in the mix. We also availed ourselves of his services for the Vatican Museum … a real plus, we got to cut in line!

Feel free to message me if you have any specific questions…..I am more than happy to share my great experiences. I am looking forward to our next trip to Italy, since there are now great tours that he has created added to the menu!

And P.S. MYDREAMVACTION, I can't wait to hear about your surprise!!!

There was a bad review over on TA from a guy who had used the WRONG company....Not Stefano's RomeCabS. I notice that he has now realized his mistake and has pulled that bad review and posted it with the name of the imposter company.....the one that deserved the bad review. He had a REALLY bad experience with them. If you are interested go here:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187791-i22-k4757747-Car_Service_Alert-Rome_Lazio.html#35493995

Maybe it is good that these discussions come up every once in a while to remind people that there IS a difference.

Happy Sailing.......I'm in drydock right now......no cruises on the horizon.....just my 19 day LAND trip to Italy in April......YAY!!! Pat

The REAL RomeCabS, owned by Stefano Costantini is the one WITH the "S" at the end. He is the ORIGINAL and REAL RomeCabs that has gained such a great reputation here and on TripAdvisor. Here are his contact addresses always answered by him or his office assistant Antonella:

Email

info@romecabs.com

Website

http://www.romecabs.com/

http://www.stefanorometours.com/

I am not only a client of Stefano/RomeCabs, but also a friend. Since first meeting him on our wonderful day in Rome, we have kept in touch. Stefano has been plagued by the copy-cat companies. Don't be fooled by these imposters. After my review on TripAdvisor, it was pulled because they thought it was a fake review. Talk about MAD.....I contacted the powers that be at TA, but they would not discuss it with me. I had spent a couple of hours writing it and was really angry when that happened. I don't post a lot, but I can't stand by and not speak up. If you have any questions, I will be more than glad to have you email me at dameatsea13@aol.com or a PM here.....LOL.....does CC uses private messages? See, I don't post much.

I am looking forward to seeing Stefano again in April when my small group of traveling companions will tour Ostia Antico, outside of Rome with him. We will have the all day tour and 2 transfers.

As far as the safe driving/speed issues.......we never felt anything but comfortable with Stefano or his drivers at the wheel. TRUE PROS!!!!

I'll even sign this with my real name.......Pat Wood.

From their website:

VENICEcard is YOUR DISCOUNT TICKET TO THE CITY'S MAJOR TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

VENICEcard Senior for cardholders 30 years and over

VENICEcard Junior for cardholders up to 29 years old

http://www.venicecard.com/VC_blu_eng.jsp