Rome Tours Question: specifically regarding Private Vatican Guide

[KellJuneBug]

Hello everyone! Myself, my DH, my twin & her DH are taking the August 14th cruise on the Celebrity. We stop in Rome and since none of us have been there before we are trying to decide whether to book with Rome connection or Rome in Limo. My question is not with either company but regarding the Vatican. On the Rome connection website it gives you fee, plus entrance fees and then also recommends paying 150 euros + 20 euros per person for a private Vatican tour. The Rome in Limo does not mention this on their tour. My question: is it worth it in August to get a private Vatican tour for 4 people? How much time/effort does it save?

 

Thank you in advance!

[mozfoz]

We recently returned from our trip and used Limo in Rome for our tour of Rome and the Vatican. Through them, we hired private guide for the Vatican for our family of 5. While it was not cheap, at about $150, it was money well spent. That price was in addition to our pre-bought tickets. The guide sped us through the lines and security. The time we saved, plus the insight as to what we were seeing made the cost w smart expense. Using a guide is not cheap, but it is well worth the knowlege and interest that they provide. The tour company http://limoinrome.com did offer this service as an option.

[baggal]

We were in Rome this past June and used romeinlimo.com for the entire day, including a private guide for the Vatican that they arranged. Let me say this: the Vatican was so crowded, as crowded as any rush hour NYC subway that I've ever been on, that it would have been worthless to go in without a guide.

 

Because we were 8 people, the cost for a Vatican guide was not quite so prohibitive using romeinlimo. I would suggest that you go to your cruise's roll call and see if you can find 4 more people to join you for the day in Rome. Or, see if other people are looking for people to join them.

[llkoolj40]

We used Romelimotours and it was 600Euros for 8 people including the private guide for the Vatican. He got us to the front of the line to buy the netrance tickets and his knowledge was well worth it.

[D4]

Hello everyone! Myself, my DH, my twin & her DH are taking the August 14th cruise on the Celebrity. We stop in Rome and since none of us have been there before we are trying to decide whether to book with Rome connection or Rome in Limo. My question is not with either company but regarding the Vatican. On the Rome connection website it gives you fee, plus entrance fees and then also recommends paying 150 euros + 20 euros per person for a private Vatican tour. The Rome in Limo does not mention this on their tour. My question: is it worth it in August to get a private Vatican tour for 4 people? How much time/effort does it save?

 

Thank you in advance!

 

I'd say it depends on what your group wants out of the Vatican museum visit. Some people want to go through quickly because all they really want to see is the Sistine Chapel. Others want to go slow and be told about everything they are seeing.

 

If you don't want a tour, you could email RomeInLimo and ask if they will get you tickets in advance (without a tour.) If they won't you could tell them you want to purchase your tickets online in advance and ask them what time would be best.

[D4]

...Let me say this: the Vatican was so crowded, as crowded as any rush hour NYC subway that I've ever been on, that it would have been worthless to go in without a guide ...

 

Wow, that would be miserable! We toured the Vatican Museums in early May and we had most of it to ourselves. I have lots of pictures of us in the LONG hallways and there is not another soul around (except for the people that work there.) We really didn't see many people until the Raphael rooms and the Sistine Chapel.

 

DH has mobility problems, so we'd walk about 15 minutes and then would to sit and rest. It would have been very hard for him if it was crowded.