Private guide Florence, Naples, Venice

[shoebiz]

My wife will be on the Celebrity Solstice in Mid November 2011. Does anyone have information on private guides or small private tour groups 4-6 people for the following cities? (Naples Capri Amalfi coast), (Florence / Pizza), and Venice

 

What are the approximate costs?

 

Thanks,

Shoebiz

[CruiserBruce]

If you read down there are some threads for tours in those areas. For Naples and Florence, here is a link to a company that has only 1200+ positive comments:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=986987

 

Private tours in Venice are less commonly mentioned, but I am sure someone will pop up.

[phillygirl63]

We used yourtourinitaly for Rome and then again for Naples (Sorrento/Positano/Amalfi coast/Pompeii). They were great! Their price for the day (8:00-5:00) was 530E for 6 of us sharing a minivan. If you want to tour Pompeii, then it would be an extra cost of 11E for the entrance fee. YTII can also set up for you to have a private tour guide just for Pompeii for 2 hours at an extra cost of 120E to be shared by all of you. It's optional, but I highly recommend it. We had been to Pompeii before and this time we learned so much more and really understood everything we were looking at. If you wish to have lunch, they will take you to a wonderful restaurant at the top of the mountain overlooking Positano and the coastline. The food is absolutely delicious and the views are to die for. The cost is an extra 25E pp, which includes wine and homemade lemoncello. Don't miss out on this -- it was a real highlight. My mother still raves about it.

 

They offer tours of Florence, but you will have to contact YTII directly about Venice, since we have not had the pleasure of visiting there yet.

 

Have fun planning!

[chipmaster]

For Venice the port and magic is sooo easy to DIY that except for the most mobility impared I think the magic is best experience by walking around, taking a vaporette or a gondolla.

 

For Naples you probably need to decide if you want to do Capri or Amalfi. If you choose Capri than DIY is the suggestion. For Amalfi a private driver is a real plus.

 

For Florence / Pisa private is a great and easy way to do it.

 

Most private charge by the car ~ 500 euros so how much depends on how many people you get. Most cars don't arrange the group and that is up to you to either find them on your rollcalls or make your own.

 

Like the earlier poster said, RIL which we used in 3 ports comes highly recommended and loved by many here :D

 

My wife will be on the Celebrity Solstice in Mid November 2011. Does anyone have information on private guides or small private tour groups 4-6 people for the following cities? (Naples Capri Amalfi coast), (Florence / Pizza), and Venice

 

What are the approximate costs?

 

Thanks,

Shoebiz

[ksps cruise fan]

Are you looking for a licensed guide who will provide an in-depth explanation of the sites you visit? If so, the guides of Context Travel would be a wonderful option since the company offers tours in all of the cities you've asked about.

 

This company has a neat feature: on demand group tours with enough notice. This means that if you want to take a specific tour in a group and the published schedule is not compatible with your day in port, you can ask that your desired tour be added to the calendar. With enough notice, we found that the company was able to schedule one of its guides for all of our preferred dates. Once the tour is on the public calendar, the tour will go even if you are the only ones to have signed up.

 

Bottom line: Context Travel offers fascinating, academically in-depth information presented by people who love their subject matter and love meeting the public.

[hylasgirl]

If you read down there are some threads for tours in those areas. For Naples and Florence, here is a link to a company that has only 1200+ positive comments:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=986987

 

Private tours in Venice are less commonly mentioned, but I am sure someone will pop up.

 

 

We used Romeinlimo along with the other 1200 + people and have nothing but GREAT things to say about them. They are the best touring company I have ever used. They get great ratings here and on the Trip Advisor. You can check them out at romeinlimo. com

 

I have heard less about private guides in Venice and haven't used one myself. But for Livorno, Rome , Naples and several places in Sicily, you cannot go wrong with romeinlimo.

[crmc]

We used Joe Banana Limos in Naples to tour Mount Vesuvius, Pompei, and Sorrento, and we were very happy with them. Our driver, Dominic, was friendly, knowledgeable, and flexible. I think the cost was about 450 euros for our group of 8.

[Cat54]

Rome in Limo in Naples and Florence. Venice on your own.

[dalgirl]

I wanted to put a good word in for AP Tours - we used them in Naples and it was a wonderful day. We also use RIL, but for Naples, AP Tours is wonderful. www.aptours.it

[sunlover757]

Rome in Limo in Naples and Florence. Venice on your own.

 

I second this recommendation, along with so many others on these boards. Rome in Limo is the best. We have used them in Naples (twice), Rome and Florence and they were superb. Their drivers showed us so much more than we could have ever seen on our own and their personalized touches and attentive service can't be beat. We did Venice on our own and loved it.

 

Have a great cruise!

[ZZ]

My wife will be on the Celebrity Solstice in Mid November 2011. Does anyone have information on private guides or small private tour groups 4-6 people for the following cities? (Naples Capri Amalfi coast), (Florence / Pizza), and Venice

 

What are the approximate costs?

 

Thanks,

Shoebiz

 

Just booked similar tours myself. RomeinLimo

Port of Naples Capri and Amalfi Coast is available. I booked Amalfi, Positano and Ravello for 570 Euro for 6 people in minivan. 4 people are 520 Euro in sedan. Pickup at port. 9 hr.

http://www.romeinlimo.com/naples/

 

At same site: http://www.romeinlimo.com/livorno find tour that picks up at port in Livorno, 9 hr. Same rate. Santa Croce, Duomo, Baptistry, Ponte Vecchio, Pitti Palace, Piazza of Michaelangelo, San Gimignano, but can replace the last with Pisa.

 

I'll be posting offerings for these tomorrow, for our Oct 7-19, 2011 cruise, following confirmation of my bookings from RomeinLimo

[futurecruiser2011]

I am cruising on Liberty of the Seas in October 2011 and was checking out shore excursions in France and Italy. On RCL website i did not see any wine tasting in France. Does anyone have any recommendations for France? Also in Italy, we are torn between Tuscany wine tour or pasta making. Does anyone have any recommendations for either of these excursions?

[Softball20]

Last year for Naples we used TourofItaly.com and had a great day. We went to Pompeii for about an hour (our choice not to stay longer as we wanted to get to Amalfi, etc.), and then we went on to Sorrento, and down the Amalfi Coast. There were 12 of us, and I believe it worked out to be 67 euros/person. Entrance to Pompeii was extra. Lunch was also extra, but they took us to this amazing restaurant above Sorrento. The view was fantastic! I was kind of concerned that the food wasn't going to be terrific, but it was very good! The lunch was 25 euros/person, but well worth it as it included wine (lots of it!), pasta, apps, salad, dessert, and limoncello. I'd definitely recommend them.

[cruisinskier]

Another vote for Rome in Limo for both Naples and Florence. We also used them in Rome and had great experiences on all 3 tours. I agree Venice is best to do on your own but expect lots of walking and do lots of research. Make sure you take the Vaporetto (water bus) down the Grand Canal. Also the tour of Doge's Palace in St Mark's Square was a highlight of our trip. Enjoy!

[maidncruze]

Phillygirl63

 

When you did your Naples (Sorrento/Positano/Amalfi coast/Pompeii) tour did you find that you were rushed or did you have enough time to see everything? That is the tour that we would like to take.

Thanks,

Frank

[Softball20]

Phillygirl63

 

When you did your Naples (Sorrento/Positano/Amalfi coast/Pompeii) tour did you find that you were rushed or did you have enough time to see everything? That is the tour that we would like to take.

Thanks,

Frank

 

Their tour sounds just like what we did with TourofItaly.com -- Our lunch was in a great restaurant overlooking Sorrento - great views, food, wine and limoncello.

 

Company notwithstanding, we did not feel too rushed. We only spent an hour at Pompeii, however. That was our choice - we wanted to see it, but none of us wanted to stay too long as we wanted to get on to Amalfi. We were also there on a Sunday in July, so traffic was beyond horrendous getting from Naples to Amalfi. Sunday is a big family beach day, so traffic was terrible. (We are from the DC area - so we have a basis for comparison :) ) They were very good, though, about making sure that we allowed more than enough time to get back to the ship. We did not go into Positano - mostly due to how much time it took to get there and allowing for time to get back -- we did stop around there and get out, take pics, etc.

 

It's a great day trip!

[maidncruze]

Thanks softball.

 

Sounds a lot like what we want to do. Only spend about an hour in Pompeii and spend most of the day driving the Amalfi cosat.

 

Even though we are doing it on the Monday because it is a holiday, I suspect the traffice will be horrible.

 

BTW.....love Hilton Head!

[krugs84]

We took a full day tour with Roberto from Naples to the Amalfi Coast with stops at Poisitano, Amalfi, Ravello and Pontone. Excellent tour, highly recommend it!

 

http://www.amalficoastdestination.com

[Jane96]

Shoebiz,

Are you talking about the Nov.16th sailing?

[TLCOhio]

Hi, Shoebiz! We loved our time on the Solstice last month. We used RomeInLimo for both Tuscany and the Naples area. For the Amalfi Coast, etc., we had a super great experience with our driver-guide Carmine. Below are a few of my visual samples (and evidence) that a "great time was had by all". Ravello was wonderful, plus having a super lunch in a small family dining place above Positano. Love this area of Italy. You can check out the detailed postings on the below-noted live/blog for what we did in this port, plus in other places in Italy. Lots to see on these postings about the Solstice.

 

We had visited Pompeii on our 1999 trip to the area and we wanted to sample Herculaneum on this second visit. Herculaneum was a nearby luxury resort town for the elite of the Roman empire. Pompeii would still probably be the first-choice as its variety and options are more there. Plus, bigger crowds. Herculaneum was nice option to do for our re-visit and it good to be able to see it without battling large numbers of other people.

 

For Tuscany, we did Lucca, Pisa and St. Gimi. Great areas, too. Then there is Venice. If you do some advance reading and research, much there can be done on your own. See this posting for more Venice info. This historic town is one of your key stop. There are many options and visual potentials shown for this city that is so great for "walking around".

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226&highlight=venice

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Just back from a June 7-19 Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc. These postings are now at 22,832 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2011, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 46,969 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

Appreciate those who have “tuned in” for these two posts. Don’t be shy and feel free to comment and/or ask any questions of interest.

 

 

For Ravello overlooking the Gulf of Solerno, this is the view from their main square to its neighboring, hillside village.:

 

 

 

Ravello has many nice ceramics shops with locally-made pieces of many sizes. Here is the owner making a welcoming toast to come in and shop.:

 

 

 

Here is the view of Positano from the east of this spectacular town stacked along the coast.:

 

 

 

Near Positano, this is the super luxury hotel, its gardens and views where the rooms go for about $1200 a night. Costly, but million-dollar sights from each of the rooms.:

 

 

 

We are getting ready to enter Herculaneum's main market area and this is part of the overall view for this section of the town.:

 

 

 

In the interior of the temple or religious area at Herculaneum, here is the large wall graphic.:

 

[elndz]

I used Joe Banana Limos in Naples last month & was extremely pleased. He has shore excursions available in all the ports in Italy. Check his website for details. You won't go wrong.

[RzCruzes]

Have you checked on her sailing date for others on the Solstice ship that may be doing private tours? I am sailing on the 16th and we have tours with openings. Look over there on the sail date. Good Luck.

BTW: I am also a "die-hard" Rome in Limo fan. I have used them for several years and highly recommend them!

 

Rosemarie

[Seabreeze8]

We used Sorrento Silver Star for a private tour of the Amalfi coast including Positano & Ravello. Great to work with and very patient with all my questions. We had a very good guide and driver. No deposit required. Would definitely go with them again.

[DestinSnowWhite]

Is this my friend whom I knew in VA???? I know we can't use names...

[DestinSnowWhite]

And - he gave us a 'wine stop' and post cards....