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Italy Tours.EU? Help please


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  • 2 weeks later...

We used italytours.eu this week from Livorno (Pisa & Florence) and Salerno (Pompeii, Sorrento & The Amalfi Coast). No complaints.

 

The tour included a guide for a 2 hour walking tour in Florence and we also had a private guide for Pompeii. Our Pompeii guides name was Sabina and she is the best guide I have had anywhere in the world.

 

 

~ Vicki ~

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  • 1 month later...

I used ItalyTours.eu for a tour in Florence/Pisa and again in Rome. I enjoyed the smaller more personal nature of the tour (8 people vs. 60 in a tour bus). Our driver in Florence/Pisa, Elizabetta, was so lively and fun and she made the trip so much more enjoyable.

 

On both excursions, the drivers met us outside of the ship and the predetermined time and took us to great photo stops until they met us up with our tour guides. The guides were very knowledgeable and friendly and took us where we needed to be and allowed us to also have free time on our own.

 

The company was very professional with the booking process and kept us informed of where and what time to meet. They knew exactly when the ship was leaving the port and got us back to the boat with plenty of time to spare.

 

I used the cruise's excursions for the other ports, but would've gladly booked with ItalyTours had they been available. It was a more economical and personal experience.

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We booked our tours in Rome and Marseille through ItalyTours.eu. Our Rome tour was wonderful - we had our family of four and a couple from Ohio with us. Our driver/guide was very professional and knowledgeable and made sure we saw all of the major attractions. Our Colosseum and Vatican tours were pre-booked for us. At the Vatican we were paired up with another 6-person group to tour with a guide who have good expertise with the Vatican. The Vatican was our last stop, and our driver had us back to the ship well before sailing time.

 

Likewise, Marseille was an excellent tour. This tour was provided by Provence Connection; ItalyTours.eu was the booking agent. Our family of four and another family of four from Toronto. We did a tour in Provence - Avignon, St. Remy, Les Baux and Arles. Our driver, Chris, was excellent and helped translate for us when we stopped for lunch in St Remy.

 

In all, we were very happy with the tours provided. I wish now that we had booked Florence and Pisa with them; as it was, we took the ship's transportation-only excursion. We didn't have advance tickets, so we did not see the Accademia or the inside of the Duomo. I think we would have enjoyed our tour better with a smaller group. We have done a number of independent tours over the years, and these tours certainly rate well with us.

 

If you'd like to see what we did, I have a review on the Carnival board at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2393355.

Edited by nybumpkin
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  • 2 weeks later...

We used Italytours.eu for 2 different excursions while in Italy in June. We had the best experience.

From booking, with Oscar, to the guides meeting us at the pier, the information and knowledge of the guides, the friendliness and kindness of the guides. We did Best of Rome and Best of Florence and Pisa.

I am sorry to say I do not remember the guides name in Rome, but he was very informative.

Elizabetta in Florence was absolutely wonderful. She has a wonderful sense of humor and very enjoyable to spend the day with.

We had no problems and would surely use ItalyTours.EU again when we return to Italy

I highly recommend them

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Can anybody you please tell me about what time you arrived at Vatican City/St. Peter's Square from the cruise ship pickup.

I'm also booked with ItalyTour.EU group and am very interested in at least seeing a glimpse of the POPE during his 10:30 am Papal Audience. Thank you. I asked Oscar but he said he could not estimate a time of arrival at The Vatican. I found this odd as they do these tours daily. Thanks in advance.

Edited by suzycruise
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Can anybody you please tell me about what time you arrived at Vatican City/St. Peter's Square from the cruise ship pickup.

I'm also booked with ItalyTour.EU group and am very interested in at least seeing a glimpse of the POPE during his 10:30 am Papal Audience. Thank you. I asked Oscar but he said he could not estimate a time of arrival at The Vatican. I found this odd as they do these tours daily. Thanks in advance.

The Vatican was our last stop, after lunch, on the "Best of Rome" tour. We were there on a Tuesday, though, so no opportunity to see the Pope.
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I would use them again but I am not as rich in my praise as others.

 

1-I did find that the communication was prompt but it was not always perfect. There was the need to clarify and re-clarify things at times about some details. This wasn't my experience with other tour companies.

2-I wasn't sure if Oscar was one person or a group of people who were monitoring the email account. I had that feeling because of the email threads often involving some re-statement of things.

3-The guides were great although for people with hearing difficulties they had commented they would appreciate a microphone as some of the guides had soft voices. This wasn't an issue for me but those sitting at the very back and/or hard of hearing did make that known.

4-ALl of the guides had a good spirit, a real knowledge of Italy and brought real presence and character to it.

5-We didn't get time for lunch in Rome and I honestly don't even know how that could be done!!!

 

We also used Italy private tours and had a wonderful experience with them although they expect you to co-ordinate your own tickets which I found inconvenient.

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There were 10 of us traveling together on the Royal Princess in Italy and Greece. I had arranged private tours with Italy Tours EU in both our stops in Naples and Messina. We really had very good tour guides in both ports. Also, it is worth mentioning because I feel they never get enough credit, the drivers of our private vans were amazing too. The roads in Italy are so narrow and crowded and our drivers were able to maneuver around traffic and buses so well.

The tours in Pompeii and Sorrento as well as Etna & Taormina were both very enjoyable. The timing was excellent in that we, in most cases, were able to get away from the port prior to the big buses and beat most of the others from the ship to the major sights. We had great tour guides especially Dianne in Messina to Etna. There were 10 of us and everyone did enjoy the time with the guides as they both gave us a great deal of information. In addition, the vans were comfortable and very adequate for all of us. The guides were all on time and got us back to the ship in plenty of time for our departure.

Really loved Naples and Messina; only wish we had more time in each port.

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Italytours is excellent!

We had a tour from La Spezia to Pompeï where we had a licensed guide for 2 hours. Gino did a great job, explained and showed us everything and we also skipped the long waiting lines.

On our way to Sorrento we visited the Limoncello factory which was great and we were very pleased with that extra stop.

Sorrento was great, Amalficoast was beautiful and Positano was for tourists, but nice also.

We were a small group of 7, combined trough Italytours and it worked fine.

The guide/driver was very good and a safe driver and the car was almost new.

The tour was almost two hours longer than planned but the driver took all the time to show and explain everything.

We absolutely can recommend Italytours.eu and next time when we're in Italy we'll book them immediately.

Thank you Italytours for the wonderful tour!

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Our group of 10 used this company for all three of our Italy ports. They were less than half the price of the ship tours and we were able to accomplish so much more! The skip the line tickets were included in our negotiated price. The van to Rome had free wi-fi, which was a real treat for the long ride. All of the guides were informed and passionate about their jobs and country. I would not hesitate to use them again!

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  • 3 months later...

Thanks all for this info - I've been checking out lots of tour companies and very few seem to price by the person for a shared small group tour. This one seems perfect for our needs, and by reading your reviews, this company was pointed out to me. I've just booked them for Marseille - very good contact so far :)

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Thanks all for this info - I've been checking out lots of tour companies and very few seem to price by the person for a shared small group tour. This one seems perfect for our needs, and by reading your reviews, this company was pointed out to me. I've just booked them for Marseille - very good contact so far :)

 

We had an excellent experience and next time we'll go with them again.

We hope you will have the same experience, we're certain you will.

Enjoy your tour,

Jeannette.

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  • 2 weeks later...

We booked tours in Marseille, Naples, Rome, and Florence with ItalyTours.eu on our 11 day Norwegian Mediterranean cruise. Our stop in Marseille was cancelled due to weather and we were quickly refunded after a short email. The other 3 tours went off without a hitch. 2 of the tours we were in a smaller minivan. The 3rd was in a small bus with maybe 20 people max capacity? In each case we were picked up an dropped off at the port. My wife and I especially enjoyed the smaller groups. It was easier to ask questions, easier to hear the tour guide, far more social, and you get better views of what they're talking about. The smaller vans also easily fit the small Italy streets. The guides were excellent and the price was much lower than Norwegian's price.

 

I would absolutely recommend these guys for anyone visiting Italy. I suggest you visit your roll call section and spread the tours so they book quickly and you end up with the same cruisers on each tour.

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Just got back from cruise and we used ItalyTours.eu for Florence/Pisa, Rome and Amalfi Coast tours. The Florence/Pisa tour was average. The guide was knowledgeable but talked too fast and too much. The flow of the tour wasted alot of precious time. The van was very comfortable.

 

The Rome tour was a disaster. We were met at the pier and put into mini-vans holding 7 passengers, driven a couple of minutes then transferred to a mini-van that crammed 14 people. I sat directly behind the driver and had so little leg room that my knees were smashed into the back of the driver's seat. No room to move my feet as there was a box under the driver's seat...and I am not tall (5'4"). We sat like that for HOURS and it was not pleasant. When we arrived in Rome, we were taken to the Vatican where the guide took us outside (it was 50, overcast and windy) and talked about the details of what we were going to see for in excess of 20 minutes while we stood around getting cold. After the Vatican we went to the Colliseum. Only 2 of the 14 people purchased the passes to go inside the Colliseum so the rest of us had to wait around for more than an hour while they toured inside the Colliseum. My husband and I were told we had five minutes to finish our lunch that had just been placed in front of us so we hurried along only to find out that there was no rush since we had nothing to do but wait for the Colliseum tour to be completed. We did not get to see at least 2 of the sites listed in ItalyTours.eu's itinerary.

 

 

The Amalfi Coast tour was ok, the guide was pleasant and provided enough time in each location. The van was comfortable. The only problem with this tour was the guide spoke so softly that unless you sat in the front row with him in the van, you could not hear him. He was asked to speak up but did not.

 

 

I contacted ItalyTours to let them know of our experience and received a reply stating that they would offer a gesture of a free tour the next time we were in Italy providing we did not post anything negative about the tour. REALLY?? I guess you can't buy my silence because I want to see HONEST reviews, not ones bought by the tour company. Keep that in mind when you read reviews. I am not suggesting that ItalyTours does not have some good tours. But our experience was one that was truly disappointing and one that I can assure you we will not repeat. Vacation time is too precious to risk it on a tour company that can't be relied on to deliver what was promised.

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  • 2 weeks later...
We booked our tours in Rome and Marseille through ItalyTours.eu. Our Rome tour was wonderful - we had our family of four and a couple from Ohio with us. Our driver/guide was very professional and knowledgeable and made sure we saw all of the major attractions. Our Colosseum and Vatican tours were pre-booked for us. At the Vatican we were paired up with another 6-person group to tour with a guide who have good expertise with the Vatican. The Vatican was our last stop, and our driver had us back to the ship well before sailing time.

 

Likewise, Marseille was an excellent tour. This tour was provided by Provence Connection; ItalyTours.eu was the booking agent. Our family of four and another family of four from Toronto. We did a tour in Provence - Avignon, St. Remy, Les Baux and Arles. Our driver, Chris, was excellent and helped translate for us when we stopped for lunch in St Remy.

 

In all, we were very happy with the tours provided. I wish now that we had booked Florence and Pisa with them; as it was, we took the ship's transportation-only excursion. We didn't have advance tickets, so we did not see the Accademia or the inside of the Duomo. I think we would have enjoyed our tour better with a smaller group. We have done a number of independent tours over the years, and these tours certainly rate well with us.

 

If you'd like to see what we did, I have a review on the Carnival board at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2393355.

 

 

Thanks for sharing your link.

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Rome in a day!! We were so happy we chose Italy tours for our semi-private tour in Rome. They were at the cruise ship early and waiting for us..right off the boat. We didn't have to ride the shuttle out of the port to find them. Nice van and driver wore a microphone so we could all hear him. Alessandro was very knowledgeable and prompt. Drop off at each site and pick ups were front door service. Our guide at the Vatican was Amazing and passionate about what he did. Our driver found us a great lunch spot. But we saw it ALL! With only one day in Rome and a 1.5 hour commute from ship to the city, we couldn't have done it without Italy Tours! I can't say enough good. Communication for booking and details was prompt and very helpful. Book this company.

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We booked our tours in Rome and Marseille through ItalyTours.eu. Our Rome tour was wonderful - we had our family of four and a couple from Ohio with us. Our driver/guide was very professional and knowledgeable and made sure we saw all of the major attractions. Our Colosseum and Vatican tours were pre-booked for us. At the Vatican we were paired up with another 6-person group to tour with a guide who have good expertise with the Vatican. The Vatican was our last stop, and our driver had us back to the ship well before sailing time.

 

Likewise, Marseille was an excellent tour. This tour was provided by Provence Connection; ItalyTours.eu was the booking agent. Our family of four and another family of four from Toronto. We did a tour in Provence - Avignon, St. Remy, Les Baux and Arles. Our driver, Chris, was excellent and helped translate for us when we stopped for lunch in St Remy.

 

In all, we were very happy with the tours provided. I wish now that we had booked Florence and Pisa with them; as it was, we took the ship's transportation-only excursion. We didn't have advance tickets, so we did not see the Accademia or the inside of the Duomo. I think we would have enjoyed our tour better with a smaller group. We have done a number of independent tours over the years, and these tours certainly rate well with us.

 

If you'd like to see what we did, I have a review on the Carnival board at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2393355.

 

 

Kathy,

 

Thank you so much for your review. It sealed the deal for me. We booked three tours in Italy with this company. Cristina is so very nice. I am a New York transplant.

 

Linda

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Kathy,

 

Thank you so much for your review. It sealed the deal for me. We booked three tours in Italy with this company. Cristina is so very nice. I am a New York transplant.

 

Linda

Linda, I hope you have a wonderful cruise!
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I recently booked 4 small group day excursions with ItalyTours.Eu from cruise ports in Marseilles, Livorno, Messina, and Naples. These tours were the BEST I have taken. Reserving and payment was easy. Correspondance leading up to the dates was prompt and clear. Each tour guide was smart, personable, so very knowledgable about their route, accommoating and very considerate of group requests for stops, or special interests. The daily schedules included more than you would thing you could cover, but never seemed rushed. We were all happy with every trip. Pick up and drop off at the ship was always on time with no worries. Unfortunately, our ship was not able to dock at Marseilles due to bad weather. As promised, a refund was given quickly with no problem. For future travel in Italy or France, I will surely use them again.

Ellen

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