RomeInLimo questions

[4774Papa]

Buying Euros in the US is a bad idea. You get a much better exchange rate from ATMs. All major European airports have ATMs that are easy to find and easy to use.

 

In my opinion, carrying thousands of dollars or euros around on a trip is not recommended. Even if you take precautions, having to worry about all that cash, even in a money belt is a huge negative. Also, even if you have hundreds, 6000 is quite a roll!

[Mnkmay]

We have only wonderful things to say about Rome In Limo. Our driver, Franco, was waiting for us at port even after our ship was 3 hours late! He immediately took us to his car and began the drive into Rome. He was very personable and knowledgable about the history of Rome and Italy in general.

 

Once we entered the city, he bagan to point out monuments and tell us the history of each as we traveled to our destinations. As we wanted to do something many don't (the Catacombs), we let him know as soon as we met him and he began to schedule our time accordingly. We had very little time as our ship was not in port until 1400. That said, Franco took us directly to the Colusseum and gave us information about it and the area before walking us to the front of the line to enter (as we had our tickets already). After that stop, we met back with Franco at the designated area and he quickly took us to the Catacombs - again giving us history of the area along the way. Since the last tour began a couple of minutes before we arrived, Franco worked his magic and got us into the tour. Had it not been for him, we would have missed the main thing we wanted to do in Rome.

 

As it was getting dark, Franco assured us that Rome at night is just as wonderful as during the daytime, and he was right. He took us by many of the historical sites, explaining each. He didn't rush us through anything, and allowed us to wander on our own in each area and take as much time as we desired.

 

I would use RIL again if in Rome or any of the areas they serve. Our experience was wonderful and Franco was a pleasure. Even after a long day, he was humorous and personable.

 

Thank you, RIL for such a great experience. Would recommend you to everyone!

[Grandpaul]

I've used RIL several times and can't wait to do it again. As mentioned Jany and Duman do a great job. We even had DUman as our driver in Rome. Great trip. And we had our own tour guide at the Vatican and what else would her name be but Mary. I usually carry my money in a money belt. Works good and pretty hard to lose that or have it picked. Good story, we used RIL our last time in Florence and we had two cars reserved with 14 people. Came the dya we pulled into the port and my wife wasn't feeling to ggod so we passed on the tour but we got two people on the ship that wanted to take our place. They all left around 9 AM and we went back to our room on the ship. About 1 PM we got a call from security that there was a gentleman at the gangway that wanted to talk to us. Being a little apprehensive I peaked around the corner and he seemed "normal". So I went out and introduced myself with a security guy from the ship with me. He said he was a driver from RIL and DUman wanted to make sure Mary Lou was feeling okay. If she was he was going to take us on our own tour. How is that for service? She was still a little ill so we turned it down but were very grateful. That's a great company.

[Wonders10]

I have loved reading through this thread! I still haven't read all the posts yet. I just booked 3 tours (Naples, Florence and Rome) with RIL for our cruise this June. Excited is an understatement. I've read lots of good things about your drivers and many names keep reappearing...do you recommend I suggest a driver based on what I've read here or should I just go in blind and get whoever I get? No offense to RIL, but with the luck our family has, we would get the "dud" of the RIL crew lol.

 

And if you do have a recommendation...please share the name and city! Thanks!

Edited January 17, 2012 by Wonders10

[CruiserBruce]

I don't think you would be unhappy with anyone RIL gives you, but Carmine in Naples is great. If you read back over the thread you see many names repeated. Sarah as a Vatican guide is also awesome.

[Gracie115]

I have loved reading through this thread! I still haven't read all the posts yet. I just booked 3 tours (Naples, Florence and Rome) with RIL for our cruise this June. Excited is an understatement. I've read lots of good things about your drivers and many names keep reappearing...do you recommend I suggest a driver based on what I've read here or should I just go in blind and get whoever I get? No offense to RIL, but with the luck our family has, we would get the "dud" of the RIL crew lol.

 

And if you do have a recommendation...please share the name and city! Thanks!

 

 

I would ask for Nikola as a driver in Rome and Serena for a Vatican guide. Both were wonderful!!

[bobalink]

I have loved reading through this thread! I still haven't read all the posts yet. I just booked 3 tours (Naples, Florence and Rome) with RIL for our cruise this June. Excited is an understatement. I've read lots of good things about your drivers and many names keep reappearing...do you recommend I suggest a driver based on what I've read here or should I just go in blind and get whoever I get? No offense to RIL, but with the luck our family has, we would get the "dud" of the RIL crew lol.

 

And if you do have a recommendation...please share the name and city! Thanks!

 

I just want to reassure you that you can be confident that Romeinlimo will be great. We have used RIL for the past two summers, with a variety of drivers. I do not think it is necessary to request a particular driver.

 

They are all fabulous, and each driver has their own unique personality.

 

I think Duman (the owner) has very high standards for his drivers and it shows in the thoughtful and considerate things they do for their clients.

 

I have recommended RIL to friends and family, and every person has come back with glowing reports and fond memories.

 

Enjoy your time in Italy!

[cirman52]

I am waiting to here if we can get another couple to share our planned tours with RIL. Has anyone "booked a car with them with the understanding that there may be 2 or 4 people. I want to make sure we will have the service, how late can / should I wait to book ?

thanks

[boulders]

I am waiting to here if we can get another couple to share our planned tours with RIL. Has anyone "booked a car with them with the understanding that there may be 2 or 4 people. I want to make sure we will have the service, how late can / should I wait to book ?

thanks

 

I booked a car with Rome In Limo and later upgraded to a minivan when we had additional people join our group. I would book now and then you at least have a driver. You can likely change vehicles later. I've already got my bookings for July.

[BigGuy25]

I have loved reading through this thread! I still haven't read all the posts yet. I just booked 3 tours (Naples, Florence and Rome) with RIL for our cruise this June. Excited is an understatement. I've read lots of good things about your drivers and many names keep reappearing...do you recommend I suggest a driver based on what I've read here or should I just go in blind and get whoever I get? No offense to RIL, but with the luck our family has, we would get the "dud" of the RIL crew lol.

 

And if you do have a recommendation...please share the name and city! Thanks!

 

We've used RIL on both our our recent cruises with stops on Italy's western coast ports. I booked them because of all the great reviews I read here on CC but never asked for a specific driver We were NEVER dissapointed. The company must have a terrfic screening and training program for drivers because each one treated us like we were a visiting family member and he was showing us his fabulous country. We've recommened RIL to many of our friends and business associates and we always get "thank you" notes once they return. Enjoy your cruise!!!!

[Wonders10]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I think I'll just go in blind and get whoever I get for a driver. It seems even a "bad" RIL driver is better than a crowded bus, right? As long as we see the stuff and make it back to the ship on time ;)

 

BTW, not sure if I should be advertising this or not, but when I booked earlier this week (for June), Jany sent me another email telling me that if we paid in full via paypal by the end of January, we could get 10% off the total tour price and 5% off if we paid with a regular credit card in full. Duh, we went with paypal and saved another 150 euros! Keep that in mind if you are thinking of book in the near future. So far, VERY impressed with RIL!

[bellagirl]

Hi-just my ten cents worth here, but there is no such thing as a bad driver at RIL!! We have toured with them several times and have organized tours for others,and each and every time we get top service.

Duman and Jany are the best to work with-very prompt and professional. You will have no regrets!!! Shelly:)

[nyyhoneybee]

Thanks to everything said here, I am pretty sure we are going to book RIL for all 3 of our ports in Rome

[nyyhoneybee]

I emailed them with our dates and some questions/requests for certain things in the tour and Jany got back to me right away with great information and advice and we went back and forth a bit in emails. So far I am pretty pleased working with RIL.

[CruiserBruce]

Rome in Limo is a class act. That would be a summary of the 1513 posts prior to yours.;)

[nyyhoneybee]

Rome in Limo is a class act. That would be a summary of the 1513 posts prior to yours.;)

 

I'm seeing that! The hubby and I were able to narrow down what we really want to do, so I am going ahead and setting up at least the 2 that are common for the most part on the RIL Share site. For Rome, I think we might splurge and do it just the two of us because what we want to do isn't the normal and I'm not sure how many people will be interested (but I will be posting it in our Roll Call anyway in case I am wrong).

[m41475]

Hi everyone, I have a post on the Princess board for our May 30th sailing Barcelona to Venice on the Ruby hoping to gather a group to use RIL. Not a very big group on this cruise at this point posting on the roll call. I have 2 questions : 1) how big is this company ? We have never been to Europe before and I'm feeling a little anxious re : how soon I should book our tours and 2) do they also have guides they use at the major sites like the Vatican, Pompeii , etc..or am I miss understanding this. I guess I have more then 2 questions :o. I am planning on using them in Rome, Naples and Florence, however if we do a port on our own which of these would you recommend ? Our daughter who is 25 really is not wanting to do all tours. We have traveled alot and have always DIY but I find this trip pretty overwhelming. Finally, will RIL allow you to customize ? Thanks, Sherri

[CruiserBruce]

Hi everyone, I have a post on the Princess board for our May 30th sailing Barcelona to Venice on the Ruby hoping to gather a group to use RIL. Not a very big group on this cruise at this point posting on the roll call. I have 2 questions : 1) how big is this company ? We have never been to Europe before and I'm feeling a little anxious re : how soon I should book our tours and 2) do they also have guides they use at the major sites like the Vatican, Pompeii , etc..or am I miss understanding this. I guess I have more then 2 questions :o. I am planning on using them in Rome, Naples and Florence, however if we do a port on our own which of these would you recommend ? Our daughter who is 25 really is not wanting to do all tours. We have traveled alot and have always DIY but I find this trip pretty overwhelming. Finally, will RIL allow you to customize ? Thanks, Sherri

All your answers are here if you read. RIL is in all your cities of interest. Plus others. Yes they have guides. If you had to DIY, Naples would probably be the best one. RIL will definitely let you customize. Just arrange it with Jany. Now is a good time to book. They will adjust vehicle size if your group grows or shrinks.

Edited January 22, 2012 by CruiserBruce

[SondraC]

First-timer in Italy... going in July 2012. Our stops will be Livorno, Civitavecchia, Naples, Messina. Which would be the best port(s) to use RomeInLimo?

 

We want to visit the Sistine Chapel in Rome and Pompeii in Naples but we haven't decided what to do from Livorno or Messina.

 

We are not going to use the cruise excursions - we are very comfortable arranging our our excursions and/or using local transit (taxi, train, etc.)

 

Sondra

Edited January 22, 2012 by SondraC

[CruiserBruce]

Again, Rome in Limo covers all those ports with very good quality service. You can see many comments about their operations if you look back on this thread.

[Alicomp]

We used Rome in Limo a few years ago after our cruise, for a couple of tours and were very satisfied with the service. We are getting ready to use them again while in Rome before our upcoming cruise. We choose to tour with just the two of us and are picky about timeliness and the tour guides meeting our needs, but RIL was everything we could have asked for.

[SondraC]

Again, Rome in Limo covers all those ports with very good quality service. You can see many comments about their operations if you look back on this thread.

 

If you don't have an answer then why reply? I have been going over the MANY pages of this thread, but silly me thought people could ask questions.

[cruisemom42]

First-timer in Italy... going in July 2012. Our stops will be Livorno, Civitavecchia, Naples, Messina. Which would be the best port(s) to use RomeInLimo?

 

We want to visit the Sistine Chapel in Rome and Pompeii in Naples but we haven't decided what to do from Livorno or Messina.

 

We are not going to use the cruise excursions - we are very comfortable arranging our our excursions and/or using local transit (taxi, train, etc.)

 

Sondra

 

If you are comfortable using local transit and want to see Pompeii, that is easy to do on your own in Naples. It's about a half hour on the train; there are a lot of posts on this forum that give detailed directions.

 

I also find Rome very easy to do on your own. The train station is walkable from the port entrance (about 5 blocks) and you can purchase a BIRG ticket for 9 euro per person that not only covers your round trip train fare but also all public transportation (buses, metro) in Rome itself. You can make a reservation for the Vatican Museum (only way to access the Sistine Chapel) online through the official Holy See website -- you pick a time and then you do not have to waste time waiting in line.

 

So having said that, I'd say you can do Naples (Pompeii) and Rome on your own, at a minimum. As to the other ports I can't answer as you haven't said what you want to do. In Livorno, if your aim is mainly to see Florence, again you can DIY using the train. The central part of Florence is pedestrian only, so having a driver doesn't make a lot of sense. However, if you want to see something of Tuscany, then you might consider a tour.

[SondraC]

If you are comfortable using local transit and want to see Pompeii, that is easy to do on your own in Naples. It's about a half hour on the train; there are a lot of posts on this forum that give detailed directions.

 

I also find Rome very easy to do on your own. The train station is walkable from the port entrance (about 5 blocks) and you can purchase a BIRG ticket for 9 euro per person that not only covers your round trip train fare but also all public transportation (buses, metro) in Rome itself. You can make a reservation for the Vatican Museum (only way to access the Sistine Chapel) online through the official Holy See website -- you pick a time and then you do not have to waste time waiting in line.

 

So having said that, I'd say you can do Naples (Pompeii) and Rome on your own, at a minimum. As to the other ports I can't answer as you haven't said what you want to do. In Livorno, if your aim is mainly to see Florence, again you can DIY using the train. The central part of Florence is pedestrian only, so having a driver doesn't make a lot of sense. However, if you want to see something of Tuscany, then you might consider a tour.

 

Thanks for the info!!

[PCWalton1]

If you are comfortable using local transit and want to see Pompeii, that is easy to do on your own in Naples. It's about a half hour on the train; there are a lot of posts on this forum that give detailed directions.

 

I also find Rome very easy to do on your own. The train station is walkable from the port entrance (about 5 blocks) and you can purchase a BIRG ticket for 9 euro per person that not only covers your round trip train fare but also all public transportation (buses, metro) in Rome itself. You can make a reservation for the Vatican Museum (only way to access the Sistine Chapel) online through the official Holy See website -- you pick a time and then you do not have to waste time waiting in line.

 

So having said that, I'd say you can do Naples (Pompeii) and Rome on your own, at a minimum. As to the other ports I can't answer as you haven't said what you want to do. In Livorno, if your aim is mainly to see Florence, again you can DIY using the train. The central part of Florence is pedestrian only, so having a driver doesn't make a lot of sense. However, if you want to see something of Tuscany, then you might consider a tour.

 

I will echo the advice in Livorno. We used RomeInLimos in that port and it was handy to see the countryside which is one of the things we wanted to do. But for Florence we were mainly on foot. So if your emphasis is Florence, take the train.