stefanny28 Posted January 3, 2015 #2826 Share Posted January 3, 2015 (edited) We used Rome in Limo last July when we were in Rome and Florence. They were very reliable and always on time. Having someone waiting for you, with a sign with your name, right when you get off the ship, is wonderful. No trouble, no hassle, no mistake. In Rome, we booked a private tour for our family of 3. Vincenzo was our driver for the day. They picked us up in a Mercedes sedan S-class. It was so luxurious. It makes you feel like a movie star or a VIP going around Rome in that car. Vincenzo dropped us right a the "door step" of every sites (Colosseum, Pantheon, etc...) and even gave us a cell phone pre-programmed with his number so we can call him when we are done. We managed to see so many sites in a day and we still had time for a wonderful sit down lunch (pasta of course) at a restaurant he recommended. Yes, it was expensive ( I believe it was 500 euros for 3) but it was worth every single euros. You can save a few $ with the ship tours but you will travel in a large group and waste a lot of your precious time waiting for every one to catch up ( or just going to the washroom). We are going back this year again on another med cruise. And of course, I booked Rome in Limo with hesitation. PS: You can booked a shared tour if you don't want a private tour. The shared tour will cost cheaper since you can share the cost with a group of 8. It is still less people than a ship tour. Edited January 3, 2015 by stefanny28 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xrayvin Posted January 5, 2015 #2827 Share Posted January 5, 2015 mrsfecura or Stacy for NY! I don't know if you will see this but it is worth a try. I have been looking for information on the RIL tour from Naples that you did back in 10/13. I searched to see if you ever did a review but never found it (if you did one) We have the Positano – Wine Tasting Tour – Pompeii tour book for May 2015 and I am just wondering what you thought about it. I am mostly interested in the wine tasting portion of the tour. How was the wine, did you get to taste several different kinds, how was the lunch, did you tour the area? If there is anyone else that has done this tour I would love to hear from you as well. Thank you so much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrobstad Posted January 5, 2015 #2828 Share Posted January 5, 2015 I used RIL from Naples. We did Positano and lunch at La Tagliata...and a few other stops, but not wine tasting. You can't go wrong with RIZl and they will customize for you! Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debravasquez Posted January 5, 2015 #2829 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Have to say they were great. And if you book them for at least 3 of your port tours they will give a discount. They were great for us in Rome, Florence and Naples. We used Rome in Limo last July when we were in Rome and Florence.They were very reliable and always on time. Having someone waiting for you, with a sign with your name, right when you get off the ship, is wonderful. No trouble, no hassle, no mistake. In Rome, we booked a private tour for our family of 3. Vincenzo was our driver for the day. They picked us up in a Mercedes sedan S-class. It was so luxurious. It makes you feel like a movie star or a VIP going around Rome in that car. Vincenzo dropped us right a the "door step" of every sites (Colosseum, Pantheon, etc...) and even gave us a cell phone pre-programmed with his number so we can call him when we are done. We managed to see so many sites in a day and we still had time for a wonderful sit down lunch (pasta of course) at a restaurant he recommended. Yes, it was expensive ( I believe it was 500 euros for 3) but it was worth every single euros. You can save a few $ with the ship tours but you will travel in a large group and waste a lot of your precious time waiting for every one to catch up ( or just going to the washroom). We are going back this year again on another med cruise. And of course, I booked Rome in Limo with hesitation. PS: You can booked a shared tour if you don't want a private tour. The shared tour will cost cheaper since you can share the cost with a group of 8. It is still less people than a ship tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsfecura Posted January 5, 2015 #2830 Share Posted January 5, 2015 mrsfecura or Stacy for NY! I don't know if you will see this but it is worth a try. I have been looking for information on the RIL tour from Naples that you did back in 10/13. I searched to see if you ever did a review but never found it (if you did one) We have the Positano – Wine Tasting Tour – Pompeii tour book for May 2015 and I am just wondering what you thought about it. I am mostly interested in the wine tasting portion of the tour. How was the wine, did you get to taste several different kinds, how was the lunch, did you tour the area? If there is anyone else that has done this tour I would love to hear from you as well. Thank you so much Hi there! The tour was fantastic. For the wine tasting (and lunch) we went to Cantina del Vesuvio. You can find them online - I just looked. :) We sampled several different wines, and ate delicious food! Our group of 8 loved it! We were 4 couples, all from different parts of the world who met on our CC roll call. I'll try to attach some pics here, but drop me an email (mrsfecura@yahoo.com) if you want to chat more and I'll shoot you some more photos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xrayvin Posted January 5, 2015 #2831 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Hi there! The tour was fantastic. For the wine tasting (and lunch) we went to Cantina del Vesuvio. You can find them online - I just looked. :) We sampled several different wines, and ate delicious food! Our group of 8 loved it! We were 4 couples, all from different parts of the world who met on our CC roll call. I'll try to attach some pics here, but drop me an email (mrsfecura@yahoo.com) if you want to chat more and I'll shoot you some more photos Thank you so much!! The food looks so yummy! I will send you am email. I would love more pictures and to hear about your experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MICruise14 Posted January 7, 2015 #2832 Share Posted January 7, 2015 Rome in Limo was recommended to us by my brother who had used them several years before. Their recommendations were right on! We were on a Celebrity Cruise ship in August 2014. Jany was very helpful in making the arrangements. We did 2 days with Rome in Limo. The first was Florence/Pisa with driver Fabrizio. His stories and information kept us entertained & laughing all day. He recommended a great restaurant in Florence for lunch. Enrico, our driver from the port to Rome, gave us informative and historic information of the area. We had chosen the Rome Highlights tour and this is the only way to do it if you have just 1 day in Rome! Enrico dropped us off at the Colosseum and gave us a phone to call him when we were ready and gave us about an hour. He was waiting for us just as I was about to call him. He dropped us as close as possible to the Pantheon, Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain (even though it was empty due to repair) and gave us some time to shop. He was willing to recommend a place to eat, but some of our group preferred to shop, so we just grabbed street food. We scheduled a guide for our Vatican tour. Katherine was an awesome guide. She had gone to high school & college in the United States, so spoke fluent English. She was well acquainted with the Vatican and it's history and gave an excellent tour. We would definitely use Rome in Limo again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthAussie Posted January 7, 2015 #2833 Share Posted January 7, 2015 Rome in Limo was recommended to us by my brother who had used them several years before. Their recommendations were right on! We were on a Celebrity Cruise ship in August 2014. Jany was very helpful in making the arrangements. We did 2 days with Rome in Limo. The first was Florence/Pisa with driver Fabrizio. His stories and information kept us entertained & laughing all day. He recommended a great restaurant in Florence for lunch. Enrico, our driver from the port to Rome, gave us informative and historic information of the area. We had chosen the Rome Highlights tour and this is the only way to do it if you have just 1 day in Rome! Enrico dropped us off at the Colosseum and gave us a phone to call him when we were ready and gave us about an hour. He was waiting for us just as I was about to call him. He dropped us as close as possible to the Pantheon, Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain (even though it was empty due to repair) and gave us some time to shop. He was willing to recommend a place to eat, but some of our group preferred to shop, so we just grabbed street food. We scheduled a guide for our Vatican tour. Katherine was an awesome guide. She had gone to high school & college in the United States, so spoke fluent English. She was well acquainted with the Vatican and it's history and gave an excellent tour. We would definitely use Rome in Limo again. Dear MICruise14 Did your driver stay with you at the Pantheon, Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain and was this a "wander around yourself" part of the tour and he met up with you later at a pre-designated spot. Thanks SouthAussie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MICruise14 Posted January 8, 2015 #2834 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Dear MICruise14 Did your driver stay with you at the Pantheon, Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain and was this a "wander around yourself" part of the tour and he met up with you later at a pre-designated spot. Thanks SouthAussie Hi SouthAussie, Enrich drove us as close as possible to each of those sites. He would tell us about how much time we would have and then we would meet him back at the van. We were usually parked less than a block away. Since he is a driver and not a registered guide, he was not allowed to go with us. He would give us information about things before we arrived. I had been to the Spanish Steps, so I just stayed in the van. MICruise14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsfecura Posted January 8, 2015 #2835 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Thank you so much!! The food looks so yummy! I will send you am email. I would love more pictures and to hear about your experience. I accidentally deleted your email! Then of course Yahoo deleted it from my deleted items before I realized it. Hah! Things have been crazy since we got back from our Christmas Cruise on Adventure. Please shoot me you email again - I have other pics I'd love to share and I know you mentioned your Florence/Pisa tour - we did one that included Florence (not Pisa), San Gimignano and and AMAZING stop for lunch and a wine tasting at a Tuscan winery/farm to table type place (Tenuta Casanova). It was a super highlight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LzyCruiser_NWA Posted January 14, 2015 #2836 Share Posted January 14, 2015 We booked RIL for 3 separate trips Rome, Naples & Florence, In each case, are the drivers allowed to come with you or do they have to stay with the vehicle? Also, have anyone invited them to join you for lunch during the stops? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsfecura Posted January 14, 2015 #2837 Share Posted January 14, 2015 (edited) We booked RIL for 3 separate tripsRome, Naples & Florence, In each case, are the drivers allowed to come with you or do they have to stay with the vehicle? Also, have anyone invited them to join you for lunch during the stops? In many cases they came out and walked around with us, telling us what we were looking at. They were great tour guides as well as drivers. In some cases - like the Colisseum where you had to have tickets - they dropped us off and told us exactly where to meet after, etc. We did not have lunch with any of ours, not because we didn't ask them, but in all cases they said "no, no - enjoy". In several spots they knew the owners of the restaurants and would chat with them or have a bite at the bar while we were eating... Edited January 14, 2015 by mrsfecura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LzyCruiser_NWA Posted January 14, 2015 #2838 Share Posted January 14, 2015 In many cases they came out and walked around with us, telling us what we were looking at. They were great tour guides as well as drivers. In some cases - like the Colisseum where you had to have tickets - they dropped us off and told us exactly where to meet after, etc. We did not have lunch with any of ours, not because we didn't ask them, but in all cases they said "no, no - enjoy". In several spots they knew the owners of the restaurants and would chat with them or have a bite at the bar while we were eating... I see thank you. We're booking for private tours of 2 so I figure it would be fun to invite the driver to join us for lunch, eating like a local! Also, at the end of the day do you pay the driver in full along with tips I'd assume? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrobstad Posted January 14, 2015 #2839 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Yes Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsfecura Posted January 15, 2015 #2840 Share Posted January 15, 2015 I see thank you.We're booking for private tours of 2 so I figure it would be fun to invite the driver to join us for lunch, eating like a local! Also, at the end of the day do you pay the driver in full along with tips I'd assume? Yup! We paid at the end including tip. You're going to have a great time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xrayvin Posted January 15, 2015 #2841 Share Posted January 15, 2015 If you book a guide with your RIL tour do you pay the guide? We have prepaid our RIL tours so only a tip will be given to the driver. Wasn't sure if we pay (and tip) the guide at Pompeii or if we give it to the driver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsfecura Posted January 15, 2015 #2842 Share Posted January 15, 2015 If you book a guide with your RIL tour do you pay the guide? We have prepaid our RIL tours so only a tip will be given to the driver. Wasn't sure if we pay (and tip) the guide at Pompeii or if we give it to the driver. We paid our Pompeii guide separately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loonbeam Posted January 15, 2015 #2843 Share Posted January 15, 2015 The drivers always declined to join us, but its a very nice touch. In some cases they needed to stay with the car. I see thank you.We're booking for private tours of 2 so I figure it would be fun to invite the driver to join us for lunch, eating like a local! Also, at the end of the day do you pay the driver in full along with tips I'd assume? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1SMURFF99A Posted January 20, 2015 #2844 Share Posted January 20, 2015 We used them in 2013 for tour of Rome, transfer to port and tour in Florence. We had Franco in Rome. He was great and we have requested him again this Oct when we do the transatlantic. We had Elizabeth in Florence and she was very entertaining telling us about everything we saw. I would highly recommend them, it was a great way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laryco Posted January 20, 2015 #2845 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Used them in Rome in '13...Claudio our driver did join us for lunch....are using them this May in Florence and maybe Naples.....great service... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpaul Posted January 22, 2015 #2846 Share Posted January 22, 2015 We also paid our Pompeii guide separately along with a tip. I found this to be one of the most amazing places I've ever seen. We will head back there again. Unbelievable some of the things they had there. RIL does a terrific job. Enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyskie Posted January 23, 2015 #2847 Share Posted January 23, 2015 We also paid our Pompeii guide separately along with a tip. I found this to be one of the most amazing places I've ever seen. We will head back there again. Unbelievable some of the things they had there. RIL does a terrific job. Enjoy. I know there are threads on tipping and tipping is so subjective. Also read that in Europe people don't expect tips, but I find that hard to believe. May I ask what percentage you tipped the guide? Was it for the tour group as a whole or based on pp ? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euro cruiser Posted January 23, 2015 #2848 Share Posted January 23, 2015 I know there are threads on tipping and tipping is so subjective. Also read that in Europe people don't expect tips, but I find that hard to believe. Italians do not expect tips from other Italians, but those in the tourism industry have learned to expect them from Americans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cruisemom42 Posted January 23, 2015 #2849 Share Posted January 23, 2015 I know there are threads on tipping and tipping is so subjective. Also read that in Europe people don't expect tips, but I find that hard to believe. May I ask what percentage you tipped the guide? Was it for the tour group as a whole or based on pp ? Thanks Tipping is a very different proposition in Europe. Cultures vary, but in most places in the Med "tipping" (meaning 15-20%) as we know it in the US is simply not done. Keep in mind that they pay workers a real living wage and the system isn't set up so that they require tips to earn a decent living. In many places, a "tip" would instead be considered a small token given for good service. For example, you round up your taxi fare to the next euro rather than giving exact change, or leave a couple of euros at a restaurant. Some places (Spain comes to mind) rarely even do that much. And in Japan, tipping is considered disrespectful. I think it's important to understand the local culture when you travel and not just barge in like the 'big important tourist' doing things our way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loonbeam Posted January 23, 2015 #2850 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Tips are not the norm in Europe. That said, our guide was very good so we added a 20 to the 100 guide fee. Did we look like boorish Americans? Probably, but for services rendered we felt that was fair. Unlike the US do not feel obligated to give a tip. Same for your driver. They will appreciate it if you do but probably not be disappointed if you don't. I know there are threads on tipping and tipping is so subjective. Also read that in Europe people don't expect tips, but I find that hard to believe. May I ask what percentage you tipped the guide? Was it for the tour group as a whole or based on pp ? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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