FAQ

 

Do you have any questions about our Rome Tours and Italy Shore Excursions? 

We dedicated this page to the most Frequently Asked Questions about our Rome Tours and Italy Shore Excursions. 

 
 
I EMAILED AN INQUIRY, BUT DID NOT RECEIVE A RESPONSE YET

We greatly appreciate your giving us your business so we make sure to respond to all inquiries we receive within 24 hours.

If you haven’t heard from us, please check your spam box in case our email correspondence was sent there. Otherwise, please CALL US in case we may NOT have received your email inquiry in our inbox.

 

WHEN SHOULD I MAKE A RESERVATION?

Reservations for Rome Day Tours or Italy Shore Excursions are best made as far in advance as possible to secure availability. 

For Day Tours in Rome or Day tours from Rome, you may place your reservation as soon as your travel itinerary has been finalized.

For Italy Shore Excursions, you may book your tours as soon as your cruise has been booked.  Advance reservations is also helpful if wanting to secure admission tickets such as to the Vatican Museums, Colosseum, or Florence Museums which tend to sell out fast!

 

HOW CAN WE PAY FOR OUR TOURS?

You may pay for each tour in Euros (local currency) to your Driver directly on the Date of your tour, or you may prepay in advance via PayPal or Credit Card at the time of confirming your tour reservations.


 

CAN WE DO TOUR SHARING FROM CIVITAVECCHIA OR OTHER ITALY PORTS?

Sharing your Italy Shore Excursions is a great way to save money. One way is to travel with a group of friends and family to share expenses. The other way is to share your Italy Shore Excursions with fellow cruisers from your ship.

You can save on your Shore Excursions from Civitavecchia, Livorno, La Spezia, Naples or Salerno by posting an ad on Cruise Critic for shared tours. You can save a lot for a group of 8!

Tour sharing is a great way to save money. Whether booking your vacation with friends to share expenses, or posting an ad on Cruise Critic for shore excursions, you can save quite a lot for a group of 8.

 

WE ARE SHARING OUR TOUR WITH OTHERS, HOW DO WE PAY FOR IT?

You may split the cost of the tour amongst yourselves, and pay your Driver separately or together at the end of your journey.

For Tour Sharing, paying in Euros is the best option in case your group size changes which would also change the Price Per Person. Paying in Euros for Tour Sharing is the most convenient option.

 

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE PRICE OF THE TOURS?

Our Day Tours and Italy Shore Excursions include a professional licensed English Speaking Driver, a private deluxe vehicle, fuel cost, tolls fees, insurance, parking fees, and Italy VAT tax.

 

WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED IN YOUR TOURS?

Our Tours do NOT INCLUDE Admission Tickets, Tour Guides / Walking Tours, Lunch, or Gratuities.

 

ARE TIPS INCLUDED IN THE PRICES?

Listed prices don’t include gratuities. 

 

WHAT IS YOUR CANCELLATION POLICY?

We do ask that you kindly give us at least 7 days in advance notification of your cancellation needs IN WRITING via EMAIL so we can re-book your reserved driver and vehicle to other travelers in need of our service, and your driver will not be left without income for the day of the cancellation

 

IF WE ARE STAYING AT A RENTAL APARTMENT OR B&B WITHOUT A LOBBY, WHERE WILL OUR TOUR DRIVER MEET US?

You will be met by your Drive at the door outside your apartment or B&B building at the precise time of your scheduled pick up.

In some cases accommodations are in areas of Rome where it is legally forbidden for us to park our vehicles or leave them unattended. In such cases, your Driver will park the vehicle as close as possible, meet you at your entrance door, and escort you to the nearby vehicle.


 

HOW SHOULD WE DRESS FOR VATICAN VISIT?

St Peter's Basilica and Sistine Chapel (as well as other major churches in Italy), have a modesty dress code that required all visitors (men, women and children) to have their shoulders and knees covered at all times.


 

HOW SHOULD WE DRESS FOR OUR TOURS IN ITALY, AND WHAT SHOULD WE BRING WITH US ON OUR TOURS?

Comfortable shoes and clothing are highly recommended.

Many of the streets in Italy are made of cobblestone, which makes it rather dangerous to walk on with high heel shoes, strappy sandals, or flip-flops.

Summers are hot and sunny, therefore sunscreen, sunglasses, summer hats or umbrellas are recommended.
Be sure to bring important personal items such as your wallet with enough money to cover your day’s expenses (and some extra for unforeseen expenses, such as shopping) and a government-issued ID.

It is not necessary to bring your passport if you worry about losing or damaging it. Valuable personal artifacts such as expensive jewelry, large sums of money in excess of what you are anticipating to need on your tour, should be kept in a safe place inside your hotel or place of accommodation.

 

WHY SHOULD WE BOOK A ROME TOUR GUIDE IF OUR DRIVER IS KNOWLEDGEABLE?

According to Italy’s stringent laws and regulations intended to protect official licensed guides, it is unlawful for Drivers to accompany guests to sightsee away from the vehicle or act as a tour guide in any way.  Your Driver will provide basic touristic information only inside the vehicle.

In order to comply with Italy’s laws, Drivers cannot accompany our guests to sightsee away from the vehicle inside monuments, museums, squares, any sites of touristic interest, or provide tour services reserved for licensed tour guides.

In Italy licensed tour guides must successfully pass rigorous examinations, therefore they are extremely knowledgeable about history, art, culture, architecture and archaeology.

Drivers possess general basic information, but not as extensive as a licensed tour guide.

 

HOW CLOSE TO THE SITES THAT WE ARE VISITING  IN ROME ARE YOU ABLE TO DROP US OFF AT?

Your driver will stop as close as lawfully possible to each location you visit, according to local regulations.  

Due to heightened security near many popular attractions, vehicle access can be limited and possible to stop only at a safe distance away as permitted by local authorities.  Where the driver can stop is not up to the driver, but where it is lawfully permitted by the local authorities.

 

WHERE DO WE MEET OUR DRIVER AT CIVITAVECCHIA PORT FOR OUR ROME SHORE EXCURSION?

For either a Shore Excursion or Port Transfer, your driver will meet you on the pier next to your ship holding a sign with the name in your reservation

Our professional license permits us full entrance inside Civitavecchia port, so you do not have to walk far to your vehicle. Taxis and Buses cannot enter this area, resulting in extended walking distance.

 

HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE WE DON'T MISS OUR CRUISE SHIP ON OUR ITALY SHORE EXCURSIONS?

We carefully plan our Shore Excursion tours with extensive consideration to distance from your port of all, timeline, and traffic conditions to assure our guests have an exciting excursion with prompt return to their cruise ship.

It is important that our guests listen to their Driver, and follow the timetable suggested by the driver in order to enjoy all the sites suggested in the tour, and most importantly: Depart for the port at the precise time.

Booking a Vatican Tour Guide for your Vatican Visit is also VERY IMPORTANT for cruisers are the Vatican is vast and complex and easy to get lost and risk exiting TOO LATE.

We do not offer tours in areas or towns that may possibly place them at risk of arriving late to their ship.

Our vehicles are well-kept and frequently maintained for optimal safety. In case a vehicle breaks down, Stefano Rome Tours is part of a strong network of reliable expert drivers where a replacement vehicle will be provided to our guests immediately so they can continue with their tour.

We take every possible measure and precaution to ensure our guests have the most enjoyable experience on our Shore Excursions and arrive to their cruise ships on time.

As always, it is advisable to carry Travelers Insurance to cover any UNFORESEEN INCIDENTS that may occur outside of our control.

 

HOW DO YOU SELECT RESTAURANTS YOU TAKE YOUR CLIENTS TO?

Your driver will be happy to suggest restaurants based on the proximity of the area you will be during lunch time, their caliber of service and value, and based on what our past clients have enjoyed in the past.

We do NOT work with restaurants in any type of collaboration, not receive any kickbacks for bringing our clients to lunch at their establishment.  Our clients are always free to enjoy the restaurant, trattoria (or even a panino or slice of pizza) at their own discretion.


 

WHAT IF WE EXIT OUR SHIP LATE IN THE MORNING?

If you are anticipate meeting your Driver later than the scheduled pick-up time, please call us immediately at (011 39) 339-352-5028 so we can notify your driver of your delay.


 

CAN WE CHANGE OUR TOUR ITINERARY IF WE WANT TO STAY LONGER IN ONE PLACE, AND SKIP OTHERS?

Whenever possible you certainly can do that.

Your experienced Driver will make sure you will not run behind schedule and miss important sites, or cause you to arrive late to your ship, therefore we strongly suggest you follow the suggested itinerary in the tour description and the guidance of your driver to ensure the best possible experience on your tour.

Please keep in mind that, if you book your museum tickets online (Vatican Museums, Uffizi Gallery or Accademia Gallery), you will need to enter the museums for the time slot you indicated. Failure to arrive for your visit at the pre-arranged time may result in your ticket being invalidated.

 

WHAT DO WE DO IF A MUSEUM OR A SITE IS CLOSED ON THE DAY OF OUR TOUR?

There are plenty of exciting places to see and great things to do when we substitute a visit to a site that’s closed on the day of your tour. We are more than happy to offer suggestions to you based on your interests and desires.