Tag Archives: RomeCabs

Uncategorized

Repost of Rome Cabs review… and need a ride in Athens?

I’m reposting these reviews because I notice people are often wondering about private taxi services in Rome and Athens… Both of these services are excellent and get my whole-hearted endorsement! Since Epinions is going away, I wanted to make sure I saved these reviews.

Need a ride in Rome?

 May 24, 2013 (Updated May 24, 2013) 
Review by    is a Top Reviewer on Epinions in Hotels & Travel
Rated a Very Helpful Review

  • User Rating:Excellent

  • How informative was your tour? 
  • Transportation quality: 
  • Knowledge of tour guide(s): 
  • How strenuous was your tour? 

Pros:Excellent drivers.  Safe, prompt, courteous.

Cons:You have to pay in cash.  Pricey, but worth it.

The Bottom Line:RomeCabs will get you where you’re going in style and comfort.

My husband Bill and I needed a ride from our Roman hotel room to Civitavecchia, the pier where we would be catching our cruise on SeaDream I.  I frequent Cruise Critic and, in particular, the messageboard for SeaDream I cruisers.  When I asked about the best way to get to the ship, several regular posters recommended RomeCabs.  Indeed, RomeCabs is currently ranked #1 of 449 activities in Rome.

Not just a taxi service…

We used RomeCabs just to get to the pier, but RomeCabs can also arrange tours with a driver and a tour guide.  Checking their Web site, I see that they have a wide variety of tours available to places in and around Rome and Tuscany, as well as along the western coastline.  Looking back on our two nights in Rome, I kind of wonder if maybe we should have booked a tour with RomeCabs.  We tend to be lazy about getting out and seeing things.

Besides tours and transfers, RomeCabs also offers different levels of service.  For instance, if you book a VIP transfer from the Rome airport, you will get a mini-tour of Rome.  Your driver will speak English and can tell you historical facts about the best known monuments of Rome.  If you don’t book a VIP transfer, you will still have an excellent driver, but he may not speak English.

Booking

RomeCabs has a handy form on their Web site.  You choose your date of departure, destination, number of people, and time of service.    When you enter that information, you’re given a quote of how much it will cost.  The prices include Italy’s VAT and toll charges.  Our trip from the Relais Orso hotel to Civitavecchia cost 130 euros, which was to be paid in cash the day of service.  Once I booked, I got a confirmation email.  The day before the service, I got a reminder email to let them know if our plans had changed.

Our experience

I booked our service for 1:00pm on May 11th.  Our driver, Marco, showed up a little early and easily spotted us.  I guess it was because we looked like we were expecting him.  Marco drove a small Mercedes van, which was very clean and tidy, and he spoke excellent English.  As he drove us out of Rome, he was careful to point out some of the sights.  He also mentioned his company’s high ratings on TripAdvisor, which I told him I had already noticed.

RomeCabs’ drivers have a special permit, which allows them to drive right up to the ships in Civitavecchia.  That’s an advantage over regular cabs, which have to drop you off outside the gate.  Marco drove us right to the tent where SeaDream was set up.  He helped us with our bags and it was literally minutes later that we were on the ship.  Bill tipped him well, which I’m sure he appreciated.

Overall

We had an excellent experience with RomeCabs and wouldn’t hesitate to book with them again.   Marco was prompt, courteous, safe, and obviously knows Rome very well.  His vehicle was clean and pleasant and it was very convenient to be driven right up to the ship, rather than having to schlep our bags.  Yes, the service is pricey, but I thought it was worth every euro.  If you need a ride in Rome, I highly recommend checking out RomeCabs.

For more information: www.romecabs.com

Recommend this product? Yes

Best Suited For: Couples
Tour length: One Hour
Tour type: Individual

Very reliable taxi service in Athens…

May 25, 2013
Review by    is a Top Reviewer on Epinions in Hotels & Travel

Rated a Very Helpful Review

  • User Rating:Excellent

  • Knowledge of tour guide(s): 
  • Transportation quality: 

Pros:Prompt, professional, clean and safe cabs.  You can pre-pay online.

Cons:None.

The Bottom Line:StarGroup Taxi Services is excellent and priced very reasonably.  I wholeheartedly recommend them if you need transportation in Athens.

A friend of mine who had sailed on SeaDream I with me in November 2011 tipped me off to StarGroup Taxi Services when I told him I needed to find transportation from the pier to our hotel in Athens and to the Athens airport.  He said StarGroup Taxi Sevices was very reliable and reasonably priced.  Having used their services twice in the last week, I have to agree with my cruising friend.

Booking

Booking was no problem at all.  StarGroup Taxi Services has a Web site which lists all its services and prices.  I needed a taxi to take me and my husband Bill from the Piraeus Port last Saturday and a taxi to get us from our hotel to the airport.  StarGroup Taxi Services charges  25 euros to get from the port to any Athens hotel.  They charge 50 euros to get from Athens to the airport.  I requested both transfers online and paid for them via PayPal, then got my husband to print out the vouchers.  The total cost for both trips was a little over $100, which was a lot less than what SeaDream was charging people who booked through them.

Our experiences in the cab(s)

We had two different drivers.  Both spoke excellent English and seemed very proud of their city.  One driver made a point of telling us that Athens is very safe, though we needed to watch out for the Romanian street people who try to scam tourists.  Both drivers pointed out places of interest and told us a little about Athens.  Both were on time and courteous. And both times, the yellow Mercedes cabs they drove were spotlessly clean, well-maintained, and safe.  Bill tipped generously and it appeared that both drivers were pleasantly surprised; they didn’t seem to be expecting a gratuity.

We did not use StarGroup Taxi Services for tours, but if we ever go back to Athens and have a couple of days to kill, I would not hesitate to hire them for that purpose.  They had reasonable prices and were set up to accept prepayment, plus they were very prompt and professional.  A number of different tours are available, including ones that are designed for kids.

Overall

If you need a taxi service in Athens, I would definitely recommend StarGroup Taxi Services.  They are very good at what they do and they won’t rip you off.

For more information:  http://www.stargroup.gr/index.html

Recommend this product? Yes

Best Suited For: Couples
Tour type: Individual
Standard
Uncategorized

Our third SeaDream cruise…

May 11th… the day Bill and I had been looking forward to for many months had finally arrived.  We had arranged for a private taxi, courtesy of RomeCabs.  I booked RomeCabs on the advice of several Cruise Critic regulars, most notably Jim Avery.  I am not at all sorry I booked with RomeCabs, though it would have been cheaper to take the train.  Our driver, Marco, took outstanding care of us and picked us up a little bit early with a small, clean, Mercedes van.  As he drove us out of Rome, he pointed out some of the sites and made a point of reminding us that RomeCabs was ranked #1 on TripAdvisor.  I told him I knew about that and, in fact, booked his company due to RomeCabs’ many fans on Cruise Critic.  Bill later told me that Marco had encouraged us to write a review and Bill was happy to tell him that I always review things.  I’m pleased to note that I will be writing a very positive review of RomeCabs.

We arrived at the Civitavecchia pier at the stroke of 2:00pm, which anyone who has ever sailed with SeaDream Yacht Club is the magical hour at which guests can board.  Marco pulled up right next to the tent where we dropped our bags.  After very briefly stopping to arrange for our bags to be delivered, we were waved aboard one of our favorite vessels.  It’s truly a breeze to board SeaDream.  There’s no standing in line to speak of.

We climbed the gangway and were greeted by Captain Bjarne Smorawski and his crew, which included new club director Nat Green, and several Thai spa ladies passing out chilled washcloths and glasses of bubbly.  We made our way into the salon, where a very nice spread of finger foods was laid out for us.  George the pianist and the guitar player, whose name I never managed to catch, were playing tunes on the baby grand piano on the stage.

A couple of passengers immediately recognized me from Cruise Critic, which kind of made me feel like  a celebrity.  It’s nice to know I still look like my photo.  We were quickly issued ID cards and shown to our stateroom, which was room 212.  On our two previous voyages, we stayed on the third deck.  The only difference between deck 2 and decks 3 and 4 is that deck two has portholes instead of a picture window.  Other than that, I didn’t notice a difference and can honestly say I wouldn’t pay extra for a room on a higher deck.

First view of SeaDream I

Half bottle of chilled champagne…

Traditional shot of Bill in his life vest.  I do this every time we cruise.

 

Bill and I immediately met a couple who had recognized me from Cruise Critic and we chatted for awhile as people were checking in.  I always enjoy looking around on the first day, checking out the people with whom we will be spending the next week.  As usual, the folks cruising on SeaDream mostly fit a certain well-to-do segment of society.  Bill and I are far from wealthy; he is an Army officer and I make a pittance from my writing.  But we save and plan so we can be fancy for a week out of every year or so.  And on each of the three cruises we’ve taken on SeaDream, we have met some very nice people.  This cruise was no exception.

Of course, some of the very nicest people on SeaDream are staff members.  Bill and I were glad to see some of our favorites were still onboard, smiling and welcoming as always.  The one exception was Felix, a German waiter from Hamburg who was on our first two cruises.  His dry wit and consummate professionalism had won us over.  Alas, Felix went to work for the passengers on Seabourn Legend.  I had heard from a couple of sources that he hoped to come back to SeaDream someday.  Now that Legend has been sold to Windstar Cruise Line, who knows what the future holds for Felix?  Hopefully, we’ll see him again.  I know I wasn’t the only one who missed him.

But anyway, though Felix was not onboard, many other favorite staff members were.  I could list them all here, but in reality, everyone we ran into was excellent this time.  I can’t complain about anyone, though we interacted with some staff members more than others.

After an excellent dinner, Bill and I headed for the piano bar, which is really my favorite place to be when the sun goes down on SeaDream I.  I did lots of singing with George, the pianist, and enjoyed way too much prosecco poured by chief bartender, Manuel.  The prosecco gave me a slight hangover, which I dutifully reported on the Internet.  I was glad to see the price of Internet had gone down significantly since our last voyage.  It went from $35 a day to $99 for the week.  It’s still a lot of money, but $99 beats the hell out of $35 a day.

When it was time for bed, there was a lovely rose waiting for us.  Our stewardess, Antonette, put it in a vase for us to enjoy all week.  Having taken a Bonine earlier to ward off my customary seasickness, I was feeling fine after a nice, hot shower in the three headed shower stall.  I slept well my first night as we headed for our first port of call on the Island of Capri.

Standard