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Reviews and Comments


private shore trips reviews






"Thanks for a fantastic tour of the Riviera. Our guide Gregory was simply magnificent. By far this was the best tour we experienced on this trip. His knowledge of the area and his presentation was beyond all of our expectations. We will highly recommend your company and Gregory on the travel chat boards. Again thanks for a great experience."

Scott and Joni O., Avondale AZ, November 2006

"Our "Best of Riviera" tour was great. Traffic was a problem between Villefranche and Cannes but that couldn't have been avoided. The guide was very good, spoke excellent English and was very, very knowledgeable. We had a group of 8 good friends. The van fit us perfectly. Private tours are the only way to go. The alternative would have been to get on a huge tour bus with 50 people we don't even know and ride around listening to a tour guide who may not even speak good English...that makes no sense at all. Travels With Friends is Great. Thank you very much."

Tom and Carol S., Louisville, KY, November 2006

"Our guide, Thomas, picked us up in Villefranche and gave us a fabulous tour of Nice (flower market), Monaco, Monte Carlo and because we had several travelers who could not navigate a lot of steps he suggested we go to St. Paul de Vence instead of Eze. He talked his way right up to the inner section of Monaco for drop off as we had handicapped people. It was a good suggestion and a perfect day and a great driver/guide. Thank you."

Vivian P., St. George, UT November, 2006

"All of our 5 tours were wonderful. The drivers and guides were very knowledgeable about the destinations. Thank you again for your assistance."

Shelley W., Newport Beach, CA, November 2006

"Great job on the tours they were excellent. The driver guides were excellent each and everyone one of them:

Villefranche - Jerome: Very knowledgeable about the area and patient too as we traveled with 3 kids.

Livorno - Danny: Excellent, knowledgeable, exciting, exuberant and wonderful. Bravo!

Roma - Eduardo: Great, knowledgeable and patient.

Napoli - Adriano: - A great wealth of knowledge, great personality, exciting and wonderful.

All in all was worth the time, energy and money! Bravo! They all catered to our needs. All these driver guides were more of friends to us than driver guides. I hope they enjoyed our company as well. Thanks TWF. Great job!"

Evelyn, M., Burtonsville, MD November 2006

"I just wanted to commend you on a job very well done on our cruise vacation excursions. All the guides were really excellent and we got to see much more than the people on the big bus tours. We will certainly recommend your service to others."

David K., Silver Spring, MD, November 2006

"Thank you so much. We enjoyed the guides you provided for us. We have ALREADY mentioned your company to others. I hope we were gracious enough for your people. We were a bit unsure what to tip and hope the guides were satisfied with what we did give. I really appreciate your attention to detail with our tours and we were extremely happy. Thank you."

Carolyn M., Lake Mary FL, November 2006

"We had the best time and are so pleased we used your service. All three of our drivers were excellent and the experience they gave us of their cities was wonderful. Nothing was too much trouble and it turned our excursions into really special events. We would have no hesitation in using your services again and have already recommended you to colleagues and friends."

Janet D., Birkenhead, Merseyside, UK, October 2006

"We enjoyed our vacation so much and our private tours were wonderful! Katrine picked us up in Cannes and we had such an enjoyable day with her. She was a wonderful guide and she made our day so special! There were 8 of us with her that day and we all enjoyed the day -- it was one of our best on the trip!

Then, when we were in Rome, we had Constantino who met us at the ship and 4 of us spent the day with him. He, too, was wonderful and so knowledgeable of the history of Rome. He was so flexible with changing some plans at the last minute and suggesting other things we might enjoy seeing. He recommended a great restaurant for lunch and made our day such a memorable experience! 

I can't say enough good things about our experience with the guides. We definitely would recommend Travels with Friends and will be using your company again in the future. Our private tours were so much nicer than the tours we did with the ship!"

Janet J., Edmond, Oklahoma, October 2006

"We just got back yesterday, Oct 22 and I am very glad to bring the good news that all the tours have been a wonderful success!!! The buses were very comfortable and the tour guides have been great and considerate of our senior citizens. 

We all applauded the end of every tour and We have all been recommending "Travels with Friends" web site to all the people we met on the ship. You know that recommendation and word of praises are good advertisements for your business. We'll surely get in touch with you when the need arises.

Again, a million thanks for what you did for us that made our vacation a truly enjoyable one. Also, we got lucky with good weather."

Susan P. (Group of 28), Irvine, CA, October 2006

"I have just returned from our Mediterranean Cruise and want to thank you for the wonderful private tours you assisted us with. I have already given your website to two prospective clients who inquired about our tour of Rome and Athens. Thank you once again; we will be using your assistance in the future."

Pamela E. New Haven CT, October 2006

"We had a wonderful time in Athens, our tour guide was Nick or Nicolas. He was the best guide ever; he was very informative and speaks English perfectly. His knowledge of the city was unbelievable; he was very flexible and took us to where we want to go. I am a travel agent and we sell cruises, I will refer your tours to all my clients. Thanks for everything."

Gina D., Anaheim, CA October 2006

Thank you for a fantastic Tour of Athens - our Driver and Guide were just great. The Acropolis (we spent most of our time at this venue) was more than we could ever have imagined. Our only suggestion to you is that more directions could be given regarding the location of finding our Bus and driver as we left the ship. I have to say that once we found the Bus, our frustration was short lived and we still had our full 4 hour tour."

Margaret S., Waiuku, Franklin District, New Zealand, October 2006

"We had a wonderful time in Athens, our tour guide was Nick or Nicolas. He was the best guide ever, he was very informative and speaks English perfectly. His knowledge of the city was unbelievable, he was very flexible and took us to where we want to go. I am a travel agent and we sell cruises, I will refer your tours to all my clients. Thanks for everything."

Gina D., Anaheim, CA October 2006

"Thank you for the help in Cannes, the drivers were very, very polite and friendly. They also had a lot of knowledge of the area we toured. I most certainly will keep you in mind if we come to Europe again."

Ruth P., Rocky Mount, MO, October 200 6

"Our guide in the Riviera (Mark) was excellent and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. He was knowledgeable, friendly, a careful driver, and followed through on all our requests. We'd definitely recommend your service."

Harriet G., Boca Raton, FL September 2006

"We had wonderful times in Naples, Rome, Florence and Pisa. All of our three drivers were excellent. We definitely will use your services in our next trips in Europe. Regards,"

Harry l., Woodridge IL September 2006

"I just want to drop you a line to tell you how much we enjoyed our two tours we took with your company and what a fine job both Danny in Livorno and Alberto in Naples did for us. They were very prompt, courteous, extremely friendly and knowledgeable about their respective areas and made the separate tours an absolute delight for all of us. I will make sure to use you in the future and to pass on your name to others who may be interested in coming to Europe and in need of excellent tours."

Don D., Westford MA September 2006

"We had a wonderful time in both places (Barcelona and the French Riviera), and the tour guides were great. I will be sure to recommend your services in the future to anyone who asks."

Cathy L, Diamond Bar, CA, September 2006

"I want to thank you for all your help with our shore excursions, the experience was amazing. We took the Voyager of the Seas and we were four adults traveling with an 18 month old baby. The guides paid attention to all of our needs. They also recommended places to visit as well as restaurants.

All of our guides spoke both English and Spanish fluently, which made it easier to communicate with them. All the guides were knowledgeable, friendly, careful drivers, and followed through on all our requests. We are very happy to have chosen Travels with Friends and I recommended you to all the people we know. Hopefully they will use your firm for their future travels. I really appreciate all of your time and efforts in helping us have an unforgettable vacation."

Alina R., CPA, Carolina, Puerto Rico, September 2006

"We had a wonderful time! Our guide in Monte Carlo, Pascal, was an excellent guide and a real sweetheart. He was very knowledgeable, spoke and understood English perfectly - no trouble understanding him. He took very good care of us - we wish he could have traveled Europe with us. The Florence tour was also very nice. We had some difficulty understanding our guide, Diego. However, he tried very hard and did a good job showing us around. We are very happy to have chosen Travel with Friends and I recommended you to other travelers we encountered. Hopefully they will use your firm for their future travels. I really appreciate all of your time and efforts in helping us have a wonderful vacation."

Gloria W., Roselle, IL September 2006


"Both private tours were wonderful. We enjoyed them immensely. I will definitely use your service for my travels in the future. Thank you so much."

Connie A., Houston, TX September 2006

"All three of the “tour guides” that you lined up for us were absolutely perfect. Each one of them (Yannick; Daniel and Constantine) were very personable, professional and knowledgeable, and I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for like services. For people going on a cruise with limited time to spend in each “port”, it’s definitely the way to go. We heard a lot of grumbling from other passengers about their experience with the larger groups on packed buses."

Gary S., Wilmington, NC August 2006

"Our trip was wonderful! Our pick up at the airport, two tours, and transportation to the pier all went well. I would definitely use your company again for future travel needs."

Joan W. Manalapan, NJ August 2006

"Derek did a fantastic job for us and we had a very positive experience on our tour."

Mary P., Bedford NH August 2006

We had a great tour of the French Riviera with Jerome. He is very knowledgeable and friendly. We were able to see so much in a single day! I would definitely recommend Travels with Friends. Thanks for your help,"

Karen N, Westborough, MA August 2006

"We had Yannick as our tour guide and he was very informative. I definitely will contact you again when we go for our next visit."

Gayle K., Yorba Linda, CA August 2006

"Our tour of the Amalfi Coast was wonderful. Aldo was a great guide. He was waiting for us when we came off the ship. He loves the Amalfi Coast and shared that love with us. He stopped often so we could take pictures. His choice of stops was wonderful, especially the view area with the fruit stand. We all bought delicious cherries and plums to take back to the ship. Lunch was at a wonderful local restaurant where we had a great family style meal. We would recommend Travels with Friends to anyone."

Jackie and Michael Z., Oak Park, CA August 2006

"Jim and I couldn't have been more pleased to be greeted at the ship by Maurice and treated like royalty on our tour of Pisa and Florence. He was just amazing with all the traffic and was able to get us into both the Uffizi and the Academia Gallery without any wait. He would get us to a tour site and would let us know where he would be at all times to pick us up. He showed us to a quaint local restaurant for lunch. Maurice was a pleasure as our guide and we would highly recommend a private tour with your company to others. Thank you again for making our European trip a pleasure." Lori and Jim W., Irvine, CA August 2006

"Both our tours were wonderful. In Rome, Eduardo was great. He took us exactly where we asked and was very patient with us (stops for pictures, directions, bathroom stops and conversing with my daughter who studied in Rome last year). In Naples our guide Fabrizio was amazing! We thought we were just getting a driver and when we found out we also had a guide....we were "pleased as punch". He was so much fun, the kids adored him (by kids I mean ages from 18 to 21). He arranged lunch for us and showed us everything we wanted to see. Those were our best tours yet! We tried to do some of the cruises tours and....not so great. We will definitely recommend your agency to our friends."

Adria U., Columbus OH August 2006

"We had a wonderful time. The private tour in Italy (Pisa/Florence) was wonderful! We had a driver and a tour guide who went out of their way to make us feel comfortable. The tour guide even had water bottles for us and the bus was really comfortable with a good AC which was greatly appreciated (it was hot in Italy!)."

Olga C., Blauvelt, NY, July 2006

"I wanted to let you know that the Cohen Family thoroughly enjoyed their experience with your company. They are raving about the tour and guide you provided. We will definitely keep your company in mind for future booking. Thanks."

Travel Agent Tommie, Globetrotter Travel, July 2006

"Sorry this is so late....as I told you both my daughter and brother and sister-in-law were on this trip and they are Cruise One Agents. They thought you were GREAT!!!! Fabrizio made Pompeii come alive. My daughter is just working with a group for the Med now and is recommending they use you."

Barbara C., Dover DE, July 2006

"Marianna was superb and we really appreciated the extra effort she gave us. We were excited to see the ruins of Pompeii and to see the sights in Sorrento and along the Amalfi Coast. I was a bit nervous about arranging a separate excursion from that offered by the cruise ship, but with 11 of us in our group we just couldn't afford their prices. We appreciate the commitment by Travel with Friends and the arrangements they made for us and setting us up with such a fantastic hostess for our tour."

Dave H., Provo UT, July 2006

"We had a marvelous vacation, and enjoyed our tour with Sylvie tremendously. She was waiting for us right on time at the dock, and conveyed us to the sites we requested with grace and charm. We are passing your contact information to our friends Nick and Stacy, who are traveling to Villefranche within the next couple of weeks, so that they can be similarly enchanted. Thank you for helping make our travel experience so pleasantly memorable."

Candace F., Alpharetta, GA July 2006

"I wanted you to know that our guide named Max in Villefranche was excellent. We were on the Celebrity Millennium. He was our first private guide on our long 18-day trip. He knew and showed us all of the sites we had wanted to see. He also took us to a wonderful outdoor cafe in Saint Paul and we loved the food. He was always courteous and knowledgeable. I recommend him highly. We were 8 people, and he was gracious to all of us."

Diane, D., Columbus, NJ July 2006

"Thank you very much for the Nice-Monaco-Eze private tour! Our tour guide, Yannick, was the BEST!! I highly recommend him and your company to anyone wanting a great informative and personal experience of the French Riviera! Yannick was very enthusiastic, professional, informative and fun! He tended to all of our needs and questions diligently and nicely. Again, thank you for our great tour experience!"

Arlene A., Vallejo, CA July 2006

"We had a wonderful guide in Villefranche. Ingira was very knowledgeable about the area. Her English was very good. We learned from our first excursion to ask for a quick bite to eat. It may be our group, but we didn't want to waste time eating. All in all, I would recommend your company. Our tour guide was great; the motor coach was very comfortable. I would only recommend that your guides ask what type of lunch your customers prefer."

Len N., Scotts Valley, CA July 2006

"I just want to let you know that my family and I really enjoyed the private tour we had from Villefranche to Monte Carlo, Nice and Cannes. Our guide, Ingira, was very nice and informative. Thank you, and if I go back to Europe some day, I will use your company for a private tour, again."

Lisa L., Highlands Ranch, CO, July 2006

"Yannick was extremely flexible, which was just what we needed. He made several suggestions to help us squeeze all we wanted to see into our day."

Joe M., Owings Mills, MD, July 2006

"We had a great day on our tour of the French Riviera. I will definitely recommend your company to any friends visiting the area. Jerome did a great job for us. He was very informative and friendly."

Kevin W., Hernando, MS, July 2006

"Just wanted to report back to you that the tour was great. Myrta did a fabulous job and we all appreciated her knowledge of Greek history. Costas did great and both were very nice people. We felt like we were with family all day. Thanks again and we will certainly refer your Company to others."

Doug B., Marion IN July 2006

We had a fabulous time. The tours you planned on the French Riviera and in Rome were wonderful. The tour guides knew just where to take us and were very knowledgeable I will definitely recommend you and your tour company. Once again, thank you for everything."

Barbara B., Delray Beach, FL, July 2006

"I want to give you special thanks for everything. The tours were wonderful. They were always there on time, very friendly and caring. I will definitely keep you in mind for my future trips and I will recommend you to people who are already asking me, how we did it."

Mary D., New York, NY, June 2006

"I want to tell you how much we enjoyed the tour. I was with Giorgos. He was marvelous--so knowledgeable--no professor of ancient studies could have been better. Moreover, he had a wonderful sense of humor and was very kind and caring. Just a joy! I understand Penelope was a very good and knowledgeable guide as well. Thanks so much for making Athens a great experience."

Gary H., Pacific Palisades, CA, June 2006

"I wanted to drop you a note to thank you for arranging an excellent guide and driver while we were in Athens. They were both excellent and handled the situation with the demonstrations very well. We enjoyed our stay in Athens and learned much from our guide."

Stuart R., Saratoga, CA, June 2006

"The tour was perfect! The driver and guide Yannick could not have been better. He made our day in the area delightful. I felt that people love to complain so here is our letter telling about how great our guide and our time was spent."

Helene and Morton G., Boynton Beach, FL, June 2006

"We had a wonderful vacation, and the tour guide you provided for us was excellent. (Antony) He was right on time, very informative, and we covered a lot of ground in just one day. He worked hard to accommodate our needs and desires. Thanks for everything!"

Felicia C., Warren, NJ, June 2006

"Jerome was our tour guide and he was terrific! He met us promptly at the designated spot and was very friendly and informative. This was our first stop on the cruise and a port that I knew would be wonderful to see and all I can say is that it was even more beautiful than I had expected. This was my first time to Europe and having such a great guide certainly gave us a wonderful beginning to our trip. In the future I will recommend your company to my clients."

Marion S., Ontario, Canada, May 2006

"Thank you so much for your assistance in organizing our tour in Athens. Our guide, Mariza, was very knowledgeable and made our brief visit delightful. She included many details of interesting information with her narration and was very helpful with our plans to stay in the Plaka area. Some of our group choose to go back to the ship so she accompanied them after helping us with details of how to return to the ship. Some of group felt she spoke so rapidly that they had difficulty understanding her at first - later, they said when she was talking directly to the group and not on the bus that there was no problem. Please extend to her our thanks and greetings. I will certainly recommend your services to our clients and hope to be able to take advantage of Travels with Friends guides in the future."

Travel Agent Cynthia E., Jack Fry Travel, Ridgecrest, CA

".....this day was with out a doubt the biggest highlight of our entire trip thanks to you & your staff at "Travel with Friends". At exactly 8:00 AM I got off the ship and waiting for me in the parking lot was a young Italian man with a big sign JIM G.. My wife & I and another couple climbed into a brand new 6 passenger van and were off to Rome. He was polite, a great driver and wow, did he ever know the back streets of Rome. I gave him a list of the things we wanted to see, told him we were going to skip lunch and wanted to be back at the port of Civitavecchia by 4:30 that afternoon. In addition to stops at the Coliseum, the Forum, Trevi Fountain, St Peter's Cathedral (which we were able to get into even though it was Sunday), we drove by the Seven Steps of Rome, Circus Maximus, the Pantheon, Palatine Hill, along both banks of the Tiber River and several other favorite sites of his. Your connection in Rome did a great job in putting this tour together and getting us this particular driver."

Jim G., Daytona Beach, FL May 2006

"I have given your site to so many people at the cruise ship for their future trips as we were so ecstatic with our overall shore excursion experience, specially the Naples excursion. Augusto was excellent. He even sang for us."

Martha F., Bakersfield, CA May 2006

"My vacation was terrific, and the tour booked through Travels with Friends went very well. We went to 5 locations that day, and it was nice to be able to see what we wanted, when we wanted. The guide was excellent, and we enjoyed it very much. Thanks."

Janice G., May 2006

"On the 16th of May I hired your company for a tour of Monte Carlo and the Riviera. The tour and the tour guide were wonderful!!!"

Lois B., Warwick, PA, May 2006