Can’t Be Missed Tours

We booked two tours with this company on our Princess cruise of the Mediterranean. These tours, Rome in particular, were the best of all our tours. Petro goes above and beyond to provide great customer service and insure that all customers, regardless if they book last minute or are late, etc, have a great experiences. Petro met us first at the train station (which was very easily navigated to through the cruise ships bus for something like 2euro). Some people were late getting to the train station in Civitavecchia so a second staff member stayed behind to wait for them. Petro boarded the train with us and told us where to get off in Rome. A woman on the tour forgot her bag on the train and Petro ran insanely fast back to the car, asked the train to wait and got off the train with the woman’s bag, just as the doors were closing. Im sure she was very grateful! I was impressed! There were two other guides waiting for us there. We split into two groups. I was in the larger group of 20 ppl. Compared to the cruise ship tours of 20+ I was delighted to have less people to travel with. Our guide Stefano was wonderful! When we were at the Colosseum, Petro appeared again with the late arrivals so they could join our group. What I thought was exceptional was that they were able to insure the late arrivals were taken care of, without making everyone that was on time wait for them. This is what I mean by above and beyond! All day we got in and out of the sights quickly as Stefan departed a wealth of knowledge on us. Petro seemed to go ahead and get our tickets, scout lines and I know he was traveling back and fourth between the two groups they had running in that city that day. This extra person managing everything is what made everything run so smoothly. The place Stefano recommended for lunch was the best food we had on our trip and they had free wifi! In addition hopping around Rome entirely on public transportation worked extremely well. We avoided traffic and maximized our time. We heard that several groups that went into Rome with the cruise line that day were not able to get in to see the Sistine Chapel– not a problem for us. We took the train back to the port and were back to our boat with plenty of time to spare. Oh and did I mention this tour (even with the addition of all the optional features– which we did) was less than hall the cost of the cruise lines tour of the same sights!!! Its a no brainer! Book this company! We did Rome and their Pompei/​Sorrento tour the next day. I was sad we did not know they had a Florence tour also before we left, or we would have done all three with them!

My husband and I went on a cruise through Europe for our honeymoon. We were not planning to do many excursions through our ship since they were so expensive. In Florence we came across a guy that was so helpful and nice with helping us navigate on our own (Vlad) he worked for CBM Tours and told us about an excursion they did in Naples (our next stop). It was almost identical to an excursion our ship offered but for half the price. We signed up and went with a big group from our ship. The tour was great– We drove through Naples, the Amalfi Coast, Positano, Sorrento, and finally stopped in Pompeii for a private tour through the ruins. Our guide– Nello was from the area and was awesome. He was funny, had a lot of great information, and pointed us in the right direction for good food, shopping, etc.
I definitely recommend this company for anyone also cruising through Italy. They are cost effective and all really friendly. Our friends on the cruise had also done their Rome excursion and said it was just as great.

At the suggestion of a friend who went on bus tours with CBM, we recently went on their Amalfi Coast and Pompeii tour, and also on their Rome tour from our cruise ship.
Our cruise ship docked in Salerno. CBM met us at dockside and directed us to a full sized tour bus that took us to a parking lot just outside of the piers. Evidently, the pier at Salerno is still trying to figure out how to get passengers off cruise ships. We then drove the bus to the Amalfi Coast with our great tour guide, Gus. Got a chance to look out over the Med and view the towns along the coast. We then drove to Sorrento and had lunch at a nice restaurant and then had some time for shopping downtown. Afterwards, our bus drove to Pompeii and had a good visit at the ruins. Saw enough with the local Pompeii tour guide so that I didn’t feel like I missed that much for such a short visit.
The only problem we had was when we returned, the bus drove us to the dock where there was a big traffic jam and Gus suggested that we could easily walk to the end of the pier to our ship. Unfortunately, the security guard at the pier said it was too dangerous to walk because the driveway was too narrow. We finally managed to get back on the bus and eventually got back to the ship. Based on everything I heard, I suspect that the port at Salerno needs to get this sorted out and that CBM did the best they could.
When our cruise ship arrived at the port of Civitavecchia, we did not realize that CBM expected to meet us at the train station to go to Rome. This was not clear to us when we booked on-​line with CBM. By the time we made telephone contact and met CBM at the train station, our small tour group had left an hour earlier. CBM made up for the error by traveling with us to Rome on the train and connecting us with John for a great private tour of the city. We went to the Colisseum, sat on the Spanish Steps, threw coins into the Trevi Fountain, went inside the incredible Panthenon, drank espresso, visited various plazas, sat on the sidewalk outside the Vatican walls and ate super yummy pizza from a tiny local pizza joint, and waited in a fast moving line at St. Peter’s Square for entry into St. Peter’s Basilica.
What made the CBM tour different was the use of subways and buses to get around. Saves both time and money. We met up with our small group at the train station to return to the port. Unfortunately, construction at the Citavecchia port forced us to walk about 15 minutes from the train station to an entirely new shuttle bus lot to return to the ship.
I would strongly recommend CBM, an American-​based tour company for their tours in Italy. I understand they are starting tours in Turkey as well.

If you are taking a cruise to Rome or Naples this company offers unforgettable one day shore excursions.
DISCLAIMER: I went to college with the owner (Jen). She and her husband Petro own this company.
Even if I didn’t I would write a five star review for their tours becuase of the personal attention they give. It can be really expensive to take a shore excursion so you can book through the crusie line and pay or you can take your chances, you can take your chances with the tour operators you meet on the dock or you can do it on your own and hope you get back to the ship on time.
They offer two tours. One is a walking tour in Rome. They meet you at the train station, take you through the sites of Rome-​the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Vatican Museum, etc. If you want to go into the Vatican Museum you have to pay the entry fee, but you won’t have to stay in line. Sometimes it can be really long. I remember waiting at least forty minutes to get in on my own. The great thing is that they know the city well enough that they guarantee your on-​time arrival. Which is great since I have been lost in Rome, and though it is beautiful it can be a little distressing. Just so you know, the busses run differently on Sunday.
They also offer a tour –Naples, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. For this tour they meet you at the dock and then take you in around in a bus showing you the beautiful sites.
I haven’t been but to Naples, but I can not wait.
Oh and they are cheap. The Rome tour costs 59Euros and the Naples cost 65 Euros
You get licensed English speaking guides who know the cities. I love that I can always get a good recommendation on where to get good gelato. I didn’t know there could be bad gelato and really when you are in Italy there is good gelato and then just to die for heavenly gelato. Make sure you ask them for suggestions if you go!